The Hero’s Mentor is a Demon (King) Witch

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After giving up the bed to the two of them.

I was certain that the enemy would appear, and with the thought that I couldn’t just sit still, I checked the time.

It was still 8 PM.

As Lucius and Rosmas began to prepare for bed, I excused myself and went outside to find people who could help me.

“Mr. Bearnes.”

“No, isn’t that the Witch?”

Bearnes, who was getting ready to leave somewhere near the Adventurer Guild, welcomed me but looked puzzled.

“Did the Witch come to find me?”

“Yes. I need your help.”

“Oh, the Witch needs my help…”

Bearnes took my hand with shining eyes.

“Are you perhaps curious about the teachings of the Moon Goddess?”

“No. I’m sorry to disappoint you as the one asking for help, but that’s not it at all.”

“I see. I just had to ask. So what do you need?”

“Normans might be in danger.”

“…Details.”

I briefly summarized the tactics of the Demon King’s Army and explained.

Bearnes listened with a serious expression and took my worries quite seriously, but…

“I’m sorry, but I will proceed as planned. I’m going to block the Dimensional Door.”

“Bearnes.”

“It’s good to be prepared for what may happen, but what Guild Leader Francis said also makes sense: we should first handle the immediate crisis. If we leave the Dimensional Door alone and a high-ranking demon comes through, that will be a real disaster.”

Bearnes had a point.

The Dimensional Door opened at the northern lake might seem quiet now, but one could never know when a monster might come through, and considering the perspective that someone who could quickly and efficiently close it might pass by…

“I and the Special Forces will quickly smash the Dimensional Door and return.”

Having the Hero wield the Sword of Flames and some agile ones rush to destroy the Dimensional Door would be strategically beneficial.

“I want to rest too, but the Special Forces going to break the Dimensional Door is a matter of life and death. If I don’t go, the Special Forces won’t go either.”

“…That’s true.”

“Yes. If the Hero of the Holy Sword doesn’t step up for a life-and-death matter, who else will?”

I sympathized.

Those going to break the Dimensional Door were risking their lives, so they’d want to go with someone who was the safest and most capable.

Heroes are always forced to sacrifice in moments when humans are in danger.

“But while Bearnes is away, the enemy will launch an attack. The enemy will be most concerned about you. You’re the strongest person in this city right now.”

“Haha, thank you. I really don’t know how to react to this.”

Bearnes blushed and turned his head away.

I merely stated the truth; he must have been praised as the Mercenary King by others, yet he reacted like this to compliments about his own abilities?

“I could just accept it when others said that, but hearing it from the Witch feels different. Hmm, alright then, Witch. Let’s make a promise.”

Bearnes took my hand and hooked his pinky finger with mine.

“I will close the Dimensional Door faster than anyone and return to the city. While the Magic Great Cannon holds the line, I will swiftly smash the Dimensional Door and come back.”

“Thank you. If it becomes difficult to stay in the city, I’d like to borrow your mouth.”

“My mouth…?”

“Yes. Your status as the Mercenary King.”

“Hmm… considering what you’re worried about…”

Bearnes snapped his fingers and winked one eye.

“You want me to instill vigilance in the people and then take my leave!”

“Wow.”

How did he catch on so quickly?

I thought he was just a fanatic obsessed with the Moon Goddess.

“Based on your status as the Mercenary King and the Hero of the Holy Sword, is it enough to tell people that the enemy could launch a surprise attack at night, so they should be adequately prepared?”

“…Thank you. Really.”

Francis didn’t hear my words.

Maybe it’s because he was a bald person, or perhaps he thought my words might create undue anxiety among others, but he kept silent and seemed to only spread the word to trustworthy people.

Even if it only stressed the people more.

But if Bearnes talks to the people appropriately?

“Emphasizing the absence of a hero will trigger enough vigilance. Tell them to stay alert tonight since monsters could attack the city in my absence.”

“…The Witch…”

Bearnes looked at me with a somewhat serious expression.

“Are you anticipating everything and moving accordingly?”

“…Not exactly, but I want to be prepared for every situation. If there’s even a tiny chance that someone might die, I need to prepare so that person doesn’t.”

Fewer humans mean the strength of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess grows.

Even now, look.

The miracles of the Moon Goddess rampant in this city.

I can never allow people to die carelessly.

“…You certainly possess the qualities of a Saintess, Witch.”

Bearnes suddenly knelt before me, taking my hand and kissing the back of it.

“Although our directions of faith are different, you are a true Saintess who practices the teachings of the Moon Goddess better than anyone else. I, Bearnes, promise to you.”

“A promise?”

“Yes.”

Kiss.

Bearnes kissed my ring finger and looked up at me with a bashful smile.

“Before the heat of this kiss cools down, I’ll close the Dimensional Door and return.”

“…What are you saying? Hmph. Just go already.”

“Yes, yes. Ah, but Witch.”

Bearnes looked at me seriously as our gazes locked.

“May I hug you just once?”

“…If that’s what you want.”

A hug is nothing more than that.

Hug.

“……Ah. Hmm, this is the Witch’s…”

Wrapped in Bearnes’s embrace, I felt a moment of relaxation in her warmth and softness.

“…I’ll be back, Witch.”

“Yeah. Come back safely.”

Preparations were complete.

Bearnes returned to the people and quickly pressed ahead to organize the Special Forces to close the Dimensional Door while also warning the people not to let their guard down.

‘This should be enough.’

I had finished all I could do by borrowing Bearnes’s mouth.

Now, all I had to do was what I could do.

“……Should I try that after a long time?”

Just in case.

In preparation for when the Asydians might neutralize the Magic Great Cannon or when they could take another route.

Tunnel network. Meteor. Using spies to open the gates.

Neutralizing the Magic Great Cannon. Dimensional Door rampage. Surprise attacks via routes.

Cavalry charging portal. Demon King toss. Corruption of the Hero of the Holy Sword, etc.

To prepare for the 17 tactics I might have used to conquer Normans, I roamed around various places in Normans.

“……Perhaps…”

The enemy might have already infiltrated Normans.

*

Francis Di Emery.

The head of the Normans Adventurer Guild was taking a breath while placing the people he trusted one by one in key locations.

“Please…”

Anyone will do, be it the Moon Goddess or the Red Moon Goddess.

I hope the Dimensional Door closes safely and that the Flame Hero Bearnes doesn’t arrive before the enemy attacks.

“Why is the Witch talking about such things…”

“Making people anxious, huh?”

“Oh, Marpias.”

Francis welcomed his acquaintance and trustworthy ally, the archer woman Marpias, dressed in a black robe.

“I’m sorry. For keeping you up all night.”

“Don’t worry about it. Staying up at night is what our rangers do.”

“That’s why I’m apologizing.”

“If you really feel sorry, let those people rest. Hehe.”

Marpias chuckled and handed him a potion.

Inside the glass bottle was a sloshing red liquid, and without any hesitation, Francis gulped it down.

“…Phew. I really couldn’t stay up without this kind of stuff.”

“I sent potions to the others too. But Francis, do you really think the enemy is coming?”

“I think they might. It’s not just anyone saying it, it’s the Witch.”

“Hmm…”

Marpias leaned closer to Francis.

“You’ve really listened to the Witch well since you first met her, huh?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Are you in love with the Witch?”

“Th-That’s impossible…!!”

In love with a witch?

That’s absurd.

“But why do you believe everything the Witch said? What’s so special about her?”

“That’s…”

“Isn’t she more likely to be a spy planted by the enemy? I mean, the Demon King’s Army did that before, putting on a show of defeating low-level monsters to win the hearts of humans.”

“That’s true. But…”

The Witch isn’t that kind of person.

If there’s anyone in this world who hates and despises the Demon King’s Army more than anyone else, it would certainly be the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus.

“Huh? What’s up? Why is the suspicion king Francis, who lost all his hair from stress, suddenly protecting this Witch? Hmm?”

“No, um, Marpias…?”

“It’s strange. Is this Witch so special that you keep it a secret even from me, your companion for 10 years? Have you become that close in between?”

“No, it’s just…”

At that moment, overwhelmed by the dizzying scent of Marpias’s perfume closing in, a loud CRACK!

With a sudden loud crash, an unbelievable scene unfolded before Francis’s eyes.

Atop Marpias’s head.

The end of a wooden staff fell like a hammer.

“Witch…?”

CRASH!

The Witch slammed her staff down toward Marpias’s head and instantly landed, swinging the staff full force at Marpias’s waist.

Clink.

As Franics unconsciously pulled out the dagger hidden in his cloak to attack the Witch, she had already reached out toward him to stop him.

“Ugh?!”

“Calm down. That woman is a demon. You’ve been poisoned with paralysis venom.”

“U-uh…?”

The Witch sighed heavily with a look of irritation.

“No wonder you weren’t paying attention; there was someone next to you blowing smoke.”

“Th-that girl is my companion…”

“The companion you traveled with turns out to have been a pawn of the demon race. Such a thing—”

“Kehe, heeheehee!!!”

Screaming in madness, Marpias spread her arms.

And then…

POOF—!

She burst into mist.

Francis’s jaw dropped in shock at the sight.

“A clone…?”

“…It’s earlier than I expected, but maybe this was the time to move.”

The Witch’s lips curled in a smirk.

“…Coming at a time much earlier than promised is welcome, but showing up now is a nuisance.”

*

“…Have they been done in?”

Malpas frowned and reached out.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. The preparations are already complete.”

With a gesture from Malpas, a massive Behemoth revealed itself behind him.

“Black Feather Wyvern.”

The gigantic crows spread their wings toward Normans in swarms.

In an instant, the gazes of the Normans people turned toward the creature.

“You foolish fools.”

KIEEEE—!!

Inside Normans.

Giant Sand Worms bursted out from within.

“Puhahaha! The tunnel network! The moment the Sand Worms emerged, you should have realized! You fools—”

BOOM!

One of the Sand Worms met its end.

Malpas hurriedly turned his head toward the exploding Sand Worm.

“…Damn it.”

The Witch, with her red hair flowing, stepped on the head of the decapitated Sand Worm, aiming her staff at him as if she had expected it.

“How dare you wait for the Demon King’s tactics and counter them…! You arrogant!!!”

GYAOOOOO—!!

“Full attack! Let’s go, Legion—!!”

“Glory to the Demon King’s Army—!!”

From within the belly of the Sand Worm, countless crows fluttered their wings and flew out.

KIIYAOOOOOOO!!!

3:18 AM.

Asydia’s Demon King Army launched their total assault on Normans.