Chapter 40

"Woooow~! Bailey, Master, come look at this!"

Rena picked up an apple-like fruit from the food stall's box and raised it in her hands.

"Huh? What's that thing? Looks weird.", Bailey commented.

"It's not weird! They're tasty lyuga fruits. I haven't had one in ages!"

She beamed a bright smile after taking a bite into the fruit, with heavy compliments to the taste.

...It's just an apple? Hah, whatever... If she's so happy about it, then it's fine.

The trio had recently arrived in Asphal, the Demon country, and the two kids have been clamouring over every little thing they see. It's all a brand new experience for Bailey, and it provokes strong feelings of sentiment in Rena.

Thankfully, Jae and Bailey were both allowed into the country despite being documented as humans. It was strange that they were allowed in even though they didn't show any real form of identification, but since there were no problems, no one complained about it. Jae thought they must have some other method to see if the people entering the country were not allowed entry. Most likely, it was magical.

So far, everything has been going pretty well for them. Nevertheless, Jae was as anxious as ever about the future.

"Uh, sorry about her. How much does the fruit cost?"

The stall owner―a kind-looking, middle-aged Demon woman―replied with a smile on her face.

"Oh, don't even think about such a thing. How could I charge such a precious thing as that happy smile?"

Suddenly, an older man called out from the other side of the street in a mocking yet friendly tone. He also seemed to be a stall owner himself―a lot of the people here were, as they were currently in the middle of a booming marketplace.

"Hahaha! Giving away products for free, how careless can you be? I wonder how the gatherer would react!"

"The gatherer will just need to work harder, then. Surely he can spare a lyuga or two? My husband will understand as soon as he sees just how cute this child is! Ahem, listen here, young man; don't worry about silly stuff like that and allow the girl to take as many free lyugas as she wants, okay?"

"...Thank you very much."

As Jae thanked the generous stall owner, he looked around himself. He noticed how cheerful and lively the atmosphere and people all were. The entire marketplace here; all the different stall owners and merchants knew each other and were happily conversing whilst selling produce. They were all rivals, yet at the same time, close friends.

This whole place was its own ecosystem, connected like a spider's web.

Then, the kind stall owner called out to him as he stood blankly.

"Excuse me, young man. I don't mean any offence, but what race are you? You seem human, but the properties of your mana tell me otherwise... Either way, you're very polite, and you speak the language very well for a foreigner. It brings a smile to my face knowing that our people aren't hated by everyone out there."

"Oh... Thank you."

Jae thought seriously about it for a second but ended up just scratching his head.

"To be honest... I don't really know."

I thought I was Undead at first because that's what the System and the Soul State always told me, but when I asked the Sinful God, he said I was human... Whenever someone examined me through my mana, they couldn't tell what I was, either.

It was a tricky situation, and the more Jae thought about it, the more curious he became. However, he couldn't currently think of a way to figure it out once and for all, so he just decided to go with what Reius told him.

"But... I'd say I'm human."

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Asphal was an odd place. It wasn't bad by any means, but it was strange.

The reason Jae felt it was strange, is because, despite the excellent advancements made in magic-related subjects, such as magical technology―magi-tech, that could be found almost everywhere in this extensive country―the people were as kind and respectful as could be. There was no discrimination at all, even to people of different races, and everyone seemed to have strong bonds with each other.

It was the type of place that made one forget how each and every citizen was probably on par with the average human nation's top-class wizards due to their innate speciality.

The Demon race's talents in magic-related subjects were vastly more advanced than that of the human race. Mostly, it was simple things like magic-powered street lights, lamps, and other such things that reminded Jae of Earth, but there were a ton of surprising things as well. Even the buildings appeared to be straight from modern society.

―It was a sight that brings the word 'utopia' to mind.

Jae, Rena, and Bailey, each had different reactions to the Demon Country.

Jae, understandably, was feeling a bit solemn. From the back of his mind came distant memories of his family and friends. 'I wonder how they are doing?', 'I want to see them...', 'I hope they didn't grieve too much over what happened.'―such thoughts ran by his mind as he quietly observed the kids he looked after; his two "pupils", as they call themselves.

The first of the said two, Rena, was excited beyond imagination. It was mainly due to the simple thought of finally reuniting with her family once again and returning to her proper home. Although she was smart for her age, certainly, she did not think at all about what would happen after they arrived at the castle.

The second, Bailey, was unusually quiet. Normally, his temperament was fiery, boisterous and annoying, just like any other boy his age (about 7-8), however, he has been relatively subdued ever since first entering Demon territory. Most likely, he was admiring and comparing the advanced technology and intriguing cultural differences of it to the level of his own home town.

Where they are now, is merely the outskirts of the vast country, however. Asphal is almost boundless in its territory, and fortunately, its capital city was not too far away. After purchasing a map of the country and examining it, Jae planned to arrive there within about three more weeks of travel. The group would be staying the nights at various inns in various towns and cities until they reach the capital.

Now, you may be wondering how they can even communicate with the Demon people of Asphal in the first place; most of whom never learnt the Seroninian language.

The reason for that is simple: On their way through the Great Forest, Jae had Rena teach him and Bailey the basics of the language―that was the original plan. Unfortunately, however, because she is only a child, and because it has been almost a year since she spoke the language with her own people, she forgot most of it.

The bits she remembered, she rehearsed, and, thanks to the effect of the「Demon Language Comprehension」skill, she easily caught back up to where she was. Then, she taught the other two until they also received the skill, before the three of them practised the language together.

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The only downside to the 'language comprehension' tree of skills is that it doesn't help with writing, so they had to work to be able to write. Of course, the two kids also showed Jae how to write in Seronian, albeit with difficulty, since he never had the opportunity to learn before.

Anyway, because of all that hard work, the three were now functionally bilingual. Jae thought that skills really were a cheat in this way because anyone could become fluent in a language simply by studying it briefly and using the skill. It didn't require you to actually learn the language, because the skill would do most of everything for you.

Of course, you still had to study a decent amount and practice a ton, but Jae's「World Traveller」Title allows him to learn skills at a far quicker pace than any normal person, even if he doesn't have a talent for it, so it was rather easy.

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"―Okay, you two, shall we head to the inn? It's getting late."

"Awww, do we have to...?"

"Yes, now come on. Unless you want to be left behind?"

"But I'm not tired."

"Okay, then good luck finding a place to stay the night."

"Huh? No, wait!"

Jae thought as he led the excitable kids to the largest and safest-looking inn in the town.

The people are nice, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the place reminds me of Earth, but it's incredibly boring... Though, it's not like I could do anything anyway since I'm taking care of two naive kids. It'd be good if there were an Adventurer's Guild in this country. That'd be killing three, no, four birds with one stone. It's unfortunate.

There was no Adventurer's Guild present in Asphal, as Demon society was much more modern when compared to human society; because they were that much more sophisticated than other races, they had much more efficient and organised ways of doing the things that adventurers would commonly do in human towns and citites, such as gathering natural resource, subjugating monsters, or escorting.

The four birds Jae could've sniped with the Adventurer's Guild: Money, fame, training for the kids, and in the case of an escort job, free travel to the capital city. Sadly, it was only a dream.

I was planning on getting a high status in the Guild while I was in a town, but then it turns out they don't even exist here. I probably won't be able to ever sign up then, unless I can somehow disguise myself or my Status from humans... Huh?

It was then that Jae's eye was caught by an inn named 'Den of the Southern Devil'. He thought it was an odd name for an inn, but since it was by far and away the largest in the town, he presumed the quality to be just as much, so he entered it without hesitation, and with Rena and Bailey in tow.

"Huh. It's popular."

What immediately entered his sight was the great number of people seated around various tables―all made from what looked like a luxurious type of wood, and all cleanly polished.

Almost everyone on the first floor of this building was drinking, eating and laughing heartily whilst singing along with the vocalist on stage―it was exactly the type of scene one would imagine when thinking of a fantasy inn, and the corners of Jae's mouth slightly rose when he first saw it.

A lively place, I see. Well, this should be fine. No, this is good, actually. I highly doubt anyone would attack us or cause us trouble with this many people gathered, and the kids will probably enjoy this kind of atmosphere... Though, they might get carried away... Hm.

"You guys, stick close to me, okay?"

""Okay.""

Ignoring the noisy crowd of patrons, Jae―followed by Rena and Bailey, of course―walked over to the receptionist, who seemed to be a Demon race, just as most of the patrons were. Jae spoke to the young lady.

"Excuse me, are there any three-bed rooms for one night available?"

"One night? Yes, I think you're in luck as we have just one left. That will be 23 Silver coins and 25 Bronze coins for one night, please."

In response, Jae quietly took exactly the required amount from his pocket and handed it over to the receptionist. Inwardly, he sighed.

It's a good thing all the money I got from the Sloth Dungeon is accepted, but because I keep indulging the kids, it's soon to run out... I didn't think it'd be that important at the time, but now look. Well, we've still got quite a lot of cash left from selling various monster bits, so we should be alright for a while. Might need to hunt a little on the way to the next town, though.

"Thank you very much for your patronage, sir. Here are the keys to your room, which is on the far right of the first floor as you come up the stairs."

Jae nodded in confirmation and thanked the receptionist as well. He was about to turn around as she spoke again.

"Oh, before you go. There will be a unique occurrence in our establishment tonight that will continue for about the next week. I would highly recommend that you stay downstairs to attend, sir. At least for this first time."

"...Yes? What kind of event?"

They do events in places like this, huh? Interesting. I guess I'll check it out.

The receptionist was about to reply to Jae's question when suddenly, the host on the stage started speaking enthusiastically into his magic-powered microphone.

"―And now, a very special guest! It's the one you've all been dying to meet! The myth! The legend! The face of the inn himself, making an appearance for the first time in over a year! The Southern Devil!"

Then, all the inn's patrons began screaming and chanting.

"""DE--VIL! DE--VIL! DE--VIL!"""

Meanwhile, Jae was simply puzzled at the situation.

What the hell? Who is this guy? I assume the inn was named after him, but who the hell is he for people to react like this just at the mention of his name? And wait, he really hasn't shown up in over a year? Isn't that neglect?

All the cheering exploded once more when a peculiar-looking man appeared from behind the curtains on-stage.

"""WAAAAHH!!!"""

Hm...?

The man, unlike what Jae had initially expected, was not of the Demon race.

But I thought that Asphal was at the South of the continent? Well, to be fair, I haven't seen a World Map yet, so I can't say for sure...

It was a young man with waist-long and spiky amber hair, tanned skin like shiny copper, and who wore elegant, silky clothes that were beautifully arranged and in many vibrant colours.

A unique appearance, and one that immediately indicated to any onlookers that the man was of high status.

I've never seen anyone like that before in this world. So he's from a foreign country? But he's not human?

Jae didn't even have to look at the man's Soul State to tell that the so-called 'Southern Devil' belonged to a race he had never seen before.

[Oh, fuck off will you......]

Wrath? What's wrong? You know that guy? Or, do you know his race or something?

The fact that Wrath suddenly spoke up intrigued Jae, so he immediately began questioning. Surprisingly enough, Wrath spoke without complaint.

[Haah... Of course I don't know him. But... he's from a species nicknamed the 'Sand Devils'.]

Sand Devil... So you were at odds with them?

[Tsk... I'd prefer not to speak, but when I see one of them again after such a long time, it's rather stimulating to my instincts.]

What, like reproductive instincts?

[Ah, yes. For some odd reason, Wrath gets extremely horny when he sees a Sand Devil--]

[NO!! FUCK! Envy, shut your filthy mouth, you motherfucker! You disgusting pigs! It's my battle instincts, obviously!]

[Oh, my bad... You don't need to try and conceal it anymore though. I revealed your secret to the world. Well, it's okay Wrath. Jae won't tell anyone, isn't that right? Haha.]

[Fucking shut up! I'm Wrath, not Lust, you fucking idiot! The only thing I am lustful for is BATTLE!! And blood! Never slander me like that again!]

Right. Ah, well, are those guys strong then? 'Sand Devil' sounds like a pretty big deal, no? His presence alone is giving me goosebumps...

[Strong? Those guys? Hah.]

Suddenly, Jae glanced at the Devil's face once more and noticed that his orange eyes were looking straight at him. The two locked gazes.

――The world froze in that instant.

"...Hmm~?"

The hum made by the Devil could be heard by Jae despite the fact the two were standing at almost opposite ends of the room.

The Devil smiled mysteriously as Jae stared at him, bewildered and intimidated, before he abruptly closed his eyes.

―The world unpaused.

"......Huh...?"

Jae blinked in confusion as the world resumed as it had. As if nothing had ever happened, the Devil, who stood on the stage, gracefully handled the microphone provided to him by the host and proceeded to give a splendid speech. It was nothing important; just a kind of welcome and thank you to the patrons of the inn.

Suddenly, Jae felt a tug on the hem of his clothes, bringing him back to reality.

"Master, I'm tired..."

"Me too..."

Rena and Bailey stood there, rubbing their eyes. It was clear that they were drowsy, and Jae thought he'd get them to rest as soon as possible. Leading the kids to the stairs, Jae took one last glance behind him towards the Sand Devil before going up.

He had many thoughts about what had just occurred, and what a Sand Devil actually was, but he could always just ask either Wrath or the man himself, so it wasn't too big a deal.

Now that I think about it, I forgot to check the Soul State... Damn it.

He began to feel incredibly inferior at this moment. Silently tucking Rena and Bailey into their beds, they soon fell asleep. Jae, himself, took off his outside wear and simply lay down on his own bed. Ever since his first meeting with Reius, he had been sleeping as much as he could to try and elicit a reappearance from the God, however, unfortunately, and to his dismay, Reius has yet to appear for a second time.

As he laid his body down and started up Sloth, he had thought about the Sand Devil. Jae had a feeling that some of his major questions could be answered but was unsure if he would comply. Jae was also nervous that the Devil may even kill or harm him, as he felt he had the power to easily do so.

...I definitely need to speak to that guy tomorrow.

For some reason, the experience of the world pausing and unpausing continuously replayed itself in Jae's mind, even after his slumber arrived.