“Stop yer' moving!” A barbarically nasty tone of voice ordered as its owner held up a small child, a girl to be more precise with a single hand, whipping her with the next.

Bap!

Swish!

Bap!

“Ouch!!”

She yelped in pain as her clothes tore and her fair figure grew sullied with blood and open cuts. Though her appearance was disheveled, its elegance couldn’t be smudged away. Her messy hair was completely white whereas her unwilling eyes were stained with a deep blue.

Atop her head stood two small horns both red that would buzz a brighter shade of its color every time the girl would wince in pain. She was a young Oni. A Demonic Race known for their strength, magic power and potential of evolutions. Currently a man who steered a lone carriage all by himself handled the Oni girl with immense caution whilst punishing her for going against him. Her legs were shacked with a special Magic Item that was known for restricting the Mana of any being it latched onto.

These shackles were known as Mana Prisms and were a popular form of imprisonment amongst many of the Underworld. Currently it could be found selling in large amounts at the black market. Atop a tree, a young figure was crouched low, hiding between the large leaves and its branches as though they were a lone wolf stalking its prey. Leon gazed at this scene coldly. He had already discerned the situation. This man was either a Slave Trader which was an unorthodox occupation or he was a downright pervert that got off on kidnapping little kids and inflicting torture upon them.

“HAHAHA! Even if I damage you a little the market would still buy you off my hands! How did I ever get so lucky!” The perverted Slave Trader shouted boisterously as a huge, reddened blush started to spread across his face. Leon’s eyes drooped as his thoughts were neither one singularly but rather both. He was quite literally both a pervert and a Slave Trader. Leon gripped onto his twin bone daggers both of which he had carved from the skeletal remains of his enemies.

As his grip tightened on them, his thighs bulged as his feet pressed hard against the thick branch.

BANG!

Swoosh!

His figure took off with a muffled bang and though he had approached from a distance, the soundwave caused by his speed had traveled far. The Slave Trader in all his obesity and grease spun around as he heard the sound. However, it was far too late. All he saw was a dark shadow approach and suddenly, his entire world spun through his vision.

His head rolled clean with a thud, the Oni girl’s eyes widening in disbelief and fear.

Thud!

Plop!

Both her and his body dropped onto the ground simultaneously as she frantically looked around as though scared she might be the next victim. It was then that she heard a cold and monotone voice.

“Worry not. I am not here to kill you.”

Leon stated in a matter of fact tone. It was true, he didn’t come to kill her as killing unnecessarily was a waste of his time. He was simply surveying this region of the forest earlier, prepping for his usual hunt when he happened to come across the fat pervert.

With him completing what he had intended to, he turned to leave when out of nowhere, the little Oni girl spoke.

“Please…. me your nam?” It was a somewhat broken form of the human language. She tried to convey her utmost sincerity by asking for his name, wishing to thank him.

Leon faced her with his back, he didn’t answer her question as instead he replied saying, “I have no name.” Hearing this she widened her eyes again before bowing respectfully to him. She then went on to speak, “E-even den.. tank yu..!”

Her broken language was somewhat adorable though it barely moved Leon’s heart. He was fully convinced everything didn’t seem as it was. Even a cornered dog would bite back. So trusting everyone wasn’t in his code. But as he sensed from the child, though she had great amounts of mana, she was nowhere near as capable of killing him.

To show acceptance to her thanks, he spun around and gazed at her. Though his gaze struck her like a chilling blizzard. A chill so cold that it shot through her body instantaneously the moment she was gazed at by this unknown being in front of her. He nodded simply before turning to leave. However, he stopped once more. This time on his own accord.

As though thinking about something deeply, his lips parted as he questioned, “Where did he take you from?”

“H-Huh..?” Taken aback by the sudden question, not expecting the cold human warrior in front of her to ask a question.

“I asked, where did he take you from?”

She paused, as though trying to find the words to respond to his question. Knowing that she was having difficulties conveying her answer, Leon reassured her.

“There is no need to speak the human tongue.” As he said this, the human language was nowhere to be found within his tone. There was only a cursively intricate tongue understood by non-humans strictly rather than humans.

This was the language of all non-human races. Though diverse by race, whether Demons, Monsters, Fairies, Elves etc, they were united by a single language. This was known as the Tongue of Ancient. It was the language of every non-human. Leon being a half-human naturally had access to it. However this came off as a shock to the little Oni girl as she did not expect the cold looking human to speak her native language. She smiled widely before lifting herself up and moving towards him.

“Big brother thank you! I can now thank you properly this time! Oh and this fat pervert took me up at the border of my village!” Her words were joyful as she said these things as though listing items. However, amongst her words, a certain few hit him like a truck!

A village? In this forest? He felt as though it was impossible! Why? Well, he’s been hunting for an entire month and more and has been to lots of regions within this forest yet hasn't come across any villages or tribes.

So for him to find out that there are in fact villages sustaining intelligent humanoid lifeforms within this forest shocked him immeasurably.

“There are villages in this forest?” Leon couldn’t help but ask in a somewhat shocked tone of voice.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Seeing that the cold boy that saved her life was capable of displaying more than what meets the eye, a joyous smile touched her face once more as she nodded repeatedly.

“Oh big brother I haven’t introduced myself yet eh? My name is Onaka Tirumes and I'm from the SakeOni Village!”

Leon took in this information whilst calmly admiring her ability to pull herself out of tense and pressured moods. Just a few minutes ago she would’ve been marching onto death’s door and now? Her expressions and tone of voice could convey a different message. Leon smirked as he kind of liked the mettle of this kid.

Strangely he felt something within him buzzing as though signifying to him that Onaka was not as simple as she seems. He was interested and also was in need of examining a village as he wanted to garner knowledge from within and learn more about the forest. Thus with his ambition ablaze, an idea bloomed within his mind.

“Hey, Onaka, do you want me to escort you back home?”

His words struck her momentarily as her mouth abruptly formed an ‘o’ shape. A few seconds passed however as she was finally overwhelmed with a sense of happiness! She didn’t even give our man an answer, simply snatching his somewhat big hand and rushing deeper into the forest.

Of course Leon could have remained immovable but of course he allowed the little girl to do as she pleased.

He trailed behind her vigilantly whereas Onaka mindlessly rushed forward smiling and laughing like an idiot as her tattered clothes and open wounds were exposed. Staring at this scene, Leon was unmoved as his thoughts went back to the fat pervert. It was his first time killing a human being. His first time ever despite living two lives. Yet, when he killed him, he felt nothing. In fact he felt scorn towards the fatty rather than guilt. It was as though he repulsed the man for making him stain his daggers with his filthy blood.

Shaking off these useless thoughts however, Leon focused on the current situation as he had plans in which he needed to execute.

It took them a good while to get to Onaka’s village but the journey was safe nonetheless. This was because of two things. One being Leon’s presence and the other being that they followed a safe and unoccupied path that no monster could dwell on. Leon, of course, committed this path to memory.

As they approached the outskirts of said village, a large array of thick wooden fences tall and mighty were erected, occupying a large distance whereas a massive gate that was shielded by two Mortal General Rank Onis stood before the duo with a grandeur poise.

The Mortal Generals positioned at the sides of the gate each held onto their spears as they gazed at the approaching figures with vigilance. They gazed at the teenage boy with looks that could most definitely kill as the aura he gave off was one not to be trifled with. Though the moment their gazes landed on the little girl that bore striking features resembling theirs they dropped their vigilance.

Soon after, both joy and concern overwhelmed their bodies. They cupped their fists hurriedly, whereas their knees buckled soon after. “We greet the Tribe’s Princess!”

Though that joy and concern faded rather quickly as they finally observed their Princess's state. Their danger senses kicked in as they made distance between Onaka and Leon instantly. Leon remained indifferent as he glanced casually toward both Onis before turning his gaze to Onaka. Her eyes lit up in acknowledgment showing that she understood what needed to be done. And so, she started explaining everything to the Mortal General Onis clearing up Leon's name from any lingering misunderstandings in the process.

Meanwhile as she told her story, Leon took in the fact that Onaka was of royalty. Though a bit taken aback he didn't have much to express about it. Though once again, his gut was right. There was surely more than what meets the eye when it comes to Onaka. Furthermore, his gut was still telling him that the surprises weren’t over yet.

Hearing Onaka’s recount of what had happened a furious expression dawned on the Onis’ faces as their fists were clenched in anger.

“Damned human!”

“How dare he do that to the Princess!”

“Thankfully this brave warrior was there to help our Princess!”

“Indeed! Human Warrior you have our greatest thanks! Please allow us to accommodate your presence for the day. It's the least we can do!”

Both these Onis shared very similar faces with the only differences being their hair color and body type. One of them had green hair and a more lean physique whereas the other one had red hair and a bulky physique. As from how Onaka had referred to them earlier, their names are Kairon and Vladel respectively.

As they ushered these words of gratitude towards Leon a system prompt suddenly popped up in front of his face as he stared a bit wide eyed at it.

[Congratulations Master for clearing the first half of a hidden quest; Rescuing the SakeOni Village’s Young Princess!]

[Rewards for the first half of the quest will be given out together with the second half of the quest!]

[Due to completing the first half, you've gained the rights of access to the second half of the quest: Unmasking Onaka Tirumes True Origin]

[Do you wish to accept?]

“Accept!” Leon accepted without hesitation as he viewed the changing panel screen with intensity.

[Quest Name: Unmasking Onaka Tirumes True Origins

Type: Hidden Quest

Status: First Half Completed, Second Half Ongoing

Difficulty: A

Details: The girl, Onaka Tirumes isn’t as simple as she seems as her origins go beyond a simple Oni of the Oni Race. Venture into her village and interact with the Village Head to garner more knowledge about Onaka’s state. What is she really? Find out more on your own!]

Rewards: Will be distributed along with the first half’s rewards upon completion of this quest.]

Reading the contents Leon’s throat itches slightly. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at his decision to save Onaka at that time. Truly, his gut knew best. Turning to face both Kairon and Vladel, his figure straightened as he decisively accepted their invitation. Onaka’s face brightened up at this as when she saw Leon’s abrupt pause her heart paused for a moment as though she was afraid that he may want to decline.

The two Mortal General’s smiled widely, their pearly whites showing towards him as they gave way for both Onaka and Leon to advance. Wasting no time Onaka and Leon were both escorted by Kairon and Vladel under the onlooking bystanders of SakeOni Village. Walking through the stone paved street, Leon took in the smooth and refined architecture of the village. Every house was built and smoothen to paint a picture of classy medieval that spoke loud. As the onlookers gathered more and more, finally Leon and party had arrived at the Village Head’s home.

A large somewhat ancient styled palace stood tall and mighty at the center of many shorter but still tall and imposing buildings. Onaka rushed inside whereas Leon, Kairon and Vladel remained outside. The three stood motionless, not so talkative as they awaited Onaka’s return.

“WHAT?!”

They heard an exaggerated shout coming from inside. Kairon and Vladel looked at each other before their heads slumped whereas Leon just folded his arms and closed his eyes. He knew currently, Onaka was receiving the scolding of a lifetime.

With the commotion caused by the Village Head and the three figures standing motionless in front of the Village Head’s Castle, the growing crowd of Onis moved closer as they gazed at the human in front of the Mortal Generals with curiosity. Some of the closer acquainted associates of Kairon and Vladel approached, curious to know more whereas many Mortal Soldiers gathered in formations with a few Mortal Generals leading at the front. They were only there for precautions against any malicious intent directed towards them that the ‘guest’ may act on.

Kairon and Vladel merely raised their hands, signaling the crowd to settle down and the Oni Soldiers and Generals to pull back. Seeing that both Kairon and Vladel were brushing it off like that, they ultimately lowered their guard a bit but still dwelled on their curiosity. After an hour and a half of scolding, a brief silence soon enveloped the place. It was then that the large and beautiful doors of the Castle swung open revealing the dashing figure of a man that was accompanied by a little girl wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

However, Leon’s eyes were now stretched to its limits. Was he seeing correctly? He expected many things but this! This was truly an unforeseeable discovery! One that moved the madness in him, causing him to cackle eerily a bit. His wariness grew more than ever as he was placed in such a situation.

“Just what the fuck is this?”

The Head of SakeOni Village was….a human!

TO BE CONTINUED!