Chapter 73 Demihuman Town(Illustration)
Chapter 73 Demihuman Town
Iryoku walked over to the remnants of Lunara’s demonic form, where a few black scales and jagged bone spikes lay scattered across the ground. He crouched down and examined them carefully. After a moment’s thought, he decided to keep them—carefully gathering the fragments and storing them in a small bag.
With that done, he turned and made his way back to the girls.
Once again, he found them glaring at each other, sparks practically crackling in the air between them.
Iryoku groaned and put a hand to his face. He really didn’t want to deal with a girl fight.
Still… he couldn’t deny it—it was very flattering to have two girls fighting over him.
In fact, it excited him immensely. A primal urge stirred below; his hard friend strained, eager to emerge… to devour them both.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
Shaking his head, a smirk tugging at his lips, he tied the bag of remains to Rhogan’s side and leapt onto the spirit’s back.
“Let’s go, Rhogan. We’ll find Alessandra ourselves.”
Rhogan let out a low growl of agreement as both turned away.
“Wait! Don’t leave us!” both Yumi and Reika shouted at the same time.
“Then hurry up. I’m leaving,” Iryoku replied, clearly exasperated.
The girls scrambled toward him, both trying to claim the same spot at the front of the saddle.
“This is my place, Reika—move!” Yumi snapped.
“No way! This is my spot! You can sit in the back,” Reika shot back, equally stubborn.
They began pushing and shoving, neither willing to give in.
Finally, Iryoku lost his patience.
Thud. Thud.
He smacked both of them lightly on the head.
They froze and turned toward him, startled.
“Ow! What was that for?” Reika protested.
“Yeah, that kinda hurt, Iryoku,” Yumi added, rubbing her scalp.
Iryoku gave them a firm, serious look.
“I can’t believe I’m the one trying to keep the peace here—but enough. What would Alessandra think if she saw you two acting like this? You’re supposed to be good friends. Let’s focus on finding her. You can resume your little pissing contest after we do that, alright?”
Both girls looked away, awkward and ashamed.
After a moment, Yumi let out a small sigh. “…I’m sorry, Reika.”
Reika turned her head. “I’m sorry too. Let’s just find Sensei.”
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Heavy, powerful footsteps thundered along the forest road as Rhogan charged ahead.
Atop the massive rhino, Iryoku, Yumi, and Reika rode in silence—Yumi seated at the front, Reika just behind her, and Iryoku in the rear.
“How much farther until the next stop?” Iryoku finally asked.
Yumi quickly pulled out the map. “Let’s see… We’re heading west, so we should—”
“Lakaa. It’s the closest town,” Reika interrupted, her voice cool and composed as she looked over Yumi’s shoulder. “After that, we cut through the edge of the Uruk Kingdom. That’ll save time. Then we keep heading west—toward the Church of Light’s dominion.”
Iryoku nodded. “Yumi, hand the map to Reika.”
“I can do it myself, okay?” Yumi pouted.
But before she could act, Reika snatched the map with a swift motion and a smug smile.
Yumi glared at her. Reika calmly returned the look without flinching.
After a tense pause, Reika finally broke the silence.
“By the way, how far is the place where you two got the goddess’s blessing? I was thinking… maybe we should go there and try to get more.”
Iryoku shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, but we don’t know if it was a one-time thing. That power was... too strong. Might’ve been a divine fluke.”
Yumi chimed in, “Still, we have to find Sensei first. What if she’s in danger?”
Reika nodded thoughtfully. “Right. Once we find her, we can look into everything—maybe even figure out how to get the return stone working properly and find a way back home. Having a safety net when you're about to die… that's way too valuable to ignore.”
“Alright,” Iryoku agreed. “We’ll decide after we find Alessandra. For now, let’s just hope we can find a decent place to rest for the night.”
They traveled for a few more hours. As the sun dipped below the horizon, they finally reached a large town nestled between forested hills.
As they approached the gates, they noticed a small procession entering ahead of them—demihumans dressed in flowing brown and white robes, their hands clasped in prayer.
“May the Fire One bless us all,” one of them murmured.
They walked in silence, heads bowed in solemn reverence.
Inside, the town buzzed with evening activity. Merchants packed up their stalls, children darted between buildings, and townsfolk hurried to finish their daily routines. Guards patrolled the streets, keeping a watchful eye on the crowd. Most of the people were demihumans.
Near the entrance, an armored dwarf stood watch. His gaze narrowed as the trio approached.
“Hey, you lot,” he said gruffly. “Hope you’re not here to cause trouble… humans.”
Iryoku raised his hands calmly. “Relax, buddy. We just want a place to stay for the night.”
Reika stepped forward and bowed politely. “We’ll be gone first thing in the morning, sir.”
The dwarf grunted. “Move along, then.” With that, he turned away, muttering under his breath.
As they passed him, Yumi leaned in and whispered, “They don’t like humans?”
Iryoku shrugged. “Wouldn’t blame them. We’ve met our share of awful people.”
They soon found a modest inn tucked between a bakery and a general store. It was simple but looked clean and warm—good enough to rest.
They left Rhogan at the stable, where a few other beasts were already resting.
Inside the inn, Iryoku approached the counter where a furred, beastkin innkeeper stood polishing a mug.
“Old man,” Iryoku said, “we’ll take a room with a big bed.”
Reika’s eyes widened, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Yumi caught the reaction immediately and smirked.
“Looks like Reika doesn’t like the idea, Iryoku,” she teased, slipping her arm around his. “You should probably just get her a separate room so she can sleep alone.”
Reika shot her a glare, eyes narrowing.
But Iryoku interrupted before things escalated. “No, we need to save money. Don’t forget—someone left a rather generous offering at Christina’s church.”
Yumi furrowed her brow, a little defensive.
“I’m not blaming you,” Iryoku added quickly. “Those kids really needed help.”
Yumi’s expression softened, a smile creeping onto her face.
Reika, however, felt her heart sink. Watching them talk so naturally, so closely—it stung. She looked down, feeling as if she were falling behind… in a race they had continued without her, during the time she hadn’t been with them.
The innkeeper eyed them warily at first, but seeing them pay upfront—and realizing they were just a bunch of young people flirting—was enough to put him at ease. He handed over a key.
“Here you go. Big room with a bath and fresh water. Should be enough for the three of you.”
Both Yumi and Reika perked up at the mention of a bath—they were desperate for it.
But once inside the room, Reika’s heart pounded again. She watched as Yumi walked straight to Iryoku, her tone teasing and suggestive.
“Let’s wash each other.” She said, brushing close to him.
She said it loud enough, her eyes glancing toward Reika with obvious intent.
But this time, Iryoku shook his head. “You two go ahead. I promised Rhogan I’d bring him some fruit before bed.”
Without waiting for a response, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
The room fell into an awkward silence. Neither girl spoke. They looked in opposite directions, the air heavy with tension.
Finally, Yumi sighed and turned to Reika. She reached out and gently took her hand.
“Come with me,” she said with a small, genuine smile. “Let’s take a bath together. We… need a girls’ talk.”
Reika blinked in surprise. Then, slowly, she nodded.
“Okay.”
And together, they walked toward the bath...
After leaving some fruit for Rhogan and picking up a few things from the market, Iryoku returned to his room. To his surprise, he found both Reika and Yumi lying on the bed, chatting happily.
“—then we met this dwarf guy who made our weapons…” Yumi was saying excitedly to Reika.
They both turned to acknowledge Iryoku with a nod, then continued their conversation without pause.
Reika chimed in, her voice relaxed. “Yeah, at the tower, there was a dwarf magician who was really good with trinkets and magical devices…”
Iryoku smiled and tossed a bag onto the bed. The girls turned to him, curious.
“Clean clothes,” he muttered, heading toward the bathroom.
Just before closing the door behind him, he paused and glanced over his shoulder.
“If either of you wants to peek,” he said with a teasing smirk, “I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
Reika quickly hid her face under the bedsheets, flustered. Yumi waved a hand at him dismissively. “Shoo, shoo! Go wash up—we’re having a good time.”
Iryoku chuckled and shook his head before disappearing into the bathroom.
Some time later, he returned, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh. “Ah, that hit the spot.”
Now wearing only a pair of small shorts, he climbed onto the bed. The girls had already buried themselves under the covers. Without a word, Iryoku slipped under the blankets and lay down between them. He reached out and gently pulled them close—one to each side.
Reika squeaked, her face burning red. But Iryoku made no further moves. He simply closed his eyes.
Reika’s heart was pounding. After a moment, she peeked out from under the sheets, glancing first at Iryoku, then at Yumi—who was already clinging to him, her eyes half-lidded with sleep. Yumi met Reika’s gaze and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
Reika thought back to what Yumi had told her in the bath:
“We’ve been through death so many times... Just how many times has he almost died? No—he did die, but he’s still here... We could easily die at any moment... I... I think... it’s better not to have regrets...”
With that thought, she looked at Iryoku’s face once more. Her chest felt tight, her eyes trembled. She didn’t want to think anymore. She just—moved.
She clung tightly to his body, as if he might disappear at any moment. Slowly, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
End of Volume 3