The situation developing fortunately didn’t begin to escalate as badly as Yumi feared it might with the way that the villagers were looking. She recognized the look in their eyes well enough. They had boldness and bravery that came lacking before. Though she knew it was empty. Any of the confidence and assurance came born from their certainty that Yumi would act in their interest.

She still didn’t understand what was going on. Yumi stepped between the villagers and the boy wanting some answers. Everyone was keeping secrets from her.

“Master Yumi? You’re protecting the demon?” one of them said in shock.

“I want some answers! I found this boy lost in the forest.”

The young man threw out a hand to point at the boy. “He’s a demon! You found him in the forest is proof enough!”

‘Are they that paranoid? Do they believe everything in the forest is a demon? Is this what’s become of them living in this state?’ Yumi tried to get a read on the villagers in a futile attempt to sense their emotions. She wanted to know what they believed, but all she got was surface level feelings from their faces. It all seemed straightforward to her. They were scared. But she knew she couldn’t trust her eyes. It wasn’t her strength, she knew. ‘What am I supposed to do? He’s just a boy. I can’t kill him because they’re paranoid. Though I fear if I do nothing, the villagers might do it instead…’

A voice from the back of the small crowd broke through. It began to divide the villagers as they knew the voice well. Yumi did too. “What’s going on here?” barked the elder.

Turning around, the young man faced him speaking for everyone. “It’s a demon, elder! They’re using their usual tricks!”

“You know what I’ve said about what to do, Osamu.” He turned to look around at all of the gathered villagers, which amounted to about half of the populace from what Yumi had estimated. “I’ve given all of you orders. Just because Master Yumi is present shouldn’t change my orders.”

Yumi watched as the fight started to disappear from some of the villagers. She was still left in the dark on what was happening. But she tilted her head back at the boy. ‘He is a human, right?’ The way the elder acted made her doubt her eyes. ‘The leader I killed looked more human than demon, maybe this is the same?’

She approached the elder, who had a better head on his shoulders than the rest. A few answers would hopefully clear things up. “You seem to understand what’s happening. I found this boy lost and everyone’s treating him like a demon.”

“That’s because he likely is one.”

“But you’re not certain? Why do you believe him to be a demon?”

“A child that age lost? He’s not from our village and there is no other village nearby for more than a three day walk. It’s unlikely that he is who he claims.”

Glancing back at the boy, there was no change. He continued to look scared and frightened from all of the accusations. ‘I’m going to need more answers. They seem to have a history with demons that I’m not aware of yet. The elder has orders on how to deal with them. I wonder what they are…’ She looked back at the elder still trying to sort things out in her mind. ‘How do I know for certain? I’m not killing the boy on the likelihood he’s a demon, while there’s still a chance he could be a human.’

“And what would you have me do?” She already guessed what the elder was going to say. It only made sense. But she still didn’t know if she could follow through.

“Kill the demon!” shouted Osamu, finding his voice once more, but not before the elder glared at him for speaking out of turn.

A strange voice that Yumi didn’t recognize came from behind her. “So you’re the Demon Hunter that killed Tomaromaru.”

It sent a cold chill down her back that a demon was so close to her. She hadn’t felt anything like with the other demons. This boy wasn’t like the others. “So they’re right. You’re a demon.” The boy laughed in agreement that her foolishness allowed him so close.

Yumi whipped around with her hand moving swiftly, generating a white arc of energy that beheaded the child without a second thought. ‘There’s still much I need to learn about these demons…’

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The laughing continued even with the head lifted from its shoulders. Yumi stared down in surprise at the boy’s face carrying a wicked expression. “You’ve been marked, Demon Hunter. Never shall you know peace while you still draw breath.” The demon continued to laugh maniacally at Yumi until it finally expired.

Chapter 397 – Mark of the Demon

Casting the body back towards the forest with her powers, Yumi turned back to face the villagers. Who were probably pleased that she did end up killing the demon for them. “You’re safe—“

“What did you do?!” yelled the elder, to her surprise.

As he leaned in, she backed a step away, not certain why he was so angry with her for killing a demon. “I killed a demon. Why’s that an issue? I’ve killed plenty for you already, what’s one more?” She couldn’t understand why he was getting even more angered about it.

Behind him the villagers murmured and whispered the praise of Yumi for slaying the demon. Unlike the elder, they were on her side. But he quickly turned around and faced those that remained. “Leave. Return to your homes,” he commanded with a sudden presence of authority that couldn’t be questioned.

None of the villagers questioned the elder further. They backed away slowly beginning to disperse. Yumi got the feeling that it was a rare sight for the old man to get so angry. Many seemed shocked to see the reaction. They didn’t fully know how to deal with it other than just leaving as ordered.

Yumi stayed because she wanted answers. Though it seemed that the elder wasn’t finished with her either. Once the entrance of the village emptied out, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. It took a few to get him back to normal levels, but he started to look like his usual self soon.

Ready to confront her, he faced her direction, still empowered by the presence that fueled his anger. “Forgive my outburst. That was uncalled for before yourself.”

“I’m not worried about that. I want answers.”

He nodded to her in agreement. “Right, I forget as you have said, that you’re less knowledgeable about demons than you are about killing them.”

“So you’re going to finally explain what all this was about?”

“Yes,” he spoke with his calm fully restored. Even the presence had faded away. He started walking back up to his hut. “Our village is unique compared to others in that we have a close proximity to demons. Once they moved into the forest, we had to find a way to live without inciting their wrath.”

“But you’ve had me kill one for proof of my skill.”

“That’s right. Our lives aren’t always peaceful, despite the relationship we have with them. When the forest grows thick with demons we’re subject to their terror and violence. That moment had been building recently. Thanks to your efforts, the more violent blood thirsty demons have been culled.”

She took an extra step forward to get a little ahead of his pace. “Are you saying there are peaceful demons?”

“Peaceful might be a little hopeful. But there are many that have no interest in us.”

Yumi had a little trouble believing that from those that she had already faced. They all had a superiority about them and looked upon humans as inferior. She had yet to find one that didn’t wish to kill her. ‘Aren’t demons supposed to be evil and hate humans? Isn’t that the way they are?’

He paused as they rounded the road that led up to his hut. Looking back at the forest above the village, he started to fall away from reality. “There are many different sorts of demons. It’s something we’ve learned living so close. And they enjoy testing themselves against us.”

“Testing? You’re not talking about fighting.”

“No.”

The world that surrounded her continued to become more complex. It was something that she already noted. Yet it still surprised her every time that she learned something new. There was always something else for her to learn. And yet, she wondered the purpose of all of it. ‘I’m inside my mind right now. What does any of this have to do with what’s happening? Am I just dreaming to pass the time? This can’t be what I’m actually like subconsciously…’

It was a confusing world with strange rules. Demons that she could kill and ones that she apparently should not. How was she supposed to keep track of it all? She wasn’t even going to be staying in the world for long. It was all going to be left behind. ‘Should I even care really? Why am I bothering so much for a false world?’ She kept coming back to the open debate that she never fully closed. If this was something that she actually wished to follow. She only went along with any of it because it was easier for their survival. Though she questioned if it was even worth it, if she was to survive with all of the unnecessary complexity.

Despite any of that though, she still lacked the answers. He hadn’t gotten to them. And she needed to understand what was going on. “So what is it?”

“Demons have powers, not unlike those that hunt them. And they like to flaunt that power before others. They can be surprisingly childish about it.”

‘He’s still not getting to the point.’ Yumi didn’t like how indirect that he suddenly got with his explanation. She wanted answers and not a history lesson on demons. If she was just supposed to kill them, it was unnecessary. “So?”

“Demons don’t view us humans very highly. Even those that don’t care about us, still view us as nothing more than animals.”

“Where is this going?”

“As humans, we like to play games and tricks on animals for sport. We find amusement in it. And we think that the animals like it as well. Though because animals are different from us, we never really know.”

“Are you saying that demons treat you like pets in fetching a stick?”

“Something like that. In particular for us, they like to practice their illusion powers on us pretending to be human. They win when they get one of us to believe that they are human and try to help them. And then they leave. It’s just a game to them.”

“That was a game? That boy was a demon playing a game?”

The elder turned to face Yumi. His face turned severe as he spoke. “No, in your case I think that was a messenger and warning.”

“Then why did you not want me to kill the demon?”

“I mostly am trying to keep my people sane. While I welcome your presence and am grateful for your achievements. A Hunter in our parts is rare already and one that survived as long as you more so. It’s emboldened my people to confront demons, despite being no Hunter. To keep my village safe, it’s our law not to acknowledge any demon that steps into our village. Pretend that they don’t exist and we can keep our peace.”

“You lost that the moment you asked for my help.”