episode_0087

The interior of the Demon Protection Center was incredibly spacious.

It was the size of a small village where people could gather and live together.

“We broke down the walls to the underground water source and dug up the empty land to create it. It was a massive project. Algot provided the funding.”

Mirabel guided me through the interior of the Demon Protection Center and explained.

The appearance of the Demon Protection Center was definitely different from what I had imagined.

I had expected a structure like an orphanage or a prisoner camp, but to excavate such a vast space underground and turn it into a village was unexpected.

“Currently, there are nine demons under protection here. They are all adapting well.”

“Has the number increased again?”

“Yes. Since we have built such facilities, our goal is to save as many demons as possible.”

As I listened to Mirabel’s story, I became curious.

Why did Algot create such a facility, including the people who help him run the Demon Protection Center?

It was not easy to think of helping demons if one were born in the kingdom and lived as a human.

This was because the atmosphere of society influenced values.

Even young children naturally learned that demons, led by the Demon King, were absolute evil and the seeds of destruction that would bring about the end of the world, playing with toy swords and pretending to be heroes and demons.

The perspective of an ordinary adventurer towards demons was akin to that of a more dangerous monster with intelligence and the ability to speak.

It was fascinating to think that in such an environment, someone like Algot would come up with the idea of “rescuing those who have become demons.”

Investing a large sum of money, gathering trustworthy people, and taking on all kinds of risks to do so.

“Well, this is the end of the management area. From here on is the living area where the demons actually reside.”

Mirabel stood in front of a small fence and said.

Judging by the height of the fence, it did not seem to be a means of dividing the area to prevent escape or for confinement.

Just the fact that the living area was not made to be closed off gave a sense of how the demons were being treated.

As we entered the living area, we finally began to see the demons under protection here.

There were scattered small houses, and a lizardman sitting on a rock, looking in our direction.

The lizardman was a race that resembled a lizard, and I had seen them a few times in Kube’s guild.

Although they looked like monsters, they were unexpectedly treated as a different race.

But the lizardman sitting on the rock, looking at me, had a reddish energy in his eyes that was different from a normal lizardman.

“The demons here are all ordinary people who lived in the kingdom and, for some reason, became demons. When they become demons, their body’s mana changes to that of a demon, and you can see a reddish energy in their eyes. Their eye color doesn’t actually change, but the distorted mana energy is visible through their eyes.”

Mirabel said, looking at the lizardman who had become a demon.

Indeed, upon recalling, it seemed that Aruru also had a slight reddish energy in her eyes.

Concentrating my mind, I examined the mana color imbued in the lizardman’s body, and I could clearly feel a reddish mana.

It was similar to the mana I had seen in Ainblad, but it was a slightly lighter shade of red.

Could it be that the stronger the red mana that demons possessed, the stronger their mana power?

I had not seen a redder mana than the one I had seen in the mana stone prison in Ludmilla so far.

“Then, is this lizardman stronger than a normal lizardman?”

“When one becomes a demon, their physical abilities are greatly enhanced. The mana imbued in their body is replaced with that of a demon, and that’s what happens. However, if someone who was good at manipulating mana before becoming a demon becomes one, their ability to control mana greatly diminishes. It’s a double-edged sword.”

Becoming a demon makes mana control difficult…

Somehow, it felt like a familiar yet unfamiliar problem…

As I walked around the living area with Mirabel, I observed various demons.

Although I didn’t directly approach them, each demon seemed to be doing their own thing.

Some were watering plants, while others were reading books.

Although they all glanced at Mirabel and me at least once, there was no hostility or hatred in their gaze.

“These demons here are people whose ordinary lives were taken away. We try to support them in doing ordinary things and spending time. If they need anything from outside, we also provide it.”

Once you become a demon, living an ordinary life in the kingdom becomes impossible.

That’s why here, they spare no effort in helping those who have become demons to regain their ordinary lives.

If I were in the same situation as the demons here, I wouldn’t want to leave the demon shelter at all.

“Oh, there’s Aruru over there.”

At that moment, Mirabel pointed in a direction and spoke to me.

Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a familiar face.

A fox-like woman with rich ears and a tail, belonging to the beast tribe.

Unlike Meruru, Aruru had a fierce look in her eyes and exuded a wild charm.

Aruru was sitting in front of a bonfire, turning a large piece of meat skewered on a metal stick.

She seemed completely focused on the meat, unaware of our approach.

That meat must have been provided by the demon shelter.

Seeing the welfare here, apart from the lack of sunlight, I even thought I would like to live here for a while.

“Aruru! Guests have arrived.”

Mirabel approached Aruru and spoke in a cheerful voice.

Aruru, who was diligently turning the meat skewer, turned her gaze towards us.

And a moment later.

“Grr… Grrr!”

Aruru’s tail fur puffed up like a spring, and she jumped up in surprise, covering her stomach with both hands and glaring at me with a guarded look in her eyes.

What, didn’t she get used to it?

“Aruru was getting along well with other demons at the demon shelter.

There was no need for her to go on a subjugation mission or forcibly adapt to the unfamiliar demon realm, so her mind was relatively stable.

However, the memory of being punched in the stomach by Yunoa with a fist remained vivid in her mind.”

“Ah…”

“Yunoa? Did you do something to Aruru before?”

Mirabel looked at me with a very suspicious look and asked.

Was it because of the time I had to apprehend her and ended up punching her in the stomach?

I felt like I hit her a bit too hard due to a slight misjudgment…

The sensation of my fist deeply penetrating Aruru’s stomach was still vividly remembered.

But if I hadn’t hit her that hard, I wouldn’t have been able to incapacitate her properly.

Was it so painful that it became a trauma?

“Um…”

“Grrr…”

As I tried to briefly apologize for what happened, Aruru kept backing away from me, making animal-like sounds.

It felt like trying to approach an untamed wild dog.

“Um, Mirabel. Can’t Aruru speak?”

“No. Just this morning, she was talking well and living normally.”

How much does she hate me, exactly?

“Um, it seems like there’s a misunderstanding… I had no choice back then…”

Crunch, crunch…

Even as I tried to explain, Aruru kept stepping back to distance herself from me.

No, this is a bit unfair. When you think about it, you were trying to kill me.

“Self-defense, and if I hadn’t hit that ship like that, I wouldn’t have been able to come to this demon sanctuary.”

If you look closely, I am Aruru’s benefactor.

In this situation, it didn’t seem right to forcibly try to talk to Aruru, so I reluctantly backed off.

When Meruru wakes up, it would be good to come back with her to see Aruru.

“Well, shall we go back for now?”

I decided to leave Aruru with Mirabel and go back to the infirmary.

* * *

It took about 3 hours for Meruru to wake up.

As soon as she got out of bed, she stretched and made a puzzled expression.

“Huh?! Yunoa! Where am I?”

I sighed softly and explained the situation to Meruru.

“…. Anyway, that’s what happened. You shouldn’t just accept things from strangers. It was a sleeping effect, so it’s fortunate, if it was poison, you and your sister would have gone to heaven.”

“I… I made a mistake….”

“Your sister seems to be doing well. I just checked the situation briefly earlier.”

“I want to see her quickly!”

Meruru clung to me, wagging her tail.

“Meruru, I have a favor to ask. Can you please speak well of me to your sister? She really dislikes me.”

“Don’t worry! When can we meet?”

“Right now.”

I had already informed Mirabel, the sanctuary supervisor.

When Meruru wakes up, I will take her to meet Aruru.

As long as they don’t go outside, the demons here are not restricted in their freedom, so they can go meet anytime.

I took the excited Meruru and headed straight to the living area of the sanctuary.

Aruru was sitting across from another demon she had never seen before, talking by a campfire.

The demon sitting across from Aruru… was a young man who looked human.

But with a red aura in his eyes, I could tell he was a demon.

“It’s really her sister….”

Meruru stopped in her tracks when she saw Aruru and muttered.

I thought she would run straight to her, but her reaction was unexpectedly calm.

“As soon as Meruru saw the sister she had been so eager to meet, she recalled the memory of when she first found her.

The memory of her cold rejection with a painful expression when she first found Meruru made her hesitate.”

Maybe it was because of the memories from when they met in Halberry Forest.

Back then, the situation was different, so it couldn’t be helped.

Now that they are in the demon sanctuary, there is no reason for her to reject her own sister.

I gently stroked Meruru’s head and said, “Don’t worry. It will be different this time. Go on.”

Encouraged by my words, Meruru slowly started walking towards where Aruru was.

Aruru also sensed her presence, turned her head, and widened her eyes when she saw Meruru.

And finally, the sisters faced each other.

Their fox-like ears and fluffy tails were similar.

Although one had become a demon and the atmosphere was different, there was no doubt that they were sisters.

“Meruru…?”

“…Do you still not want to see me, sister?”

Meruru asked, looking at Aruru.

It was an extension of their last conversation in Halberry Forest.

After a moment, Aruru took another step closer to Meruru.

And without saying a word, she hugged Meruru tightly.

“There’s no way that’s true.”

Aruru said, hugging Meruru tightly.

Their tails swayed gently.

“Waaah… Sissssster! Waaaaah!”

Meruru cried loudly, clinging to her sister like a child.

I was quietly watching that figure from afar.