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An Invitation From the Demon – Part 04

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Translator: Kell

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The advance party brought back info about the hopeless situation in the area known as the demon’s territory.

There were no survivors, crops were dying, and animals had gone berserk, with deer becoming carnivores. We needed to be on the lookout for wild animals while on the road.

As usual, we were in front of the column. We had not encountered any trouble for the past seven days.

By this time, the division between the Knights Templar started to become clear. About a third of them followed the witch-hating vice captain. The rest followed Gemma, but solely because of the Commander’s orders, not because they harbored any loyalty to her.

It said a lot about the Commander’s integrity that even when he was far away, he could basically keep soldiers around Gemma.

It was also interesting to note that although very low in number, there were actually people who belonged to the Zero faction.

Even the knights were only human. It was not surprising that some of them would be fascinated by the sight of Zero walking around, sparing no effort in showing off her terrifying beauty. Her treating the wounded probably contributed to it as well. Moreover, Zero did not care what others thought about her; she approached people and did whatever she pleased.

At first I wondered what would happen if there was a pro-witch among the knights. Since it essentially opposed the vice captain’s stance of being anti-witch, Zero’s faction practically belonged to Gemma’s faction as well.

The question was: how do we distinguish the factions? The answer was simple. Observe them during mealtime.

You would not want to face someone from a different group when eating. That’s why people from the same group naturally gathered together for dinner.

At least, that should have been the case.

“I thought I should bond with my troops a bit,” Gemma said. “It would not set a good example if I distanced myself from the witch I was supposed to be working with.”

The captain appeared out of nowhere while I was preparing food. I almost cut my fingers with the knife.

“That’s why you’re having dinner with us,” I said.

Gemma nodded.

“Where’s your attendant?”

“We’re not together all the time,” she said, seemingly offended.

“Sorry.”

She snatched the knife out of my hand. “I’ll help. There’s no way a Beastfallen can cook. You’ve been making your own food all this time?”

You didn’t even know that? Surprise was written on my face.

Gemma’s brown cheeks flushed, and she asked in a whisper, “You’ve been cooking for a while?”

“Uh, since day one, I guess.”

“Day one?! I had no idea. I didn’t even know how such an important figure in the unit was spending their time. How can I face the Commander like this?” She chewed on her glove.

“That habit of yours.”

“Huh?”

“Chewing your glove. You shouldn’t do it in front of your men. They’ll talk about it behind your back.”

Eyes wide, she quickly lowered her hand and hid it behind her back. Apparently, she was aware of her bad habit.

“I know I have to stop, but whenever I get irritated, I subsconsciously end up doing it. I started wearing gloves so I wouldn’t ruin my finger.”

“Why don’t put you some bitter juice on it? That’s how parents discipline their kids.” I intended to make her mad.

“I already tried it,” she replied, feeling even more depressed. “I fell for it many times, but I couldn’t fix it anyway, and eventually I got used to the bitterness. I can’t really apply poison to my glove, so. Shocking, right?”

Gemma took off her gloves and tucked them into her belt, then picked up a knife and started chopping vegetables. I stood in silence.

She shot me a curious look. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m having trouble.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know how to shoo away a noble politely.”

For a moment, Gemma wondered what I meant, then chortled.

“I’m being serious, you know.”

“Sorry about that. But I’m glad you don’t know how to get rid of me. If I went back to the tent, I would be subjected to Barcel’s lecture.”

“I told you not to get close to them, or something?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “Barcel is overprotective. He helps me out with a lot of things because he thinks I’m not capable. But I think it’s wrong to treat the witch and Beastfallen helping us like enemies.”

“Very admirable.”

“Most of the knights don’t see it that way, though.” She looked around. “Where’s Lady Zero?”

“Napping in the carriage.”

“She doesn’t cook?”

“She only eats.”

“So you’ve been the one preparing your meals for the last seven days?”

“I’m good at it.”

Taking it as another joke, Gemma laughed. I took the knife back from her and resumed prepping our dinner.

She regarded my work curiously, fidgeting. “You’re pretty handy. I thought Beastfallen could only do killings and manual labor.”

“If you’re here to pick a fight, I would like to ask you to leave.”

“I-I’m sorry! That was uncalled for.”

“I don’t care what you think, as long as you keep it to yourself. You probably think that food prepared by Beastfallen is disgusting.”

“I, uhh…” Gemma stammered. She seemed awful at lying. When someone pointed out the truth, she could not deny it. Restless, she let her gaze wander to the ground. “I’ll be quiet, so please let me stay until after dinner.” Before I could say no, she sat down by the fire.

Gemma pulled the axe from her belt and placed it where she could grab it at any moment. At the same time, Zero crawled out of the carriage, yawning loudly.

The witch eyed us both. “Are you cheating on me?”

“Don’t even make that joke,” I said. “It’s not funny to normal humans. All the more so to the Knights Templar.”

“I-I don’t really mind!” Gemma said. “I can take a little banter.”

“Taking a little banter doesn’t mean sitting there with your face pale and cold sweat dripping down your back.”

Gemma shrank and covered her face. She was about to start biting her gloves, but clenched her fists instead, probably recalling our earlier conversation.

“You both sound as if it is abnormal for a human to fall in love with a beast warrior,” Zero said.

“It is,” I replied.

“What about Hawk and the Saint of Akdios, then?”

“Those two…”

“Ah, I see,” Gemma cut in. “Her Eminence’s servant is a Beastfallen.”

I was about say they were an exception. Gemma’s revulsion of me seemed to lessen once she realized that the saint herself employed a Beastfallen.

But that was only because she didn’t know that I killed her father. It would not be a good idea to get too familiar with her, considering what would happen if she found out. Not to give in to Barcel’s demands, but I would rather keep Gemma away from us as well.

I quickly finished prepping the ingredients and put them all in a pot over the fire.

Staring at the food, Gemma stirred uncomfortably at the silence. “I’m glad there wasn’t any sort of demon attacks since the first day,” she said.

“Yes,” Zero agreed. “I could relax as well.”

“The soldiers are feeling more and more doubtful about needing the help of a witch, though.”

“Do you feel the same?”

“N-Not at all!” It was a sincere denial. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “The night when hordes of demons swarmed us, Wenias provided us an escape route, even though we were trying to invade them. We would’ve been wiped out if they ignored us. Many from Commander Eudwright’s company survived because they worked with witches. Their wards kept the demons away, saving our lives. It would be terribly foolish not to acknowledge that.”

“But logic and emotion are two different things.” Zero gently placed her own hand on Gemma’s. The commander flinched and pulled herself back, but Zero leaned in.

“Ever since you were a little girl, you believed that witches are evil, yes?” Zero whispered so close to her ear that Gemma could almost feel her breath. “That they are enemies of society. That they are harmful.”

Gemma started feeling restless. Apparently, even from a woman’s point of view, Zero’s beauty was unsettling.

“Even the Commander was nervous around me and Mercenary.”

“R-Really?” Gemma’s eyes widened. Her tense body loosened up, and she leaned a little closer to Zero.

I see what she’s doing. She’s using all sorts of tricks to win her over.

“No one can criticize you for how you feel,” Zero said. “You simply have to be willing to admit them and use them to your advantage.”

“You… talk like a Bishop.”

I choked. “Sorry to interrupt, but that was a bad remark just now.”

Gemma gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth. “Y-You’re right! Please forget what I said. I hope no one else heard me.” She started laughing. “It’s weird. I’m with a witch and a Beastfallen, yet it’s the most peaceful I’ve felt in the past seven days. Is this how witches do things?”

“Yes,” Zero said. “Terrifying, right? Everyone becomes captivated by a witch.”

Gemma, who seemed wary of the whole world around her, relaxed a little. Nevertheless, there was a distance of about one axe swing between her and Zero. She might have opened herself up to the witch a little, but subconsciously she did not completely trust her.

In any case, the captain’s effort to try to understand witches was more than welcome, ignoring my own personal circumstances, of course.

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