Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

Fortunately, Neria accepted my offer to stay without hesitation.

When I heard that, it seemed she didn’t have a better option anyway. She’d be sleeping on a mat at best, and I could tell she was somewhat relieved by the idea of staying here.

Since I couldn’t sleep because of the holy water, I decided to engage in conversation with her.
It would have been too awkward to sit in silence in the small tent, just the two of us.

She was a minor, and there was a seven-year age gap between us. We were from entirely different backgrounds.
With such a large gap, neither of us felt inclined to strike up a conversation.

But since I was the elder, I naturally took the lead and began talking.
Most of our conversation revolved around getting to know each other.

“So, have you always lived in a city?”

“Oh, no... I lived in a village a little ways out of town.”

It was better to know some basic information.

“Interesting. You’d think hiding would be hard living among people. How did you manage to stay hidden? Or did the villagers help you hide?”

“Well, not exactly. My ability makes it easier to stay hidden.”

She explained that she had the power to control people to a certain extent.
By channeling mana and saying what she wanted, she could influence people’s actions in the real world.

Of course, wishes like asking to turn back time or become wealthy weren’t possible.
Her powers only worked on things she could physically influence.

Things like creating stones out of thin air or hypnotizing people.
But even that was an extremely frightening ability. The power to control others forcibly was no small feat.

It was almost like having a hypnotism app, wasn’t it?
If I had a power like that instead of controlling blood, I might have made better use of it.

“Did you use that ability to put the people in the shack to sleep?”

“Yes.”

“That didn’t seem very strong when you used it on me.”

“That surprised me. I’ve had people resist, but I’ve never seen someone break free like that.”

“You probably only tried it on villagers.”

Breaking free wasn’t all that difficult.
By channeling mana into my body, I could break the restriction.
Anyone with some experience could resist her control.
Of course, most people couldn’t resist since it required manipulating mana.

She continued her story after that.
In summary, she had been living in a remote village, quietly surviving until the kingdom fell, and then she fled to the refugee camp.

Unlike her village, where people were few, the crowded camp made her worry about being exposed.
And while she was hiding, I had found her.
In her case, it was lucky timing.

“...What about your parents?”

“I don’t have any. I was originally from the back alleys.”

“...That’s similar.”

We continued our small talk until the sun started to rise.
The bright sunlight filtered through the cracks in the tent.

As Neria saw the light, she began looking at me with a somewhat pleading expression.
She was worried I might send her away now that her fury had passed.

Once again, I found myself hesitating.
Living on a mat was one thing, but there were many other people around, and it wasn’t just her here.

“By the way, where’s your symbol?”

“...”

At my question, Neria silently pulled down her collar, revealing the mark on her shoulder.
It was a somewhat comically shaped blue symbol resembling two mountain peaks, etched into her pale skin.

Seeing that made me feel guilty.
Even though it was just her shoulder, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable seeing her bare skin.
I imagined she might have felt the same when she saw my collarbone.

‘Sigh... no one’s going to come after me, right?’

I had no intention of doing anything inappropriate. I didn’t have those thoughts.
Despite being someone driven by desires, I knew how to respect boundaries.

In any case, the shoulder wasn’t the best place for the mark. If it was discovered, it would be harder to cover up.
It would be quite troublesome to explain if it were found out.

I took a moment to think about what to do with her.
As I was pondering, Neria cautiously spoke up.

“Could I stay here for a while...?”

She looked at me with those pleading eyes.

“...Alright.”

I nodded in the end.
Thus, I found myself temporarily caring for a child.

Time passed quickly after that.
More and more refugees began to pour into the camp.
I couldn’t even begin to guess where they were all coming from.

Along with the increasing number of refugees came the rising discontent.

“What do you mean, we can’t go back to the kingdom!?”

“Now that the demons are dealt with, what’s the issue with going back? I’m grateful for the protection, but it seems unreasonable to stop me from returning home... Wait, what? More demons are wandering around?”

“Wait, I’m a knight of Luryeon. Can we talk for a moment?”

News that strange creatures were appearing in the destroyed kingdom had spread to the refugees as well.
It was a truth that couldn’t be hidden forever.

The Empire wasn’t the only one investigating the fallen kingdom.
News of the situation spread to influencers, adventurers, and even otherworldly beings.
With so many otherworldly beings in the camp, it was impossible to keep it quiet.

The Empire officially acknowledged the appearance of small demons, calling them "Imps."
They recognized the new monsters publicly.

To the prominent citizens of the fallen kingdom, this was shocking news.
While they had fled, they didn’t completely abandon their homeland.

People always yearn for their homeland. Especially after fleeing so suddenly.
Most of them probably longed to return someday.
After hearing that Belled had been dealt with, their hope for returning grew.

But now, to hear that imps had occupied their homeland...
It must have been deeply disappointing.

As a result, many of the refugees were growing more aggressive.
Some accused others of lying to stop them from returning, while others were causing a commotion, refusing to stay any longer.
Things were getting heated, and I had to step in and mediate at times.

“Come on, calm down. The knights aren’t stopping you out of their own will. You shouldn’t take your frustrations out on others.”

“...You’re right. This young man has a point.”

Fortunately, when I stepped in, the situation usually calmed down.
Getting familiar with the refugees over the past few days helped a lot.
Of course, there were still those who wouldn’t listen and caused trouble... but I could deal with them through force.

Living with Neria had become quite familiar to me.

“No, just eat it! Why are you asking to change it just because there’s carrot in it? Are you a child?”

“P-Please calm down... calm down.”

After staying together in the same tent for a while, it was only natural we became more comfortable around each other.
She, who had always been silent, now occasionally spoke first.
Though we didn’t sleep on the same bed, of course.

Eventually, after a few more days, Odelia returned.
She had been busy handling urgent matters and was now back.

I quickly hid Neria and greeted her.
I couldn’t just let a manifester be seen in front of the commander of the knights.

“Well, look at this. The place is all cleaned up. How’ve you been?”

“...Who do you think helped with the cleaning? Were you too busy having fun while I was working?”

“Ha ha ha! I’ve sent quite a few to heaven. How about you? Want to join them?”

I ignored her teasing and asked instead.

“There are too many refugees. I don’t think they’ll be going back anytime soon... What’s the plan for all these people?”

“Quite a problem. You’re even thinking about national issues now.”

“I’m just worried that it might affect me.”

I knew well how it felt to not be able to go home.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been in meetings about this. We’re working on it.”

Odelia continued.

“We’re planning to take them all in. We’re even building more buildings for them.”

“...All of them?”

“Well, we’ll place the troublesome ones in less ideal spots.”

“That’s surprising. Honestly, you don’t have to go that far. The security will definitely get worse.”

I was being blunt, but it seemed strange for the Empire, not a volunteer group, to take in so many refugees.

“What do you mean? This is actually an opportunity for us.”

But it seemed the higher-ups had a different perspective.

“Security will... probably get worse for now. But in the long run, we’re essentially expanding the empire. And without any wars, we’ll gain more territory and fill in the labor shortages.”

Essentially, they had acquired a kingdom for free.
Odelia was genuinely happy about it.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Empire’s officials. That’s probably why they quickly accepted manifesters like me.

I had more questions, so I asked again.

“What if we defeat all the imps and return to the kingdom?”

“That’s fine too. After all, they owe us now. We can exploit them for a long time.”

Once again, I was reminded of how cold politics could be.

As I was reflecting, Odelia spoke again.

“Anyway, thanks for holding the fort while I was away. It gave me a chance to take care of things. You can relax now. You’ve worked hard these past two weeks.”

I had done my part, so now it was time for me to return.
After giving me a brief pat on the shoulder, she went off to look around.

I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling I had.
Going home was a relief, especially since I had grown tired of this place.
But as soon as I thought about returning, I couldn’t help but worry about Neria.

I couldn’t just leave her behind.
But at the same time, I wasn’t sure about bringing her along.

Even if I took her in, I wasn’t ready to bring anyone new into my cave.
And there was the issue of both of us experiencing fury together... That could be disastrous.

I definitely didn’t want to spend my remaining years in prison...

‘But I can’t just leave her with no options.’

I had the money to buy a house on the outskirts, but it was the people that concerned me.
I didn’t feel comfortable letting a young girl live on her own.

I couldn’t just tell the knights either.
That would be impossible.

But perhaps, I had a solution.
A place where no one would discover her, and where I could take care of her directly.

In my mind, I suddenly saw a green-haired demon with just a neck.

A few days later, I went to find Barbatos deep within.

“Oh? You’ve come earlier than expected. I thought it’d be months before you showed up. So, did you bring bread... and who’s the little one behind you?”

When Barbatos saw Neria behind me, her eyes widened.
I smiled brightly and said,

“I brought a friend to keep you company.”