A few minutes late after Mila left the room, I headed to the bathroom.
　I felt like I could still feel the softness and warmth in my hands.
　I chased away the evil thoughts and washed my face with cold water.

　When I walked out into the living room, I could see Mila through the two-way kitchen.
　She had changed into her own loungewear before I knew it, and she was wearing a white apron over it. Her long hair was tied up in one piece with a hair elastic and hanging down her back.
　What a wholesome beauty she is, I think.
　She prefers the approach that thrills me, but it seems to be more of a natural appearance.

'Can I help you with something?'

Thank you. But don't worry, you can watch the video board (TV) and wait for me.

　You don't have to be a [Cook] to cook. It seems that you can only improve up to the level of family taste, and stop growing at the point where it's one step short of taking the money.
　However, I don't have a delicate palate, and I think Mila-san is a good enough cook.

　Incidentally, when I was studying under the master, I was supposed to be the one to cook the meals, but on the first day, he said, "Stop, I'll do it. I haven't cooked since he scolded me, "You're not at the level of lack of talent.
　I don't know if it was that bad.

　The first time Mira-san said, "It's so nice to cook with you," but two minutes later, she kicked me out of the kitchen, saying, "I want to treat you to something I made from one to ten, so please wait in the living room after all.
　She hasn't let me help her with anything since.

　Maybe I'll try to sneak in some practice next time.
　With that in mind, I turned on the TV. It was thin and the picture was beautiful. It's different from the boxy, noisy TVs I had in the countryside.
　When I tuned in to the news, I saw a familiar adventurer on the screen. To be precise, it was the adventurer's attack footage.

　It was the video of the Fenix party's challenge to the tenth level of the Demon King's Castle.
　It was aired just yesterday.
　When a dungeon attack is broadcasted on a video board (TV), it's basically all made as a special edition.
　The Phoenix Party's attack on the Demon King's Castle was prepared with one slot per layer, and they were quite enthusiastic about it, with a total of eleven sessions planned.

　The fifth level, the realm of 【Dream Demon】, where 【Demon of Love Affair】 Sitely-san was the floor boss, was completed in an extremely short period of time.
　Therefore, we broadcasted it at the same time as the sixth level, led by 【Wepal, the ruler of the water area】 Wepal-san, was attacked.

　On the contrary, the seventh level of the realm of the sky and trials, which was ruled by the eloquent Lord Thrush, was broadcast over two weeks because the attack took so long.
　The balance was reached here. From then on, it continued to be broadcast in a single slot per layer, the tenth layer.

　The actual attack time was quite short, but the interviews before and after the start and end of the attack, the training scenes of the party, and the recap of the past were somehow able to keep it together.
　It's not usually a good idea to stretch things out so blatantly, but it seems that the attack footage and results were much more shocking than that, and that was a rare thing for anyone to mention.

　Next week it seems that a documentary will be aired that closely follows the fenix party.
　Since this kind of thing was originally intended to be a contingency, there are plenty of video materials and alternatives available.

''Well, it was shocking, wasn't it?

　A Minotaur commentator who is familiar with the adventurer's activities speaks out.

''Mr. [Fire Brave] Fenix didn't leave in every officially announced dungeon attack, so I think the people watching were really surprised,''

It's a shame there's no battle footage. It's just that cameras in dungeons are naturally designed to deal with magic, right?　I didn't want the magic to break when it hit me.

　Mino nodded at the words of the famous comedian, the dwarf.

'That's right. It all melted away. There was also a camera that was broken without showing any flames, so it is believed that this was that much high-density high-purity magic magic--spiritual magic.''

'That dungeon was amazing when the camera came in. There's nothing there anymore. And the two of you are just standing there. I'm really curious how that happened... Was it a dark mage?　Remegaton. Demon King's Army Chief, how did that man melt like a camera... for lack of a better word, he was able to withstand those flames?''

''He's a demon, you know. A demon's horns can accumulate magic power, but they have the ability to increase the quality of the magic power, just like the spirit art. He must have protected his body with the same quality of magic power as the spirit art.''

I see. Then, that's it, the general staff must have accumulated a lot of magic power. If that's the case, it must be that one.　If you've got a hoard, you can spend it, right?　Isn't that an advantage for the next person to go?''

''It's not unreasonable to think so, but that's where I want you to remember Mr. Remegeton's move before the single combat. Except for the part where he took advantage of [Warrior] Alba's attack, he used his subordinates to deftly drop the enemy, and then allowed his subordinates and Mr. Fenix to go toe-to-toe with him, and finally made his own move.''

That's right. He was very smart about it, and seemed to be using his subordinates very well up until halfway through, but since it's only been Feniks, what's the policy?　You seemed to have changed.'

'That's the point. In fact, [Hell's Watchdog] Naberius, [Werewolf's Head] Markosias, and others have clearly stated that they were allowed to fight in single combat. 【Dead Spirit Leader Brave General】Kimaris sought the magical body (avatar) of 【Ice Brave】Beulah, and his subordinate 【Hunters of the Dark Scar】Lerager showed his obsession with 【Hunters】Lily.''

'Oh, come to think of it. Then what?　Are you saying that your chief of staff incorporated the feelings of his subordinates into the operation?　So you ignored efficiency in the process?'

''I think so. 'I suppose the intention was to have Mr. Fenix use his magic, but even that could have been more effective. Considering Mr. Remeghton's skills as seen in the video, it's only natural to think so.

'So that's it. I let the people who were frustrated by being hit by a blow from Fenix and the people who had a cause or interest in the members to do what they wanted, so I had to use my horns in the fight against Fenix. You mean, if other adventurers come along, you're going to come up with a plan that doesn't involve using your horns?''

''In that case, the orders to the subordinates will also change depending on how the adventurer reached the tenth layer, but if the magic power of the horn is insufficient, he will build a plan for victory with that in mind. From what I've seen, he seems to have a purely magical organ performance.''

''You summoned five of them at once, right? That wasn't the magic power of the horns?''

'I'm sure it wasn't. The Fenix Party - especially Mr. Fenix, but their reaction was after the summons, wasn't it?　If he had used the horns, he would have been surprised by their magic before he summoned them.''

''Haha. So your bare magic power is also amazing. What kind of person is it that can beat the four great spirit owners in the real world? Since he's a one-horned man, is he a predecessor demon king or something?''

''His physique and fighting style are different, and it's very unlikely that he will return........ He was originally a two-horned man, and maybe he hides one horn in his magical body (avatar). I don't know why.''

'I thought he was a black mage because he was called a dark mage, but he dodged the magic sword, used it in reverse, and defeated Fenix with his fists... it's all messed up. But that's not it. It's not fair to summon so many floor bosses!　I'm sure some people will say something like,

''Although there are certainly opinions like that, the price of the summoning technique is higher depending on the strength of the contractor - I dare say this because it's complicated - and the price of the summoning technique is higher depending on the strength of the contractor. In fact, the demons that use the summoning technique are mainly used by either a single strong group or several weak groups. With five floor boss equivalents at the same time, I can only praise this.''

''So that's how it is. Well, if you say that, there are people who say that a brave man with a spirit is unfair.

''Right. What matters is how you use your power. Mr. Remeghton was very good at that.

'That's a goofy compliment. What about the Fenix Party?　Maybe five layers?　You've been acting a little out of sorts since the [Black Mage] left.''

''Honestly, there are some harsh opinions gathered about the Fenix Party. Aside from the [Brave] two, the other three didn't show much goodness after the fifth level.''

'I thought I'd picked up a little bit, but, uh... how many layers are there?'

''I guess it's the seventh layer. The easiest way to find out is from the eighth layer.

　And with others, the topic of conversation turns to the fenix party.

'He's a good critic. We'll remember him.'

　Mila said in a good mood as she brought in the breakfast.

'Ahh, it's embarrassing to be praised too, isn't it?'

'It's a fair assessment. I wish the world would recognize you as well as Master Remeghton, though.

Hmmm, that would be hard to do, wouldn't it?

　It's quite difficult to work as a demon and be an adventurer as well.
　This is because demons are a job of waiting, but adventurers are a job of going around the world.
　To be an adventurer, you need to join a party and conquer dungeons, but you can't do that in the first place.

　Who would want an adventurer who can only attack dungeons that can be completed on a day trip from the Demon King's Castle, and who would want a [Black Mage]? I'm sure that even I wouldn't want it under those conditions.
　I couldn't see a future where 【Black Mage】Reme would be reevaluated in a straightforward manner.

''There must be something... something...''

I'm so glad you thought of it. But it's okay. There were people like Mira who noticed me, and people like everyone in the Demon King's Castle who recognized me. Even top-notch adventurers like Fenix and Mr. Aerial understand. I don't think I could ever hope for more than that or anything else right now.

'You are too humble, Leme. You can be ambitious enough to let the world return your palms to you, can't you?　I'm going to spend my life helping you.

Oh, thank you...

　You know how good you are at guessing!　I felt the spirit of a fan.
　The feeling was a little too strong, but I appreciated the thought itself.

Then, um, I guess I'll have some food.

Yeah. Bon appétit.

　Mira and I ate breakfast while watching the rest of the news.