The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 37. When Important People Show Up, It’s Just Kinda Overwhelming

37. 37. When Important People Show Up, It’s Just Kinda Overwhelming

After returning to town, we each scattered to fulfill our roles—Slime extermination, searching for missing persons, treating the wounded.

Thanks to the help of the adventurers from Avantale, the abnormal Slime overgrowth was swiftly brought under control.

The other monsters living in the underground waterways seemingly took their chance for revenge. They began to aggressively hunt the Slimes too.

A crowd gathered in front of the guild.

At its center, Zain was busily working non-stop.

“Bl00d.”

“Thank you, Zain-sama. Ah, what a kind and gentle light…”

“Bl00d.”

“Amazing… my leg doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you, Zain-sama.”

“Bl00d.”

“My fingers… they’ve grown back! I can work again! You’re an angel!”

Zain hadn’t slept since then. She was using her healing powers continuously—

Almost as if atonement for her actions.

“Take a break already. You’ve been healing non-stop.”

“B-but…”

She looked back at me, her eyes moist.

Just then, the healer Emma from Silver Blade arrived.

“Great work, Zain. I’ll take over, so please rest for a bit.”

“B-but…”

“No buts. We can’t have the person who saved the town overworking themself. You’re not the only healer, you know. Both Umbrella and Avantale have plenty of them. We *know* you’re an amazing healer, but please… trust us now.”

“…Okay.”

Zain nodded honestly, and Emma smiled warmly.

By the way, the rest of Silver Blade showed up too—Liza, Bronk, and even Luke reportedly played major roles.

Apparently, they joined to return the favor for Mirdia. And their presence was a welcome surprise.

That said, Luke still seemed to be in “decoration mode.”

Once most of the Slimes were dealt with, he suddenly holed up again, as if remembering something. He’s seriously messed up.

—

Zain and I took a break at a table in the guild tavern.

I handed her a sandwich with just ham between bread—she hadn’t eaten properly.

“From Avril. She made it herself, apparently.”

“Th-thank you. I-I’ll eat it.”

As she nibbled on the bread, Zain somehow looked smaller than usual.

Watching her struggle to chew through it, I realized I’d misunderstood a lot about her.

Zain kept glancing at me.

Then, her belt unclasped and her outfit dissolved into black particles. It reformed into a black dress. She looked down, clearly embarrassed, awaiting my reaction.

“You said you were ugly, Zain. But I don’t think that at all. Most people in this country would call you beautiful. Well, Felice says ‘a face is just decoration,’ though.”

“N-not ugly…?”

“Totally stunning.”

“—!”

She suddenly lit up with joy.

Maybe it’s a demon thing, but her sense of values seemed a bit off.

It also felt like she carried some guilt just for being a demon.

“Hehe… I-I’m glad… I came to the human world… I’m happy… I got to meet Lux… and everyone…”

“‘Came’? From where?”

“F-f-f-from the demon world…”

Huh?

The *demon world*??

“You weren’t like Abiros, sealed away and just woke up?”

“N-no. I-I-I came here about… five years ago. I-I had a really hard time. I-I had to discard 90% of my power to make it through the ‘Gate’, ‘cause my demon rank was too high…”

“Wait, what? You discarded your power?”

“I-I’m the daughter… of a duke in the demon world… m-my rank is near the highest as a demon… B-but… in the demon world, they all called me filthy… no one ever loved me…”

“So you gave up your status as a high-ranking demon to come here, just to be loved?”

“Y-yes… Is that weird…?”

I didn’t really get demon society. But I could understand how she’d been treated coldly.

Maybe she’d lived with loneliness all her life.

Looking back, Abiros’ panic probably came from realizing the girl he looked down on was actually way above him in status.

Still, giving up 90% of her power… what a waste.

“I don’t think it’s weird. Everyone wants to be loved, to live a happy life.”

“Yeah…”

“Well then, I guess I’ll get back to work.”

As I stood up, Zain stopped me.

“W-wait. Y-you still have a scar… on your face…”

“A scar? There’s no such—”

Zain touched my face and used holy magic.

“You’re fine now,” 

She said with a smile.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

…Could she see… my *real* self?

“W-what’s wrong, Lux…?”

“Nah, thanks.”

“Mm…”

Zain blushed. She was looking up at me shyly.

I suddenly felt someone’s eyes on me.

Looking up, I saw Felice outside the window. She was giving me a long, flat stare.

I hurried outside—Felice was still giving me that same look.

“Were you slacking off, flirting with Zain?”

“No! We were just talking. That’s it.”

“About demons, perhaps?”

“Yeah. Learning a bit about why she’s here made me feel better. Though it did raise some new questions. Still, nothing changes. Don’t tell anyone about her true identity.”

“Of course. She’s a precious friend.”

I plan to promote Zain as a being like an angel.

The townspeople already see her that way. So there shouldn’t be a problem.

Hiding the truth is for her safety—if we revealed she’s a demon, she’d be subjected to public disgrace, interrogation, torture, and likely dissected for experimentation.

Not everyone in this country is kind.

I’ll report the info we got from Abiros to the guild and the kingdom.

With his corpse as proof, they shouldn’t have reason to focus on Zain.

And if they *do* try to investigate her, Umbrella and I won’t let that slide. Especially Avril.

She dotes on Zain like a little sister—masked or not, she’s always all over her.

The townsfolk also revere her as a divine envoy. So this place has effectively become “ground zero” for hardcore Zain fans.

“But now it feels weird going back to Avantale.”

“We kept thinking ‘just a little longer’ and ended up staying too long. The others are wondering when to go back, too. I heard the lord and Avril have sent formal requests for reinforcements to the guild and the capital.”

“Should we ask my father to send people and supplies?”

“Mirdia’s still recovering, right? That’s not realistic.”

“Maybe not, but…”

Just then, from a distance—

“They’re here~!” 

Avril came running toward us.

Stopping in front of us, she caught her breath and smiled.

“Reinforcements have arrived!”

That alone lifted the mood in front of the guild.

—

“Thank you so much for coming. We’re grateful for the reinforcements.”

“We’re all citizens of the same kingdom. It’s only natural.”

Lined up at the town’s entrance were the personnel sent from the capital.

Among them were soldiers and knights. But most of them seemed to be healers.

The supplies loaded on the carriages were shockingly abundant for such short notice.

Greeting Avril was the representative sent from the guild headquarters.

Behind him stood a well-proportioned man in his 30s with a clean, handsome face.

“By the way, I heard this town was saved by a party called ‘Unknown’?”

“They’re over there.”

“Long time no see, Lux-san!”

The guild’s envoy turned out to be the captain of the investigation team from the Backflow Ruins.

If I recall, his name was… Klein?

He ran up and shook my hand.

“Thanks again for back then. All the team members made it back safely—though now they’re working with dead eyes.”

“Glad I saved you guys… I think.”

“They may be dead inside, but they’re alive. That’s what counts. Still… to think you’d encounter and defeat a demon that only exists in old records. Headquarters is buzzing with talk of Unknown. Upper management has raised your ratings.”

“Then maybe we’ll get a bunch of direct requests?”

“Well… who knows.”

Klein suddenly went expressionless.

Meaning: no guarantees.

Yeah, that’s adventurer life for you. I get it.

“You’re the leader of Unknown, yes?”

The man from earlier appeared behind Klein without a sound.

His armor was simple yet elegant and practical, with a blue cape.

A worn sword hung at his waist. And though his face was handsome, his sharp eyes and the scar on his cheek stood out.

Sensing the mood, Klein stepped aside.

“Claudio González. Pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lux Thirdwood.”

“You’re not surprised to see me?”

“Oh, I’m surprised enough. I didn’t expect the general himself to come in person.”

Claudio González—a prodigy granted the title of general at a young age.

His swordsmanship is said to rival a *sword saint*. And he’s considered a top candidate for the next one.

“I wanted to see with my own eyes the S-rank party that defeated a demon. I pulled some strings to make it happen. Of course, I also sincerely want to help Umbrella. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

He offered his hand.

I hesitated a moment… and shook it.

“I’d like to speak with you more calmly. But that’ll have to wait. Right now, rescue comes first.”

Just by raising his hand, the rescue team sprang into action.

“Leave the rest to me and the army.”

With his cape fluttering, Claudio entered Umbrella.