The Former Demon Queen Becomes a Teacher?!

"Like I said, I know your secret now. You can't hide from me anymore."

Leafy still gripped the sword with both hands, pointing it at Mary.

For a moment, Mary couldn't breathe. How had the girl figured out everything? And when? She had been so discreet. Well, other than those times when she wasn't...

But where and how had Leafy caught on?

"At first, I wasn't quite sure about my suspicions," Leafy said, her eyes narrowing. "There was you arriving at the guild. Then there was you catching all that food from falling in a matter of seconds. Then there was you failing at every job around town by accidentally messing them up, and you punching that oak table into splinters. That's when it hit me."

Mary swallowed hard at the girl's precise deduction of past events. She really had been paying attention the entire time, piecing the clues together little by little.

"I feel like Mary isn't even your real name. That you're not who you say you are."

Mary felt a cold sweat forming on her forehead. Her hands began to tremble.

Was this it?

Had I finally been exposed?

Would I have to leave my new life, this town, my friends, and go far away, never to come back?

Leafy's eyes remained locked onto hers, the girl staring at her with an intense look of anticipation.

"You, Mary, are..." she began, briefly pausing to drag out the moment.

"Are..."

The sword remained pointed at Mary's face, shaking slightly in Leafy's trembling hands.

"Are..."

Mary's shoulders tensed, bracing for the worst.

"...some kind of high level adventurer in hiding."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Mary, who initially felt like her heart was about to burst, suddenly let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She blinked in confusion, her mind struggling to catch up with the rapidly unfolding situation.

"A... what... now?" Mary asked.

Leafy lowered her sword to the ground, the blade pointing harmlessly at the grass.

"You must be some kind of high level adventurer in hiding here in this town, right? Otherwise, how else can we explain your unbelievable stats, power, and skills?"

The girl was dead wrong.

Most normal people didn't have physical stats as high as Mary's. The only species even capable of reaching a fraction of her total power were certain S Class monsters and, of course, high ranked individuals from the Demon Realm.

But wait...

Maybe I can use this, Mary thought to herself.

"Um... yes. Oh yeah, you got me." She forced a nervous chuckle. "I am... um... I'm from a place far away from here. I was... an adventurer. A very... um... high level one."

She was lying through her teeth, and she knew it.

But it was better than the truth. The truth would cause her to lose everything she had now. Her friends, her job, and this new peaceful life.

There was no way she was going to let that happen.

"I knew it," Leafy said, jumping slightly with excitement and smiling to herself. "This would also explain why you're not very good with social interactions, as well as why you sometimes come across as a little... clumsy. You're just not all that used to this kind of life, right? And you came to Blendingbrook to get away from all the noise and live a little quieter?"

Mary nodded, surprised that part of the girl's deduction was actually true. She did want to live a quiet life. And she was clumsy, especially when it came to dealing with ordinary people, having grown up as royalty in the Demon Empire.

But she wasn't a high level adventurer from some distant country.

She was a demon from the Demon Empire.

"So is this wha... what you said you wanted to tell me yesterday, Miss Leafy?" Mary asked.

The girl nodded.

"But what about your dream? You said you had some kind of goal, something you wanted to achieve. You said I could help you with it."

"Oh yeah, about that..."

Leafy turned around and took a seat on one of the twin rocks where she had initially hidden her sword. She took a moment before beginning her explanation.

"I wasn't born here," she said. "I'm from a human settlement way over there." She pointed in the direction of the south with the tip of her blade. "It's called Thornhaven. A small village, home to about four hundred people at the time. It was a small community."

"Oh, that sounds lovely, Miss Leafy," Mary said, crossing her arms in front of her in a sympathetic gesture.

"Yeah, it was," Leafy replied in a deflated tone, her gaze drifting into the distance. "Until it wasn't."

Mary's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked. "If you don't mind my inquiring, of course."

Somehow, Mary sensed she already knew the answer before the girl could even speak it.

"Demon attack," Leafy said in a pained whisper. "Wiped out my entire village. Including my parents."

Mary instantly fell quiet, the words catching in her throat.

Of course.

It was always her people behind these kinds of horrific things.

What was wrong with her race? Her kind. Why did they enjoy doing things like this? Finding pleasure in the suffering of others.

"I'm sorry," Mary said softly. "From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. I am sorry for everything. For your loss, for the pain, suffering, and heartache my people, I... I mean, the Demon Empire, caused you and your family."

She almost exposed herself yet again.

"Nah, it's all right." Leafy shrugged, though Mary could still see the weight of the trauma lingering behind the girl's eyes. "Anyway, since then, I made myself a promise. When I came here, alongside working as an accountant at the Adventurers' Guild, I would also train as hard as I could to become a stronger adventurer. So I can protect this town, my new home, and everybody in it from any threat that dares to cross its borders."

While seated, Leafy raised her hand, curled it into a fist, and pressed it against her chest as she made this declaration.

Mary, in return, could only deeply respect the girl's resolve.

"So..." Leafy hesitated, then met Mary's eyes. "With that out of the way... Mary, would you train me to become stronger?"

"Huh?!"

Mary opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.

Train her? Me?

But aren't I the enemy in disguise? How would she react when she eventually found out the truth? When she eventually found out who I am and where I came from?

This is so wrong.

I'm the very thing she is training to fight against.

I shouldn't accept.

I can't accept.

"I don't know, Miss Leafy. I'm not sure I should..."

"Please," the girl begged, dropping her sword and rushing over to gently grab Mary by the arms. Her hands clutched Mary's softly as she looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Seeing this, Mary couldn't help but notice the desperate hope flickering in the girl's expression.

Don't be selfish, Mary, she told herself.

Didn't this girl help you when you needed it the most?

You failed over forty two jobs. Nobody wanted to hire you. But then Miss Leafy was the only one who stepped up and offered to give you a chance.

I have to help her.

"Alright," Mary said finally, a tentative smile forming on her lips. "I'll train you."

Leafy's face lit up.

"Really?!"

She immediately wrapped Mary in a brief, excited hug.

Mary froze.

The last time someone had hugged her like this was her mother, on the night before she died. Before that, it had been Emilia, back when they were just kids.

She desperately wanted to return the hug. In fact, she wanted to share in Leafy's joy so badly and give some of that happiness back to her.

But Mary wasn't sure how much pressure she should use. She didn't want to accidentally break the girl's spine.

So, she simply kept her arms by her sides.

"You're really going to train me?" Leafy asked, pulling back slightly. "You really accepted me? Are you sure you're really going to train me?"

"Yes, I am," Mary said, smiling. "But I should warn you. I don't go easy on my students."

That was a lie.

Mary had never trained a single soul in her life. She wouldn't even know the first thing about teaching.

Leafy completely pulled away this time, grabbed her sword, and jumped back to her feet.

"That's fine! I don't want easy! I want to get stronger!"

Mary couldn't help but flash another smile at the girl's enthusiasm.

Looked like my secret was safe after all.

At least, for now.