Only I Was Human (1)
Every morning upon waking, my left side would throb first. It had been my routine for days to catch my breath, hold my body still to avoid twisting, and only then manage to sit up. But today was different. Even as I rolled from left to right, no pain surged through me. I drew in a deep breath. So this was how good it felt to not hurt. The campfire had long since died out, and Adelaide's spot on the opposite wall was empty. Not surprising. It had been the same every morning for the past five days. She'd gone for water. Or maybe fruit. It was almost amusing how used to waiting I'd become. Different from waiting for her back in the fortress, though. I glanced around the cave. The blackened scorch marks on the ceiling were from Adelaide kindling fire with her holy sword, and the shallow groove in the floor was where she'd stockpiled the fruit. It was startling how familiar this space felt after just a few days. I'd never called a cave home before.
Soon, footsteps echoed. Adelaide returned, a leather pouch in one hand and four or five dark red fruits in the other. She saw me sitting up and handed over the fruit.
"You're awake. How do you feel?"
"… Seems okay."
Adelaide crouched beside me and prodded lightly with her fingertip. No pain.
"You're healed."
"… Looks like it?"
"Can you walk?"
I stood, took one step, then two. "Yeah."
"Then we leave today."
It was matter-of-fact, as expected. I knew it too. We couldn't stay here forever. Right in the heart of demon territory, and Sahadin would surely send out search parties. Besides, I was no longer the Demon King of this place.
Adelaide had already started packing. Not that there was much—just the leather pouch and a few fruits. She covered the campfire pit with stones, erased our traces, and slung her holy sword on her back. The dagger stayed at her waist. I popped the last fruit into my mouth and swallowed it down with water. Our final meal in this cave. I felt a pang of regret that it was ending.
"… This place was more comfortable than I thought."
"That's because I nursed you."
"Maybe."
Adelaide glanced at me briefly, then looked away.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"West. We need to get out of the Demon King's territory."
"… That's human lands. And I'm the Demon King."
"Shut up. Stay here, and the demons will catch you. They'll track your mana—it's only a matter of time."
"How do you know that?"
"Overheard the paladins talking."
I nodded faintly and followed behind her.
The rebellion had been crushed. The central hall of the fortress floor was still slick with blood. Sahadin stood in the midst of it, surveying the wreckage. Half of Gartia's direct unit of over two hundred had died in the fighting, the rest surrendered. With one of the Four Heavenly Kings gone, all that remained was a vacuum in the chain of command. He summoned three low-ranking officers.
"Finish dealing with the rebel remnants by noon. Imprison the surrendered, treat the wounded and then imprison them."
"Yes, sir."
"The northern sector is damaged by Gartia's power. Deploy troops around it."
"Understood, Lord Sahadin."
Once they withdrew, Sahadin turned toward the throne. The dark mana pulsed faintly in the room, but its master was absent. The scout report had arrived right after the suppression—a single line: The Demon King has left the fortress with the Hero, heading west. He folded the report. His expression didn't change. Rumors had already spread throughout the fortress. The Demon King saved by the Hero's hand, and the two departing together. Whispers circulated among the soldiers: the Demon King had abandoned the demons. As he passed through corridors, soldiers bowed their heads. The absence of one—the Demon King—had shifted the entire atmosphere of the fortress.
One low-ranking officer approached. "Lord Sahadin. Is it true? That Her Majesty left with the Hero?"
"It is."
"… Has the Demon King abandoned us demons?"
"Watch your tongue."
"But with Lord Gartia dead too, if even the Demon King leaves, we—"
"Her Majesty's intentions are known only to Her Majesty. Our duty is to hold this place."
The officer fell silent and retreated. His eyes showed he wasn't convinced, but Sahadin didn't look back. Seven hundred years ago, the previous Demon King had bestowed a name upon him. The moment a nameless beast gained existence. The current Demon King hadn't given a name. Hadn't even asked. Seven hundred years of loyalty meant nothing to her, no doubt. Still, she had been the Demon King. At least to Sahadin. He headed to the bedroom adjacent to the throne room—the one where Ailin had spent three months. Opening the door let in only cold air. Any traces of habitation were already erased, save for a single set of footprints preserved in the dust beneath the window. The subjugation forces had the area sealed off; confrontation was imminent. No Demon King, only one Heavenly King left—himself. All that remained were wounded soldiers and crumbling morale. Sahadin closed the window and shut his eyes briefly. He had lived seven hundred years. Witnessed the previous Demon King's madness, watched her turn to ash and vanish. Then waited again. A new Demon King came, and now this one had left too. What always remained was Sahadin.
"… Return to us, Your Majesty."
He murmured words that would reach no one, then shut the window.
The same moment. Ten days' march west from the Land of Darkness, at the subjugation army's main encampment. Tents lined the fields, patrolled by knights in armor. Inside the central tent, Duke Camur stared down at the map on the table. A young knight standing beside him reported—Lorian, Adelaide's new aide.
"Report, Your Grace. The Hero entered the Demon King's castle alone and has not returned."
"… What?"
"Follow-up from the scouts: the Demon King and Hero were sighted heading west together."
Duke Camur's hand froze over the map.
"… What does this mean?"
The paladin captain stepped forward from the back. "If not betrayal, then what?"
"… Too soon to conclude. She could be a captive—"
"A captive wouldn't walk side by side. The Demon King dragging the Hero? Absurd."
"…."
"Your Grace. Order the Hero's retrieval."
Lorian stayed silent. Adelaide von Estia. Vice-captain of the Royal Guard, leader of the subjugation vanguard. But it seemed she was hiding something. Was it his failing as aide that he hadn't pressed her on it? Would asking have changed things?
"… Give it time. Time to think."
Duke Camur rose. The paladin captain shot a dissatisfied glare but said no more. Outside the tent, cold wind hit Lorian's face. He gazed east, fiddling with the sword at his waist. He knew Adelaide von Estia wasn't the type to commit treason. He'd seen that much marching with her. He remembered her first day as his superior, asking the soldiers for greetings—only to be rebuffed. Not necessary, she'd said. Cold. Indifferent to others. But her aversion to watching people die was genuine. For such a person to side with the Demon King—there had to be a reason. Lorian wanted to believe that. But he had no proof. He thought he needed to go himself. Ask her the situation directly. That conviction hadn't wavered since the first report.
At some point, grass began appearing underfoot. Faded yellow, almost gray, but a clear change from the black earth. The sky shifted too—from pitch black to murky gray, stars winking out one by one. The air was different. The wind carried the scent of grass, a living smell after so long.
"Crossed the border?"
"Seems like."
"… We walked fast."
"Five days or so."
Five days. The cave had been near the border, so it took longer than expected. My sense of time was fuzzy. No day-night cycle in the Land of Darkness. Three months in the fortress, five in the cave, five walking. Nearly three months total. Hadn't stepped on grass once in all that. Crossing the border felt real now.
"Where to now?"
"Don't know."
"Me neither."
"… Same answer."
A chuckle slipped out. Adelaide's lips quirked faintly too. The Demon King and the Hero walking side by side. Heretics to demons, heretics to humans. Two who belonged nowhere. It should have felt wrong, but it didn't. We both knew we'd be hunted by demons and humans alike. Yet my steps felt light. No place to return to, no destination. Probably because Adelaide was beside me. The gap between us was about half a pace. Just how it happened as we walked. A path wound through the grass—human or beast tracks. Someone had passed this way. Were there people nearby? A village? I knew little of the lands beyond the Land of Darkness's border. Demon King who didn't care about her own territory's edges.
"… That."
We stopped together. A plain stretched under the sunset. Sparse trees dotted the dry grass, and in one corner loomed the outline of a small building.
"Know what that is?"
"… Looks like a barn."
"Anyone living there?"
"Doesn't seem so. Let's check."
Adelaide approached first, holy sword drawn, scanning around, peering inside, circling it. I waited. Best to leave this to her.
"Empty. Come in."
Inside was roomier than expected. Far better than the cave—walls, roof, and light filtering in.
"We sleep here?"
"Know somewhere better?"
"Nope."
We sat back-to-wall. In the cave, we'd faced each other across it; now, same wall. A fist's width between our shoulders. Outside, orange faded to pink, pink to navy. Adelaide watched the colors shift. So did I. Neither Demon King nor Hero anymore.
… Our first night together.
"Long walk today. Sleep."
"Yeah."
"Tomorrow, farther."
"… Nowhere to go."
"We'll find somewhere while walking."
My eyelids grew heavy. Fatigue from five nonstop days hitting now. Survived, so plan for tomorrow; walked, so rest. But it felt okay. No fixed path in this world. Could go any direction. Not bad at all. One thing was certain: with this person beside me, I could go anywhere. No evidence, just instinct. For once, I looked forward to tomorrow. Maybe the first time ever.