episode_0075

I took Aruru to the outpost in the Halberi Forest that Algot had prepared in advance.

Aruru, tightly bound all over her body, squirmed like a fish on my shoulders a few times, but as time passed, she seemed to give up and became quiet.

It might have been effective to constantly talk about Meruru on our way to the promised outpost.

No matter what I said, Aruru just stared at me with eyes that seemed to say she couldn’t believe anything without saying a word.

“…Anyway, I’ve taken care of your younger sibling before, and I have no intention of harming you.”

“….”

“Well, even if I say this much, you still can’t believe me, huh.”

Aruru didn’t say a word.

It crossed my mind that maybe she had lost her ability to speak after becoming a demon, but that couldn’t be true.

“Aruru never trusted humans.

The various experiences she had after coming from the Helvetika Island to the continent shattered all her trust in humans.

She even thought of Yunoa, Meruru’s sister, as a human who was deceiving and using her as she pleased.”

The narration gave me a slight glimpse of Aruru’s perspective.

…What could have happened to her to make her think like that?

Could it be that Aruru, like Shari, had suffered all sorts of terrible things from humans?

I didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed difficult to gain her trust right now.

First, I had to take her to the outpost as promised by Algot and think about it.

But now that I had safely captured Aruru, did Algot really have no intention of harming her?

Once the task was completed, I started to worry again.

Although various circumstances hinted that she had no intention of harming Aruru, there was always a possibility.

Especially since Algot often showed a mysterious attitude, I couldn’t be sure of her true intentions.

If I took Aruru and suddenly treated her like a prisoner of war, tortured her for information, and then tried to execute her…

No, no, that couldn’t be true.

Let’s stop drawing up the worst-case scenario in a strange way.

I trust my instincts.

Algot was definitely not that kind of psychopath.

But it was true that there was no place for demons to live in this kingdom.

Although I had captured her, there was no other way than to banish her to the demon realm.

The outpost that Algot had prepared was a small cottage-like place hastily built with wooden planks.

It was located in a position where no one would ever pass by.

I opened the door of the cottage and went inside.

“Of course, I knew you would choose this side.”

Algot was waiting inside.

She already knew that I would bring Aruru here after capturing her.

I carefully laid Aruru, who was tightly bound and unable to move, on the floor.

Then I said to Algot, “You knew this would happen from the beginning.”

In various ways.

Whatever her true intentions were, ultimately, I couldn’t kill Aruru, even if it was for Meruru’s sake.

Even if she wasn’t Meruru’s sister, being a demon alone was not a reason for me to kill her.

Anyway, now that I had handled things as I wanted, I thought I had the right to know Algot’s true intentions behind all this.

“Well… I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

“But why did you have to make me do this in such a way?”

“I had my doubts, but I needed to confirm. Just in case.”

Algot smiled as she spoke.

Confirmation, was she trying to test me in some way?

“Sit down for now. This might take a while to explain.”

I sat facing Algot on the floor of the cottage.

In the corner, Aruru still glared at me and Algot with eyes full of hostility.

Algotte began to answer my questions slowly and in detail.

He explained that he wanted to confirm my stance on the demons, as it was strictly forbidden in the kingdom to support or protect them. Demons were always seen as a threat to humanity and the kingdom, represented by beings such as heroes and demon kings. If anyone was found to be aiding demons, it was considered a serious crime that could even lead to execution.

Therefore, Algotte felt the need to confirm multiple times where I stood regarding demons.

“The first hint I noticed was when you met Aruru while searching for the missing Meluru. The way Yunoa behaved at that time… she must have already suspected that Aruru was a demon, but she didn’t tell me. She knew that if the guild found out, there would be an order to exterminate her.”

“…I see, you were aware of it.”

“I don’t sense any hostility towards demons from Yunoa. Perhaps because she has had actual interactions with demons.”

“Well, that’s…”

I had no intention of denying it at this point.

I didn’t have any particular animosity towards demons as a being. Good and bad individuals existed among humans and demons alike.

“But that’s just my intuition. I hold the position of guild master. If I’m wrong and Yunoa accuses me of aiding demons, it would be a big problem, right? So, I needed to confirm multiple times and entrust the task of subjugating Aruru to see if she was trustworthy.”

“To be honest… it felt like you were telling me to capture Aruru alive rather than kill her.”

Well, I did have my suspicions.

Algotte looked slightly surprised at my words.

“If that’s how it felt, then I failed as well. I must have been too obvious.”

“I have no intention of killing Meluru’s sister.”

“I know, but I wanted to confirm it again.”

I could fully understand Algotte’s cautious testing of me.

Since returning from the demon realm, I couldn’t openly express my support for demons. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong. People in this world had lived for too long considering demons as enemies. From childhood, they had been told stories of heroes and demon kings, painting demons as absolute evil. Even though I had suspicions that Algotte didn’t hold any hostility towards demons, I couldn’t casually reveal that.

It was only natural to be cautious.

“Yunoa, I’ve actually been helping demons for a while now.”

“What?”

I was taken aback by Algotte’s sudden declaration, widening my eyes.

Having an open mind towards demons and actually aiding them were two different matters.

“Demons appearing in the kingdom has been happening occasionally for a long time.”

Algotte continued.

“Usually, demons don’t come to the kingdom unless they have a specific purpose. They mostly live in the demon realm. However, demons are sometimes found near the kingdom. What do you think is the reason for that?”

“Well…”

“The characteristic of demons found near the kingdom is clear. Unlike demons who live in communities in the demon realm, they operate as individuals without their kin. You already know that there are different demon races, right?”

“I do.”

“The demons appearing in the kingdom were originally not demons, but recently they became demons after receiving demon blood transfusions. Therefore, they have no kin, and they cannot bring themselves to adapt in the demon realm, so they live near the kingdom, avoiding the eyes of people. Even though they have become demons, they end up becoming ambiguous beings who do not belong to either the demon realm or the kingdom.”

Listening to Algot’s words, I looked at Aruru, who was glaring at me from the corner.

She must have originally been a human from the Helvetika Island who crossed over to the continent like Meruru.

Certainly, the demons I saw in the demon realm were living in villages with their own kind.

The Karia tribe with mushrooms on their heads, and the pure-blooded demons living in Ainblad were like that.

Although I didn’t see it with my own eyes, other demons were probably living in the demon realm with their own kind.

But in the case of someone like Aruru who recently became a demon after receiving demon blood, it was the same as having no kin.

Without the help of other demons, it wouldn’t be easy to live in the demon realm alone.

There would also be identity issues about suddenly becoming a demon.

Upon further thought, it wasn’t a simple matter of just becoming a demon and living in the demon realm.

“Helping demons, could it be…?”

“Yes. I protect those who have become demons without anywhere else to go.”

“How is that possible?”

“You know that I’ve been an adventurer in the capital for quite some time, right? Beneath the capital of Pifnel, there is a large lawless area that the kingdom can hardly touch. I have a secret place there.”

To think that there was such a place beneath the capital of Pifnel.

However, no matter how lawless the underground area was, it didn’t seem easy to bring demons in and let them live in hiding.

“Aren’t you afraid of being discovered by people? Even if it’s a lawless area, bringing demons…”

“In addition to the unique power of demons, there are two ways to recognize demons. One is the eyes. When someone becomes a demon, their eyes change in color and shape under the influence of the demon king. The other is the pattern. Those with demon blood manifest a small, red unique pattern somewhere on their body. However, apart from that, their fundamental appearance doesn’t change much.”

Algot turned his head and looked at Aruru’s condition for a moment before continuing.

“I operate a demon shelter disguised as another shop. Once you cover your eyes and pattern, once you enter there, unless you come out on your own, there’s hardly any chance of being discovered.”

“So, are you sending Aruru there too?”

“Yes. There are other demons in similar situations there. It’s much better than wandering alone and risking being hunted, isn’t it?”

“How many people are in that demon shelter?”

“About seven people. And the most trustworthy people are running the shop and protecting the demon shelter. It looks like a restaurant on the outside, but inside, there’s a hidden passage to the demon shelter through a concealed wall in the gambling den. Even if there were inspections from the kingdom, they wouldn’t go beyond the gambling den, but I made sure to have them turn back after seeing that.”

“Seven people…”

There were as many people in the same situation as Aruru.

No, that was just the number of people being protected by Algot’s demon shelter, so there were probably more.

Anyway, it was surprising but fortunate that Algot was doing such secretive work behind the scenes.

At least now, the risk of Meruru’s sister being brutally killed had disappeared.

“Anyway, now that you know this fact, you should also become my ‘most trustworthy person,’ Yunoa.”

Algot said to me.

Already considering me as someone they can trust, they told me everything. However, their words also carried a warning that they would not forgive me if I were to betray them or disclose anything about the demon sanctuary.

“Wait, so does that mean Meruru… Meruru can now meet her sister? Is visiting the demon sanctuary possible?”

“It might be difficult right now. Look at Aruru’s condition first. If we release her, wouldn’t she attack us right away? She has been listening to our conversation this whole time. Who knows what she might say.”

As Algot spoke, I could still feel a strong sense of hostility in Aruru’s gaze.

I tried to subdue her by hitting her abdomen a bit forcefully… but her eyes were filled with suspicion and mistrust that surpassed such physical pain.

“…Maybe Meruru can convince her?”

“No, it’s dangerous in her current state. Demons who have fallen into human distrust only trust people in similar situations to themselves. Once they adapt in the demon sanctuary and realize that we are not their enemies, then we can meet her without any delay.”

Algot stated firmly.

I looked at Aruru’s lifeless face with a bitter expression.

At the same time, the image of Meruru, who was pretending to be fine and cheerful, also came to mind.

It was disappointing that Meruru couldn’t reunite with her sister right away, but in her current state, anything could happen.

The narration mentioned that she couldn’t even believe that I was friends with Meruru.

For now, it seemed best to follow Algot’s advice.

The demon sanctuary…

According to Algot, there were quite a few ‘trustworthy people’ helping her.

It would be impossible to secretly operate a demon sanctuary like that on her own.

If the opportunity arises, I should ask Algot to take me there.

I was also concerned about why they had to receive ‘demon blood’.

Suddenly, I felt like I had discovered the hidden side of the vast kingdom.

On the other hand, I found some comfort in knowing that I was not the only human in the kingdom who viewed demons without prejudice.

The more I learned, the more I realized that something was fundamentally wrong in this world.

And thinking that way, I knew I was not alone.