Chapter 13

Nowadays, the relationship between demons and humans isn’t particularly hostile.

“Around ten thousand years ago, due to a certain incident, the three demon gods began to fight among themselves, and as a result, the vast demon realm was divided into three equal parts. To this day, conflicts between the demon realms continue unabated, with the primary tactic being an all-out total war.”

The gist of that statement was simple.

With three demon nations, they’re too busy fighting each other to have the leisure to invade the human realm.

At that moment, someone sighed and whispered.

“Yeah, of course. It’s already tough enough to fend off those Airos guys…”

It was Sephirona, the princess of the Setan Demon Realm.

*

“What do I do about that?”

Thinking about it, I don’t know how to deal with flying creatures.

I’ve been pondering for a long time on how to handle those pterosaurs, but no suitable answer came to mind.

After I froze one pterosaur that initially charged at me, they stopped approaching me and strictly attacked from a distance.

Dropping rocks from the sky.

Or spewing fireballs.

Each attack wasn’t fatal, but they were too tricky to handle.

“I should’ve practiced with a bow or something.”

I know how to throw a spear, but it’s a waste to use it just to catch one.

[But you did protect what needed to be protected, right?]

“That’s not the point. Imagine a swarm of winged Ice Queens coming at you. There’s no way to deal with them.”

[That’s not going to happen…]

As Belva said, the original objective was completed.

Three demon kids, who were pecked and injured by the pterosaurs, barely survived.

There were originally hundreds of them.

The survival rate is abysmal.

The pterosaurs, perhaps angry that I took their prey, are screeching and gliding around me.

At this rate, they won’t leave even after several days.

Only one of us has to die for this to end.

Fine. I’m exceptionally strong in this type of battle.

My body, filled with overpowering abilities, holds an absolute advantage in prolonged battles against multiple foes.

Kaaaah!

“That’s right.”

I stabbed my spear into the mouth of a pterosaur that finally charged at me.

Thud!

Ugh. A mistake.

My face went into its mouth.

Into its drooling mouth.

I feel like vomiting.

A dark, unpleasant stench is rising from deep within its throat.

Ugh.

I involuntarily gagged.

I’d rather it breathed fire; the damage would be less.

I really hate this.

Gritting my teeth, I put strength into my arm.

I slightly twisted the spear lodged in its throat and thrust it upwards, piercing through its head.

Instant death.

At the same time, I absorbed its stats and skills.

It’s over.

This is why I can’t lose.

It’s not a perfect absorption, and due to the level difference, the boost isn’t that significant.

But it’s enough to replenish my stamina and magic power.

*

“…This is strange.”

Thirty minutes have passed since then.

By now, they should be retreating, but the pterosaurs are still circling around me.

Do they have something to pick apart?

I didn’t understand.

The dinosaurs I’ve seen were incredibly quick and accurate in their judgment.

They were thorough when attempting to hunt, but if it seemed impossible, they would immediately give up and flee.

Despite showing a clear level difference, they’re still lingering for some reason.

Then, one of the demon kids trembling at my legs spoke to me in a crawling voice.

As if ready to be scolded, with eyes tightly shut.

“Hu-hungry… for eggs…”

The kid, not used to speaking, stammered.

Of course, I understood the content.

Now the pterosaurs’ behavior made sense.

Among dinosaurs, if it’s a species with particularly strong maternal instincts, such a reaction is understandable.

However, unfortunately, appearance still holds an important place in my heart.

I can’t help but feel more affection for cute kids than fire-breathing pterosaurs.

After all, the maternal instincts of dinosaurs are none of my business.

“Just die already!”

These guys are really annoying.

I’ll learn magic somehow.

I didn’t realize not having a proper ranged attack would be this inconvenient.

I should’ve realized it when fighting the Ice Queen, but I won too easily by luck, so I didn’t think about the important stuff.

What a mess.

First, I carefully blocked and dodged the fireballs and hot mucus the pterosaurs were throwing, and moved the kids to a place with a roof.

Whoosh.

The flapping of wings is still clear.

I’ll be attacked the moment I go out.

But securing a space to rest now was the right choice.

If I had dragged it out longer, I might have been fine, but the already exhausted kids wouldn’t have lasted.

I quietly looked around.

I didn’t realize it because the entrance was narrow, but it was quite a large cave inside.

The floor was rough.

The floor was covered in red clay, and the ceiling was adorned with sparkling amethysts embedded like stalactites, making it quite beautiful.

This should be good enough.

“It’s cleaner inside than I thought.”

With a laugh, he made an ominous sound and then laid the children down on the floor one by one.

One, two, three…

And the adorable Miho made four.

Everyone was accounted for, perfect. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

I watched the children as they breathed softly, seemingly asleep.

It’s fascinating.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen something that looks so human.

I can only see my own limbs and chest, after all.

It feels strange.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been fighting creatures that look like monsters—actually, they are monsters—but it feels incredibly awkward.

It feels like I might transform into a tentacled squid at any moment.

I kept my guard up and waited quietly, but the children didn’t transform into Dimension Monsters.

Hmm…

Is this for real? Is this really the end?

They look human, but they have sharp horns on their heads—demons.

Is that all there is to it?

I couldn’t believe it, but I had to. No, I still can’t believe it.

I guess I have no choice but to dissect them—

[You can’t do that! I’ll vouch for them, so please trust me this time!]

“I’ve been tricked like this before, you know. You should know that.”

This world is evolving in a more dangerous direction every day.

Among the dangers, the most treacherous was the monsters’ ability to disguise themselves and strike at unexpected moments.

I was so shocked when a dinosaur, clearly a corpse, suddenly got up and attacked.

It wasn’t particularly strong, but maybe because I missed the timing, that one attack severed my carotid artery.

If I had encountered it earlier, I would have definitely died.

Since then, I’ve made it a habit to always confirm the kill, no matter the situation.

You could call it paranoia.

This time is no different.

No matter how safe it seems, I have to thoroughly investigate whether it’s trustworthy or not.

“Are you listening?”

I just saw your toes twitch.

I subtly waved my hand over the children’s faces.

Every time I did, their eyelids trembled slightly.

You’re awake, aren’t you?

From the start, pretending to sleep doesn’t work on me since I can read magical energy.

The slow, steady flow of magic when asleep can’t be faked.

I think I’ve scared them enough.

I took out various foods from the Void Space and laid them out on the floor.

“Get up now, while I’m still being nice.”

I have two skills: ‘Intimidation’ and ‘Domination.’

They don’t work on high-level monsters, but they’re perfect for dealing with kids like these.

As soon as I finished speaking, three of them—no, four—jumped up.

…Miho, you should stay still.

I pointed to the homemade dishes on the floor.

I made all of them.

They’re not particularly tasty, though.

“Do you want to eat this?”

Their skinny arms and thin legs.

If a charity organization saw them, they’d probably take them in as models right away.

According to Belva, they have desires like hunger, just like humans, so they couldn’t possibly refuse.

As expected, the children nodded, overcoming their fear.

Carrot and stick.

Hope and fear.

There’s nothing more effective than this when dealing with someone.

Now, my standing among the children should be high enough.

It’s finally time to ask the questions.

After telling them I’d give them the food if they answered honestly, I asked what I wanted to know.

“Do you have names?”

I forgot to ask for names when I met the spirits.

My subconscious assumed they wouldn’t have any, but if my hypothesis is correct, they might have names given by the Voice.

After some thought, the children said they did have names.

Airos, Setan, Draud.

They sounded like typical fantasy names.

I stopped Setan, who was about to reach out, and regained control of the situation.

The children looked at me with tense expressions.

Now for the really important question.

It’s no exaggeration to say I saved these kids just to ask this.

I mean it.

“Listen carefully.”

I slowly raised my hand to focus their attention.

Looking directly into the children’s eyes, I asked:

“Are you watching this right now?”

At that moment, one of the children’s magical energy surged.

I was certain.

The Voice definitely exists.