"Demons a thousand times more frightening than me?" the demon repeated. The words trembled faintly, though its face showed no emotion. Its hollow eyes shifted between Heiter and me, searching for an explanation neither of us intended to give.
I studied it calmly.
"Hmmm," I murmured, glancing at Heiter, then back at the demon. I allowed a slow smile to spread across my face. My steps were light, almost careless, each one echoing through the destroyed restaurant as if this were nothing but a stroll after lunch.
"Let us all take a breather, shall we," I suggested lightly, clapping my hands together.
The sound was calm, the effect was not.
A shockwave burst outward. The floor cracked, and the demon's body was flung backward like a broken doll. It tore through wooden walls, stone pillars, and several buildings beyond the restaurant. Dust went up into the sky, followed by the distant sound of collapsing structures.
Heiter watched, his expression was unreadable.
I extended my hand toward the distant rubble.
A gravitational pull tightened around the demon, dragging it across the broken street. Its limbs bent in wrong angles, scraping across stone, wood, and glass as it was reeled in like discarded debris. When it finally came to a halt before me, its body was bloodied and distorted, covered in dirt and splinters.
"I was hungry, you know," I muttered, my voice quiet as I looked down at the demon. "Interrupting my meal is rude."
I placed my hand beside its abdomen. Cursed energy surged. A deep hole tore open inside the demon's stomach, as if something had carved out its core. Blood poured from its mouth as it tried to lift its head.
"Your mana… it is rising…" it choked out between coughs of blood.
Behind it, stopped midair, a cluster of blood spikes hung frozen, an attempted counterattack sealed in time by Infinity itself.
"What a peculiar power indeed," Heiter remarked. He had already returned to his seat, dusting off broken fragments of wood from his robes. He looked almost bored, as if watching a routine spectacle.
He let out a long exhale. "What a shame. The food is ruined. Finish him, Satoru."
His voice carried no hesitation now. Only certainty.
"Already done," I replied.
The floor trembled as cursed energy erupted from beneath the demon. It gathered like a vortex and then collapsed inward, crushing the demon's twisted form under invisible pressure. Bones splintered. Flesh crumbled. The body collapsed into dust, erased.
I skipped back to where Heiter was waiting and we quickly cleaned up what was left of our breakfast before heading outside. The streets were still noisy, but after the earlier chaos, even the constant chatter felt strangely calm.
"So, mind telling me who you really are," Heiter asked. His elbows rested on the table, fingers interlocked, chin placed neatly on top of them. His gaze locked onto mine without wavering.
"I am not an idiot," he added with a faint smile, the kind of smile someone wears when they believe they have already seen through three of your lies. It was slightly unnerving, as if he had been watching me far longer than I realized.
"When you killed that demon earlier, I did not sense any mana," he continued. "And in case you wonder where I learned to sense that, it was from an old friend." He gestured vaguely with his hands, mimicking the flow of mana.
"Then your old friend must have scammed you," I said, leaning back on a bench. It creaked under my weight, almost in protest.
"She would never do something like that. The chances are zero. Completely zero percent that she lied," Heiter said firmly, almost defensively.
"Yeah yeah, I didn't use magic. What does that have to do with you," I replied, getting up and stretching. "Stay out of my business, old man."
He flinched dramatically, clutching his chest. "No need to be rude, Satoru. I am simply curious."
"Uh huh. And what business does a priest have prying into someone's abilities?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Do not consider this an interrogation," Heiter answered calmly. "I just want to understand how you did what you did."
I stared blankly at him. No reaction. No emotion. The silence made him blink.
He finally chuckled. "Tell you what. If you tell me, I will buy you breakfast for five days in a row."
"…Tempting," I admitted quietly. "But it is not really a big secret or anything. I am just in a rush to do something right now."
Heiter tilted his head slightly. "More important than five days of breakfast?"
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
Heiter sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "Very well. But do not think I will stop asking. A priest's curiosity is not so easily extinguished."
I looked away, ignoring him as I stepped out of the church
There were still things I needed to confirm, things far more important than breakfast, things that might explain why I appeared in this world in the first place.
"Satoru, stop. I know something that might interest you" Heiter shouted behind me.
"You just don't give up, do you," I said without turning back, walking down the steps of the church.
"Hmmm… I suppose not," Heiter replied with that same, persistent smile. "But I have a visitor coming soon. She is the old friend I mentioned earlier."
"What? The scammer?" I said, continuing down the path.
Heiter let out a soft laugh. "No, she is not a scammer. She is an elf, and one of the most skilled magic users I have ever met."
"Kay kay cool, do not care," I said, waving him off.
"Ever since around two weeks ago, monsters near Strahl have been acting strangely. We were preparing a monster expedition. Are you sure you do not want to come?" Heiter called out again.
"Monster expeditions are interesting and all, but I am more focused on demons right now," I replied.
Heiter stepped closer, lowering his voice slightly. "Then would you not want help from the party that defeated the Demon King? Himmel is gone, but Eisen and Frieren are coming along. You might as well join us."
I finally turned back to look at him. "You sure I will not be intruding on your little reunion? Also, why are you so fixed on me?"
Heiter tapped his staff lightly on the stone path, in thought, before speaking. "Satoru, are you serious? You have untraceable mana, or perhaps another power system entirely. You crushed a demon without using magic, at least not magic that I can recognize. And let us not forget that you were placed in the Goddess's scriptures. Who in their right mind would not be interested?"
He took a step closer, his expression faintly amused yet undeniably searching.
"The real question," Heiter continued, "is why are you not interested?"
A breeze moved between us, carrying the distant noise of the waking town. Shops opening. Families calling to one another. The smell of morning bread and incense drifting over the square.
I narrowed my eyes. "I have my own goals. If your little expedition gets in the way, I will not bother."
"Then let me phrase it differently," he said. "The disturbance we are investigating does not feel like ordinary monsters. I have a feeling like it could be related to demons."
I turned around, he really had a silver tongue.
"You see?" he said lightly. "Not uninterested after all."
"Heiter," a female voice said softly. "There was a strange distortion near the western district. Was that your doing?"
Heiter's smile lit up. "Frieren. You came early."
--
Power Stone Goals:
100 - 1 Bonus
200 - 2 Bonus
Join discord for early chapters twin.
Also check out my new fic. Marvel: One Step Ahead (speedster!!!)