Chapter 20
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“Miss Heesu. If you want to live a long and healthy life, physical fitness management is essential. Try doing regular exercise.”
“Mmph mmph mmph……”
While Izzen, holding chopsticks, gave a proper lecture, Heesu was busy frantically shoving food into her mouth and chewing.
On the mat that Izzen had personally spread out were three-tier lunch boxes placed side by side. One tier had rice rolls, seasoned tofu sushi, and pickled radish, another tier had sandwiches, salad, and cherry tomatoes neatly separated. The remaining tier was filled with fruits like rabbit-shaped apples, halved oranges, and triangular-cut watermelon. It was clearly a lunch box full of care and abundance.
“He said he prepared everything because he didn’t know what you’d like in a lunch box, Miss Heesu.”
“Wowwww…….”
Heesu was moved anew and ate the lunch box even more enthusiastically.
Ever since that day, the embarrassment just wouldn’t go away, so she still couldn’t even make eye contact with Violen, but everything Violen did was still pretty and admirable without exception. He really was like the only ray of sunshine illuminating the thorny path of being a magical girl. She didn’t know how a tentacle had become such an existence, but anyway, that’s how it was.
“You’ll get indigestion. Drink some water too.”
“Mmph…….”
Heesu accepted the paper cup Izzen offered and drank the water. It was well-boiled barley tea, and whatever barley was used, it tasted much better than the barley tea she usually drank.
How did Violen manage to brew barley tea this well too? Heesu marveled and drained that barley tea in one gulp.
“Phew. I feel alive…….”
After drinking the water, Heesu finally calmed down and sighed. While the full Heesu was languidly spacing out, Izzen silently ate the food Heesu had left behind.
“……But how did that demon end up entering this mountain? Even if Korea has more mountainous areas, there would be more humans in the city center than in forests…….”
Heesu, who had been thinking deeply, tilted her head and asked. With her stomach full, her brain seemed to be working a bit. Izzen only replied after swallowing the food he had been chewing in his mouth.
“The city center has as many threats as there are humans.”
“Demons feel threatened by humans?”
“Yes. Beings at the level of demon race would be fine, but demons have many dangers in living in city centers.”
“Demon race and demons are different?”
“Essentially they’re the same…… but usually lower demon race that look like beasts are called demons, and higher demon race that are close to human appearance are called demon race. It’s a distinction based on the magical power they possess, so demons can become demon race if they grow stronger.”
“Then is Violen, who’s a tentacle, a demon?”
“Originally he was…… but now he’s received power from you, Miss Heesu, and has become humanized, so he should be considered closer to demon race. That’s why he serves you so devotedly as his master.”
“I see…….”
Heesu nodded. Izzen scraped up the remaining food on the ground with his chopsticks and added:
“In the case of small demons, there are many cases where they die from road kills.”
“Oh my…….”
Heesu clicked her tongue, a bit surprised by those words. Facing the realistic circumstances of demons made her feel somehow desolate. While Heesu was spacing out, Izzen, who had put the scraped-up food in his mouth and disposed of it, neatly stacked the empty lunch boxes.
“But the demon currently in this mountain is likely from a clan that protects forests and flowers.”
“Protects…… forests and flowers?”
“Yes. They’re a clan that lives holed up in forests even in the demon world. I think they’re attacking humans to protect the forest even after coming to the human world because of that clan’s instinct.”
“Why do you think so?”
“All the humans who were attacked were in the middle of dumping trash on the mountain.”
“Oh my…… that’s kind of admirable, isn’t it?”
“Well, whatever the reason, we just need to catch it.”
Though Izzen spoke coldly while wrapping the lunch boxes in a cloth bundle, Heesu, swept up in an unexpectedly romantic mood, muttered blankly:
“How amazing. It’s like a fairy.”
“In some sense, that’s correct. Since it looks like a butterfly, it will definitely look like a fairy to you, Miss Heesu.”
“Oh my, oh my…….”
Covering her mouth, Heesu exclaimed in admiration. What a beautiful and wonderful setting that she never would have thought demons could have.
“Is it pretty?”
“Yes. It’s a clan famous for its beauty.”
“My goodness…… I want to see it quickly.”
“You’ll see it soon. If you can properly complete the mountain climbing, Miss Heesu.”
“……Damn it!”
Suddenly realizing the reality she had barely forgotten, Heesu clenched her fist and burst out in indignation.
Regardless, Izzen put the lunch boxes well-wrapped in cloth and the remaining drink bottles into his bag. He also properly collected trash like paper cups and fruit peels that were created while eating lunch into a black plastic bag and tied it up tightly.
“Now. Let’s go again.”
Leaving behind the frustrated Heesu, Izzen stood up lightly and bent down to grab the end of the mat to fold it. However, even with such hints, Heesu, immersed in frustration, didn’t even think of getting up.
“Miss Heesu.”
Just as Izzen, frowning at such Heesu, was about to open his mouth to lecture her,
“Could it be…….”
As if sensing something, his lips uttered different words like a groan. His gaze passed over Heesu toward somewhere else.
“What’s wrong?”
Heesu gulped nervously at Izzen’s somewhat grave expression.
“This is fortunate.”
“W-why?”
“It seems you won’t need to do any more mountain climbing.”
“Uh…… why?”
“Whether it was drawn to you, Miss Heesu, it came looking for us first.”
Saying this, Izzen pointed somewhere with his finger. Heesu got excited without realizing it and directed her gaze that way. Just thinking that the demon famous for its beauty that protects forests and flowers was there made her heart pound.
“Where?”
But no matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t see anything like the gorgeous wings of a butterfly.
“There, among those leaves.”
Even after hearing Izzen’s words and carefully observing between the leaves, it was completely invisible.
“Where on earth…… Kyaa!!”
The next moment, something fell from above with a thud. Looking at it, Heesu screamed and jumped up. She was so surprised that goosebumps rose all over her body.
What was there was not a butterfly at all. It had an elongated shape with many segments, a green surface that glowed unpleasantly like rusted metal, and yellow eyes that gleamed fiercely…….
That was clearly not a butterfly but a caterpillar. Heesu, horrified, shouted.
“It’s not a butterfly!”
“I never said it was fully grown.”
“Damn it!!”
Hastily putting her hand in her pocket, Heesu pulled out her pendant and opened it. Soon a dazzling flash erupted and Heesu transformed into a magical girl.
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