Sensing Yami's gaze, the Xenos with long blue hair quickly hid, clearly fearful of him. Despite her reaction, Yami found her appearance strikingly familiar, as if he had seen her before.
"Don't worry," Ray gently reassured the girl behind her, "Lord Yami is a good man. He won't harm you." Only after the girl had calmed down did Ray turn back to Yami, an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry, Lord Yami," Ray said. "Wiene didn't mean any harm. She was only born recently and was attacked by adventurers, so she harbors some hostility toward humans. Please don't hold it against her."
Wiene? The name sparked Yami's memory. No wonder the blue-haired girl looked familiar—she was an old acquaintance, one of the protagonists in the original story.
"It's fine. I don't mind something like that," Yami replied calmly. "Are you in trouble? Did another adventurer attack you?"
"No, that's not the case," Ray responded. "I found Wiene not long ago and saved her from some adventurers. She's been staying here with me ever since. But this isn't a long-term solution. Wiene isn't strong, and she has a curious nature. If she's discovered by an adventurer while I'm not here, she could be captured or even killed. So, I wanted to ask if you could send her to another world. With Reed and the others there, I wouldn't have to worry about her safety."
Without hesitation, Ray revealed her thoughts. Yami quickly understood her purpose and didn't refuse. Once he decided to take on a task, he committed to it fully, ensuring it was done to the best of his ability—this was always Yami's way. Besides, opening a portal to another world wasn't difficult, so there was no reason to decline.
"Of course, that's no problem," Yami agreed with a nod. "As I've said before, you can come to me anytime. I'll open the portal for you now."
With a wave of his hand, Yami snapped his fingers, and a dark portal appeared. Even though Ray had seen this many times before, the sight of the portal still left her in awe. The magic Yami wielded was truly incredible.
"Thank you so much, Lord Yami!" Ray expressed her gratitude.
"You've thanked me many times already," Yami replied with a gentle smile. "I didn't do anything special. If you must thank me, wait until I've truly solved your problem."
Ray nodded, understanding that further words were unnecessary. The man before her had done so much for the Xenos—or rather, the current Demon Race—that there was no way they could repay him. The only thing she could do was keep his kindness in her heart. Once everything was over, she would remain by Yami's side, dedicating the rest of her life to repaying his kindness.
"Ah-choo!" Yami suddenly sneezed as he maintained the portal.
"Why did I sneeze? It's been a long time since that happened. Could someone be talking about me behind my back?" Yami mused. "Is it Freya or Ishtar? Or maybe another god?"
Unable to figure it out, Yami shook his head and dismissed the thought. Half an hour later, Ray returned after personally escorting Wiene to the One Piece World. She expressed her sincere gratitude to Yami again, and the two chatted briefly. With all the known demons in the dungeon now gone, Ray was left alone, spending her days searching for newly born companions in the labyrinth. It was a lonely and tedious task.
Having come to the dungeon, Yami didn't mind staying to chat with Ray for a while. It was a way to alleviate her loneliness. If he had mastered the magic to disguise others, he could have transformed Ray into a human and brought her to the surface, sparing her the tension and loneliness of the dungeon.
But happy moments are always fleeting. Yami couldn't stay forever; he had his own responsibilities to attend to. Sensing this, Ray eventually ended their conversation and proposed to head to the known labyrinth areas. After bidding each other farewell, they went their separate ways.
As he watched Rey's figure fade into the distance, Yami felt a mix of emotions. He knew that if he were in her position, he couldn't endure the solitude of the dungeon, working tirelessly for those he had never met. Yet, he couldn't help but admire such dedication.
"It's only because of beings like her that I'm more motivated to help," Yami thought. "It seems I need to take this more seriously. Even if it's just for Ray's sake, I must reveal the existence of the Demon race soon and ensure that humans and gods accept them. As for those who seek to profit by selling demons…"
A cold smile crossed Yami's face, his eyes turning icy. No matter the world, the people he despised most were traffickers—those vile beings could never be considered human. If he ever encountered them, they wouldn't escape his wrath.
With that resolve, Yami turned away. With a ripple of space, his figure vanished from the dungeon. Unbeknownst to the Familia members and adventurers plotting against the Demon Race, they were about to face an unprecedented crisis. The presence of this man had already altered the course of events, and Orario was destined to be engulfed in turmoil.