It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 :

“Ugh…”  

With a soft groan, Seria began to stir, her eyes fluttering open.  

Slowly, she opened her eyes and cautiously scanned her surroundings.  

“Where… am I?”  

A familiar place flickered in her memory.  

This was the path she always took to meet Ragna.  

But why was she lying here, collapsed?  

At that moment, a familiar voice broke through her thoughts.  

“Looks like you’re finally awake.”  

“...!”  

Startled by the voice so close to her, Seria whipped her head toward the sound. Standing there was-

“Ragna? Why are you…?”  

“Why?” Ragna replied, his expression tinged with confusion. “Are you seriously asking that? Didn’t we agree to meet here tonight?”  

His words made Seria let out a small gasp.  

“…Oh!”  

It came back to her.  

Yes, she had made plans to meet Ragna tonight. He had mentioned wanting to give her a gift before they parted ways. She had left her lodging and headed to their meeting spot. But… why?  

“Why was I passed out?”  

The question slipped naturally from Seria’s lips. She remembered heading to the meeting place, arriving near this clearing, and then Ragna appearing. But after that…  

“Hmm…”  

Seria frowned, her brow furrowing.  

Something had happened she could feel it. A vague, unsettling memory stirred, like something unpleasant had occurred. She strained to recall it, sifting through the foggy haze of her mind, but-

“Ha, really…”  

Ragna’s exasperated sigh snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to find him staring at her with a mix of disbelief and amusement.  

“You seriously don’t remember? Right after you got to this clearing?”  

“…?”  

“What, no way. Did you really forget? You tripped and fell spectacularly.”  

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”  

“I’m saying you fell. Right after you got here. A full-on, dramatic tumble.”  

“…”  

Seria stared blankly at Ragna as he spoke. Meeting her gaze, he continued his explanation.  

“I was honestly shocked. It was probably dark, and you tripped over a rock or something. Luckily, you don’t seem to have any visible injuries, but just to be safe, you should check yourself. Any aches or pains?”  

He gestured lightly, and Seria patted herself down.  

“…No, I’m fine.”  

“Well, that’s a relief.”  

Ragna let out a sigh, visibly relaxing. Watching him, Seria’s thoughts began to piece themselves together.  

(Oh, that’s what happened.)

She must have tripped over a rock or something as soon as she arrived and passed out.  

Now that she thought about it, her clothes were covered in dirt and grass.  

It must have happened when she fell.  

If that was the case, then that uneasy feeling she had earlier…  

It didn’t matter.  

Probably just a bad dream or something.  

“…Right, it was just a dream.”  

“…”  

“Heh heh…”  

Seria scratched her head awkwardly, chuckling. Ragna, watching her, gave a small smile.  

But hidden in the shadows, his hand was clenched so tightly it had turned pale.  

(It wasn’t a dream.)

It was real.  

He had violated her.  

But he couldn’t tell her that.  

If he did, her mind would shatter in an instant.  

So, all he could do now was act desperately, convincingly.  

He had to make her believe it was all a nightmare, to play it off as casually as possible.  

With that thought, Ragna sighed again.  

“Seriously… think about how I felt, seeing you collapse like that right in front of me. And you didn’t even try to get up! I was freaking out.”  

“Ugh… don’t say it like that! It’s partly your fault, you know! You’re the one who called me out to this dark place!”  

“Well, when you put it like that…”  

Ragna scratched the bridge of his nose, still looking unconvinced.  

Seria, glaring at him, suddenly changed the subject.  

“Anyway!”  

“Hm?”  

“The gift! When are you giving it to me?”  

“…Oh, right. The gift.”  

“Ugh, you got me all excited for it! If it’s something lame, I’m gonna be mad!”  

“Come on, cut me some slack. I’m just a lumberyard worker; I don’t exactly make a fortune.”  

A lumberyard worker’s pay was a measly three copper coins.  

Not even enough to buy a proper loaf of bread.  

But even with those measly coins, there was something he could do.  

Ragna pulled a worn pouch from his pocket.  

“…What’s that?”  

“Just wait a sec.”  

With a soft clink, Ragna pulled something out of the pouch. Holding it in his hand, he dropped it into Seria’s palm.  

“…Oh!”  

When Seria saw what was in her hand, a soft exclamation escaped her lips.  

It was a necklace.  

The pendant, shaped like an intricate geometric design, glowed faintly yellow under the moonlight, adorned with a delicate bird symbol. The chain itself shimmered silver.  

Seria held it up to the moonlight, examining it closely.  

“…Don’t stare at it that hard. It’s not exactly master craftsmanship.”  

“…! Did you make this yourself, Ragna?”  

“Well, yeah.”  

Ragna rubbed the back of his neck, looking away sheepishly.  

As he said, the necklace was his creation.  

Well, the pendant part, at least.  

The tools for making it were readily available at the workshop. Shaping the design and polishing it with crafting tools wasn’t too difficult.  

And the material? As one might guess from its yellowish glow, it was made from those copper coins.  

Of course, raw, tarnished coins wouldn’t do, so he had to refine them into ingots. For that, he’d explained his situation to an old craftsman, who agreed to help.  

The old man, with a knowing smile, even threw in the silver chain for free.  

He probably thought Ragna and Seria’s relationship was progressing nicely.  

Ragna figured he’d owe the old man something later.  

For now, though, he needed to check the animal traps he’d set up nearby. Glancing at Seria, he saw her quietly turning the necklace over in her hands.  

It seemed like she liked it.  

Ragna’s face softened, a small wave of relief washing over him. Seeing her so happy eased the heavy guilt weighing on his chest, if only a little.  

“Heh heh… thanks, Ragna.”  

“Don’t mention it.”  

“Oh, Ragna, can you lend me your arm?”  

“Hm? Oh, right. Time to get up.”  

Quite a bit of time had passed.  

According to the watch in her pocket, which Ragna had checked earlier, over an hour and a half had gone by.  

It was time to send her back.  

As Ragna grabbed Seria’s arm to help her up, she wobbled

“…!”  

Her body faltered, unable to find balance, and she collapsed. Ragna, startled, caught her in his arms.  

“W-what’s wrong? Why’s this happening?”  

“…”  

Seria mumbled to herself, confused.  

Ragna didn’t answer.  

He had erased all traces.  

The blood on her body, the evidence of what had happened he’d used his “reclaimed magical power” to wipe it all clean.  

But even so, the torn remnants of her innocence and the violation that had pierced her body couldn’t be undone.  

“…Maybe it’s just dizziness? You just got up, after all.”  

“Yeah, that must be it. Let me just… stay like this for a bit.”  

Fearing he might trigger her memories, Ragna quickly offered an excuse.  

Seria nodded lightly and leaned into his chest.  

Under the moonlight, their figures overlapped, looking almost like lovers.  

“…”  

“…”  

An awkward silence hung between them.  

Thinking it might be okay now, Ragna started to pull away

“Hey, Ragna?”  

“Yeah?”  

“If I leave this place… it’ll be hard for us to meet again, won’t it?”  

“…”  

(Here it comes.)

The magic was taking effect.  

Ragna nodded slowly.  

“Probably.”  

“…”  

“Seria?”  

“No! I don’t want that!”  

“…!”  

Her reaction was so intense that Ragna flinched, stepping back. But before he could move further, Seria threw herself into his arms, clinging tightly.  

“…!”  

Her tear-filled eyes looked up at him, and Ragna’s face flushed with panic. In a trembling whisper, she said,  

“I don’t want to be apart… I love you, Ragna. I don’t want to leave you…”  

“…!”  

Ragna’s expression froze, as if struck by a hammer.  

He stared at her, dumbfounded.  

What was she saying?  

She didn’t want to be apart?  

That much he could understand. But… (love)?  

What did she mean by that?  

“…”  

In his confusion, Ragna’s mind raced to make sense of the situation. He couldn’t let this spiral out of control.  

First, he checked the magic he’d cast.  

He was certain.  

It was the “Brand of Enslavement” spell.  

Not a “Charm” spell.  

A charm spell, one that manipulates emotions directly, was beyond his magical capacity. That’s why he’d chosen the Brand of Enslavement instead.  

The Brand of Enslavement didn’t carry any charm-like effects.  

As the name implied, it was a spell that fostered mental dependence on the caster.  

For example, if the enchanted person had to choose between the caster and someone else, they’d choose the caster. Or they’d fear being separated from them.  

It wasn’t absolute control, but over time, the dependency would grow stronger, embedding itself deep in the subconscious, impossible to remove.  

But that was supposed to take time.  

A sudden confession of love like this? That wasn’t supposed to happen.  

Which was why Ragna was panicking.  

“…Hold on, Seria.”  

“Hm?”  

He tried to calm her down, her intensity almost overwhelming. Then he spoke.  

“Look… we’ve only known each other for about a month. Don’t you think it’s weird to talk about love or whatever after such a short time?”  

A month, give or take.  

But if you counted only the days they’d actually spent together, it was barely two weeks.  

“Talking about love after that little time? It just doesn’t add up!”  

His words came out almost like a shout.  

And no wonder Ragna came from a time 500 years ago.  

Back then, love and marriage weren’t casual affairs. Chastity and pure, restrained romance were held in high regard.  

He’d grown up in the Magic Tower, a place dedicated to magical research, where women were scarce and asceticism was the norm.  

From childhood to adulthood, he’d lived in that environment, only to be betrayed and nearly killed, escaping to the demon realm.  

There, he met his lover, Margarita, but their relationship only became romantic after a decade.  

So, this sudden development was utterly bewildering to him.  

But Seria, undeterred, responded,  

“It’s fine! Love doesn’t care about time! What matters is how we feel!”  

“Well, sure, that’s true, but…”  

It was a valid point love didn’t need time to blossom.  

But for Ragna, it was hard to accept.  

He needed an excuse.  

“And besides, I’m just a commoner! An orphan, no less. I’m not exactly a match for you…”  

“If we’re playing that card, I’m an orphan too! And I grew up in the mountains with just my dad a total country girl!”  

“…”  

Her retort left Ragna speechless.  

And then came her follow-up.  

“Or what? Are you saying you don’t like me?”  

“No, that’s not it, but…”  

“Ugh…”  

Seria’s eyes reddened, tears welling up.  

This was bad. Really bad.  

If this went on, the Brand of Enslavement could spiral out of control.  

Normally, it wouldn’t be an issue, but right now, it was dangerous. If her dependency on Ragna deepened any further, she’d become inseparable from him.  

That would lead to disaster.  

Someone would notice her abnormal attachment. They’d investigate her, and eventually, Ragna’s involvement would come to light.  

If his identity was exposed, it was all over.  

He had to stop her before it came to that. But then

“…Okay, Ragna.”  

“…?”  

Had she calmed down?  

Ragna looked at her, hopeful. But then-

“…!”  

He saw it. The unsettling fervor in her eyes. The determined set of her lips. And then *whoosh*!  

“What are you doing, Seria?!”  

“Don’t worry. It’ll be quick, Ragna.”  

Her voice trembled as she spoke, and Seria began to slip off her top, slowly approaching him.  

Ragna stumbled back, only to feel something solid behind him.  

He turned to see a massive coniferous tree rooted firmly in the ground.  

And then-

*Soft.*  

“…!”  

A gentle sensation pressed against his chest.  

The faint, feminine scent of her skin filled the air.  

Ragna’s crisis was closing in.  

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id