Episode 8: Humans and Demons

The kitchen of the Demon King’s castle was impressive, but not necessarily in proportion to its frequency of use.

In the center of the room stood a large, polished marble platform. Surrounding it in a horseshoe shape were cooking tables and ovens. On the platform, baskets were haphazardly placed, piled with a multitude of apples, lettuce, and leeks. Mixed in were ingredients unfamiliar to Viola, likely unique to the demon side of things.

Suppressing her dancing heart, Viola ventured further into the kitchen.

Outside of the ingredients, on the platform where no noticeable cooking utensils were placed, Viola took out plants she had harvested from her skirt and arranged them. Unlike the neatly stacked quality ingredients, these were all wild plants and herbs. Nevertheless, they added a unique flavor.

“Hello. Hey, don’t you think it’s a waste to only cook that? In such a nice kitchen?”

“Whoa!? Ah, a human!?”

Approaching a man who seemed to be tearing the roots of vegetables, Viola greeted him. However, what came back was a scream. Though Viola felt sorry for startling him, the man had completely stopped his hands, staring intently at Viola. Glancing outside occasionally, he probably wanted to call for the guards.

But Viola didn’t want to make a big fuss. Explaining the situation, she smiled and offered her apologies.

“I’m sorry for coming in so suddenly. I just wanted to borrow a part of the kitchen. I’ll clean up everything myself, so please!”

“Uh, um…?”

Even though the man seemed to be at a loss for words, Viola tilted her head.

Perhaps he was bothered by Viola being a human, but his reaction seemed more like fear than dislike. Trying to peer into the trembling man’s face, Viola took a step closer, but as soon as she did, he recoiled as if repelled.

In the process, the man bumped into the cooking table and hit his head on an inverted wine glass. Amidst the cool sound of the collision, the man seemed to regain some composure.

“Uh, um, sorry about that.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, um, may I ask… what’s the relationship between you, a human, and the Demon King?”

“The Demon King?”

Viola put a finger to her lips in response to the question she had just been asked. Answering “a shield” would be easy, but this man couldn’t possibly know that Viola had any connection to the Demon King. When asked, without looking at her directly and with a suspicious expression, the man replied.

“Well, um, the residual magic of the Demon King seems to linger on your body.”

“The residual magic?”

Viola looked down at her arm, pressed her nose against it, and sniffed. Naturally, there was no scent. Perhaps a skilled mage could sense something.

“Residual magic, is that a thing?”

“Do humans not understand it? That scent undoubtedly belongs to the Demon King, and it’s quite potent. I wonder what powerful magic the Demon King cast.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Was it cast on her without her knowledge? Knowing that man, it’s impossible to imagine what kind of spell he used. While it’s unimaginable, it’s easy to imagine that it’s something terribly malicious.

In response to Viola’s unease, the man shook his head without hesitation.

“It’s not currently active. It’s just a lingering scent.”

“I see.”

Viola had no understanding of the high-level magic used by the Demon King.

If it wasn’t currently affecting her, there was probably no need to worry. Viola, thinking optimistically, returned her attention to the current issue.

Vegetables were piled on the platform. In other words, it was lunchtime.

“Anyway, we got sidetracked, but can I borrow the kitchen?”

“…May I check with the head chef?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for the trouble.”

The man walked to the back of the kitchen and spoke to another man.

The man he was talking to had vivid green hair, matching the vegetables he held. Most of his short-cut hair was covered by a cloth.

Even for such casual cooking, it seemed there was a head chef. So, it wasn’t that they lacked interest in food, but rather that the culture of putting effort into cooking didn’t exist.

It had been a long time since the worlds of humans and demons had been cut off. Originally two races living in the same country, the demons’ tyranny became unbearable, leading to a war. After a long and inconclusive battle, the kings reached an agreement to separate and signed a non-aggression pact, as Viola had been told. Since then, the two races have almost never interacted, each evolving in their own way.

However, that boundary was gradually fading.

Previously, those who breached the non-aggression pact were criminals and subject to punishment.

But then, a hero suddenly appeared. As a result, the king himself began to dream big dreams.

Viola, shaking her head, sighed while staring at the vegetables in her hands.

Humans had systematized magic and magical tools, but demons had an innate affinity for natural magic.

Regardless of who won, in the event of a battle, it would inevitably turn into a quagmire. Since the king began violating the non-aggression pact by trying to kill the Demon King, how many battles have already taken place?

The people were already suffering. Subduing the Demon King required manpower and resources. Viola had witnessed the collection of village laborers, increased taxes, and struggling people many times.

“…It would be better to just stop this.”

Muttering softly, Viola reached for the vegetables.

She might get scolded if permission wasn’t granted. Doing nothing would also be a waste.

Drawing water from the huge embedded container in the wall and letting it flow slowly as she pulled out the stopper, Viola silently washed the vegetables.

The monotonous task had been repeated many times in the training facilities of the Demon King’s subjugation force.

What used to be a daily routine has now become second nature.

Training facilities scattered throughout the human kingdom were hastily built on the king’s orders, often using orphanages or repurposed abandoned houses. The one Viola belonged to was one of them, a small mansion on the side of the forest.

Participate in training, become useful to a certain extent, then go out into the field. Especially talented individuals went to the central force, while others were assigned to reconnaissance units.

days of training that didn’t change much, all for that one day.

It was there that Viola encountered the hero.