Chapter 142
Fortunately, Neria readily accepted my offer to stay.
From what I heard, if she went back, she'd just be sleeping on a straw mat anyway. She seemed to like the idea too.
Since I couldn't sleep anyway because of the holy water, I decided to talk with her. It was simply too awkward for a man and a woman to be alone and quiet in such a small tent.
Moreover, she was a minor, and there was a seven-year age gap between us. Originally, we had even lived in different countries. The barrier between us was so great that it was hard to even start a conversation.
Still, since I was the elder, it was usually I who initiated the conversation.
Most of our conversation was my asking about her background.
“So, you've been living in a city all this time?” “Ah, no... I lived in a rural area a bit outside the city.”
It was just easier to have some information first.
“That's strange. If you lived anywhere with people, you'd have a high chance of being discovered. How did you hide it until now? Or did the villagers hide you?”
“Neither. My ability is just good for hiding.”
She said that she could control people to some extent. If she imbued mana and spoke her desires, they would partially manifest in reality.
Of course, absurd wishes like turning back time or becoming rich weren't possible. Her ability only activated within the bounds of what was physically possible to interfere with.
Things like creation of rocks from the Void, or hypnotizing people, were abilities. But even that was a terrifying ability: to be able to forcibly control another's body.
It was practically like a Hypnosis App, wasn't it?
*If only I had an ability like that, instead of just pointlessly controlling blood.*
“Did you put the People in the Shack to sleep with that ability too?”
“Yes.”
“The one you used on me didn't seem that strong.”
“That's why I was surprised. I've seen People resist, but I've never seen anyone break free like that...”
“That's probably because you've only used it on Villagers.”
Breaking free from the ability wasn't that difficult, because by infusing mana, I could push away the restrictions placed on my body. Anyone with a certain level of skill could resist it. Of course, given the prerequisite of being able to manipulate mana, most wouldn't be able to resist.
After that, I continued to listen to her story. In summary, she had been living diligently in a secluded village until her kingdom fell, forcing her to become a refugee.
Unlike her village, this place was teeming with people, so she had been anxious about being discovered. And while she was managing to hide well, I was the one who found her first. From her perspective, it was probably a relief.
“...Your parents?”
“I don't have any. I'm originally from the Back Alley.”
“...That's similar.”
As we chatted casually, dawn broke. Bright sunlight streamed in through a gap in the tent.
Neria noticed the light and started looking at me with pitiful eyes. She was worried that I might kick her out now that the Berserk State had passed. Because of this, I had no choice but to ponder it once more.
Even if living on a single straw mat was acceptable, there were many other people around besides her.
“By the way, where is your mark?”
“...”
When I asked this, Neria silently pulled down her collar and showed me her shoulder blade. A slightly comical-looking mark was visible on her pale skin, a blue mark shaped like two mountain peaks.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Even though it was just her shoulder, seeing the bare skin of a kid whose baby fat hadn't even fully disappeared yet made my conscience prickle. She probably felt something similar when I showed her my collarbone.
*Tsk... No one's going to arrest me for this, right?*
Of course, I had no intention of touching her. No strange thoughts crossed my mind either. Even if I were a human obsessed with lust, I knew how to draw the line.
Anyway, the shoulder wasn't a very good spot. There was a high chance of being discovered if she wasn't careful. If she were discovered like that, covering for her would be extremely difficult.
So, I pondered for a moment what to do with her. As I was thinking, Neria cautiously made a request.
“Um... could I stay here for a while?”
At her pitiful gaze.
“...All right.”
I ultimately had no choice but to nod. And so, I ended up looking after a kid for a while.
*
After that, time continued to pass quickly. More and more Refugees flocked to the Residence every day. Where were they all coming from? There was no end to them, no matter how many were accepted. Along with that, the Refugees' complaints were gradually erupting.
“What do you mean? We can't go back to the Kingdom!” “Now that even the Demon has been exterminated, isn't it fine to go back? We're grateful for the protection so far, but it doesn't seem right to stop us from returning to our houses. ...What? Other demons are roaming around?” “Wait, I am a Knight of Ruryeon. May I speak with you for a moment?”
The news that strange things were roaming around the Ruined Kingdom had spread to them as well.
It wasn't a fact that could be hidden for long in the first place.
The Empire wasn't the only one investigating the Ruined Kingdom. Streamers who smelled views went there, and Adventurers also took on quests and visited. With Otherworlders everywhere, it was impossible to hide.
Thus, the Empire officially announced it and called the small demons “Imps”. It was an official recognition that a new monster had appeared.
For the People of the once-renowned Kingdom, it was a bolt from the blue. Although they had become refugees, it didn't mean they had completely abandoned their country.
People inevitably long for their hometowns, even more so if they left their hometowns so suddenly. The majority of them must have been eagerly awaiting the day they could return. With the news of Beled's Extermination, that hope must have grown even stronger.
But now, their hometown was suddenly being overrun by things called Imps.
Their disappointment must have been immense.
As a result, quite a few aggressive people emerged, from those who accused us of lying to prevent them from returning, to those who caused a commotion, saying they couldn't stay here any longer. As things were getting increasingly volatile, I occasionally had to step in and mediate.
“Now, now, please don't do this. The Knights here aren't stopping you because they want to. You shouldn't take out your frustrations on others just because you feel wronged.” “Oh, um... yes. The young man is right.”
Fortunately, when I stepped in, everyone backed down easily. The fact that I had gotten to know the Refugees a bit over the past few days proved effective. Of course, there were occasionally Kids who wouldn't listen and caused a ruckus..., but those Kids could simply be subdued with force.
Living with the little Kid, Neria, has also become familiar by now.
“No, you just eat the food. What do you mean, “change it because there are carrots”? Is she a baby?” “C-calm down... calm down.”
It seemed inevitable that she would become more comfortable after spending several days in the same tent. The girl, who was usually stiff, seemed to be opening up, and sometimes initiated conversations. Of course, that didn't mean we were sharing a bed.
Anyway, after a few more days like that, Odelia finally appeared. She had returned after taking care of urgent matters only then.
I quickly hid Neria on one side and then greeted the Knight Commander. After all, I couldn't just casually reveal a Manifestor in front of the Knight Commander.
“Wow, look how clean the room is. Have you been doing well?” “...Thanks to someone, I cleaned diligently. You must have had quite a party here, huh?” “Puhaha! I did send quite a few to heaven. How about you go too, for once?”
I simply ignored her words and asked.
“There are too many refugees. It looks like they won't be able to return for a while... What are you planning to do with all these personnel?”
“That's unusual. You're even worrying about state affairs.”
“It's just that I'm worried it might affect me too.”
And I also knew a bit about how it felt not to be able to return home.
“Don't worry. I just came from a meeting about that very thing.”
Odelia continued.
“First, we plan to accept all of them. We're diligently constructing buildings for that reason.”
“...All these Personnel?”
“Well, the ones who look like trouble will just be assigned to less desirable places.”
“That's surprising. Honestly, you don't have a reason to go that far. Public safety will also worsen.”
I said it a bit coldly, but at least that was what I thought. The Empire isn't a charity organization, so accommodating this many personnel seemed rather strange.
“What are you talking about? This is actually an opportunity for us.”
But her and the Higher-ups' thoughts seemed to be quite different.
“Public safety... honestly, it will probably worsen for a while. But broadly speaking, haven't we essentially taken over an entire Kingdom? And our international image will improve, without even fighting a war.” “...” “In the short term, it might be chaotic, but in the long term, it's no different from territory expansion. We'll also replenish the personnel we've been lacking.”
She said that they had essentially acquired an entire Kingdom for free. Odelia genuinely seemed pleased. *Just how severe was their labor shortage...?* I felt a little sorry for the Empire's Officials. *Well, that was probably why they quickly recognized a Manifestor like me.*
I then asked what else I was curious about.
“What if they say they want to exterminate all the imps and return to their kingdom?” “That's fine too. They'll owe us a debt anyway, so we can just keep milking them for it.”
Once again, I realized how cold politics could be. As I was silently marveling, Odelia spoke to me again.
Anyway, thank you for holding down the fort for me. Thanks to you, I could go and come back at my leisure. You can go back comfortably now. You've worked hard for two weeks.”
My job was done, so she let me return. After patting my shoulder once, she said she'd look around for a bit and left.
I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Returning to my House was, of course, a good thing. I was already starting to get tired of life in This Place anyway.
But now that it was time to go back, I was worried about what to do with Neria. Leaving her behind felt wrong; she'd be on my mind.
But taking her with me without a plan was also awkward. Bringing someone new so suddenly into my Cave felt rather off-putting.
There was also the problem of when our Berserk States activated. Even if A was fine, if one of us had a B-type activation... an unimaginable accident could occur!
I didn't want to rot in prison for the rest of my life...
I can't exactly get her a house in the city either.
I had enough money to buy a house in the periphery, but ultimately, people were the problem. And I was also reluctant to let a young kid live alone.
What about telling the Knight Order outright?
That would be completely absurd.
Although I managed to get by somehow, I couldn't guarantee that others would be able to do the same. Given this uncertain possibility, the stakes were her life. I couldn't act rashly.
A sense of frustration welled up in me, as I was unable to choose either option. Then, a suitable place came to mind, a place where she would never be discovered by others, and where I could directly care for her.
A green-haired Demon with only a head flickered in my mind.
*
A few days later, I went to visit Barbatos, who was in The Depths.
“Oh? You came back a bit sooner this time. I thought you'd come back in a few more months. So, did you bring bread this time... Who's the kid behind you?”
She saw Neria behind me and her eyes widened.
I smiled brightly and said:
“I brought a friend because I thought you might be bored.”