The wind blows gently to the huge fortress, or at least what remains of the once impregnable city. It was just an afternoon breeze and yet still enough to push some debris of the wrecked houses down to the ground. In just a span of whole night, nearly all signs of life in the city was purged and almost all of its structures were brought to the ground. Almost, aside from the only building that seemed to be spared by destiny. The Aldebaran Adventurer's Guild.

Now that nothing else stand alongside it, the structure stands as proud as it could. The blonde haired human hero is currently standing outside the enormous building. She was walking away to investigate the remains of the fortress when a girl from Archen's party stopped her moments earlier.

“Are you sure?...” she said without any sign of hesitation.

“Yes. An abandoned mine swarmed by those dire creatures. They're holding all of the surviving villagers and adventurers there. But be wary Miss Hero, I only overheard it from the report earlier that they're also with a commander level demon responsible of taking down Lord Cazius.”

“Cazius lost?—a very slight movement in her eyes upon hearing the fall of the supposedly War Commander—“...Alright I will. I appreciate the intel, go back to your captain and wait for treatment. Medics are on my tail they will arrive shortly.” she added.

“At once Miss Hero.”

“Randgris.”

The wounded army girl looked back upon hearing that name.

“That's my name.” the blonde hero said in a rather resounding tone.

The army girl casted a soft smile then speak at the back of the hero named Randgris. “Thank you, Miss Randgris. Please avenge Lord Cazius and this city.”

Randgris delivered a final nod and continued walking. “If killing that commander demon would bring me closer to my goal, then I need to do this quick.” after a long pause she added “Bel would never do something like this…” Randgris muttered to herself.

~~~

[[Ryuji's POV]]

“Oh you're awake. ” A female voice rang in the small room almost the same time I opened my eyes.

I blink twice before turning my gaze to where the voice came from and there at the corner of the room is the Demon Lord. She had her eyes at me when she said those words and when I reciprocate it she goes back to what she's been doing. Bel is currently sitting next to a table full of herbs, bones, feathers, and other similar stuffs. I initially think that maybe she is performing some kind of a witchcraft or something related to magic but then I remembered during our first encounter, she is capable of summoning demons from the ground much like what a necromancer or witches are able to do, so I think those things makes sense.

The room was dimly lit by some kind of a crystallized stone fixed on the ceiling and what I woke up seeing are bizarre and close to horrifying scene. Both of its wall and ceiling are made up of solid dirt supported by hard woods. If I were a normal person I would've panic and froze instantly but since I like this kind of horror and gore things in general I managed to think normally. It seems some of my past life experiences from earth are paying off. I assume we're at some room inside the abandoned mine.

“How long am I out?” I said as I started to raise the half of my body on the bed.

The white haired girl on the other hand just continued her crafting.

“About a whole week now, you collapsed on that young lady... uhh. Yeah, Miss Windsor, because your magic has depleted. Sorry, I'm still doing my best remembering their name. Also, from what I'd seen from our merged memories, your planet—Earth has seven days in a week but here we have nine days. So you're out for nine whole days.”

[Magic depleted? I'm pretty sure the ones in the games I played didn't take a whole week of recovery. What was it called again?...]

“Magic Zero.” I muttered while subconsciously ignoring the week and day trivia from her. It is a state of body and mind on which a great feeling of fatigue invades every muscle on your body and decreases your ability to think straight as time passes which only happens if you fully consume your own magic power. And in my case it seems that I did it past beyond my limits.

I noticed a slight nod on her head even when her bare back is facing me, then she answered. “Yes it is, well I won't be surprised by it since you head straight for a couple of max tier magic, the Full Body Enhancement and the Full Demon Transformation and that unknown resurrection magic, in addition, your newly acquired forbidden offensive magic, the Starfall, all while you're still on low level. You're the first and only one I knew that can and managed to pull off something that crazy. Everyone else died even before the chant began.” Unlike the last time we met, her back is now the same as what you'd expect to a young adult girl. No sign of the pentagram nor the raging violet gem.

“How do you—?” is my attempted reply to her citing every skills in my arsenal which was cut-off immediately.

“Know your skills? Well to be honest, in eyes of someone like me your skill-set is showing like a sore thumb, that applies for your status too. Now that I'm witnessing the result of my absence during your early days here, the guilt is getting heavier and heavier. Sorry for not guiding you.”

[Eyes of someone like her? Like a Magical one? But moreover I'm concerned about that status she was saying so I think I need to look at mine once again since I hadn't paid much attention to it last time on Aldebaran.]

I smiled gently in response to her apology. “It's fine, it's all in the past now, what matter is that we're on the same side now. By the way, do you have some kind of that stone cube that reveals your status here?” I head straight and asked for it.

“...”

But what responded to my question was pure silence.

“Bel?”

“Oh sorry, what were you saying again?” She said as her gaze slowly fade on the floor.

“I said the—Her back is still facing at me but I got enough angle to see her face.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

[ I know what that face that she is currently wearing means. Looking down with a face that seems like full of world burden, Kasumi often did that whenever I'm refusing her demands but in the end I always end up spoiling her.]

So I decided to cut my words and take another route.—“... Nevermind, something's bothering you?”

[Not that I intended to treat her like Kasumi but I guess that cube can wait till later.]

Bel momentaruly paused her crafting and finally turned her body around. “... It's just that... Say Ryuji, do you feel any hatred or resentment at me because I summoned you here?”

I didn’t hesitate and answered with honest words. “A little bit, yes. Because you separated me from someone I cherished more than my life...”

“... I'm—” Her crimson eyes widened a little but it immediately made its way back on the floor again.

I release a soft sigh before saying. “But...if not because of her I would never go back to my previous world at all. That shitty boring world, living your everyday life without an official goal makes me really sick. Most of the humans in that world were sick. That's why I'm also thankful to you that I have finally avoided that boredom. So in my stay here I might as well enjoy myself.”

[Ah, my hatred kicks again]

In an instance her face was filled with joy. “Thank you. I'm really grateful Ryuji, but she...”

At this point I came to a realization that the Erabella that I'm speaking right now is completely different from that crazy maniac that I met on top of the wall that night. Did she have two personalities? if she is, then the one am I facing right now is the one I prefer. I wonder why she cut her words but I know it'd be best if I don't ask any more of it if she doesn't want to say it.

I took initiative this time with my low pitched voice. “...Speaking of goals. What are we gonna do from here on?” To which she answered almost immediately.

“That's the reason I'm here all this time, well, despite that young ranger telling me many times to leave you two alone everyday for whole nine days, I was gonna ask you the same thing. Because I gave everything to you and what I have now are just tiny fragments of the demon lord's power that will soon be gone. Besides, if you didn't pull me back from that hell, I no longer exist in this world, so I I'll just follow any decisions you make…and oh, also you're the new demon lord now.”

[I feel like I heard that cliché 'torch passing' words sometime on my previous life. I wonder why Lily wants to be alone with me, and what did she mean by...]

Both of my eyes narrowed a bit in response to her words. “Wai.. what? Hold on. I'm still clueless about several things in this world. And by several, I mean almost everything here is new to me, from the most simplest thing like that day and hour difference to the most complex like, me? a Demon Lord? Why?”

“I repeat. Everything within me is yours now, you're the reason why I'm still alive, besides I already passed my power gem to you there's no way to return it. If you want to know everything you need, I can teleport us to the library guarded by fairies that only a demon lord can enter.”

[A library? Oh that reminds me, the books from the guild that I was carrying. I remembered those books were in the care of Miss Marley. I hope she didn't loose it.]

“You can use teleportation spell?”

“Yes, but this world has forsaken that spell long ago so I could only use it back and forth once every 4 months so we have to think this through.”

“I see...” [Back and forth means she can use it twice every four months, right?]

Bel once again smiled at me and said. “But I suggest you leave that matter for later, everyone outside are preparing a celebration for hunting a bunch of wild hogs today. It is best if we join them, I'll go on ahead.”

Bel stands up and exits the room through the wooden door.

“Alright. I'll be there.” I said before the door completely closed on her back.

~~~~~

What I have thought of when Bel said 'everyone' was her army of goblins and orcs. But when I set my foot out of the mouth of the abandoned mine all that filled me was surprise.

“Oh hey! You finally woke up. Gotten back to your senses?” a voice of a man called out to me. I immediately noticed that it belonged to the same adventurer that I asked to pick up Miss Marley on top of the canyon a week ago right before I collapse.

I waited till he decreased our distance before replying in my usual low-pitched voice. “I guess, feel like I could run to Aldebaran from here in less than an hour.”

I haven't realized it up until now or I should say I did not think of it much but the travel time from here to that fortress—ruins usually takes time more or less—two hours . Reminds me of my first quest/night with Lily, I had nothing to worry about that time since she really took care of my lackings and watching her do so makes that couple of hours passed almost instantly. She's also the major reason why I accidentally managed to pull off a supposedly middle tier quest in just a spun of one night.

“Haha! That's the spirit! Jokes aside, your guild advisor is safe. We tried looking for you after you requested me to pick her up but you're already out cold when we arrive. She's currently at the food tent down there.” he pointed a large open tent at the foot of the canyon.

She is not my guild advisor, is what I want to say but instead I remembered his effort bringing Marley down here. So instead I replied with “Oh right, I haven't thanked you yet for that. Thanks for taking care of her.”

He took out a rag cloth and wipe his head and face with it before replying. “I haven't done much. All I did is bring her down here but if you want to return the favor let's talk about it later, I need to thank you too for leading the defense force back there at the city, to be honest I feel ashamed of my rank that time. My name's Kervilov Sullivan, a bronze rank adventurer of Aldebaran or rather former, you may simply call me Kervi.”

“Ryuji... It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sullivan.”

“The feeling's mutual, Ryuji. And please, I prefer Kervi.”

“Got it... Uhm, I have a question.” I said without taking my eyes off of the several tents.

“Go on”

Last thing I remembered was Bel said to leave everything to her which is I failed to ask her about earlier since I'm not aware that the citizens of Aldebaran are willing to co-exist with Bel's demons and other monsters. I wonder what she did to earn the trust of humans especially those sworn-monster slayers known as—Adventurers to live here with these monsters.

A short silence between us after Kervi's instant reply. Then I said with my low-pitched voice. “How did it come to this? As far as I know Humans and Demons are mortal enemies, so how?”

“Mortal enemies...Indeed. It happened shortly after I took that dwarf guild receptionist here on your request… We were surprised that the flocking people in middle of the canyon are suddenly gone, and when I asked the remaining adventurers who choose to trust that white-haired demon girl's words, they told me that those people would never want to live near these vile creatures. Monsters that destroyed the supposedly impenetrable fortress, our home, the once joy filed city, in just a course of one night, that killed innocent lives, that destroyed many families. So after ensuring that dwarf and my team’s safety, I did, what they do. I sleep the night here surrounded by creatures that I feel like they'd chew my arm off or rip my chest as soon as I lost consciousness. But no such horrible thing happened, then morning came, I opened my eyes and there they were, the people who left that night or I should say half of them." Kervi looked on the dirt before continuing his recap. "The tale they're telling is that even before reaching the cursed forest to Rigel an enormous pack of wargs attack them and seems to be preventing them from entering the forest, so to make it short half of them including most of the adventurers died fighting. And before daybreak they came back here wounded, terrified and exhausted. No one saw what happened to the wargs after they passed through those line of orcs there”—he pointed at the south east direction where a group of fully armoured orcs were stationed.—“That's all I know. ”

“I see…”

I never thought that it will be that easy to convince these people. I trust every words that Kervi said. But I know theres more to it.

[I should’ve never taken my eyes off Bel. Now, I have more questions than answer again.. ]

After a minute or two of peaceful morning breeze. Kervi opened his mouth. “Alright. Gotta head back to the cooks. They're short handed right now.”

“You want me to—” I tried offering him my assistance but he just gave that reliable big-brother look.

“No. I think we're doing just fine. Just enjoy yourself and have a look around. Bet you'll find something interesting in a minute. Be seeing ya’ ”

I gave him a quick nod and then after a soft sigh I continued walking toward the tents.