Chapter 8: The Girl’s Past and the Demon Tribe’s Traces

"Hey, you’re late. What the hell were you doing all this time, Monkey Mask?"

"My bad."

Thanks to running into that perverted Rabbit Mask earlier, I ended up late for work that day.

"Well? Let’s hear your excuse."

"...I got reported to the authorities."

"Damn, don’t give me a reason everyone would accept. Makes it hard to chew you out, you bastard."

As a working adult, being late to your job is unacceptable. But in this case, it couldn’t be helped.

It was an accident. I never expected that shady bastard to be the one reporting me.

"Tch. Should’ve known, dressing like some suspicious creep."

"No, I got reported by a suspicious creep."

"Ah, so you got reported as a suspicious creep?"

"No, I mean a suspicious creep reported me."

"Huh?"

Still, who’d have thought I’d get reported by some weirdo in a rabbit mask?

Even the guards should’ve realized he was the sketchy one. They should’ve just hauled those two away.

Why the hell did I have to get interrogated too?

"...So, there’s another freak like you out there?"

"Don’t lump me in with that creep."

"And? How’d you get released so fast?"

"Lady Sakura happened to pass by and vouched for me. Otherwise, I’d have been stuck in lockup overnight."

"Hah, lucky you."

"Even Lady Sakura was shocked seeing that rabbit-masked lunatic. Honestly, I couldn’t believe someone that shady existed."

"Nah, pretty sure she was shocked there was another guy like you."

Man, what a relief. Good thing Lady Sakura remembered me.

"Still, cut it out—no more getting arrested, got it? Even a guy like you’s useful in a fight."

"Useful, huh? Not really keen on getting dragged into gang wars. I’ll handle trouble during shifts, but that’s it."

"Not an option. A real war’s about to kick off. Pay’ll be good, so we need you on our side."

"Ugh, not my thing..."

"You forget who got you out of lockup? You’re even working here thanks to her. Least you can do is pitch in."

...Seriously? I did save her life once, so shouldn’t we call it even?

"Don’t know which family’s behind it, but one of our guys got whacked recently. A courier transporting cash and booze for a client—killed, cargo stolen."

"Yikes."

"The real boss, the old man, flew into a rage and took off. Swore he’d catch the bastard and make ’em pay."

"..."

Wait, a noble gang boss just stormed off like that? These guys act more like straight-up mobsters.

"Lady Sakura’s acting as stand-in boss now... but she’s still young. Doesn’t get the underworld yet."

"Well, she is just a kid."

"But she’s trying her damnedest to live up to being heir. Too damn earnest for her own good."

"...Earnest, huh?"

"When she was little, she found out what we really do—went pale but said, ‘If this is my fate, I’ll accept it.’"

Yeah, no kidding she’d pale. Who wouldn’t if their family turned out to be criminals?

"Being a gangster’s supposed to be wild—threats, brawls, running with your crew, living free..."

"Sounds disgusting."

"But Lady Sakura’s not like that. She’s just... a proper young lady, trying to be honest about her role. Completely mismatched."

Mismatched, huh. True, Sakura didn’t give off the usual crude, violent gangster vibe.

And with how clumsy she was, no way she’d last in the underworld.

"If she’d been born into a normal noble family, she’d have been happy. A sincere, kind girl like her? She’d have suitors lining up."

"Probably. Instead, she’s heir to a gang running brothels."

"Wish she’d just run away. But she’s too damn honorable—even to punks like us. All we can do is not betray that."

With that, the Master downed a foul-smelling swig of yellowish liquor.

The pungent stench burned my nose.

"So this ‘old man’... he coming back?"

"Once he’s gone, he might return tomorrow or years later. This time, he’ll probably come back after settling things. Till then, we protect Lady Sakura."

Huh. So Sakura’s really loved, huh?

Hearing this almost makes me wanna help. But we’ve got our own goals.

For now, I’ll stay out of it.

"What’re the other families up to?"

"They’re getting desperate—more raids, more thefts. That crap with trying to sell Lady Sakura? They’ve stopped holding back."

"Yikes. Maybe we should bail on this town."

"Ambushing shipments is one thing, but now they’re wiping out witnesses. And nobles are joining the raids personally. Heard the last courier attack left the transport wagon in pieces."

"Pieces?"

"Traces of high-tier magic nearby. Only nobles can pull that off. If they’re joining the fight, it’s gotta be the Punko or Sammy family."

Most nobles avoid dirty work, the Master added.

...Hah.

Please tell me that wasn’t near where I took a dip earlier. Not many nobles can cast high-tier magic.

Gangsters with that kind of firepower? Terrifying. This town could get wiped off the map.

No way I’m fighting in a war against that. Staying neutral’s the smart move.

"Can your Lady Sakura use high-tier magic?"

"Sorry, no clue who’s listening. That’s classified."

"Got it. But we can count on her backup, right?"

"Dumbass, in a war, she’ll be holed up in the mansion."

Hmm. So she’s off the battlefield either way.

Even less motivation to fight. Maybe taking this bodyguard gig was a mistake.

Even if I joined, I can’t just start slinging magic around. I’d get exposed.

"...Hey, customers. Get to work, Monkey."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ugh, what do I do about this job? Maybe I should quit...

---

“……Huh?”

“Back already, Irine? We’ve got guests.”

Even though it was nearly midnight, the lights were still on in Karl’s room when I returned to the inn.

Wondering what was going on, I removed my Monkey Mask and stepped inside—only to find a familiar little figure sitting at the table, cheeks stuffed with bread.

“Oh? I-Ilia?!”

“It’s been a while, Sister.”

To my shock, it was my younger sister, Ilia—the same one I’d left at home just days ago. My adorable, slightly rebellious little sister.

“It has only been a few days, Lady Irine.”

“Sarah! You’re here too?”

And with her was Sarah, the maid who’d looked after me since childhood.

Why were they here? Ilia was supposed to be waiting at home.

“Ilia, what are you doing here?”

“Yes, Sister. After you left, we’ve also been investigating the Demon Tribe. We’ve uncovered several leads, so we came to report.”

“Oh…”

Well, that’s a relief. While we’ve been scraping for intel, Ilia used her noble connections to dig up info on the demons.

That’s my sister for you.

“So, what did you find?”

“Let me start with the conclusion: Suspicious incidents have been increasing near the city of Lewin.”

“Suspicious incidents?”

“Attacks on supply convoys—specifically targeting food shipments.”

……Wait. Isn’t that just gang-related turf wars?

“At least four confirmed cases in the past few months alone.”

“…I see. Any survivor testimonies? Were the attackers human?”

“Unknown. Victims are almost always slaughtered.”

Karl seemed convinced this pointed to demon involvement.

But given the escalating gang wars in this city, it’s just as likely to be their doing. That wouldn’t contradict the facts… yet the look in Ilya’s eyes suggested there was more.

“However—this is unconfirmed—but there might be a survivor.”

“Hm.”

“A villager north of here claimed they were ‘attacked by a giant, hairy creature.’ No one believed them, and they were eventually driven out. We couldn’t track their current whereabouts.”

“……”

Wait, seriously? If that’s true, it has to be a demon attack.

“Giant, hairy creature” might not scream “demon,” but finding that survivor would be worth it.

“Thanks, Ilia. If similar incidents are piling up, it’s safe to assume demons are involved.”

“Was this helpful?”

“Very. …Food supply convoys, huh? This gives us a direction. Starting tomorrow, we’ll take escort jobs for food merchants.”

Karl seemed certain the “hairy creature” was a demon.

Sure, it could be… but it might also just be a giant bear. Shouldn’t we gather more intel first?

“…Lev, calm down.”
“……”

Then—drawn by Maika’s gentle voice—I glanced at Lev.

────Her face was deathly pale.

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she clung to Maika, trembling violently, her eyes wide with terror.

“Lev…?”
“…Don’t press her, Irine. Your sister’s info was spot-on.”

Ilia’s intel was correct?

“The lone survivor of a demon attack—a girl no one believed, called a liar, driven out of her village.”

“…No way.”

“The man who took her in? Someone who already knew about demons from the Goddess’s warnings. This has to be a demon sighting. Lev’s the only person alive who’s actually seen one.”

Wait. So the “survivor” they’re talking about—

“…My… my parents… they made me run.”

“Lev…”

“They were legendary adventurers. Heroes who’d even slain wyverns. But against that nightmare… they couldn’t even fight back. That’s what demons are…”

So that’s what happened to Lev’s parents.

They were killed by demons. That’s why she was lost and alone when Karl found her.

“No one believed me. They said my father was weak. Just a senile old man who got killed by low-tier beasts…”

"Lev..."

"My apologies. I’m sorry, Lev—I didn’t realize you had such circumstances. I deeply regret my thoughtlessness."

"...It’s fine. If anything, thank you for going out of your way to come all this way to teach me."

Lev seemed to have endured a terribly painful experience. Sheltered by her own parents, he barely escaped with her life, only to reach safety and hear those very parents slandered.

But if that’s the case, I can now be certain the earlier story was the work of demons. In fact, the recent gang intel about "a smuggler being killed" likely points to demon involvement too.

The demons were already closing in on us, right at our backs. My sister had brought us information worth its weight in gold.

"Ilia, do you have any other information?"

"Yes. Well, it’s not about demons, though."

Huh, she’d dug up even more?

Ilia’s surprisingly competent. I’d always imagined her as a musclehead like me.

"This town seems to have pretty bad public safety. Actually, I got accosted by a really suspicious-looking, dangerous person."

"What?! Are you all right, Ilia?"

"I called the guards right away and avoided disaster. Absolutely terrifying—"

...A suspicious person? Wait, no way.

"—A creepy, shady figure wearing a bizarre mask."

"Oh! The masked weirdo! I’ve seen them too! Someone wearing an ominous, unsettling mask!"

So Ilia had also encountered them—that perverted Rabbit-masked warrior.

"Eh... A mask?"

"Yes! A beast-like mask, worn by an absurd, outlandish freak! Big Sister, have you seen them too?"

"So you’ve met them as well, Ilia... Who are they? How frightening."

"Th-That’s... unsettling. We should be careful."

Right, I needed to share that intel. That mask had an otherworldly, inhuman aesthetic. For all we knew, they could be working with the demons.

"U-Um, that masked person might not actually be that bad...?"

"Karl, you’ve never seen them in person—that’s why you can say that. They’re undeniably a pervert."

"Yes, it’s better to err on the side of caution. With our fight against the demons ahead, we should treat every uncertain variable carefully."

...Huh? Was Karl maybe confusing them with Monkey Mask? Later, I’d have to clarify that the real pervert was Rabbit Mask.

"Ilia, stay in my room tonight. It’s too dangerous to go out at this hour."

"Of course. Thank you, Big Sister. As for Sara—"

"Don’t worry about me—I’ve already received travel funds."

"I see."

And so, the night deepened with my sister, reunited after so long.

---

That evening, to prepare for the demons and our looming nemesis, "Rabbit Mask," I dragged my sister into joining me for a long-overdue, full-powered "Hmm-Hmm" session.

"...Nn? Big Sister, what is this monkey mask...?"

"Call me Big Brother when we’re alone. Don’t worry about it—it’s my disguise gear for hiding my identity."

"......"

Incidentally, my sister stared at my prized disguise with dead-fish eyes for some reason.