You Didn't Ask, Did You?

A hero’s duty isn’t just defeating the Demon Lord.

Tracking down demons infiltrating across the continent, exterminating rampaging monsters, comforting those who suffer, carrying out divine oracles, achieving great deeds, and so on.

There are many, many things to do, which means that all of a hero’s schedules are meticulously planned.

Though schedules might be delayed or changed due to unexpected variables, they ultimately complete all planned schedules before reaching the Demon Lord.

No, they must complete them.

They have to, and yet…

“Jae-kyung, what about increasing our speed? At this rate, we won’t reach Fort Dice today.”

“…We’ll camp here today.”

“Hero, people are suffering from the Demon Lord’s army even at this moment. I know you’re tired, but please hold on a bit longer.”

“Who said I won’t go? I’m going! I am going!”

Han Jae-kyung, who had snapped in irritation, flinched at his party members’ gazes and spoke in a trembling voice.

“S-sorry. I just had something to think about…”

“No, thinking about it, we seemed too focused on our position. Let’s camp for one more day. El?”

“I’m fine, but I’m not sure about Sasha.”

“Of course I’m fine too. An elf, being a forest race, wouldn’t dislike sleeping in the forest, right?”

The three people conversing with smiling faces.

However, Han Jae-kyung, who had been ostracized for a long time, could read the fear directed at him in their eyes.

Han Jae-kyung’s lips quivered before closing.

He knew that in a situation like this, whatever he said would only backfire.

Han Jae-kyung sat on a nearby rock, neither engaging in conversation with his party members whom he had liked so much, nor bullying Abel.

The silence was broken after the sun set and darkness fell.

‘Monster.’

Until recently, they had been merely beings that must be eliminated, but his thoughts had changed in just a few days.

“Abel, no. I’ll go.”

Since starting their journey, dealing with miscellaneous monsters had always been left to Abel, but this time was different.

Han Jae-kyung ran toward where he sensed the monster’s presence before anyone could stop him.

And where Han Jae-kyung’s footsteps stopped, there were werewolves.

Monsters with such aggressive and hostile nature that they would never retreat and would bite regardless of how strong or numerous their recognized enemies were.

However, breaking such common sense, the werewolves who recognized Han Jae-kyung’s presence not only didn’t charge but prostrated themselves with lowered ears and tails.

“W-what?”

As Han Jae-kyung was bewildered by this unexpected sight, the werewolf at the very front took something out from its chest and held it out.

At first he was wary, thinking it might be trying to lower his guard, but when he realized what was on the werewolf’s palm, such thoughts completely vanished.

‘A gun?’

While firearms existed in this world too, they were merely experimental weapons in primitive forms like hand cannons, barely used in actual combat.

But what the werewolf took out was different.

Though he couldn’t know the model name without knowledge of firearms, it was clearly a modern handgun.

“This is an item given by our master. When hearing that you might not believe the story, our master provided this as evidence to prove it’s not a lie…”

“Wait.”

A presence rapidly approaching this location.

It was Jenny.

Han Jae-kyung fell into momentary contemplation.

No matter what excuse he made, his appearance receiving items in front of prostrated werewolves was that of someone colluding with the Demon Lord’s army.

If he stayed like this, he would surely draw Jenny’s suspicion.

His contemplation was brief and his decision swift.

Swoosh.

The moment the pure white sword was gripped in Han Jae-kyung’s hand, the prostrated werewolves’ heads and bodies were separated.

Shortly after collecting the gun and letter dropped by the werewolf, Jenny appeared.

“Are you alright? I followed because I was worried when you suddenly ran off.”

“Ah, sorry. My body was feeling stiff so I unconsciously… I feel better now, so let’s go back.”

“…Alright.”

Han Jae-kyung quickly led Jenny back to give her no time to think.

Han Jae-kyung’s expression hardened upon reaching their camping site.

El, Sasha, and Abel were gathered in a corner discussing something, but they immediately dispersed when he arrived.

If it had been earlier, he would have thought Abel was just getting bullied as usual, but now was different.

Han Jae-kyung watched the three silently before entering the tent Abel had set up.

‘This is definitely a gun.’

Though damaged and rusted, it was clearly a gun made on Earth, not in this world.

After examining the gun from various angles, Han Jae-kyung carefully set it aside and took out the letter to check its contents.

While Han Jae-kyung was absorbed in the letter, something unexpected was happening outside the tent.

Jenny, El, Sasha.

The three women communicating solely through hand signals without making any sound.

Shortly after, Jenny approached Abel who was in the corner and gestured for him to follow her.

Like masters who had reached the pinnacle, the two moved away from the tent without making any sound or presence.

“I have something to ask briefly.”

“Is there any reason I should answer your questions?”

“It would be better to answer while we’re talking nicely.”

“What are you going to do if I say no? Try to use force? Do you think you can beat me alone?”

When Abel placed his hand on the sword at his waist, Jenny unconsciously stepped back.

Though now viewed merely as a failure who couldn’t become a hero, an idiot expelled from his family, the party’s errand boy, he was once the successor to the Andrei family, which had been the continent’s greatest family, and simultaneously a Hero Candidate.

Though he cannot use a hero’s power having not received the goddess’s choice, he possesses skills ranking among the continent’s top.

If he were to unleash killing techniques in a moment of anger, she would be gravely injured at best, dead at worst.

“This is an important question related to the continent’s future. Please answer.”

“What do I care what happens to the continent?”

“Is that something a member of the Andrei family should say?”

“Andrei what? Sorry but I’m someone without even a surname. I don’t know why you’re bringing up a family that has nothing to do with me.”

“…”

“Well, since you’re showing an admirable display of knowing your place after so long, I’ll specially answer. What do you want to know?”

“I want to hear about what happened a few days ago.”

“How can I answer when you’re so vague? Tell me the exact date.”

“When you brought the letter you said a monster left.”

A letter written in strange, unidentifiable characters.

After seeing that, Han Jae-kyung changed.

He subtly built walls with party members he had dealt with unreservedly and openly slowed the party’s travel speed.

Wondering if some curse might have been cast, Saintess El even investigated the letter, but after concluding there was no problem, the confusion only grew.

“I want you to explain the situation from then accurately.”

“There’s nothing to explain beyond what I said then. Some monster called out the hero’s name and held out a letter, so I brought it. That’s all.”

“…”

“And I delivered a few more letters after that too.”

“Wait. After that? What do you mean? Are you saying you delivered more letters from monsters to the hero? When?”

No matter how much she traced her memories, Abel bringing something had been the first and last time.

Abel let out a snicker as if mocking Jenny’s question.

“You haven’t forgotten that I handle all the small fry monster extermination, have you? Ones with letters would show up once or twice a day. Since the hero asked me to bring them, I followed orders.”

“What?!”

“It’s disappointing if you’re this surprised. I even delivered the hero’s letters to monsters too.”

There’s a saying that too great a shock can freeze you.

Jenny was able to physically understand that saying was true.

‘Not just one letter but several. Not just receiving but even giving them? His recent cold attitude, and those werewolves lying down obediently…’

Thoughts gathered and scattered, drawing some kind of conclusion.

A conclusion too frightening and terrible to even speak of.

So Jenny said something else instead.

“Why are you only saying this now!”

“You didn’t ask, did you? I’m telling you now because you asked. …It’s a joke, so relax your expression and gather your composure? What will you do when the hero comes?”

“Collusion with the Demon Lord’s army is classified as a serious crime of betrayal against humanity and blasphemy. Explain why you haven’t spoken of this fact until now in a way I can accept. If you can’t…”

At Jenny’s cold gaze, Abel exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

“The hero told me not to say anything so I followed along.”

“Do you think such an excuse will work!”

“It’s not an excuse but the truth. As you know, I’m in a position where I can’t be kicked out of this party. Have you forgotten why I tried to stay in this party for the past two months despite suffering all sorts of humiliation? I’m in a position where I have to do whatever the hero orders, whatever it may be.”

Having a guilty conscience, Jenny slightly blushed and avoided his gaze.

Abel continued speaking while letting out an obviously audible sigh.

“It’s not like I wanted to keep it secret forever. That’s why I told you straightforwardly when you asked like this, right?”

“How many times did you deliver letters?”

“Delivered the Demon Lord army’s letters 15 times, delivered the hero’s letters 6 times. Delivered some items too but couldn’t guess their purpose since they were objects I’d never seen before.”

“What were the letters’ contents?”

“They were written in those strange characters so I couldn’t tell. I think it might be some kind of cipher that only works between the hero and the Demon Lord’s army.”

A testimony containing personal opinion.

If it had been the always calm Saintess El or the logically thinking Archmage Sasha, they might have felt something off, but the one here now was Jenny, the simple-minded beastkin warrior.

She believed Abel’s testimony without any doubt, and when the story ended, she let out a deep sigh and turned around.

“Just in case, don’t do anything strange. You know how strong the hero is.”

“…I’m not that thoughtless.”

“That’s good. Go back first. That jealous hero might throw another tantrum if they see us two coming back together, so I’ll return a bit later.”

“…”

Only Abel remained after Jenny left.

At a glance, Abel appeared to be lost in thought while leaning against a tree.

However, Abel, or rather Yuseong, was having an intense conversation with his client in his mind.

‘They’re really spies, right?’

-I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve asked that.

‘That’s how important this matter is. If they’re not spies, both the operation execution time will increase and instability will grow accordingly.’

-Haah, I, a member of the hero’s family, guarantee it. For generations, all members of the hero’s party except the hero have been spies sent by various countries to control the hero’s journey. From the warrior, saintess, and archmage to the knight, thief, archer, and spirit master who will join later, all of them.