Chapter 1: Part 1Author: Geraint
"What is this place?!"
We saw strange houses built on hills and mountains, strange vehicles running through farms, planting what looked like wheat in an instant. Other odd vehicles sped down the road, carrying vegetables and fruits.
"Are we really in Demon Territory? All I see are humans riding those strange things."
While Lilith looked confused, I walked down the path toward a small village. The signs had unfamiliar writings I couldn't understand—nothing I'd seen in the demon king's castle library.
"Seir-sama, wait for me!" Lilith called, following close behind.
Munching on strange green insects we found by the roadside, enduring the disgusting taste just to survive, we quickly hid behind a tree when children walked past. A few minutes after they passed, we peeked out and moved forward, spotting people nearby.
"Ugh... Seir-sama."
Lilith's stomach rumbled loudly. She was starving. I couldn't let her go hungry any longer. Looking for something edible beyond insects, I thought of wild fruits and jumped into the bushes to gather some.
"Seir-sama, wait!"
While foraging, I found a small river and tried to catch fish with my bare hands. The fish were small but plentiful, so I caught several, skewered them on sticks, and grilled them over a fire.
The taste was bland—we had no spices—but at least our stomachs were full and we had energy to continue. I stared into the bonfire's flames while Lilith slept beside me, exhausted from last night.
"Hm?"
My enhanced senses detected someone moving through the bushes nearby, crying. I stood and leapt into the trees, moving silently until I found a young girl crying. She seemed lost. She had shoulder-length light blue hair and eyes, wearing a blue shoulder-less shirt and a white frilly skirt, now dirty and torn.
"???!" she sobbed uncontrollably, coughing. Her cries pierced my ears, spoken in an unfamiliar language.
"Hey, little brat! Stop crying!" I jumped down in front of her.
She finally stopped but looked confused.
"Oh, right. You don't understand my words either."
She just stared. I had no choice but to use sign language.
"You're lost, right? Let me take you somewhere familiar."
I noticed a bleeding wound on her knee. I tore a piece from my worn-out shirt and tied it around her injury.
"Can you walk?"
Sighing, I crouched and gestured for her to hop on my back.
"Huh?"
She hesitated, unsure what to do.
"Ah! Such a pain!" I smiled and lifted her into my arms, making her blush.
"Hold on tight!"
I leapt through the trees until we reached the road. Ahead, worried adults were searching. I knew they were looking for her.
"Go."
She hesitated, glancing at me.
"Don't make them worry."
"Shiina Ayaka!"
As I turned, she pointed to herself.
"Shiina Ayaka! ??? ????" she repeated, but I didn't understand the rest.
"Shiina?"
She nodded happily. So that was her name.
"Seir." I pointed to myself.
"Zeir?"
"Seir." I repeated.
"Seir..."
"That's right. You got it."
"Seir-kun, ??? ???? ????" she asked, blushing deeply. I didn't know how to respond due to the language barrier.
"Umm..." I just nodded. She smiled warmly and grabbed my hand with both of hers.
"??????"
Realizing what she'd done, her face flushed again. She quickly let go, waved, and ran back.
"?????, Seir-kun! ?????"
"What was that?"
After she left, I returned to our camp before Lilith awoke.
Night came again. I grilled another batch of fish when I sensed a group approaching.
"Lilith, we have visitors. Let's give them a warm welcome."
"Yes, Seir-sama."
We vanished, leaping into the trees and hiding. Flashes of light moved among the trees—scouts surveying the forest. Feeling threatened, I summoned my sword and prepared to ambush.
There were five of them: one middle-aged man, two young men, and two young women. They found our camp and inspected the area, even the fish we were cooking. One short-haired young man took a half-cooked fish, tasted it, spat it out, and called it disgusting. That angered me—they were eating our meal.
They kept searching until I jumped down with Lilith behind me. We quickly knocked out three with magic-enhanced punches: I took down the two men, Lilith the girl.
"Ugh!" ×3
The remaining two—a young man in a white coat and a young woman wearing a white robe with loose red trousers—looked surprised. The young man stepped forward protectively. Lilith was about to attack, but I raised my hand to stop her.
"Seir-sama?"
"I'll try to communicate."
"Seir?" The young woman said my name.
I pointed my sword near the young man's neck and demanded, "State your intentions! Why are you after us?"
They looked confused and didn't understand my language. Nervously, the young man raised his arms and knelt, arguing with the young woman, who also knelt. They were surrendering, but I sensed more enemies sneaking nearby.
"Lilith, take down those guys, but don't kill them. I don't want any reckless moves."
"As you order."
Lilith bowed and vanished into shadows, striking the hidden enemies. Screams and explosions followed.
Bang!Bang!
When Lilith returned, the two in front of me were visibly nervous, spotting the item in her hand.
"Seir-sama, I brought something interesting for you."
She handed me a strange metal artifact. I examined it carefully.
"All of those men had one. It's some kind of weapon they aimed at me."
"I see…"
I pointed the artifact at them. They trembled, closing their eyes in fear. With a sigh, I appeared behind and knocked them unconscious.
"Let's go."
I tossed the artifact into the river and left with Lilith.
(To be continued.)