“Give me an answer! Just tell me no if it’s no, and yes if it’s yes!”

In the end, First was putting on a cool, indifferent act, but he desperately wanted to know why Chris had abandoned him.

But this was something I couldn’t answer. The reason being…….

“You, how old are you exactly? Why has nothing about you improved since before?”

This was the new penalty of the Enhanced Monkey KeyRing.

[While equipped, every sentence you speak ends with a question mark.]

A question mark serial killer. In other words, I could only ask questions.

Therefore, our dear First would do well to heed Socrates’ advice—

You had best know thyself.

* * *

Aron and Chris first met when they were still downy-cheeked children, a boy and a girl.

Aron, whose gentle and tender nature had made him a target of contempt in the Demon Lord’s army.

Chris, who wielded her overwhelming power without discrimination between friend and foe, keeping everyone at arm’s length.

Perhaps it was only natural that two such loners would eventually start sticking together.

Aron, though younger, called her Master and followed her, recognizing how much he had to learn. Chris, for her part, never made any effort to shake him off. And so, the two formed a master-disciple relationship.

But while Chris gradually learned human warmth from Aron, Aron learned ruthlessness from Chris.

And when Chris finally reached an age where she could comprehend the weight of everything she had done—

“Master. I finally understand what you wanted to teach me. This is it. The thrill of looking down on pathetic worms groveling beneath my power…….”

The Aron she had known was gone, and in his place stood a monster she had never seen before.

‘So Chris resolved to take personal responsibility for the disciple she had ruined with her own hands.’

This was the past I had pieced together from First’s nostalgic ramblings.

I had only tossed out a question or two, but after spending so long alone in that pit, he must have had a backlog of words pent up inside him, because they just poured right out.

‘Now, then…….’

I thought to myself as I lightly stepped off First’s head and descended.

‘It’s about time for a decisive blow.’

The duration of S-rank agility was down to roughly three minutes at most.

“Boooo, this is boring! You’re supposed to be fighting, what are you even doing!”

“How can you not land a single hit, you Aron dumbass!”

Using the jeers of the crowd—emboldened by their numbers—as background music, I opened my mouth.

“Aron, can you not hear the voices around you?”

“Hah, hah…… what?”

“Is this truly the revenge and the conversation you desired?”

With that, I raised a hand lightly, gesturing at our surroundings.

“…….”

Only then did First seem to realize just how ridiculous he looked, and that he had been providing nothing but entertainment for the crowd.

Sure. He could resent and agonize over a master who had betrayed him. If that master had actually wished for his death, it would be all the more painful. No wonder he’d lost his mind the moment he saw me.

But he needed to think more calmly. About why Chris had sealed him away instead of killing him.

“Seals can break when the caster dies, but there are other methods too, aren’t there?”

Indeed. In the most ordinary way.

“……The caster can simply undo it…….”

Chris had always intended to return to First. After she figured out a way to teach him properly again. She had gone to that troublesome place called the Academy for his sake.

“But I—I suffered endlessly because of you, fighting monsters alone in that place……!”

“Are you tired of killing things now?”

“……!”

“Do you no longer feel the urge to commit a massacre like ‘that time’?”

I did too. First’s expression suggested he could fill in the unspoken sentence himself.

The Chris of that time knew no other way. Being a first-time master, she was clumsy, and desperate. She could think of nothing but to punish him that way.

Releasing the seal belatedly must have been out of guilt for her first disciple.

Of course—

‘This is all fabrication based on the ‘Chris’ character roleplay, though!’

Did Real Chris actually seal First away with such intentions?

Impossible to know. Given Real Chris’s personality, she might have just shoved him in there to suffer until he dropped dead?

But as I keep saying, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is a character interpretation that satisfies the other party.

A scam, you say? That’s rather harsh. We simply have slightly different interpretations of the same events.

‘Besides, it’s effective.’

Look at that. First hanging his head, unable to say a word. His mind must be in turmoil.

I’ll just wait a bit like this, and once he declares defeat, I’ll head back. That way, I can stick it to the Demon Lord who was hoping for a bloodbath, and make my way to pick up X-Class.

Easy peasy, easy…….

“Idiot!”

Huh?

“Idiot, idiot! Why didn’t you tell me sooner! You hopeless Master!”

Uh…… uh-uh? Wait a minute? Being moved is fine, but if you come running at me for a hug with that body of yours?

‘I’ll get crushed to death! I need to dodge right now……!’

[Time limit exceeded. The item ‘Monkey KeyRing (Enhanced)’ has been unequipped.]

[The item ‘Monkey KeyRing (Enhanced)’ has been destroyed.]

Ah, fuck, the timing!

‘Am I seriously going to die by crushing? After everything I did right, I’m going to die in some stranger’s arms?!’

System, you crazy bastard, I’ve practically completed the quest already. And you’re going to let me go out like this? Where in the world does this kind of plot twist exist!

Right at that moment, when I couldn’t even close my eyes because of my character roleplay, swallowing every curse imaginable with my eyes wide open—

“Hey, you…… shameless bastards.”

Something snatched me up.

“Lady Chris is here and nobody called me?! Entire Chimera Unit, mobilize immediately!”

The guy wrapped head to toe in bandages bellowed.

……I think I can see why nobody called him.

I’d been wondering why a Demon Lord’s army executive and Chris fanboy hadn’t shown his face even once this whole time.

‘How does he look even worse than the last time I saw him? He’s basically a mummy.’

Seemed like his experiments weren’t going well. Should’ve known when to quit.

“But how could we bring news that would obviously agitate Lord Maria……! Weren’t you recuperating separately outside!”

One of the more articulate members of the Chimera Unit protested, but Bandage’s ferocity remained undiminished.

“I am agitated right now because of you lot! Lady Chris returns and I’m the only one who didn’t get to see her? And that wretched brat is even having a one-on-one duel with her? Does that make any sense to you!”

“W-wretched brat?”

First, who had been pointed at, looked so dumbfounded that his tears seemed to have dried up on the spot.

Well, how many good-natured people could there be in the Demon Lord’s army anyway, but it seemed these two wouldn’t be friends either.

In this chaotic mess, there was exactly one person having the time of his life.

“You never fail to entertain me, Maria. Flying here in such a rush with that ailing body of yours. Do you love Chris that much?”

“My Lord……. I am hurt. You told me to simply watch, and yet you call Lady Chris to the castle yourself?”

“Haha, I didn’t summon her. We merely met by chance. Don’t be so upset.”

The Demon Lord replied with a leisurely wave of his hand.

Bandage, unable to bring himself to talk back to the Demon Lord any further, let out a sigh and turned to look at me.

“Lady Chris, you must have had quite the ordeal entertaining that snot-nosed brat…….”

“Drop me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I appreciated being saved from the threat of being crushed to death, but being held in this position any longer would ruin my image. The moment I delivered a line with Chris’s signature murderous expression, my feet immediately touched the ground.

“Phew……. How exhausting.”

That line carried a hint of genuine feeling. After lightly brushing off my clothes, I spoke without bothering to look up at the Demon Lord.

“I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“My, my. A new opponent has appeared and you’re thinking of quitting?”

“I don’t have a hobby of punching corpses.”

“B-but, Lady Chris. I’m not a corpse yet…… This is all part of getting stronger. Once my wounds heal, I’ll be a completely different person, so how about you wait until then and have a match with me before you go?”

When I rejected the Demon Lord’s proposal as sharply as a blade, Bandage looked embarrassed. Like someone caught wearing a stretched-out shirt and sweatpants in front of their crush.

I didn’t even need to fake my cold expression.

‘Good grief, fight-crazed lunatics. This is all because there’s no internet.’

I pity you all, born into a world where dopamine triggers are extremely limited. Just hang in there until some brilliant Transmigrator develops the internet. Play some healthy soccer in the meantime.

“Chris, if that is your wish, then it can’t be helped. Clinging further would only be a nuisance to you. Maria, see her off.”

“As you command, my Lord.”

He only listens to orders he likes. Leaving the Demon Lord’s grumbling behind, I started walking.

[Bead: Please come meet me as fast as you can. When monsters of this size start falling, even the Demon Lord will notice they’ve arrived.]

[Bead: .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.]

Hah, just thinking about what those X-Class kids might be getting up to made even sprinting frantically feel insufficient, yet here I was, unable to so much as raise an alarm because I had to maintain my cool image.

Anyway, the situation was resolved for now.

Practically ignoring Bandage’s presence trailing behind me, I walked briskly and exited the arena.

“Master…….”

I thought I heard someone calling from behind, but—

“I will see you again.”

I have my own disciples. I couldn’t wave back at First, because his master was not ‘me.’