The door to the Adventurer's guild in Tier Village slammed open.

Almost immediately, the adventurers standing by jumped to their feet, drawing their weapons. But when they saw the blonde woman marching through and the expression on her face, they meekly sat back down.

Yuu shook his head as he trailed after Eir.

Women truly were the scariest creatures on Earth.

Wait, this wasn't Earth anymore. Well, either way, women were terrifying.

Eir walked over to the same teller that they registered as adventurers and then tossed a cloth sack on top of it. "Here."

Atella, the young woman with long black hair who served as the sole receptionist there, raised an eyebrow.

Eir didn't respond. Instead, the blonde bombshell, in both sense of the words, walked over to the nearby table and sat down, crossing her arms in a huff.

Yuu walked up to the counter and bowed his head. "Sorry for her actions. She's been through a lot recently."

Atella glanced at Eir, specifically at her completely frazzled blonde hair, and said, "I would ask... but something tells me your answer would be above my paygrade."

Yuu winced. "Yeah. Let's just... say a lot happened."

Atella nodded and then opened the cloth bag. After a brief look, she said, "These are in terrible condition and you're short by about a quarter of the amount... But it'll be even more of a hassle with that mutated monster showing up nearby to send you for more so it'll do." She tossed the bag behind the counter and then rummaged around a drawer.

Yuu sighed. He had been worried about it since he forgot all about the herbs in their frantic escape, but it seemed like it all turned out well in the end.

Banzai lazy government servants!

Atella suddenly stopped and glared at Yuu.

Yuu blinked and quickly averted his gaze.

"Hmph." Atella shook her head and swept her right hand across the countertop. "Here."

A pair of metal cards clattered against the wooden surface before sliding to a stop in front of Yuu.

He grabbed them and nodded his head. "Thanks."

"Requests are on the board... Though if I were you two, I'd be making as much distance between this place as you could."

Yuu tucked the cards into his pocket and then frowned. "Why's that? Is the Un- the mutated monster that bad?"

Atella scoffed. "That worm? It didn't even take me a minute to put down. I'm talking about the rumor that the Demon Lord's army is setting out to retrieve their princess. We're on the border, so we'll be getting the brunt of the conflict first."

Yuu saw Eir tense in the corner of his eyes, but he ignored her for the moment and said, "Why aren't you leaving if it's that bad?"

Atella rolled her eyes. "I would if I could, but that damned guild master left me here after I beat up that pervert back in the capital. Otherwise, I'd be on the frontline against those cocky demons- Ah." She blinked and then sighed, slumping against the countertop. "I must really be bored if I'm ranting to some newbies... Whatever." She waved her hand and said, "Skedaddle. Go do some requests, stick around to fight... whatever. Just don't do anything to add to my workload or I'll kill you myself, even if you're dead. Got it?"

[Danger! Intense killing intent detected! Proceed with caution!]

Yuu gave a curt nod. "U-Understood."

"Make sure your blonde friend gets it too. Now, get out of my face."

---

Once he was outside, Yuu let out a deep sigh. "Some things never change."

Eir walked up behind Yuu and said, "What was that, Yuusuke?"

"Nothing. And catch." Yuu tossed Eir's card to her.

"E-Eh?" She blinked and grabbed the card. "Thank-"

"See you around!" Before Eir could finish talking, Yuu immediately spun on his heel and started walking away.

"W-Wait!"

Unfortunately, before he could take a single step, Eir grabbed his arm.

She stared at him, her usually sharp crimson eyes filled with worry. "Are you truly leaving alone after all of that happened?"

Yuu tensed.

Around them, the adventurers were staring.

Yuu realized what it looked like. It was the same as when that kouhai of his treated him to lunch one day and then tried to make it into a date by dragging him to her place afterwards.

In short, extortion.

Yuu could still escape. After all, his skill wasn't maxed out without reason. Still, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth to leave after seeing how worried Eir was.

He sighed and then adjusted his grip, walking towards the back of a building.

"E-Eh?" Surprised, Eir didn't have a choice to get dragged along.

When they were out of eyesight from the nosy adventurers, Yuu let Eir go and then said, "What's your deal?"

"My... deal?"

Yuu blinked and then realized that he had misspoken and said, "I meant our partnership. It was just a union of convenience, wasn't it? Weren't we always going to go our own ways after we registered?"

Eir flushed. "That is true... I did say that." She bowed her head and said, "I apologize, Yuusuke. It appeared that I acted without thinking."

Yuu just sighed.

By this point he had a pretty good guess about who Eir was. Not only that, his instincts, not the ones given by the system but his own that had been honed from years of misfortune when it came to the opposite sex, were telling him he'd be in trouble dealing with Eir.

The beautiful (tentative) Demon Lord Princess raised her head and said, "I had no intention of troubling you and delaying your journey. But now, because of my actions you have become a target of demons..."

Yuu laughed. "That's nothing new."

Well, the demons part was, but Yuu was more than used to people hunting him down. Not to mention the fact that he was still at large from the First Sirius Kingdom.

Yuu leaned against the side of the building and said, "What makes you so certain I'll be a target anyway?"

Eir tensed. Her usual fierce demeanor was gone, replaced by hesitation. Staring at Yuu, she bit her lips for a moment and then said, "Can... Can I trust you?"

Alarm bells rang in Yuu's head, figuratively and literally.

Still, faced with an expression like that, and from a beautiful young woman too, his old habit popped up. "Of course you can!"

Eir laughed, shaking her head. "Even now, you remain fearless. Though I suppose you have reason considering your strength and escape capabilities."

Yuu nodded. "I *am* fairly strong."

Eir stared at Yuu for a moment and then said, "I am the Demon Lord's daughter."

It was an explanation that he expected to hear. Even so, Yuu couldn't help but instinctively flinch at the declaration.

Eir's expression dimmed and she gave a deep bow. "I truly apologize for dragging you into this, Yuusuke. Know that it was not my intention and that I will take full responsibility. Although I do not have much to repay you with, if there is anything I can do... E-Even with my body, I-"

Yuu jumped back and crossed his arms in an X. "STOP!"

"E-Eh?" Eir raised her head. "Yuusuke?"

"You don't need to do any of that. Actually, please don't."

Danger with a capital 'D' in every sense of the word.

Yuu was a man and was definitely not the type to turn down an offer when a girl was willing, but something like this...

Eir straightened her body and said, "But I must! My father taught me that I must take full responsibility for my mistakes. And as the only valuable possession I have with me is my body-"

"Again, stop. Also, your parents are terrible."

"But I-"

Yuu shook his head. "I'm used to being in danger at this point so something like this isn't anything new."

It wouldn't be the first time he was marked. Things had gotten pretty hectic in the past when that shy girl he picked up at the cafe turned out to be the Kiryu Clan's princess.

His boss had managed to sort things out for him, but Yuu had gotten extremely good at avoiding detection and dodging danger in the process.

Yuu blinked, shoving the memories away, and said, "If you really want to make it up to me... Do you mind telling me why you left the Demon Realm in the first place?"

It was pretty obvious, but it was also an easy way out of this mess.

Eir looked hesitant, but she nodded. "It's simple. My father is a hothead who loves to fight. Recently, he received a prophecy that a great hero would arrive with the sole purpose of defeating him... so the first thing he decided to do was prepare to rush the capital ahead of time and wait for his fated opponent."

Yuu coughed. *Did I dodge a bullet by getting out of dodge?*

What kind of messed up world did Kami-sama send him into where the Demon Lord is rushing to the capital on day one!?

Eir noticed Yuu's distress and said, "You need not worry, Yuusuke. Even if my father is hothead he is far from an idiot. There will still be a few weeks at least while he does some last minute training before charging at the First Sirius Kingdom." She paused and said, "Though I suppose he is sending the Archfiends out ahead of time to probe the waters now that news of my departure has spread."

Yuu frowned. "That still doesn't answer why you left... unless you wanted to do the same as those Archfiends?"

"As if I would be so foolish." Eir shook her head and said, "As confident in my skills as I may be, King Sire is a legend that formed the First Sirius Kingdom out of the wilderness with his own merits. Not only that, but the hero is prophesized to be an unstoppable force of nature backed by Kami-sama himself." Worry filled her eyes and she said, "My father is powerful, but against someone like that, even he will fall. So, before it comes to that point I-"

"Set off to assassinate the hero before he got strong." Yuu nodded. "Smart."

Eir blinked. "What? No! What gave you that idea?"

"Huh? Am I wrong?"

"Of course you are!"

Yuu frowned, remembering how she looked when thinking of that person she was looking for. "...I dunno. You seemed pretty murderous back then when talking about the person you were seeking."

"I-Is that so?" Eir frowned. "I had resolved myself to offer my head if it came down to it, but to think that my resolve would appear as murderous intent..."

"Anyway... If you aren't plotting to kill the hero, what *are* you planning to do?"

Eir nodded to herself and then said, "Since you saved my life, I suppose I can tell you. The reason I snuck out to find the hero is to have him hold me hostage."

"...Huh?"

"The hero is summoned to defeat the demon lord, but that won’t be necessary if the demon lord doesn’t want to fight. My father might be a conflict loving idiot, but he loves me more than anything else in the world. So, if I am the hero's hostage, there is no reason for him to fight." Eir smiled. "Simple, is it not?"

"Yes... but wouldn't that make your father even more willing to fight? Something like, ‘You mere humans dare to threaten me with my daughter’s life! I’ll drag you all down to hell!”

Eir flushed. "That... is true. But in that case... If it is not enough, then I will simply become the hero's lover."

"Wait, what?"

Eir bowed her head again. "My apologies, Yuusuke. On second thought, I might not be able to properly repay you in the future. Still, I assure you. Even if the hero is a wicked lascivious fiend and I lose myself because of it, I will be sure to convince him to aid you in some way. Even if I have to lower her head and debase my body, I-"

"Again, stop. And that's fine. You really don't need to go that far-"

“But I must! This is the only way to save everyone! If I must be the sacrifice so that this world can be at peace then-“

“No. I mean… I’m the hero, so it should be fine?”

“Eh?”

“What?”

Eir blinked and then pointed at Yuu. "You... are the hero?"

Yuu nodded. "Reluctantly, yes."

“The prophesized hero from another world? The same that is said to have a lascivious appetite and thirst for women, who would not settle until he has conquered a great harem and obtained countless riches?”

“Ye- Wait, what? Kami-sama never mentioned anything like that.”

That bastard. Did that bastard cheat him somehow?

Eir shook her head. “You are lying. I know that you are a noble person and wish to comfort me, but please, do not test my resolve. If you do, I fear that it may waver...”

“But I really am the hero?”

“Yuusuke! I-“

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light.

[Light Resistance MAX obtained.]

...And the usual message as a result.

Yuu blinked and looked over at the source of the disturbance... and then felt the urge to run away. Before he could though-

"You!"

A dignified handsome man with fluffy blond hair and a white suit, radiating a golden light. However, that handsome face was distorted with rage. He pointed a finger at Yuu and said, "What are you doing messing around here like this? The hero isn't supposed to run away!"

Yuu started edging closer to Eir and held up his hands. "I can explain, Kami-sama..."

"Kami-sama?" Eir blinked and then looked at the new arrival. When she did, her eyes widened. "W-Wait. You... You are Kami-sama? The god of this world?"

"Hm?" Kami-sama shifted his gaze. "You... You're that hot-headed demon lord's daughter, right? What are you doing here?"

"I-"

"Nice seeing you, Kami-sama, but we've gotta go!"

Before either of the others could react, Yuu charged at Eir and scooped her up in a princess hold. Immediately after, he activated [Escape].

Kami-sama's eyes widened and he reached out. "W-Wait! Yuu!"

"Bye!" Leaving that single word, Yuu did what any rational person would do in that situation.

He left.

"No! My hero!" Kami-sama started to run after him, but he underestimated the system's power. Before he could take a single step, Yuu had already vanished into the horizon.

Seeing that, Kami-sama froze. Realizing that Yuu wasn't coming back, he collapsed on the ground and buried his face into his knees. "Uu... I knew I should have listened to Senpai and checked everything before summoning my hero."

Was it because Kami-sama was in despair? As the god of Arpigee knelt on the ground there, the confident and handsome man with fluffy white hair shimmered. Then, not long after, a different person appeared.

Short pink hair kept in twin-tails. An ordinary school uniform.

Kami-sama... Rather, Kami-chan's eyes started watering and she muttered, "Stupid Yuu. Why do you keep making my job as a god so hard?"