Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Back at the Guild, an hour had passed.

By this point, Liz and Michael were sure that Van would resign or get fired. What happened next, however, completely took them by surprise:

Van and Anne exited together, Anne sporting a relaxed, satisfied smile, her skin glistening with sweat.

... Something that Michael misunderstood to an extent.

'W-what... Why is she smiling like that... And... Sweaty... What... No...! No way, did he...!!?' he thought, his face paling as he imagined Van taking advantage of Anne in the storage house against her will... Until she inevitably relented, thinking of Michael in her last few moments of clarity.

"WHAT!?" Liz exclaimed loudly as she saw the sight of the two leaving together.

"Mom, we're done there!" Anne announced as she left the storage area, Van at her side.

"Ahh, I see," Marcy replied nonchalantly as she turned to face them.

"Ahh, I see!? Mom, he just completed a task that would have taken us over fourteen hours! The carrier can now take all of the goods!" Anne was visibly amazed by her mother's calm reaction.

"Well, the son of a workhorse is bound to be a workhorse too," she said, a proud smirk stretching across her face as she crossed her arms, looking at Van.

'So, she can smile like that,' Van thought, his eyebrow raised, pleasantly surprised.

"Anne, this fella's full name is Van Hellix Jr.—your mom's old traveling companion."

"HOLY SHIT, SERIOUSLY!?" Anne's shout startled the nearby patrons.

'Woah, what a reaction...' Van thought, slightly bewildered.

"Dude," Anne said as she spun around and grasped Van by the shoulders, "that guy's my hero!"

"He is...?" Van asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically at Marcy, who responded with a playful smile.

"YES! To think he survived over four years with people like my mom and dad, armed with nothing but his willpower and a big-ass sword. DUDE!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" Anne shook him excitedly.

Van gently grasped her hands as she shook him, stopping her.

"You didn't ask," He started, "Besides, why him? I've heard your mother dominated the battlefield much more often, according to him at least,"

Anne looked up, as if searching for the answer in the ceiling.

"Well, I do take after my mom, joining the warrior classes. A bunch of magic-less misfits who are considered the bottom of the barrel. That's why I have immense respect for someone who never gives up, even against the impossible! He was like a C Rank facing THE DEMON LORD without any special skills, yet he somehow muscled through! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?" Anne exclaimed with fervor.

'Ahh, so I'm famous for being an underdog,' Van thought with a wry sigh.

'At least it's somewhat flattering. Most would assume I was just dead weight...'

"And from what I saw at the warehouse... You're easily already E-Rank material! And you're still so young!" Anne pointed out.

'So, that's considered E-Rank nowadays? Back in the day, it would've been D - Lesser C Rank at least. Standards must have risen by a lot with the frequent dragon attacks,' Van contemplated.

'Well, E-Rank it is then.'

"Yeah, my dad trained me," Van responded.

"Whoa... So he must be incredibly strong now, right?" Anne asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, her mother also looking expectant.

"Hmm," Van hummed, checking his status window.

STR: 999 (+30,361)

"I suppose,"

'I haven't really tested what over 31,000 points in strength can do when pushed to the limit... And perhaps, it's best if I never have to,' Van pondered, closing his status window.

"Anyway, Mom," Anne turned to Marcy, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"C-...Can Van and I hang out?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, since you've finished all your chores... Yeah, go ahead," Marcy consented, catching Van off-guard.

"Wait, Marcy, about the quest—" Van began, but Anne was already pulling him eagerly away from the counter.

"Shh, relax for now. The quest can wait. You've been a big help today, so there'll be some extra coins for you when you get back," Marcy assured him as Anne led Van out of the guild.

"And..." Her voice then grew softer as she met his gaze, "Look after my daughter, will ya'?" she said with a wink.

Van's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Marcy's soft-spoken tone and gentle expression.

'She... really is much softer than the old days. She's so much nicer than I remember,' Van thought as he and Anne vanished into the streets. 'She might've been brainwashed by Magus for many years, but even to him she showed a form of disrespect and roughness. It was part of her personality, even if she meant well.' He glanced back at Anne as she led him away.

'I guess kids will do that to you? Will having a kid do something like that to me as well?' he pondered, once more bringing up the image of Alicia.

"Heh," he chuckled to himself as they walked together down the streets of the Royal Capital.

Meanwhile, Liz, who had been serving other patrons, looked perplexed yet relatively calm.

"How... What... That guy... Did he do something to Anne or Aunt Marcy?" Lizzy wondered, "I need to talk to her and—"

... Relatively calm compared to a certain someone, that is.

'That bastard...!! He must've took advantage Anne in the storage room... And is somehow blackmailing auntie..!!' he fumed internally, already imagining Van masterfully stealing her heart as the two were on their own.

Confused and irate, Michael approached Marcy just as Van and Anne exited the guild.

"Aunt Marcy!" Michael exclaimed, his voice rough and urgent, causing the other patrons to feel cold sweat drip down their foreheads.

"That kid, does he have a complaint to the boss...?"

"Oh no, there's gonna be a murder..." the adventurers and patrons muttered, bracing themselves as they watched Michael.

"Michael, STOP!" Liz whispered urgently.

"What's the matter, Michael? Why are you not serving our clients!!?" Marcy questioned sharply, her stern tone making Michael shrink slightly as he reached the counter.

"Uhm... It's just... We've been working so hard... W-why is it that Van and Anne got to leave ear—"

"HUH!!? ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY DAUGHTER'S HARD WORK!?" Marcy interrupted, her voice booming across the guild hall and silencing Michael mid-sentence, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Ahh, that kid's in trouble..." murmured a D Rank Adventurer, watching the scene unfold.

"Even if I felt I was treated unfairly, I wouldn't dare talk back to Marcy..." whispered a B Rank Adventurer, shaking his head.

"N-NO!! I wouldn't dare... It's just that they left after just one hour and—" Michael attempted to explain, his voice timid, but Marcy's imposing voice cut him off again.

"THAT'S BECAUSE THEY WORKED HARDER THAN YOU COULD EVER DREAM, YOU MISERABLE LEECH!! NOW, STOP COMPLAINING AND GO HELP YOUR SO-CALLED GIRLFRIEND!!" Marcy's commanding voice boomed, her stature as imposing as ever—a testament to her past as the formidable S Rank Former Adventurer, Marcilla.

She then grabbed Michael by the shirt collar, spun him around, and sent him stumbling back towards Liz with a firm kick to his bottom.

'I knew it would come to this...' Liz thought with a resigned sigh as she watched Michael hobble back, his posture slouched and his face tensed in pain.

"PICK UP THE PACE!" Marcy shouted, causing every adventurer in the room to flinch and look away, her command spurring Michael to recover his pace instantly.

'Aunt Marcy... as merciless as ever...' Liz mused internally as she scrubbed a beer spill off a table, glancing at Michael's pained expression.

'So... Why does she favor that guy so much? I've never seen her show a face like that to anyone but Anne or Father. It can't just be because he's Van Hellix's son!' Liz thought, continuing to do her work while also preparing herself to help Michael recover.

'... I have to look some more into this.'

--------------------

"Let's head to the pool," Anne suggested as she and Van stepped outside the guild.

"What? A pool...?" Van asked, puzzled.

'How does she know about pools...?'

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you're not from the capital. It's a place with lots of clear water where people come to swim and relax. It was my father's idea," she explained.

Van scoffed lightly.

'So that harem bastard capitalized on ideas from our world, huh? I suppose I'd do the same if I had the influence,' Van mused internally.

Anne grabbed Van's hand, leading him through the bustling streets of the Capital. Van glanced at Anne's cheerful demeanor.

'Look at her. All business before, now so carefree,' he observed.

"Come on!"

'I guess there's no harm in this. A day at the pool with my niece,' Van thought, letting out a small chuckle as he followed her lead.