Chapter 3: The Friend Slot

“Did you know, Kenta? Apparently, the Kingdom of Weimar is in big trouble now, being attacked by demons.”

“Is that so?” 

I responded absently to Ivern’s story as I checked over the supplies he’d brought—spices, fruits, and other household items.

“You never change, huh? Still don’t care about worldly affairs?”

“Not a bit… Anyway, thanks, Ivern. You’re a big help.”

“Don’t mention it. But honestly, I’m getting paid way too much for this. What you give me in return is worth about ten times these supplies.”

Ivern was as serious as ever.

In our home, we get meat by hunting nearby monsters, and we grow vegetables in the garden. But we can’t make spices or grow fruit easily, so I have Ivern bring those regularly. In exchange, I give him materials like horns, fangs, or pelts from the monsters I hunt. But every time, he insists that the materials I give him far exceed the cost of the supplies.

“It’s fine. I get those materials just from hunting for meat anyway. Since we can’t go out in public much, consider it a delivery fee.”

At that, Ivern sighed slightly.

“It’s fine for now, but I doubt that’ll be the case forever.” 

He said, casting a glance toward one corner of the room.

Over there, his partner, Yuria, was gently placing her hand on Meyleen’s belly and chatting happily.

“Hey, is it moving yet?”

“It’s still too early. In a few more months, when my belly gets bigger, you’ll feel it.”

“Oh, I see.”

Watching them, Ivern looked back at me.

“A child born from the strongest being in this world and the former demon queen… If people find out, it’s bound to cause a stir.”

He looked genuinely worried about us.

“Be careful, alright? If the humans find out, they might want to use the child as a weapon to eradicate the demons. And if the demons find out, they might try to raise the child as the next ruler.”

That would certainly happen if the world found out.

But I’d never let things go that way.

“If they try something like that, I’ll crush them so thoroughly that they’ll never bother us again—whether they’re human or demon.”

Ivern gave a wry smile.

“As extreme as ever…”

“Is it? Considering I haven’t wiped out humanity or demonkind yet, I’d say I’m pretty reasonable.”

At this, Ivern’s face stiffened.

In this world, humans and demons are classified as the same “people.” Humans are known for their physical abilities, while demons excel in magic. Though humans share similar physical traits, demons can have a variety of distinct features. Meyleen, for instance, has pointed ears. Dark skin and silver hair are fairly common in this world, and there’s no “elf” race here. Demons come in various appearances—some are unusually large or small, some have horns or fangs, and some even have wings. They’re all classified as demons.

Apparently, the reason for these physical traits is the high magic power within their bodies, which affects their appearance. So demons are simply people with higher levels of magic power.

Why, then, is there such a division? It dates back to a king of some nation centuries ago. This king, who was human, decreed that anyone not like himself was not truly human and began to discriminate and persecute non-humans.

Humans also have high physical capabilities and, perhaps due to that, reproduce at a rapid rate. So, in terms of population, humans have the overwhelming advantage.

Because of this, the persecution that started in just one country eventually spread worldwide, targeting all humans other than the human race.

The people who were initially only being persecuted eventually gathered from all over the world, began calling themselves “Demon Tribe” as a people skilled in magic, and established a nation for themselves. 

This marked the decisive split between the human race and the demon race. 

Since then, the human and demon races have been in a constant state of war. 

And as for me, I hold equal distrust and dislike toward both the humans and the demons.

“I’m really glad you didn’t go down that path. If you had, you could’ve become a destroyer god and wiped out this world.”

“No matter how much of a misanthrope I might be, I wouldn’t go that far.”

What exactly does this guy think of me?

Sure, I know I can be cynical, but unless someone tries to threaten me or target my life, I don’t kill anyone.

“Hey…”

“Hm?”

“…If you did decide to go down that path… would you kill me too?”

Out of nowhere, Ivern asked an absurd question.

Would I kill Ivern?

“If you turned against me, then yeah. No hesitation.”

“…And if I didn’t?”

“Technically, you count as a friend of mine, so I wouldn’t do anything.”

At that, Ivern let out a little chuckle.

This guy has a pretty handsome face, so those kinds of gestures suit him—which is honestly irritating.

“I see. A friend, huh.”

“If that doesn’t suit you, then you’re just a traveling merchant from now on.”

“Wait, hold on! What’s with the ‘traveling merchant’ thing!? Friend! I’m a friend!”

“Alright then.”

Honestly, whether he’s a merchant or just an acquaintance doesn’t matter to me.

Meyleen insists that Ivern and Yuria are friends, so they’re “friends” by her standards.

“Well, I’m glad to hear you think of me that way. After all, I came here initially with the intention of hunting you down, you know.”

“Oh, that’s right. So you really are my enemy then.”

“Not anymore! I keep bringing you supplies, and I even promised to get maternity clothes for Meyleen next time!”

“Ah, right. So a merchant after all, huh.”

“Just keep me in the friend category, please!”

Ivern raised his voice enough that Meyleen and Yuria, who’d apparently been watching us for a while, began to laugh at our exchange.

“Aww, Kenta, don’t tease Ivern like that.” 

Meyleen said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Ivern.”

“Ahaha! The ‘most ruthless summoner,’ Kenta Maya, totally whipped!” 

Yuria said, laughing with her arms around her stomach.

Apparently, “The Most Ruthless Summoner” is my bounty hunter alias.

It’s embarrassingly lame.

They supposedly labeled me “most ruthless” instead of “most powerful” to make me seem beatable.

They want people to believe I’m a despicable criminal who massacred the good Lindor royal family—though they were actually the kidnappers and traitors.

On top of that, I’m also supposedly the avenger who defeated the demon king, so I’m hated by both the human and demon nations alike.

Not that I care what the people of this world think of me.

“No, no, it’s not that I’m ‘whipped.’ I just listen to Meyleen because she asked.”

“Ahaha! And that, my friend, is exactly what it means to be ‘whipped!'”

I tried to reason with Yuria, but she just kept laughing, unable to hold it in.

What on earth did she find so funny?

“Good grief, if you’re so infatuated with the former queen of the demons, it looks like you won’t accept any rescue requests from the Weimar Kingdom, huh?”

“Huh? I already turned them down.”

“…What?”

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t told these guys yet.

“The other day, Princess of Weimar came here. She asked for our help, so I turned her down.”

Upon hearing that, Ivern placed his hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“You already turned them down… So does that mean you’ll accept a support request from the demon race?”

“Of course not. The demons see me as their enemy, and they were the ones who tried to banish and kill Meyleen, right? Honestly, I’d like to burn their country to the ground right now.”

I was boiling with anger at those guys.

I would normally want to incinerate their entire nation, but that country is the one Meyleen fought so hard to protect.

She begged me not to harm anyone except those who turned against her.

Well, she did say I could be merciless toward those who betrayed her.

“So that means you’re not siding with either camp and are opting to be a bystander?”

“Yeah. I’d prefer if they just fought it out amongst themselves.”

I couldn’t care less about the conflict between the humans and demons.

Let them kill each other off.

“…But you really turned away the royal family… I hope they don’t come back to bother us.”

Hey, stop saying things that sound like bad omens.

If you say that, what are we going to do if trouble comes our way?

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