“—Hah!”

At the same moment Ike and his group were being expelled from the Adventurers’ Guild, Nord regained consciousness.

“Where… am I? Guh!”

Nord attempted to look around to figure out where he was, but was stopped by a surge of sharp pain coursing through his body.

“Why am I injured like this?”

He began to trace back his memory. He remembered challenging Ike to a duel—

“That’s right, during the duel, a demon appeared!”

The demon, humanity’s sworn enemy. He vividly recalled unleashing his ultimate skill against it. Beyond that, his memory was blank.

But he could guess what had happened.

The fact that he unleashed his ultimate skill and the pain now wracking his body led him to only one conclusion—

“I must have exceeded my limits and delivered a final, decisive blow to defeat the demon.”

Yes, there was no doubt about it. That was the only explanation. However, as a hero known for his calm and rational thinking, Nord felt he should confirm it.

After realizing he was in the Adventurers’ Guild infirmary, Nord stood and made his way to the reception desk. Most adventurers had already left, but a few staff remained.

Among them was a receptionist who was on good terms with Ike. Nord called out to her.

“Hey, you there.”

“Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling? What do you need?”

“What happened to the demon?”

A demon of such strength couldn’t have gone unnoticed by the guild. Surely, news of Nord’s heroic efforts must have spread alongside the story. Confident in this assumption, he asked.

The receptionist nodded and replied, “Ah, the demon. When it appeared, I thought the town would be destroyed, but thankfully, it was successfully defeated. And believe it or not, Ike was the one who—”

“I see! So that’s how it is! Hahaha, splendid! I feel great!”

“—Huh?”

Ignoring her confused reaction, Nord turned on his heel and began walking toward the exit.

“Wait a moment!”

The receptionist called out from behind.

While Nord understood the urge to praise a hero who saved the town, he believed it was more fitting to leave without further ado.

“Shouldn’t we return Nord’s holy sword that we’ve been holding for safekeeping?”

“…Of course.”

“Please take a seat while I retrieve it.”

After getting his holy sword back, Nord left the guild.

The night air outside felt unusually cold. Yet, Nord felt no anxiety. His confidence in defeating the demon gave him a deep sense of assurance.

Upon returning to the guild hall where his party awaited, Yun immediately turned red-faced and shouted.

“What were you doing, Nord?! You were supposed to be scouting for two new party members, and instead, you ended up dueling Ike! Rumor has it you lost! And on top of that, everyone’s saying it was Ike who defeated the demon that appeared in town. What’s going on?!”

“What… did you say?”

According to Yun, not only had Ike claimed credit for Nord’s victory, but he had also spread rumors of his own victory in their duel.

That’s how Nord interpreted it. His blood boiled with rage.

“I won’t forgive him. I will never forgive you, Ike!”

His roar echoed through the night sky—

And he was promptly scolded by the innkeeper for disturbing the peace.