“Assassin General Efreet?”

The name sounds intimidating. But for Eri to be described as such, I can’t help but smile a little. On the other hand, Izuna still looks frightened.

“Don’t tell me… You don’t know the Demon that is accompanying you?”

“Ah, no, no. I already know that she’s a Demon King General. I was just surprised that Eri has that kind of title… fufufu… HAHAHA!”

Eri looked at me irritated.

“What’s your problem with that?!”

“No, I don’t have any problem with your title. It’s just so embarrassing to hear.”

“I should’ve just killed you before.”

“Hoho… can you?”

“I can’t… That’s why it’s irritating!”

While we’re talking, Izuna looked at me.

“The Assassin General can’t kill you?”

The one who answered Izuna’s question is Eri herself.

“Just because I can’t kill him doesn’t mean I’m weak. Just so you know, this guy’s insanely strong.”

“Now, you’re just playing me for a stupid person. There’s no way that a Human is able to withstand a Demon, let alone overpower them, unless you are a Demon Half-bred or one of the Legendary Heroes or Rank A Adventurers.”

“You know what, it’s better to just listen to Eri’s story.”

Eri then told the story of what actually happened in the Demon King’s Castle.

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

“Not only did you Kill the Demon King, you’ve also managed to annihilate his Generals? You know what, I’m not surprised anymore. You really are an absurd person.”

Izuna looks like she’s in the middle of processing all of the things that she heard just now.

“What do you expect me to do? Cower while I’m getting killed? That’s not going to happen.”

“That’s not my point! It’s just that you are the only person I know that can rival the whole United Empire’s Alliance’s Forces. At the least, you are on par with the Legendary Heroes themselves, maybe even greater”

“Oh… So, should I thank you for that?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well, you’ve just complimented me, right?”

Izuna sighed deeply.

“By the way, Eri. I have a question to you?”

“What is it Hans?”

“What are the names of those generals and… You have your own title, right? If so, then I reckon your fellow generals have one too.”

“That’s your question?”

“Yes.”

“Come to think of it, you’ve attacked us without even knowing who we are.”

“Yup. And I managed to win.”

Eri stared at me blankly.

“I’ll just answer your question…”

“We, the Demon King’s Generals, are a group of individuals that are hand-picked by the Demon King himself. He acknowledged our strength and personally recruited us. Each of the Generals had tremendous skill in either physical combat or magical combat. The Leader of the Generals is Azrath Atria, The Right-Hand Man of the Demon King and the one that holds the title of Azrath the Conqueror. He was given that title because he leads the conquest for the Demon King and is really good at that. He is a highly trained Pure-Blooded Demon that belonged to the House of Atria, one of the esteemed clan in Balros.”

“Azrath Atria, The Wrath of the Demon King. I once saw the once that survived the raid that was led by Azrath himself. The stories of the survivors are bone-chilling.”

“You’re talking about the man in full armor, right? The one that gave the order to kill me.”

“Yes. He is Azrath.”

“Ok. I just thought that he’s to cool for someone who is downed in just a couple of second. Heck, his title is way cooler than what he actually is. Hahaha!”

“You know that the weird one is you, right? A normal human wouldn’t even think of fighting, let alone barging, in the Demon King’s Castle. He’s the most powerful among the 6 of us. We can’t even rival his strength, even if the 5 of us attacked him simultaneously.”

“Well, thank goodness I’m weird. I would’ve died there if I weren’t.”

“I knew you’d say that. Let’s get back to the topic. The next General is Garga Grul, He is a Demon Giant that holds the title of Garga the Executioner. He was merciless. And believe me when I say merciless, I really mean it. Every time Garga joins a raid or a clash, Bloodshed is guaranteed to happen. I can understand why he does that, though. His race belongs to a subspecies of Demons. His Clan, the Grul, separated themselves from the rest of the Giants and went in the Forest of Algol to live peacefully. But because Algol is near a Human Kingdom, Garga’s Clan was always being attacked by human adventurers. One night, while resting, The Grul Clan was attacked by adventurers and tried to wipe them out. Garga was abruptly woken up by his instincts and saw almost all of his clan laying on the ground, bleeding to death. What made him rage more, however, is the scene that unfolded in her vision as soon as he wakes up. He saw his parents being stabbed by multiple people. That’s when Garga started his Blind rage. He killed every last person he could see in the area with his club. Even though, the humans have the advantage in terms of their count, Garga manages to kill them all by utilizing the attacker’s state of chaos after watching their comrades die one by one. After that incident, Garga stayed in the Forest and killed all the humans that would dare enter it. That’s what caught the Demon King’s attention and he proceeded to recruit him, promising him the countless lives that he could take in the battlefield.”

“You know what, Eri? I’m beginning to feel guilty about what I did.”

I looked at Izuna to see her reaction and what I saw is a face full of grief.

“Izuna, what’s wrong?”

“No, nothing, really. It’s just that… Balron killed my Best friend a few years ago. She was just trying to hunt for any animal that can be her family’s food for the rest of the day. Next day, a news came, saying that a girl was killed by the Giant in the Forest. Just remembering it makes me feel sad and hurt.”

“Um… I guess I am not guilty about what I’ve done, at all. Geez, being morally correct is pretty hard if you think about it.”

“Ahem! The next general is Cunil Unach, A one-horned Demon skilled in using a lance. He was holding the title of Cunil the Destoyer. With his Wide Area Magic, he can decimate a fortress I mere seconds. The Magic is called Gae Bolg. He is-”

“Wait, wait, wait! What did you say? Did you just say Gae Bolg?”

“Yes.”

“What the heck! A lance wielding guy with a magic ability to decimate a fortress with a single blow and the ability’s name is Gae Bolg? Aren’t that too much similar?”

“What are you saying?”

This is just too similar! I didn’t think that this world would have someone like that. A person that came straight from a certain Fate game.

“It’s just like a certain Heroic Spirit from a certain game I played. If I were correct, He fought a guard dog… Or a beast, whatever. And obtained its position, am I right?”

“How did you know that? I thought you were not from this world?”

“Yes! And that is my point. Come to think of it, the general’s name is just an anagram of the name of the guy in that game that I knew in my old world. Cu Chulainn.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Ahhhhh… I’ll just leave it at that, you don’t know it anyways. I’m just surprised, that’s all. And, you don’t need to tell me his story, I think I already know all about it.”

Eri and Izuna had a confused look at their faces. Eri then continued what she was saying.

“Ok… The next general is Calyndra Cynyx. She is also a pure-blood from one of the very few Demon Clans that were able to use Magic. Calyndra was special, however. She is a genius magician that has the affinity of all the basic elements like water, fire, earth, air, light and darkness. Not only is she compatible with every element, she is also really talented. She can combine different elements that can be used as her attack. Because of that, she was given the title of Calyndra the Elemental. The Demon King became interested to her talent and desired to recruit her personally.”

“Calyndra… she’s the girl that begged me to let her live, right?”

“Yes, that is her.”

“So, she’s a genius… Not that I care. Besides, I defeated her in just a few seconds together with the other generals.”

“I know I already told you this, but I’ll say it anyway… You’re just weird and absurd.”

“That’s rude! Mind your manners, will you?”

“Coming from a person who not only did barge into a castle uninvited but also kill all of its inhabitants.”

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry about that. Just continue your story.”

“The last general is Mephistopheles Nyx, The spirit of Mt. Mephistopheles. Mt. Mephistopheles is located at Metea in Balros. Metea is once home to a village named Arfel. Arfel was a bountiful village that specializes on Farming. 200 years ago, Mt. Mephistopheles erupted and resulted into the whole village being wiped out. All of the settlers are killed because the Volcano erupted without even a sign beforehand. After the eruption, the volcano became more active. The Demon King became interested on the said Volcano, saying that there must be an entity that keeps the Volcano active. The Demon King is not mistaken, there in the volcano lives a certain spirit that guarded the Volcano. The Demon King subjugated the Spirit of Mephistopheles and made it his servant, and he named him Nyx. Nyx is the second strongest when compared to other generals, but he is also the least famous. He is always at the Demon King’s side to protect him personally. I’m pretty sure that he had a title but only the Demon King knows what it is. That’s all of the generals.”

Izuna shivered slightly after hearing Eri’s description of the other generals.

“Even hearing about them bring chills to me. They really are so powerful. I wonder how humanity managed to escape extinction for a long time.”

“It really sounded like they were all awesome and powerful individuals when you talk about them… but in reality, they are really not that awesome. Maybe you’re just over-reacting.”

“No, I don’t think Eri-… umm, Erylla is lying. After what I heard, I also think that you’re just crazy powerful.”

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“Yup, that’s what I think too. It’s just fun messing with Eri.”

Eri glared at me.

“Haha, sorry about that. Anyway, Izuna, now that you know our story, I hope you understand our situation now.”

“Yes, unfortunately, I do. I am also willing to help you.”

“Thank you very much, Izuna. We really appreciate it.”

“Now then, can I go back to my work now? We will discuss everything after my shift. Is that all right?”

“Ok. We’ll wait.”

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

After that, Izuna returned to her work and the Guild supervisor lectured her. Izuna explained to the Guild supervisor that she fainted due to lack of sleep and the people who saw her collapse brought her to an empty room at the back of the guild, and the guild supervisor bought it. Still, Izuna didn’t reveal anything about our conversation and the fact that I am the one who killed the Demon King. Looks like I’m right on choosing her as one of our trusted connections. Anyways, after the sun goes down, Izuna meet us on the café that Eri and I first went right after reaching this town.

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Izuna entered the café and began looking around for us.

“Izuna! Here!”

Izuna waved at us then went towards our table.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Ilhof is fine.”

“You don’t have to be modest. Just order what you want, it’s on me.”

“Nah, Ilhof’s fine. Besides, I’m still full.”

“Ok, then.”

We ordered Ilhof for the three of us. Man, this Ilhof is too good… Or I’m just becoming a coffee addict, I don’t know.

“So… What now? What are you guys planning to do?”

“That’s the problem, we don’t have anything to do. My initial plan is to gather all the experience I can have and face the Demon King. What happened is the exact opposite of what I have planned. Now everything’s gone jackshit. When I said everything, I didn’t mean the fate of the whole world, but the fate of my adventures.”

“That’s your problem, not mine.”

“You know what, Eri? Just shut your mouth. Besides, this is our adventure so this is also your problem.”

“Whatever.”

“So… what am I supposed to do in here?”

Izuna was looking at us with confused expression.

“Well, you’re working for the guild, right? Do you have any, like, super hard request that we can accept?”

Izuna looked at me with doubting eyes. I don’t know why but she’s being really skeptic. At that moment, the waiter served our orders. While Izuna’s still quietly thinking, we proceed to drink the Ilhof. And it was really good.

After a while, Izuna put down the glass that she’s holding and told us what she’s thinking.

“Yes, there are some of those super hard quests that you can take. But you still have no qualifications for that.”

“Is being strong still not enough?”

“You need a real proof. And for that, you need to apply for a Guild Membership. By applying for the Guild Membership, we can determine your strength, level and rank.”

“Just like a video game, huh.”

“What’s a video game?”

“A game you play digitally… Well, it’s no use telling you that. Please continue with your explanation.”

“Ok then, to take a Quest to the Guild, you need a Guild Card. The Guild Card contains your information. Also, you can only take a Quest that suits your rank since the Quests and the Creatures are being ranked as well.”

“So, how will you determine our ranks?”

“That depends on your strength. The machine will be able to detect your rank once you registered so you will have no problem in regards to the fairness in ranking.”

“So we just need to have a Guild Card?”

“Yes, that is essential if you were to be adventurers yourselves.”

“You said that the Quest and Creatures are ranked too, right? Can you establish it more?”

“Well, the ranking of that is based on the threat that it poses towards the people, or in some cases, the whole world. For example, Creatures like slimes are ranked at the lowest which is Rank F while the Demon King is Ranked S and its generals ranked A.”

“How do you determine their rank? Like what will it takes to qualify for each rank?”

“This’ll be long but it can be very useful to the both of you so I can spare some time...”

Izuna talked about the ranking system. Basically, this is what she said:

Rank F – Existence that will not be able to kill you, like Slimes and Praerats.

Rank E – Existence that poses very low threats but can injure you, like Wild Boars and Forest Hounds

Rank D – Existence that will definitely injure you, like Killer Bees and Rabid Hounds.

Rank C – Existence that has Thirty to Fifty Percent Chance of killing you. Under this category are Ice Wolves, Sabretooth and Dark Unicorn.

Rank B – Existence that poses High threat with a High Chance of Killing you. This includes: Wyvern, Gryphons, Giant Water Serpents and Cerberus.

Rank A – Existence that poses High threats and is guaranteed to kill several people in its wake. This includes: Draconic Beasts, Shadow Panthers, Giant Dark Bear, White Serpent and others.

Rank S – Existence that poses High Threat to the Different races. Someone that needs to be dealt with immediately. Existence such as a Fully-Grown Elemental Dragon, The Hydra, The Giant Ocean Beast and the Demon King belongs to this category.

Rank SS – Existence that poses threat to a continent. This threats normally doesn’t come around often and will not attack if not provoked. The Elder Dragon, Abyssal Giants and Phantasmals belongs in this category.

Rank SSS – Existence that poses threat to the whole World. These threats are very rarely come and once it appeared, the Races has no choice but to cooperate with each other. And it will still not guarantee a victory. And the Casualties will be outrageous. The Four Guardians of Veneofel are considered Rank SS individually but if they were to group up, they will be considered as Rank SSS threat. Existence such as The Celestial Beast, The Devourer of Worlds and The Fallen Gods are also in this category.

Rank X – This rank is for everything that is considered as the most powerful existence of all. These existences can literally destroy the whole world with just a single snap. Gods belong to this category.

“What’s your Rank, Izuna?”

“I’m probably a Rank C Adventurer.”

“Oh, Izuna, you’re pretty high up in the rankings, aren’t you? And Eri, so you’re a Rank A… That’s Awesome!”

“You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you?”

“No, I truly mean it.”

“I wonder about that.”

Eri shrugged.

“So, Izuna, what do you think my Rank will be?”

“I don’t really know. But if what you’re saying is true, then I think you’re in the leagues of the Rank S to SS.”

“Oh, you’re overrating me.”

“No, that’s really what could happen once you went to register for Guild Membership.”

“Well, we’ll know it when we’ve already done it. Also, can you recommend us an inn for tonight? We’ve just reached this town earlier this morning so we really don’t know anything about this place.”

“If that’s the case, I would recommend the Wolf’s Inn. Just say to the owner that I am the one that recommended their place for you and they’ll surely give you a discount. Is there anything else you want to discuss?”

“That’s all for today. We will just go to the guild to ask you if we have things that we don’t know.”

“If that’s all, then I probably should go. I have an early shift tomorrow so I need to sleep early.”

“Ok then, See you later. And Izuna… Thank You for not telling anyone about our secret.”

“Don’t worry about that, I can keep a secret or two. See you later, Hans, Erylla.”

“Just Eri.”

“Huh?”

“You could call me Eri.”

“Really?”

“Oh, Eri, I don’t know that you’re a softie.”

“No! I only want to deepen the trust between me and Izuna. That’s why I want her to call me by my nickname. Besides, Erylla’s too formal for me.”

“Then, See you later, Eri.”

Eri nod her head.

After Izuna left, we stayed in the café for a few minutes without someone talking.

“Should we go now?”

“Ok.”

We went towards the counter and payed. After that, we went towards the inn that Izuna suggested. We payed 2 gold coins up front and the counter lady was shocked about the gold coin. We’ve barely avoided the ruckus that would’ve formed if the counter lady were to blurt out that we payed 2 gold coins up front. I explained to the counter lady that we will stay in here indefinitely, that’s why we payed you upfront with 2 gold coins. As a special service, the counter lady gave us the most luxurious room in the hotel. Eri and I slept in a different room. Since we have too many money, I don’t see any problem on staying in different room, in fact, that should be expected.

My room is next to Eri so we went to our rooms together, after I reached my room, I said good night to Eri and she just shrugged it but as she reached her room door, she looked at me and nodded then went straight to the room.

I lay down in the bed and looked at the ceiling. The bed was a lot huger than a normal sized one. Therefore, it is really uncomfortable to sleep in here. I can’t even sleep, I’m becoming increasingly uncomfortable every time I tried to position myself in this huge bed. Because of that, I can’t sleep.

“Well, if you won’t let me sleep, then there’s nothing I can do about it. Might as well take a night walk to calm my nerves and exhaust myself before sleeping.”

I went outside the inn and went to a walk outside. The alleys were already deserted. Looks like the people are already asleep. I walked towards the guild building and went towards the café. After that, I went to the center of the Town and sat in a bench there for a few minutes while contemplating about this world and my involvement to it.

The Center of the Town looks eerie at night. Even so, the scenery of a town under the sea of stars makes this place less eerie and more romantic.

“This world really looks old yet mesmerizing. The entirety of this world is far more awesome than my old world. I will surely tell this adventure to my granddaughter, this might be a good bedtime story…”

I decided to walk around the Town without any plan on where to go.

After walking for several minutes, I decided to go back to the inn and head towards the roof. I lay down in the roof and looked at the sky.

The sky is clear, there are no signs of a cloud in sight. The moon is nowhere to be seen so I guess today is the new-moon phase for its moon. There’s something about this sky view that keeps me being mesmerized by it.

Just as I thought, this sky is really different. There are no constellations that I know in this sky. This sky is undoubtedly beautiful yet dangerously mesmerizing. It really is calming me though. An unfamiliar sky in a different world. It would definitely be different. But I can say this without any hesitation.

“This Sky is so Gorgeous.”

This world is not that bad, in fact, this world is beautiful. If I can show this to Mira and Eric, I would. I’m sure they will not be as thrilled as me but still, it will be fun to look to the sky together while sharing stories.

“Ahh, I wish Mira and Eric is with me right now.”

Something came out to my mind and unconsciously blurted it.

“I miss Mira.”

Yes, I really miss her. Right before I was summoned here, I technically confessed to her about my feelings… And apparently, she liked me too. If only the old geezer didn’t summon me here, I would probably be all lovey dovey with Mira now.

I imagine me and Mira under the sea of stars in a roof of an old building, just relaxing and talking about anything. It would’ve been so romantic if that were to happen.

I heaved a sigh.

I lay down there for a few more minutes just to appreciate this beautiful sky. Suddenly, A thought crossed my mind.

If this world is different, then surely there are more picturesque landscapes all over. Since I have nothing to do, travelling would’ve been great.

“If I have nothing to do, might as well enjoy this world to its fullest. Visit all sorts of Picturesque Landscapes, eat all sorts of exotic food, I know! I should have an adventure that’s never before done. Defeat High Ranking Creatures and just do what we want. There are no one who can stop me so might as well enjoy it to the fullest. I can also gather comrades along the way. Heck, might as well fight against the gods while I’m at it. There’s so many things to do, I need to start early.”

Suddenly, I felt a presence heading towards me.

“I don’t have anyone to serve now so I am free. I don’t have anything to do either. And I think I am pretty skilled in combat. Might as well tag along with you in your adventures. I also want to be stronger than my current self. Besides, I have a feeling that your adventure will be an awesome one. So, count me in, this’ll be fun.”

I looked behind me and saw Eri sitting while looking towards the horizons.

“Sure! Let’s make this adventure the one that we will never forget, even after we part ways.”

“Yeah! And I’ll fight with you again once I became stronger. I promise that this time, I will win.”

“Hohoho, I’m waiting for that moment. Give me all that you got when that happens.”

“You bet it!”

Eri raised her elbow and point her forearm towards me. Looks like the custom in here is to link forearms together as a sign of camaraderie.

I linked my forearm to hers. In that moment, what I saw in Eri’s face is a genuine smile. A smile that I didn’t know, a former Demon King’s General can do.

“Let’s head back. We have a long day ahead of us so we need all the sleep that we can have.”

“Sure.”

We went together towards our rooms and said goodnight to each other. Right after that, I lay down on the bed and immediately fell asleep

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Feroas Pass , 7 Kilometers to the North of the Demon King’s Castle. A path between two mountains that leads towards the Demon King Territory. A Day and a half is needed to cross the Pass. The Feroas Pass has a really harsh environment that is either too hot or too cold depending on the time of the day, that’s why it’s been avoided by travelers and soldiers.

Right now, there are an estimated of 200,000 foot soldiers in the entrance of the Feroas Pass. The Army seems to belong to the United Empire’s Alliance and are sent to execute a counter attack towards the Demon King. There seems to be 5 people in the Army’s Core. They are the ones that commandeered the Army and is essential towards the victory. One is a Knight-looking guy, the next one is a Magician-looking guy, the other one looks like a blacksmith, the next one has a bow latched in her back, and the last one who’s holding two swords. Together, they are the ones that operates the whole army.

At this moment, it appears that the Knight-looking guy is having a speech towards his army. The content of his speech appears to be their plan on attacking the Demon King. Looks like they chose the Feroas Pass because the Demon King will not expect them to go towards the path that is literally able to kill multiple people.

The speech goes on for about an hour or less. After that, the Knight-looking guy went to an overlooking place in the vicinity to observe the changes that’s happening in Feroas Pass. He was approached by the Magician-looking lady and brought him snacks while he’s patrolling.

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Not really, there’s no significant changes in the Pass so I think we can cross the pass tomorrow morning.”

“That’s great. By the way, want to talk?”

“Sure, what do you want to talk?”

“Um… just some thoughts about our situation. I just want to share it with someone.”

“Ok, I’ll listen.”

“Thanks… If we were to succeed in crossing the Pass, then we will be able to finally have a chance on defeating the Demon King.”

“Yeah, that’s the plan, but anything else after that relies on us five.”

A moment of silence enveloped the pair. The Magician Girl is the first one to break the silence.

“Say, if we were to defeat the Demon King, this’ll be over right.”

“Yes… I think so… I don’t really know.”

“That’s what they promised us, so it better be the end.”

“Don’t worry, if they betray us, we will make sure that they will be crushed.”

“I knew you’d say that… You really are fit to receive your title.”

“What are you saying? The five of us received that title, not only me. That means that all of us is necessary to win this war.”

“Yeah, but I have a feeling that I’m not really doing things in my part.”

“You’re really are helpful, I wish you would appreciate yourself even more. If you’re not here with us, our group will probably collapse easily.”

“Thanks for that, I really appreciate it.”

“Look, we are the chosen Heroes, we are the only ones that can defeat the Demon King. We need to help each other in order to succeed in our goal.”

“It was a really big responsibility for the five of us to handle.”

“But we’re the only ones that can do it. Don’t worry, after all of this is over, we will be able to return to our homes. I promise you that I will make sure that we’ll be able to return to our home, to the world that we truly belong. We will return to our old world.”

The Magician Lady lean towards the Knight Guy’s shoulder, while the Knight guy wrapped her arms around the Magician Lady.