I Played the Role of a Hated Hero, but for Some Reason, I'm Loved by the Last Boss and Living W

Human and Demon

Translated by AmaLynne

With an unexpectedly large harvest of anima crystals, we continued our journey deeper into the forest. Along the way, we frequently encountered demons that were supposed to be living in other places on the map. We fought them again and again, and the anima crystals were recovered at a much faster rate than I had expected. At the same time, materials that could be redeemed for cash were separated from the demons.

The wolf-type『Greyhound』and the giant spider-type『Red Spider』were not that far out of their range, but even demons that should live deep in the forest… such as th『Wild Wolves』and『Cockatrice』, were encountered in shallow areas, many times. Good quality anima crystals could indeed be obtained because they are a relatively powerful species of demons, but… this makes the map look as if it is meaningless.

And the fact that such demons have appeared in the shallows of the forest, where people come and go frequently, is indeed something that cannot be ignored.

The number of requests for demon defeat that I saw at the guild was quite large.

It would be impossible for anyone other than adventurers to enter the forest. The high-ranking demons have been moving from the back of the forest to the outside, and it seems as if they are being pushed out of the forest and appearing closer to the roads. This surely means that there will be an increase in requests to defeat them.

「Let’s call it a day and go back.」

「What do you mean it’s over? We still haven’t recovered the anima crystals.」

As Phoenix said, the crystal hoarding is continued, but if we go back to the town to exchange the materials we have stripped from the demons we defeated this time for cash, and in the meantime, I need to talk with Behemoth, then this is the right time to go.

「We have come to town. I wanted to stock up on food, liquor, and miscellaneous goods for home use. Last time, I got caught up in a troublesome mess and was unable to shop calmly at the end of the day.」

And if I out for too long, I would have worried Demiurge. This is the time to draw the line.

「We can use this place as a hunting ground to collect the anima crystals for a while anyway, so there’s no need to rush out and hunt all the way through today. Besides, I want to do a little shopping in town, and above all, Demiurge will be worried if we return home late. You guys are running out of the woods on your own, so it’s probably too much.」

「Grr… I’m don’t want to leave yet… but you’re certainly right this time. I understand. Let’s go home.」

「Yes. It is not my intention to worry mother.」

「Mmm… that’s fine…」

「Shall we head back to town then?」

We threw the anima crystals into space storage and went back the way we came. We were aware of a slight presence behind us, but we ignored it all and continued on our way home.

◆◇◆◇◆

Not far from the main gate of the Cid. We were visiting a commercial guild on a small street just off the main street.

「It’s been a long time, Alexei-sama! Come on, come on, come this way. Oh, I’ll bring you some tea now!」

As soon as I enter, a girl with twin-tail hair―――Lise, I think her name is―――rushes up to me, wringing her hands. At the counter behind her, the girl who had taken care of my bill when I had it issued earlier seemed to be smiling somewhat bitterly.

Only, she froze for a moment when she saw the beast girl come through the gate with me from behind me. 

「So how can I help you today? Are you interested in opening a new store? Or are you trading in materials as you did before? Or, for that matter, do you have an exclusive merchant agreement with our guild?」

「It’s a purchase. This time, I want you to assess the materials for the demons.」

I told Lise of my request firmly, as if I was trying to hold her back. I put the materials I had taken out of the storage room in advance on the desk.

「Ohh, there are quite a few… However, since there are very few merchants in and out of town right now, the materials taken from the demons are not currently priced that high, is that okay?」

「Yeah. I can’t make use of it even if I had it in my hand. Please take care of it.」

「I will be happy to help you. Do you have any medicinal herbs this time like you did last time? With the growing demand, the price of ordinary medicinal herbs is also quite high.」

「No. I didn’t bring anything special this time.」

When Lise hears that I don’t have anything with me, her voice drops a little.

「I see… ah, ei. Then, I will assess it right away. There is a large quantity, so I will need a few moments of your time.」

With that, Lise put the materials on a tray and carried them to the back. Since she couldn’t carry everything by herself, she had the girl, who was smiling, help her.

After watching her, I looked over at Behemoth, who was sitting quietly next to me.

「……Behemoth, let’s go outside for a minute.」

I took her outside. I tell Dragon God and Phoenix to wait here. Phoenix complains, but Dragon God, perhaps sensing something, shushes her and waves her off, saying,「Have a good time」. I appreciate this kind of thing.

「―――What…?」

A bench near the entrance of the restaurant. Behemoth and I sat there together. However, she, who usually clings to me when we are alone, is now subtly opening the distance between us.

Her tail was wagging vigorously from side to side and her ears were turned back. She seemed to be in a bad mood. Her earlier「What?」, there was a little bit of a spike in his voice.

「I just thought you and I should have a more thorough conversation.」

「Conversation…?」

「Right… hey Behemoth. I know I’ve asked you many times already, but why do you want to mate with me so badly? I don’t even like you… And what did you mean earlier when you said you were『happy』? What does mating with me have to do with anything?」

I ask. But Behemoth turns her head away and is silent for a moment, then slowly opens her mouth and talk, 

「Once, a long time ago…」

She did not look at me, but looked up in the sky, shaking her legs, and began to speak.

「I lived in a village of beastmen…」

What was told there was Behemoth’s past… She was injured in a surprise attack by a group of adventurers several hundred years ago. The adventurers were said to have annihilated her, but she was unable to move… and was picked up and treated by a couple of beastmen when she collapsed in her beast form.

I was surprised to learn that Behemoth, a four-powerful demon, was living together with other races, if not with humans. But instead of breaking the story, I continued to listen, letting Behemoth tell me the rest of the story.

「They had a child while they were living together… and they were smiling so happily…」

Behemoth closes her eyes, nostalgic for the old days.

「I kind of… envied them, I thought…」

The vulnerable smile that couples show when they love each other, and the happiness that can be felt even from the sidelines. This is where Behemoth felt a strong longing.

「I’ve always been alone… and there was nothing wrong with that… but when I’m living with the couples, alone makes me lonely…」

Behemoth turns her face to me and looks up into my eyes as she leans forward.

「I want to be just like them…I want to be able to be with a good male and have children…so I can be happy like that…and so can you. I wanted to mate with Ares because I thought that…Ares would be happy if he could have a child with me…and I thought so, too, but Ares said「No」.」

「…………」

My one thought after hearing her story was one word: off. As an animal, it may be a happy thing to be able to leave behind an excellent guard and offspring.

However, I am sure that the happiness felt by the beastman couple that Behemoth had met was not limited to that.

I cannot say that I know much about beastmen, but I do know that they have a wealth of emotions and intelligence that is no different from that of humans.

It’s not just instinct. That couple that Behemoth met must have been happy in the eyes of others, too, because they were able to have a child with someone who loved each other.

「Hey, Behemoth.」

「Mmm…?」

「I asked you earlier, do you like me… before you want to mate and have kids, right?」

「I’m not sure… how that’s any different from wanting to mate…?」

「No… if you want to have a happy family like the beastly couple you cared for once upon a time… you shouldn’t choose your partner based on mere animal instincts alone.」

「Is it wrong… want to mate with a strong male?」

「I don’t think you’re completely wrong. But even if we connect and have kids, it won’t give you the『happy family』you want… at least, I don’t think so.」

Even in human form, Behemoth is a demon. It can’t be helped that her way of thinking is fundamentally different from ours. However, what Behemoth wants cannot be achieved without the premise of how to be a human being.

「Hard… why do you have to think so hard…」

「Because that’s who we are. Behemoth. You are a demon. But you still have feelings and reason, just like a person.」

The best proof of this is that she was inspired by the beastly couple and longed for a happy family.

「If all you want to do is mate, it’s just a desire. If you want to sublimate it to an act of mutual happiness, you have to love someone. There is nothing more comfortable and irreplaceable than connecting with someone you love. That’s how I and Demiurge are connected.」

In body and soul… at least, I get a great sense of fulfillment when I lay skin to skin with that silver-haired creator god. I’d like Behemoth to remember those feelings too, if at all possible. That surge of excitement in my chest when I connect with the one I love… 

However,

「I know it’s hard… what Ares said, but I understand that you don’t want to mate with me, so I’ll just let it go… That’s why, it’s okay…」

「Ah, Behemoth.」

But Behemoth got up from the bench and walked into the commercial guild with her tail wagging from side to side.

Briefly, I saw Behemoth’s profile, somewhat forlorn… and like an abandoned kitten, as if she had been given up on…

I felt like I was left on the spot and stunned for a while.

……Did I say something wrong?