Mastermind

As Alex and his companions listened intently, they were suddenly shocked to hear the monster lady's accusation. Alex immediately spoke up, his voice quivering with disbelief, "What are you saying? Do you even know who you're talking about? And have you ever seen Linda destroy your village?" The monster lady, undeterred, replied in a confident tone, "Well, I may not have seen the faces of those who destroyed my village, but I did see that they had the same tattoo on their hand as this lady here." All eyes turned to Linda, who nervously held out her hand to reveal a mana-infused tattoo of a dragon surrounded by a circle of fire.

As the group stared in astonishment at the intricate design, Linda's mind was transported back to the moment she received the tattoo. "When I was returning from the market," she began, her voice trembling with emotion, "I saw a little girl being bullied by some street hooligans. I couldn't just stand there and watch, so I stepped in and chased them away. As I was about to leave, the girl stopped me and insisted on thanking me. And so, as a gesture of gratitude, she imprinted this tattoo on my hand."

The revelation left the group reeling, as they tried to make sense of the situation. Was Linda responsible for the destruction of the monster lady's village? Or was she simply an unwitting pawn in a larger scheme? Only time would tell, but one thing was certain - they had a long and perilous journey ahead of them.

Alex made his way towards Linda, his eyes fixed on hers as he asked, "Please do tell me if anything else happened in the market." Linda took a deep breath and proceeded to recount the whole challenge incident that had occurred earlier. As she finished, Alex's expression shifted, and a sense of determination overtook him.

"I have a strong feeling that this was orchestrated by the city lord of the Griffins, and the tattoo on the assassin's body belongs to the city lord's infamous Black Knight," he said, his voice resonating with conviction. "These Black Knights are specially trained to carry out assassinations and engage in illegal activities that a lord can't publicly do."

He paused to gather his thoughts before continuing, "However, the city lord has nothing to gain from destroying the demon village. It would be far more profitable for them to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with the demons. But, if the people start to believe that we can establish a peaceful relationship with the demon kingdom, they won't need protection from the demon king. And if they don't need protection, then they don't need heroes or barriers. This could ultimately lead to the downfall of the church and its loss of power."

He clenched his fists as he spoke, the realization of the church's role in the incident dawning on him. "So, the real mastermind behind this was the church, and they are using this woman for their nefarious purposes."

Ah, revenge is a dish best served cold, and in any world, you must execute it with precision, lest you become a pawn in your enemy's game, much like this poor woman before us. Suddenly, the monstrous woman turned to us and posed a harrowing accusation: "Is this woman not one of those murderers who destroyed my village?" Without a moment's hesitation, Alex and the others responded, "No, she is not the one responsible for the destruction of your village." To our relief, the monster woman accepted this explanation with ease. Alex untied the woman, and as she stood before us, she offered a sincere apology. "I have never taken an innocent human life. I simply knock them out and leave their unconscious bodies by the side of the forest road." As she spoke, Alex couldn't help but think that it would be unwise to reveal the true nature of her heinous deeds.

As the night descended upon them, the group grew anxious about the perils that lurked in the wild forest. Goblin woman took the initiative to invite them to her abode for the night, where they could rest and regroup. With little hesitation, Alex and the others fell in line and followed her into the depths of the forest. Suddenly, Maya, one of their companions, leaned toward Alex and whispered, "I believe that the church is the mastermind behind all of this." Alex was visibly stunned and asked, "How can you say that?" Maya replied in a hushed tone, "I don't have concrete evidence, but if my suspicions are right, then they have no idea that the woman leading us is still alive. The church destroyed her village because she was a half-human, and she's the main reason behind their actions."

-To be continued

(So, yeah our monster girl is a simple-minded person or not, also in this chapter, I hint to you that mc's past life is very similar to the monster girl but set in the modern world.)