It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 29

Chapter 29 :

“My demand is simple. And it’s not unreasonable.”

“…”

“My condition is one thing: cut ties with Seria.”

“Seria?”

“Yes, Seria.”

“…Why? You could’ve asked me to remove the Geass instead.”

For her, the Geass was nothing short of the worst kind of shackle.

If it were gone, she could have turned the tables on Ragna and exacted revenge.

But she shook her head, as if she had no such intentions.

“I told you, it’s not an unreasonable demand.”

“…”

“From the start, the reason I targeted you was for her future no, for the sake of my homeland, Shreid. If that’s the case, I’ll do everything I can for that cause. That’s all.”

With that, Karen tightly shut her eyes and closed her mouth.

It was a clear sign that if her condition wasn’t met, she wouldn’t agree to his request.

Seeing this, Ragna lightly clicked his tongue.

He’d had countless loyal subordinates around him.

But someone displaying such absurd loyalty was a first for him.

Despite being trampled, humiliated, and even ravaged by the magic of Geass, she still put her country’s cause above her personal feelings.

In a way, it was almost admirable.

“…I can’t give you a definite answer. Even if I try to distance myself from her, she might not let me go.”

“…”

“But even so, I’ll do my best to ensure our relationship doesn’t become public knowledge. That’s the most I can promise right now.”

“…”

A brief silence followed. Ragna quietly waited for Karen’s response. And then,

“…Fine, I’ll accept.”

In the end, Karen agreed to the proposal.

It bothered her that she couldn’t completely sever their relationship, but even so, the boy’s abilities were undeniable.

If that was the case, it was reasonable to assume their relationship wouldn’t leak to the public. Ultimately, she chose the best option available to her.

“Good, it’s settled then.”

With that, Ragna extended his hand toward Karen. At his gesture, Karen shakily rose from her spot.

“…This is sudden, but there’s one issue we need to resolve…”

“…What’s that?”

“No, it’s better if you see for yourself… Look over there.”

At his words, Karen turned to the direction Ragna pointed.

And she was shocked.

“Seria?! Why is she here?!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! She might hear us!”

“…!”

Only then did Karen shrink back in surprise.

Ragna was no different.

Hearing the sudden voice, Seria, who had been following the footprints, looked up and glanced around.

Then, tilting her head, she lowered her gaze back to the ground.

“…Why is she…?”

“I don’t know. I think she followed the footprints.”

“No way… Wait, that makes sense. She said she lived in the mountains for a long time. It’s only natural she’d know how to track footprints in the middle of the night.”

Groaning, Karen muttered.

Then, looking at Ragna, she said,

“So, what do you expect me to do? Take her down or something?”

“I never said that. I’m the one in trouble here. It seems like she’s chasing me. If this keeps up, she might follow me all the way to the workers’ quarters.”

“…”

“And it’s the same for you, isn’t it? If she’s wandering around alone at this hour… and chasing a man to the workers’ quarters, wouldn’t that cause a huge problem?”

“…You’re right, but…”

“Then it’s simple. You take responsibility and send Seria back.”

“Me?”

“Who else is there? If I step in, she won’t want to leave… Right now, you’re the only one who can send her back.”

“…”

At Ragna’s words, Karen quietly nodded. It made sense.

“…Alright, I’ll send her back right now.”

“Wait, hold on!”

“…What? Weren’t you the one who told me to send her back? Why are you stopping me?”

Frowning, Karen questioned him.

Ragna sighed and gestured as if covering his eyes.

“…How about you check your appearance before heading out?”

“…?”

At his words, Karen looked down at her clothes. Her face flushed bright red.

And for good reason her top was completely undone, and her lower half was entirely bare.

“Ugh, you shameless jerk!”

“Well, I’m the one who did this, but…”

You’re the one who provoked it, aren’t you?

He almost said it but swallowed his words.

There was no need to make things worse when they’d already reached an understanding.

Instead, Ragna sighed, moved around, and picked up Karen’s pants from the ground, tossing them to her.

“Ugh! Don’t look this way!”

“I’m not looking. Don’t worry.”

I’ve already seen everything there is to see.

Thinking so, Ragna turned his head. The sound of rustling came from behind him.

“…Done?”

“…Yeah.”

Another sigh.

But Ragna didn’t turn around. Still facing away from Karen, he spoke.

“Then send Seria back. We can’t let her wander around in the forest like this.”

“And you?”

“I’m heading back to the workers’ quarters… Well, I’m probably late for roll call, though.”

“…Got it.”

With that response, Karen moved through the bushes, rustling as she went. As the sound faded, Ragna cautiously turned his head.

Peeking through the bushes, he saw Seria, startled by Karen’s sudden appearance.

Karen’s scolding voice followed.

At her reprimand, Seria fidgeted nervously before finally backing down.

Karen practically dragged Seria away.

Seeing this, Ragna let out a small chuckle.

“…Alright, time to head back…”

Muttering to himself, Ragna stood up. He began walking through the dark forest path.

Then, he shivered as a chilly breeze brushed against his skin.

It seemed autumn was approaching.

__________

“Ugh…”

After being thoroughly scolded by Karen, Seria was heading back to her quarters with a sulky expression.

In her mind, she blamed Ragna for everything.

She had snuck out of her quarters past curfew and chased after Ragna because he had suddenly disappeared from her room.

He must have gone back to his workers’ quarters.

But that wasn’t what Seria wanted.

They’d finally gotten a chance to be together.

Wasn’t it only natural to spend the whole night whispering sweet nothings and confirming their affection?

Yet, he’d left this adorable girl alone in her room and gone off… She couldn’t let that slide without giving him a piece of her mind.

That’s why she’d recklessly left her quarters to chase after him.

And in the end, she got caught by Karen.

‘But why was Lady Karen in the forest?’

Karen was always strict about rules.

Why was she alone in the forest in the middle of the night, and in casual clothes instead of her uniform, no less?

It piqued her curiosity, but it wasn’t a situation where she could ask. She could feel Karen’s terrifying glare boring into her from behind.

In the end, Seria had to suppress her curiosity and keep walking forward.

_________________

As she stared at Seria’s back, Karen was enveloped in complex emotions.

It was, quite literally, a night like a bolt from the blue.

She’d gone out to catch a rabbit and ended up facing a tiger.

And after being thoroughly toyed with by that tiger, she was only released thanks to its begrudging mercy.

As a knight, it was nothing short of humiliating.

Yet, what nagged at her was why such a formidable figure was so concerned about the girl in front of her.

“…”

It was clear that the boy, Ragna, cared about Seria.

He’d probably let her go because Seria had shown up unexpectedly.

But why?

No matter how much she thought about it, Karen couldn’t figure out the reason.

Karen cared about Seria because she was a promising candidate to become a White Knight, someone who could bring prosperity to Shreid in the future.

But that boy, Ragna, wasn’t affiliated with any country.

Why would such a boy care about Seria?

‘No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand.’

The discomfort in her lower body.

The lukewarm feeling in her stomach.

The sharp pain on her tongue.

Feeling all this, Karen frowned.

But no matter how much she pondered, no answer came.

In the end, Karen gave up on finding an answer and let out a sigh.

All she could do was one thing.

Like the Geass spell etched on her tongue, she could only hope that the boy’s words were true and that he’d keep his promise.

For a member of the White Knights, humanity’s strongest military force, it was an embarrassingly weak stance.

Yet, Karen found herself accepting it without realizing.

For some reason, standing before that boy, Ragna, made her feel that such weakness was only natural.

It was an utterly mysterious and incomprehensible feeling.

And the moment she’d come to understand what that feeling meant would come only after some time had passed.

For now, she was simply shaken and bewildered by her own incomprehensible emotions.

___________________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id