Chapter 18: The Demon Tribe Woman
Why is a member of the Demon Tribe here?
To them, I am a sworn enemy.
It wouldn’t be strange for them to come for my head.
But while bounty hunters from the Human Tribe have come here before, no Demon Tribe members have ever shown up.
So why now?
As these questions swirled in my mind, I kept a wary eye on the Demon Tribe woman.
She seemed to be struggling to analyze the Barrier, and in her frustration, all she could do was complain about it.
I thought she might slip up and reveal something, so I watched her for a while, but she showed no signs of doing so. Eventually, I decided to speak up.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“Kyahhh!!”
As soon as I spoke, she let out a piercing scream and darted away from me at high speed.
What the hell? Am I some kind of ghost?
“Wha—?! N-no way!?”
She looked like she wanted to ask something, but she was too shocked to form the words.
“Relax, I’m not a ghost.”
When I said that, the Demon Tribe woman finally seemed to regain her composure, glaring at me this time.
Well, I guess that’s the reaction you’d expect from a Demon Tribe member meeting me, but she’s a bit emotionally unstable.
“Kenta Maya…!”
She spat my name out with venom, but I had no idea who she was.
Would Meileen know her? She looked to be around the same age.
“Yeah, that’s me. Who are you? What are you doing here?”
After I asked, the Demon Tribe woman glared at me again, then suddenly broke into a mocking smile.
Definitely unstable.
“You think you can put up such a magnificent Barrier because you’re scared our revenge is finally starting?”
“No?”
Her assumption was completely off, so I immediately denied it, and her expression twisted back into one of hatred.
“…Hmph. Then why, after being wide open until now, did you suddenly put up a Barrier?”
I understood from that exchange.
This girl isn’t a combatant here to take me down; she’s an Intelligence Agent sent to investigate me.
In that case, I had nothing to say to her.
“Why should I tell you anything?”
“…The fact that you’re trying to hide something means there’s a secret…”
“Didn’t you hear me? Why should I tell you anything?”
She was persistent, so I used my Magic Power to intimidate her, and as expected of a Demon Tribe member, she put up a bit of resistance.
But she was still clearly intimidated.
She wasn’t fainting; she was just holding her ground.
“!? Ugh!?”
The Demon Tribe woman struggled to maintain her stance, but even if she held on, the answer would remain the same.
“I don’t know what you’re investigating, but I’m not going to say anything. Just leave.”
When I said that, she kept her hateful expression but fell silent.
I thought I was in the clear, so I released my intimidation, and the Demon Tribe woman collapsed to her knees.
“I understand why you all would resent me. But I’m not going to let myself be killed that easily. I don’t want to die. So as long as you don’t do anything, I won’t do anything to you either. Just… if you’re planning to take me down, I’ll fight back with everything I’ve got. If you challenge me, come prepared.”
“…”
The Demon Tribe woman looked up at me with a frustrated expression while still on her knees.
It must be incredibly frustrating for her to have her sworn enemy right in front of her and be unable to do anything.
As I was thinking that, her eyes suddenly widened in shock.
“…Ah, huh? No way…”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
Her reaction was devoid of hostility, just pure surprise.
“What is it?”
“I-it’s really nothing!!”
“…Don’t shout like that all of a sudden. Fine, just go already.”
As I waved her off, she hesitated for a moment before turning on her heel.
Just when I thought she was finally leaving, she turned her face back toward me slightly.
“…I’m Mona.”
“Huh? Why the sudden introduction?”
“…It’s unfair that I know your name but you don’t know mine.”
“Not that I particularly wanted to know…”
“Anyway!! Today, I, Mo-na! have come!!”
The Demon Tribe woman—now introduced as Mona—shouted that before running off toward the Barrier.
This Barrier is designed to confuse those trying to go deeper, but it allows for a smooth exit. Since Mona headed straight for the exit, she should be fine.
Still, what was that all about?
Well, this place was originally a public secret, so the Demon Tribe probably knew about it. Now that they know a Barrier has been set up, it’s too late for them.
Today’s visit from the Demon Tribe was more of a reconnaissance mission than an attack.
Now that Mona has left, this matter should be settled.
I confirmed that she had exited the Barrier before heading home.
“Welcome back.”
When I got home, Meileen, who had moved from the bedroom to the living room, greeted me.
“Thanks.”
As I hugged Meileen, she began sniffing at my shoulder.
“Meileen?”
After sniffing me for a while, she suddenly let out a low voice I had never heard before.
“…You smell like a woman.”
“Sure, the visitor was a woman, but how can you tell without touching her?”
“I can faintly smell a woman’s scent on you.”
Wait, seriously? I can’t smell anything at all.
“Huh? So does that mean my scent is on you too, Kenta?”
“Yeah. But Yulia is a trustworthy friend of mine, so it’s fine.”
“Hehe. I love you too, Meileen!”
While Meileen and Yulia were having a sweet conversation, Meileen’s grip on my clothes didn’t loosen.
“Um, Meileen? Don’t report what just happened. The visitor was… a Demon Tribe woman.”
“!!”
Meileen gasped at my words, quickly releasing her grip on my clothes and covering her mouth with both hands.
“A Demon Tribe… Could it be she was looking for me…?”
“No, it didn’t seem like that. It felt more like she came to check on the Barrier that hadn’t been there before.”
“I see…”
I hugged Meileen tightly, trying to reassure her as I stroked her head.
“I didn’t let her know anything about the Barrier. I intimidated her a bit and sent her on her way.”
“…I see.”
When I told her I hadn’t given the Demon Tribe any information, she finally seemed to relax a little.
“So, what kind of woman was she?”
Now that we were back to normal, I described her.
“Um, she had small black wings growing from her back.”
“Small black wings…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“And then… oh, she shouted her name loudly when she was leaving. What was that about? Is that some kind of custom among the Demon Tribe?”
“No, I’ve never heard of such a custom. So what name did she give?”
“Uh, oh, she said it was Mona.”
As I said that, Meileen’s eyes widened in surprise before she smiled sadly.
“What’s wrong?”
“…That woman named Mona, was she not very glamorous?”
“Yeah, she definitely was… Wait, do you know her?”
“…Yes.”
Meileen spoke softly, looking down.
“Mona was one of the Lady-in-waiting who served me.”
I was taken aback, my eyes widening in shock.
What are the odds that a random human would run into someone Meileen knows?
I was astonished by the coincidence, but Meileen looked troubled as she touched the embroidered handkerchief in my pocket.
“I messed up. If I had known Mona was coming, I wouldn’t have given her this handkerchief.”
“Wait, what do you mean…?”
I understood what Meileen was implying.
“It might have revealed my existence.”
So it was true after all.