I Was Kicked out of the Hero's Party Because I Wasn't a True Companion so I Decided to Have a Slow Life at the Frontier

“I see.”

Ruti nodded expressionlessly after listening to the Contract Demon’s explanation.

“Ye-yes! I am absolutely not hostile toward the humans of this continent. I belong to the faction that wishes to subjugate the heretic Demon Lord that oppose God. It is true that on the Avalon continent, demons are a race hostile toward humans but we are believers of the same God, the Supreme God Demise. In order to deal with the heretics who oppose God, we are capable of putting aside past grudges and fight alongside humans!”

As the Contract Demon desperately spun its words, Ruti listened with a smile that only her brother could understand.

(So this is the truth of the existence of demons. Interesting.)

Her big brother would have been astonished if he was here, after all, they had exchanged countless hours of discussions on their observations.

Ruti thought to herself regretfully. Even that slight fluctuation in her feelings caused the Contract Demon to tremble in fear and stifle a scream.

At the moment, the Contract Demon was being questioned in Ruti’s tent with both its arms and fingers secured with chains.

Nothing had been done to it other than having questions asked but the demon understood the absolute difference between it and the young female creature seated in front of it. It had no willpower to resist and merely wished to survive.

The hero party waiting outside the tent were secretly sympathetic with it suffering a questioning in a tent with the Hero in it but the demon did not know that.

Albert had been tied up and questioned by Ares but Ares had already judged that he did not have any significant information and had left him alone.

“So, this drug is the ‘Devil’s Divine Protection’ huh?”

“This is a drug made using the hearts of Axe Demons so it would produce a pseudo-Divine Protection of the Axe Demon. The strength of this drug is that it can interchange levels with a person’s innate Divine Protection.”

“Interchange?”

“Yes! Taking one dose of this drug would transfer one level to the Devil’s Divine Protection. Also, not taking this drug for one week would cause the Devil’s Divine Protection to return one level to the person’s innate Divine Protection.”

“And so?”

“The greatest advantage of this is not that effect but the lowering of a person’s Divine Protection’s maximum level. As you all know, a person’s Divine Protection level can only grow by defeating a being with Divine Protection of same or higher level. Although the Devil’s Divine Protection will not grow as one fights ... by using this drug, it could give the effect of temporarily reducing a person’s innate Divine Protection level so that the person can experience efficient growth and his combat ability would not drop as well due to the Devil’s Divine Protection!”

This was actually the true reason why the recipe of the God’s forbidden secret medicine was told to the demons, who are the most devout out of all the races.

To the demons, the Devil’s Divine Protection drug was not a medicine meant to deny Divine Protections but a medicine meant to raise Divine Protection levels.

“I see.”

Ruti crushed the powdered medicine wrapped in paper that she snatched from the demon in her hand.

“This will be useful in the subjugation of the Demon Lord?”

“Ye-yes! Although a person on the level of He-hero-sama shouldn’t expect much from its effects.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Ha?”

Ruti swallowed the medicine without hesitation in front of the demon’s eyes.

The demon’s eyes were wide in shock and it was at a loss for words.

Of course, the demon’s goal was to pull in the Hero. It handed the medicine to the Hero as it thought that there was a possibility the medicine could strengthen the Hero to aid her defeat of the Demon Lord.

However, it never imagined that she would swallow the medicine without any hesitation in such a situation.

“It is because poison, disease and curses are ineffective against me. If this was not a medicine, my resistances should have activated.”

Ruti carelessly explained perhaps because she noticed the demon’s gaze.

But the demon was taken aback as cold sweat emerged from its entire body after hearing those words.

(Curses? Curses!? She has complete resistance against curses!? This is bad, this is bad! That medicine was made by stitching together the grudges from the slain Axe Demons that had transformed into curses along with the Demon’s Divine Protections that should normally disappear upon death! If the curse would not activate, there is a possibility that the Axe Demon Divine Protection would be lost!!)

But it was too late.

She had consumed the medicine.

It should make her vomit the medicine out before the medicine is absorbed into her body but the Demon did not have the freedom nor the power to do so.

The demon prayed to God.

Please, may the Devil’s Divine Protection manifest its effects.

☆☆

Morning the next day.

Ares and Theodora were in shock.

The two of them watched the flying ship sail away without being able to do anything.

The tied-up Albert showed an anxious expression without knowing what was happening.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, the flying ship was stolen ... ?”

“Don’t run away from reality. The Hero and Tise are not around. We have been left behind.”

“No-no way! That is impossible! How will they fight without my magic?!”

“She probably can.”

Theodora coldly replied and ignored Ares as she investigated the empty shell of the Hero’s tent.

“This is ...”

She found the fallen corpse of the Contract Demon with its head cut off.

“There was no way she could have been fooled by a demon ... that’s obvious.”

There were a few camping tools and equipment left behind but the important items were all kept in the Hero’s item bag so the Hero’s journey should not be hindered.

However,

“No-no way!?”

Theodora was violently shaken by the item she found on the floor.

“The proof of the Hero, the legendary amulet made of Orichalcum that was sealed in an ancient Elf ruin!”

Even though it was located within the forest near the Imperial Capital, in the deepest depths of an ancient Elf ruin that nobody has ever stepped foot into, Hero Ruti obtained that amulet which she used to make the world acknowledge her as a hero.

Ruti would never let go of that item as long as she was a Hero ... but, in reality, the proof of a Hero had been found there on the ground.

“I guess I will head to places where there have been sightings of a flying ship.”

Theodora left the camp on her own.