The Dimensional Tavern of the Mefilas Alien

Denise shook her head.

I was so stupid. I've already betrayed the organization, why am I still talking about the men in black?

The dark-skinned figures she referred to were actually the leaders assigned to each of the Claymores by the organization, and also powerful figures within the organization. Each of them wore all black and was usually gloomy and sullen. They were responsible for accepting commissions, issuing tasks, and collecting fees.

The boy's father also ran over and hugged his son, weeping.

The heartwarming scene of the father and son reuniting touched the hearts of those around them.

Denise glanced at them and said to the town's official, "I was just passing by and offered my help. I don't need any reward."

The people in the small town were simple and honest, and they were in a dilemma when they heard this: "But...but that would be too much to ask!"

"In that case, please arrange accommodation for me and this child! By the way, there are some things I'd like to know."

“No problem!” the town’s leader readily agreed.

"We'll arrange the best rooms for you! Feel free to ask anything! You're the savior of this town, please rest well here!"

News travels much faster in small towns than in ordinary villages, so the townspeople are well aware of what a demon means to the town.

If it weren't for this greatsword user's kindness in killing him, this place would probably have become a living hell in no time, and all trust between people would have vanished.

Soon, the two were put into the best room in town.

Once inside the house, Claire kept laughing as she looked at Denise.

"What are you going to do? How long are you going to keep laughing?" Denise asked helplessly.

"Because this is the first time I've ever seen you with that surprised expression!"

Recently, Claire's language skills have recovered considerably, and she speaks much more fluently.

"The residents' reaction will surprise you!"

Denise clicked her tongue.

"Yes! It is indeed the first time... the first time I've been thanked so sincerely..."

"But that's to be expected. Because in the past, they would demand exorbitant fees from villages and towns that were almost impossible for them to pay..."

She had always assumed that ordinary people would fear and reject greatswords. Now it seemed that this was not the case.

If it weren't for that strange experience before, she might have just thought it felt pretty good. But now, after visiting that magical monster tavern and hearing the speculation of the monster named Jamila, Denise couldn't help but think about something deeper.

When training the Claymores, they are always instilled with the idea that the organization's purpose is to protect humanity, and that the Claymores exist to protect humanity from demons.

All the Claymores have always firmly believed in this. Even someone like Teresa, who is carefree and indifferent to the organization, felt that the organization was at least morally sound. That's why she showed mercy to the organization's warriors and leaders when she defected.

But if you think about it carefully, if the organization's purpose is truly to protect humanity, why would it offer such high prices to villages that have encountered demons? And why would it ignore villages and towns that cannot pay the fees?

The organization claims it needs funds to maintain its normal operations...

Denesa had believed before, but now she was less certain.

"Teresa, can I sleep with you?"

While Denise was still thinking, Claire had already clung to her.

"Why squeeze into one bed when there are two beds available?"

Before Dinisa could finish speaking, she found Claire already asleep, nestled against her knees.

Denise paused for a moment, then gently patted Claire's head with a doting smile on her lips.

"I said I wasn't tired, but I fell asleep the moment I lay down on the soft bed... After living in the open all this time, I'm really exhausted!"

This child has been putting on a brave face in order to stay with me, but I've overlooked that.

"Get some rest. Let's settle down in this small town for a while..."

Denise remained in the same position, gently patting Claire's head to lull her to sleep.

When evening came, Claire finally woke up. Seeing that Denise was still sitting on the bed as before, she immediately got up, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Teresa!"

Claire's face turned bright red.

"It's nothing. This is already a very good deal for me." Denise ruffled Claire's hair.

She's a greatsword; a short nap is enough for her to recover.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Gentlemen, dinner is ready! Would you like to eat?"

The hotel owner's wife, who also works as a waitress, asked from outside the door.

"Ok!"

Denise figured Claire must be hungry too, so she took her to the hotel lobby. There, the hotel owner had prepared a feast for the eyes and ears.

"Wow!"

Claire's eyes lit up.

The last time I had a proper meal was more than ten days ago when I went to Monster Bar.

Although Denise doesn't care much about food, she was still in a good mood when she saw a table full of steaming, exquisite dishes.

The two sat down and began to enjoy the sumptuous meal.

After only a few bites, Denise and Claire couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Although I could feel the owner's dedication, why did the food not taste as rich as the dishes at the bar?

With a touch of longing for the drinking scene, the two devoured a whole table of food—mainly thanks to Teresa's efforts. Although Claymore's food intake was low, her powerful physique made digesting the entire meal quite manageable if she wanted to.

The owners, who had been watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in amazement, "No wonder he's a Claymore! What an amazing appetite!"

In their simple view, the more one can eat, the stronger one is. Therefore, a greatsword that can easily slay demons must be the one that eats the most.

Denise felt a pang of regret; perhaps she shouldn't have gone out of her way to eat the whole table just to reciprocate their kindness. Would they really make this every day from now on?

Claire chuckled to herself.

After finishing this overly lavish meal, Denise took Claire to meet the town's head, the mayor.

"Welcome! Your Excellency, Savior!"

The mayor's enthusiasm almost overwhelmed Denise.

"Don't call me that, just call me Denise."

“Yes, Lady Denise!” the mayor readily agreed.

"..." Denise was too lazy to correct her anymore.

Do you have any records of the past here? Or does anyone know more about the stories from before?

The mayor, who had been all smiles, suddenly looked troubled.

"Our town isn't very old, and people don't know much about the past. As for history..."

He smiled wryly: "The most educated person in town has only had a little education. Studying history is simply not something a place like ours can afford."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Honest Fissna

The mayor's words made Denise fall into deep thought.

She had always taken everything around her for granted.

But after visiting Monster Bar, even though it was just a meal and a brief chat with Murphy and the others, Denise seemed to have been enlightened, as if she had received a sudden awakening.

Yes, what is it that makes people in this world uninterested in history, or rather, unable to be interested in it?

"Lady Teresa, what aspect of history would you like to learn about? Although I may not be able to satisfy you, I will try my best to mobilize the townspeople to inquire."

Denise snapped out of her reverie: "I want to learn about the history of demons, legends are fine too, the earlier the better!"

"demon?"

The town mayor was very surprised and hesitated to speak.

Although this town had never dealt with the organization before, they had at least heard that the Greatsword was a professional demon hunter. Now, a demon hunter was coming to ask them if they knew the history of demons… wasn't this going against the grain?

Teresa was helpless. She couldn't very well tell him that she had actually betrayed the organization and suspected that the organization might have fabricated the origins of the demons, could she?

Fortunately, the mayor was only surprised for a moment before nodding immediately: "No problem, Lady Teresa. I will mobilize the townspeople shortly. If anyone has heard of the stories and legends of demons, I will bring them here immediately!"

"Then please."

Afterwards, Denise and Claire said goodbye and returned to the hotel to rest.

She had thought she might have to wait a long time, but the mayor was very efficient, and the townspeople were clearly very grateful to her. The next day, the mayor came to the inn to find her.

"Lady Teresa, I have found someone who may know some of the legends of demons!"

Many people had heard rumors about demons, but those common rumors were clearly not what Teresa wanted to know. After some screening, only one person remained who might meet Teresa's requirements.

"Great, where is he?"

Denise couldn't wait.

The mayor looked apologetic: "I'm sorry, Grandma Soma is old and has difficulty moving around, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Lady Teresa to go there herself!"

“It’s alright.” Denise didn’t care about such a trivial matter. “Take me there now!”

"Then please follow me."

The mayor led Denise and Claire toward a corner of the town.

Not long after they set off, four blonde, silver-eyed female warriors carrying greatswords entered the town.

Is the No. 1 player in this town?

"I'm full of energy," Royal asked energetically, sporting a neat short haircut.

She was No. 4 in the same cohort as Teresa, but has now dropped to No. 5.

"That's what the organization said, it should be correct!"

Sofia, the current No. 4 and former No. 3, who was standing next to her, smiled.

Outwardly, she appears to be a sweet and delicate woman. But in reality, she possesses astonishing arm strength, even surpassing Teresa in the organization's assessment, thus earning her the nickname 'Sofia of Arm Strength'.

"It's really rare; the people here aren't afraid of us at all!"

Sophia glanced around with great interest.

Because he is half-human and half-demon, Claymore is basically met with looks of rejection and fear wherever he goes.

But it's different here. When people see them, they don't feel fear, but rather a kind of inexplicable warmth.

Sophia even suspected that if they hadn't been traveling in groups of four, those passersby might have come over and struck up a conversation with them.

"It really is!" Royal, the tomboy, laughed heartily. "This is a really interesting place, I quite like it here!"

"This proves that the organization's efforts have paid off!" A girl with a broad forehead and a still-childish appearance said happily from behind them.

"As long as we continue to work hard to slay the demons, one day, people in other places will understand the organization's good intentions and stop rejecting us, just like the people here!"

"Hmm, Fissna, is that really what you think?" Royal looked at the girl in astonishment.

This girl with big, round eyes is a warrior who was recently inducted into the organization. Because of her exceptional talent, she quickly rose through the ranks, surpassing the original warriors to become the current No. 2.

The organization judged that she had the potential to become No. 1, so they specifically sent her along to hunt down Denise.

And this was also witnessed by the other three when the four of them gathered together.

She silently killed all the demons in the alley without anyone noticing.

In Royal's view, only Teresa could compare to her in terms of strength. Therefore, she was genuinely convinced that Fissna was No. 2. However, this young Claymore was clearly still inexperienced and therefore too naive in nature.

The organization may have truly protected the world, but the reason why Claymore is so ostracized is definitely not unrelated to the organization's dark practices.

“Of course!” Fissna nodded seriously: “Isn’t the organization the savior of this world? Therefore, I will never forgive Teresa, who betrayed the organization, violated the rules, and killed ordinary people!”

Luo Yalu was speechless. She had a lively personality and was really not good at dealing with someone as stubborn as Fissna.

Sofia chuckled to herself.

The two were classmates and their strengths were roughly equal, so they were always competing for rankings. Seeing Roya Lu get the short end of the stick, she was quite happy.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. The important thing now is to find Denise."

The speaker was Ineli, the current No. 3 and former No. 2. She had long hair and a pair of pointed, elven ears. She was beautiful, but her expression was serious and her demeanor was aloof.