The Beginning of the End 8
“Ugh…” Fenrir groaned, her voice strained as she slowly opened her eyes. Her entire body throbbed as if she had been beaten mercilessly, and she could tell several bones were broken. Frowning at her condition, she began to survey her surroundings.
‘Where am I now… And this…?’
What she saw was the interior of a rundown house. Realizing belatedly that bandages were wrapped around her limbs, Fenrir felt a deep sense of confusion.
‘Someone treated me… But who?’
This area wasn’t inhabited by demons, which meant the one who had healed her wasn’t a demon either. With both suspicion and caution, Fenrir began circulating her mana to focus on healing her injuries.
Torn muscles knitted back together. Her internal wounds recovered rapidly, and the cuts on her skin closed at a visible pace. As she calmly worked to mend her body, Fenrir’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘Tch… The bones are more shattered than I thought…’
It wasn’t a simple fracture—her leg bones had been crushed to powder. Even for her, recovery would take time.
‘At least four days… This is troublesome. I don’t even know when or how the enemy might come…’
Letting out a sigh at the predicament, Fenrir suddenly heard—
—Creak!
“Who’s there!”
The sound of a door opening jolted her into alertness, and she turned her gaze sharply toward it.
“Ah! Y-you’re… awake?”
What appeared before her was a small figure—a human girl—speaking in a trembling voice. She wore nothing but a worn headband, her clothes dusty and giving off an unmistakable air of poverty. Fenrir regarded her with clear wariness, but the girl seemed entirely unbothered.
“Th-that’s a relief. I was worried you might have died…”
The human girl looked at Fenrir with genuine relief. Slightly taken aback, Fenrir asked,
“…What are you? Don’t tell me you’re the one who treated me?”
“Ah… yes. I found you washed up by the river by chance. Luckily, you were still breathing, so I brought you here.”
“…Do you know who I am?”
“Yes, you’re a demon. I know that much—people with horns on their foreheads.”
“…”
Watching the girl speak with such cheerful certainty, Fenrir could only stare in disbelief. It was common knowledge that humans—and the free races in general—were mortal enemies of demons, locked in endless slaughter. Yet this girl spoke as if saving a demon was the most natural thing in the world. Whether she was simply too young to understand the world or just foolish, her attitude left Fenrir unsure how to respond.
‘Hmm… Well, even if she’s human, she’s still just a child… Maybe this is possible.’
Of course, she didn’t rule out the possibility of a trap. But Fenrir couldn’t imagine what kind of trap could be set using such a young girl. It would have been far easier to simply finish her off while she was unconscious. Either way, in her current state, taking any decisive action would be difficult.
‘Well… I can’t move properly until my bones heal anyway. Until I recover, whether it’s a trap or innocent mischief, I’ll have to play along quietly.’
With that conclusion, Fenrir lay back down. Seeing this, the girl carefully left the room, as if trying not to disturb her rest.
*
“Here, eat this.”
The girl offered a rather crude-looking fish. Fenrir spoke with clear irritation.
“…I already told you I don’t need this.”
“It’s fine. You need to eat if you want to get better faster, right?”
“Enough. You eat it. A small thing like you shouldn’t be—”
As Fenrir tried to lie back down, something caught her eye—the girl’s hands, covered in deep scrapes and blisters. It was obvious she had struggled to catch the fish. Fenrir felt an uncomfortable twinge.
“…You’re hurt.”
“…! Ah… no. I-it’s fine. This is…”
The girl flinched at the question. Fenrir let out a small sigh.
‘Seriously… Is this kid actually an idiot? Why go this far for a demon like me?’
Still frustrated by the unanswered question, Fenrir decided to follow her own instincts for now.
“Give me your hand.”
“Huh? Ah…”
Fenrir grabbed the girl’s hand with a bit of force. Regardless of the reason, the fact that this human girl had gotten hurt because of her was unpleasant—enough to offend even a high-ranking demon’s pride.
‘Besides, because of that saintess, we’re not supposed to antagonize children anyway… So in a way, this is helping a potential ally.’
With that thought, Fenrir cast a spell on the girl. Moments later—
“…! Huh?”
The girl’s hands were completely healed. She stared at them in shock, and Fenrir spoke in a curt tone.
“Don’t do unnecessary things from now on. It’ll only cause more trouble.”
With that, Fenrir lay back down. Yet despite her cold words, a warm smile spread across the girl’s face—one filled with deep gratitude and joy.
*
A small village nestled in the forest, several kilometers from the nearest city, Canna Castle. The residents lived their quiet, uneventful lives as usual.
“How’s that matter going?”
“Of course. It should be sorted out soon.”
The villagers chatted while working the fields. Then, they noticed a young girl in the distance.
“Huh? Isn’t that Semiri over there?”
“It is. But why is she here? She’s been showing up around here a lot lately…”
Watching Semiri with curiosity, the villagers knew her story. After losing her entire family in a demon attack, the once-bright girl had lost her smile. Despair and resignation had taken its place, and the villagers had both pitied and avoided her. But recently, her expression had begun to brighten again, stirring unease among them.
“She’s been looking happier lately. I wonder why?”
“Something good must have happened… but what could it be?”
A child emerging from darkness into light should have been a blessing. Yet in these dangerous times, anything new only made the villagers anxious.
“We can’t just ignore this. We should look into it later.”
*
“…Good.”
Fenrir carefully rose and checked her condition. Seeing that her shattered bones had nearly healed, a smile formed on her lips. Fortunately, no news of the demons’ defeat had reached this place. Though her information came only from an innocent girl and a remote village, rumors about local events should have spread easily.
‘I can’t be certain… but for now, I’ll have to assume it’s safe and move on.’
Realizing it was time to leave, Fenrir prepared to depart when—
“Ah… no, you can’t!”
“Move aside! Something’s felt off lately, so I need to check!”
“I already told you nothing’s wrong!”
“If nothing’s wrong, then just stay put. Are you hiding something strange after all?”
Noisy voices echoed from outside—other humans shouting, and the girl desperately trying to stop them. Fenrir’s face hardened as she realized the girl was in serious trouble.
‘At this point… my body has recovered quite a bit…’