This Hero is Sleeping!
Chapter 53 52: Encounter In The Dark (1)

"It's me! Erika!"

"… who…?"

Erika's surprise and shock at a sudden reunion was lifted high by Elric and smashed straight into the ground. Her brows knit close in frustration.

"How do you not recognize your own classmates!?"

Puzo gasped at those words, but no one cared about him for now.

"E-even if not you!" Erika turned, her hair waving with every movement. She still had the other one here. She had never said a word to Elric, but the other one could be called her partner! They were together in every incident the class raised. "Claude! You remember me right?"

"Don't act like you know me, bitch. I have never seen your face in my life."

"Haaah!?"

That was a lie!

Claude one hundred percent knew the bitch and he one hundred percent was ready to wipe her from the face of the earth.

Revenge.

Those feelings weren't gone. His heart was pounding with rage and his bones trembled from within. The only thing holding him back from killing her was that he didn't know if she could kill them first.

In the end, he decided to follow in Elric's footsteps. Pretend that you don't know her.

Well, actually, there was a fifty percent chance that Elric wasn't pretending—

… who was he kidding? There was no way Elric knew.

"Well, it's not like I don't understand why you're being like this," Erika shook her head and sighed. "Since you are adventurers, surely you'll accompany us till the mission is completed."

"Right. We'll keep Puzo safe and sound, he is signing up for my subscription service after all."

"No, Mr. Elric, like I said…"

"Hm? So you don't want to be an upstanding citizen?"

"That's not…"

"I might need some details on this subscription service, Elric Wald."

"Strangers are welcome if they cough cash."

Claude smirked. The wind of change had not hit just him. Even Erika seemed to have gotten more cunning. Who wouldn't after betraying their friends?

"By the way, if you're not the person I am looking for, then how come share the same name?" Erika wore a smug smile and closed in on Elric.

Claude couldn't believe she thought it would work.

"Can't people have similar names?" Elric answered.

"No not really, who would have two last names!?"

Right… that was true too… She had him cornered!

"Just admit you're from Earth already."

As if he ever would.

"Oh? I am from Earth!"

'ELRICCCC!' The scream of Claude's heart was only audible to him and the lord of shadows, who was smacking the ground out of laughter.

Erika seemed slightly stumped at the admittance, and so did Puzo.

"Another… hero…?"

"So… you've dropped the act?"

"Nope. I still have no idea who you are. Why are you so persistent anyway, do you like me or something?"

'ELRRRRIC!!' Claude's cheers were just for him too! Way to show that bitch.

Erika frowned and pulled back.

She then sighed in resignation.

"There's no winning against this guy." She raised her hand and her mana was channeled into one of the many rings on her fingers. Three robes similar to the one she donned fell to the ground emerging out of seemingly nowhere.

"Put those on, all three of you."

They were still adventurers. Enmity, friendship, revenge, all of it came after business, that's what being adults meant.

Claude also thought it to be a good chance to see what she was capable of.

Two years in that forest, against two years with the best education laid out for heroes… Claude wasn't going to lose.

The robe and its hood covered all of them up to their faces just like Erika's. They gathered around Elric while Erika produced a small flame on her palms.

"I can't see him, but Elric Wald is still pretty."

"That's just Elric, you can't do anything to fix this."

"The incongruence in Sir Elric's personality and appearance…"

Elric flashed them a beaming smile. "Thanks for the compliment!"

The three melted, he sure was sweet and innocent at times—

"I know it takes effort to suppress your jealousy, uglies."

—Yeah no.

"Let's just go."

Unknowingly, Elric was making the other three get along to some extent.

***

Two men in long coats and hats found themselves at the far end of Soleda where large buildings stood tall, each housing the fortunes of dozens of merchants and firms.

They were walking like shady goons in the dark alleys of the city, but that didn't let them lower their image in their heads.

For they had just seen their targets move into a warehouse.

"As we thought… Tomas…"

"You're right.. Marcus…"

Just then, two young adventurers had followed their client inside the warehouse. Adventurers all the way from Leunderk, and none other than the ones that had solved the snake incident.

The two coated, hatted men locked arms and cheered.

"We succeeded! They definitely have it!"

"Now we just have to stay hidden and steal it, then General Volfram will give us a raise!"

"I can already hear bagpipes in my head!"

"Me too!"

—Dun dun duuuuun!

A sudden sound made them both shriek. They turned back.

With a beret on his head and a pipe in his mouth, a man smiled at them.

The bagpipe man was always around.

***

Dark streets passed them by as the quartet stepped beyond the street lamps. The sound of water sloshing about in the canals seemed to have grown louder with the distant bustle of the city.

With Erika in the front and the two adventurers in the back, it was Puzo who had the safest spot in the place.

Perhaps unable to stand the silence, Erika spoke up.

"We're going to meet people who support Devon's party."

Claude flinched, and Elric didn't give a damn.

"M-my lady…?" Puzo intervened, worried if it was alright to speak up like this, but he couldn't do anything in front of the wave of her hand.

"A few are doing their own thing, but all our classmates are deeply involved with the upper echelon of this world."

Erika stopped and turned.

"Aw." Elric bumped into Puzo and was promptly ignored.

"Almost all of them are on Devon's side."

Claude stared at Erika for a few seconds. He wasn't sure what she was implying, but it wasn't lost on him either.

No matter what she said…

The facts of that day didn't change.

"I don't even know who you or this Devon guy is. Let's finish this quest quickly, we are here for Mr. Puzo, not you."

Erika stared back at Claude. She lightly pursed her lips and turned back.

"You're right."