Chapter 11 : What kind of person is Maeve unni?

“Purpure was tricked!!!”

“See! We never lied, did we?”

“Then who are these people?! Explain quickly!!!”

I knew it.

We just ate at the restaurant and came out, but suddenly, a lot of angry people showed up.

At first, I was terrified because I thought they were angry at me for being a demon and the demon lord, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case.

“Hey, miss! You can’t just pay with these toys and call it money!”

“Calling yourselves heroes and stuff, spreading lies!”

“Hey! You, the guy next to her, say something!”

The people of Moonlight Haven weren’t angry at me.

To the extent that Sabrina, the innkeeper, grabbed my hand and separated me from Maeve and Dominicus.

“They even kidnapped this little demon child!!”

“If you have something to say, say it!”

“Sigh… Even if you like to brag, you shouldn’t go around calling yourselves heroes…”

As I expected.

Maeve and Dominicus weren’t a legitimate hero party.

“So…! Hey! Everyone? Purpure and everyone else are under a strange misunderstanding!”

Maeve coughed and urgently took out gold coins from her pocket and showed them.

“This is properly used in the Empire…”

“Miss! Do you think we’re fools? Do you think I look like a woman who’s been running an inn for a day or two?”

Sabrina, the impressive woman with shiny black hair, shouted.

“Where do you see that being Solvenusian!”

“Sigh… Miss! I told you, we won’t be fooled by those toys!”

“Just tell the truth!”

Maeve desperately took out the gold coins and showed them, but the atmosphere of the people got worse.

“It’s, it’s Solvenusian… It is, right? Saint?”

“That’s right. We brought it properly.”

Maeve and Dominicus looked at each other’s faces and were genuinely embarrassed.

The people pushed them further, holding out their brooms and farming tools.

But Solvenusian?

I put my hand in the pouch that Sabrina brought and took out the gold coins that people were angry about, calling them ‘toys.’

“Awawa…?”

Wait a minute, this is Solvenusian, right?

It has an emperor wearing a crown of thorns on it, and the sun on the back.

There’s no way I wouldn’t know this. I received Solvenusian from other races that could be recruited into the demon army.

Since it was ‘gold coins,’ I could melt it down and lure demons and monsters who liked shiny things.

Some of them just liked Solvenusian itself because it was pretty.

“Everyone, please calm down. There seems to have been a mistake. Could you show us the Solvenusian you’re talking about?”

“Sigh… The handsome young man is speaking.”

Dominicus’s calm words fortunately worked.

The noodle shop owner was angry, but he took out gold coins from his pocket and showed them.

“This is Solvenusian!”

“Huh…? This wasn’t it last time?”

Maeve’s face turned pale when she saw the ‘Solvenusian’ that the owner took out.

She urgently grabbed it with both hands, checked the front and back, and gave it back, not knowing what to do.

“I want to see it too.”

“Our demon girl has been through a lot, hasn’t she? I heard you were forced to eat spicy noodles? I’ll give you this, so take a look.”

The owner didn’t show it, but Sabrina handed me the ‘Solvenusian’ as if she were giving me a toy.

I thought she was treating me too much like a child, but that wasn’t important right now.

…It looks different.

The ‘Solvenusian’ in Maeve’s and my memory has an emperor wearing a crown of thorns, but this one has an emperor wearing a crown studded with jewels.

“Awawa…?”

Why is it different?

“Sa, Saint, what do we do!”

“This was not in the prophecy.”

“This isn’t the time to be talking so leisurely! We’ve been scamming people!”

Maeve shouted with a red face, but Dominicus still had a faint smile with his eyes narrowed.

“Miss! How about you start telling the truth?”

“We’re not new to business, you know! Where did you get these toys?”

“Did you steal them?”

“H, hey! Everyone is misunderstanding! We just made a re~~al mistake!”

Maeve smiled brightly and spoke.

“What mistake!! Last time you were talking nonsense about being heroes! What’s that on your waist!”

“Yeah!!! I heard from a sailor last time that there was an idiot who stole the holy sword.”

“Sigh! Sigh! Then it all fits! Didn’t you steal these gold coins from there too?”

Steal the holy sword…?

●… Wait a minute, that story sounds very plausible!

“Awawa…?”

Yeah! Something was strange! For a hero and a saint, the party is too cheaply organized!

It’s supposed to be dragging the terrifying demon lord to the land of prophecy, but two people make sense?

Five people… No, it wouldn’t be strange if an army showed up.

If I were a little stronger, it would be a huge disaster where the hero and saint would be annihilated.

‘You wicked one! How dare you deceive me!’

“Maeve was a bad person!”

“How can Purpure say that?! I bought you noodles earlier, isn’t that too much?!”

“Bought it?! You paid with toys that the Empire doesn’t even accept!”

At the owner’s shout, Maeve grabbed her head with both hands and stepped back.

“So, that’s… It’s real, I’m really a hero… I was just told that would be enough for travel expenses…”

“Then I’ll ask you! What’s that holy sword? Did you steal it like the owner said?”

The surrounding adults nodded at my words.

“That’s right! The little lady speaks well!”

“It’s not the holy sword, is it? There are lies you can’t tell!”

“The young lady is already… Sigh.”

Maeve rolled her eyes and hugged the holy sword with both hands.

“Th, this is, so, it’s really the holy sword! There was just a problem with communication because I borrowed it a little quickly!”

“Then you stole it!”

“It was originally mine?!”

What kind of logic is that?!

Suddenly, Maeve drew the holy sword from its scabbard and raised it high with her right hand.

The sword emitting a pure white light, judging by the tingling sensation on my skin, seems to be the real holy sword….

“Oh, oh…”

“This lady really stole the holy sword?”

“W… Wow!! When is the village chief coming!”

I don’t know what Maeve was thinking when she showed the holy sword, but people panicked even more.

“Huh? Uhhh?! This isn’t it?”

Anyway, let’s organize the situation.

Maeve and Dominicus aren’t a hero party, right?

They stole the holy sword? And the Solvenusian they’re carrying is quite old currency?

•What are they? A gang of robbers? Then why are they taking me with them?

“Awawa…”

Only one reason came to mind, and it sent shivers down my spine.

They were going to sell me as a s*ave?!

They were planning to move to a far-off land using a magic circle and sell me?!

“I was wondering what all the commotion was about since lunch…”

The voice of a person wearing shiny silk clothes suddenly quieted the excited villagers.

“Sigh! Chief! Look at this… These young people committed fraud!”

“I told you last time! Strange people came to the village!”

“They’re very dangerous people. Just now, they took out a stolen holy sword and…”

The chief of Moonlight Haven looked at the crowd and coughed.

“Everyone, calm down. It seems there was a misunderstanding.”

The chief was an old man with an impressive white beard.

You could tell he was quite healthy because he didn’t carry a cane in his right hand.

His voice changed the atmosphere of the villagers in an instant. The people who were angry and holding brooms a moment ago suddenly started making awkward expressions.

“Rian! Rian! Help us! You know Rian! I’m a hero!”

Maeve ran to the chief, grabbed his hand tightly, and shouted.

“Everyone, listen. Unlike what you think, Ms. Maeve and Mr. Dominicus are a proper hero and saint.”

“I… Is that true?”

“There’s also a royal letter from the imperial family, so don’t worry.”

The angry adults of Moonlight Haven made awkward expressions.

“Sigh… Then are you really a hero?”

“I thought… Well, robbers sometimes bring these toys and call them money…”

“I was angry earlier, what should I do…”

Maeve quickly smiled.

“It’s okay. We also created a situation where you could misunderstand, so let’s forgive each other!”

Then does that mean she’s really a hero and a saint?

What’s going on?

We couldn’t continue talking in the middle of the village, so we followed the chief’s suggestion and talked at his house.

The beautifully built wooden house was quite nice to look at, but now wasn’t the time to quietly examine such things.

“Purpure is curious. Maeve needs to answer quickly!”

“Huh? Rian told you, didn’t he? Isn’t that enough? Don’t you remember anything?”

“Are you a hero?”

Maeve subtly twitched her eyebrows, then quickly smiled and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m a hero. And Saint Dominicus is also a real saint.”

“Then why did you steal the holy sword? Did the adults misunderstand?”

“Ah, that… There was a commotion when I first said I was taking it.”

…So she did steal it? What is this?

“It seems like Lady Purpure is misunderstanding, so it would be better if I explained.”

I looked up at the chief who joined the conversation.

I thought he would give a proper explanation rather than Maeve.

“Ms. Maeve is the ‘last hero.’ That’s why people these days don’t know her face or name.”

“Last hero? Then there are no more heroes?”

“It’s natural since the age of peace has ended and the age of harmony has begun.”

I’ve never heard of any of this before.

I ended up hearing a difficult story that made the roots of my horns tingle.

“Awawa…”

I grabbed my broken horns tightly with both hands and looked up at the chief.

“Then why does Maeve have the gold coins used in the past?”

Based on the villagers’ stories, I guessed that.

“Because she brought the items she used as they were.”

“Yeah… I’m a little embarrassed, but I overslept. Dominicus woke me up late.”

“I did my best. I didn’t know the hero would sleep so soundly.”

“Geez! Thanks to that, we left a week late and I thought we wouldn’t meet!”

Wait a minute, what kind of story is this?

She overslept, so why did she leave a week late?

“I don’t understand anything. What kind of person is Maeve?”

“I’m a hero. Rian explained that, didn’t he?”

“…Why does Maeve call the chief by his name?”

“Uh, because I’m older? When I came here last time, I was this tall.”

Maeve smiled and pointed below her chest.

It’s like she’s saying she’s older…

“Did Maeve come here last time to find Purpure too?”

“Yes, that’s right. When was that, Rian?”

“It was 30 years ago. When I was a child, it was 60 years ago.”

“Ah! That’s right. This is the third time I’ve seen Rian, isn’t it?”

60 years…?

So that’s why she knew I was a young demon, and she said my name correctly?

“Purpure is curious! Ho, how long has it been since the age of, of harmony began?”

“It’s been 200 years, hasn’t it?”

“Then is Maeve over 200 years old?!”

“That’s right? Well, I slept more, so it’s strange to say I’m over 200 years old.”

Maeve smiled, put her hands on her knees, and met my eyes.

“I’ve come to Moonlight Haven more than seven times to meet Purpure again.”

“Why did you come so many times…?”

A hero who lived for over 200 years.

Normally, I’d think it’s a bluff, but since the chief with a white beard, Rian, doesn’t deny it, it must be true.

“You don’t remember? I made a promise with Purpure a long time ago. Let’s meet again.”

“Awawa…?”

“You don’t remember, do you? It’s okay. You’ll remember everything when you go back to the land of prophecy. We made a lot of promises! We promised to eat delicious food, wear pretty clothes, and have a birthday party.”

I don’t remember making such a promise.

Why would a demon lord and a hero make such a promise in the first place?

We’re like the front and back of a coin, existing to kill each other.

“I didn’t make such a promise. It doesn’t make sense!”

“It’s okay. You’re saying that because you don’t remember now. And…”

Maeve smiled brightly and held out her hand to me.

“I also got angry and said it was a strange thing when Purpure first said it!”

I made such a promise?

There’s no way!

Why would I, a successful demon lord who was about to take over the whole world, make such a promise?

“Yo, you’ve got the wrong person!”

“No, it’s Purpure. There’s no way I’d be wrong.”

“I don’t make such promises!!!”

“You did! So we’re going to the land of promise, just like we promised at first! I’ll never let go. Got it?”

Ah! Really! Who does she think she’s mistaking me for?

There’s no way there’s a foolish demon who would make such a promise.

“Okay, for now…”

Still, it’s a little reassuring that she’s not thinking of selling me as a s*ave or executing me as an example.

And if she has such a misunderstanding, it’ll be easy to make her my ally, right?

She’ll gladly eat food full of magic and desire. And she keeps saying she’ll buy me delicious food.

Making the hero party my subordinates. In the end, I didn’t need to change my original plan.