"Why is this happening to me?!" I shouted as I sprinted desperately, a monstrous beast charging right behind me. Saliva dripped from its gaping maw, sizzling the moment it hit the ground.
I dove into the bushes, pressing my back against the damp earth and trying to steady my ragged breathing. My heart pounded violently in my chest as I whispered to myself, "Why do I *always* end up in these kinds of situations?!"
A Few Hours Earlier
Our party had been traveling toward the nearest demon village, just as planned. Verixa, as usual, was leading the way—boasting endlessly about her greatness while Valkira nodded along, showering her with praise. I occasionally tossed in a teasing comment just to see Verixa pout.
That was when I noticed Alira trailing silently behind the group. Slowing my pace, I turned back to her.
"Miss Alira—"
"Alira is fine," she interrupted curtly.
"Alright then, Alira. Don't you get bored walking alone back there? Why not join us up front?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't like talking to those who, for whatever reason, decided to start a war."
I scratched the back of my head. "I mean… fair enough. But the war's over now, right? You can relax. I can assure you they're good people—"
"Good or bad doesn't matter," she cut me off. "The fact remains—they fought. And I can't understand why you joined them."
I lowered my gaze, mumbling under my breath, "Well… I had a reason. A big reason…"
A reason I couldn't say out loud—like the fact that the human army might already brand me a criminal if I returned.
Alira's sharp eyes caught my hesitation. "And what reason is that?"
Before I could answer, Verixa suddenly chimed in with her usual smugness. "Because he's my minion!"
Alira blinked in disbelief. "Minion?! You sided with demons instead of humans?"
Valkira folded her arms, sneering. "Of course. Zacken chose us over those filthy humans who attacked and slaughtered innocent civilians."
I groaned. "Well… that still doesn't change the fact that I would've *preferred* to be summoned by the princess, not this brat." I pointed at Verixa—earning a sharp bite on my finger from her deceptively small mouth.
"Ow! That hurts!" I yelped, struggling to pull free. Her jaws were like iron clamps.
Alira crossed her arms, unimpressed. "If that's the case, then the elves' offer is better than this circus."
Before she could finish, Valkira's blade was instantly at her throat, her crimson eyes flashing. "So that's your plan? To steal Zacken from us?"
Alira stepped back, unshaken, already drawing an arrow from her quiver. "I'm not afraid of a demon who blindly follows a child."
Verixa stomped her foot, cheeks puffed in anger. "Hey! I'm not a child—I'm the Demon Queen!"
I raised my hands between them in panic. "Whoa, whoa! Can we *not* point weapons at each other?!"
Both Alira and Valkira turned their deadly glares toward me. "Stay out of this, Earthling!" they snapped in unison.
I laughed nervously, backing away. Yeah… safer not to meddle.
Then, Verixa's voice cracked as her confidence broke. "Valkira, stop it! You too, Elf!"
But neither lowered their weapon.
"Sorry, Queen," Valkira said darkly, "but I can't let her take Zacken from us."
"Sorry, kid," Alira replied coldly. "But I can't agree to your terms."
Verixa's lip trembled as tears welled in her golden eyes. Her voice came out broken and shaky.
"I… I am queen… you know… You *have to* listen to me…!"
Noticing her tears, both warriors hesitated and eventually lowered their weapons.
"Well, that's good," I said quickly, trying to lighten the mood. "As a start of a new friendship, maybe you two could shake hands—"
Their sharp glares silenced me immediately. I coughed awkwardly and let it go.
Valkira turned and started walking ahead silently, and Alira soon followed. The group grew uncomfortably quiet as we continued onward.
After a while, Verixa slowed her pace and whispered to me, "Zacken… do you have any idea what we should do? It feels weird if our whole journey stays like this."
"Well, I have a few ideas," I said with a half-laugh. "But with those two around, it's probably safer if I don't meddle in."
"Hmm…" Verixa tapped her chin in thought, then suddenly brightened up with an idea.
"Hey, Verixa and Elf—no, I mean Big Sis Alira! Zacken says he wants to learn how to fight!"
"Huh?" Both women turned toward me, and I froze in shock.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!" I whispered harshly to Verixa. "If you say something like that, they'll—"
Before I could finish, Valkira nodded decisively. "I accept. It's best for him to learn how to protect himself. It'll also be a great help to our queen."
Alira raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Isn't an Earthling supposed to be a natural fighter?"
"Well…" I laughed awkwardly. "Maybe I'm unique. A hero? I *want* to say that—but after helping demons, I think 'villain' might fit better. I'm… pretty useless."
"No! You're not useless, Zacken," Alira said firmly. "Because of you, we elves finally began purifying our sacred tree."
Valkira nodded in agreement. "If you hadn't helped us that time, many of our kind would've died—our queen might have been publicly executed too."
"Really? I'm… not useless?" I asked, hope flickering in my eyes.
"Well, not *completely*," Verixa added bluntly. "But it'd be nice if you had a broken ability like other Earthlings. Then we'd already have won the war—so yeah, you're useless, but only a little."
"Thanks for the encouragement," I muttered dejectedly.
Valkira cleared her throat. "If you truly want to learn, then it's better if you start with—"
"Sword," Valkira said.
"Bow," Alira said at the same time.
An awkward silence followed before they started arguing again.
"As a hero among our kin, it's only fitting he wields a sword! It's the symbol of heroism!" Valkira declared.
"But since he doesn't know the basics of fighting, it's smarter for him to learn archery first," Alira countered. "He can defend himself that way."
Their argument flared up again, voices rising, and before it could escalate further, I stepped in quickly.
"Alright, alright! I'll learn both!" I said, raising my hands in surrender.