I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 159: Can you do it? (2)

“You want me to go to Demonis?”

Demonis.

The company that created Sillia Online, often the subject of jokes about allegedly torturing aliens.

‘Huh...?’

...Isn’t that half-true?

Though the actual owner might be a god from Earth, Edel is the public face of it, and in a way, I’m technically part of Demonis too. Neither Edel nor I are from Earth, so calling us aliens isn’t entirely wrong. Of course, they don’t know that’s what they’re saying, nor are we being tortured... but still, why is Edel asking me to come to Demonis now?

“‘Probably nothing’... what does that even mean?”

“....”

That’s true, but it still felt a little odd.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t use your powers?”

“Very impressive.”

For a brief moment, I felt a bit annoyed.

Edel beat me to it, and I missed my chance to respond.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

“Guess I’ll go today.”

Since I have nothing to do, I might as well treat it like a walk, as Edel suggested.

I ended the call with a simple acknowledgment and handed the phone back to Daeun.

As soon as I did, Daeun, who seemed to have been waiting, asked.

“Are you really going to Demonis?”

“Yeah. If she wants to talk, I have to go.”

Given she called me just to talk, I figured it must be something related to work.

With a reluctant sigh, I dragged myself up.

“Do you want to come with me?”

“I’d love to, but... Sorry, I’ve got work today. I don’t think I can make it.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ve got plans tomorrow... but I could go with you the day after. How about postponing it?”

“Hmm.”

Shakes head.

“I already said I’m going today.”

I didn’t want to drag this out any longer.

It felt a little odd going alone since I always go out with Daeun, but it wasn’t anything nerve-wracking or scary.

I’m not a child, so I figured I could handle it.

Daeun, on the other hand, gave me a proud look, like a mother watching her child run an errand for the first time.

‘I just want to kick her.’

Did Daeun know I was thinking this? Probably not, which is why she had that look on her face.

“Our Kana has grown up... I’m left with no regrets now...”

“I knew you’d say that.”

If there were no regrets, there wouldn’t be any resentment, right?

Thwack!

“Ah!”

Daeun grabbed her shin and crumpled to the ground.

Looking down at her, I smirked and scoffed.

“It wasn’t that hard, yet you’re acting like it’s the end of the world.”

“What? You don’t know that surprise attacks deal 1.5 times the damage?”

“Hmm, you’re right.”

“See?”

“If you attack when the enemy is most distracted, it’s easier to decapitate them.”

“...I wasn’t really expecting that kind of violent talk.”

Daeun muttered in a grumbling voice, then changed the subject.

“By the way, do you know where Demonis is? Do you know how to get there?”

“Isn’t it just by car?”

“Do you know how to catch a car?”

“...”

I wanted to say, “Just get in and go,” but I knew that wasn’t what she meant, so I kept quiet.

Daeun, who had straightened her legs and regained her height, looked down at me. Instinctively, I took a step back, realizing I’d subconsciously shrunk away from her pressure.

‘Did I just get intimidated by Daeun?’

“Come sit here.”

“...Okay.”

Without even having the chance to preserve my pride, I obediently sat on the sofa as she instructed.

Once I sat down, she turned to me and spoke in a deliberately serious tone.

“Now, let’s begin the lecture.”

“A lecture?”

“It’s a lecture on how to get through your outing safely. This is a mandatory lecture, so listen well!”

“...”

Daeun took off her glasses, which she had apparently retrieved from somewhere, and put them on.

‘Really? This is happening now?’

I thought as I prepared myself for Daeun’s lecture.

There’s a saying that goes, “A moment feels like three autumns.”

It means that when you’re desperately waiting for something, even the shortest of times can feel incredibly long.

“I get it, so can we be done now...?”

And yet, I’ve just gone through six autumns in what felt like an instant.

It wasn’t even that much time that passed, but it felt like I’d endured six full seasons of waiting. It was a strange, almost surreal sensation.

Of course, the reason it felt so long is because I desperately wanted this lecture to be over.

I gave up on waiting and lazily waved a white flag, sinking into the sofa.

“Alright, last check. How are we getting to Demonis?”

“You can take the bus, but you’ll have to transfer midway, so it’s better to take a taxi...”

“And how do we get back?”

“Take a taxi, or if it’s late, you can ask Daeun to bring you back...”

“What if a stranger offers me candy?”

“Take it... Wait, we didn’t talk about this.”

I subconsciously answered, but when I noticed something was off, I glared at Daeun. She met my gaze with a slightly disapproving look.

“This is basic common sense you should already know! If you don’t, I’ll have to continue the lecture...”

“Stop with the creepy talk.”

I’d rather run than listen to that boring lecture again. I’m done with it, regardless of what’s being said.

“You really want me to go?”

“Yeah, but you’ve already said you’re going today, so...”

I didn’t want to drag this out anymore. I had already decided to go alone, so there was no need to postpone it.

It’s a little strange, considering I’ve always gone out with Daeun, but it wasn’t anything to get nervous about. There was no real reason to feel anxious. It was just a matter of getting out there on my own for once.

“Alright, I’m going now.”

“Wait! Do you need me to call a taxi for you?”

“Can you do that?”

“Of course. In this day and age, it’s faster to find something that doesn’t work than to find something that does. You don’t even need to worry about paying when you get off.”

“Then why did you just explain all of that to me?”

“....”

It was really unnecessary to explain how to pay with a card or how to call a taxi.

“Ah!”

After several moments of back and forth, Daeun’s eyes seemed to finally focus.

“You can’t just think about how to get there! You have to consider how to get back too! Kana still doesn’t know how to call a taxi.”

“Oh...”

“Hehe.”

“That wasn’t bad, considering the situation.”

I quickly realized my response had come off a little too flustered. After showing my embarrassment, it was clear I wasn’t about to convince anyone at this point.

“Aha...!”

I had enough of the banter.

If we kept talking, I might just end up spending the evening at her place. I cut the conversation short, knowing I had to leave.

“Hold on!”

“No.”

“No, seriously, just take this!”

“...?”

Daeun held out something small and pink, about the size of the palm of my hand.

When I tried to press the button in the middle, Daeun quickly stopped me.

“Don’t press it yet.”

“What is this?”

“Um... It’s for self-defense. If something dangerous happens, just press the button in the middle.”

I looked at it, confused. How could something this small be a self-defense item?

“Isn’t this a weapon? How could this be self-defense?”

“We agreed to call anything like knives or sticks weapons, remember? Anyway, if a suspicious person comes near you, or if something happens, press it. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I didn’t think I’d need it, but Daeun gave it to me, so I accepted it.

I really didn’t have time to waste, so I left the house quickly. Instead of holding me back, Daeun followed me out to see me off, and I got into the taxi.

“Please take care of her, driver!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gets there safely. Just hold on tight.”

I couldn’t help but wonder, though, with all the automatic driving functions these days, was a driver really necessary?

I briefly thought about it but shrugged it off. I’d heard before that sometimes human drivers were needed, so it must be one of those situations.

The taxi smoothly sped through the city.

“The weather’s nice today, isn’t it?”

“....”

“That woman, was she your sister?”

“Yeah...”

The driver asked a few more questions while driving, but when I answered shortly or stayed silent, he gradually stopped speaking, and soon there was a comfortable silence.

He might have thought it was awkward, but I found this kind of atmosphere more relaxing. I leaned back and looked out the window.

After a while, the taxi stopped in front of Demonis.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

I nodded and got out, looking up at the building. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but the buildings were unusually tall. It made my neck sore to look up at them.

They must have had to build high because there wasn’t much land to use, but seeing it like this made me feel a bit dizzy.

“...”

But now, where exactly was I supposed to go?

I had only been told to come to Demonis, not where exactly in the building I needed to go.

Luckily, my dilemma was solved easily.

A man approached me while I stood there thinking.

“This way.”

I’d never seen him before, but there was something familiar about his presence. Without hesitation, I followed him.

We didn’t enter through the front door but through a back emergency exit, and after walking through a few different paths—

“Long time no see.”

“Yeah, long time.”

Before I knew it, Edel was standing in front of me. She nodded at me as if she had finished what she needed to do, then motioned for the man who had just left to exit the room.

“Who’s that?”

“An angel, or maybe a lion. Call him whatever you like.”

“Never seen him before.”

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

Edel, who had been focusing on some paperwork, finally stopped and looked up from her desk.

She tilted her head in confusion when she noticed something.

“Why are you carrying that?”

“Huh?”

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

“This? Daeun gave it to me. She said it’s for self-defense.”

“...Self-defense?”

Edel stared at it with an odd expression, then shrugged her shoulders.

“I see.”

“...What is it?”

“Nothing. It’s for self-defense... I suppose.”

I felt like something was off, so I kept asking, but Edel wouldn’t answer directly.

There was something fishy about this...

‘I’ve got to interrogate Daeun when I get home.’

I made up my mind and put the thoughts aside for now.