Chapter 23

The inn room they rented had its own bathroom. Kade went in first because he was the only boy in the group.

“I’m finished,” Kade said upon leaving the bathroom. The sight of Kade with wet hair made Meline’s heart skip a beat.

“...”

“Meline?” Kade called out, snapping her out of her daze.

“Ye- yeah. I'm going in.”

“Meline, Meline, let's go in together.” She held her shoulders, pushing her toward the bath.

“What? No,” Meline growled, but she couldn't resist Linda's push.

“Come on, Meline, let’s get in together.”

“What’s with you?” Meline could stop her if she wanted to, but they had never entered the baths together, despite living together. She seemed particularly insistent for some reason.

“Is there something you want to discuss?”

Linda frowned. “The bath isn't the place you talk about serious stuff.”

Something told her that they would end up discussing serious stuff anyway.

“Fine, fine, let's go.” She finally relented.

•••

“Phew…” Meline let out a sigh after her body touched the water, enjoying the warmth that enveloped her skin. It washed all the fatigue away. As she closed her eyes, she heard a splash when Linda sat down next to her.

“Nothing like a warm bath after a long day, huh?” Linda murmured.

Meline nodded, her eyes still closed. She didn't need to worry about falling asleep, as Linda would probably wake her.

“... So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Me? Just because I asked us to share a bath doesn’t mean I have anything to talk about,” Linda answered.

Meline opened her eyes and glanced toward her. “Really? You're acting strange, I tell you.”

They had been living together for a while, so she figured if she really just wanted company, she could have asked that once they returned home. She had no reason to ask for a bath together. Was she scared? Meline immediately shook the idea away.

Linda used to be a part of the heroes' party. There was no way she would be scared of some wolfkins. Besides, both of them could detect incoming enemies. The wolfkins had their own ways of hiding their presence, but not to Meline and Linda. Much like herself, Linda wasn’t a regular foe.

But then, why? Why would she ask her to accompany her bath? Surely there must be a reason. Was she simply overthinking things?

“By the way, how long will we be staying here?” Linda asked. They had paid the inn for the night, and money wasn’t a concern. It's unlikely she's worried about their economy.

Meline had some suspicions. Some of the wolfkins might be planning something behind the scenes. She must uncover their secrets. The wolfkin already sniffed her trail. They must be careful, although the idea that they could take her on was laughable. At the same time, she couldn’t underestimate her opponents.

But… why?

Why now? Because she visited? As revenge for her attacking the wolfkins underneath the castle? Or maybe they thought they could take her on when alone? Maybe they had planned something else? A way to take down Meline, and they couldn’t let Meline uncover their secrets.

It made a lot of sense. Maybe they didn’t like Meline’s rule, so they’ve been looking for ways to take her down. One of those methods may involve the fourth spear. But, since Meline uncovered that plan, maybe they went for a rougher approach. To ambush her when she left the archive.

“... I’ve asked a simple question, and that stressed you out?” Linda asked, finally looking at her. Her tone was joking, but there was a slight mix of concern in her voice.

“I’m not stressed! I’m just thinking, I tell you.”

“No need to go all defensive. Stress is normal.”

“It’s not normal for the demon lord!” Meline clenched her fist and smashed the water, sending droplets into the air.

“Whoa!”

Meline turned her head away with a huff. As a demon lord, she should never be compared to a regular human. She could do things humans couldn’t. If someone of her stature suffered from stress, then that would be embarrassing. It would also question her rule. How could she deal with problems if something as simple as this stressed her?

“Couldn’t you just send someone to investigate?” Linda asked.

“We don’t know whether or not this is the act of a certain group, or if the entire tribe is against us.”

They already had a not-so-good relationship with the wolfkin. If they sent in an investigation team, people who were previously neutral might turn against them. Those who didn’t know might see this action as unjust and provocative.

“Sending people in could be seen as looking for trouble, as if we're disturbing them.”

“... They're still your people, right?”

“Think of it as a conflict with a noble.”

The wolfkin may not have good relations with the nation, but it did have good relationships with the other tribes. She didn’t want to risk this trouble spreading and turning the other tribes against them.

This didn’t erase her concerns, however.

“... What if the fact that you’re not supposed to fight the hero has something to do with this?” Linda mused, catching Meline’s attention.

“Is this the thing the hero has been investigating?”

Linda nodded. “What if there’s a soul somewhere? Lurking around. If you came into contact with the hero’s sword, then that soul would be unleashed?”

Souls on their own couldn’t do anything, but they could possess items or even living beings. If someone like Meline were possessed by someone's soul, then they could create extreme destruction. It was scary to think about.

“... That's very specific.”

“The hero warned me something about souls and the like, but nothing too specific.”

“... Then that scenario?”

“I thought about that after reading the scrolls.”

The wolfkin scrolls confirmed Linda's worry that souls could possess items and living beings. The hero said that he had suspicions regarding the hero's sword and Meline's spears having their own wills. The wolfkin scrolls took that a step further.

“They claimed that souls can move between objects…”

“Worrying, isn't it?”

Meline nodded. “Quite the material to investigate, I tell you.”

“Still… moving between objects… That's one strong soul.”

Being inside an item for many years was already painful. Their lives, limited to what they could sense from their surroundings. It took a whole lot of willpower to make that decision, a decision that many people would come to regret.

“Is this why you invited me to the bath?”

Linda shrugged. “Who knows?”

Meline had an inkling it wasn’t. If Linda truly wanted to discuss this, then she would discuss it with Kade as well. There was no reason to leave Kade out.

“By the way, how are things going with Kade?”

Yep. That was her true reason.

Meline groaned. “It’s none of your business.”

Linda held her shoulders and began shaking her. “Come on! Tell me! Don’t be so secretive!”

Meline swatted her hand away. “Get off me.”

“Have you done the deed?”

“Have- What!? Of course not! Those things are for marriage! Also, you’re a professor! A professor! Your student’s love life isn’t your concern! Rather, you’re not supposed to stick your nose in this!”

If anything, the fact that they're in university was enough of a reason for Linda to leave them alone. They’re adults now. They didn’t need adult supervision.

Meline regretted taking this seriously. She should have known better.

“Have you kissed?”

“Kiss- That’s none of your business!”

“Eh…? Surely that’s not something you need to wait until marriage?”

“We- Well, no, but we’re not going to discuss that!”

Meline knew that the demons and humans had differences when it came to dating culture, and she had no intentions of letting Linda affect her.

“So, how many children are you planning?”

Meline quickly realized that Linda wouldn’t stop pestering her until she answered.

“Two,” she said, not thinking much about it.

“When will you get married?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’ve been together for more than ten years, right?”

“Yes, together, but we aren’t dating. Don’t treat it as if we’re dating.”

Meline kept answering Linda’s question half-heartedly. Linda must have known this, as she kept throwing question after question.

“What do you think of him?”

“He’s alright.”

“Just alright?”

Meline knew Linda would make a fuss if she answered anything other than alright. If Kade were the one asking, she might be more honest. But this was Linda. She had no reason to know the details.

“What do you like the most about him?”

“He’s kind, I guess.”

“When did you fall for him?”

Meline glared at Linda. Had it not been for her…

… Would they even be a couple?

Meline thought about it. In her mind, they would stay together forever. Neither side looked into the details of the familiar link. Kade never used it. She forgot it existed. If the link were broken, would they go their separate ways? She had just assumed they would be together till the end of their lives.

Which pretty much meant a married couple.

Meline’s face went red, and she sank into the tub, the water hiding her cheeks.

“How can neither of you think about it?” Linda sighed.

“I- In my defense, I simply don't have a reason to be thinking about it!” Meline shouted. “It never entered my mind, I tell you!”

“So you’re pretty much fine with living together forever, right?”

“Right…”

Even the way they acted made them look like a married couple. How they share responsibilities in the house, how they help each other.

“Ahhh!” Meline held her head, this time not because of pain. Embarrassment filled her entire being. She had been acting like a wife without even realizing it. The realization was incredibly embarrassing, so embarrassing that she wanted to disappear.

But… then Kade will be alone… Wait!

Even her thoughts had been drifting in that direction. Meline shook her head, before going completely underwater, prompting a laugh from Linda. Linda continued her barrage of questions, steering the conversation in a certain direction. In the end, Meline somehow ended up more exhausted than before the bath.