Chapter 30

“……Huh? Can you hear me?”

Grinning at me was the worst person in the National Army.

Somehow, I’d ended up tangled with this demon—the one even Rex, the infamous “Untouchable,” warned me to stay away from.

“Ah, yeah. Just… surprised, I guess. So, you’re the Great General?”

“That’s right! I’m pretty important, you know? …Not that anyone actually respects me, though~”

The curly-haired bureaucrat pouted, furrowing her brows. Nothing about her demeanor suggested she was a villain.

Her posture was earnest, her tone friendly. A bright, carefree smile never left her face.

“Anyway, we’re here! That door’s the entrance to the training grounds.”

“O-oh… right. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“No worries! If anything, I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you ever need help, feel free to come to me.”

“Uh, no, it’s fine. I didn’t do anything worth thanking me for.”

“So humble~ I wish my subordinates could learn from you.”

Why was Rex so wary of her? Talking to her, she just seemed like a harmless, perpetually unlucky pushover.

…But that was the unsettling part. If Rex warned me about her, there had to be something more. She probably harbored some unimaginable, terrifying malice.

Stay sharp. Don’t let your guard down.

“Heyyy! This adventurer wants to use the training grounds! Open up!”

“M-Miss Mino?! What are you doing here?”

“I was just asked to guide her. Be polite—she’s my savior, okay~?”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

When Mino called out to the burly soldier near the entrance, he stiffened like a board, shoulders trembling.

Yeah, this woman was definitely dangerous. If a grown man was that scared of her, she had to be something else.

“…But, um, there’s just one problem.”

“What is it?”

“General Melo is currently inside the training grounds. If a female adventurer enters, he’ll probably…”

“…Wait, that guy’s here? Shouldn’t he be slacking off chasing women at this hour—?”

At the name Melo, Mino’s face paled. Mine probably did too—he was at the top of my list of people I never wanted to meet in the capital.

Why the hell was he at Penny’s training grounds? Wasn’t this supposed to be the Western Training Grounds?

“FOUND YOU!!”

As I exchanged a confused look with Mino, an ear-splitting roar echoed from inside the training grounds. Then, right in front of me, appeared the arrogant, lecherous Melo—the same guy I’d crossed swords with just two days prior.

“Heh heh heh… Bold of you to show your face in front of me, you little brat!!”

“Hey, Mino. This is the Eastern Training Grounds, right? I was looking for the western one.”

“Huh? You weren’t looking for the eastern one?”

Ah, of course. Now that I thought about it, I never actually told Mino I was searching for the Western Training Grounds. So she’d accidentally led me to the Eastern one—Melo’s territory.

Seriously, this is bad. No female adventurer in their right mind would willingly go near Melo’s faction.

“I was hired by General Penny. I was supposed to be at the Western Training Grounds.”

“But we met at the eastern city walls?”

“…Huh? The side with the sun is east, and the side without is west, right? There’s no sun here.”

“That changes depending on the time of day!?”

Mino looked utterly dumbfounded. Oh, right—the sun’s position shifts. Now I remembered my master mentioning that.

Maybe I should’ve just trusted Karin’s directions.

“Mino, you brought that brat here? Thanks for the delivery. …Girl, today’s the day I make you understand your place.”

“Ugh, Melo, I’ve got no business with you. Wasting time on a loser like you is pointless.”

“I’M NOT A LOSER!!”

“Uh… you two know each other? Wait, are you about to fight?! Agh, why does this always happen to me?!”

Tch. If I don’t get to the training grounds soon, Rex is gonna call me an idiot again.

I really don’t want to fight this guy. It’s just a pointless stamina drain, and his swordsmanship’s amateur-level—I’d get nothing out of it. I’d be better off just lifting weights.

“Step aside. Today, I’ll be your opponent personally.”

“Fighting you is a waste of time. Get lost.”

“…Running away, coward!!”

Who the hell are you calling a coward—?! No, calm down.

Don’t take the bait. I’m supposed to be cool—I always regret losing my temper. And I don’t wanna owe Rex any more favors. Gotta play this smooth…

“HEY!! Melo, STOP!!”

While I was wrestling with the urge to snap, the petite bureaucrat suddenly wedged herself between me and Melo.

“This swordsman here? She’s my savior.”
“Hah? Savior?”
“Yep. My life’s savior. She just rescued me from some reckless noble brat who tried to kill me…”

Mino plastered on a dry smile, trying to pacify Melo. I appreciate the gesture, but you’re just gonna make things worse, aren’t you? Like hell Melo’s gonna listen to a request like that.

Well, she is a demon. Maybe she’s got a plan.

“WHO DARED ATTACK YOU, MINO?!”

“Ah, don’t worry about that—I’ll handle it myself. More importantly, please? Let her go.”

“…Tch. No way. This bitch humiliated me in front of—”

“Please, Melo.”

“……”

But when Mino tilted her head up slightly, flashing a pleading smile, Melo’s cheeks tinted pink. His loudmouth shut instantly.

…Wait. Melo, you’re into that? I mean, sure, Mino’s pretty, but…

“No?”

“Ugh, FINE!!”

Instant results.

One smile from Mino, and the raging Melo turned docile as a kitten. Damn, the power of love is scary.

“Great! Now, shake hands!”

“Uh… hard pass.”

Whap.

When Mino cheerfully tried to force a handshake between me and Melo, I reflexively yanked my hand away.

"You scared me! What the hell are you doing? I appreciate you stepping in, but there’s no way I’m shaking hands with him."

……Mino’s face froze over again.

"Hah? What’s with that attitude? I’m the one making concessions here. Mino went out of her way to mediate, and you— You little brat, I ought to cut you down right—"

"I have zero interest in playing nice with the likes of you. I haven’t forgotten what you tried to do to my comrades."

"Fine by me! I never planned on holding hands with you in the first—"

"OKAY!! OKAY, NO HANDSHAKES NEEDED!! Let’s just call it here and disband, alright? DISBAND!"

Sweating buckets, Mino wedged herself between us, pushing us apart with both arms. Melo and I glared at each other for a few seconds, but the tension fizzled out thanks to Mino’s desperate mediation.

…Tch. Maybe I should back off for now.

"Alright then, see you later, Melo! I’ll escort her to the Western Training Grounds!"

"…Yeah. Don’t let me see your face again."

"That’s my line. Stay the hell out of my sight, Melo."

"YOU’RE THE ONE WHO CAME HERE!!"

We nearly started bickering again, but a flustered Mino forced a strained smile and shoved me forward. I kept my guard up in case Melo tried to ambush me from behind, but he didn’t seem inclined to follow. Huh. Looks like he can’t defy this woman.

And so, without further incident, I safely left the Eastern Training Grounds behind.

---

Later…

"…So, uh. What exactly did Melo do to you?"

"He tried to force my comrade into prostitution. When she refused, he hurled every insult imaginable at her."

"That idiot… I’m sorry. Really sorry. If it’s okay with you, I’ll personally apologize to your comrade—"

"No thanks. I’d rather never deal with him again."

Now that we’d put distance between us and Melo, Mino and I continued our conversation as we strolled down the hallway. While it was a relief to be away from that lecherous bastard, I was still stuck with Mino—the National Army’s so-called "worst demon."

This is bad. If Rex sees me hanging around General Mino, he’s gonna lose his shit.

That said, I didn’t want to bluntly say that and risk pissing Mino off. What do I do…?

"Hey, uh, General Mino? I can find my way from here—"

"Someone who can’t tell east from west shouldn’t push themselves. Besides, I’ve been cooped up all day—this walk’s a nice change of pace!"

"Ugh…"

Despite my attempts to slip away, the demon general just kept smiling and guiding me. She doesn’t seem evil at all… What exactly is Rex so furious about?

Hmm. Maybe I should ask. There might be some misunderstanding.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything!"

"You know the Sword Saint, Rex?"

The moment I mentioned Rex’s name, Mino’s face drained of color.

"Y-y-yeah? Wh-what about him? What does Rex-kun have to do with me?"

"Well, he’s the leader of my party, so—"

"…Oh. Oh no."

Her eyes went hollow. She staggered back, visibly shaken.

"Uh, um. What do I… Aah…"

Her panic was palpable. What could she possibly be so afraid of?

"General Mino…?"

"L-listen, did Rex-kun say anything about me? Like, ‘Stay away from Mino at all costs!’ or something…?"

"W-well… Yeah. Actually, he did say that."

"Right?! Of course he did!"

Huh? So General Mino has some idea why Rex hates her too?

In that case, I kinda want to ask what happened between them in the past. Given how Rex acted, he’d never tell me himself.

But then—

"The truth is… I’m a monster!!"

"……Hah?"

—What came out of Mino’s mouth next was utterly incomprehensible.

"Yes! I am Mino, the cruelest general of all—a fiend who bathes in the blood of the innocent, preys on the weak, and indulges in unspeakable luxuries! A truly wicked, merciless demon!"

"Oh. Okay."

……What the hell is this demon suddenly going on about?

"So… you’re a bad person?"

"Exactly! I’m a vile general who treats human lives like trash!"

The woman in front of me had abruptly launched into some kind of evilness pitch. How was I supposed to take this?

"S-so you should get away from me as fast as possible and go to the training grounds alone!"

"R-right… But more importantly, did something happen between you and Rex?"

"Guh…… Yeah. Something did."

Just as I thought. This woman had some kind of major falling-out with my friend in the past.

I wanted to know. What happened in Rex’s past? Mino knew a side of him I’d never seen.

"What was it?"

"……I’m a villain, you see. I abandoned Rex-kun’s homeland. Back then, considering the military’s finances and resources… it was ‘better’ if his village died out."

"……You—"

"Yes. Me. I’m the one who took Rex-kun’s family from him. Someone as evil as me… you shouldn’t get involved with."

Saying this, Mino smiled—a lonely, hollow smile.

"We never met. From now on, I’ll treat you as a stranger."

"……"

"Well then… Thank you for saving someone like me."

And with those words, she turned and ran—as if fleeing from me.

For just a moment, I could’ve sworn… she looked like she was crying.