The Demon's Shadow
Demon. A cruel invader from hell. The perception that demons are ruthless and hostile toward humans is said to have taken root due to a series of incidents in the past. Among them, the most famous is the anecdote regarding the Archduke of Hell. Once, a small but prosperous kingdom vanished overnight. No one knows exactly what happened there, but one rumor has survived to this day: that it was the work of the Archduke of Hell.
They say that place has now become a dungeon, known as the "Domain of the Hell Archduke," so it’s no wonder the public perception of demons is so poor. However, despite what the public thinks, the reality is surprisingly different. Fundamentally, demons reside in the otherworld of Hell and are locked in an eternal war with the gods. Only a few of them can cross over to this world, Edenia, through proper contracts. Those who cross over are called Demons.
While it’s said they sometimes use serpent-like, cunning rhetoric to force unfavorable contracts, they are essentially closer to visitors from another world. Their inherent martial prowess isn't much different from the natives of Edenia. While there are strong demons like the Archduke, the prevailing attitude is, "Every race has its outliers," so they are tolerated. The only difference is that if the new heart formed during a contract is destroyed, they are banished back to Hell. However, because it only results in banishment, one must kill their true body in Hell to truly kill a demon. Though, who would go to such lengths?
Due to the difficulty of summoning and their poor reputation, demons are a rare race to find in Edenia. Because they are so rare, every mage dreams of meeting one at least once. I wondered, "Couldn't you just summon one yourself?" but apparently, that’s too dangerous. It’s said to be incredibly difficult for a mage—who is driven by desire in one way or another—to sign a contract with a demon without getting the short end of the stick. They are also adept at magic, so mages tend to restrain themselves, fearing they might just end up unleashing powerful demons upon the world. Is it a universal truth in Edenia, too, that highly educated people are surprisingly vulnerable to scams? Meredith, who was standing beside me with a strange, mixed gaze of hostility and envy, was proof of that.
Setting aside the mage's love for demons, the atmosphere the protagonist was exuding was incredibly heavy.
The air was stinging. The atmosphere felt like tiny blades grazing my body. The source was the protagonist. He was radiating those emotions from his entire body without any filter. His eyes looked like a messy blend of emptiness and firm resolve. They were the very same eyes he had when he bought me.
"Found yourself a new girl? I'm disappointed."
Then, she said with a grin, "I guess Ameryel and I weren't enough for you?"
Her sharp eyes curved into a crescent. It was a bewitching smile. Knowing about Ameryel—was she a former comrade of the protagonist? Or an ex-girlfriend? Regardless, it was a truly shocking development. I turned my gaze to the protagonist to gauge his reaction. He was trembling. His brow was twitching. No, perhaps convulsing would be a more accurate description. His furrowed brow was twitching minutely. Not just his brow, but his cheeks were twitching so violently it was visible even from a distance. His jaw muscles were bulging, likely from clenching his teeth. He looked ready to snap at the slightest wrong word.
The woman called Onyxia, who was receiving that glare, looked relaxed, in stark contrast to the protagonist. She scrutinized the protagonist's expression before speaking.
"White Bellflower. Do you have it?"
After starting with that, she let out a long breath. Meredith turned her gaze toward the protagonist, looking anxious. It was as good as an admission that he had it.
"So you did have it?"
Only after Onyxia spoke did the protagonist seem to realize that Meredith was looking at him.
"Jun. I have a need for a White Bellflower. Won't you hand it over?"
Silence fell. The protagonist didn't seem to have any intention of answering Onyxia's question. Or perhaps he didn't have the luxury to answer. He looked like he was struggling just to suppress the rage boiling up from within.
"You can just get it through the guild," Meredith said, but she was shut down with, "I'm talking to Jun, aren't I?"
"Won't you hand it over? We're close, aren't we?"
"We're close?" The protagonist couldn't hold it in any longer. "You have the nerve to say we're close? You were hiding in fear of Ameryel and only just came out, right?"
"Jun. Don't be so cold..."
"Shut up!" The protagonist caught his breath, and the conversation cut off for a moment. "Don't talk like that. Because I want to kill you."
Onyxia reacted to those words. "My, what a pleasant thing to hear." Her tone had shifted; the languid air from before was nowhere to be found. "So, are you going to give it to me?"
"Get lost."
"Do your companions feel the same? There's no need to see blood over something that isn't worth much." Onyxia scanned us quickly. She seemed to be testing the waters and watching our reactions. "That mage girl doesn't seem too keen on it, either. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you get to decide everything."
She was right. Meredith didn't seem to like this situation at all. The White Bellflower wasn't a useful or expensive material. It would be better to just give it to her and be done with it. The protagonist's heart seemed complicated, too.
"I'm not asking for it for free. I'll pay a proper price. That's enough, right?"
"Then isn't that fine? It's not even important," Meredith, who had been silent until now, interjected.
The protagonist thought for a long time before lowering his sword. It was a tacit agreement. Meredith stepped past the protagonist and stood in front of Onyxia. She retrieved a small sack containing the White Bellflower from the bag slung over her shoulder. It was a small sack, filled only with the plucked flowers.
"Yes, it's better to be on good terms." Onyxia also pulled a sack from her robes. She rummaged through it as if picking out a few coins, then scattered the contents directly toward Meredith's face.
"I didn't mean to." Yellow powder filled the air.
"Onyxia!" The protagonist lunged forward like a shot. Meredith collapsed to the ground. The sound of clashing steel rang out repeatedly. Taking advantage of the moment they were locked in combat, I scrambled over to Meredith's side. Meredith raised a hand with great effort to stop me.
"Paralysis... don't... drink..."
Her body was shaking violently. Was it some kind of paralysis powder? In a panic, I soaked a bandage in water to cover my mouth and rummaged through Meredith's bag. Was there any consumable to cure paralysis? No matter how I thought about it, there wasn't. If there had been, she would have told me first.
I looked up at the protagonist. He looked disadvantaged. It wasn't a matter of compatibility or anything else; he was simply lacking in pure skill. Their fighting styles looked similar. The weapons themselves were proof of that. The stiletto in his right hand and the dagger in his left. Every time their dual-wielded blades clashed, sparks flew brilliantly. In such a situation, the protagonist was visibly being pushed back little by little. It looked like his technique was slightly lacking, causing him to lose the initiative by half a beat. He looked overwhelmed just by defending. It was the eye of a layman, but that's how it appeared to me.
I checked Meredith's condition. She was paralyzed and couldn't control her body properly, but her life didn't seem to be in danger. If she had intended to kill, she would have used a lethal poison. Even without poison, she had plenty of time to target Meredith with hidden weapons. Did she not intend to kill? The person who hurt the protagonist's heart before he bought me must have been Onyxia. Judging by their attitudes, that seemed to be the case. But she only hurt his heart; the protagonist is still alive and well, isn't he? Perhaps she is reluctant to take lives. If she subdues the protagonist, she might just leave, satisfied with having secured the White Bellflower. If that was the case, interfering unnecessarily could be the root of a disaster.
The strength left my hand gripping my staff. Right, if the protagonist was with her, she must have been a heroine in the original story, too. Surely she isn't someone with a rotten nature. She just didn't quite mesh with the protagonist. It would be fine to just let things flow as they are.
But. Is that the right thing to do? Watching the protagonist get beaten, just hoping that the enemy shows mercy? I, who vowed to become stronger. I, who made up my mind to pull my own weight. Is it okay to just wait here, helpless?
What's different? Nothing was different. Staying quiet inside the slave cage. Eating whatever food was given without complaint. Being bullied and just taking it. Being happy just because a half-elf showed me a little affection. While envying the Dragonian. Wishing I had that kind of strength. Just lying in that spot, waiting for the day I die. What is different between that squirrel beastkin and the Hazel of now?
Nothing was different. Always just making resolutions, always just making promises. A life of only running away when the time came—I was sick of it.
My heart is racing, and my head is spinning. I can feel the mana circuit that was once scorched pulsating violently. Even if I make up my mind, what can a half-baked mage without a single spell slot do?
"Use anything. Swing your staff, throw a stone, scream, command people, or... use the instinct within you."
Meredith's words flashed through my mind. No, there was one. A level 0 spell slot. My gaze turned toward Meredith.