When I Was Reincarnated, All the Heroines Were Stolen by the Fake Hero ~ The Guy Who Dominated With Original Story Knowledge, and Me Who Dominated With Talent. It Seems the World After the Ending Is My One-Man Stage ~ - Episode 28 (Third-Person)

Episode 28 (Third-Person)

It had already been a month since the Demon King was defeated.

The royal capital of the Vilane Kingdom was still wrapped in the lingering mood of celebration.

The main streets were filled with cheerful voices and energy. The joy of liberation cast a bright light across the entire city.

However, in a narrow alley far removed from the hustle and bustle, there existed a place where time seemed to flow differently.

Tucked deep in that backstreet stood a brick building with no sign. It quietly rested in the shadows.

Its design didn’t differ from the surrounding structures. But the complete lack of windows gave it a closed, secretive feel.

Stepping inside revealed a dimly lit yet luxurious space.

Soft carpets stretched across the floor. High-end sofas and polished tables filled the room.

On the tables sat countless bottles of what appeared to be expensive wine. Their sweet, ripened fragrance faintly drifted in the air.

Beautiful women in revealing silk dresses sat closely beside male customers. They were fawning over them seductively.

“Hyahahaha!”

One man was laughing crudely. He had his head resting contentedly on a woman’s lap.

At another table, a man loudly bragged about his exploits. While a woman returned a fake, mechanical giggle.

This was a secret salon. It was swirling with desire and pretense.

Deeper within this hedonistic space stood a heavy door.

Before it, a burly man in black stood with a massive battle axe strapped to his back. He was radiating a presence that clearly marked him as a formidable guard.

No one would easily dare to pass.

Beyond the door lay a staircase leading to the second floor.

At the top was another door. It opened into a private room completely cut off from the outside world.

Soft ambient lighting illuminated the room.

Expensive tapestries adorned the walls.

At the center of the room sat a man and a girl on a luxurious settee.

The man had black hair. And at his waist hung the Luxcalibur, a sword praised as holy.

The girl looked no older than her mid-teens. She had golden hair.

Her pointed ears marked her as an elf-blooded being.

“Here, Hero-sama—say ahh~”

The girl—Rururii—held a spoonful of food up to the man’s lips.

The man—Hero Nergo—opened his mouth like a child and happily ate it. His eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

“Ahh, Rururii-chan’s ‘ahh~’ is the best.”

“Really? I’m glad if it makes you happy.”

Rururii replied in a relaxed tone. But she then puffed her cheeks in protest.

“But Hero-sama, you already have lots of wives. You should ask *them* to feed you.”

“Well, sure, they’d probably do it if I asked. But every time I do, they fight over who gets to do it. It’s a pain.”

Nergo replied without a hint of guilt. He then added:

“But here, I can quietly be pampered by a cute girl like you, Rururii-chan~”

As he said this, he leaned forward, aiming to rest his head on her lap—

—but Rururii smoothly dodged him as if she’d anticipated it.

“No touching allowed~”

“Aww, come on! I’ll pay you, please!”

Nergo grumbled. But Rururii turned her face away with a pout.

“If you’re gonna say that, then I won’t see you anymore~”

“Wha!? I’m sorry! Really, I won’t do it again!”

Nergo frantically apologized. But Rururii gave him a suspicious look.

“You said that last time too~”

It was then—

Part of the private room’s wall silently slid open from the inside. And a man appeared.

He looked to be in his forties.

A slightly overweight man dressed in a crisp white suit. His golden hair was slicked neatly back.

“Nergo-san, enjoying yourself as always, I see~?”

The man spoke in an oily, overly polite tone.

“Oh, Hyurandel! Of course I am. I mean, after all that searching during the Demon King campaign, I *finally* found a legal loli—I mean, an elf! This place is heaven!”

Nergo beamed with pride.

“Ufufu… There are times when I truly do not understand what you’re saying, Nergo-san… But as long as you’re enjoying yourself, that is all that matters.”

Hyurandel smiled unpleasantly.

“Hey, Hyurandel. I don’t mind paying. If you know where more elves are, tell me!”

Nergo leaned in.

“Ahh, one of our employees just happened to find her wandering the city. I have no idea where others might be. If I did, I’d certainly hire more, fufufu~”

Hyurandel shrugged exaggeratedly.

Nergo then turned back to Rururii.

“Where are you from, Rururii-chan?”

“Umm… from the forest?”

She tilted her head, giving a vague answer.

“No, I mean more specifically—like what region or village—”

Before he could finish, Hyurandel interjected smoothly.

“No matter how many times you ask, it’s no use, Nergo-san. Elves just have a different way of thinking than us humans, you see…”

Rururii had been idly listening to their conversation. She suddenly looked up at Hyurandel.

“Hey, manager~ I’m tired. Can I go home for today?”

But Hyurandel, the “manager,” shook his head.

“No, no, Rururii-san. Because of your childlike appearance, other customers rarely request you. And you don’t approach customers on your own, either. So your main job here is to keep Hero-sama company. Otherwise, I’d have no reason to pay your wages, would I?”

Though his smile remained friendly, his words clearly carried a firm refusal.

“Boo… stingy…”

Rururii puffed her cheeks in frustration.

—

After a while, suddenly, Nergo seemed to remember something.

“Oh yeah, I wonder what happened to Yutaka?”

At that name, Hyurandel showed a faint reaction.

“Ah, you mean Yutaka-dono—the one who accompanied you on your journey? Did something happen to him?”

“Yeah, I wanted to mess with him a bit. I told the king that he was totally useless and just dragged us down the whole way—and the king actually believed it! I heard he got dumped in some abandoned territory.”

Nergo chuckled gleefully.

Hyurandel’s eyes narrowed. They were now gleaming with interest.

“Oh? And which territory would that be?”

“Hmm, I think it was somewhere called Vixel Domain? I don’t know the details. But apparently the previous lord imposed heavy taxes, made a fortune, and then ran off. What a scumbag.”

Nergo sneered as he spat out the words.

The moment those words left his mouth, Hyurandel’s smile transformed—into something far more sinister and calculating than before.

“My, my… The world is full of such terrible people, isn’t it…”

With that, Hyurandel let out a quiet, layered chuckle that echoed eerily through the dim private room.