Reborn Into A Dark Social Game World With Completely Loyal Friends. - Chapter 19: Demi-human

Demi-human

“Marry me.”

The straightforwardness of her words and the clear eyes staring at him left Minato completely stunned.

“Master, I understand how you feel, but you need to snap out of it,” Thanatos advised.

“Huh!?”

Thanatos’s words brought Minato back to his senses. Standing before him, Fran didn’t look like an assassin at all. In fact, her demeanor exuded a sense of warmth and protection. She had a commanding presence, the kind that would naturally attract people.

(This is… incredible in so many ways.)

Her beautiful, ash-colored hair was tied in a ponytail, and her revealing outfit showcased her ample chest and well-toned abs. Players often joked about her abs, wanting to touch them, rest on them, or even lick them. Minato found himself agreeing internally; her abs were indeed impressive.

“Uh… staring at me like that is a bit embarrassing,” Fran said.

“Oh, sorry.”

“No need to apologize… so, what do you think? Will you consider my proposal?”

“………”

Minato suddenly remembered the proposal. Thanatos, perched on his shoulder, snorted in annoyance. Despite Thanatos’s small size, Fran seemed unfazed and continued smiling.

“Nee-san… what are you saying all of a sudden?” the man beside Fran asked.

“I told you to be quiet,” Fran replied.

“………”

The man, who also seemed familiar to Minato, looked confused. The group behind them watched curiously, but Minato knew he couldn’t stay silent forever.

“It’s… a bit much to be asked to marry you out of the blue…”

That was the only response Minato could muster. However, this conversation revealed something crucial: like Mia and the others, Fran didn’t recognize who Minato was.

“I see. It was too sudden, even if it was love at first sight. Rushing things with only my feelings was wrong… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no…”

This is so awkward! Extremely awkward!

Minato couldn’t help but think so. In the game, Fran did show some feelings towards the commander, and she had a surprisingly romantic and straightforward side despite her tough exterior. However, it was baffling that she would direct such feelings towards Minato instead of the game’s commander, especially without her memories.

“Honestly… I don’t fully understand it myself, but when I saw your face, I couldn’t control my heart’s racing… So please, marry me. I’ll do anything for you.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

Fran’s unwavering gaze and serious tone left Minato even more flustered. Thanatos remained silent in his arms, and Minato finally managed to say something reasonable.

“Um… I’m sorry. It’s just too sudden… Getting married right now is a bit difficult for me.”

Fran was undeniably beautiful and incredibly strong. Despite her claim of being a frail woman, Minato knew better. Marrying someone as strong and wealthy as Fran might offer a stable life, but for someone from the modern world like Minato, an immediate marriage was out of the question.

“I see.”

Fran looked visibly disappointed, while the man behind her seemed to agree with Minato’s response, showing an expression of understanding.

(Even though the sudden marriage proposal was surprising, if Fran doesn’t remember me, asking her to come with me based on her memories isn’t an option… Though she seems willing, I don’t want to take advantage of her feelings.)

Despite the surreal nature of the situation and Fran’s straightforward proposal, it still felt somewhat unreal.

“Master, it’s time for us to go,” 

Thanatos finally spoke up, sounding a bit impatient. Despite being a dragon, she was also fond of Minato, and seeing him interact with Fran while ignoring her wasn’t sitting well with her. Though Fran and the others couldn’t hear Thanatos, Minato understood and nodded.

“Anyway, I apologize. I have things I need to do, so I need to head back.”

“Wait, please!”

Minato found himself held back by Fran’s firm grip on his extended hand. Her grasp was strong enough that Minato couldn’t easily pull away by force.

“I’ll give up for now… But I’d like to know your name. I’m Fran,” she said with a smile.

“I’m… Minato. Nice to meet you,” he replied.

“Minato… Minato… Ah, got it! Nice to meet you, Minato!”

In that moment, despite himself, Minato was momentarily captivated by Fran’s smile.

(Her smile really is something… Older women like Fran, who have lived longer than me, definitely have a different kind of charm. Yuzuriha? She’s older too, but hundreds of years older… Let’s keep quiet about that.)

“Alright then, I’ll head back… Tana-chan?”

Minato attempted to wrap up the conversation, knowing he couldn’t afford to be seen lurking in the shadows. However, Thanatos seemed to have found something of interest.

“I’ve been curious for a while now, but is that Minato’s pet?” 

“Huh? Uh, yeah, something like that. Cute, right?”

“Cute… Well, it looks like a dragon, but it’s way too small for that. And it’s not a wyvern either… Quite unusual.”

Incidentally, Thanatos seemed noticeably displeased the moment the word “wyvern” was mentioned, though Minato didn’t notice.

“Master, I sense strong hatred coming from the east,” Thanatos warned.

“Hatred…?”

Intrigued, Minato headed towards the direction Thanatos indicated. Surprisingly, Fran and her companion followed without hesitation. As they approached, they saw a group of travelers.

“It seems they’re on their way to the black market to sell those demi-humans. But they look quite poor in quality… Some seem sick and on the verge of collapse,” Fran explained.

Minato couldn’t help but interject, 

“Fran, please don’t speak of them as ‘poor in quality.’ Demi-humans or humans, they’re all the same.”

“Yeah… you’re right. I apologize, Minato,” Fran conceded.

Perhaps Fran hadn’t meant any harm. In this world, however, there was a clear divide between humans and demi-humans, and the fate of captured demi-humans often involved slavery, exploitation, or worse.

While not all encounters were necessarily bleak, the thick barrier between humans and demi-humans was undeniable.

(Tana-chan’s words, “So that’s what hatred is…”)

That hatred refers to the demi-humans’ feelings toward humans who betray them.

Their hatred stems from having their freedom and dignity stripped away, and being treated as less than living beings… And as this hatred accumulates, it sets the stage for the demi-humans’ eventual revenge against humans.

This is the invasion of the demi-human race.

“Master, what should we do?”

“I’ve already decided… I want to help.”

After witnessing something like that, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.

Surely Minato must be curious about whom she’s talking to, but Fran doesn’t ask at all.

However, it was Fran, not Thanatos, who responded to the murmuring just now.

“I understand. Then I’ll take care of the humans around here.”

“…Huh?”

To that surprising proposal, both Minato and Thanatos are taken aback.

“Nee-san? Is that alright?”

“Building rapport is important, isn’t it? Besides, I somehow feel like I understand Minato’s peculiar side… Right, Minato? You’re different from us who live in this world, aren’t you?”

That was an astoundingly accurate observation.

Seeing Minato fall silent, Fran smiled wryly and, saying she wouldn’t pry further, took two swords hanging at her waist into her hands.

Though they gleam like precious swords, the blades eerily flicker red, responding to Fran’s magic… as if reminiscing about the blood they’ve shed.

“I mentioned it before, but this is just to build rapport. I have no personal attachment to those demi-humans. But because you said you want to help, I’ll lend a hand… It’s only natural for a woman to want to stand out for the man she’s fallen for.”

With that, Fran dashed out… and within moments, all the humans who had been leading the demi-humans were incapacitated.