It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

“…Why is she here?”

Muttering in disbelief, Ragna observed Seria’s figure.

Meanwhile, Seria was gradually approaching them.

Ragna could hear Seria’s murmurs in his ears.

“Hmm… the footprints definitely led this way…”

“...!”

Could she have followed the footprints all the way here?

Stunned, Ragna hurriedly turned to Karen.

He didn’t know why she had followed him this far, but it wouldn’t be difficult for her to reach the place where Karen was. He had to convince Karen before that happened.

Returning to Karen’s side, Ragna grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

“Hey, Karen! Karen Steiner!”

“…”

“Is she out of it? This is troublesome…”

Muttering, he lightly clicked his tongue.

It seemed he had been a bit too rough in his agitation.

If things continued like this, there was no telling when Seria might arrive. Thinking so, Ragna decided to take a more forceful approach.

*Slap!*

A sharp sound rang out as his hand struck Karen’s cheek.

Karen let out a sharp groan from the pain radiating around her cheek.

“Ugh!”

“Snap out of it, Karen Steiner! Is this how a knight of Shreid behaves?!”

“...!”

Ragna’s shout echoed in Karen’s ears.

At his voice, Karen barely managed to regain her senses.

“You…”

“Hmph, looks like you’ve finally come to.”

“…”

Clenching her teeth in humiliation, Karen glared at Ragna.

And understandably so she had been thoroughly violated and subjected to strange magic.

It would be strange if she weren’t furious.

“Whatever look you give me, I don’t care. More importantly, I have something to say.”

“…What is it?”

“I want to propose a deal.”

“…A deal?”

At Ragna’s words, Karen looked at him as if she couldn’t comprehend what he meant.

“…I don’t get it. Why would someone like you need to propose a deal with me? Couldn’t you just manipulate my mind with that fancy magic of yours and be done with it?”

Karen spoke with a self-deprecating tone.

But Ragna shook his head.

“I have my own circumstances, and we’re short on time.”

The magic of Geass, being an ancient spell, required a vast amount of mana.

Moreover, Ragna had already used a considerable amount of magic to deal with Karen, leaving his mana reserves nearly depleted.

He didn’t have enough mana left to manipulate Karen’s mind.

On top of that, using magic would naturally reveal the flow of mana, which could catch Seria’s attention from a distance.

That would ruin everything.

“So, I’ll make you an offer. And if you accept it, Karen, I’ll set you free.”

“…Set me free?”

“Yes.”

At Ragna’s response, Karen furrowed her brow as if weighing her options.

Then,

“…Fine, what do you want?”

Ragna nodded at Karen’s response.

And then he spoke.

“I want two things. First, get me out of this lumberyard.”

“…”

“And the second is to get me enrolled in Shreid’s military academy.”

“…!”

---

At Ragna’s proposal, Karen blinked and stared at him.

Ragna, meanwhile, looked back at her with an unchanging expression.

Enrolling in Shreid’s military academy.

That was the best choice Ragna could think of.

What Ragna needed now was information.

And for that, he needed a proper status and money.

If it were just Ragna alone, that wouldn’t be a problem.

With his magic, obtaining status and money would be easy enough.

But there was an issue.

Seria’s presence.

If he escaped the lumberyard as originally planned, Seria would undoubtedly come after him.

Hadn’t she already tracked him down by following his footprints?

And if Seria pursued him, it would cause significant trouble for her country, Shreid.

That much was clear from his earlier conversation with Karen.

As such, Ragna couldn’t simply break away from Seria. The trouble that would follow was too obvious.

But living under Karen’s thumb, as if tethered to her, wasn’t an option either. That would prevent him from gathering the information he needed about the descendants of the demons.

Thus, he came up with the idea of the institution Seria was part of.

The Kingdom’s military academy.

If he were there, staying with Seria wouldn’t feel too out of place.

Moreover, he had the qualifications to enroll in the academy.

Namely, the ability to control golems as a man. Even if it wasn’t an innate ability, it appeared the same outwardly, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Furthermore, even if it was an institution for training warriors, as an educational establishment, it would likely have a decent collection of books.

It might not be entirely satisfactory, but he could gather a reasonable amount of information.

It was practically a perfect plan.

But,

“…That’s absurd. I can’t agree to such terms.”

“Why not?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Letting a potential spy from another country escape the lumberyard is bad enough, but enrolling you in Shreid’s military academy, the heart of our nation? No matter how much I’ve been trampled, I’m still a knight of Shreid! I can’t do anything that would endanger my country!”

At Karen’s words, Ragna clicked his tongue lightly.

It seemed she was gravely misunderstanding something.

“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you’re under…”

“Still lying? A mage like you, wandering alone, pretending to be a vagrant in a place like this lumberyard? That’s what’s suspicious!”

Karen’s misunderstanding was understandable.

The current situation and Ragna’s ability to overpower her made it impossible not to suspect his identity.

The decisive factor was the Geass magic Ragna had used.

Geass was a spell found only in myths and legends.

No ordinary beggar would know such a spell.

“…”

Realizing the source of Karen’s misunderstanding, Ragna frowned.

He could roughly understand why she was suspicious of his identity.

The problem was how to convince her.

If he had enough time, this wouldn’t be an issue.

If she didn’t comply, he could force her to.

But the problem was that he didn’t have enough time.

“Damn it! Even if I say it’s a misunderstanding, it won’t get through.”

Clicking his tongue, Ragna began to think of ways to convince Karen quickly.

While he was doing so, Seria was likely getting closer. He had to convince Karen before she arrived.

How? As he pondered, a spark of inspiration flashed in Ragna’s mind.

“Hey, Karen.”

“…”

“I keep saying this, but it’s a misunderstanding. I don’t belong to any country.”

“Another lie? Do you think I’d fall for—”

“What if I swear an oath?”

“…”

A brief silence followed. Then Karen asked in a skeptical tone,

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. An oath. Yes… I’ll swear on Geass that my words are true.”

“…!”

At Ragna’s words, Karen was startled.

She opened her mouth to say something.

But by then, Ragna had already prepared to activate Geass.

“By the ancient oath of the spell, I declare: I am not affiliated with Shreid or any ‘human nation.’ If my words are false, may I be cursed by the oath.”

“…”

“…There, satisfied?”

“…Yeah.”

Karen, holding her mouth, frowned.

Seeing her, Ragna felt a slight pang of guilt.

Come to think of it, the Geass he had placed on her was tied to her tongue.

To make the effect more direct, he had inscribed the magic circle on the affected area, but this had caused the magic circle to reactivate, stimulating her tongue.

It must have been quite painful.

“…Sorry.”

“…”

Karen didn’t respond to Ragna’s question.

She just kept holding her mouth.

But it wasn’t because the pain in her tongue prevented her from speaking.

The reason Karen remained silent was the doubt filling her mind.

Geass is a magic that doesn’t discriminate.

It’s like a blind sword.

While it’s a dangerous magic, it’s also incredibly fair.

Its power applies equally to Karen and Ragna alike.

Yet, despite that, no change occurred in Ragna’s body.

Could the magic have failed to activate?

That was impossible.

Karen knew better than anyone whether the magic had activated.

The pain in her tongue was proof that the magic had taken effect.

“…Is it true? You’re really not affiliated with Nord, Kalfrain, or even Udisella and Byfram… Just what are you…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I don’t have any memories. All I remember is this magical knowledge. Wandering in the Dark Forest was just a coincidence.”

Careful not to let her connect him to the Demon King who died 500 years ago, Ragna spoke preemptively.

At his words, Karen looked at him with suspicion but ultimately nodded.

“…Alright, I’ll believe you.”

“…”

At her response, Ragna let out a soft sigh of relief. However,

“That doesn’t mean I’ll just do what you say.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have conditions. If I’m going to comply with your demands, I have some of my own.”

“…”

Was she going to ask him to remove the Geass?

Or perhaps demand an apology for what he did to her body?

Thinking so, Ragna stared at Karen. But what came out of her mouth was completely unexpected.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id