Volume 2 Chapter 16 – Alefgard: The Human-Demon Boundary | Tia Croix

| Tia Croix

Between the Demon Realm and the frontier margrave’s territory lay a long, towering wall. It was a record of the battles fought between the heroes and demon lords over millennia, and it marked the boundary between humans and demons.

Through the faint morning mist, I could see it.

At last, I had returned to a place with the scent of humanity.

It had been a month since I cried out in anguish.

It was also the time given to me to figure out how to move forward with my life.

“Finally.”

“Yeah, I thought I’d be back soon, like always… but this time was different.”

Indeed. Quests, explorations, dungeons. The so-called “people-saving missions” often began with Kyousuke’s random ideas. There were times when things got absolutely chaotic or downright dreadful, but the journey back always felt swift.

So I never thought it would take this long.

◆

I remember it vividly—the moment misfortune struck me in the form of a divine oracle on my thirteenth birthday, when I was at the church with my father, praying for a safe journey.

My parents ran a shop in Seagarach, a coastal town in the southwestern part of the continent.

My father would travel to small villages, purchasing silk fabrics, handicrafts, preserved foods, and regional condiments and spices. He also handled mail delivery, entrusted goods, and even reported disputes or conflicts between regions to the local lords before things could escalate. He was a truly versatile merchant.

My mother ran the shop that dealt with all the goods my father acquired, and I helped out with the family business.

Admiring my parents, I dreamed of taking over my father’s work one day and asked to be taken along numerous times, but I never got a favorable response.

My childhood friend of the same age, Karl, had been traveling to larger towns with his parents since he was about ten. They sold the produce from their fields directly to these towns, and every time he left, I would grumble in dissatisfaction.

But I understood my father’s reasoning. He was worried that, as a child or a girl, I might be underestimated or get involved in trouble, which would only put his only daughter in danger.

Still, he eventually relented, saying that if I mastered the basics of trade and didn’t change my mind by the time I turned thirteen, he would take me on as an apprentice. That’s when I started referring to myself as “boku” to avoid being looked down upon.

Thirteen was a special age for girls living in Alefgard. It was the age when the shrine maidens from the tales of heroism received their divine oracles.

Nowadays, there were no longer any demon lords, and over time, the legends had transformed. Instead of the divine oracle, it had become an age to receive engagements, symbolizing a special moment in a girl’s life.

Just as promised long before, my childhood friend Karl proposed to me, and with a bashful smile, I accepted.

And so, the day finally came when I could join the traveling merchants. Together with my parents and Karl, we went to the town’s church to pray for a safe journey and receive blessings before setting off.

However, my destination ended up being the royal capital.

I was miserable.

The hero business had nothing to do with me.

I stubbornly refused, saying things like, “I won’t go!” or “I don’t wanna!” but in the end, there was no going against the church, and I ended up coming to the royal capital with the priests, separated from Karl.

I had even told Karl, “I’ll be back soon, so wait for me!” without any assurance. That was a failure as a merchant.

The heroes from the hero tales.

Of course, I knew them. My longing for traveling merchants and my faint love for Karl had always been intertwined with the tales of heroes. But I never wanted to be a character in those tales. I knew that reality was different from the stories. I had a merchant’s instincts ingrained in me.

At the Grand Cathedral, I met Rozenmarie and Artlily. At the time, I never imagined I’d become this close with them.

They were both so awkward, fidgeting during breaks or before going to bed… It was weird and unsettling.

The powers I gained through the divine oracle, I tried to view optimistically, thinking it meant I could now travel alone as a merchant. The training in church etiquette, the study of ancient texts, and learning about regional climates and customs—all of it, I decided to absorb as seeds for future trade.

The only thing I couldn’t come to terms with was the vow to slay the hero.

And so, two years passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the summoning arrived. The full moon of the Harvest Moon, the same day that Karl had proposed to me.

What I felt first was a lifeless expression. After spending so much time at my family’s shop, I could tell—this was the face of someone who would never pay back a debt.

Yet, I was also puzzled. The heroes in the stories were always so full of life. There was little mention of their previous world, and they all seemed to live enjoyable lives.

But why was this hero, who had ruined both my life and Karl’s, looking like he was on the verge of death? It made me furious.

For nearly six months during the basic training period in the royal capital, I resented this hero with all my being.

My change of heart came soon after the journey began—specifically, when he showed an extraordinary obsession with food.

As a merchant, the thing that bothered me the most about long journeys was the food. It was something even my father had mentioned as a common grievance among merchants.

In fact, I had experienced a tough initiation into this reality on the journey to the royal capital.

It happened on our first night camping.

For some reason, this so-called hero refused to let anyone else handle the cooking pot. Even though we had temple knights and nuns accompanying us, he was stubborn. In the end, they all gave in and followed his lead, but it left me brimming with frustration.

I mean, seriously?

In what world does the legendary hero, the one destined to defeat the Demon Lord and save us all, have to cook for his entourage?

I was dumbfounded. Already irritated with this hero, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth he was doing.

But his eyes had a determination in them—yes, the eyes of someone who would see things through no matter what. To a merchant, those were the eyes of someone trustworthy. Seeing his resolve, I decided to trust him, along with the other shrine maidens, and simply watched.

And then, what was this? It was delicious!

What in the world—this was so good!!

The memory of that amazement is something I still can’t forget.

It was like my world had been turned upside down.

Before I knew it, I had eaten it all without thinking.

According to the hero, it was a technique called layering umami. Apparently, even the impurities that would normally be discarded held flavors, and he used magic to control the heat and skim them off. Despite everything being in the same pot, each ingredient was cooked differently.

“Who even uses magic for cooking?” I grumbled with a laugh, comforted by the delicious meal.

The hero seemed embarrassed and gave a shy smile.

I never thought I would get to eat such delicious meals while camping. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I wrote my usual letters to my father and Karl, praising the hero’s incredible skills.

And then, there was the first “people-saving” mission. He wielded his sword with ease and saved a small girl gathering medicinal herbs. He responded with a reassuring smile to calm the girl’s fears.

It was like something straight out of a hero’s tale.

After that, the journey no longer felt like a quest to save the world. It became an enjoyable adventure, and before I realized it, I, who had once hated him the most, was the first to start calling him by a nickname.

The temple knights would scold me, but I didn’t care. Besides, if I drew attention, it made it easier for Lillie to exchange letters with me. Of course, I got to read them afterward.

Somewhere along the way, I wanted to forge a deeper bond of friendship. But that wasn’t permitted by the temple knights.

The church’s vows and the constant surveillance weighed heavily on my heart, stabbing at my chest and boiling my emotions. Before I realized it, I had fallen in love.

Once I became aware of my feelings, I could no longer bring myself to write to Karl.

The hero’s tale that I had merely used as a reference eventually turned me into one of its characters.

◆

“What about Kuro?”

Rozenmarie asked abruptly.

It must have been about the conversation that would take place after we reported to the Great Cathedral in the royal capital.

I had already decided on the way back, after crying my heart out.

“I can’t go back to my hometown. No, I won’t go back. Marie, you won’t either, right?”

The journey as a merchant was no longer possible.

It was time to start a journey as a woman.

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

“Yeah. So, where do you think would be good?”