Searching for the Demon King Slayer (2)
Tendo Katsuhiro. As his name suggests, Katsuhiro was Japanese. He'd boarded a flight from Iran's Khomeini Airport bound for Ukraine, only to be shot down by friendly fire from the Iranian military, ending his life. But for some inexplicable reason, the man who should have died ended up tumbling through a portal to another world—and unluckily landed in the Liberia Elf Kingdom, where he began his second life as a human slave.
"Welcome, esteemed customer!"
Leveraging his modern knowledge, Katsuhiro ran an adult toy shop. The elf kingdom permitted slaves to own property, allowing them to do business and keep the profits. Katsuhiro was diligently saving up, dreaming of the day he'd buy his freedom.
"Katsuhiro, the items I ordered are ready, right?"
"Of course!"
"Good. Worth the wait."
Most of Katsuhiro's customers were high elf nobles or upper-class elves. Today's visitor was a dignified middle-aged high elf in a bowler hat, with an exceedingly discerning eye. He only dealt in toys handmade by Katsuhiro himself.
"Made from Lava Slime, a type of slime that inhabits the mid-mountain ranges. The outer layer is crafted from the scales of a Saragossa king lizard. As you can see, it looks like nothing more than a simple ornament, so no one will suspect a thing. I've paid special attention to its aesthetic appeal as well."
"Excellent. You're truly remarkable."
The middle-aged high elf lavished praise on Katsuhiro's craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. It was a shame to keep such talent enslaved. He quietly rooted for Katsuhiro to amass enough to purchase citizenship in the elf kingdom.
"It's been decades since my wife refused to share my bed. Nothing satisfies my urges quite like one of your onaholes."
The middle-aged high elf was a staunch traditionalist, rigidly conservative. If his pent-up desires stemmed from his wife's refusal, he could have simply bedded the elf maids serving his household. But he didn't. He couldn't tolerate the noble high elf bloodline mixing with common elves.
It was common for high elf nobles to sire illegitimate half-elf children, but for some reason, this man abhorred the very idea.
"Haha, it's hot...! Savagely hot, just like a virgin's pussy!"
"Yep! That's why I used a concentrated extract from Lava Slime, which maintains a temperature remarkably close to the human body for extended periods."
In his previous life, Katsuhiro had worked making adult toys. His lightbulb moment? Humans and elves alike have sexual desires, so surely these products would sell. The result was a resounding success. He'd pitched the idea to his elf owner who bought him as a slave, securing startup funds in exchange for high interest—and paid off the debt clean in just a year. With the surplus, he'd expanded the business, earning fame among high elf nobles as a must-visit regular.
"Welcome, customer."
Someone entered the shop. A female knight with sky-blue hair tied in a ponytail, giving off an ethereal air.
Gulp.
Katsuhiro swallowed hard. She didn't look like the type to browse adult toys. Is she an inspector from the vice squad? The thought terrified him.
"Human slave. I hear you're an Another One."
"...That's right."
"Show me your Stigmata right now. Take off your shirt."
"Y-Yes, ma'am?!"
Take it off. Now. The elf knight demanded. Katsuhiro was stunned by the brazen order. Bursting in out of nowhere and demanding he strip—what else could he do but panic?
The female knight who'd entered his shop was coldly mechanical in her duties. She wore a sword at her hip, and as Katsuhiro hesitated, her face soured. He hurriedly stripped.
Even if he was raking in cash from adult toys, a slave was a slave. He had no choice but to obey an elf kingdom knight's command.
"Hm. Not a combat blessing."
"O-Of course not...! I've only heard rumors of such things myself. I've never even heard of an actual Another One with combat-related powers!"
Tendo Katsuhiro's blessing was "Material Acquisition"—a talent for sourcing materials needed for crafting. Nothing extraordinary. If it let him find underground resources, he'd be worth a fortune, but unfortunately, it was limited to rare surface materials.
"Strange. If you're using a divine blessing for profit, you should have amassed a fortune by now... Why are you still a slave? I know citizenship is exorbitantly expensive for common slaves, but someone like you could have afforded it and more."
"I-I gambled it away."
"I see."
Well, humans were all fools anyway. The elf knight nodded at Katsuhiro's stammered excuse. If he'd scrimped and saved all this time, he could have bought citizenship ten times over. Humans really are idiots. Chasing a quick fortune and staying enslaved—pathetic.
"Ever fought demons or monsters?"
The elf knight asked. Katsuhiro waved his hands frantically.
"N-No, I've just been running this shop here for a year straight. Ask my owner if you don't believe me."
"Seems the intel checks out. I've already investigated you."
Then why the hell are you here? Katsuhiro wanted to snap back, but he held his tongue. The Liberia Elf Kingdom demanded absolute obedience to elves. Even as an Another One, he was still human—nothing changed that. After countless unfair treatments from elves, he'd learned not to show it.
"Understood. I've confirmed everything I needed. You're exempt from the capital summons."
"Pardon?"
The elf knight turned to leave with a curt "That's all." An uninvited guest, gone as abruptly as she'd come—without even explaining why. Katsuhiro scowled at her rudeness.
Thud!
Thump!!
Once she was gone, Katsuhiro punched the blank wall hard. It rotated, revealing a hidden compartment. A man inside peeked out cautiously.
"Elves are chasing your people."
Katsuhiro warned. The man emerged fully.
"No, the elves aren't after us. They're hunting the Diablo Slayer from the Holy Empire to take down the Raging Flames Demon King, Sabnack. Word from our Holy Empire comrades says the one who killed the Tyranny Demon King Agares is another Another One like us."
"Another One? So that's what the elf knight meant..."
"If he beat Agares, he's gotta have combat-specialized skills."
"Combat blessings... I'd heard rumors, but I didn't think they actually existed."
"Yeah, well. Among publicly known Another Ones, fewer than three have combat blessings. Our group has maybe two—the rest are support types like you."
Though blessed with divine powers upon arriving in this world, combat-specialized Another Ones were exceedingly rare—countable on one hand. That's why they served as heroes in powerhouse nations like the Holy Empire or Albion United Kingdom.
The man spat curses, clearly despising those lapdog Another Ones playing hero.
"Fucking bastards. We're busting our asses to get back home, and they're lapping up the fame."
His emotions boiled over. Realizing he'd lost control, the man sighed deeply.
The Holy Empire's Diablo Slayer—his identity was unknown even to underground Another Ones like them. The man pegged Yushin Gilliard as the prime suspect, but it was just speculation without solid proof.
"Yushin Gilliard is the top candidate, sure. He beat Bariteon Trident, after all. A guy living peacefully on Earth beating an elf warrior captain? Impossible otherwise."
The man scratched his head furiously. In response, Katsuhiro handed over a leather pouch bulging with gold coins.
"This month's cut."
"Thanks as always. On behalf of our comrades."
"Whatever. Just get me home somehow. I'm sick of slave life. I wanna get back to Japan ASAP."
"Same here. Got family in Sichuan Province."
"You're Chinese?"
"Yeah, sorta. Mixed blood."
The man gave a wry smile, took the gold pouch, and stood.
* * *
The founding High Priestess led tens of thousands of elves across to the Libria Peninsula, establishing the elf kingdom. After living her full thousand years, she passed peacefully. Her successor, the Second High Priestess, became the elves' spiritual leader. But unlike her predecessor, she died young—before even reaching a hundred—transferring all her authority to the Yetzirah Council.
"Sabnack's four vassals are moving in Granata? This is a headache. If even one hits a city, it'll be a disaster."
Said an elf woman in a black tracksuit paired with white dolphin pants underneath. Her outfit was utterly plain. A pencil stuck in her hair instead of a hairpin, horn-rimmed glasses half-sliding down her nose, and oversized tracksuit pants dragging on the floor—she was clearly a fashion-blind workaholic.
She grabbed a binder of documents and stepped out of her office to consult the chief of staff on the southern front.
"High Priestess!!"
A maid in a floor-length skirt came sprinting at full speed. The woman's expression—addressed as High Priestess—darkened at the sight. A barrage of nagging was incoming for sure.
"Wearing that again?! I've told you time and again: you must maintain elegant poise and unshakable grace at all times!"
"...But this is comfy."
The tracksuit-clad woman was the spiritual pillar of the Liberia Elf Kingdom, the liege revered by the twelve warrior captains: the Third High Priestess, Ileina Tres Liberia. She'd succeeded the short-lived Second, but with the Yetzirah Council gripping national power, she had no say in governance. Still, the twelve warrior captains' loyalty kept her influence formidable.
"So, the Diablo Slayer? We need him to kill Sabnack. Only the Holy Empire's Diablo Slayer can end a Demon King's immortality."
"Yes, I know."
"The knots were tied wrong from the start. We haven't even begun total war, and it's already this messy. Total disaster."
Ileina scratched her head vigorously. Unwashed for days, it was a frizzy mess. No tactic or strategy mattered now without the Diablo Slayer—they couldn't win against the Demon King Army. All elf kingdom plans hinged on his existence, so they had to bring him to their side somehow.