Chapter 3: The Friend Zone
“Did you hear, Kenta? It seems the Weimar Kingdom is in serious trouble because it’s being attacked by the Demon Tribe.”
“Oh, really?”
As I checked the supplies that Ivern had brought—seasonings, fruits, and daily necessities—I casually nodded along to his conversation.
“What’s with you? Still not interested in worldly matters, huh?”
“Not at all… Yeah, thanks, Ivern. You’re always a big help.”
“Don’t mention it. But seriously, you’re overpaying me. The stuff you give me is worth at least ten times what I bring you.”
Ivern was as serious as ever.
In this household, we could easily obtain meat by hunting nearby Magical Beasts, and we grew vegetables in our garden. However, we couldn’t make our own seasonings, and growing fruits was difficult, so we didn’t cultivate them.
I also had Ivern regularly bring clothes and various small daily necessities.
In exchange, I would give him materials like Horns, Fangs, and hides from the Magical Beasts I hunted, but he always complained that the value of those materials didn’t match the supplies he brought.
“That’s fine. I can get as many materials as I want just by hunting Magical Beasts for meat. We can’t go out much where there are people, so consider it a labor fee.”
When I said that, Ivern let out a small sigh.
“That might be fine for now, but you won’t be able to say that forever, will you?”
Ivern then glanced toward a corner of the room.
There, his girlfriend Yulia was playfully placing her hands on Meileen’s belly, giggling.
“Hey, is it moving yet?”
“It’s still too early for that. It will start moving after a few more months when the belly gets bigger.”
“I see…”
Watching the two of them, Ivern turned back to me.
“Still, a child of the strongest being from another world and the former queen of the Demon Tribe… If the world finds out, it could cause quite a stir.”
Ivern’s expression seemed genuinely worried for us.
“Be careful, alright? If the Human Tribe finds out, they might use the child as a weapon to annihilate the Demon Tribe. And if the Demon Tribe finds out, they might try to elevate the child as the next king.”
That’s true; if it became public knowledge, it could lead to that.
However, I wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.
“If anyone tries to scheme like that, I’ll crush them thoroughly so they can never lay a hand on me again. Both the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe.”
When I said that, Ivern chuckled wryly.
“You’re still as extreme as ever…”
“Is that so? I think it’s pretty rational that I haven’t wiped out all the humans and demons in this world.”
When I said that, Ivern’s face twitched.
In this world, both the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe are categorized as humans.
The Human Tribe excels in physical abilities, while the Demon Tribe excels in magic.
There isn’t much of a difference in appearance among the Human Tribe, while the Demon Tribe has various distinctive traits.
Meileen, for instance, has pointed ears.
Brown skin and silver hair are relatively common in this world.
By the way, the race known as elves does not exist.
There are also people with extremely large or small bodies, some with Horns or Fangs, and even some with wings. All of these individuals are classified as members of the Demon Tribe.
The reason for these physical traits is said to be due to the large amounts of magic power they possess, which causes changes in their bodies.
In other words, the Demon Tribe is simply humans with a high amount of magic power.
So why is there such a classification? It seems to stem from a certain king of a country hundreds of years ago.
That king was a human who began to discriminate against and persecute anyone who wasn’t of the Human Tribe, claiming that only those like him were truly human.
Another characteristic of the Human Tribe is that, perhaps due to their high physical abilities, they also have a high reproductive rate.
In terms of numbers, the Human Tribe overwhelmingly outnumbers the others.
As a result, the initial persecution that began in that one country eventually spread throughout the world, leading to the persecution of all non-Human Tribe individuals.
Those who were initially just persecuted eventually gathered from all over the world and began to call themselves the “Demon Tribe,” forming their own nation.
This is where the definitive split between the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe occurred.
Since then, the two tribes have been in a constant state of conflict.
And I, I trust and loathe both the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe equally.
“I’m really glad you haven’t taken that path. If you had, you might have become a god of destruction who would wipe out this world.”
“Even if I’m feeling down, I wouldn’t go that far.”
What does he think I am?
I know I’m a bit jaded, but unless someone threatens me or tries to take my life, I haven’t killed anyone.
“Hey…”
“Hmm?”
“…If you ever did decide to, would you kill me too?”
Ivern suddenly asked something outrageous.
Me, killing Ivern.
“If you became my enemy, then yes. I’d kill you without hesitation.”
“…What if I didn’t oppose you?”
“Well, you’re technically in my friend zone, so I wouldn’t do anything.”
When I said that, Ivern let out a small laugh.
This guy is somewhat handsome, so that kind of gesture annoyingly suits him.
“I see, a friend, huh?”
“If that’s not the case, then fine. Starting today, you’re a traveling merchant.”
“Wait! What do you mean by traveling merchant!? We’re friends! Friends!”
“Is that so?”
I don’t really care if he calls me a traveling merchant or an acquaintance.
Meileen just said that Ivern and Yulia are friends, so that’s why I called him my friend.
“Well, I’m glad you think that way. After all, I initially misunderstood you and came to take you down.”
“Oh, right. So you were an enemy after all.”
“Not anymore! I always bring you supplies, and I’m even going to buy maternity clothes for Meileen!”
“Right, so you really are a traveling merchant.”
“Please just let me stay in the friend zone!”
Ivern raised his voice a bit, and it seemed that Meileen and Yulia had started watching our exchange from a distance.
As Ivern bowed his head, I could hear their laughter.
“Hehe. Oh, Kenta. You shouldn’t tease Ivern like that, okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, Ivern.”
“Hahaha! The ‘Most Fearsome Summoner,’ Kenta Maya, is being bossed around!”
Yulia said this while clutching her belly in laughter.
By the way, “The Most Fearsome Summoner” is the title I’ve been given as a bounty target.
It’s incredibly embarrassing.
However, I chose “Fearsome” instead of “Strong” because I don’t want people to know how powerful I really am.
I want them to think I’m a wicked person who brutally slaughtered the good members of the Lindor royal family, and that they might have a chance of defeating me if they try hard enough.
The real villains are those who kidnapped and betrayed me, though.
Incidentally, in the Demon Tribe’s nation, I’m seen as the one who killed their king.
In other words, I’m hated by both the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe.
Well, I don’t really care what people in this world think of me.
“No, no, it’s not that I’m being bossed around. I’m just following Meileen’s orders.”
“Haha! That’s exactly what being bossed around means!”
I tried to convince Yulia, but the laughter just wouldn’t stop.
What was so funny about it?
“Good grief, if you’re so in love with the former queen of the Demon Tribe, it seems unlikely you’ll respond to any requests for aid from the Weimar Kingdom.”
“Huh? I already turned them down.”
“…What?”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t told them yet.
“The other day, Princess-sama of Weimar came here asking for help, so I turned her down.”
When I said that, Ivern placed a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“You turned her down… So does that mean you’re going to accept requests from the Demon Tribe?”
“Of course not. The Demon Tribe thinks of me as their enemy, and they were the ones who tried to exile and kill Meileen, right? Honestly, I’d love to burn their nation to the ground right now.”
I was boiling with rage toward them.
Ideally, I would want to wipe out the entire Demon Tribe nation, but that country is one that Meileen desperately tried to protect.
She pleaded with me not to harm anyone except those who turned against her.
Well, she also said I could be merciless toward those who did betray her.
“So, you’re going to remain neutral and just watch from the sidelines?”
“Yeah, I want them to fight it out on their own.”
I couldn’t care less about the quarrels between the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe.
Let them kill each other off.
“…But you really turned away royalty… I hope they don’t come back to haunt you.”
Hey, stop saying things that sound like ominous foreshadowing.
What if they come back and bring trouble my way?