One of the twelve heroes summoned from Japan to kill the Demon King was Natsukida Ryu. His past was a typical Isekai protagonist story: he was bullied for his appearance while still in high school, dropped out, and was left jobless, spending all of his time watching anime in his bedroom and disappointing his family.

Then one day, after being struck by the legendary truck-sama, he was transported to a new world where he got overpowered skills, a harem of stunning ladies, and exhilarating adventures.

"What... There are already people here. Hey, who are you guys?" The short girl, with her hair styled in playful pigtails, directed her finger towards them.

Sera, the priestess. She was wearing a white robe with the symbol of the yellow sun on her chest.

She pulled the short girl back. "Betsy, don't come too close. They are carrying a weapon," the priestess cautioned.

"Why is there a demon with them?" Isaac's question cut through the tension, his gaze fixed on the group before them.

“A demon? Is it the girl with the horn?” Celia inquired.

While both of them remained vigilant, Celia gradually eased her guard.

Seth knew that she had doubts since the demon in front of them was not at all like the hideous creatures that were commonly known; instead, the demon presented herself as a teenage girl with black hair, pale skin, amethyst eyes, and a single horn on her forehead. She was also dressed in a flowing blue and purple gown that hung around her thin frame, making her look more human.

She might have passed for an innocent girl if it weren't for her horn, which was a proud symbol of her demonic identity.

"What are you guys talking about? So what if Gresiel's a demon?" Betsy's words carried both frustration and anger. "Are you trying to attack her?"

"Wait, Betsy. I think they're just surprised to see Gresiel,” Ryu intervened, attempting to placate Betsy's rising agitation. “Let’s calm down and think this through."

Sera instead remarked with a knowing chuckle. "Fufu, Hero, you're quite naive. I can tell from their determined gazes that they don't have pure intentions towards us."

Isaac frowned. “As a priestess, you should know better about the nature of a demon.”

“The hero and Betsy convinced me that Gresiel is someone worth getting along with, and she has also proven herself to be a nice demon.” The priestess, Sera, defended Gresiel with a smile.

“Gresiel has been aiding us throughout our journey. Not every demon is as evil as you think! They also deserve the chance to live," Betsy's voice echoed in the dungeon. "You're no different from the villagers!"

Seth, who had been quietly watching them, scoffed. "The villagers? Everyone knows that demons are enemies of all races. Keeping her with you means you are going against the whole world."

They took pity on the wrong person. After all, the demon had been banished from the village after ‘accidentally’ killing an innocent man.

Seth did not know how the demon twisted the story for Ryu and his people. Seth did not blame them for being tricked, because, as far as he knew, Ryu did not know a lot about the world.

“It's fine with me!” Betsy said.

"It seems these people don't like us." Sera smiled with confidence.

"What? Disliking one of us means fighting all of us!" The beast woman called Morne retorted, her response accompanied by hissing and displaying her claws.

“That’s right. Gresiel is one of us,” Ryu affirmed with confidence.

Seth found it rather funny that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for a demon. That was why someone like Natsukida Ryu, who was naive, was not the protagonist of The Summoned Hero.

So, as someone who had read the novel, he reminded them for the last time. "Even if they transform into humans, their nature remains the same. Demons are inherently evil."

"I will not tolerate any further insults to Gresiel," Ryu said, taking his sword from his waist and pointing it at them.

The demon had a shallow smile on her face while observing the situation keenly. She hadn’t said anything, but everyone in her group was protective of her.

‘How cunning they are.’ Seth thought.

The tension in the air was palpable as Celia's gaze fixed on Seth, waiting for his instruction. Seth looked around at the group in front of him and felt a wave of resignation wash over him. He let out a defeated sigh and dropped his weapon, seeing no point in continuing the fight. It was not like they had enough animosity to want to kill each other.

"Let’s just go. It's not worth wasting our time here," Seth said.

Whether the group was traveling with a demon or not was not their business. They already knew a demon's personality, yet they were still willing to be fooled by them. As he already reminded them, Seth did not care about what would happen to Ryu and his people in the future.

Isaac remained unmoved, frowning. He was unsatisfied with letting a demon live.

"Isaac," Seth called out, giving him a cold look.

Without speaking to each other again, they quickly packed their stuff, the air thick with unspoken tension.

Just as they turned to leave, the silence was broken by an abrupt upheaval that seemed to be hitting them from behind. With a loud "clang!" chains came crashing down on them. Isaac turned, his reflexes quick enough to deflect the impending strike and stop the chains. The clash reverberated through the air, while the rest of the chains left dents in the wall around them.

"Fucking hell," Seth muttered under his breath as he and Celia stood behind Isaac, preparing their weapons once again.

"Wait, Sera?!" Ryu exclaimed in shock, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.

Based on Ryu's reaction, it was evident that they had not planned for this to happen.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Sera, the priestess, tightened her grip on her chains and glared at them. "Once they step out of this place, they'll report us to the royal army. I won't allow such a thing to happen," she declared with determination.

"Attacking us from behind, really?" Seth said, his anger evident in his voice.

He had anticipated an attack from them, having known their characters from The Summoned Hero. However, considering they were outnumbered, it would have been wiser to avoid a confrontation.

Unfortunately, that option was no longer available.

Sera smirked arrogantly as she observed them, provoking Seth to taunt her. "No wonder you were exiled from the church," he jeered, striking a nerve.

Sera's reaction was immediate. "You! You know me?" she spat, her words dripping with anger and offense.

The priestess had once been a highly respected member of the holy church, known for her unwavering dedication and faith. However, her beliefs and rituals were discovered to conflict with the accepted teachings, leading to her eventual exile. She carried a dark past that she kept hidden from the rest of the group, seen by many as dishonorable and betraying.

"Whoa! Are we fighting now? Bring it on!" Morne exclaimed, eager to engage in battle.

The beastwoman, a member of the Fangclaw Tribe known for their agility, cunning, and connection to wildlife, lunged at Isaac like a predator pouncing on its prey. Isaac swiftly evaded her attack, narrowly avoiding her sharp claws.

Undeterred by her failed attempt, the beastwoman continued her aggressive assault, attempting to catch Isaac off guard. However, Isaac skillfully blocked her blow and countered with a well-timed parry, halting her advances.

Just as tension escalated, the priestess Sera moved quickly to swing her chains precisely to trap Isaac, Celia, and Seth. Isaac quickly intercepted her, preventing her from getting too close to them.

“Since Sera and Morne are fighting, I can’t just stand still,” Ryu said.

As Ryu brandished his sword and made an attack, Seth swiftly raised his own, stopping his advance.

“Tsk.”

Seth did not want to get into a pointless fight. However, he also did not want to let them off the hook for attacking them from behind.

His sword dodged Ryu's blows, the sound of each one resounding in the strained air. Their swords collided in a ferocious exchange of blows and blocks.

Seth considered his countermoves with every step, trying to predict his next move and find a way to hit him. The conflict grew more intense as they both tried to gain the upper hand in the exchange of moves.

Meanwhile, Celia was fighting the demon girl Gresiel and her struggle was visible. She tried, but the demon girl was winning the confrontation, and the tide was turning against her.

Seth was getting worried because there was no way Celia could win against a demon that had a lifespan of a few hundred years.

The demon pounced on her until she collided with a wall.

“Celia!”

“Don’t get distracted,” Ryu warned.

Ryu hit Seth on his arm, which almost made him lose his grip on his sword. He was forced to defend himself against Ryu’s superior talent as his strikes overwhelmed his defenses. The tide of the conflict seemed to turn against him, though, as Ryu’s skill and mobility gave him an advantage in their battle.

Ryu’s sword was an A-rank, as good as any weapon Seth had, only bettered by theirs. But even with equal weapon proficiency, Seth’s abilities were lacking to match his skill and dexterity with the blade. The disparity in their strengths was glaringly evident.

Seth discovered himself at a significant disadvantage in terms of fighting. He had not spent as much time in this world as Ryu had. Moreover, he did not have "cheat" power that could boost his strength by defeating a few opponents.

Begrudgingly, Seth came to the sobering realization that he wasn't well-suited for close-range combat.

“I thought you were strong,” Ryu commented with a dumbfounded face. “Even Gresiel is stronger than you.”

“Shut up.” Seth was getting annoyed.

He swung his sword as hard as he could.

“Ryu, careful!”

Boom!

An explosion flung Seth to the ground.

“Seth!”

Celia escaped the demon and went to his rescue.

Isaac became exposed during the pandemonium of the conflict because he was temporarily distracted by Seth's struggle. Morne pounced, her claws ripping across Isaac's chest and Sera’ chains entangling his thigh, inflicting excruciating cuts.

As rubble rained down from the dungeon walls, a sharp buzzing sensation filled Seth's head, and every inch of his body pulsed with aching pain. The Amulet of Warding that he had purchased from Berko had now fractured and scattered into small fragments.

"That’s what you get for trying to attack Gresiel!"

He did not get to prepare for getting attacked by Betsy. That girl was a mage.

“Seth, are you okay?” Celia's concern resonated, and she immediately began healing, bringing a warm sensation to his head. In the midst of this, he caught sight of Ryu drawing closer.

“Are you a healer? You don’t seem like a bad person."

"Don't come any closer." Balancing healing with a poised knife in her hand, Celia's voice held a mixture of frustration and accusation. "We wanted to leave without conflict, and yet you guys still chose to attack us. Is this the hero that people always looked up to?"

“I have to agree with Sera. Your teammates wanted to report Gresiel to the royal army, and we don't want any more problems.” Ryu said it as though they were at fault.

Seth felt a boiling rage, bubbling and rising like a turbulent storm, seething just beneath the surface. ‘Is that an excuse to attack us?’

"Why would you be with these two men? Come with us instead. Our group is made up of nice people, and we are currently traveling around the world.” Ryu held out his hand with a hint of persuasion in his voice.

‘The audacity of this guy!’ Seth had not harbored much resentment toward him, but his remarks hit a chord with him. He stood up silently.

“Hey, what’s wrong with him?”

"Why don't you guys just give up? We can swear by the Demon King that you won't mention anything, and both sides will be at peace."

‘After your people attacked us, you're saying that?’ Seth felt pissed.

Peace was no longer an option.

"You've crossed the line."

“Huh?”

The mana building up in his body erupted against his opponents. The magic surged like a radiant beam slamming into them.

Betsy quickly summoned a magical shield to shield herself and Ryu, but it shattered as soon as the light magic attack hit it, allowing the light magic to land on them.

“Kyaaah!”

“Ugh!”

“Betsy! Gresiel!”

"Ryu!"

The three of them had visible injuries from the blast's impact. Gresiel took the brunt of the explosion because she could not defend herself, and her injuries were significantly worse than the other two; her shoulder disintegrated and her right arm was severed.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Isaac grabbed the upper hand in the conflict. Sera and Morne tried to assist their companions, and Isaac slashed his sword at Morne's back, creating a massive, deep gash wound. He then viciously yanked on Sera’s chains, delivering a hard knee to her stomach till she coughed up blood and slumped to the ground. He did not show any mercy in fighting them.

As Seth watched them struggle to recover, a sense of clarity washed over his mind. He felt a complicated mixture of remorse and satisfaction well up. A part of him didn't want to succumb to such violence.

Celia, who was standing alongside him, was stunned and looked guilty at what they did.

"That's what you get for attacking us," Seth said, mimicking what Betsy had said to them before.

‘Damn, I’m so childish.’ he lampooned. But he felt a strange sort of satisfaction in seeing their misery.