Study Report and Observations #57

By: Vander

Wild Demons. They are demons based around animals and monsters corrupted by the demonic mana of the territory. Because of these traits and origins, most of them don't have any kind of sentience and are driven by their bestial instincts. Which is why the most common cause of death to all wanderers, Demi-Fiends and humanoids, came from Wild Demon attacks.

The true origins behind the Wild Demons are vague due to a mix of rumors and a lack of reports from many explorers and mercenaries who lost their lives. One common theory is based on how the humanoids were converted from the stray demonic spirits wandering the Demon Territory. By merging their souls together with a host, they form a new demon depending on willpower and sins in their hearts. Most of them turned into Demi-Fiends while some who gave into their dark desires are turned into fiends, one of the common types of Wild Demons.

But when it came to monsters and animals, their lack of sentience and desires turned them into more destructive demons than their normal counterparts. Because of this, the types of Wild Demons they turned to tend to be unpredictable at worst. From Goblins to Blood-Eyed Boars and Ogres to Hollowed Slimes, no one knew how could they be transformed based on their habitat alone.

But so far in my observations during my accompanied hunting trips with Casia, it seems like the unpredictability doesn't apply to demons from animalistic origins. While they still followed their demonic instincts, some species didn't seem to lose their animalistic traits.

One of the notable examples is the Dark Preying Spargle, a Wild Demon born from an avian species of animals such as eagles and sparrows. Its disposition is meek but will become aggressive when provoked through force. Despite being a WIld Demon, it didn't show any signs of hostility when I approached it. So it became a surprise when I managed to tame it after a few days and became my trusty steed when my wings were still in its infancy. Maybe I should call this kind of special magic "Familiar Taming"?

However, when it came to the safety between the Demon Territory and the shining world, Casia told me most of the Wild Demons never stray away from their habitats from a mysterious force. If they do stray away, they may find themselves back to their origin point. In rare cases, this force couldn't bring them back, and there's a chance mercenaries and adventurers from both sides are called to deal with these stray demons.

So far, all the demons did to the Demon Border were dents and scratches enough to repair itself via magical enchantments due to their low number combined with the territory's mysterious security feature. There is a low chance an army would attack the border.

Yet, in my opinion, there's a chance this is merely a prelude to a storm no one could predict...

----------------------------------------

As I predicted from the last few lines of my recent report, that event would come.

Casia and the books about Wild Demons told me that none of them can approach the Demon Border without being teleported back to their habitat and creating an army would be impossible due to their lack of sentience and intelligence. However, the one who was about to invade the border was able to bypass those limitations without any issue. What's scarier was the latest report from one of Thurkith's scouts, namely how it gathered several beast and fiend-type demons along the way. Some of them that they spotted were of higher rank such us Corrupted Maras and Blood Ravagers, known for indiscriminately attacking both humanoids and demons alike for mana and blood respectively. If they were released into the light...

Crap... This was bad. Casia already got my telepathic message, but I'm still worried about him. In any case, I hope we haven't arrived too late...

"Sir! We found the target demon!"

Once I heard one of the mercenaries, I snapped out of my thoughts. Right now, I'm riding with Thurkith and his band of mercenaries by Red-Eyed Wolves. Their bond wasn't the same with me and Poole, akin to horses for the humanoids. But they were fast enough to get us to our destination while avoiding the sky with our wings.

But when we arrived at the site, all of us froze at what we just saw right in front of us. What we thought was a mere large fiend turned out to be a chimeric mix between a Drago Nox and a Lesser Fiend. With its humanoid fiend upper body and a large draconic torso, legs, and a large tail the size of the castle towering over us, It's not like any other Drago Nox or any Wild Demons we saw. No, it's not like any demons I saw or read before in my life.

It's not just that. Something about it felt so...wrong. It's not only the odd abilities that bypass the mysterious security of the territory. Rather... It's mana felt...depressing...sickening... It almost made me want to throw up the moment I sensed it.

This demon... No... This monster... What the hell was it?!

"You're also stumped, too, huh?" Thurkith spoke up. "I haven't seen that kind of Wild Demon that has the corrupted mana enough to make any Demi-Fiend sick."

"Me neither." I hummed in thought. "I read many books on the Wild Demons especially the reports my Master wrote before he passed. But never in my life that I seen something so disgusting, it's enough to mistake it as a mindless monster."

"Any clues where it came from? If it's made by another demon..."

I closed my eyes and tried to fight through the erosive mana to analyze it further. "No. it's neither made by a humanoid or demon. It was originally a humanoid. Human, to be exact," I guessed. "Plus, they seemed to be in my age and..."

I quickly stopped in mid-sentence. The reason why was when I scanned the mana deeper, I saw the demon's past life.

A young boy living in a peaceful village, wishing for nothing but his parents' love and making friends. Yet he didn't achieve all of it as his parents gave him nothing but harassment and neglect and the children of the village saw him as a monster. Just like Gabriel...

It's not much from those vague images in my head, but it's too similar for me to ignore. I get Gabriel's village was a hellhole, but what kind did it involve treating them like trash?! Heartless humans aside, it seemed like his treatment was too much for him to bear and the moment he was forced into the Demon Territory, he was completely corrupted by the demonic spirits.

"Young man... Young man...!"

I quickly snapped out of my vision as soon as I felt my body shaking. I looked up and saw Thurkith holding on my shoulders.

"Oh, thank the Goddess! I thought we already lost you from its corrosive mana," he said before sighing in relief. "I understand you're Hyde's prodigy. But you need to know your limits. Don't forget you're still a Demi-fiend, not a Demon Lord."

Right... I forgot that I was trying to analyze the Wild Demon. If it wasn't for Thurkith, I would have ended up being trapped by the demon's traumatic past life. Either way, it seemed like Casia's suspicions beyond its appearance were right after all.

"Thank you, sir. But there's not a lot of time left," I declared. "I haven't seen all of the details in the demon's past life, but I have a feeling where it's heading off to. If we don't act now, there's a chance a human village will be decimated if that demon escapes."

Everyone gasped as soon as I made my revelation.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"That's impossible! How can a demon destroy a village if it doesn't know if there's one nearby?"

I could hear doubts and agreements from other mercenaries, which was understandable. While I only have vague images from the demon's mana, I already met the human boy who almost fell the same fate if Casia hadn't found him on time. He hasn't come back from his investigation, but I already read through Gabriel's memories beforehand. So it's my best guess on its motives than nothing.

"Calm down, everyone!" Thurkith barked out to his men. "I'm sure the young Master of Lavender has a good reason for his warning."

I nodded in agreement. "I can't say much without divulging the demon's origins. But I have a feeling it's... No, his past life might have a grudge against one of those villages and it might be near the Demon Border. It's not a plausible theory, but it might explain why the magic around the territory failed for that demon. I already warned my friend, who is currently outside the border. Although it might not be easy for him to warn the humanoids guarding it without exposing himself. Not to mention we have no idea how powerful he might become if we face him in combat."

"That is true. But that doesn't mean we can't diverge him to another area." The mercenary leader turned to his band and raised his sword. "Men! Raise your weapons! Don't let that demon get closer to the border! It doesn't matter if you can't make a dent in its skin. Make sure it couldn't break through the walls and into the outside world!"

"HAAAAAAA!!!!"

This was a surprise. I was expecting some of them to bail out after hearing the risks that might lose their lives in a seemingly impossible battle. But it seemed like neither of them was planning to lose their dignity over their lives. I didn't know why, but something about their cries of spirit and determination made me wonder if the humanoids were the same as their soldiers and adventurers.

"Young Master, I suggest you stay with me," Thurkith suggested. "It might be a rough battle ahead."

So he's not going to order me to flee, huh? To be honest, I'm not planning to retreat now that I know everything about the demon's origins. I might not do much, but I have to see through this battle until the end. Besides, I have a feeling they might need my help beyond my demonic bestial knowledge.

----------------------------------------

It took us a while since Vander's telepathy call, but we managed to make it near the entrance of the Demon Border. Since we mostly ran on foot, we managed to arrive without alerting the guards nearby. So far, there were no signs of commotion as we saw them guarding and chatting normally. Looks like we successfully arrived on time. All that was left was to wait in case of accidents waiting on the other side. Which gave me time to witness Val's reaction after everything I relayed from Vander and Thurkith's report.

"That's impossible! There's no way a Wild Demon can breach through the border!"

I quickly shushed my partner before the guards could notice his unnecessary racket. "It's still true. Yet according to the Wild Demon Execution Squad leader, they already spotted one bypassing the invisible force that's keeping the Wild Demons away from the border. There's a chance it might be a misreport, but I doubt their scouts are the type to make room for errors so sloppily."

Val smacked the tree from behind without using too much of his strength to shake it. "Dammit! What the hell is going on in Monochroma lately?! Human children being thrown into our territory, otherworlders, and the humanoid monarchy's incompetency... It feels like their gods are already giving up on humanity and plan to throw us demons into a ditch!"

"There's no need to overreact, Val. The young Master already told me that Thurkith and his squad will try stopping the demon from reaching the walls of the border," I calmly assured him. "If there are any troubles, we may need to intervene by any means necessary."

"R-Right... But what about the young Master himself?" Val asked. "He might be a prodigy, but he's still a Demi-Fiend child. There's a chance he might be facing a high-ranked Wild Demon."

"Then his only option is to flee. But knowing him, he isn't willing to turn tail from an unknown threat," I guessed. "On the other hand, he's a smart boy. He knows when to avoid unwinnable battles. Besides, Thurkith and his men are with him and they ensure his safety before anything else. We should trust his judgment and decisions and focus on our side for now."

Val hummed with some reluctance. Unlike me, he rarely witnessed Vander's antics with his alchemy studies and experiments. So for him, he was still processing the fact that he was the successor of the mysterious Hyde. Despite his reluctance, he was willing to trust him regardless of his talents. It wasn't only because of our friendship. He knew something about him was special and he shouldn't skimp out on his talents due to his low rank alone.

"Since you're confident about that kid, I might take your word for it," Val concluded. "I just hope those mercs might be a bit lenient around him."

I sighed at his comment. But just as I reminded him to warn the border guards, I heard footsteps. A mix of clamps of horses and footfalls of metallic boots. Dammit... Could it be...

"We have come with the new recruits from another world!"

Of course, their band of otherworlders arrived so soon! I thought they might be arriving in a few more days. That's what I get for focusing too much on Vander's warning. Not only that, there was a battle happening on the other side that might have a chance of dragging them into the fray if the Wild Demon breached through the walls.

"Didn't expect them to get here so early. What now, Cass?" Val explained. "There's a chance some of the others can detect demons."

I highly doubt it since most of the otherworlders who were recruited in the borders tend to possess meager abilities. But that didn't mean they couldn't force them to draw their blades onto our chests. So walking in front of the entrance was the least of our problems right now.

"Let's wait for a while and observe their briefing. Only then we might jump in and warn them of their impending threat on the other side," I suggested.

"Yeah, nice idea. Except we're on borrowed time, Casia. We can't exactly wait for those demons to crash in and eat the guards and otherworlders."

Val was right. I was trying to figure out a way to warn them without exposing our identities that I haven't thought about the consequences of time. At this point, I'm grasping straws here. If only the Goddess could grant a miracle for the demons, we would have a chance to step forward without having swords and spears pointing at us.

"You know what? I think you're already done coming up with crazy plans," Val declared. "I got a better idea."

A better idea? What could he possibly...

"HEY!!! ARE YOU GUYS HIRING BORDER GUARDS?!"

WTF?! Was he losing his mind already?! How could he casually reveal our location like that?!

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Intruders! Don't move or we will shoot!"

Too late... We quickly raised our arms out before they could give out death threats.

"See? Told you I could give you an audience," Val smirked.

"Oh, shut up..." I grumbled.

Honestly, I appreciate his help, but not like this...

----------------------------------------

This was it. We're now closer to the demon itself. Thanks to his men, we managed to get closer without gaining its attention. However, facing against it was another issue. We don't know how strong or rank it was, but I could tell from its mana that this was not like any other demon we faced before. We unanimously agreed that fighting to the death was out of the question. But when we decided on luring it away from the border, one of the mercenaries raised his arm.

"If we want to lure that demon away, should we at least know what we're dealing with?"

Thurkith hummed in thought. "As the young Master mentioned, that Wild Demon is an unknown species that is the mix of several animalistic demons we know. Finding a weakness or a behavior might be difficult to find, but..." He turned to me next. "What are your thoughts, young man?"

Good question. Thankfully, it took me a few minutes while we quietly moved closer and closer to observe the demon's movements, behavior, and abilities. "From what I saw, the demon is a mix of a wolf's behavior and head, lion's legs, dragon's tail, and the eagle's wings. It somehow acts like a leader to the smaller demons and doesn't seem to be provoked when it seems to spot us. Since it has the head of the wolf, there's a chance it might be alerted through sounds. If we make enough noise..."

"There's a chance we might divert it away from the border. Not a bad idea, young Master," Thurkith finished. "However, it would be risky if we have all of the men act as decoys. Some willing men should be a safe bet for us. Is that okay?"

I nodded. "As long we can mitigate the damage, I'm okay with that plan. But promise me not to overwork yourselves. Just because you guys are higher rank and experienced doesn't mean you're indestructible like the Demon Lords."

"Hmph... Didn't expect you to be a soft-hearted type. But don't worry, we're not planning to rush to our deaths so easily. I wish I could say the same with those blokes from the other side."

I couldn't disagree with his statement. I'm not much of a softheart like Aster, but I meant well when it came to other demons' safety. On the other topic, Casia said some humans discriminate even with the well-minded demon. I'm worried about him, but right now, we need to focus on the present.

"Now that we decided on the plan, should we start picking out some volunteers and enact this plan?"

I have a lot of questions about its presence. About its origins and its mysterious abilities to bypass the territory's security. But I know people, humanoids and demons alike, would die if we didn't act quickly.

Whether those humanoids like it or not, it's time to help them.