I Became a Raid Boss

“Demoninus is calling me?”

-Yeah.

Demoninus.

The company that created Silia Online, and the target of jokes about torturing aliens.

‘Huh…?’

…That’s not entirely wrong, is it?

Even though the true owner is the god of Earth, it’s Edel who outwardly represents it. And, in a way, I’m also part of Demoninus.

Edel and I aren’t Earthlings, so calling us aliens isn’t incorrect.

Of course, it’s not like they said that knowing the truth, nor are we actually being tortured.

-I’ll explain in detail when you come. It’s probably nothing serious, but I’ll ask anyway. When can you come?

“…What do you mean, ‘probably nothing serious’?”

-You’ve been lazing around in your room all day with nothing to do.

“….”

It’s true, but it feels oddly irritating.

“You said you couldn’t use your powers, right?”

-I never said I couldn’t use them at all. Besides, this isn’t a power; it’s just simple insight.

“Good for you.”

-I know I’m amazing.

For a moment, I felt a mischievous urge.

-So, when are you coming?

Edel’s words came out just a beat ahead, making me lose my timing.

“I’ll come today.”

As Edel said, I don’t really have anything to do. I might as well treat it as a walk and go.

After confirming my agreement, the call ended. I handed the phone back to Da-eun.

Da-eun, as if she’d been waiting, asked.

“You’re going to Demoninus?”

“Yeah. They said they have something to talk about, so I should go.”

If they’re calling me specifically to talk, it’s probably something work-related.

Suppressing my reluctance, I sluggishly got up.

“Do you want to come along, Da-eun?”

“I’d love to, but… Sorry, I have work today, so it’s not possible.”

“It’s fine. It’s nothing to apologize for.”

“I also have plans tomorrow… But I think I can go with you the day after. How about postponing it?”

“Hmm.”

I shook my head.

“I already said I’d go today.”

I don’t want to procrastinate.

It feels strange to go out alone since I always go with Da-eun, but that’s all it is—just a bit strange.

It’s not like I’m nervous or scared.

I’m not a child; why would I be?

And I can’t expect Da-eun, who has her own job, to just drop everything for me. Since I don’t want to delay, I’ll go alone.

When I said that, Da-eun looked at me with a proud expression.

It was like the face of a mother watching her child go on their first errand alone.

‘I kind of want to kick her.’

Does Da-eun know what I’m thinking?

She must not; otherwise, she wouldn’t be making that face.

“Our Kana is all grown up now… This big sister has no regrets left…”

“You just had to say it.”

If she has no regrets, she won’t have any complaints either.

Thud!

“Ah!”

Da-eun collapsed, clutching her shin.

Looking down at her from above, I scoffed with a smirk.

“I didn’t even kick you that hard, and you’re already complaining.”

“W-Well, don’t you know sneak attacks deal 1.5 times more damage?”

“Hmm, fair point.”

“Right?”

“It’s easier to slit someone’s throat when you catch them completely off guard.”

“…That’s not the kind of answer I was hoping for.”

Da-eun muttered in a disheartened voice and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, do you know where Demoninus is? Or how to get there?”

“Isn’t it just a matter of taking a car?”

“And do you know how to take a car?”

“….”

You just open the door and get in.

…is what I wanted to say, but I knew that wasn’t what she was asking, so I kept my mouth shut.

Straightening her bent knee, Da-eun regained her full height and looked down at me.

Her gaze, exuding a sense of authority, made me instinctively take a step back.

It was then I realized—I was actually intimidated by Da-eun’s demeanor.

…Did I really just get overwhelmed by her presence?

“Come here and sit down.”

“…Okay.”

Before I could even feel embarrassed about my wounded pride, I obediently sat down on the sofa as Da-eun instructed.

After confirming that I was seated, she spoke in a mock-serious tone.

“From now on, I will commence a lecture.”

“A lecture?”

“A lecture to ensure that Kana can safely go out and return. It’s a mandatory course, so listen carefully!”

“….”

Out of nowhere, Da-eun produced a pair of glasses and perched them on her nose.

Seriously, where does she even get these things?

While I was mulling over that thought, her lecture began.

***

There’s a saying: “A moment feels like three years.”

It means that even a short amount of time can feel unbearably long when you’re anxiously waiting for something.

“I get it already, so please stop….”

Right now, I felt like I had lived through six years of autumn.

Even though not much time had actually passed according to the clock, it felt as if I’d endured six cycles of fall.

It was a strange sensation, though it made sense given how desperately I wanted her lecture to end.

Slumped on the sofa, I waved a white flag of surrender.

“Okay. Let’s review one last time. How are you getting to Demoninus?”

“I can take a bus, but since I’d need to transfer midway, I should take a taxi instead….”

“And how will you get back?”

“I’ll either take a taxi or, if it gets too late, I’ll ask Da-eun to pick me up….”

“And if a stranger offers you candy?”

“I’ll just take it and… wait, hold on. That’s not something we discussed.”

When I unconsciously answered, only to realize the absurdity of it, I shot her a glare.

But Da-eun met my gaze with an indignant look, as if to say I can’t believe I have to spell this out for you.

“That’s just basic common sense! I shouldn’t even have to tell you that! No, this calls for another round of—”

“Don’t even think about saying something so horrifying.”

I’d rather run to Demoninus than endure another round of that torturous lecture.

Forget about hiding my identity or whatever.

“…Was it really that bad?”

“Yes. Really.”

“I thought I was pretty good at explaining, though.”

Sigh.

Well…

If I put aside my personal feelings, Da-eun’s explanations weren’t that bad.

After all, the information did stick in my head.

It’s just that her tone and voice were so gentle, like she was talking to a child, that it made the whole experience unbearably tedious.

And to be fair, I’m not used to sitting still and listening to someone talk for so long.

In any case, I don’t want to hear any more.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Wait. Should I call a taxi for you?”

“You can do that?”

“Of course. These days, finding something that can’t be done would be faster. Plus, if you call it like this, you don’t even have to pay when you get off. It’s super convenient.”

“…Then why did you bother explaining all of that to me?”

“….”

She’d explained everything—from how to pay with a card to how to hail a taxi.

Turns out, none of that was necessary.

“…Ah!”

Her wandering eyes finally settled back into focus.

“You can’t just think about getting there! You have to consider the return trip too! Kana, you don’t know how to call a taxi yet, do you?”

“Oh…”

“Hehe.”

“For an impromptu excuse, that wasn’t bad.”

If she had answered immediately, I might have bought it, but after fumbling like that, it wasn’t very convincing.

“Oops…!”

The banter ended there.

I had a growing sense of urgency that if I stayed any longer, I’d only make it home by dinnertime.

And tonight’s dinner was supposed to be ribs.

“Wait!”

“No.”

“Seriously, just wait a second and take this with you!”

“…?”

She handed me a small, pink, oval-shaped object slightly smaller than my palm.

I was about to press the button in the middle when Da-eun stopped me.

“Don’t press it now.”

“What is this?”

“Oh, um… It’s a self-defense device. If you’re in a dangerous situation, press the button in the middle.”

“This tiny thing is supposed to be a self-defense device?”

It was nothing like the self-defense tools I knew—swords, spears, or even clubs.

How was this small thing supposed to protect me?

“…Those things are called weapons, not self-defense tools. Anyway, if someone suspicious approaches or you’re in danger, press it. Got it?”

“Got it.”

It didn’t seem like I’d need it, but since she gave it to me, I accepted it.

Now, there was really no time to waste, so I left the house.

Instead of stopping me, Da-eun followed me outside to see me off. I got into the taxi she’d called.

“Take care of her, driver!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get her there safely.”

Still, if the auto-driving feature works so well, do we even need drivers?

The thought crossed my mind but didn’t linger.

Maybe there were situations where human intervention was still necessary, like I’d heard before.

The taxi smoothly weaved through the city streets.

“Nice weather lately, isn’t it?”

“….”

“Is that person earlier your sister?”

“Yeah….”

The driver tried starting a few conversations, but after I responded with either silence or short answers, he gradually stopped talking altogether.

He might have found the silence awkward, but I found it more comfortable this way.

Leaning back, I relaxed and focused on the scenery outside.

Before long, the taxi arrived in front of Demoninus.

“Young lady, we’re here.”

I nodded and stepped out of the car.

Even though I’d spent several days in this area, it was my first time looking at the building like this.

Tilting my head back to take it all in, my neck began to ache.

These buildings were just too tall.

I understood why they were built like this—limited land and all—but staring up at them always left me feeling overwhelmed.

“….”

But…

Where do I go now?

As I sifted through my memory, I realized I’d only been told to come to Demoninus. No one mentioned where exactly within Demoninus I should go.

Thankfully, my confusion was short-lived.

A man approached me as I stood hesitating in front of the building.

“This way.”

An unfamiliar face.

But I sensed a familiar energy from him, so I quietly followed behind.

Rather than entering through the main entrance, we went in through the emergency exit at the back of the building.

We weaved through various paths until—

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has.”

Before I knew it, Edel was standing right in front of me.

The man who’d brought me bowed slightly to Edel, as if signaling his task was complete, then left.

I gestured toward his retreating figure.

“Who’s that?”

“An angel. Or a messenger. Call him whatever you like.”

“I’ve never seen him before.”

“You haven’t, but he’s been around for a while.”

Edel, who’d been standing while focusing on her paperwork, stamped something and set the documents aside.

Only then did she look up and—

Tilted her head.

She tilted her head in confusion this time.

“What’s that thing hanging from your pocket?”

“Huh?”

“That thing. The one hanging from your pocket.”

“Oh, this? Da-eun gave it to me. She said it’s a self-defense tool.”

“…A self-defense tool?”

Edel muttered as if she’d just seen something bizarre, then shrugged.

“I see.”

“…What is it?”

“Nothing. A self-defense tool… Yeah, that’s what it is.”

Even though I kept pressing her, Edel refused to elaborate.

She was definitely hiding something…

Something fishy was going on.

‘I can’t let this slide.’

As soon as I get home, I’m interrogating Da-eun.

With that resolve, I set the suspicion aside for now.

—

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