episode_0176

After leaving Mariel in charge of researching Calozium’s device, I returned to Kubel alone.

Surprisingly, Mileia wanted to stay in the Demon King’s Castle a little longer.

Since she hated demons, she was worried about what was going on, but she seemed to want to see the demons in the demon castle with her own eyes and see for herself whether she could truly live in peace with them.

At first, when I heard the reason, I was worried that Mileia might be causing conflict with the demons in the Demon Castle for no reason, but I soon gave up that worry. This was because, after seeing other demons briefly greeting Mileia in the Demon Castle, she saw the possibility that she might be able to get along better with demons than with humans.

Almost all humans in the kingdom are uncomfortable with Mileia.

It was not due to any malicious intent, but because of the unique sense of intimidation that Milleia exuded.

The reason Mileya follows me so much is because I am almost the only human being who is not truly afraid of her.

However, no matter how kindly she approached the people of other kingdoms, they all felt uncomfortable with her.

Now that I think about it, it was an instinctive reaction similar to a herbivore’s fear in front of a wild animal.

On the other hand, the demons did not feel any such fear towards Mileia.

Of course, the situation would change when Mileia entered a combat stance, but unlike the kingdom people who felt uncomfortable around Mileia even in normal times, the demons were able to treat Mileia normally.

Well, even so, I don’t think she’ll be able to make friends easily since she hates demons themselves… … .

In any case, this might be an opportunity for her, who has felt strangely alienated due to that intimidation all her life, to experience normal human relationships again… … .

* * *

As soon as I got back to Kubel, I went straight to my house and threw myself on the bed.

My house is close to the adventurer’s guild.

I don’t sleep here every day, but when I return, it’s a place where I relax and feel at ease.

“Ha… … Kubel has also changed a lot.”

I lay in bed, looked at the ceiling and said to myself.

It wasn’t just Kubel that changed.

The kingdom, the demon world, and the people around me have changed a lot since I first saw them.

“A hero…? … .”

I stretched one hand toward the ceiling, looked at the back of my hand, and muttered.

My memories of when I first came here were now slowly fading.

I remember that time, wearing rags with a hole in my left nipple, and blindly entering the church to avoid homeless hunters.

At that time, even though I came to this world, I was full of dissatisfaction because I had no special abilities.

The strange narration I heard in my head was just scratching my stomach, and I had nothing.

But the narration ultimately brought me here.

I also learned that the identity of the narration was a consciousness implanted by a goddess from a world other than this world.

I, who thought I had no abilities, realized that I had an absurd magical talent.

In the end, thinking that I was thrown into an unfamiliar world with nothing was just a foolish illusion on my part.

But honestly, I still didn’t realize that the fate of this world depended on me.

I wasn’t used to being called a hero by the people of the kingdom.

If I had to compare myself to the trash hero who died in vain at the hands of Bloodstain, I would say that I am the ‘real hero’ now.

What happens after the Demon King’s soul is found and disposed of?

Will a peaceful era in which demons and humans live in harmony come again, as Algot, who is making efforts in various ways to get along well with the demons, wishes?

Will Edward gather the opinions of the City Alliance to rebuild the royal family and ascend to the throne himself?

Can the goddess Stellania regain her strength in a world where balance has been restored and return to where she belongs?

But the thing that worries me the most is me.

There was one thing I felt after being called a hero by the people in Kubel.

I am… I don’t like being too famous.

As an adventurer, I want to earn a decent amount of money and live a moderately restful life.

Right now, if I wanted to, I could get the entire kingdom’s attention in a variety of ways, but I don’t want to do that.

There was a time when I thoughtlessly envied the existence of a warrior.

Of course, this was when I did not know that the existence of a hero in this world was the product of a mistake committed by the goddess Stellania.

But when I think about it again after being in this situation, what I really wanted was the daily life of an ordinary adventurer.

『Yunoa had not yet found the Demon King Soul, and was thinking about what would happen after the Demon King Soul was destroyed.

Yunoa’s small wish to enjoy a decent and normal life in another world can only be realized when the Demon Lord’s soul first disappears.

It is not too late to think about what he will do in the kingdom after dealing with the Demon King’s soul.』

At that time, when I was lying alone in bed and lost in many thoughts, the narration gave me a warning.

Well, it wasn’t wrong.

Still, you can at least think about it.

You don’t seem to know much because you are the consciousness of a goddess, but people originally gain strength by thinking like this.

『… … .』

I thought he would respond with something sharp, but the narration didn’t respond any more.

“True… What is unpredictable is always the same… … .”

I just rolled over on my side and closed my eyes for a moment.

* * *

The next day, I rested comfortably at home for the first time in a while, and as soon as I came out, I saw something strange.

“… … What is this… … .”

A very suspicious leaflet was being distributed on the streets.

It was a promotional material for a newly opened store.

─A new experience different from before!

The war against demons is now over! A special atmosphere that cannot be felt by humans!

A formula approved by the Demon King and the City Federation President! Absolute safety guaranteed!

A special meal with beautiful demons!

Xinjiang opens demon restaurant… … .

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the promotional material again to see if I was half-asleep.

But it wasn’t a mistake.

It clearly said, ‘A special meal with a beautiful demon.’

What kind of store is trying to open in Kubel?

There was only one person in the kingdom who would do something like this.

Algoth… … .

I decided to go straight to the location mentioned in the promotional material and see what was actually going on.

The location of the store was a little away from the adventurer’s guild, close to a refugee village that had just begun development.

When I went to see him in person, I saw that Algot was standing in front of a building, soliciting customers, wearing neat clothes that a restaurant manager would wear.

“Mr. Argot… … ?”

“Oh, Yunoa, did you see the promotional materials too? It worked out well.”

“What on earth is this…? … ?”

“It is the first step toward returning the demonized people we are protecting back to society.”

“Does Mr. Edward know this too?”

“It’s written in the promotional material, right? Everything is carried out after obtaining permission.”

Algot said with a happy face.

That cautious Edward really gave permission for this… … ?

There were more than one or two areas that concerned me.

“Then there really are demons in this store… … ?”

“That’s right. People are already moving from Kubel to the Demon Castle and making deals, right? On the other hand, there must be demons who take their place in Kubel to achieve balance. I ran the store myself and decided on the business. I chose an industry that would not cause as much backlash from people as possible and that I could return to with good memories.”

“The industry you chose… … .”

“Delicious food, beautiful women, and affordable prices. I think it will definitely work.”

“It’s not wrong, but… … .”

“We just opened, so Yunoa is the first customer.”

Is it really okay?

Since I was worried, I decided to follow Algot’s instructions and go inside the store.

As I entered, I saw the seats neatly set up with white tablecloths, like a fairly expensive restaurant.

Before I could even sit down, I heard a woman’s voice greeting me loudly.

“Welcome! huh… … ? you… … .”

A familiar face was seen wearing a cute black and white maid uniform.

It was Aruru, a demon from the beast race with furry ears and a tail.

“Aruru right?!”

The employee’s outfit is cuter than you can imagine… … Does this mean that all of this was Algot’s intention?

Moreover, there was another waitress in the back wearing the same outfit.

“Yunoa! Yunoa has arrived!”

Another waitress who was wagging her ears and tail cheerfully was none other than Meruru.

At this newly opened restaurant, Aruru and Meruru were working together wearing amazing costumes.

“Aruru, Yunoa came here as a guest. Don’t forget what you practiced, forget your personal feelings, and respond.”

Algot said to Aruru, who was embarrassed to see me.

Aruru led me to my seat with a strange smile that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

And he handed me a beautifully decorated menu.

“Once the menu is decided, please shake this bell.”

“Mr. Argot, what the hell is this… … .”

“It is said that the atmosphere has improved these days, but the antipathy toward demons that is still rooted in people’s hearts cannot be ignored. That’s why I decided to open a store like this. A store with this kind of atmosphere can be far removed from the feeling that ‘demons are scary’. Among the protected demons, other than Aruru, there are many women of outstanding appearance, and among the men, there is one who worked as a cook in the kingdom in the past.”

Algot explained to me his reasons for opening a store like this.

As she said, looking at Aruru now, I couldn’t think of him as a demon that people were afraid of.

The red glow of magical power in her eyes showed that she was still a demon, but the costume she was wearing was so intense that it was not even noticeable.

I roughly ordered something from the menu and looked around the interior of the store.

It seems that Meruru volunteered to help her sister with her work and because the work here seemed interesting.

There was a chef-turned-demon working in the kitchen, and the other demons who were protected at Mariel’s mansion seemed to be running the store in a fairly full-fledged manner by deploying them to the right places.

By the time the ordered menu was ready, the store door opened and other customers began to come in.

I decided to sit down and see how ordinary customers would react to this store where a demon was working as an employee.

* * *