Volume 2: Chapter 1 – Part 1Author: Geraint
The next day, all of us were brought to the barracks. They said they would be training us to become heroes—something we couldn't refuse.
"Uuuu… What am I going to do…"
Shiina, sitting beside me, was squirming and clutching her stomach. Yuuka, Riko, and several of the other girls looked just as uncomfortable.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
"The restroom is disgusting! It stinks so bad, I couldn't even stay near it for more than a few seconds!" Riko complained, looking miserable. "Uuugh~ I want to go home…"
Homesickness was clearly setting in.
Kaho-san stayed silent, but her expression said everything—she was enduring the same discomfort.
Lilith, on the other hand, looked completely fine. In fact, she was smiling at me with a look of satisfaction.
…This girl. Don't tell me…
Everyone else was at their limit. Some looked like they were about to cry.
"All right, girls. Follow me."
"Huh?"
They looked confused at first, but when Yuuka and Shiina obediently followed after me, the others decided to come too.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Get back to the camp!"
Two knights blocked our path, hands on their swords. The girls grew nervous.
"Toilet."
"The restroom is over there. You're forbidden to go beyond this point!"
"Huh?! You're the ones who brought us here!" Riko snapped.
"Yeah! Take us back home already!"
The other girls began to protest too.
"Shut up and go back to the camp! If you don't, there'll be consequences!"
The two knights drew their swords and pointed them at us. Everyone froze in fear.
"Kyaah!"
"Hey! Stop that!"
Kaho-san stepped in front of the group to shield the others.
"Lilith."
"Yes, Seir-sama."
In a flash, Lilith appeared behind the knights and knocked them both out with a stun gun in each hand.
"Very convenient."
She seemed genuinely pleased with her new toys, which were still crackling with electricity.
"Make sure there's no trace of them."
"As you order."
Lilith dragged the unconscious knights away from the area.
"Let's go."
The girls hesitantly followed after me—though a few now seemed a little scared of me.
We arrived at what looked like a storage building.
"You girls wait here for a moment."
I stepped inside, looked around to make sure it was clear, and then summoned a large void in the air. One by one, I pulled out several portable toilets.
When I called them over, the girls were stunned to see public toilets just like the ones from their home world—like the kind found on city streets. Tears of joy streamed down their faces. They were so distracted with relief that not a single one asked where I had gotten them from.
"I'll be on lookout."
After a while, some of them came back hugging the toilets.
"I'll marry you instead. You're way more useful than my boyfriend."
"Oh, darling… you're all I need…"
They'd turned into total weirdos.
"Let's head back, everyone. They might notice we're missing."
"Y-Yes…"
When Lilith returned, everyone paled upon seeing her… holding a shovel.
"Good work, Lilith."
She bowed to me gracefully.
I turned to the girls and raised my index finger to my lips.
"Ssssh. You saw nothing, right?"
Seeing me smile, some of them nervously nodded.
"Just kidding. They're still alive."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"…If they survive."
Their faces went pale again.
"Pffffft! Hahaha!"
I burst out laughing and walked ahead.
After listening to a long-winded lecture from the knight instructor, we were finally brought to the cafeteria and served some food. On our trays were hard bread and what seemed to be baked sweet potato. Everyone was disappointed.
"Stop being picky! This is because demonic beings are ravaging our village farms. You should be thankful you're still getting food!"
I tried eating the bread—it was tough as rock. The sweet potato had clearly been stored too long; it had lost all its flavor.
Everyone looked gloomy when we left the cafeteria. Some hadn't touched their food at all, which seemed to irritate the knights.
"I already want to go home and eat your cooking, Onii-sama…"
"Me too, Seir-kun," Shiina added.
Yuuka and Shiina looked exhausted.
"Unless we defeat the Demon King, they won't send us back to our world," Kaho-san said, visibly frustrated.
"The food's so bad I miss my dad's ramen… It feels like we're being treated as prisoners, not heroes," Riko muttered, looking miserable.
Suddenly, a group of knights marched past us. Some were injured and bandaged. Their expressions were filled with fear and trauma. Behind them was a large steel cage being dragged along—inside was a ferocious demonic being in chains.
A high-ranking knight rushed toward them.
"Hey! What happened? Where's your commander?!"
The knight leading the group lowered his head and looked as if he was about to cry.
The officer clenched his fists and stomped his foot in frustration.
"Damn those demons!"
That night, I snuck out with Lilith to visit the captured demonic being. She was a young demon woman with dark skin, long wavy white hair, and amber eyes with black irises. A few black scales clung to her skin.
"Grrrr…"
She growled as we approached.
"Humans…"
Suddenly, she lunged at us through the bars, trying to reach us with her claws—only to pause when she realized we weren't afraid.
"You damned creatures! I won't forgive you!"
She staggered back, holding her waist.
"Uuugh…"
"Have you calmed down yet?" I asked in the demon tongue.
Her eyes widened.
"…Who are you?"
"You're in the presence of our Demon King—Seir-sama."
"Huh? The current Demon King is Prince Eligor. That bastard threw the Demon Realm into chaos."
"Seir-sama is the rightful Demon King."
"Uugh…"
She was clearly in pain.
"Lilith, heal her."
"Yes, Seir-sama."
Lilith cast a healing spell. Slowly, the woman's injuries began to fade.
"Hahaha! What luck, meeting fellow demons here!"
She suddenly spun her arm around and looked reinvigorated.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Lory. I used to be in the Demon Army—until I eloped with a beastman. We were living happily together until humans attacked our home. My husband escaped with our two kids while I stayed behind to buy them time. In the end, I got captured… But at least I tore their commander to shreds. That guy called us filthy creatures."
"So that's what happened…"
"Hey, as fellow demons, how about helping me out of here?"
"Not yet. I have a job for you."
We locked eyes for a moment. Then she grinned.
"Let me hear it."
(To be continued.)