My armor clanked along the streets as I made my way towards the orphanage. There were plenty of new faces that I could see, which wasn’t a surprise because there were already a lot of people here when it was only a town. I never bothered to remember the faces of strangers, much less after half a decade had passed with me being in an entirely different place.

Eventually, I and Moonwash arrived at a… somewhat familiar orphanage. It had changed, it had gotten bigger, evidently they had acquired the property just beside it. There was also now a signboard that stated the name of the place.

Salaire & Luine Orphanage.

“Did this place always have a name? I always just called it the orphanage.”

“It did. There are other orphanages in town after all. But from what I remember, it was called the Luine Orphanage in the documents before.”

“Huh. Neat.”

“Hey! Haell! Moonwash!” Therick called out to us. He was currently in the playgrounds, coaching little warriors that only came up to his waist in the art of the sword. “You made it!”

“Yes,” I grinned, though it couldn’t be seen through my helm. “After a long and harrowing journey through the city, I finally made it to your doorstep. Never hath I vanquished a beast so tough.”

“Sounds interesting. You should’ve brought us along!” Angerly exclaimed. There were children hanging from her outstretched arms, and even more followed behind.

“I would’ve. But alas, you were already facing a great and terrible foe of your own.”

The children giggled and redoubled their offensive. A centaur boy rammed against her leg, a crustecar girl jumped up, desperately trying to climb, and a belfegor child managed to make it to her head and started blocking her eyes.

“Hey…! I heard of you!” He asked me eventually, after jumping down from the Angerly. “Are you that Haell?”

“Yes!” I immediately answered. I wasn't actually entirely sure. Maybe the kid was talking about someone else with the same kickass name. But if it was someone important enough for them to randomly hear about, then it had to be me.

“Wow! I heard you’re untouchable. Salaire, even the shepherds, are no match for you!”

“All true things,” I nodded, and that ended up with me playing dodgeball with all the children. I wasn’t a human any longer, not that they knew that, but my sheer levels still allowed me to dodge everything so long as they didn’t literally overwhelm me with sheer volume. This became more difficult once the children from the nearby daycare arrived and played with us. It was a facility started by three “graduates” of the orphanage.

The little critters then figured out saturation bombardment. I had nowhere to run to, and it was unfair!

…Or so they thought, they even managed to tag me a few times. But I decided to show off once, just a little. I used my menace magic to dodge everything and dash straight towards the streets!

The leg pain and the awed looks that I got were so worth it.

The children became even more amazed once we started playing tag and they truly experienced just how fast I could be. They were intimidated at first of course, to see a heavily armored woman charging right at them. But I knew how to hold back, they got used to it, and soon the scariness only added to the fun.

Granuel arrived later on, and with the Harvesters all assembled, it was time to really play!

Angerly was very fun to have around because I could just crash into her without worry. We’d laugh, we’d dance, and then the chase would only continue. Therick was a challenge of a different sort, because he was more agile than I was, and I could hardly actually catch him within this relatively small space without resorting to my menace magic. I considered that to be part of my physical prowess, so I compromised and used it sparingly, scoring a few tags. He promptly turned the tables and tagged me back, but that was part of the fun.

Moonwash and Granuel were not the best at this, but they still made the effort to join in and have fun. Beyond that, they entertained the children in other ways. Moonwash taught them how to weave simple things through straw and string of various sorts. And then she started making flashy but not dangerous rituals of water, nature, and more once she realized that she was losing the interest of the children. Granuel, on the other hand, had phenomenal aim despite the lack of throwing power, and he just did increasingly ridiculous trick shots, including but not limited to: targets on kites that were launched high into the skies with wind magic. Dozens of paper gliders(paper planes, really) and only one target. And one where he was literally blindfolded.

That last one devolved into us playing hot and cold with his aim. He couldn’t actually see through the thick blindfolds just yet, however he could still hear, and he was terrifyingly accurate at that. By that I meant that he still missed most shots, but it was absurd that he didn’t miss them all.

I had a lot of fun.

~~~

A few weeks later.

Luine led the way and we followed like little hens after their duckling mother. A dangerous blade glinted by her right arm as she’d gotten a new prosthetic. Moonwash was now good enough to make serious gear for a Piss Hunter, and she’d elected to make a katar for our friend and benefactor. I’d seen Luine practice with it some, and I definitely did not want to be on the other end of that.

The three of us crossed the noisy construction sites and then reached the tree wall. Once there, we got on an elevator, and then disembarked high up among the branches.

The noise did not stop even once we were there, it only morphed. We greeted the ogres that pulled the elevator up, and then tried to navigate the crush of people among the walkways, and the many belfegors and others swinging by.

“Whoa!”

“Hey there, Luine!”

“It’s Luine?!”

“Good to see you!”

“Op! Hold on! Coming through!”

“You’re back!”

“Who?”

“She’s been back like a month ago!”

“Well I didn’t know!”

The layout of the place that went up and down was already difficult to navigate before, but now I had to hold on to Luine’s katar arm while Moonwash grabbed onto her left hand to make sure that we didn’t get lost. We took a circuitous route through the place, having to circle around hastily constructed shacks, or even just camps of people that suddenly had nowhere to stay.

“Hey you…! Armored lady over there!” a belfegor man suddenly shouted at me. We were passing by some sort of bazaar.

“Who? Me?”

“Yes, you! Who else is wearing plate armor this high up!”

I chuckled. That was fair enough. “Well, me it is then. What do you got?”

“I have many things that an armor-haver like you could surely afford!”

“Oho?”

“Yes! From paintings, to furniture, to dishware! A bit second-hand, but it’s all been used with love.”

I raised a brow, and then observed the other stalls in closer detail. Their proprietors were shouting at those who passed by, trying to sell their wares that did show signs of wear and tear.

“Huh. Is this some sort of second-hand or used items store?”

“Yeah… It’s more homeless items now looking for a new home.”

“Ah,” it clicked in my mind. “Because, you know. Of the recent uh, demolitions?”

“Yeah.”

“...Yeah.”

A beat of silence passed.

“Ah, hey,” he amended, “No need to feel too bad about me. Buy only if you want to!”

“That’s kind of hard to do now after you’ve told me all that!” I admitted, chuckling. “But hey, I am getting something out of it, so it’s a fair deal. Some of what you have here might be worth a few months of shelter already! I think those new apartments I saw being made are cheaper… if more cramped.”

Devils (That’s me! And no one realizes!), I did not want to live in one of those again. Though it did beat being on the streets.

“Bah! I’d rather sleep in the trees here than pay for one of those. It’s fine anyhow, I’m crashing at a friend’s place. It’s a bit strained right now, but I’d rather struggle in the community we’ve built here, than die in the crushing solitude of the main city.”

“Oh. Right…” I trailed off, unsure what to say to all of that. “Are those plates made of metal?”

“Yeah.”

I also saw more dishware made of wood, and there were some pillows with flowery designs that I quite liked. “How much for all of those?”

“Oh, you’re really buying a lot? Well, let’s see…”

I decided to be liberal with my money here, and bought a lot of things from all the stores. I got new accessories I could wear because I did love those. I purchased all the things that we might need for Granuel’s whole fighting caravan idea. I also saw some paintings that Moonwash might like, so I arranged for them to be delivered later. Her bland ‘thank you’ warmed my heart like no other.

…I really had it fucking bad for this woman, didn’t I?

Fuck.

~~~

We left our purchases at an acquaintance of Luine, and then continued our journey through the now smaller tree wall. We wound through the crowds as they thinned out the further we moved, until we reached a concealed route that had bridges and walkways no more. We jumped across the branches and swung through some vines, which I had to admit I faced some difficulty with, until we arrived at a place strategically hidden along the canopy. Underneath the leaves, and quite high up, was a quaint little hut that could almost be mistaken as a natural growth of wood from afar.

Luine caught and steadied me when I jumped to the branch nearest the secret hideout, and then I helped Moonwash out in turn. Luine knocked on the tiny door in a disjointed rhythm, and then she did it again but with a different tune after a minute of waiting.

The door finally opened, and a voice beckoned us inside.

“Come in! Come in!”

We squeezed through the doorway, and found a surprisingly spacious space inside, mainly because it was nearly empty. There were dark enchantments along the wall, ready to be powered up at any moment. There was a reception desk at the far end, and a very short fountan man’s face lit up the moment he caught sight of us.

“Luine! I’ve heard that you’re back! Good to see you! Should’ve seen me sooner!” He was about the size of a five-year-old, which could occur naturally, but I knew that it was also possible to achieve through mutations and evolution, if inordinately harder than growing larger. It would typically have to be an enhanced evolution, similar to what I did in order to become a demon, if less extreme and without changing the species. Just a Mutation or two.

“Come on. I can’t just be going here to socialize.” Luine chuckled. “It’s meant to be a secret!”

“Bah. No one’s gonna make it here. And if they do, ol’ Biggie is gonna take care of it.”

“Well, that is true for most things. They seemed to be doing well earlier.”

“Oh yeah, of course. It’s nice here. All quiet compared to the hustle and bustle down there.”

“You’re also very close to the traps meant for flying monsters.”

“That’s just part of the plan!”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“Who’s Biggie?” I blurted out, ignoring how I didn’t notice any of the special plant traps! I didn’t see anyone else on the way here.

“Yeah, Biggie.” The fountan man nodded. “You should’ve met them already. Did you not say hi?”

“Say hi to who? Maybe they’ve left?”

“Oh nono.” The fountain man chuckled. “Trust me. They wouldn’t just leave without saying hi. They’re still here.”

Something rustled above the misshapen rooftops. A knock came at the door, and then I opened it to find a bark-like… hand waving at us.

A massive upside-down bald head followed as a belfegor person peered at us from outside.

“Hello there…” they rumbled as I rapidly blinked at the absurdity of their entrance. I stuck my head outside and peered up at their body that must have been atop the rooftops all this time. Their massive bulk that rivaled my grandfather’s was camouflaged near the entrance, ready to rip apart any unsuspecting visitor. I gulped on reflex, and then I felt a surge of annoyance at having been shown up. But I controlled myself very easily.

“I feel like… you’re level 40?” I asked now that I could perceive them properly.

“A bit higher… but yes, you are correct.” They giggled softly, observing me intently.

“But that can’t be. You’re massive! You must be level 80 at least!”

They laughed, louder this time. “No. I am only a dozen above 40.”

“Huh. Really? You must be shitting with me, right?”

I looked at Luine, and she smirked. She evidently wanted me to figure this out on my own.

Next I turned to Moonwash, but she didn’t seem to be sure either. “I also feel that they’re around level 40. But you have a better level sense than me, so my input is useless.”

“No! It’s not useless. It’s always good to get a different perspective on things.”

“That’s a very good point,” Biggie agreed as I stepped back into the confines of the building. Their head followed as they peered through the doorway once more. They were never going to fit inside. “We are all stronger if we work together.”

“Provided that they’re telling the truth,” Moonwash whispered to me, “I think they probably used material enhancements in evolving their Mutations.”

“Oh? They start out as big as humans, so I didn’t think this big of a jump was possible.” I almost reflexively asked what it was like to be so big, if there were any downsides at all, and how they managed to achieve it, but no one in their right mind would just reveal that information to abject strangers.

“I can tell that you’re curious,” the belfegor person stated easily. “I will tell you my experiences if only you reveal what you are.”

“Huh?” I said dumbly, and on reflex. “W-what are you talking about? I’m a human.” Fuck! I stuttered! I wasn’t expecting the question, okay!?

At least I didn’t shout that I was not a demon. I almost did.

The fountan man behind us chuckled. “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer. We totally understand the need for secrets. But I can make it worth your while if you’re willing to talk.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t even know your name.”

“You don’t!?” he asked in genuine surprise. The fountan man pointed at Luine. “Did this asshole not tell you!?”

“I don’t think so?”

“I must've forgotten,” she admitted, “I just told them we were going to some shady place.”

“Hey, my place ain't shady!” he turned to face me. “What Luine here failed to tell you is that my name is Larryx. Nice to meet you!”

“Oh hi Larryx! Nice to meet you too!”

I smiled. He smiled.

“...So are you going to introduce yourselves too?”

“Ah, right. I’m Haell Zharignan. You can call me Haell!”

“I’m Moonwash.”

“I see, I see. So how about our earlier offer? I want to see what you really are.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. There is nothing to reveal.”

From what I’d gathered, these people were spies working for New Grandera. The group had seemed nice so far, but I didn’t actually trust them. At most I trusted Luine, but these were people with a cause, and even if we did align on most things, I knew that those in their position could make some really fucked up decisions.

I’d rather not be on the receiving end of that. I’d rather they didn’t give me a reason to slaughter them all. They were definitely better than the Angelore Empire at the very least.

“Well, I tried.” Larryx shrugged.

“Hmmm…...” Biggie hummed, and it was the kind of sound that pierced through bone. “I don’t mind talking about it anyway. It’d be good to have more information. I want the young to make informed decisions. I feel like it’s for the best, the stronger you are.” They stared at me. “I won’t ask what. I won’t ask anything further. Only a confirmation that there is indeed something about you. Something special.”

Larryx laughed. “Everyone thinks that about themselves!”

“True enough. She does seem the arrogant sort.”

“Hey! We just met!”

“My offer stands, however.” Their eyes never left my own. “Is there something about you? Are we onto something when we say that there is something that sets you apart?”

I blinked. Knowing more about how Biggie got so big at a much lower level than normal would be very interesting. And that seemed a small enough concession that would only be seen as arrogance if I did answer in the positive…

I glanced at Moonwash. She showed no outward change in demeanor, but I knew she was just brimming with curiosity.

“You know, I was also meaning to ask about Larryx’s… stature.”

“That is not knowledge for me to give,” Biggie’s head tilted to look at their friend.

“Ah, Fine! I’ll tell you about the process of becoming small too, in exchange for knowledge that you think I might not have. But I know lots of things. Do you have anything that you genuinely think I don’t know?”

I smirked, though it was obscured by my mask.

“Oh don’t worry. I have plenty.”

~~~

“When I was seven, I broke my arm because I was trying to act super cool in my own room, in my own bed. I tripped on the beddings when I believe I was just about to slay a mythical dragon. Of the fart element. I almost got them too! Can you believe that!?”

“That is clearly not what I meant!” Larryx exclaimed after listening to my story. I didn’t know why he even let me finish, but it was funny.

I laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I was just messing with you.”

Larryx sat back down and shook his head, though he couldn’t fully hide the grin on his face.

“Seriously though,” I said, “you should word that better. You do realize there’s this massive loophole, right?”

“Of course I do. It’s a test. I want to know your sort of character.”

I raised a brow at his response, though he still couldn’t see it. I’d taken off my armored mask at least, to reveal the perfectly human face underneath.

“Sure it’s a test,” I looked over at Biggie, and they just gave me a wide smile which I returned.

I actually honored my part of the bargain after all the jokes were done. A test of this sort was oddly effective, because I wouldn’t want to do business with someone that’d jeopardize a first meeting just to get one up over the person. That would be a very tedious customer to work with.

I asked for a pen and paper from Larryx, and then handed it over to Moonwash. There, she sketched out a gazelug and wrote down its information that we were able to uncover. The creature in question was that slug monster with the terror-inducing eyes that we encountered in The Endless Dive. The very eyes that would soon enhance my own.

“Huh,” Larryx said once all that information was handed back to him. “Well, I won’t say this isn’t useful information. You even got all of its Mutations down. That slime is super interesting. But really, I’m not super sure what I’m supposed to do with this, all the way out here.”

Luine also gave me an odd look for this, for different reasons I was sure, but I shrugged in response to both of them. We’d left that place behind, and I didn't really see how it'd be a problem if some people thought we stayed near The Endless Dive a long while ago.

“Eh. That’s up to you. It is valuable information. So I’ve upheld my end of the bargain properly. What you do with it is not by business. Oh and Biggie,” I looked back at the belfegor person staring at me from the door. “Yes.”

I did not elaborate, and neither did they ask me to.

“Hmm,” Larryx stared at me for a while, before finally settling on a smile. “Alright. That’s fair. You swear that this information is genuine?”

“Yes. Of course.” I noticed that Luine did not try to vouch for us. Eh, keep them guessing. That’s good I guess.

“Okay then. Now for our end of the deal.”

~~~

The two of them talked extensively about the Mutations they enhanced, and what materials were used to accomplish it. Biggie did experience a massive downgrade to speed and even agility in exchange for their size that gave far greater strength. Their arms at least could still whip around pretty fast, though they had trouble holding up his own weight. Biggie’s traveling speed was very slow, but they were very very deadly if they could actually get within range. And belfegors had a host of other Mutations that helped with that, such as quiet breathing, or a supernatural ability to position themselves.

If Biggie and I were enemies, I would already be dead. I didn’t see them at all earlier. It would not have even been a fight.

“By the way, Luine.” Larryx pointed at her right hand, or lack thereof. “What happened there?”

“Fight. Around level 80 skyvern. Some of its Mutations have probably crossed the threshold.”

“Oof. That’s rough. Unfortunate that you lost your arm. Cool new replacement though.”

Luine smiled and pulled Moonwash into some relentless headpats with her good hand. “Isn’t it? It was made by this talented young lady right here!”

Moonwash weathered the attention with the same stoic resolve as usual.

Larryx went on to talk about his size to honor his part of our deal. The fountan man confirmed that he wasn’t always so small, his current size was the result of material enhancements. Doing something like this did result in a lot of agility and even some added flexibility and dexterity. It just allowed someone to move better in general, and it had a lot of other benefits that directly came from the fact that he was small, such as fitting in tight spaces and being able to hide in aces unseen.

When I asked about maximum running speed, that was apparently a far more complicated issue, because there was stride length to consider, agility and strength both had an effect, and so did having a heavier or lighter body.

Oh, and he had dark mana. His mana fount produced dark mana. That was… rare. I didn’t even know fountains could branch out to that element.

“You have to give me some,” Moonwash stated. “I’ll pay.”

“Now now,” his eyes narrowed just a little, and so did my own when I saw a glare directed at Moonwash. “Does this look like a mana shop to you?”

“It doesn’t.”

“So then why are you trying to buy that off of me.”

“Because it’s rare. Because it’s something that I want. Because you have it.” Moonwash paused. “I apologize if my words were speciest. You just have something that I want, and a ready supply of it. I’d ask the same of anyone else who had it. Well, provided they were friendly.”

Larryx held Moonwash’s gaze for a while longer, and of course my friend did not cower. Eventually, he nodded.

“Fair enough. I’m not really in need of gold. I don’t want to sell dark mana like that. But I like what you’ve made for Luine here. I’ll need to see what else you can make… but I don’t mind a trade like that.”

“Deal.” Moonwash agreed with zero hesitation.

~~~

We talked for a while longer after that. Moonwash elaborated on her many interests, Luine spoke about recent events across the whole continent, and I talked about some of the monsters I’d encountered… while trying really hard to hide the details of my demonhood.

At some point, Larryx went towards the back, disappeared for a few minutes, and then came back with a sack full of materials, and another smaller one full of gold pieces.

This was the actual reason why we came here. Ozara had sent us our first round of payments for the half-decade that we spent in the wilderness. I could already feel some of the cursed items or materials within the larger pack, and once Moonwash started actually rummaging through it, I found that there was some… mind mana within.

That was highly illegal. Unless if one were a shepherd of course. Then it’s totally fine.

But that wasn’t what I was concerned about. I was aware that I used some mental effects too, but that was for the purpose of combat and violence. I never sought to subsume someone’s personality. Mind magic could be so much darker.

“Hey, Moonwash. You ordered that?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Got some ideas for it?”

“I do now. Originally, I was just curious. But I think I might be able to craft a new hand for Luine using this. Maybe Baston too, his left arm and leg can move, but it might be more complicated to replace rather than if he just had them amputated both. It’s probably best to just fix him up with some life mana. You don’t need a lot.”

“Oh.” I smiled. Of course I could trust Moonwash. And if she ever were to go too far, then I was here to tell her. “That sounds great! Can I help?”

“Of course. In fact, I need your help.”

“Well then you have it, always.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for a while, until I got curious and touched the repository. There was a connection there, the repository was full. I found that I probably could use mind magic if I had to, but we weren't particularly compatible.

At most I could use it… sort of like how I used my cursed mana? And I got the vague feeling of some sort of body enhancement too…

That was strange. Any sort of body enhancement like what I did was a rarity to begin with. Few people developed that sort of magic at all, and the elements to even make use of it were rare… or inordinately dangerous.

Having another one that I was compatible with was almost tempting… but my connection to the element was very weak. My time would be better spent developing other skills and magic. And, I had to admit that I just wasn’t very fond of the very idea of using this accursed element. I would probably suck it up if the potential gains were significant, but there was no reason to go through that unpleasantness for something that would be weak.

I was a demon. I needed no further justification to not do something I disliked.

~~~

With all of our packages in order, we waved goodbye to our gracious hosts.

“Come visit anytime!” Biggie said. They were already blending back into the roof, to potentially halt any unwanted intrusions.

“Whether you want to trade or just hang out,” Larryx added, “we’re always here.”

I appreciated the sentiment as we jumped from branch to branch carrying a few packs of new materials and other things. We swung through vines and climbed through the trunks of the trees, until we were finally in sight of a proper wooden platform.

An enchanting voice spoke to us before we could make it back to proper civilization.

“I found you!” she said, and it was a familiar sound. I looked around and found a hooded person hanging sideways from a branch just above mine.

“Elfrafim!?”

“That’s me!” She dropped down and crashed into me with a crushing hug. I nearly lost balance and fell from the impact. In fact, I did slip, but she steadied me as I returned the hug. “I missed you all sooo much!!”

My friend was back, and now I get to find out if I could get the final ingredient that I wanted for my next evolution.

It was time to move on from being an imp, and climb higher in the many rings of hell.