I Became a Burden to the Conscienceless Party

[Note: He’s in a good mood.]

Suspicious.
That was Esmeralda’s conclusion as she monitored Jim recently.
Her eyes tell her the other person’s state of mind, but it’s not accurate.
Therefore, unless Jim was actively thinking about the exact reason why he was in a good mood, she couldn’t know.
In other words, it only reads surface-level thoughts. Still, it’s convenient for seeing through those who approach her with any purpose, but that’s also its limit.

“Mr. Jim, did something happen? You seem to be in a good mood lately.”
“Huh? Ah, ahem! Of course! How could I not be in a good mood when we’re all moving together like this?”

Jim gave an exemplary answer.

[Note: He’s in a good mood thinking about the operation that will be carried out soon.]

That exemplary answer was even more so for Esmeralda.
It seems that more surface thoughts come up when asked directly.
Esmeralda agreed as if she thought the same and organized her thoughts.

‘Yes, it’s about time he started to make a move.’

Esmeralda shuddered.
Too many karmic ties are entangled around this one demon named Jim.
She couldn’t even guess when the situation became this complicated. But one thing was certain: if Jim is lost like this, the hero party will disintegrate.
In the worst case, it could lead to a rampage from people like Milia.
Having confirmed that possibility again in the fortress city, Esmeralda had no choice but to be cautious.

“Ah! Sob sob!”
“…?”

Jim, who was grinning happily just a moment ago, suddenly started crying.

‘What’s wrong with this crazy bastard now?’

It’s a suspicious situation to anyone. It seemed like he was trying to make a move, but it was a situation where he was likely to get caught.

“Mr. Jim, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Stop! Don’t cry.”

But Irina was patting his back as if comforting Jim was the first priority.

[Note: She’s happily expecting what nonsense Jim will say.]

‘That bitch… She only thinks about herself even at a time like this.’

Anyway, they have no conscience.
Esmeralda was annoyed because it was obvious that Irina was trying to gain Jim’s favor by using the situation rather than being suspicious of it.
Is she the only one in the hero party who sincerely wants to save the world?

“Jim, are you okay?”

And there’s one more person with a similar mindset to Irina.
Esmeralda stiffened at the strangely flowing atmosphere.

‘Is no one suspicious of this?’

A strange situation where everyone seemed to be helping Jim’s scheme.

“I miss my hometown.”
“…”

Now?
When you haven’t even glanced that way until now?
Esmeralda almost blurted out such words, but held back to act as a righteous, kind-hearted, but stupid hero.

“I know. My hometown has already been turned to ruins. But I want to engrave even those traces in my eyes. The more I realize death recently, the more I feel this way.”
“Oh my… We must have been too insensitive. Hero.”
“…”

Irina grinned and subtly took Jim’s side while imposing hardship on Esmeralda. She was simply enjoying this situation.
She was only looking forward to how Esmeralda would navigate this situation.

‘Ah, I should be careful. The hero seems to have the ability to read minds after all.’

[Brainwashing Lv. 32]

Irina manipulated her surface thoughts.
And she staged the current situation as if she were just an adolescent girl trying to score points with Jim.

“Couldn’t I go see my hometown just once?”
“Hero…”

Esmeralda broke out in a cold sweat listening to Jim’s scheme and Irina’s fanning of the flames. The justification was too good.
She could somehow manage to block his attempt to retire, but she couldn’t stop such behavior.
No, if she forced it, she might be able to do it somehow, but she wouldn’t be able to stop the subsequent declaration of retirement.
The hero party often acts separately as it is.
In such a situation, it’s impossible to control only Jim’s movements.
Until now, there was no need to send him because Jim’s hometown (self-proclaimed) was already destroyed, but for a reason like this, it’s different.

‘I couldn’t stop the flow.’

Originally, she should have blocked such a flow before it started. But the problem is that Irina went along with it.
Although Milia was also sympathizing with Jim, Milia, who is basically poor at conversing with people, isn’t responsible for this incident.
Esmeralda was disgusted looking at Irina, who was now looking at her with teary eyes.

‘That crazy woman is good at shedding tears too.’

Of course, even in such a situation, she didn’t forget to manage her expression as a hero.

“Of course. It’s fine. Mr. Jim, I’ll escort you to your hometown, so let’s try to shake off your regrets and look forward with this opportunity, okay?”

She’ll grant such a scheme only once. Esmeralda implicitly conveyed such a meaning to Jim.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Hero! Sob sob!”
“…”

This is how Hero Esmeralda ended up walking into a trap.

Night, during the time when they were taking turns keeping watch while setting up a simple camp.
Esmeralda thought while leaving Tina dozing off beside her.

‘The three pieces of information I drew out while pretending to worry about Jim for days are:’

First, Jim’s goal is to temporarily tear apart the hero party.
Well, their companions’ time wasn’t cheap enough to accompany them to check on Jim’s hometown.
Therefore, Jim’s goal will probably be achieved. Even if they don’t want to be separated from Jim, the opinions of the groups behind them will be different.

And second,
After reducing the number of hero party members as much as possible, they will implement an escape plan similar to before.
This isn’t a problem.
Actually, in a similar situation, she was able to dramatically get Jim back.
At that time, she was lucky enough to take down an officer-level executive with minimal effort.

And third,
All of these plans were devised by a Major General named Lilith, who belongs to the Demon King’s Army Strategic Planning Department.
Esmeralda didn’t know exactly who Lilith was, but given her position and the fact that her name seemed more thoughtful than other demons, she had to be wary.
Most demon names are carelessly given. It’s a characteristic of demons who lack parental affection.
Still, having such a thoughtful name means they are of noble origin among demons.
Demons don’t actually have a nobility system, but it’s a classification that arose due to the diversity of their races.
You can’t lump together low-level goblins or kobolds with high-level demons like vampires, can you?

‘If it’s a plan devised directly by a noble-class demon, there’s a high probability that appropriate troops will be deployed.’

A plan similar to last time.
But if the quality of the deployed troops is different, even Esmeralda is in danger.

“Huh?! Oh, no!”
“…Tina, did you have a dream?”

Esmeralda looked at Tina, who had woken up talking in her sleep, with drowsy eyes as if cutting off her thoughts.
She seems to have had a nightmare, sweating profusely.

“Ah, sorry for dozing off…”
“It’s okay. It can happen when you’re tired. Actually, Tina did all the work scouting the camp location and exploring the surroundings, didn’t she? I understand. …But what did you dream about?”
“Um, I’m anxious to even say this. In the dream, you and Jim were stabbed to death by a terrible demon… I wonder if it’s okay? You said you’d take Jim to his hometown alone this time.”
“…I didn’t say I’d go alone. Everyone said they were busy.”

Esmeralda felt ominous.
Tina has good intuition. It was even more unsettling because her dreams often come true.

“Be careful, Esmeralda.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Esmeralda smiled broadly.
Of course, she was burning up inside. The only thing she could hope for was that the other party’s goal was Jim’s retrieval.

‘There’s also a chance it’s just a stupid dream.’

Esmeralda hoped that was the case.

The commander of the Demon King’s Army’s 11th Corps.
Eleven was meeting with Lilith, who had come in as a parachute appointment.
Since his slip of the tongue, Demon King Belphegor had pettily been excluding Eleven from meetings.

“You’re telling me to go rescue a mere commissioned officer?”
“Then will you give up? The Demon King’s will is firm.”

Lilith had offered an opportunity to Eleven in such a situation.

“Ha! You’re looking down on me too much.”
“Are you saying you can’t do it?”
“Can’t do it? Are you asking seriously? Do I look like I fear a mere human hero?”
“Then go on a vacation. By the time you return, the Demon King will be calling for you again.”
“…”

In fact, Lilith was confident.
Belphegor has probably already erased Eleven’s existence from his mind.
But if Lilith says that forgiving him would be helpful for work, he’ll eventually call him back.
Of course, this would only be possible after he corrects his mistake.

‘The justification is sufficient too.’

Lilith looked at Eleven with the appearance of a cold and ruthless commander that other demons look up to.
Although she was confident she would burst into tears immediately if hit with a fist, there were no gaps in her acting.

‘As expected, is this what it means to be of the Demon King’s bloodline? He doesn’t even blink an eye in front of me.’
‘Please! Please! Please! Please!’

If she doesn’t resolve this matter, Lilith will lose everything she’s built up so far. That desperation was enough to raise her acting to another level.

“Hmph! Then I’ll see for myself and decide. If that person is trash not worth saving, I’ll dispose of them with my own hands!”
“Do that. But surely… you’ll like him.”

Lilith uttered groundless nonsense and dropped Jim into hell.