As if he'd stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret, Murphy was struck with an idea that completely filled his thoughts. Having been in this world for quite a spell, he finally learned the name of the Hero—everyday there was chatter about “the Hero this, the Hero that,” yet no one seemed to really know what the blazes to actually call him.

The name Helrista was entirely unfamiliar to Murphy, as though the Hero had receded into obscurity after the war's end.

Melrose continued, observing the hardly concealable astonishment on Murphy's face, "So, I just have one question, really. Who exactly are you? Are you a glimmer of hopeful light, or the inferno seeking to consume all in war?"

Murphy cleared his throat, trying to dodge the imminent 'cat-out-of-the-bag' awkwardness, "Isn't it blindingly obvious?"

He spread his hands and said, "Can a world really have two Heroes at the same time?"

Upon hearing this, a touch of undetectable sorrow crossed Melrose's visage, "Sadly, Mr. Demon Lord, there's no Hero in this world at present."

"What?!" Murphy's ears might as well have been playing tricks on him. The paradigm-breaking Hero who'd bulldozed through the first round, compelling old Demon Lord Raphael to end the war at a steep price, was gone?

A curious sensation welled up in Murphy. On one hand, the 'good' news meant the blade dangling above his neck had shifted slightly further away, and it seemed he might evade that speedrun fate. But on the flip side, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his cautiousness had been like doing battle against thin air.

After untangling his chaotic thoughts and regaining clarity, Murphy realized that his own actions were relatively independent of the Hero. Thanks to the sustained peace treaty, Murphy had to hoe the fields of this world for ten long years before any rivers of blood could flow, and that was only if he fancied it.

But now, with no Hero in the picture, perhaps it meant victory was already his for the taking...

“Hang on, what do you mean ‘gone’? Where's the Hero?” a slightly bewildered Murphy queried.

A sly grin began to curl the corners of Melrose's mouth, an arc too pronounced to ignore, “Dear Demon Lord, the gratis portion of our conversation concludes here.”

Murphy, caught in the old bait-and-switch, felt like no one had played him this way since he’d arrived in this world; “Did the previous Hero teach you these tricks?”

"Quite so," replied Melrose, his visage brimming with confidence, looking twenty years younger just from invoking the Hero's dictate, "The Hero always said freebies are the most costly."

Grandma's beard, meeting kith and kin only for a sneaky shot in the back, eh?

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"Then I'm done asking," Murphy huffed, donning the sulks. "You stick to your human routines, I'll keep to my demonic devices, and we'll just set our clocks for nine and a half years before the humans get bulldozed into next week."

"Head on back now, report to your Your Majesty, advise him to beef up the ranks for what's coming. Hasten before I change my mind. I've got a basic respect for respecting my elders, but it's wearing thin, and you wouldn't want to experience eternity ahead of time."

Murphy lifted his teacup to signal the end of the visit. As the word 'king' left his lips, Melrose's expression darkened somewhat, with a murmur escaping him, "...eternity?"

After a few deep breaths, the old mage re-engaged, "Hold your fire, Mr. Demon Lord. My visit aims for collaboration, not confrontation."

Murphy nearly choked on his tea, coughing out a sharp "Excuse me?!" before the sarcasm rolled off his tongue, "Do I hear right? ‘Guardian of the Kingdom’, ‘Light of Humanity’, proffering an olive branch to the Demon Lord?"

"Does that pique your interest, sir?" asked Melrose, utterly unfazed by Murphy’s ribbing, languidly awaiting a response.

"Interested? Absolutely!" declared Murphy in a flash, "You might not be clued in to who I am, but, see, I'm a businessman. I don't relish all this hack and slash."

Melrose raised an eyebrow. The concept of 'businessman' didn’t usually summon images of 'Demon Lord.' “So, collaborating with you, what's in it for me?” Murphy asked with a smile, the tables seemingly turned.

"You'll get the answers you seek," Melrose offered, "Is that a fair enough trade for you?"

"It is, a fair exchange. Let’s chalk out the finer details," replied Murphy, the conversation drifting into his wheelhouse.

"Your interest is delightful. But, permit me a moment to verify your true identity," Melrose interjected coolly.

"Verify? You mean you can't already tell if I'm the genuine Demon Lord or some imposter?" Murphy was taken aback.

"You flatter me, sir. I lack such prowess. But someone else doesn’t."

"Who might that be?"

"The Hero."

"He's dead—gone, right?" Murphy stumbled over his words, processing the input. Then it clicked. Melrose had acknowledged a world without the Hero, implying they should speak of the "former" hero. Yet Melrose never adorned the title with such a prefix, as if...

He acknowledged no Hero but one.

"Let's not fish for more than we've hooked, Mr. Demon Lord. Until our deal is sealed, my lips are sealed," Melrose dodged the question. "If you consent, we can start right now."

"Let's see how you're going to summon the Hero. Is this some séance act?" Murphy jested with a laugh.

Ignoring Murphy's quip, the old mage rose from his seat, pulling the staff before him and gripping the length as he began conjuring.

Not seriously going to host the Hero's spirit, thought Murphy as a flashback to some strange and sinister folk rituals from his own world sprang to mind. His gaze shifted to the staff that had begun to resemble a top-notch signal lightstick.

Is that... ivy? On closer inspection, the dark staff was intertwined with strands of deep green, giving the impression of a wand crafted from writhing vines.

Before Murphy could further ponder, Melrose's spellwork concluded. The vine-encrusted staff began to unwind a third of the way from the top, revealing a delicate pendant with an azure gemstone.

With practiced magical dexterity, Melrose coaxed the locket forth from its ivy cell, setting it afloat before Murphy.

"Please examine this pendant with your unique ability and share its appended contents with me, thank you," Melrose requested in a tone of unprecedented gravity, suddenly all business.

Murphy had braced for an invocation, but instead, he met a test of his abilities. A thought triggered the pendant's panel to roll down to its last addition:

[...

Every time I see your jewel-like eyes, I'm reminded of the blue mirrored lake at the academy. Happy birthday, Little Mei. May your days be cheerful.

—Helrista]