Arios returned to the inn where he was staying.
　When he entered the room, he saw that Aggus, Leanne and Mina were all there.

''Ah, welcome back.''
Where have you been?
What, you don't know what you're talking about? What's going on with you guys?
We've been gathering information on the earlier fracas, and we're just now putting the story together.
You know, earlier in the day.
There is an information control system in place, but I'm pretty sure that the monster that appeared in the city the other day is a demon.

　Mina says with a serious look on her face.
　The appearance of the demon race in the city is such a serious situation.
　After all, such an incident has never happened in the past few years.
　However, it's not without precedent.
　There was an incident where demons appeared in the middle of a war with the Demon King and attacked people in the city.

　Considering that, this incident might be a sign that the Demon King is starting a war.
　Mina suspected as much.

　However, knowing that the Demon King had nothing to do with it at all, Arios replied in a carefree manner.

''There's nothing to think about that deeply. I've heard that the lord of this city was dabbling in various antiques. For the most part, one of them had a demon tribe sealed in it, and it must have been unlocked by some impetus.''
Is that so...?
Don't even think about it. Have the demons been defeated already?　We'll never know the truth.
About that...

　Aggus opened his mouth.
　Isn't he going to say something unnecessary again?
　Arios clicked his tongue inwardly.

''After all, isn't it bad to say that you left the demon race unattended?''
That's the story...

　On the night of the incident.
　Arios and his group staying in the city naturally understood that the demon race had appeared.
　On top of that, they decided to leave it alone, saying that it wasn't much of an opponent, there was no need for a brave man to go out of the way.......
　Although Aggus and Mina were reluctant, Arios pushed the story through.

　It was all a ploy by Arios.
　It would be meaningless if he deliberately made them summon the demon race and then defeated them by themselves.
　So I dared to ignore it. I left it alone.

''There are adventurers in this city. There are also knights. So why would we bother traveling there?
But what about the demons?　He's our enemy.
No! Our enemy is the Demon King. Demons are just a bunch of mooks that are leftovers.
It's...
And you could have done without us. So that's what they were doing. We're not handymen. We don't have time to be bothered by such small fish. Isn't that right?
''Well, it's not hard to see why Arios would say that.
'Then I'm done talking about this. It's past time. There's no point in rehashing it.
Okay.

　That's a bit silly.
　Arios laughed inwardly.
　After all, he is a warrior whose only selling points are his strength and sturdiness.
　Wisdom is not in his head.
　It's easier than dealing with a child.

　Not knowing that Arios was thinking about such things, Aggus remained meek with an unreadable expression of emotion.

''Is it just about the demon race that everyone was discussing with you?''
No, there's one more thing.
'You know what? Isn't it time we started our journey again?　I'm tired of this town.

　Lean says, fingering her hair.
　As Lean spoke, Arios thought about it.

　I haven't erased Lean yet.
　He hasn't returned the humiliation he received.
　To do so, he used his lord's son to devise a plan this time.

　But it failed.
　Why did it fail?
　Because Rayne withstood the instant death spell?
　Or because it even fought off a demon attack?

　Thinking about this and that... Arios let out a small sigh.
　I have to think about the next thing.
　There's no point in dragging out the failure forever.

　Let's rethink it again.
　Just don't be in a hurry.
　We must never let our guard down.
　To the point of thinking that, Arios was wary of Rain.

　For now, let's leave it at that for now.
　If we don't resume our journey at this point, then it will be suspicious.
　Let's fulfill our original purpose.

　Arios decides to do so and calls out to everyone.

'Well, it's time to resume our journey.
'We've been waiting for you!　Next time I want to go to a more glamorous city.
"Leanne. We have a noble mission to defeat the Demon King, you know. Please don't think like a snobbish person.
It's not a big deal. I'm not going to relax if you keep tensing up.
It's, well...
By the way, I'm running low on road silver, who knows?

　At Aggus' words, Arios made a bitter face for a moment.

　The reason why the road silver is decreasing is because Arios spent it without permission.
　If that was found out, he would not escape blame.
　There was no way he could say that he had purchased magic items on the black market in order to eliminate Rain........

　Arios decided to ignore the fact that he didn't know.

''Doesn't Arios know?''
'Well?　I'm just now realizing that's what happened.
'Well if Arios says so, then it must be so.

　Arios clicked his tongue lightly at Aggus's words, which were somehow implied.
　'I know,' he said, because he felt like he was being told.

'Well, if you don't have it, you can't blame me for not having it. The money is sent to you every month, so you don't have to worry about it.
Well yes.
But what about food and water?　You have to have money to buy it.
We're a party of heroes.　Why don't we just collect like we always do?

　It's an extremely selfish statement, but no one argues with what Lean says.
　In fact, I was even convinced that was true.

'Then let's get out of here.

　They all nodded at Arios' words.
　We checked out of the inn and moved to a section lined with shops.

　First, the groceries.
　After searching through the shops at random and finding a place that looked convenient, they called out to the shopkeeper.

'Do you have a minute?'
Hmm?　What, now........you mean, brave?

　When Arios called out to him, the shopkeeper looked surprised.
　It seems he knows Arios.

　If that's the case, Arios smiles and speaks up, saying that he's quick to talk.

''Can you mend a week's worth of food at random?''
Yes. A week's worth ... for four people?
Yeah, yeah.
''In that case, yes, well that would be about five pieces of silver, if you don't mind.
It's not a good idea.
What?
I'm a brave man. As you know, I'm on a journey to save the world. Then it's your duty to help me with that, right?　Unfortunately, I don't have any on hand at the moment. I'm going to have to collect.
You should be flattered to be of service to us. Oh, can we make a special announcement that this is a place where a party of heroes stopped by?

　For Arios and the others, it was a natural act.
　It was only natural that people would cooperate with them in their mission to save the world.
　Without hesitation, they felt this way from the bottom of their hearts.

　In fact, until now, nothing has been a problem.
　Everyone has responded to their demands with a flirtatious smile immediately, although they have been puzzled.
　This time, too, they would be quick to offer him some food.
　That's what I thought....

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
What?
'No matter how brave you are, we can't give them free food under these circumstances.
"...Do you know what you're talking about?　I'm the brave one, and I'm the one who's asking for your help, okay?
''Do you know what you're talking about, my brave friend!　The city is a mess after the recent riot!　The logistics are so backlogged that I'm even having trouble getting my own food. How can you give away food for free under such circumstances? Please go home.
You're not going to talk to me like that.

　The shopkeeper's words could not have been more correct.
　As expected, even Arios couldn't argue, and flinched.

　It was then.
　The owner of the next shop stepped forward and interrupted the conversation.

'I'll tell you what, I don't think there's a store in this town that's going to give you anything.

　The words were said as a follow-up.

'If you're next to me and listening to me, you're kidding me... are you guys really brave?　It's unbelievable. That young man is a lot braver than you guys.
"...You think you can just say something stupid and get a free pass?
Oops. What kind of a brave man raises his hand in the middle of traffic like this?
Ggh.....
I hear you've been neglecting your demons. It's as if you have abandoned this town. We don't have to help them. We don't have to sell to them.

　As if to follow the man's words of crispness, people around him agreed that it was so.
　Before he knew it, he'd made a bit of a scene.
　There was a crowd of people, and he was the center of attention.

'You call yourself a brave man, yet you won't help me in a time of need...!
'You had your way with me you're too selfish!
I know someone who was half threatened by these people!
''Are you really going to take down the Demon King?　The other day, the other day's monster must have been left out on purpose!

　Arios and the others flinched under the condemnation of the people.

''d*mn........we can't be bothered with these people!　Let's go.
Well, wait, Arios. There's still food...
You don't have to worry about that. We'll get it locally. I'm not happy about being here anymore!
Okay, I understand.

　People shouted in anger, as if they were spitting out everything they had just endured all at once.
　Arios and the others left the city of Horizon as if they were fleeing.