The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 105



The Street of the Outcasts (1)

The last expedition had set off in a hurry, so there wasn’t much baggage.

This time, the baggage was minimal as well.

Though we rushed to depart, there were places along the way where we could purchase supplies anyway.

Currently, where we were headed was more a village near the border than the demon realm itself.

This was because the black magic tower I wanted was located there.

Unfortunately, unlike other magic towers, the black magic tower was not situated in the heart of any nation. Although dark magic had been legalized, the perception around it was still negative.

It was similar to a facility that people would avoid, like a prison, factory, or cemetery.

Such buildings could hardly be located in the center of a city.

The same went for the black magic tower, so the area it occupied was on the border of the demon realm.

The outskirts of each nation were not places where people could easily come and go, and since it spanned across the human realm, there were relatively few monsters as well.

Of course, since the demon realm was just a few hundred meters behind, monsters often invaded, but… in any case, the black magic tower was a force to be reckoned with.

Monsters living at the outskirts of the demon realm could be dealt with as easily as picking the bones off a chicken.

Moreover, the monsters caught like that were also used as magical materials by novice dark magicians.

Except for the low mana, the border of the demon realm could be considered a sweet spot for them.

However, this raised a very small question…

“What about basic necessities?”

Coincidentally, Lily expressed her curiosity.

As per her question, a minor issue could arise concerning the lack of infrastructure.

Regardless of how dark magicians might be, they were still living beings.

Basic living requirements such as eating, sleeping, and relieving oneself had to be met.

To live, one would need to acquire clothing, occasionally eat something delicious, and have some entertainment venues to relieve accumulated stress.

However, since it was the very outskirts of the human realm, it was expected that such infrastructure would be scarce.

“Don’t worry.”

Yet surprisingly, proper infrastructure did exist there.

“There’s a village nearby.”

And it was a village where somewhat peculiar individuals lived.

Our first destination was, first and foremost, that place.

*

As you can tell just by looking at the little dark-skinned elf on our team.

In this world, there were indeed a few other races besides humans.

Elves, dwarves, and various types of demons living in the demon realm, to name a few.

However, this world was dominated by humans, so the treatment of other races was rather poor. If humans fought among themselves, how much more discrimination would other races face?

Because of this, it was quite difficult to find these other races in human territories. From their perspective, being a target for persecution, there was no reason for them to live in human lands.

So, where could you see them?

If you wanted to see elves, you could go to the vast forest, and if you wanted to see dwarves, you could dig down into the tunnels.

But to meet more marginalized races, you had to seek out places where human presence was sparse.

Yes, for example, a place like this.

“We’ve arrived.”

After quite some time since we began our journey, I stepped down from the carriage and briefly surveyed the scenery.

A strange sky mixed with the red of the demon realm and the blue of the human realm stretched above.

In front of me were various structures made of wood and mud. Considering its location at the edge of the human realm, the size of the village seemed quite large.

“Stop!”

“State your identity!”

As I approached the village, the guards at the gate blocked the entrance. However, even that was different from the usual sight.

That’s because the guards were not humans but comprised of other races.

A combination of lizardmen and orc-like beings. Quite novel. For a moment, Ulysses flinched, thinking they were monsters, but at least he seemed knowledgeable enough not to attack.

I took a step forward and spoke to them.

“I am the hero. I have business in this village, so could you please let me through?”

For the first time in a while, I was in my usual mode, not the reckless one.

The reason I had been acting like a rogue was to move more freely among the nobles.

It was better to be a third-rate scoundrel than a black-hearted villain.

But here, there were no nobles, right? Most were of other races anyway. With no connections to people, I decided to just relax this time.

“What? You say you’re the hero?”

“That’s suspicious… Could it be that the hero’s badge has been tampered with?”

…Of course, that was separate from my credibility.

“Come on, I’m telling you it’s true. Can’t you take a proper look?”

“Hmm… We should have seen the cards.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let suspicious individuals in…”

Thanks to that, I had no choice but to engage in a bit of a standoff for a while.

What do those monster-like creatures care about? This is why we shouldn’t carelessly grant human rights.

If they lacked intelligence, we could just sweep them all away.

“What’s going on? Why all this commotion?”

“Ah, Captain!”

Just as I was having those dangerous thoughts, a new figure appeared.

A man with a solid physique, distinct features, and dark skin. He was a Dark Elf.

“Ah, listen, Captain. This guy keeps saying he’s a hero. What should we do?”

“What? Hmm… Huh?”

The one who had been surveying us suddenly made a surprised expression. Then he called out the name of our party member.

“Adele?”

Upon being called, Adele gave a reluctant smile.

“…It’s been a while.”

After that, everything proceeded smoothly.

*

There were a few troubles, but thanks to Adele’s connections, we were able to get in easily.

Even if they didn’t know the hero, they knew Adele, who was also a Dark Elf.

It seems like there’s some sort of unspoken bond among those with darker skin.

Well, in reality, there’s a huge cartel called Hood, so why would it be any different here?

That’s right, Adele is from this place, Hood. I understand she wasn’t born here, but she has lived here for quite a while.

“It looks like almost nothing has changed here.”

“Haha, it’s only been a few decades.”

As she spoke nostalgically, the male Dark Elf beside her reacted.

Having met an old acquaintance from her hometown, she was currently touring the village. While everything looked similar to me, it seemed she noticed something different.

Since we had already entered the village, I decided to just let her be.

Honestly, there wasn’t much to do here anyway. The only tasks were finding an inn and replenishing our supplies.

Our party wasn’t particularly short on money, so neither of those tasks posed any problems.

Therefore, I decided to let my party members explore on their own for a bit.

The Black Mage Tower was a place meant only for me, anyway. Fortunately, the Black Mage Tower was not far from here.

As I headed toward the tower, I took a moment to admire the scenery of the street.

‘More than half are Dark Elves…’

As expected, the hooded figures dominated the area.

Well, when thinking of the oppressed races here, Dark Elves immediately come to mind. Although their reputation has improved significantly thanks to Adele and a few ancestors, there was a time when Dark Elves were almost treated as minions of the Demon King.

This was because the region they originally inhabited was on the side of the Demon Realm.

As a result, they often got entangled with monsters, and many people would show hostility upon seeing a Dark Elf.

I’m not sure if the reason for this discrimination includes skin color… but these guys are also a somewhat pitiful race.

“Damn it… a human has come here again.”

“Disgusting creatures. It’s obvious they came here for dark magic.”

Of course, I felt like I was the one who was most pitiful…

Perhaps because they had been discriminated against for so long, now they showed hostility toward humans.

Indeed, even these dark-skinned kids had their share of racial discrimination.

Even here, the Black Mage Tower was a place to be avoided.

Regardless of intent, dark magic itself was indeed a bizarre study. Moreover, when a mage tower is nearby, inevitable accidents due to experiments often occur.

From the citizens’ perspective, it was something they could never welcome.

Of course, there were those among the different races who learned dark magic… but that didn’t mean the perception improved.

Fortunately, while they displayed hostility, they didn’t take any direct action against me, so I moved on without concern.

I walked for quite a while before finally reaching my desired destination.

At the very edge of the village.

In the area closest to the red sky stood a massive tower.

Unlike other mage towers, this gloomy tower was painted solely in black. The repository of all dark magic.

For some reason, it felt like an ominous energy was swirling around the vicinity.

The building alone had enough reasons to be a place of avoidance, but for me, it was a space I had to visit at least once. There were several essential techniques I needed to learn.

“Whew.”

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside the building.