Rose felt a sense of unease when she was around the newcomer. Although she was grateful for his help with her father, she couldn't help but remain skeptical of his intentions. Despite his polite demeanor, there were several suspicious behaviors that she could tell he was trying to conceal, such as the way he carried himself.

To Rose, the idea of being an adventurer in this day and age seemed like madness. Why would anyone risk their life traveling the world when danger lurked around every corner? Just the thought of it made her shudder.

Rose couldn't help but notice the numerous scars covering the newcomer's body when he took off his shirt. It was highly unlikely that a simple farmer boy would have such marks. If she had to guess, she would say that Nok must have been a fighter or a bandit and had grown up in that environment. The scars looked old and told a story of a harsh and dangerous life.

As if that wasn't enough, Rose was worried about their food supplies as winter was fast approaching. They were already running low, and she wasn't sure if they had enough for themselves, let alone another mouth to feed.

Despite her reservations, Rose's father asked her to show Nok around after the fieldwork was done, claiming. "He seems like a good young man. Could you show him around? ”

Rose wanted to refuse her father's request. The idea of being seen with another man in their small village made her uneasy. People loved to gossip, and she didn't want to give them any reason to talk. But she couldn't bring herself to refuse the only family member she had left.

"Yes, Father. But please make sure to rest today. Otherwise, I will have to decline," she said reluctantly.

Rose's father worked himself to the bone every day, and it worried her deeply. As the only family member she had left, she didn't want him to die.

Unlike the other girls in the village, she had callused hands from helping her father with all the work she could. Her days were filled with back-breaking labor, and the thought of showing someone around after long exhausting work made her weary.

"Of course, of course," her father waved her off.

Rose sighed and made her way to the room where Nok was staying. She found him leaning against the window, lost in thought.

"Excuse me, Nok. I was wondering if you could help me with something," she said softly.

Nok turned towards her immediately, a friendly smile on his face.

"Of course, Rose. What can I help you with?" he asked.

Rose couldn't help but notice how excited he seemed to be about farm work, despite his mysterious past. She decided to ask for his help with buying groceries.

"I need to buy some groceries. Would you mind accompanying me and helping me carry them back?" she asked.

Nok nodded without hesitation, his eagerness to please raising her suspicions. It was strange how he never seemed to get angry or upset, and always went along with whatever was asked of him. It was as if he was trying to gain their trust.

Rose couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to Nok than meets the eye. She couldn't help but wonder if he was a murderer or a robber, pretending to be helpful to gain their trust before robbing and killing them. In a small village like theirs, such crimes often went unnoticed and unpunished. The only thing that seemed to matter was the threat of demons, which forced them to pay exorbitant prices to the Exorcists who came to their aid.

The village continued to suffer from the aftermath of the demon attack that had occurred eight years ago. Numerous lives had been lost, and even though they had paid the exorcist, his work had been lackluster. He had killed a demon, but not the one they had asked him for.

Despite the villagers' efforts to report the incident to the local authorities in the nearby town, the officials seemed to prioritize the exorcist's reputation over the safety of the village. They were more concerned about being in the good graces of a renowned exorcist rather than addressing the plight of a seemingly insignificant village.

As Rose and Nok approached the small market in the village, Rose suddenly halted and turned to face Nok.

"If you're planning to rob us," she warned, "you should know that we have no food to offer, and even less money to spare."

Nok widened his eyes in surprise, showing off impressive acting skills.

"What? Why would I want to rob you?" he replied, feigning innocence.

"Why would you help my father carry his carriage for so long, without any reason?" she asked, surprised. A journey like that would exhaust even a burly man. "Didn’t you have anything else to do?"

"No, I literally have nothing better to do. That's why I'm here," he replied matter-of-factly. "Why would you even assume that I would need to rob some poor villagers? Do you know why bandits don’t usually rob villages? Because the cost outweighs the benefits. Farmers know that they will suffer through winter if they lose even a bit of something they can't afford to lose."

Rose was surprised by his honesty and felt a tinge of embarrassment.

Nok continued to playfully tease Rose. "Oh sure, let me rob the man who can't even afford to buy a wheel for his carriage. That's something no bandit would ever say.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Alright, alright, I understand. No need to make fun of me," Rose gestured, waving him off.

She realized that she might have been too cautious and presumptuous towards the stranger. But in a place where survival was uncertain, it was better to err on the side of caution. After all, they were in a forgotten land where no one cared about the locals.

Still, there was one question that lingered in Rose's mind. "What happened with those scars? It couldn't have been from some silly accident, could it?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how insensitive it might have sounded. After all, scars like that were most likely a result of a traumatic experience.

Caught in the heat of the moment, Rose was about to apologize when they both noticed a crowd gathering at the forefront of the market.

They hurried towards the commotion, and Rose overheard a child's voice exclaiming, "It was really a dragon! He shot a water blade and the demon's head went flying! Then he warned me not to come alone to the river again, and even used some water tentacles to pluck some weeds and gave them to me."

The boy proudly displayed his basket filled with various edible weeds to the curious adults around him.

Recognizing the child as Myron, who lived with his mother, Rose knew that the boy's mother had a weak body and bad leg problems. Since this was a small village, everyone knew everyone else's struggles.

Despite their circumstances, Myron and his mother were beloved in the village for their kindness and resilience. The villagers would often pitch in and help them out with basic necessities.

But with the recent hardships in the village, many of the residents had been struggling to make ends meet themselves, and hadn't had the means to lend a helping hand to Myron and his mother. In fact, some of the villagers hadn't seen Myron's mother in weeks.

"Kid, making up stories like that is not right," chided another man named Connor, who fancied himself a fisherman but rarely caught anything.

Myron stood his ground and insisted. "But I'm not lying, it's true!"

"Listen, kid," spoke up the village elder's wife, a chubby woman with a stern expression. "Demons are known to eat people, so it's not wise to spread these strange ideas among your friends. Such beliefs could be dangerous if someone takes them seriously."

It was hard to determine if Myron was telling the truth or not, but it seemed unlikely that a demon would help a human, let alone a young child.

Most people were hesitant to trust even exorcists who worked with demons. One notorious exorcist even caused countries to go to war. The conflict resulted in the deaths of many people, and a famine followed in its wake.

‘When men are out fighting instead of tending to the fields, a famine was inevitable. But it wasn't like those in power even felt their own stomachs rumbling when the famine hit the average people.' thought Rose.

"A nice demon? Now that's something you don't hear every day," Nok muttered under his breath with a smile.

"What? Do you believe in those rumors?" Rose asked softly, curious about his thoughts on the matter.

Nok shook his head, "No, not really. But it's a nice thought, isn't it? That there could be demons out there who are kind and helpful, rather than the ones who cause chaos and destruction."

Rose nodded, understanding his perspective. It was a comforting thought to believe that not all demons were evil, but she knew better than to trust in rumors and hearsay blindly. Demons were evil and out there to kill humans; that was all there was to it.

"But it makes for an interesting story. Kind of like how I always tell people it was a demon who did that. It makes for a better story to tell." He said.

Rose found Nok to be intriguing, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Whether he was eating bland food, toiling in the scorching heat, or doing chores, he always seemed so... content.

She couldn't help but wonder: why would someone find the exhausting work of everyday labor and the monotony of countryside life enjoyable?

Whatever it was, she decided not to pry further. She had been rude enough to him for one day, so she decided to show him around the small village.

There wasn't much to show, just some farms and houses. As they walked, Rose couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. The only sounds were the chirping of the birds and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Eventually, they ended up on a green hill overlooking the village elder's house.

Nok laid down on the grass and looked at the setting sun. He closed his eyes and smiled, seeming completely relaxed.

Rose wondered if what he was doing was really so enjoyable, so she decided to lay down on the grass next to him.

It didn't feel that much different, although the glare of the sun was quite annoying. She raised her hand to block the light and saw her own calloused hands.

Living in a village, every woman had callused hands. But her palms were especially rough from helping her father with manual labor.

Rose remembered how her father used to tell her that a woman's hands should always be soft and smooth, but she never cared much about it

"Sorry for being so overbearing before," Rose apologized. She could now see a glimpse of Nok's true personality through his actions. He seemed like a genuine enough person who wanted to help people in need.

"Hm?" He opened one eye, looked at her, and then closed it back up. "When were you rude? I am a stranger in your house, and cautiousness is a normal reaction. You're normal, and I like normal."

Okay... he was weird. But when he called her normal and said he liked normal, did he mean her?

Rose blushed at the thought. Nok wasn't bad looking and seemed like a good guy.

But such thoughts fled from her mind as soon as they came, and she thought about it rationally. He probably said such things in the spur of the moment, no need to read too much into it.

***

Carpy gazed at his own reflection in the river, a serpentine eel-like demon with a fish's face. He was about as wide as an anaconda.

Not even a foot away from him was the Kappa demon’s corpse.

Why had he done it? Why had he saved the kid? He had more in common with the Kappa than he would ever have with some human kid.

But as he was contemplating his own nature as a demon, Carpy felt someone approaching, and he couldn't believe his own senses.

A skinny kid with leaves, and twigs on his hair came out. It was the same kid Carpy had saved.

"You're still here! The villagers said I was lying, but I knew you existed!" The kid exclaimed with a wide smile on his face. Then he frowned. "Everyone talks about demons being bad. But you were willing to help me even when no one else in the village did.”

The kid scrunched up his face and tried to hold back his tears. He started crying and snot came out of his nose. "I -I, thank you! You are better than other people!"

Carpy frowned. "Kid, I warned you not to come here again. Do you think I will let you go a second time?"