I Picked Up a Former Female Hero Who Missed Her Chance at an Inn in the Village in Front of the Demon King’s Castle.

Furuta

Part 1

“Well then, Father, Mother! I’m off!”

My name is Deviluke.

I am the son of the Demon King Sataluke and a candidate for the next Demon King.

“Deviluke, go and see the world with your own eyes.”

“Be careful, Dev.”

“Mother, seriously, stop being so clingy! I’m already 15…….”

The war between us, demons and humans, began hundreds of years ago.

Then, five years ago, my father, the current Demon King, fought the Hero. After acknowledging each other’s strength, demons and humans began walking the path of peace.

And now… having turned 15, I decided to leave the lands where demons dwell and begin a journey to explore the world of humans.

“Even so, to have mastered the ‘Transformation Spell’ at just 15 years old… My son truly is gifted.”

“As my father’s son, it’s only natural that I can do this much!”

Currently, I am using a transformation spell to disguise myself as a human boy.

Even though the war is over, many humans still hate demons, so I’ll travel strictly as a human boy.

Father actually said something like ‘It’s not so much that the war ended, but that we’re in a relatively calm state of Cold War,’ but it was too complicated for me to really understand.

That’s why I wanted to see for myself how humans live in the world today.

“Dev, you can come back anytime. Just send a carrier bat, and I’ll come and pick you up wherever you are.”

“Mother, you worry too much.”

“My Dev is so cute, you might get attacked by some lewd human woman……”

“I’m Father and Mother’s child! If anything happens, I won’t lose to any human!”

Wait, why specifically human women?

Regardless of whether they’re demons or humans, men are usually stronger, aren’t they?

“Hahaha, human women are quite troublesome, Deviluke. After all, the “Hero Ivy” who challenged me and brought the long war to an end was also a woman.”

“That’s… true though.”

Hero Ivy.

Five years ago, she fought my father, the Demon King Sataluke, and proved herself to be his equal. She was the female hero who paved the way for peace between demons and humans.

But honestly, that’s the exception. I can’t imagine a human kingdom crawling with women like Hero Ivy.

“Anyway, I’ll be fine! My transformation spell is rock solid—it won’t wear off even if I sleep. And besides, you can’t become the next Demon King unless you can travel the world by yourself!”

“Hmm, that’s the spirit!”

“Your Mum’s worried~”

With Father laughing heartily like that and Mother looking worried the whole time, I cheerfully dashed out of the Demon King’s Castle.

　――　――

“So this is Saihate Village……”

A few days after departing from the Demon King’s Castle in high spirits.

I arrived at “Saihate Village”, the closest human settlement from the land where the demons lived.

“Going any further in this form would be a bad idea.”

I belong to a demon race called the “Evil Bat Race. I had a single long horn on my forehead, wings, and a tail growing from my back.

Beyond that, my appearance differed from humans in other ways too—my pupils and whites were reversed, and my fangs were quite prominent. There was no way I could go to Saihate Village in my current form.

They don’t completely exclude the demons, but as expected, they’d be wary if a child of the same race as the Demon King showed up.

“And so, time to change into human form right here.”

I cast the transformation spell, completely changing my appearance to that of a human boy.

In this state, unless someone uses precise magic detection, I wouldn’t be exposed as a demon.

“Elves, dwarves, littlefeet…… Surprisingly, there are some demons here too…….”

Five years have passed since the ceasefire ended the war between humans and demons.

Given the area’s proximity to demon territory, peace-loving, conflict-averse races have ventured into human towns and seem to be managing reasonably well.

“Anyway, I’m starving. Gotta grab a bite somewhere or buy some magic stones.”

The difference between demons and humans isn’t just physical appearance. Unlike humans, who derive energy from nutrients in food, demons feed on mana for nourishment.

Mana faintly permeates the air, but the quickest way to replenish it is through magic stones, which are crystallized mana.

Then again, it seems human-made dishes can actually replenish mana too.

When cooking uses fire or water magic, the mana gets absorbed into the food, so if demons eat the food prepared in this way, they can replenish their nutrients…or so they say.

“Human food, huh… I’m looking forward to it, but also a little scared.”

I travel around human countries using the Transformation Spell as a human boy, but I can’t get all my nutrition from magic stones alone.

Although demons do cook and eat as a luxury, it’s nothing compared to human kingdoms…or so Father said.

Well, since I’m here, I hope I find a dish I like.

“I wonder how many meals this one coin will buy me……?”

I took a golden coin out of a small leather pouch.

It was a gold coin that could be used in the human kingdom. My father had defeated countless heroes and kept it as a trophy in his treasury. He gave it to me as travel money.

“Well, I guess I’ll just try going into a nearby shop.”

To be honest, I don’t know the market prices in the human kingdom at all, so I decided to just go into the first shop that caught my eye.

“Tableware and a hanging-bed sign…… it looks like a restaurant. Maybe I’ll try this one.”

Clang-clang!

“Welcome~”

“Please help yourself to a seat.”

“Thanks……”

When I entered the place that looked like it served food, a young human man and woman greeted me.

From the looks of it, those two are the staff, and the only customer was a woman at the counter… a manageable number of people to handle any situation.

“Here you go, some water ~. Please call us when you’re ready to order ~”

“Ah, thank you.”

A glass of water was placed in front of me.

I haven’t ordered anything yet, so does this mean it’s free……

“Hick…… Hey, another glass of fire wine~”

“Ives, you’re drinking too much this early~”

“Shut up! I’m the strongest, dammit~……!”

“(Whoa, what’s with that woman……)”

A woman sitting at the counter was nagging the waiter who had just brought me a glass of water.

Seems she’d been drinking and got drunk.

Come to think of it, Father also liked the fruit wine the dwarves made… he’d occasionally get drunk like that and get scolded by Mother.

I was forbidden to drink it because I was still a child, but is it really that delicious?

“…… Hmm? What’s this? Rare. A customer in a place like this?”

“That’s rude, calling it ‘a place like this’. We’re doing our best to offer the lowest prices in Saihate Village.”

“Well, you know~ it’s just a diner run by an innkeeper who’s doing it for fun~ “

Have I suddenly ended up in the wrong place……

Well, maybe not a bad shop, but a shop with a bad customer……

Anyway, let’s just eat quickly and leave.

“S, sorry. May I order?”

“Yes~ yes”

“Umm… I’ll have the Saihaite grilled Swamp Goat and Silverberry Juice…….”

“Grilled Swamp Goat and Silverberry Juice, got it. Just a moment, please ~”

Phew, I managed to order without incident.

Looks like it’s true that human writing and language were passed down by the elves.

There are some characters I can’t read sometimes, but it’s basically the same as the Elvish language. I’m glad I learned it.

“Hmm~…… Oh~hey, you there, boy ~”

“Wh, what is it?”

While I was quietly waiting for my food, the drunk woman in the back started talking to me.

Honestly, I could do without this…. Is this what my mother meant when she said, “watch out for human women”……?

“You’ve got an elven accent~…… but you don’t look like a half-elf~…… are you perhaps from the Far East? Or do you have an elven grandparent~?”

“No, it’s not like that……”

What’s with this woman… She’s pretty sharp despite being drunk……

“Here you go ~, Swamp goat grilled to perfection and silverberry juice~”

“Th, thank you……”

Sizzling chunks of meat and a clear, amber-colored drink.

So this is human food… Well then, let’s dig in.

“Huff, huff… Hah.”

I cut into the thick meat with a knife and brought it to my mouth. The juices spread out with a squelch and fill my mouth.

“Munch, munch… Mm. Delicious.”

I once got a little of the dried marsh goat meat Father ate before, but I never imagined it could be this tasty.

Is it because it’s freshly grilled? Or is the seasoning just good?

“You’re traveling alone, boy~?”

“Munch, munch…… What? Oh, yeah.”

“An orphan, perhaps ~?”

“No, I left home and am traveling. My parents are back in my hometown.”

The drunken woman came up to me while I was eating and started talking to me.

…… Wait, when did she even move over to my table?

“Traveling alone to a place like this at your age… Just arrived in Saihate Village?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m just about to look for somewhere to stay.”

The waiter joined in on my conversation with the drunk woman.

Maybe it’s not good to pry too much……?

But considering I’ll be staying in this village for a while, I should probably explain a bit……

“Well then, how about staying at our place? The second floor is the inn.”

“The lodging fee is the cheapest in Saihate Village, and you get the highest level of safety in Saiha Village~!”

“Uh, uh-huh……”

The cheapest lodging, yet the safest in the village…?

Is that really possible……

“By the way, how long can I stay with this coin?”

I took out my pouch, which was filled with gold coins, and spread it out for the waiter to see.

One coin should cover a single meal, but lodging would cost more than that.

“Whoa!? Wh, what is that large pile of money?!”

“Huh? Wait, isn’t this an old imperial gold coin? With just one of these, you can stay at our place for half a year with three meals and snacks included!”

“You… you mean I could stay that long?”

I don’t really understand, but it seems that some very valuable coins were mixed in with the gold coins my father gave me.

Certainly, he said he had given her enough money to look around most human nations, but……

“Anyway, I’d like to stay for a few days… about three days.”

“In that case, one of these Kingdom Silver Coins will cover everything, including meals during your stay.”

“Okay, then I’ll be in your care.”

Alright, that takes care of lodging and meals in Saihate Village.

Part 2

“I’m putting you up in this room. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

The owner of the restaurant and inn guided me to the lodging room on the second floor.

The inside of the room is… well, it’s about the size of the toilet in the Demon King’s castle.

I suppose that’s what you get with cheap lodgings. At least it keeps out the rain and wind.

“Hey… I never did ask your name.”

“I’m Devi— no, Luke.”

“Luke, huh? Any plans for later today?”

“No, nothing in particular……”

“Well then, come back down when dinner’s ready. The meal’s included in your stay, so don’t worry about the price—eat as much as you like.”

“Okay.”

I parted ways with the owner, dropped my bags in the room, and lay down on the bed.

Somehow, it feels like the journey has finally begun……

Knock knock, click.

“Boy, are you there~?”

“Huh?”

I was planning to take a quick nap before dinner when the same drunk woman suddenly came into my room.

Damn, I didn’t lock the door… Seriously, just barging in like that is way too sketchy.

“Boy, I’m bored. Let’s chat. Oh, by the way, I’m staying in the room next door.”

“Ugh……”

Ugh, I’m stuck dealing with this annoying drunk……. Is this also something that happens in cheap human lodgings…?

Wait, she’s my neighbor?

“Boy, how old are you? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I’m 15. No girlfriend.”

“Oh, I see, I see~ No girlfriend, huh~… Oh, just wait a sec~”

“Huh? Oh, oh……”

The drunk woman who asked about my love life left the room and came back carrying something.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~”

“Wh, what is that?”

What the woman brought was a greatsword imbued with sinister mana.

How to describe it… it seemed to carry an aura that my instincts rejected……

“This is the ‘Holy Sword Ixvorg’. How about it? Pretty cool, huh~?”

“A…… a Holy Sword!?”

The Holy Sword is a magical weapon imbued with the properties of light that can only be wielded by a chosen few.

The Heroes who fought against my father were said to have wielded famous Holy Swords.

And speaking of the Holy Sword Ixvorg, it was apparently used by the female hero Ivy in the previous battle……

“You, you couldn’t possibly be…….”

“Oh, boy!”

“What’s going on……?”

“I’ll give you this super cool holy sword, so will you marry me!?”

“…… Huh!?”

Wh, what is this woman saying……!?

She’ll give me the holy sword if I marry her…?

Has she lost her mind……

“You know, Sis here~, I was a hero until recently ~”

“She’s starting to ramble.”

The drunk woman carelessly tossed aside the Holy Sword Ixvorg she brought with her, flopped onto my bed, and started talking about herself.

Please go home.

“I was pretty active as a Hero, you know ~, I fought the Demon King to the brink of mutual destruction, negotiated a truce~…… Then, a lot happened, and the next thing I knew, I was 25 years old. No marriage prospects, no lover—just a past-her-prime Former Hero….”

“W, wait… 25? That’s still totally young, right……?”

I don’t really understand human views on marriage, but I know an elf who said getting hitched at 80 was considered young ~.

Well, they are a long-lived race, so maybe they feel that being in the double digits is young.

“Wait, you’re 25 years old……? You look 5 or 6 years younger.”

“Oh, really? I’m so happy! Let’s get married!”

“Marriage has nothing to do with it.”

“But you see, I look young because I haven’t experienced the hardships of raising children yet…… Once you get married, have kids, and struggle to raise them, you finally start looking your age…”

“I, I see.”

No, I don’t know anything about that.

I’m only 15 years old.

“Ah, well… don’t you have anyone you like? Like, a companion from the Hero’s party.”

“The Hero’s party… companion……”

I heard that Ivy, the Hero who challenged my father, was in a party of two men and two women.

If you think about it simply, it wouldn’t be strange if the party members paired up and got married after the war ended……

“The archer Stinger married the wizard Locure. And the great shield user Ganon…….”

“Wh, where’s Ganon…?”

“He married the innkeeper’s daughter at the last inn we stopped at before heading to the Demon King’s castle.”

“Ah……”

“I mean, I’m talking about this inn here.”

“Seriously?”

That means it’s the owner and waiter from before.

So that’s why they said it had the best security in the village.

Of course, if the shop is run by a Great Shield User from the Hero’s Party, it’s sure to have the strongest defense.

“So, boy, I don’t have much time left… I’ll give you this cool sword, so let’s get married, shall we?”

“Don’t try to give up the Holy Sword for that reason.”

“Well, I don’t use it anymore. Does having a holy sword improve your love life? It doesn’t, right? There. Debunked.”

W-What the hell did she just debunk……

“I don’t really get it, but wouldn’t a Hero who saved the country be super popular?”

“If I were a man, I might have been very popular ~”

“Is that how it is?”

“I spent all my time fighting, can barely do housework, have no hobbies, and just drink all day on my days off…… And to top it all off, if my husband and I get into a fight, my useless hero powers will almost certainly destroy a man’s pride…… As a result, No one’s asked me to marry them, and here I am at this age.”

How should I put it, pitiful? Pathetic?

I never wanted to find out that the person who got my father to acknowledge her was now drowning in loneliness and booze in some cheap inn……

“Sis…… Should I call you Hero Ivy?”

“You knew my name…… huh, I like that. Let’s get married.”

“N, no way.”

“Did you just say, ‘I can’t marry an old hag like you’?”

“I didn’t say that.”

A former Hero, past her prime, driven to desperation by alcohol and frustration… I need to calm Ivy down.

Even if it’s for the sake of protecting my father’s dignity after fighting this woman, I can’t just leave her to rot like this. It feels wrong.

“My name is Luke. I’m just a boy who left the countryside and is traveling alone. I’m looking for someone to act as my escort and guide.”

“Lukey……”

“Stop that.”

I picked up the Holy Sword Ixvolg that Ivy had dropped earlier and handed it to her.

When I grasped the Holy Sword, I felt its powerful light magic, which nearly broke my transformation spell, but I somehow managed to endure it.

“Ivy. How about you join me on my journey as my escort?”

“Huh……

“Then, in towns we stop at, you can look for a marriage partner or whatever…….”

“Yes! I’m going to marry Lukey!”

“Not with me.”

“I look forward to a long and happy life together!”

Dear Father, Mother… Shortly after setting out on my journey, I ended up picking up a former Female Hero who’s past her prime.

“Huh~, what am I even doing…?”

“Lukey, when’s the wedding? Where are we having it? I want the Great Cathedral on Mistlight Highlands!”

“I told you I’m not getting married!”

Thus began the haphazard journey of the Demon King’s son and the Former Female Hero who’d missed her chance……