Remembering why I was a loner

The next day.

I was riding in a horse carriage alongside Alice and the others. They were talking with each other merrily, whereas I was sitting in the corner awkwardly. I didn't want to interrupt them and I didn't even know how to start a conversation with them. Well, this social awkwardness of mine might have been something that troubled me even in my previous world.

"I've recently found this shop that sells super delicious cake, Alice! Let's go there after this quest!"

"C-cake?! Count me in, Zera! How about you, Sophia?"

"I think I'll pass on that offer, girls. I don't really have a sweet tooth." Sophia declined politely.

"Food is really that girl's fuel..." Harald sighed, looking at the beaming Alice.

Should I ask if I could come with them to that cake shop? No, they didn't even ask me and I'd rather expose my true identity than invite myself to that. How about giving my opinion about cake and sweets? Also a hard no. Again, if I give my opinion about something nobody asked for, I'd probably weird them all out. However, I didn't want to waste my rare chance of getting closer to Alice! I had to take the first step!

I didn't care anymore about what I should say and neither did I care about how weird and cringe it might be afterwards.

"How about getting something to eat later, Al-"

"Kageyama, right?"

I had gathered all my courage and tried to approach Alice, however, Jean cut me off when he suddenly initiated a conversation with me.

"Y-yes." I stuttered, trying to calm down my heartbeat.

"Thank goodness. Would be embarrassing otherwise, haha!" Jean chuckled.

I, too, laughed along so as not to ruin the mood. I laughed stiffly, but I couldn't help it in his presence. No matter how much time I spent on figuring out what that strange feeling of mine was whenever I encountered him, I just couldn't get it.

"So is this your first time hunting goblins?" he asked.

Maybe he noticed that I was kind of isolated from the others and tried to make me feel less lonely. If that was the case, then he might be close to taking over Zera's spot as my second-favorite character in Tales of Tasia.

"Even though it may be your first time, there's no need to get so nervous." Jean reassured me after I nodded my head to his previous question.

"We decided to let you follow and observe us while we complete the quest. So you won't have to do anything and won't be in danger." he added.

I was treated like an intern.

"C-could I still try to contribute to the quest...?" I asked shyly.

Despite my priority being Alice, I also wanted to try my hand at adventuring. I mean, every fantasy fan dreamed about the concept of going out on adventures where you could encounter and fight unknown creatures. If I weren't the Demon King, I would have immediately registered myself as an adventurer!

Therefore, I thought that hunting goblins was an essential experience I needed for future adventures!

"Mhh... I don't know about that..." Jean replied, smiling awkwardly.

"The number of reported goblins was apparently low, but we can't let our guard down because of that. A goblin may be weak, however, they were more cunning than any other monster."

Besides demons, monsters existed in Tasia. They might seem like demons because they were both the common enemy of mankind, however, demons could speak and were a lot more intelligent, making them more dangerous than monsters.

"Also, the goblin hideout we're currently heading to is located near the Cursed Forest — the place where the Demon Castle was." he elaborated as his gaze shifted to the front.

"Are the goblins more of a threat because of the location?" I wondered.

"There's the saying that the closer a monster's home is to the Cursed Forest, the more wicked it is." 

This time, it was Harald who answered. It appeared like he also couldn't keep up with the girls' conversation and thus, approached Jean and me.

"In other words, you shouldn't compare your average goblin with a goblin near the Cursed Forest." he warned us.

"U-understood..."

Still, I could not see some random goblins being a threat to Alice and the others. After all, they were capable of defeating the Demon King.

"Hey, boy." Sophia called for me.

"Yes?"

"Just a quick question, but what is that hairy thing that's poking out from your shirt?" she asked, pointing at her neck.

Guess they found out.

"O-oh, you mean this...?"

I acted nervously and tapped that hairy thing gently until it began to move.

"A-a cat!"

Zera was the first one to react and moved closer to me in an instant.

"This is my cat Carmi... I hope it's okay for me to bring her with us..."

Carmi, or rather Carmilla, took on her cat form once more in order to tag along with us for the quest.

"No problem! No problem at all, right?! If leaving her alone was the other option, then you did nothing wrong, Kageyama!" Zera responded energetically.

I recalled that she adored small and cute animals, but I didn't know to what degree. In the end, I could just stare at her, taken aback while she was literally drooling from observing the disgusted Carmilla.

"How cute..."

Even Alice took a liking to Carmilla. Her expression softened and she cutely attempted to move her index finger towards Carmilla, who, in turn, hissed back.

"Don't fumble this for me, Carmi..." I whispered to her with a tense smile.

It was my opportunity to gain points with Alice!

However, while the others were absorbed with Carmilla, one particular person in the carriage did not react positively.

"..."

With judging and sharp eyes, Jean gazed at Carmilla.

"C-Carmie! Please let me touch your fur one more time...!" Zera begged desperately.

"My liege."

Carmilla crawled up to my ear and whispered to me while returning Jean's gaze.

"Watch out for that person. He's-"

"Everyone, it seems like we will stay at the village that we're about to arrive at." Harald interrupted after exchanging words with the driver.

Apparently, the sun began to set, leading to the unanimous decision to stay the night at a village. The driver and the horses were tired and continuing to travel during the night was therefore out of the question.

"Meow!"

"?"

Because I was distracted for a moment by Harald, I didn't notice Jean snatching Carmilla away from me.

"Don't be so rough with her!" Zera scolded him.

"I got it. I just wanted to get a closer look at her. Isn't that right, Carmill- Carmi?" he apologized with a grin before looking back at the angry Carmilla.

Following that, Carmilla came back to me and pretended to take a nap on my lap.

"I will go and talk with the village's chief. Maybe we can get a place to sleep for cheap." Harald announced when the carriage came to a stop at a village.

"Then, I will look around for food. Hopefully, I can get us some bear meat, haha!" Sophia stated vigorously.

"I guess I will stay here and watch over her." Jean suggested, pointing at Zera, who was already sleeping like a log in the carriage.

"Meow." Carmilla grumbled as she moved over to Jean reluctantly.

Was she signaling me to leave her with him?

"I guess the two of us have nothing to do in the meantime, huh? Want to take a short stroll around, Kagey-"

"Yes. I'd absolutely love that." I replied sternly after Alice asked me casually.

Thus, Alice and I hopped off the carriage and moved on. I looked back at Carmilla one last time and showed her the biggest smile since I arrived in this world because I felt like the happiest person alive.

"Hehehe..."

"You alright?" Alice asked worriedly, hearing my creepy giggle.

"Y-yeah!"

Get a grip, Kai! Don't lose your composure yet! You can do this...!

Naturally, I had to do some mental prep talk before embarking on my adventure. This time, there was no one who could interrupt us — No people, fights, status, demons, or the fact that I was the Demon King.

Alice, I was not kidding back then when I stated that I wanted to help you. And now was the time to stay true to my words.