Prologue
Prologue.
Warning. This work contains forced relationships, gaslighting, and violence. Reader discretion is advised.
Prologue.
“Hey. You’ve never done it before, have you?”
“……”
“I know a brothel owner. Want to come along? Listen, as long as you have confidence and a thick wallet, you can charm any man. Even the hero who defeated the demon king is basically just another VIP customer.”
Eili grinned wickedly and looked at Yu Inna. Her pointed ears perked up as she tapped the bow slung over her shoulder.
“Not interested.”
“What? The hero’s really uptight, huh~.”
Yu Inna gave a bored expression and let out a sigh. Eili laughed brightly, her ears twitching as she brushed the bow against her shoulder again.
“Eili, please stop. Don’t you know that right now is the most important time for His Highness to head back to the palace?”
“Right. Our hero’s just too innocent to know these things. But now that we’ve just defeated the demon king and returned, I don’t think the party mood should be that bad, should it?”
The voices of the other members echoed in Yu Inna’s ears. But Eili’s next words made her heart drop like a stone.
“Oh. Really? That’s a shame. Yesterday I checked it out and there was this guy with black hair and eyes just like yours. He was pretty decent. Though it was a bit pricey. They call him Ace, though. Still, he’s different.”
Yu Inna barely held onto her sanity and managed a shaky breath. Her short bob, trimmed to her shoulders unlike the long hair from three years ago, fluttered in the breeze.
“Where is it?!”
“What? Are you interested? Heh— so that’s your type?”
“Where?!”
Yu Inna’s brows furrowed tightly as she grabbed Eili by the collar. Eili looked surprised by the sudden change in her attitude.
“Got it, got it? I’ll show you. Just give me—!”
Her trembling hand slipped from the collar. Eili hurriedly drew and handed over the map of the brothel’s location to her.
“No way.”
Yu Inna crumpled the map and started running as fast as she could. The voices of her companions calling from behind barely reached her.
“Why did I defeat the demon king?”
She couldn’t calm her racing heart until she saw it with her own eyes. She muttered to herself as she recalled someone without realizing it.
The man from three years ago who had looked at her with a composed gaze when they were together in this strange world.