"Oh! They said it's a great victory!"

"I thought we'd be fine since the Demon King is gone, but I'm so glad we won safely!"

"Yeah! Let's go take a look!"

It seemed that the expedition army, which had gone to attack a village of the Demon King's forces, had returned. The people around us were also cheering and heading toward the entrance of the town where we had just arrived. I instinctively followed Marco and the others along with the crowd.

The closer we got to the town entrance, the more people gathered. It looked like a parade was being held on the central street to welcome the returning expedition force.

"The Imperial Army always looks so cool!"

"I heard a lot of B-rank adventurers joined this expedition."

"That person leading at the front is the Imperial Army's 'Flame Emperor Augus,' right? It's my first time seeing him!"

The expedition force consisted of around 50 soldiers, with about 40 knights at the front, all clad in matching silver armor. The remaining 10 were dressed more casually, much like Marco and his group, probably adventurers who joined the expedition.

Leading the group on horseback was a man who radiated an aura far more powerful than the other knights. Though I had lived peacefully until now, I could somehow sense his strength—maybe this was because of the Demon King's power within me.

The man called Flame Emperor Augus, as Milly described, was a slim man in his 30s, with sharp eyes and gleaming, ornate golden armor. He had a well-sculpted face and was undoubtedly quite popular with the ladies.

"Is that person at the front famous?"

"Oh, he's super famous around here!"

"Yes! They say his fire magic burns everything to ashes. And not just magic, his sword skills are top-notch too!"

"I-I see..."

Milly was quite passionate in her explanation of Flame Emperor Augus. Maybe she was a fan of his.

He waved to the cheering women. It really was like a hero's triumphant return.

"Hey, hey! Augus is looking over here!"

"Don't be stupid; it’s just a coincidence. There's no way a hero like him would pay attention to C-rank adventurers like us."

"Yeah, he’s already looking the other way."

"I know that! Can't a girl dream a little?"

"........"

It seemed like Augus was indeed looking this way—or rather, I felt like I made direct eye contact with him.

No, that can't be. The Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army didn't recognize me as having the Demon King's power, and I'm just a regular guy, not exuding any strange aura. It was probably just my imagination.

After the knights passed by, the adventurers followed. They were dressed in the kind of outfits you'd expect from a fantasy world, looking quite pleased with the cheers from the townspeople.

And then, following behind them...

"...Hey Marco, what is that?"

"Oh right, Nishio, this is your first time seeing demons. Those are demons. Clearly different from us humans, right?"

"..."

No, that’s not what I’m asking. I saw plenty of demons at the Demon King’s castle.

What I wanted to know is why those demon children are chained up.

"...They look like they're still very young to me."

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, all those demon children were about elementary school age. The smallest one looked more like a preschooler. Of course, in this world, it’s possible that they look young but are much older than me.

"Jin, you're saying some weird stuff. A demon is a demon, even if they're a child."

"Yeah, we can’t let demons go, no matter how young they are."

"Exactly. Sure, they’re small, but you can’t show them mercy. Once they grow up, they'll come after us humans."

...I understood what the three of them were saying. It made sense. We're at war with the demons, and even if they’re children, we can't just let them go.

"What happens to those children after they're taken?"

"Usually, they'd be publicly executed tomorrow at the central square."

"What!?"

"Just so you know, this is the merciful approach. In other towns, female demons, even kids, are enslaved and used as toys for perverts until they die. The male demons are tortured and experimented on, facing fates worse than death."

"Jonan, stop it!"

"............"

Even in the old wars in my world, captured enemy soldiers probably faced similar treatment. But... do we really need to take the lives of such young children, even if they are demons?

"But those kids aren't soldiers, right? They haven’t fought anyone or killed anyone. Do we really need to kill them?"

It might be wrong for someone like me, who knows almost nothing about this world, to ask such a question.

This world has its own issues, and there are many people who have lost family and friends to the demons. I, who lived a peaceful life in a different world, might not have the right to say anything.

Still, I couldn’t help but ask Marco and the others after hearing that these ragged children, their hands bound in chains, would be mercilessly executed tomorrow.