Chapter 32

Some wolfkin warriors had begun their march toward the capital. They caused a ruckus, their group blocking the main roads. They attacked the soldiers who tried to stop them, creating a whole lot of trouble. A spear led in front of them. The demon lord’s spear.

“Im- Imposible! That spear can communicate!?”

The guard nodded. “Our soldiers who had escaped reported that the spear conveyed thoughts directly into the minds of the wolfkin.”

They saw how the wolfkin would stop, one of them would look at the spear, and would stand there before moving again, giving orders to the men below them. They didn’t hear anything, and there was no reason for them to suddenly look at the spear; thus, it could be assumed that the spear must have given them commands.

Meline glanced at Tila and Kade. “I’ll contact Linda.”

•••

They had assembled a team to take down the spear. Kalou and Linda would act as a distraction, while Meline would wrestle with the spear, reducing its mobility. Letosis would then utilize Keystar to rip the soul away from the spear. Tila and Kade didn’t have any combat ability, so they would be staying behind.

“...”

“... I can’t believe I’m sitting with a married man.” Tila chuckled. They sat in the clubroom. Since Meline was no longer linked with Kade, she went off on her own. Linda and Kalou had gone to help. She claimed that things would be done in a jiffy, that she would be back soon, but Kade couldn’t stop worrying.

Despite returning to the school for the first time in a long while, Kade couldn’t concentrate. Kade tried drowning himself in his studies, in an attempt to pursue the new dreams he found in this world. Yet, the material went in one ear and out the other. He felt he hadn’t learnt anything, despite being there in class.

“You want to go and help?” Tila asked.

“Yes,” Kade answered resolutely. But he understood why she told him to stay behind. He couldn’t use magic. He had limited experience with a sword. His being there would mean Meline needed to protect him. Meline wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

He didn’t want to be a burden, so he decided to trust her.

“What a good husband you are.” Tila laughed awkwardly. The two hadn’t spent any alone time together. Whenever they were together, Meline was there. Meline would be the one conversing with Tila the most, while Kade sat on the sidelines and observed.

“I wonder if there’s anything to do while we wait…” Tila stood up and looked around. The scrolls that occupied the clubroom had all been moved into Kade’s and Meline’s home. Kade was the only one who could read them anyway. Now, they had a lot of empty space on the shelves.

“... What if we see your brother?”

“... Are you that bored?”

“... I guess.”

It wasn’t necessarily boredom. Had it been, the solution would have been much easier. Kade could go around town and look for something interesting. Nothing he did eased his mind, however. That spear seemed like a huge threat. Not something she could get under control with a simple spell. Kade knew that his line of thinking made no sense. This is the demon lord. She may have become his wife, but she was still powerful. Her powers didn’t disappear when she took her vows.

They’ve spent ten whole years together. Combine her strength with Linda’s, Letosis’, and Kalou’s, and they would be an unstoppable team. Since this issue was related to the head of Demon Lands, the soldiers would be there with her.

Logically, there was no way some wolfkin warriors, who didn’t even receive full support from their own tribe, could defeat her. All he needed to do was take a deep breath and calm himself down. Yes, this would be no different from waiting for the result of an exam. He knew the result already. All he needed to do was wait for the confirmation.

“I’ll get a 100 for sure.”

“You’ll get a what?”

“Ah, no, never mind.” Kade didn’t realize that his voice had leaked out.

“By the way… don’t you think Linda and Kalou are… well… close?”

Kade hadn’t paid any attention to them. He wasn’t aware of what Tila was talking about. This was a perfect distraction, however. Even if he didn’t know, continuing the discussion would benefit him.

“You think so? Maybe because they used to be in the same party?”

The ‘war’ only lasted a year. Meline’s intentions were clear: to be an absolute menace. She failed to become one. Instead of making people fear her, she ended up making people like her. She erased the tension between the humans and the demons. She did embarrass the leaders of the country, so they didn’t like her. But, for the average person, Meline was a kind individual.

Thus, despite being the heroes' party, formed for the single goal of defeating the demon lord, they never actually fought her. Back then, only the members would go ‘fight’ the demon lord. The hero would stay behind, helping out with whatever he could do. They still spent a lot of time together, however, so it was no surprise that Linda grew close to him.

“I think they’ve known each other before that,” Kade added. Linda’s fame came from her role as a magic professor, despite her young age. Kalou had tried inviting her to form a party, even before the war, but Linda turned him down. Linda’s move to the heroes' party only happened after the king himself asked. At least, that was what Linda said.

“So if Meline never attacked, they’ll never be together?”

“Maybe not.” Kade shrugged. Things might be very different if Meline had never attacked. He might not even be there, since there was no need for him to be involved. There wouldn’t be anyone to prevent the two from meeting, and there wouldn’t be any need to read the scrolls.

“Had neither of you arrived… then I guess I’ll still be in that tiny room, alone. Oh, wait, I wouldn’t even be in that room.”

“You did mention that the club lacked members, didn’t you?”

Back when they first met, Tila claimed that the club lacked the necessary members to continue operation. She had been going around looking for people, but no one was interested. It was hard to believe that all of this happened within the span of three months. Kade’s life, which had been relatively uneventful for ten years, all changed in a fraction of that time.

Kade recalled his past life. Those years he lived on Earth. Those boring, uneventful, painful years were far behind him. He was grateful for everyone who came into his life throughout his time in this world. Meline, Linda, Tila, Kalou, and everyone else. He wouldn’t be living such a fulfilling life if it weren’t for them.

•••

Unfortunately, reminiscing didn’t help too much. After a while, his mind returned to the current reality, waiting painfully for Meline to return. To come through that door, no, teleport in and say that everything had been dealt with. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen.

Tila let out a gasp, her eyes widening in shock. “Impossible.”

“Huh? What happened?”

Tila fell silent for a moment before shifting her eyes toward Kade.

“They need help.”