# The Demon King's Attack! The Hero Party is in Danger (2)
The plaza.
I headed toward the plaza where the Demon King's scent was thick.
Remnants of the Grimoire of Sloth burst out, trying to block our path to the Demon King.
But they weren't much of a threat to us.
*...They're weaker than I expected.*
No, rather than that...
Perhaps we've become stronger than expected.
While casually dealing with the Grimoire followers rushing at me,
I glanced sideways to check on the Hero Party.
"Hmph! Like I'd lose to you guys! Do you know how much I've suffered!"
"G-good job, Luna...! There's an attack coming from the left too...! Block it...!"
"Got it!"
They're doing well.
Luna swung her real sword, pouring out her resentment from the hellish training.
She slowly dealt with and drove back the Grimoire followers.
Good combat ability and a good situation, but.
*Still inexperienced.*
After cutting down the follower in front of me, I approached Luna.
Then I stabbed my sword into the heart of a fallen follower near her.
Thunk—!
"Huh? Mister! Are you done over there!?"
"Yes. More importantly, Luna. I want to ask you something."
"Huh?"
"Why aren't you killing the Grimoire followers? Just now you only knocked them down without killing them."
"I-I don't know! I must have made a mistake!"
Patter patter—
After saying that, Luna ran off again to face more Grimoire followers.
*Still can't handle killing, I see.*
Luna and Hare weren't killing anyone.
Given their upbringing and their hearts,
killing was still too much for them.
Taking a life requires strong resolve.
Luna seemed to need some kind of "trigger."
"...I keep finding more justification for what I'm doing."
Thunk—
I finished off the Grimoire followers that the Hero Party had knocked down.
There was still a long way to go before reaching the Demon King.
As the battle continued,
one question crossed my mind.
*...But why are there only followers here?*
Followers can be dealt with.
But Apostles cannot.
Apostles use the Grimoire's abilities and possess skills that even a grown Hero Party can't handle.
*Why are there no Apostles in this situation?*
The followers falling helplessly at the Hero Party's hands.
Watching them, I couldn't understand at all why there were no Apostles.
*...Should I just be grateful?*
Well, thinking positively,
that must be it.
No Apostles makes things easier for us.
Thinking that, I walked forward.
As we moved ahead, our ears caught—
—Kyaaah—!! P-please spare me—!!
The voice of someone begging for their life.
"Are there survivors..."
"S-survivors!!"
"W-wait... Lu-Luna, where are you going...! Let's go together...! The formation is breaking...!"
Thud thud thud—
As soon as Luna heard the survivor's voice, she reflexively ran straight toward it.
It seemed too thoughtless, but.
"...Follow her, children. We can't leave Luna alone."
"Yes."
"Y-yes...!"
I rather liked Luna's attitude.
"Estia. You come along too."
"..."
No response from Estia.
I forcibly grabbed her hand and followed along.
"Estia."
"..."
"I know it's hard right now... but think about it later."
To Estia, who was listless and gripped by fear,
I wanted to give just one piece of advice.
"If you don't move, you'll have regrets. So overcome this."
"..."
Estia pressed her lips together and said nothing.
But to my eyes, her head seemed to move ever so slightly.
Where!
Where is it!
Frantically,
Luna ran through the streets chasing the sound.
There were many corpses in the streets, so she kept her eyes closed.
"Scary things are still scary!"
She was just pretending to be fine.
Luna had a mouth full of courage but not a heart to match.
As she ran with her eyes closed, another scream reached her ears.
—Kyaaah—!!
There it is!
Luna ran toward the sound.
Like a dog running through a yard,
she ran while breathing heavily.
After passing through alleys and reaching a wide street,
there were two terrified boys.
*Are they brothers? The older one looks about my age!?*
Let's help my friends!
Luna glared fiercely at the hooded group surrounding the two children.
Anger toward the Grimoire gang rose within her.
"Y-you! Shameless bastards!! How dare you threaten children! You're worse than the mister at my house!"
"...?"
The Grimoire followers made confused expressions.
They drew daggers from their clothes and pointed them at the boys.
It was an obvious hostage situation.
"I don't know who this mister is, but you're the Hero, right?"
"N-no! I'm not the Hero!"
Luna attempted to conceal her identity.
However, the Grimoire followers were certain.
"Blonde hair with a red ribbon... that's her, right?"
"According to what the Demon King told us, she must be the Hero?"
Luna had encountered the Demon King of Greed, Greed, before.
Her description had long been known to the Grimoire.
Luna had no choice but to admit it.
"F-fine! I'm the Hero! So what are you going to do about it!"
Luna shouted confidently.
Having confirmed she was the Hero, the Grimoire followers
grinned and pressed their daggers closer to the children.
"If you want to save these children, put down your sword, Hero."
"Y-you cowards!"
"You who threaten our Demon King's life... must never be allowed to live..."
If I threaten the Demon King's life!
That's even better!
Luna protested without lowering her sword.
"Why shouldn't I live! You idiots! I'm going to kill the Demon King! You're human too!"
"S-shut up...! We cannot kill the Demon King, who is a superior being to humans...!"
"Hmph, whatever! I'm more superior! Hey you! How about serving Hero Luna instead of the Demon King!"
"Wh-what kind of person is this...?"
The Grimoire follower was flustered.
Luna's logic had gaps, but listening again, it also made sense.
It was a surprisingly tempting offer.
*Still, I can't fall for a brat like this...*
However, having already pledged to the Demon King, there was no merit in the Grimoire choosing betrayal.
The follower pressed the dagger closer to the child's throat.
"H-hiiik...! S-save me, Hero! D-don't just talk! Show me with actions...!!"
"...You talk a lot for a hostage! Everyone's always nagging at me..."
How annoying!
But a life is at stake,
so I need to focus.
I don't want to get scolded by mister!
Luna rolled her eyes to check her surroundings.
*The space is wide... there's a bench and fountain in the distance... there's nothing near that boy...*
I can't use the environment.
The best choice I can make here is...
"The only thing I learned from mister...!"
Really!
Is that the only option!
Luna muttered to herself.
Seeing this, the Grimoire gang whispered.
"...That Hero is muttering to herself, right? Is it okay to just leave her?"
"...Well, she's just a kid, so it should be fine."
"Yeah, what can a young brat do."
The Grimoire gang scoffed.
Young people have their limits, after all.
However, they didn't realize that such complacent thinking would corner them.
"Phew..."
Luna exhaled deeply.
Her sword lay on the ground, far from the Grimoire.
Moreover, they were holding hostages with daggers at the brothers' throats.
In such a situation, the method Luna chose was mister's teaching.
*Mister! Why do we have to do this hellish training! It's so hard!*
*This hellish training will reward you as much as you suffer.*
*Mister! You know what!? You talk like a total Boomer!*
*...*
Standing on toes on thorns.
Hitting flying thorns with palms.
Dodging chasing thorns.
The power of mana mastered through the hellish training.
"Mister said... concentrate mana in your toes... and when bursting forward in an instant..."
Do it like this.
Whoosh—!!
Luna concentrated mana at her toes and kicked forward.
Her body reached the Grimoire like a bullet.
The Grimoire hastily tried to press their daggers to the brothers' throats, but...
"Th-this brat is so fast—"
"Too late!"
Thwack—
Thud—
A fist connecting to the cheek with a twisted waist.
And a sole hitting the chest.
The Grimoire holding the children hostage flew into the fountain, and no more sounds escaped their mouths.
It was Luna's perfect victory.
"Victory! Luna's victory! The Hero's victory! Hostage rescue successful! Hehe!"
Until now, she had only seen dead people in the streets.
But for the first time, she saved someone.
Luna felt her heart soar at that fact.
Her heart pounded, and a sense of fulfillment that filled the empty spaces dominated her body.
Luna shouted with joy.
"I! I saved people without mister's help! Hahaha! Hurry and thank me! Thank Hero Luna!"
"Th-thank you!"
The brothers thanked her in a daze.
The two with dark skin looked at Luna with admiration.
*She's my age but this strong...? Is she really the Hero...? She sounds like the village idiot though...?*
*If only she didn't talk like that, she'd be really cool! I-I want to be like that too...!*
Hehe.
Luna smiled and savored the moment.
"More! Look at me with more admiration!"
If Lee Jun-woo had seen this, he would have flicked her forehead saying "Don't get cocky."
The brothers spoke to Luna.
"Are you really the Hero!?"
"H-Hero...! I-I want to be like you, sis...! What do I have to do...?"
"A-ahem! Well, you see!"
Luna began her Hero lecture with an excited voice.
"First! You have to get kidnapped by a stupid mister! Then you get strong! Training is the best!"
"I-is that how it works?"
"I-I guess so, brother..."
Of course, the brothers couldn't understand.
But Luna wanted to share this joy and kept talking.
Even in such a good situation, one regrettable thing was.
*I wish mister had seen this! Then he would have praised me so much!*
That mister hadn't seen it.
That was the only disappointment.
Everything else was satisfying.
However, perhaps because she was too immersed in such good feelings,
Luna had forgotten one thing.
"By the way, Hero sis!"
"Yeah! Ask Hero Luna anything!"
"Th-the person behind you... is that the stupid mister you mentioned...?"
Person behind.
At the younger brother's words, Luna flinched and checked behind her.
There stood a green-haired man looking at Luna with a languid expression.
*I didn't sense his presence at all...?*
Who is this man?
More than that,
why is he looking at me like he wants to kill me?
Luna, who despite growing stronger still couldn't match a Demon King,
trembled and couldn't do anything.
The Demon King of Sloth, Sloth, spoke in a fierce voice.
"...You, Hero."
"Y-yes...?"
"...Why are you making so much noise? You threw those guys into the fountain... that was you, right...?"
"N-no it wasn't?!"
"...Really?"
It doesn't matter if it's true or not.
Grab—
Sloth reached out both hands toward the brothers.
"U-uugh..."
"Ah...uugh..."
The brothers, their heads grabbed by him, made groaning sounds before collapsing to the ground.
Drooling with unfocused eyes.
"Wh-what just happened... Th-this is..."
Luna was greatly shocked that the people she had just been talking to ended up like that.
"The nuisances are dealt with... now it's your turn, Hero... Don't be annoying and let's finish this in one go..."
Sloth reached his hand toward Luna to quickly return home.
*M-my body won't move...! M-move, body! Move!*
I can't die like this!
But her body wouldn't listen.
Luna could only focus on the approaching hand.
There was nothing she could do.
"...I told you not to act alone."
Until Sloth's arm touched the ground.
Thud—
Sloth's arm fell to the ground.
Luna blinked in surprise.
Then, in an instant, a broad back blocked her view.
"...Even if you're the Hero, I said it's dangerous to be alone."
Lee Jun-woo appeared in an instant and protected Luna.
Normally, Luna would have shouted "Mister, don't show off!"
But having just escaped a near-death crisis,
tears flowed from Luna's eyes.
"S-sniff... M-mister... th-thank you... M-more than that... the-the friends I was talking with... sniff... d-died... I couldn't... sniff... protect them..."
"No, not yet."
"Sniff... huh...?"
"...Enough with the tears. Stop crying, Luna."
You still have a chance.
A chance to grow.
And a chance to make up for your mistake.
So.
"Even if you fall, get back up. Only you can do this."
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
You keep saying things I don't understand...
But.
*Why does my heart feel so anxious...*
Luna still couldn't understand mister's words.
No, she vaguely understood what he was saying, but
she was afraid her thoughts might be the correct answer.
*...Mister keeps saying worrying things...! Even though he could easily beat a Demon King...!*
She refused to understand.