Welcome to the Demon’s Cabin - Chapter 8

It was utterly baffling, but no matter what Irene did, he had to remember one thing. Right now, he had to treat this woman as a human. Idris paused to choose his words, then asked as calmly as he could.

“It’s a name I’ve never heard in the Crescent Empire. Are you from the Orihen Kingdom?”

“…….”

Irene stared at Idris again without answering.

‘No, why? What is she dissatisfied with this time?’

Orihen clothing, an Orihen name, even that distinctive accent. Wasn’t she asking to be recognized?

Just as he was about to retrace everything from the first syllable to see what he had missed, she fortunately nodded soon after. It seemed she had simply been lost in thought.

Please, just react quickly already. Don’t make an innocent man’s heart drop out of his chest.

“It’s a very common name in Orihen. In my hometown, it was especially common. There were always two or three people with the same name in a single village.”

“I see. I’m not very familiar with Orihen…….”

He had heard more than enough lately about ‘the Orihen where that warmonger finally took the throne,’ so he actually knew quite a bit, but there was no benefit in acting like he knew.

“I suppose most people do not know much about foreign countries. The places I know even a little about would be the Crescent Empire, Runhark, Varkan, and Glauke.”

Even the list of countries she knew was perfectly that of an Orihen Kingdom native. She was insanely thorough. That perverse obsession was starting to feel almost admirable.

He did not know why she was going this far, but thanks to it, treating this woman as a person named ‘Irene’ did not seem all that difficult.

Though he did not know whether this was really right.

“Oh, goodness me. Mr. Idris, aren’t you hungry?”

“It hasn’t been long since I woke up, so I’m fine.”

He had been so focused on the conversation that he had not even had time to feel hunger, let alone pain.

Besides, he was afraid that if he said he was hungry, she might bring him monster meat. No, monster meat would be preferable. Idris decided not to think any further.

“Still, I think you should eat something. You were unable to eat anything during the two days you were unconscious.”

If she was going to tell him to shut up and eat obediently anyway, why ask for his opinion at all?

“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring you something I cooked.”

No, please let me wait as long as possible. If possible, forever.

Click. The moment Irene’s long fingers brushed the doorframe as she stepped out, the room, which had been darkening as the sun set, instantly filled with bright light.

At a glance, it did not look like an ordinary lamp, but rather a magic tool.

Flustered by her astonishing lack of hesitation, he stared in the direction Irene had gone. Then he quickly came to an understanding.

‘Ah, right. The setting was that she is from Orihen. Then it would make sense for her to use magic tools without hesitation, but…….’

A country that venerates magic, power born of demons, no less. No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, it was deeply blasphemous. Irene choosing Orihen among so many nations and pretending to be from there must be for that very reason.

Haah. To be lying under the light of a magic tool, waiting for a demon’s food. The temple filled with divine power, and his own room within it, suddenly felt painfully dear.

‘Even so, I still have no idea why she’s pretending to be human at all.’

Idris closed his eyes against the throbbing in his head.

A demon hiding away in the mountains, imitating some paltry creature. For a human, it would be shame on the level of crawling and barking like a dog in the town square. She was an absolute being by title, so what could she possibly be lacking to do something like that?

Honestly, the horrible fairy tale his youngest sibling used to watch as a child, about a mole that sprang from the earth, did somersaults while performing a courtship dance, fell in love with a human woman, married her, and lived happily ever after with quintuplets, sounded more realistic.

‘……Wait. Come to think of it, where is the contractor? A demon wouldn’t separate from their contractor.’

Could it be, could it be. Are they in this house?

It was such an obvious question that he could not believe it had taken him this long to think of it.

It was enough to make him lose his mind. Just when he thought he had finally grasped how to deal with Irene, it was truly one mountain beyond another.

‘I can’t even imagine what kind of lunatic that crazy demon’s contractor must be.’

No, O Mater. You said you would only give trials one could endure. Not that I ever believed that, but isn’t this a bit too much?

Unaware of Idris’s desperate state of mind, the demon, no, Irene, was already reentering the room with a bowl in her hands.

“I brought some soup.”

In the bowl she held out toward Idris was a thin, steaming soup. Contrary to all of Idris’s horrific imaginings, it was surprisingly normal in both menu and appearance.

Of course, what it was made from remained unknown, but more urgent than that was a question he needed to ask immediately.

“Thank you. But Ms. Irene, do you perhaps live alone in this house?”

“Mm? This house? ……Mm, yes. I live here alone.”

“……Pardon?”

“Is there a problem?”

A problem? Of course there was.

It was common sense that a demon must stay with their contractor. Why would she tell such an obvious lie? Idris’s mind worked busily as he tried to gauge Irene’s thoughts.

Irene, on the other hand, wore a puzzled expression, as if wondering why he would even ask such a thing. Tilting her head as though she did not understand, she suddenly stiffened her face. Remaining expressionless, several seconds of silence passed.

“Ah.”

Her small exclamation broke the chilling atmosphere.

Irene was already smiling brightly again, as if she had never worn that cold expression at all.

It seemed he had somehow irritated her. Flustered, Idris’s eyes wandered. His fingers twitched in the sudden chill. If his arm had been intact, he might have unconsciously rubbed his neck.

Had she noticed he was testing her? Still, it seemed closer to finding it ridiculous than being angry, so she would likely let it pass like this.

As he anxiously replayed his mistake, a cold hand suddenly touched Idris’s bare shoulder.

“I will help you.”

Her low voice sounded right by his ear.

Irene’s cool hand groped over Idris’s upper body without hesitation. Overwhelming fear and a faint sense of shame made the words “What are you trying to do?” rise to the tip of his chin.

Soon, one of her hands slipped behind his back, and she abruptly pulled him into her arms. His trembling blue eyes flew open.

Her female body, only lower in temperature and without even the slightest sense of incongruity, pressed tightly against his.

Fearing she might snap his waist like this, Idris’s face turned pale with sudden anxiety.

Even if he was going to die, wouldn’t it be better to know why? Just as he was about to ask what she was doing, Idris’s body was lifted upright in a single motion.