The Human Realm and the Demon Realm were terms used to distinguish far-off continents.
Flying out from the Human Realm, the sea and sky formed a steep downhill slope. Ships were swept away and sunk in the rapids, surviving only in the sky.
Ignoring the slope, as one ascended into the sky, they would face a ceiling akin to that of a cave.
It resembled the sky, with natural climate and sunlight streaming in, but was merely the ceiling of a giant cave.
Navigating down through caves from the Human Realm, after passing through Sky Island, one reaches the underground Demon Realm.
The cave was filled with numerous holes and spaces. Thanks to that, it was swarming with pirates, causing headaches for the Empire.
And now, it was the fear of Pastel.
“Uaaah!”
Pastel ran across the deck.
“Uaaah…!”
It’s a pirate, a pirate!
Even though it’s an airship without a skull sail, a pirate ship with a skull-patterned cloth at the forefront is coming to plunder all its riches.
Ruthless, wicked.
Ragtag pirates coming to steal the money of poor kids.
‘Hmm.’
A demon loaded a cannonball into a cannon.
Oh, a cannon.
Pastel dashed over.
“Fire away!”
Bang!
The demon spun the rod. A rough noise erupted. Flames ignited and the scent of gunpowder wafted through the air.
The cannonball shot off.
Pastel raised her fist high.
“Hang in there, cannonball buddy!”
Whoosh.
The cannonball struck the hull of the pirate ship. It inflicted little damage and fell with a thud.
“Ugh, buddy? Why didn’t it explode?!”
‘A cannonball won’t explode. It’s a hunk of iron.’
Not a detonating shell?
Ah…
The demon inspected the cannon.
‘Is it just a decoration without magic engineering? It doesn’t matter.’
The demon transformed into a sword. Pastel instinctively reached for it.
“No way?”
‘Get ready to fight.’
The pirate ship flew close by. Pirates gathered at the ship’s railing, armed with weapons.
Uaaah.
A pirate with a long scar across his face swaggered with a great sword on his shoulder and shouted.
“I won’t leave any witnesses! Come at me!”
What did you say?
No proposal of surrender?
Isn’t that too fiery a statement?
A wooden plank was stretched across the pirate ship and the airship. The pirate gang raced across the plank. Weapons glimmered.
Uaaah.
‘Jump into the cabin.’
She ran, her pink hair flying behind her.
Her heart raced.
It was a different rhythm than during practice.
Memories of hardships and tightropes in the mansion came to mind.
Not a duel, but a battle of life and death.
Do I actually enjoy life and death battles? Thriving on the gamble of my life?
Is it PTSD? Stress has twisted my mind as it struggled to adapt.
‘Here.’
She halted. Turning her body, a straight corridor unfolded.
‘I’ll teach you about multi-person battles.’
She aimed her sword straight ahead.
‘The number of arms and legs is fixed. Just because you’re skilled doesn’t mean you have three arms. Simultaneous attacks are a problem for even skilled fighters.’
Footsteps echoed.
‘Step to the diagonal of the enemy formation. You can disrupt their order and force them to expose themselves.’
The sword’s tip trembled.
‘……Young Craft?’
“I-I’ve never killed anyone.”
Her heart thudded wildly. A sensation unclear whether it was excitement, tension, or hesitation pulsed. The heartbeat sounded loud. Her mind became tangled.
Suddenly, the magic sword scattered. The demon in a suit looked down the corridor. His gaze was gentle.
‘Everyone feels that way. Even great knights started as clumsy apprentices. You don’t have to be confused by emotions. You’re not the only one. You’re not lacking.’
The demon’s hand pressed her pink hair down. She felt warmth and weight on her head.
“Demon….”
Pastel looked up at the crimson eyes. Then she suddenly became aware of something beyond her view and flinched.
A pirate had approached and swung his cutlass at the demon.
Pastel tried to shout.
The demon leaned without looking back. The blade skimmed past the suit.
The demon turned and kicked the pirate’s leg out from under him. The pirate lost his balance and floated. A hand struck the pirate’s nape. Impact echoed. The pirate’s body spun in the air.
The demon’s hand snagged the pirate cutlass that had been dropped. The blade gleamed. The trajectory smacked the pirate. Blood gushed out.
The demon wrapped around Pastel, blocking the blood.
‘You can stop thinking. Focus on the voice of the one above you. You’re not alone.’
The suit flared around them as the magic sword was grasped.
Pirates came racing down the corridor.
‘Open stance.’
Unconsciously, she spread her feet wide.
The leading pirate swung his sword.
Pastel leaned back as far as she could. The blade cut through before her torso.
‘Naharaisen.’
Returning her torso, she swung the magic sword. The fabric tore, and flesh was sliced. The sensation stained her fingertips. The crimson droplets felt pronounced.
Just then, another pirate approached, attempting to swing his pirate sword.
‘Unterhau.’
Stepping forward, she raised the magic sword to slice. The opponent’s grand swing was swallowed by her quick strike. Blood gushed forth.
A droplet of blood splattered onto the girl’s cheek.
A new strike aimed at the girl.
‘Kron.’
Twisting the handle as she raised her sword, she thrust the crossguard into the path of her opponent’s sword. The swords clashed, and their edges rent apart. Noise erupted.
In that moment when the attack was fixed, the girl pushed with all her strength. Impact resonated. The opponent staggered. The blade gleamed toward the unguarded upper body. A blood storm erupted.
The pink girl turned her body toward the next opponent. Their eyes met. Her pupils dilated, and screams echoed.
The opponent turned to flee.
‘Shaitel—’
Shaitelhau.
Her pink hair flew. The blade flashed. The fleeing opponent was struck by her attack.
“You…!”
Pushing through the fleeing pirates, one pirate approached wielding a massive sword.
Ambindun.
Just before entering combat distance, the girl suddenly approached.
Whipping.
In a fleeting moment, she spun her body and swung her sword like a whip. The distance for the attack reduced explosively. The trajectory swept the pirate’s ankle. The ankle severed, blood spewed.
The pirate lifting the large sword collapsed. His eyes widened.
Jon hau.
The slashing continued. A blood storm ensued.
Screams rang out.
The pink figure dashed. The blade glimmered in rapid succession. Flashing down the corridor. Arms were severed, and the upper body was shredded. Severed heads spun. Blood sprayed the walls.
Chaos filled the space.
The pounding of feet and voices surged. The corridor ended, revealing the outdoors.
The pirate ship hurriedly drifted away. A stranded pirate screamed as he stretched out an arm over the railing, glancing back.
Silver glimmered.
“Sa-save me…!”
The red-stained blade came to a halt.
The girl froze mid-swing.
Huh?
A dreamlike sensation awoke, and reality snapped her back to consciousness. Pastel was shaken as adrenaline coursed through her veins.
She lowered her sword, breathing heavily.
A terrified pirate met her gaze. The pirate slumped down as if their strength had drained away. The stain on their pants darkened.
Ugh…
Pastel looked around in a daze.
The bloodstains and corpses left in her wake.
Huh…?
There was no sense of reality.
Suddenly, her hands began to tremble faintly. The tremors grew stronger, spreading down her arms and into her body. She could feel her heart thumping.
At that moment, a familiar hand pressed down on her head.
‘You’ve done well.’
It was a soft voice.
The trembling gradually settled.
She looked up at the demon.
Their eyes met for a moment.
Pastel tried to smile brightly as usual. It didn’t come out well.
The demon rubbed her pink hair.
“…It’s a mess.”
‘Is that so?’
As she tried to tidy her hair, she noticed the blood on her hands and stopped. Her entire body was soaked red. Drops of blood fell from her pink hair.
‘A warm bath will make you feel better.’
“Right.”
Hoo.
As she turned her head, she spotted a surviving pirate. The pirate stared wide-eyed at her. Then, hastily, he slammed his head down against the floor. A loud thud echoed.
“Food! Cleaning! Organizing! I can do anything!”
Um…?
What to do.
Pastel was dazed.
‘Get up.’
The demon stepped forward.
The pirate hurriedly stood up. He took a formal stance and wore a nervously obedient expression.
“Whatever you command!”
“Wh-what’s your name?”
“Chayson! You can call me whatever you want!”
Oh, oh.
Mr. Chayson.
‘You’ve had a rough time too.’
The demon patted the pirate on the shoulder.
Chayson flinched and quickly shook his head.
“No, I haven’t!”
‘No need to endure it any longer.’
“Y-yes?”
The demon grabbed Chayson by his collar and pushed him. The railing rattled. Chayson fell over the side of the airship. His scream trailed off.
Eh.
The demon wiped their hands on the railing and approached. Then, he lifted Pastel, cradling her legs. Her pink hair flowed down.
The demon walked slowly.
‘A warm bath and a good meal, followed by a good rest, will make you feel much better.’
Eh.
Hey, the screaming.
Oh.
Now it doesn’t sound like anything.
The Demon Realm’s docking station was heavily guarded. Airships that could be called warships were scattered around. There were many soldiers on the ground.
Pastel’s airship approached the docking station. A small but thoroughly armed airship pulled up and docked.
A soldier with a stern expression looked over.
“What is your purpose for coming here?”
Uaaah.
Uaaahh.
We’re not here for smuggling.
Pastel trembled as she handed over the documents.
The soldier seemed uninterested in the girl’s usual fears as he examined the document stamped with the student council president’s seal.
“Student Council?”
“A, one test subject got separated, and I urgently came to pick them up! The practical combat schedule got messed up!”
The soldier scratched his head with the hilt of his sword.
“Hmm. Understood.”
The documents were returned. The procedure concluded smoothly. Pastel was able to set foot on the ground.
Oh yeah.
People bustled about in the docking station. Soldiers strolled around occasionally, their sword sheaths jingling at their waists.
Oh, oh.
Pastel whistled awkwardly as she boarded the airship again. Gripping the magic sword with trembling eyes.
“Demon! Demon! This place is incredibly tense?!”
Uaaah.
‘For now, put it down.’
“Oh, okay.”
The sword transformed back into a demon. The demon scanned the docking station over the railing of the airship. Their gaze paused on a very large building.
‘There it is.’
The demon walked calmly towards the building. Pastel followed closely behind.
“Is, is it a secret meeting place?”
Only the demon knows?
Wow…
She noticed a sign.
Demon Corporation.
The naming is…?
‘It’s a private company with state funding.’
The demon waited patiently for their turn, met with a merchant, and casually signed the paperwork.
Then they said.
‘It’s all sold. Now we can take the test subject back.’
Eh.
They exited the building. After a short wait, the trading guild representatives came to retrieve the smuggled goods from the airship.
Sunlight glinted off the smuggled goods.
Uaaah.
They’re pulling out the smuggled goods in broad daylight.
Pastel’s eyes widened as she met the gaze of a soldier looking down from the airship.
It was the same soldier who checked the student council document and let them through.
Huh.
The soldier saw the smuggled goods being openly pulled from Pastel’s airship. Then he nonchalantly turned his head away.
Huh?
The demon finished negotiating the price. He received a few large boxes and dragged them to a cart.
Huh?
Opening the large box revealed it was filled with unprocessed black magic stones.
Gasp.
Pastel clutched her heart.
She blinked for a moment and then raised both arms high.
“Wow!”
Life is easy…!
I want to become the god of smuggling…!
Quickly picked up the stranded Dark Elf girl who was deeply absorbed in her own survival and made her way back. There were no pirates.
