Demon Eye.
Normally, anyone would be surprised to suddenly receive something like this.
For some reason, the Demon Emperor was there in that place.
For some reason, she gave this to me.
It was a convenient turn of events, and even I couldn't quite keep up.
But I was acting on a god's guidance.
This development was exactly what she'd planned.
When I thought about that, I wanted to dig it out and stomp on it right then and there.
It looked painful and scary, though, so I didn't.
For now, I set off toward the inn and cursed my own naivety.
People walking through town appeared to me twice over.
I misjudged distances and bumped into several people.
Twice someone picked a fight, and twice I groveled in apology.
And twice it turned into a brawl.
I won the fights, but they were pointless conflicts.
I wanted to avoid this kind of thing as much as possible.
I needed to master this quickly.
More than that, if I couldn't master it, I wouldn't even be able to continue the journey.
--- I returned to the inn.
When I told them I'd met the Demon Emperor, the two of them were quite shocked.
"So the Demon Emperor — she'd revived, had she?"
It was pretty rare to see
"I never imagined I'd just be handed a Demon Eye like that."
"Bestowing Demon Eyes is a power of the Demon Emperor."
Kishirika Kishiris — the Demon Emperor.
The Revived Demon Emperor.
Also known as the Demon Emperor of Demon Eyes.
Her combat ability wasn't particularly impressive, but she concealed twelve Demon Eyes within her body, allowing her to see through anything.
The most terrifying of these was her power to transform others' eyes into Demon Eyes.
Thanks to this, Kishirika turned all her subordinates into Demon Eye bearers, granting herself enough power to rule over demonkind.
There were even demon folk who joined Kishirika's ranks solely for the desire to grow stronger.
"Why was she in this town, I wonder?"
"Who knows. How could I understand what goes through the mind of a Demon King or Demon Emperor?"
Ruijerd shrugged.
That's right — you couldn't even figure out the true intentions of the Demon God you served for so long.
I thought about saying that, but held my tongue since he'd probably get really down about it.
As for
"That's amazing! I want to meet her too!"
"You want to meet her?"
Eris and Kishirika.
I was a little curious what kind of conversation those two would have if they got together.
They might actually get along surprisingly well.
"I wonder if she's still in town?"
"Well... who knows."
Maybe if I went to that back alley again tomorrow, she'd be lying there collapsed from hunger once more.
She definitely gave off the kind of vibe where she'd do exactly that.
...No, surely not.
She seemed to be looking for someone, actually.
It was probably a journey of some sort.
Guided by the Circle of Transmigration, or something like that.
"She's probably already left the town by now."
"Yeah, what a shame."
But even as she said that, Eris would probably go check that back alley tomorrow anyway.
"So that's the situation — I'm going to hole up for a while."
"You two, feel free to do as you please."
The two of them each nodded.
--- It took one week to master the Demon Eye.
To summarize: it wasn't particularly difficult.
Controlling the Demon Eye with mana.
It was very similar to casting magic without incantation.
Something I'd done many times before.
Using mana to shape how I see.
At first I was bewildered, but once I realized there were two focal points, progress came quickly.
One was the intensity.
Like a dialogue window in an eroge.
At first the intensity was maxed out, and everything appeared doubled.
I thinned it out as much as possible.
By reducing the mana toward the back of my eye, the future faded and the present became visible.
It seemed useful to keep it visible at all times, so once I'd thinned it to the point where it wasn't distracting, I stopped there.
I maintained that state.
If I let my concentration slip even a little, the density would fluctuate.
It took three days to stabilize.
The other was the length — or rather, the distance.
How far into the future I could see.
By concentrating mana toward the front of my eye, I could adjust it.
The result: the maximum was about one second.
Of course, if I poured in more mana, I could see more than two seconds ahead.
I could see, but it blurred.
It split into two or three overlapping visions.
The future was constantly changing — that's what it meant.
I could see three seconds, four seconds ahead by pouring in more mana, but going five seconds out produced so many overlapping layers it gave me a headache.
That was how many possible futures there were.
And focusing too far ahead apparently put a strain on the brain.
Kishirika had said something about going brain-dead if she obtained two Demon Eyes.
Perhaps her airheaded personality was also a side effect of the Demon Eyes.
In any case, the safe usable range was one second.
It took another three days to figure that out.
One more day to learn to adjust both simultaneously.
Total: one week.
I had successfully mastered the Precognition Eye.
--- So, during all that time I was focusing my eyes and muttering things like "Be still, my Precognition Eye!"...
Eris and Ruijerd had been going out together every day, just the two of them.
Eris came back drenched in sweat every day.
Ruijerd returned with his usual composed expression, though also slightly sweaty.
They were doing something that made them sweat.
Every single day!
"Um, just for reference, could I ask what you two have been up to?"
Eris wiped her sweat with a well-wrung cloth and replied: "Heh-heh, it's a secret!"
She looked thoroughly pleased with herself.
Were they doing something secretly secret?
Was it a nice shot — a hole in one?
Was my role here just to sniff Eris's sweat-stained cloth?
No, I wasn't actually worried about it.
They were probably doing some kind of special training together somewhere.
For all her appearance, Eris was the type who worked hard behind the scenes.
Back when she was in the Fittoa Region, she'd often train with Ghislaine on her days off.
When I asked what they were doing, she'd puff out her chest with that same smug look and say "It's a secret!"
So this time was probably the same.
That night, I had a dream where a guy who looked like a thirty-four-year-old NEET poked my cheek and whispered in my ear, "Starting today, your epithet is Loser."
Probably the Human God's doing.
That guy never does anything worthwhile.
--- A week later, I reported that I'd finished adjusting the Demon Eye.
Ruijerd then suggested, "In that case, why not spar with Eris?"
To see how useful it was in actual combat?
Or to see the results of their special training?
Either way, I'd kill two birds with one stone.
I agreed without hesitation.
We moved to the beach.
Under Ruijerd's supervision, we faced each other with sticks we'd picked up.
"Just because you got a Demon Eye doesn't mean you can beat me!"
Today, Eris was more confident than ever.
She must have gained something during this past week.
I want to protect that smug look of hers.
"It's fine if I lose. I just want to see how much it helps in actual combat."
No magic today.
I'd fight using only the Demon Eye, set to see one second ahead.
"Hmm, that does sound like something
Mid-sentence, a vision appeared.
<Eris suddenly lunges at me with a left punch> Without the Precognition Eye, I never would have reacted in time.
When it came to preemptive strikes, she was a natural-born talent.
"Hah!"
"Here."
After confirming what I saw, I countered and smacked Eris across the face from the side.
Next vision.
<Eris doesn't flinch and follows up with a barrage — right hand with the stick> This was Eris's strength.
No matter how many hits she took, she never faltered and always launched the next attack.
Her stance was solid, so minor strikes couldn't unbalance her.
In fact, the more damage she took, the more her fury rose and her aggression increased.
"Tah!"
"There you go."
I struck her forearm hard.
Eris dropped the wooden stick.
Normally, I might think the fight was over here.
At least, back when I was training under Ghislaine, dropping your sword meant you'd lost.
But the vision showed something different.
<Eris had already entered her next preparatory motion> In other words, this was a feint.
She'd dropped the stick to lure me into letting my guard down.
<A left punch aimed at my chin> Eris's signature Borreas Punch.
She'd deliberately dropped the stick, exploited my moment of carelessness, and transitioned into her usual hand-to-hand combination.
"...!"
"Watch your feet!"
I swept her legs out from under her and sent her tumbling.
Her fist cut through empty air, and Eris fell to the ground.
But she still hadn't given up.
<Placing a hand on the ground, using recoil and centrifugal force, she twists onto her back and bites at my right leg> "Whoa!"
I dropped my foot and my knee simultaneously, pinning her by settling on top of her and sealing her movement.
Eris, who'd tried to bite from that impossible position, twisted her body.
One arm trapped beneath me, one leg folded under her, jammed under her own backside.
What more could she possibly do from here...
But she just thrashed around uselessly.
"That's enough."
The referee's voice rang out.
Eris went limp.
I'd won.
Had I really won?
For the first time, I'd beaten Eris in close combat.
Without magic.
"A total loss..."
Eris looked up at me with an unusually clear, refreshed expression.
I stepped aside.
Eris slowly rose to her feet and quickly dusted off the sand.
<A punch aimed at me> I caught the fist with a slap.
At that, Eris's face soured in an instant.
"...I'm going home!"
Eris shouted at the top of her lungs and stalked back to the inn, shoulders trembling.
Had I made her angry?
No, that wasn't it.
Maybe I'd crushed her confidence.
The opponent she'd been able to beat easily until now.
And suddenly that opponent had gotten stronger.
I'd be jealous too.
"Eris is still just a child," Ruijerd said, watching her leave.
"About right for her age."
When I said that, Ruijerd turned back.
He looked into my eyes and nodded.
"That was a good combination."
"With the Demon Eye, anyone could do that."
Part of it was that I'd trained some, but there were plenty of people in this world with physical abilities similar to mine.
Once you had a Demon Eye, something like that should be achievable.
"A Demon Eye isn't something you can master the moment it's given to you."
"Is that so?"
"Once, there were Demon Eye bearers among the warriors of the Spert tribe.
They always wore eye patches. They couldn't control it until the day they died.
The fact that you mastered it in one week — that's abnormal."
I see.
I see, I see.
I see, I see, I see.
Well, I had put a lot of effort into mana control, after all.
I'd mastered it in just one week, after all.
Oh my, was there anyone who'd mastered it as quickly as me?
Heh heh.
"Maybe I could even beat Ruijerd now."
"If you used magic."
"In close combat?"
"Want to try?"
I took him up on that offer.
Let me be clear.
I was getting cocky.
"Please, do your worst."
Ruijerd set his spear aside and took a bare-handed stance.
So this was his policy of not using formal weapons against a stray dog, huh?
"For what it's worth, you're welcome to use magic."
"No... since we're doing this, I'd prefer bare-handed."
Before I could finish speaking, a vision appeared.
<Ruijerd's palm strike flies toward my face> I can see it.
I can see Ruijerd's movements too.
I can deal with this.
"Whoa!"
I reached out to catch the blow.
<My hand is grabbed> I saw the vision and instinctively pulled my hand back.
In that instant, the vision blurred.
<Ruijerd's fist connects with my face> Two futures flash before me.
One where Ruijerd grabs my arm. One where Ruijerd's fist smashes into my face.
Almost overlapping, but slightly offset.
Why?
It shouldn't blur at one second.
But the time to question that was also one second.
"Woah!"
I twisted my body out of the way just in time.
<Ruijerd's fist is launched at my face> I'd seen that punch coming.
Clearly. Unmistakably.
But my posture was already compromised.
Even though I could see Ruijerd's next move, I couldn't shift into evasive action fast enough.
"Oof!"
Ruijerd's fist caught my nose... and punched clean through.
I fell backward onto the sand, did a full roll, and landed face-down.
I thought my face had caved in.
I touched it to check.
Was it okay?
Was my beautiful face going to be a war zone?
Had I turned into that kid from lunch duty who's covered in food?
"Are we done?"
He asked, and I acknowledged my defeat.
"Yes, I yield."
When I'd first seen the vision, I'd thought I could win.
But it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Now you understand, right?"
Ruijerd extended a hand.
I grabbed it and he pulled me up.
"Not quite. The future suddenly blurred."
"What did you do?"
"I don't know what you were seeing... but if you raised your hand to defend, I'd grab it. If you didn't, I'd punch. That's all I thought about."
Hmm.
So that's how it worked.
If my movements were predictable, I could be countered.
Because of the gap in raw ability, seeing one second ahead was meaningless.
In shogi terms: just because an amateur can see their opponent's next move doesn't mean they can beat a grandmaster.
The inhabitants of this world had abnormally high abilities.
There were probably plenty who could move like Ruijerd.
"Of course, I've fought someone with the same Demon Eye before.
Since then, I've always fought with that in mind. It's a difference in experience."
"I see."
Ruijerd had dealt with a Demon Eye through experience.
Perhaps the sword techniques of this world included specific methods for countering Demon Eyes.
For instance, the Sword God Style's "Light Strike" — I doubted seeing it coming would help me dodge it.
"I think I was getting a bit ahead of myself."
Besides, the weaknesses of Demon Eyes had been well-established since ancient times.
Covering the eye, using a mirror shield, attacking from behind, fighting in darkness.
But even accounting for those drawbacks, the power of a Demon Eye was still incredibly appealing.
I'd beaten Eris, after all.
Thinking about all the ways I could use the Demon Eye from here made my heart race.
Eris's movements had been completely visible.
Movements I'd never been able to see before.
In other words, with more application, I should be able to see Ruijerd's moves too.
And that's when a bald, sunglasses-wearing immortal appeared inside my head.
*'At last, I can watch you grow without getting punched!'* Oh, I see.
Thanks, Boob Sage.
Hmm.
Thinking about the possibilities for the Demon Eye made my heart pound!
--- I returned to the inn with my head in the clouds.
Eris was sitting on the bed hugging her knees.
Right — I'd forgotten.
She'd been down in the dumps.
For now, the immortal inside me climbed onto a turtle and vanished somewhere.
"Um, Eris?"
"What?"
Eris's voice was the same as usual.
After that, I'd heard from Ruijerd what the two of them had been doing this past week.
It had been special training after all.
Of course, not that kind of special training.
They'd spent entire days devoted to sword practice in order to get stronger.
And apparently, Eris had managed to land a hit on Ruijerd.
A hit on Ruijerd.
That was no small feat.
Something I'd probably never accomplish in my lifetime.
According to Ruijerd, Eris had started getting a bit too pleased with herself from that.
So he'd used me to knock her down a peg.
What a guy.
That self-proclaimed warrior of a lolicon had used me to clean up his mess.
But the results were apparently outstanding.
Eris's nose, so swollen from scoring a hit against Ruijerd — who normally beat her — had been mercilessly broken when she was utterly defeated against me — who normally lost.
But.
But still, but.
That wasn't exactly ideal.
*'You're starting to get the hang of it, aren't you?'* That feeling when you get shut down right when you think you're making progress — I knew it well.
It made everything you'd done feel invalidated, leaving you hollow.
Sure, my head had cooled down.
I might avoid making a big mistake.
But Eris was probably in the middle of her growth spurt right now.
Holding her down like that didn't feel right.
You should let someone get cockier and cockier, let them push further and further.
And then point out the flaws once they've reached their limit and help them correct course.
"Eris, you really are getting stronger."
"It's fine, you know. You don't have to comfort me.
I knew from the start that I couldn't beat Rudeus."
She pouted and sulked, her lips pushed out.
Hmm — what words should I use?
I had no stock of lines for this situation.
Ruijerd wasn't coming back to the room.
He'd stretched her nose, so he should be the one to deal with this.
Well, I was the one who'd broken it.
But if I could comfort her well here, her affection was sure to go up.
Eris would be head over heels, melting into a grown-up cheek-to-cheek moment.
Ruijerd had probably left us alone precisely because he'd anticipated something like that.
"Don't lose confidence.
I heard you landed a hit on Ruijerd.
That's an incredible feat."
As I said that, I sat down next to her.
Eris leaned her weight against me.
A faint scent of sweat drifted over.
It was nice.
But I held back for now — this called for a gentleman's approach...
"Rudeus, you're cheating.
You got a Demon Eye all on your own, while I was working so hard..."
I froze.
My head cooled in an instant.
The wolf inside me tucked its tail and fled.
I couldn't say a word in response.
"............"
What had I been so elated about?
That's right.
Cheating.
It was cheating.
The Demon Eye wasn't a power I'd earned through effort.
It had fallen into my lap out of nowhere.
All I'd done was buy some provisions and walk through a back alley.
True, the adjustment afterward had taken a week.
But that was it — I'd gone through no real hardship.
And with that power, after a week of Eris drenched in sweat working her heart out, I'd beaten her.
What was there to be happy about?
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize..."
"............"
After that, Eris remained silent.
But she never once tried to move away from me.
Normally, I'd have gotten flustered by Eris's body heat and scent.
But I didn't feel that way this time.
All I felt was guilt.
Her high body temperature and sweatiness seemed to be judging me.
In that heavy atmosphere, I decided I wouldn't use the Demon Eye except in genuine emergencies.
Convenient tools like this would only hinder my growth.
That's right.
My fight with Ruijerd had proven it.
The important thing wasn't figuring out how to use the Demon Eye.
It was increasing my own combat ability.
If I used the Demon Eye, I'd certainly become stronger.
But eventually, I'd hit a ceiling.
A method reliant on tools would eventually bring a painful reckoning.
Dangerous.
I'd nearly fallen for the wicked scheme of that evil god, the Human God.
He was definitely trying to lead me into corruption.
The Demon Eye was a trump card.
I'd make sure to think of it that way.
--- That night, I sat alone with my thoughts.
In the end, I still hadn't found a way to cross the sea.
I must have made some mistake somewhere.
I thought this time had gone smoothly enough, though.
The only thing I'd gained was the Demon Eye.
Could I do something with this?
Like gambling, for example.
That said, there was no such thing as gambling entertainment in the Demon Continent.
At most, you could bet on which of two people fighting would win.
It wouldn't be very profitable.
Maybe I could put Ruijerd up as a gladiator, charge a one-iron-coin entry fee, and offer a five-green-ore-coin prize.
That might work, but the competition would dry up quickly.
Hmm. Thinking about it wasn't getting me anywhere.
All I knew was that I'd returned before receiving the Human God's advice.
In a sense, I'd wasted an entire week.
A full week, completely wasted.
"Right... time to sell it."
Saying it out loud, the decision came easily.
As luck would have it, Ruijerd wasn't around tonight.
Eris was asleep at the edge of the bed, her belly exposed.
I'd better cover her with a blanket — wouldn't want her catching a cold.
No one was going to stop me.
At this hour, the pawn shops in the back alleys would still be open.
Shady establishments always opened at night.
Staff in one hand, I left the inn.
Three steps outside.
"Where do you think you're going at this hour?"
Ruijerd was standing in my path.
I'd thought he was away from the inn — figured he'd gone somewhere far off.
Apparently not.
Damn — so he'd been planning to tail me all along.
I had to bluff my way out of this somehow...
"Um, I was going to go, uh, play with fire at a naughty shop."
"Do you need a staff to bed a woman?"
"Um... I was going to do a magic-user roleplay."
Silence.
That one was a stretch even for me.
"You're planning to sell it, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
Nailed it. I just came clean.
"I'll ask one more time. Are you going to sell your staff?"
"Yes. This staff is made of excellent material — it'll fetch a good price."
"That's not what I'm asking.
Isn't that staff something precious to you?
Just like this pendant."
Ruijerd produced
"Yes, it's about equally precious to me."
"Then if it came to the same thing, would you sell this pendant too?"
"...If necessary."
Ruijerd took a deep breath.
Was he going to shout?
He was a man who rarely raised his voice about anything except children...
"I will never give up my spear, no matter how cornered I get."
He didn't shout.
He said it as if letting out a sigh.
"That's because it's your son's keepsake, right?"
"No. It's a warrior's soul."
A warrior's soul.
Fine words, but they wouldn't get us across the sea.
There was grief in Ruijerd's eyes.
"Before, you presented three options."
"I did."
"Among them, there was no option to sell the staff."
"There wasn't."
Was he calling me out for lying?
No — I hadn't intended to lie.
Selling the staff was a perfectly legitimate option.
"Have I still not earned your trust?"
"My trust? Of course I trust you."
"Then why didn't you consult me?"
At that question, I looked away.
I'd known he'd be against it.
That's why I hadn't consulted him.
Which meant, arguably, it was proof that I didn't trust him.
"In this past year, I've come to understand how the world works.
Even taking commissions, even delving into dungeons, there's no way to save up 200 green-ore coins."
Today, Ruijerd was being unusually pragmatic.
Had he eaten something strange?
"You know that.
That's why you thought of the smuggler option.
It never even occurred to me.
But smuggling is the only way I can reach Millis.
And that's the correct answer. So why are you trying to sell the staff?"
My answers were always just the better options.
The perfect option that handles everything was too difficult and would lead to failure.
So the "correct" answer was never something I could determine.
I didn't actually think smuggling was the right answer.
"Even if it's the right answer, if it causes a rift in the party, it's meaningless."
"So you think that relying on a smuggler will cause a rift in the party."
"Yes. Smugglers are, in Ruijerd's value system, villains.
Smuggling — the list of things they transport probably includes slaves.
And the most common crime in this world is kidnapping.
Children are easy targets.
In other words, a smuggler is helping child-kidnappers carry out their work."
"Rudeus."
"Yes."
"This time, this situation is because of me.
If it were just the two of you, you wouldn't have to worry about 200 green-ore coins."
On the other hand, we might have run into trouble along the way.
Ruijerd had saved us plenty of times.
"For you to solve this by selling your staff — my pride won't allow it."
He said his pride wouldn't allow it, but...
"Sell the staff, get the money, pay the standard fee to cross the sea.
No one regrets anything. No one has to sacrifice anything.
Isn't that the most elegant solution?"
"But the feeling of inadequacy would remain in me, having let you sell the staff.
And Eris would be bothered by it too.
Isn't that exactly the rift in the party you're talking about?"
I fell silent.
Ruijerd looked into my eyes.
His gaze was unwavering.
"Find a smuggler. I will turn a blind eye to every crime."
He looked dead serious.
He'd probably made up his mind to stand by and watch even if a child was taken along the way.
All so I wouldn't have to sell my staff.
For my sake.
He was compromising his principles for my sake.
If he had that kind of resolve, I had nothing more to say.
"If we run into some scumbag we can't stomach along the way, just say the word.
There's room enough to save a child."
If Ruijerd was on board, then forget the elegant solution.
We'd rely on a smuggler and cross the sea.
But this time, I wouldn't just go along with it.
If Ruijerd couldn't stomach it anymore, I'd betray the smuggler without hesitation and help instead.
Use the villain and then toss him aside.
"Then let's go with finding a smuggler."
"Yeah, that works."
"I imagine there'll be some unpleasant experiences along the way, but thanks for bearing with me."
"That goes both ways."
I shook hands firmly with Ruijerd.
And so, I pulled one over on Eris and won the war of love.
Just kidding.
--- Of course, I explained everything to Eris the next day.
She was quite surprised.
"Huh? But you went to the back alley specifically to make a deal with someone like that, right?"
In her mind, she'd apparently already assumed we were looking for a smuggler.
In fact, apparently during their training, she'd been working on convincing Ruijerd.
No competing with that.
Well then.
Now that the party was united, shall we go find a smuggler?