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

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After officially registering as an adventurer at the Adventurer Guild,

I took Lucius with me to the next location.

We stopped by an inn to secure our lodging, then visited a general store, a potion shop, and a weapon shop, among various places.

“Master, where to next?”

“Wait. Just one more stop.”

“…At this rate, we’ll visit every shop here.”

Lucius clearly looked exhausted.

He hadn’t even seen that many shops yet, but it seemed he wanted to leave this shopping district already.

“What’s wrong? Are you already tired? You shouldn’t be that worn out.”

“…I’m just worried about you getting tired.”

“Tired? Pfft.”

An undead feeling physical fatigue?

Even Satan would laugh at that.

“Have you forgotten what kind of body I have?”

“That’s not it…”

“We just need to stop here. Just this one place.”

I pointed to a shabby weapon shop ahead.

Lucius sighed deeply and shook his head at me.

“We’ve already stopped at seven weapon shops, haven’t we? Master, this could be a hassle for the shop owners.”

“If a buyer doesn’t like the items, they can leave. What hassle? Did we disrupt their business by coming in or break any items?”

“…We spent thirty minutes at each weapon shop just comparing things.”

As Lucius said, I checked the performance of swords at each shop.

To find a sword for Lucius and one for myself.

I could no longer rely on the rusty iron swords looted from goblins, and Lucius needed to use a regular sword instead of a holy sword.

A dual-purpose one, so that Lucius could wield it as if it were the holy sword.

Since we were finally looking for a decent sword, I wanted to pick a durable one that could last long, yet Lucius was now openly showing his tiredness, wanting to head back to the inn.

“Do you realize how important a weapon is? It can save your life in an emergency. No matter how good your talent is, can we have it like this?”

“…I will reflect on this.”

He seemed to be reflecting, but the truth was he looked a bit worn out.

Thanks to the holy sword, he shouldn’t feel any physical fatigue, but it seemed I had pushed him too hard on this shopping spree.

‘Still, this is something I must do.’

Buying mana potions, a backpack, extra clothes for emergencies, scrolls, antidotes, paralysis cures, cooling agents, fever reducers, bug-repelling potions, climbing ropes for caves, and various other items.

While preparing supplies to respond to any opponents wherever we go, it was a little disappointing that Lucius reacted like this.

“How can a young lad be whining about being this tired? Tsk tsk.”

“I’m not whining… Hah.”

Even after eating at the inn we had chosen as our lodging and walking around a bit, it wasn’t as if he was starving, yet Lucius seemed fatigued, even when purchasing the bare minimum of needed supplies.

“In my day, before setting off on an adventure, we’d prepare for two full days and nights, getting our gear ready.”

“Isn’t it different from your time, Master?”

“Oh? Now you’re even talking back?”

“…I may live in the countryside, so I don’t know the details, but I don’t think we need to pack such a big backpack.”

Lucius pointed to the bag on my back.

The large backpack, reaching from my shoulders to my knees, contained everything needed for our journey.

“Isn’t it heavy? I’m worried it might harm your body.”

“First of all, my body doesn’t know fatigue, and secondly, it’s an artifact bag with lightweight magic, so it’s not a big deal. Look, there are other adventurers carrying their gear too.”

I pointed to a group of five adventurers who were gathering around to head somewhere.

One blonde knight and three scantily dressed women clung to him.

And a tired-looking young man with black hair following them.

The youth carried a bag bigger than him, yet he didn’t sweat or stumble under its weight.

Thanks to the lightweight magic.

The sorceress, dressed more provocatively than me, laughed at the blonde knight’s words, seemingly channeling the spells of lightweight magic and body enhancement into the porter.

“Times are good these days. Lucius, what do you think about their party?”

“Um… They seem like a harmonious party.”

“That’s the situation of ‘The Unaware Male Knight’ and ‘The Inferior Porter’, and ‘Actually, all three girls like the porter’.”

It was a case I had experienced 500 years ago.

“There was a hero party aiming to defeat the Demon King, and I personally participated. But the situation was just as it is now, and the porter ended up leaving the party. The girls realized their feelings after the porter disappeared, and the hero party ended up disbanded when the girls went looking for him.”

I had entered hoping to destroy their hero party, but it was already a broken vessel.

It seemed no one had noticed the cracks until someone poked at them, and I was joyfully intending to recruit that exceptionally talented porter.

– Who are you…?

– I am Belphegor. The Demon King.

– Demon King…? Are you going to kill me…?

– Do you seek power?

– What…?

– I see a desire for revenge and power in your eyes. I will give you power. Serve me in return.

It was after I had given a pure dark elf to him that he restored his shattered spirit and worked for the Demon King’s army, and I proposed revenge to the porter.

– I command you by the name of the Demon King. I grant you five years. Cultivate your strength, and I shall assist you in your revenge.

– …Okay. So how should I train? Should I go to hell and come back? Or should I embed a magic stone in my heart? Tell me! I’ll do anything!

– …Exercise for three hours a day, and when your stamina is exhausted, practice your mana and swordsmanship. Sneepfi Ring! You are responsible for training this man into a proper warrior of revenge. You’re the expert on this matter.

– As you command, My Demon King. But….

– If a strong warrior and a dark elf breed, an excellent warrior will be born. Of course, that discussion is for when you become a strong warrior capable of having children with a dark elf, heh heh.

– That’s….

– Make sure to report regularly in writing! Until then! Ahahaha!!

– Demon King…!!

He truly became a strong porter.

The stamina and physique trained as a porter matched any warrior, and when I met the porter five years later, he had the strength to compare to the Demon King’s officers and was part of the power of the Demon King’s army together with his half-elf offspring.

‘Is he still alive?’

If he’s in the intermediate realm right now, he might still be alive.

Or he could have been sacrificed by Zephar and his group trying to resurrect Belphegor, or maybe he died while attacking the remaining forces of the Demon King’s army after Belphegor’s death.

Seeing that porter youth makes me feel a bit regretful in comparison.

“Tsk tsk, traditionally a man must have strength in his core and lower body…”

Using lightweight magic as a porter, his stamina wouldn’t develop.

“Only with good stamina can you wear good equipment.”

“…Ah, so that was your point.”

“Your point? You brat.”

I kicked Lucius in the knee once more.

“Are you perhaps interested in that area? Hmm?”

“M-Master…!!”

“Should I teach you?”

“Yes?!”

I pointed to my waist.

“I may not know much, but when it comes to a man strengthening his waist and lower body, no one knows better than me.”

I was the top in the Demon World, after all.

If there were three great warriors among the physical aesthetics Demon Kings, I surely would be among them as Belphegor’s Black Dragon Muscle Form.

The other two were either at or above my level.

Even after returning from the intermediate realm, whenever I didn’t sleep, I occasionally inhabited the bodies of muscle-bound monsters, spending time cultivating strong muscles and physiques.

– A healthy body is infused with healthy magic.

The so-called “Deep Dark Council.”

This gathering, named the Deep and Dark Council, transcended legions and sects to deal physically without mana and to cultivate a healthy body.

And we developed.

We created the ultimate technique that involved bending our knees, stretching our arms forward, and repeatedly raising and lowering our bodies as a full-body workout.

“After this, we’ll go back to the inn, and I’ll teach you. I’ll make you a proper man. Hehe.”

“…….”

Lucius closed his eyes and smiled with a soft face.

It looked like he had come to some kind of realization, or maybe he was hopeful but felt like that hope would turn out ill-fated, hence resigning to that smile.

I empathized.

I felt that same way stepping into that last forge in this shopping district.

“Let’s just check this place out and head back, okay?”
“Understood.”

Ding ding.

“Excuse me. I came to check out some swords.”

“…Huh?”

Inside the forge.

There was someone who looked quite grumpy…

“What is it?”

An elf wielding a hammer.

With the leather protective gear typically worn by blacksmiths, the blonde-haired figure was undoubtedly an elf with pointy ears.

“……?”

I wondered if I had entered the wrong place, doubting my eyes.

But no matter how I looked at it, the woman before me was an elf.

“Is this your first time seeing an elf blacksmith?”

“……Aren’t dwarves typically supposed to be here?”

“Hah, those dwarf guys.”

The elf confidently pointed to the wall.

“All the ones who tried to take me on over here ended up smashed and fled. Too embarrassing.”

“…Master certification?”

“That’s right. I, Normans, am certified as the best blacksmith.”

Clang.

The elf rested the hammer on her shoulder and grinned.

“‘Fergus Handsmith.’ That’s me.”

“……Oh, right. But.”

I quickly checked the price tags attached to the goods and asked Fergus.

“Why are you speaking informally to a customer?”

“……Huh?”

“I see you’re around 200 years old in your license.”

“…Uh, um…?”

“Times are good these days, right?”

Assuredly, she must still be alive.

She should be alive.

“Ieyluna will really like this, right?”

“……Um, what’s your relationship with the Grand Elder…?”

Ieyluna.

Upon mentioning the name of the strongest among elves 500 years ago, I quickly got a response.

‘That elf has indeed ascended to the Grand Elder.’

What relationship, you ask?

– Ah no…! No! Not with the Demon King, ugh…!

– Ah, no! My Master! Not here, ugh…!

– Don’t do this…! Ieyluna, ugh, has fallen…!!

– ……♡

A slave and a master.

500 years ago, after I had attacked her group of elves, I had taken her as a slave and attendant.

“What’s the relationship? Depending on how you behave, it will differ.”

“……What brings you here?”

“What do you mean by ‘what brings me’? I came to buy a sword at the forge.”

“And who are you…?”

“Who you ask?”

There was only one answer.

“I’m a customer.”