Chapter 190: My Name is Krulu, Just an Ordinary Catkin Girl

“Huh? I’m the one being unreasonable? Are you out of your—”

“All right, all right, calm down, Iresha. I was just teasing, okay? If you hate my jokes, I’ll stop.”

Before Iresha could erupt, Eileen—who’d been quietly watching from the sidelines—intervened with that lazy, honeyed smile of hers, her voice soft enough to melt butter.

“With so many of our own from the Northern Countries taken, now isn’t the time to be fighting each other.”

“How about we call a truce?”

“You…”

That was the only thing that could force her to cool off, even a little.

Faced with Eileen’s radiant smile and the awkward glances from the others, Iresha ground her teeth. Fury burned in her chest, but she couldn’t find a single word to retort.

Because the truth was, people from the Northern Countries really had been taken hostage by demons. That was undeniable.

In fact, that was why she’d insisted on skipping their planned rest and led the party straight here.

Even if Eileen’s smug expression made her want to bash her face in with her staff, she couldn’t—not until those villagers were rescued.

No matter how furious she was, she had to swallow it down. That was what it meant to be a Princess.

Once this is over and we’re back, the first thing I’ll do is bash that cow-girl’s head in.

Besides, with Kokoxi around, as long as she’s not dead on the spot, she’ll be patched up just fine.

Iresha was already plotting her revenge. Saving people was one thing, but she wasn’t the type to let a grudge go unpunished.

Especially recalling the look Lin Wei gave her when he realized her status—the disbelief in his eyes. So why did this latecomer cow-girl get to strut around and provoke her at every turn? And why did Oshu and Rein act blind, always siding with Eileen?

Couldn’t they see who was really stirring up trouble? Had they all been seduced into idiocy by that cow-girl’s “charms”?

“Just keep your snide comments to yourself!”

A storm of frustration raged inside her. If she didn’t know everyone here had been handpicked by the Holy See, she’d almost suspect the whole lot had already been lured into Eileen’s bed—maybe that was why they took her side so eagerly. Maybe it was time to visit Headquarters and sort this out herself.

She hadn’t forgotten that conversation with Lin Wei back in the Borderlands. Only after that did she realize Eileen was the only one in their party who’d never passed Headquarters’ vetting.

And with year’s end creeping up, if things kept dragging on, it might be too late even to worry about vetting. If she let Eileen keep sowing discord, the entire Hero’s Party might dissolve on the spot.

Unacceptable. She’d poured too much money into keeping this party together for it to fall apart now.

Someday… she would personally crush the Demon Lord beneath her heel and restore peace to the Northern Countries. That was her vow as Princess Iresha, last of the Aurelian line of the Silver Harbor Kingdom.

“Haha, come on, we’re all companions here. No need to argue over such trivial things.”

“Speaking of which, we’ve been walking for hours. How about a break and some lunch?”

“We finally cleared out the local monsters for now. Before they regroup, this is our one chance to rest.”

The monsters in a Super Labyrinth never truly ran out.

To humans, the Labyrinth was a maze of twisted corridors and endless threats. But for the monsters who made it their home, it stretched into every dark crevice: impassable cave mouths, the depths of molten pools, beneath the very rock itself.

Even if they cleared an area, it would be crawling with new monsters again within half a day.

So if you wanted to rest, you had to seize the moment right after a battle.

“Eileen, do you need to rest?” Oshu asked, considering Rein’s suggestion but directing his gaze to the archer.

As a rear-line fighter, she couldn’t match the others’ stamina. And, well, she was his woman now—he ought to show some concern.

“Mm… If Iresha doesn’t mind a short delay, I’d like to rest as well,” Eileen replied, nodding lightly, her movements delicate and graceful.

But as she spoke, her eyes flicked past Iresha, scanning the corridor behind them.

“Hm?”

Even Rein, sprawled on the ground, sensed something amiss. He shot up, grabbing his shield, eyes sharpening with caution.

“But actually, it looks like there’s a fight up ahead.”

“Before we rest, we should probably rescue whoever that is, don’t you think?”

“What?”

Even without a Scouting Skill, a Hero should sense the surge of Mana from a battle. So why had Eileen, an archer, noticed before he did?

Oshu froze for a heartbeat, but when he saw his companions readying their weapons, there was no time to hesitate. Doubt was replaced by resolve. He drew his sword and faced forward.

Only then did he finally sense the distant battle aura.

Roughly a hundred meters ahead, on a narrow ledge, a figure darted among a swarm of lava monsters.

The air shimmered with heat, the sounds of battle echoing through the corridor.

He could just make out a lone figure, pressed to the edge of the lava, fighting desperately—one misstep and she’d fall in.

A girl?

“Rein, activate your Scouting Skill and clear the way.”

“Kokoxi, guard our rear against monster attacks and stand by to heal.”

“Eileen, Iresha, be ready to support. Let’s move!”

Now fully alert, Oshu barked out orders. The Hero’s Sword in his hand blazed with sword aura, and from a hundred meters away, he unleashed a strike at the monsters.

“Out of my way!”

Wait… why does this feel so familiar? Iresha thought, déjà vu prickling at her. Wasn’t this exactly how they’d rescued the cow-girl before? But there was no time to dwell on it now.

“Shield of Flame!”

For a genius Mage like her, a few hundred meters was nothing. With a thought, a crimson barrier materialized before the embattled figure, blocking the monsters’ attacks.

When Oshu’s sword aura swept the field, the monsters—each at least level 60—were shredded to pieces.

The danger vanished in an instant.

“You all right?”

Oshu took pride in his heroic rescue, and with no warning signals from Rein, he rushed forward, sword at the ready.

But the sight that met him brought him up short.

A petite girl, her skin sun-kissed and healthy, arms wiry with energy and strength. Her amber eyes stood out among the crowd, but what truly drew the eye were the soft, furry ears poking through her hair.

Those ears made her delicate face even cuter, and the sharp little fangs peeking out looked more like a human girl’s canines than anything monstrous.

“She’s… a demon?!”

If Oshu had charged in thinking only of saving someone, now, seeing this, everyone—including his teammates—raised their weapons in alarm.

Iresha, standing behind, instantly dropped her shield and began conjuring fire magic, her wine-red eyes blazing.

“So we finally found a demon!”

They’d fought their way through the Adventurer’s guide all day, and only through hard-won experience had they come this far. No matter how they searched, there’d been no sign—until now.

“You! Where are the people from the Northern Countries you took? Where are your accomplices? Tell us the truth, or I’ll tear you to pieces right here, you bastard!”

“Don’t—don’t kill me! I’m not a demon, I’m a Demi-Human!”

The girl’s voice trembled as she sat on the ground, scooting away from them, looking for all the world like a terrified Commoner.

“I’m Catkin… When the demonic invasion struck the Northern Countries a few days ago, my mother and I escaped from a human noble’s manor, trying to return to our village. But we ran into demons along the way and were dragged here.”

“Are you the human reinforcements? Please, help me save my mother and the others! Once we’re out, I’ll give you Gold coins as a reward, I promise!”

She looked the very picture of helplessness—her tail curled tight, furry ears drooping as though hugging herself—so young and pitiful it was hard to doubt her story.

“Catkin?”

Oshu took a cautious half-step back, lowering his guard a little.

But Iresha, daughter of the Northern Countries, frowned and eyed her warily.

“Catkin should have green eyes, shouldn’t they? Why are yours amber, and slit-pupiled? That’s a trait of demons, not Demi-Humans!”

There were clear differences between Demi-Humans and demons. Most Demi-Humans had gentle, beast-like features; demons wore their monstrous side openly.

Judging by her size, tail, and ears, she looked like Catkin. But those eyes—no matter how you looked at them, they weren’t Demi-Human.

“I… this….”

The questioning was sharp, and any ordinary demon would have tried to fight or flee. But the Catkin girl only looked down, biting her lip, as if locked in an internal struggle.

Minutes passed. Then, at a sudden gentle question, she finally looked up, gratitude flickering across her face.

“Was your mother kidnapped by demons before you were born?” Eileen asked softly, stepping beside her, cow-girl curves and warm smile making her the perfect big sister.

“Mm, that’s right…”

That was all it took. Suspicion faded from Oshu’s face, and he sheathed his sword, as did Rein and Kokoxi.

Catkin women were rare and renowned among Demi-Humans. Their gifts made them the envy of other races, but their timid nature and love of alchemy meant they rarely appeared on the battlefield.

Because of that, both humans and demons sometimes targeted them.

After all… a personality could be “corrected” with the right genes from another species.

From a breeding perspective, Catkin were highly valued as mothers. Even demons seeking strong offspring would choose them—there was nothing strange about it.

“So first the demons kidnapped you, then the humans took you? Damn… what a bunch of bastards!” Rein cursed, his usual hot-blooded bluster giving way to anger.

Oshu, too, felt a pang of guilt.

“Sorry to make you relive all that.”

“Iresha… even if she’s a stranger, you could try trusting her a little. Demi-Humans and demons are not the same. Would the demons really accept one of their kind showing this much fear? She doesn’t look like a demon to me.”

Iresha, still tense, stared at him in disbelief. She knew Oshu’s brain had been a bit scrambled lately, but this was a new low.

“Who ate your brain, Oshu? You’re just going to trust whatever some random girl says on the road? Show a little Hero’s caution, would you?”

“I’m sorry… Am I causing trouble?” The Catkin girl’s voice was tiny as she looked up at them, trembling.

“I only escaped when monsters attacked the demon convoy. I was hoping the Coalition Army would rescue us, but when I saw you, I thought it was worth asking. If I’m a burden, I can try to get back to the surface on my own. Please don’t fight over a Demi-Human like me—I’d feel too guilty.”

“Iresha, watch your mouth!” Rein snapped. “How could a girl this cute be a demon? If she was, would a few lava monsters really have her cornered like that?”

“It’s all right, miss. Iresha’s just suspicious of everyone. When our archer first joined, she was just as paranoid, but it turned out to be nothing.”

“And since you ran into us… it’d be wrong to just walk away. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.”

Ignoring Iresha’s murderous glare, Oshu offered a gentlemanly bow.

“I’m Oshu, a member of the Hero’s Party. You can call me the Hero of the Sword.”

“And what’s your name, miss?”

“You… you’re a Hero?!”

The Catkin girl’s eyes sparkled, as if she were meeting a legend from the stories—her face shining with awe.

“Hello, great Hero. My name is Krulu. I’m just an ordinary Catkin girl.”

“I can’t believe I actually met the Hero from the stories. This is the luckiest day of my life!”