A Night of Paranoia

'How long... must I keep doing this?!'

About six months after Menou had begun living with Alice on the Demon King's orders, they were growing restless.

The mountain village where Alice had lived apart from the Demon King was surrounded by trees, and it was easy to lose sight of it if you went even a short distance away. The road there was treacherous, and hardly anyone ever appeared along it—not even monsters, let alone humans.

Because it was deep in the mountains, food was hard to come by, and there were few amenities. Every day was spent simply securing enough food to survive and preparing meals.

Menou wasn't even allowed to go down the mountain and fight humans. Day after day, they chopped firewood and searched the surrounding forest for food for Alice. Menou was beginning to grow frustrated with days that had strayed so far from the path they had envisioned for themself.

'Damn it... I shouldn't be wasting away in a place like this.'

Grumbling every day, Menou brought their hand axe down and chopped the firewood they needed for daily life.

Even if Menou wanted to escape this life, the Demon King was the one who had ordered them to live it. And if Menou wanted to gain power and rise through the ranks, they would have to rely on the Demon King's strength.

'Even as I stand here, humans are oppressing demons... without knowing their place! It's been half a year! I haven't been able to kill a single human for six whole months! By now, I should've been tearing out their guts, and then...'

As they chopped wood, Menou imagined it and found themself breaking into a hideous smile...