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TN: Sorry again for the inconvenience, I will change Cher to Chel from now on. Thank you for your understanding and enjoy reading~
TL: ALT
Chapter 48 – Each Person’s Life in the Demonic Land (Chel)
Makyo has left on a journey to become a noble.
He’ll be back in ten days.
It’s been about a month since I came from the Demon Kingdom of Meiju to the demonic land. Because I’ve lived such an intense life, it feels like it’s been over a year.
Looking back, life in the Meiju Kingdom was ordinary. I read magic books in the castle library, tried out new magic, and went to the castle town to play with the ordinary people, ignoring my father’s warnings.
I also went to the Magic Academy, but they avoided me like the plague, and I didn’t have any friends there.
My ability was not magic but the ability to understand a person’s strength through their magic power. A person’s strength can be quantified by their muscle mass, magic power, bone density, and so on.
Coming from a family of counts, I also learned about mental magic and how to protect myself from it.
The turning point was the death of the Demon King. It seems that the Demon King has always been a woman, and I was chosen to be the next Demon King. There were also daughters of the royal family who were closer to the people, but it seems that they chose me because I understand the hearts of the people. The previous king also left a troublesome will.
The Duke and his family were angry, and assassins were sent to our territory. I immediately declared that I would renounce my claim to the throne. I nominated the Duke’s daughter to be the next demon king, but the Council of Demon Chiefs would not allow it. I survived, but my unpleasant days continued.
Meanwhile, a plague spread and our family became known as the cursed clan. It was probably the work of the Duke’s family. Our reputation in the area plummeted.
The Chief’s Council also lost any reason to support me.
The Duke’s daughter was crowned Demon King. At the coronation ceremony, when the Demon King asked me to shake her hand, I measured her strength as I always do, and the result was weaker than that of an ordinary person.
That night, I was called by the spirit of the former Demon King and went to the mausoleum.
“Why didn’t you become the Demon King? If you don’t do anything, the Meiju Kingdom will be destroyed.”
Even after her death, it seems that the former Demon King was still thinking about the lives of the demon tribe.
“There is nothing I can do. I don’t have the leadership skills.”
“You’re cursed by the fake Demon King’s family.”
“I know. It’s the only thing they can do. It seems they hired a sorcerer with money.”
“Run away from the Meiju Kingdom. Cross the sea. The humans have probably forgotten about the war. If you stay in this country, you’ll just be a target for death.”
I read about the war with humans in a book. It seems that in the human land across the sea, there are fruits and magic tools I’ve never seen before and cities floating in the air.
“I’ll think about it.”
With these words, the former Demon King disappeared like smoke.
Two days later, our castle was attacked.
All we had was a small sailing boat. If I became a decoy, my mother and father could escape. I had no hesitation.
I set out to sea while being chased and attacked by the bandits sent by the Demon King, but I ran into a huge storm. The ship easily capsized, and I ended up in that demonic land.
When I first met Makyo, I remember he was making salt from the sea. It seemed that he lived a solitary life, and he looked very lonely.
I didn’t understand his language, but at night, after Makyo went to sleep, I would imitate his mouth shapes and vocalizations over and over again. Now, I can have a normal conversation with him, but I pretend to be stupid. If I reveal my abilities and strength, I will be shunned or become the cause of conflict, just like when I lived in the Meiju Kingdom.
Or rather, the moment I measured Makyo’s strength, I realized how small the world I lived in was. Humans are no match for demons. I was so impressed that my ancestors had fought a war against such an opponent.
It was only after Jennifer arrived that I realized that not all humans had Makyo’s strength.
“Chel-san, would you like to go out and pick some fruit with me?”
Jennifer invited me while Makyo was in the capital.
This woman always pretends to be someone else in front of Makyo.
She continues to play the role of a frail priestess doing menial tasks. It seems like something that should be obvious if you think about it for a moment, but Makyo doesn’t seem to have a clue about her true identity.
“Kyaaa! It’s a monster! Chel-san, please defeat it with magic!”
“You can do it yourself.”
I said coldly and continued gathering bitter leaves.
Actually, Jennifer would never be defeated by a monster here. In the first place, it would be strange to see her collapse in the demonic land and be safe, but Makyo didn’t seem to think so.
She looks thin, but her legs and waist muscles are too developed for a woman’s body. At the previous party, she probably played the roles of tank and shield. I even suspect that she wore the priestess outfit to attract the enemy. It seems that she can also use healing magic, so while she heals and attracts the enemy, her allies can destroy the enemy. I think it’s a good tactic.
What’s more, she can easily see through my mental magic and even counter it, so she’s quite skilled.
And yet, she’s still pretending to struggle against the little imp.
“Why don’t you use your shield?”
As soon as I said that,
Pang!
The imp’s head disappeared with a bang.
“Using a shield is like giving a strong person a powerful weapon, isn’t it?”
It seemed that Jennifer was able to knock off the imp’s head with just her backhand.
“I don’t ask why you hide your abilities. I have things I want to hide, too.”
“What you’re good at and what you like are two different things.”
I think I understand.
“Does Chel-san like Makyo-san?”
Jennifer asked with a feminine face.
“Are you interested in Makyo?”
“Yes, there is no man more suitable than him. He will become the Margrave, just as I predicted. Even if you are an adventurer, you will never reach such a position, even if you have decades of experience. What’s more, there are only three worthy rivals. Don’t you think it’s strange that you don’t target him?”
“Jennifer really wants to be important, doesn’t she?”
My heart tightened a little. Status was nothing but a hindrance to me. After all, my family was torn apart when I was elected Demon King, and I fled the Meiju Kingdom.
“Jennifer doesn’t understand his value.”
“No, I know it better than anyone here. I’ll definitely develop this demonic land.”
The amazing thing about Makyo is not the speed with which he climbs the social ladder but his imagination. The most he can create with earth magic is an earthen wall. And yet, he can lift up the entire earth. There is no other magician in the world like Makyo.
‘Making what you think comes true.’
That is Makyo’s power. The more he imagines, the stronger he becomes. He’s not the kind of man who will end up as a nobleman of a country.
“You still don’t understand.
“I don’t know what I don’t understand, but I will become Makyo-san’s wife and rule over this demonic land.”
“I see. Do what you want.”
Jennifer has too much ambition to succeed, so she probably can’t see many things. Even if I told her now, she wouldn’t understand.
We gathered some cam fruit and bitter leaves and returned to the cave.
“Are you going to make lunch?”
Hel asked. It seems she has no intention of making it herself.
“I’ll bake bread. Cut the meat.”
“Okay.”
Hel doesn’t move unless she’s told to do something other than her own work. She’s probably just lazy because she’s old.
By the way, mental magic doesn’t work on Hel, either. It seems that the curse preventing her from using magic is quite powerful. What would make someone curse someone like that?
Her muscles are thin and supple, and she never misses an opportunity to stretch them in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep. She can move her whole body like a feather. Perhaps she’s a martial artist? There are many secrets surrounding the elves, who are already over 200 years old.
“Chel, are you lonely without Makyo?”
Hel spoke to me while I was baking bread.
“When five people live together, and one of them disappears, it’s a little lonely, isn’t it?”
“Fufufu, you’re so honest, Chel.”
Once the bread is baked, all you have to do is put some meat and bitter leaves in between, and you’ve got yourself a sandwich. It’s a simple recipe from the demonic land. As long as you eat it, you won’t catch a cold.
“It looks like something happened between you and Jennifer?”
It seems that she thought we had a fight because we hadn’t spoken since we came back.
“No, nothing. Jennifer just said that she wanted to marry Makyo.”
“Even if you marry someone while pretending to be someone else, you won’t be happy… what a troublesome girl.”
Perhaps Hel has been married before. I’ve heard that elves live long and marry many times in their lives.
“Does Hel know how strong Jennifer is?”
“Well, you can tell by the way she moves, right? Her legs and back only get weak when Makyo is around. She tries too hard to hide her strength so it’s easy to see. In a way, she’s straightforward. I don’t dislike her.”
“I don’t dislike her either. It’s just that there are a lot of things I can’t see.”
“Chel is a more intelligent girl than I thought. But not seeing things that are not good for you is also a strength.”
“Really?”
“Because she can focus on one thing. It’s a tanker-like way of thinking.”
It seems that Hel also sees Jennifer as a shield.
“C-c-can I eat it?”
Sylvia came to get the freshly made sandwiches.
“Sure. Sylvia, could you at least provide Jennifer with a shield while Makyo is away?”
“A-a-a shield? For Jennifer-san? I see.”
Sylvia didn’t seem to notice.
“It seems like things would go smoother if Sylvia didn’t think about anything.”
Hel said as she bit into her sandwich.
I remember the day Sylvia arrived; she sat quietly in front of Makyo’s room. She had obviously prepared herself for the possibility that she would be made a slave and have to sleep with him. But Makyo had gone to the sea to collect salt, so she went straight to bed when he returned.
“You don’t have to do that.”
When I said that, she turned bright red and hid under the fur.
“I hope your hair grows back soon.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Sylvia’s shaved head slowly started to grow back.
Ririririri…
I heard the buzzing of insects from the bushes.
I wonder what Makyo is eating right now.
I bit into my sandwich.
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