Now, what has happened since then?
　First of all, it's me.

　The magic savings that I've been accumulating for nine years has run out of money.
　However, it's not as desperate as I feel from the years.
　Because it's so. The nine years includes the time when you took part of the horns into your body, starting when you were eleven years old.
　The magic power that could be created back then was much less than it is now, and it took another year to fully inherit the horns from there.
　I've decided to continue training in black magic, but I'll increase the amount of magic that is generated for the horns.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same amount of time to accumulate the same amount of magic.

　Incidentally, I told the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings, who know their master, exactly what happened in the battle.
　It's not surprising that the Demon King was expecting me because my magic body (avatar) was a single horn, but he wasn't surprised about the inheritance of the horn.

''Originally, your father should have inherited it, but that man doesn't get along with your grandfather. He won't care.''

　But Lucy, the Demon King, wanted her horns.
　But Miss Lucy, the Demon King, wanted the horns.

'I don't care about you, Remeghton. You have done well to bring home a victory. You are the pride of the Demon King's army and by the way, you've only got one horn, right?　Hmmm, no, I'm just asking.'

　He smiled.

　.........Master, your grandson is aiming for the remaining one.

　Of course, he was probably joking, but I felt a bit of a cringe.
　Come to think of it, I wonder what the Demon King-sama's father is doing. From the way Lucy-san talks, it doesn't seem to be a taboo that shouldn't be touched, but I heard that he's not involved in dungeon management.
　I'll have to ask her about it next time when the timing is right.

　The rest of the time, I just got a little more respect from Mira-san, or something like that.
　Kash and everyone else wanted to know about the outcome of the fight, but I decided to keep it under wraps for now.
　Aside from Lucy-san, my master's grandson and employer, and the Four Heavenly Kings who know I'm a disciple of the Demon King - Citry-san doesn't know yet - I'm going to mention my master's existence from my mouth, and I was hesitant to say.

　Next, the Fenix Party.
　It's still a long way from airing, but it's sure to make a big splash.
　Per Aruba, they might make a lot of noise about immediately re-attacking it, but it will be dismissed. No, they will.
　The three of them, including him, realized that their abilities didn't reach the level of capturing the Demon King's Castle through this attack.

　I'm sure Beulah-san would have raised that as an agenda item.
　That person seemed to think that my black magic was at a level that would be useful to the party, and there was a section in the tenth layer where he realized that it was me because of the big smile when Fenix received black magic, the overthrow of Alba and Lark's moves after reading them completely, the black magic user, and as an added bonus, his name was 'Leme' Geton.
　There may be other reasons, or I may have just had a hunch and not been able to confirm it.
　Somehow, my perspective is different from that of other adventurers. No, I should say that I can see things without the filters that are unique to adventurers.

　Béla-san could decide that even if she applied for a re-attack right away, she wouldn't be able to create an attack that would excite the audience any more than this one. Lily and Lark would agree with that. If you keep your cool, Alba will understand.
　The impregnable Demon King's Castle is impregnable, and the fourth-ranked party will continue to figure it out and capture it.
　That was the kind of excitement I had this time.
　But we wouldn't get that by trying again right after we lost.
　Will they show another attack where all of their friends other than Fenix are leaving with a bang?
　Are you tracing the path to the tenth layer that we revealed to the world?　We've seen it before.
　Can those of us who watched it boil over with the same layer of re-attack that we saw just the other day?　Are you satisfied with that?

　Basically, if you get wiped out, pause to re-enter that dungeon.
　People like 'growth stories'. If the brave party that succumbed to that dungeon is trained and re-trained to take on the challenge again, they'll get support.
　There is a reason why they don't come sooner, except for the work-related reason that

　Fenix.
　Even during the battle, I thought, even if that guy had won there, he wouldn't have been able to advance to the deepest part of the battle right away.
　What you get from a contract with a spirit is 'spirit magic' and 'spirit magic', the right to use each.
　Since it's called a contract, compensation is also required, but that's not important this time.

　Spirits cannot create their own magic power, but instead can take the magic power that fills the world into themselves.
　In other words, it's like a horn that can absorb magic power from the world.
　It seems extremely convenient, but it doesn't seem to have a high absorption capacity.
　And if the magic power is completely lost, the spirits will disappear.

　It's probably true that it took a hundred and thirty years for the fire spirit to choose its next contractor, and it's also true that it didn't find a person it liked, but I think it's also true that it was trying to recover the magic power that was used by the contractor last time.
　The Flame of the Gods couldn't be provided by Fenix's magic power alone.
　The Fire Spirit wouldn't be so transcendent as to be able to unleash that order of magnitude of magic. If it's impossible, it's possible, but it's an act of reducing one's own existence. I would never recommend it to a contractor.

　There are other reasons why they can't or won't come, such as the fact that Fenix wanted to fight me, which is perfect, so they won't be able to come right away, or that the tenth layer is inexplicably destroyed in the first place, so adventurers won't be allowed in until it's rebuilt.

　A few days after the defense of the Demon King's Castle.
　I was standing in front of the gate leading to the outside of the city.
　The sky was faintly bright and it was early morning.
　After a while, a waiting person appears. Waiting people, I guess. Five people.
　Fenix, Alba, Lark, Lily and Beulah.

Hey, guys.

　I called out to them, holding up one hand.
　I was one of them, but everyone was hiding their heads and faces so that others wouldn't find out.

''Oh?''

　Alba stared at me, but when she realized it was me, she made a subtle face.

'Reme........ What do you want?

　It's not looking good.

'I heard you were going to another city, so I thought I'd go see you off.

What?　Who is....Fenix?

Oh, I told him.

　After the attack, I came out and talked to them about my work, as promised.
　Also, I got to introduce Kash and Mila to them in the process.
　Well, that's okay.

'There's something I need to tell you guys.

　Alba comes out on her own.

"Why were you hiding your powers?

　That's a pretty straightforward question.
　If I hadn't heard anything related to Beulah from Fenix, I might have been amused.

'If I told you, did you decide to leave me alone?

........no, not that one. You're a [Black Mage].

Right?

　With my popularity as an adventurer, I wouldn't be able to beat Beulah-san.
　Alba thought that popularity was necessary, and in that respect, [Black Mage] itself was a problem.

''........But, I'm curious. Because just showing it off to us would have changed the comfort of the party. I wonder why you didn't say anything even though Alba kept telling me.

　Lark.

'You guys are going to perform at your best because of me'?　Does that mean anything to you?

　The best thing to do is to have them fight comfortably and without a care in the world.
　Thinking of it as 'our own power' rather than 'thanks to [Black Mage]' would make them more confident and more active in their movements.
　I just wanted to run up the ranks in the shortest possible distance.

''I'll put aside my own stupidity for not realizing your power, but your method... well...''

　Lily stammered.

'I understand. That's what I'm here to apologize for. I was so focused on keeping the party winning that I deprived you guys of the opportunity to grow up.

　Normally, they could have realized their inexperience with the results and tried to improve each time.
　But since I was focused on getting things done, they ended up living a life of adventuring without any setbacks.
　That's what made the three of them suffer this time.

''I can't say it's just Reme-san's fault, though. If you had continued to train diligently on a regular basis, you would have been able to feel some discomfort. There would have been a way to take it to a discussion from there. No one questioned it because he was unconsciously looking down on [Black Mage] under his unconsciousness. Even my own sense of discrimination, shouldn't I blame it on Leme-san?

　Beulah follows up with a follow-up, if I should say surprisingly.

'So, Leme. Have you been waiting for me to apologize?

　Fenix asked as the three of them shushed each other.

'Ah, actually, there's more. The.........yeah, okay. Alba tends to extend her magic sword, doesn't she? It's flashy and fine, but there's also the time it takes to get back, and the longer you extend it, the longer it takes to set up its trajectory, so I think it's best to be conservative with the big moves and roll them out more compactly.

　Next.

'Lark tries to do the best thing with the least amount of movement. I like that smartness, but it's easy to read it as too accurate. Even demons can see the delivery, so there may be enemies who will try to reverse your optimal action. I should probably 'miss' it in moderation.

　Next.

'I don't think Lily should be limited by speed. It's a good idea to emphasize on the importance of hitting the target. The 'divine speed' is an amazing technique, so if you choose where to use it, such as when the enemies are crowded together, it will be more exciting.

　So far, I've had no say in the matter.
　However, thanks to Béla's suggestion, everyone agreed with me to some extent.
　Then I said what I was thinking.
　They can be stronger.
　Well, should I say this or not?

''Beulah-san is an amazingly good [brave man]. She looks around well and makes quick decisions. Her magic is beautiful and she has a lot of applications.

Thank you very much.

But you're not very good with melee, are you?

''That's right. I will devote myself to it.

　Beulah tilts her head in a bow.
　I look at Fenix.

'You're ... well ... okay.

If you have something to say to me, let me know.

''None. I just thought it would be a lot trickier if they strengthened the ability to stand around without the spirits.

'Huh. Yeah, relying on the spirits all the time might not be a good idea either.

'You were chosen by the spirits, so I suppose it's in your power, too.

That's what you're talking about, isn't it?

　We laugh at each other.
　Fenix holds out his hand.
　I've rarely shook hands with him, but well, if it's a goodbye greeting, it's not strange.
　When I responded, for some reason, a magical power was emitted from Fenix.
　I quickly wrapped my body in magic power as soon as possible and--ah.

''The [Flame Brave] Fenix will always be a friend's helper at any time. If you need anything, you can always call me.

　--This, this...!
　They touch each other's rings, they flow magic to each other, and when the contractor speaks his will - he can summon them with the ring.
　I was here today with the ring in place.

　--I've made a contract with the 【Flame Warrior】.

　You know I can't use summoning magic, so you've come up with some kind of magic tool.
　But that doesn't mean you're going to try to see if you can sign up for it.　

''........Screw you, you idiot. At what point am I going to summon you?

　I whispered and blamed my best friend.

'Let's get you a magical body (avatar) for a demon.

　He says in a lighter tone. It's hard to tell if he's joking or serious.
　No, it's not... hmm?　What do you think?
　In case you're wondering, there is no ban on dual jobs. Unsuccessful adventurers can't make ends meet with a full-time job, so if you ban them, the number of adventurers will drop off.
　My adventurer registration has not been deleted either.

'Is the thought of saving your best friend so strange?'

Uhhhh ... that's enough. I'll make it work for you when the time comes.

　We'll deal with the specific issues later.

'Yes, Mr. Chief of Staff,'

Stop it, I get goosebumps.

　We laugh again and we leave.

'So good luck, everyone.'

　While I smile brightly, the three of them don't look good.

After all, they didn't talk about their powers?

　Alba says.

'Right,'

"...yeah right. I mean, what do you do for a living?

Are you interested?

'Oh?　There's no way. I'm just asking.

'Haha, yes. Then I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone.

No one is interested in you in the first place.

So you won't tell anyone?

I'm not gonna tell you.

　Alba's words helped me, to be honest.
　I was wondering at what point I would have to execute it.
　It was when I went to see off Fenix and the others and leaked it to Mira-san.

　-- 'I have a great idea.'

　Mila said.
　I had a not-so-great feeling about it, but before I knew it, the idea had taken shape to the point where it was a done deal.
　Everyone was supportive, and I was so happy about that feeling that I couldn't back down.

　I took the mask out of my robe and put it on.
　The two people who know who I am look at their actions, and the three people look at me in surprise at the improbable event.
　And the astonishment doesn't end there.

''Come...''

　They appeared.

　[Hell's Watchdog] Naberius, [Invisible Slaughterer] Grasshara Bollas, [Dead Spirit Leader Brave General] Kimaris, [Hunter of Dark Wounds] Lerager, [Queen of Vampires] Carmilla, [Head of Werewolves] Markosias, and [Reaping Knight] Fulkus.

　All of the demons who helped in the defense of the tenth layer appear in response to the summons.
　In a stunt prepared by Mira-san, they all get down on one knee and hang their heads to me.
　I'm deploying my magic so that the people around me are unaware of it.

We had fun last time. It's always good to see you again. Politely--I will annihilate you.

　It was amazing to see the surprise on the faces of the three of them, especially Alba.
　Mira-san is smiling with satisfaction.
　As expected, Alba and the others will keep quiet.
　Even if it was hinted at, no one would believe it, and even if they did, they would settle for the theory that Gura-san made many black wizards invisible rather than the theory that I was superior, and there is no way that Aruba would say that they were annihilated by the demons led by the friends they kicked out in the first place.

''Well then, let's do our best for each other--let's go home.

　Only at the end, I'll say it a little bit like a general counsel.
　It would have been pretty much like that since everyone responded with a collective "ha".
　The Fenix party headed to another dungeon as they still needed to train.

　◇

　I'm in the video room, watching the one hundred and fifty-sixth party that has entered the first layer.
　I can't directly participate in the other layers since I'm officially the chief of staff now, but I can give advice while watching the video.
　With the microphone that comes with the earphones and the set of microphones, I can give them instructions accordingly.
　While looking at the adventurers, I muttered without saying a word to anyone.

''--Welcome to the impregnable Demon King's Castle.