Coming into the room, the first thing I noticed was the look of frustration on the man's face.
I have no idea what he went out to do, but at least he had calmed down a little and was no longer shouting vulgarities even though he still looked frustrated.
"I have been told by my superiors to ask you a few specific questions and don't bother hiding anything because your fate has already been decided" The man says, switching back to his stern attitude.
If my fate has already been decided, then what is the point of asking me these questions?
Well as long as I get to live a little longer I don't really mind it, plus I don't think I have anything left to hide.
"With your abilities, if we were to send you back to the human realm what would you do?" the man says after sitting down opposite me.
"I'll try to find my dad" I said immediately.
It wasn't really a hard question to answer and dad has been on my mind since when I realised that he wasn't human as well.
Maybe the saints would be more welcoming than the demons, plus their name does make them sound like a relatively peaceful race.
Provided that they do not have any means to detect demons the way demons can for saints, I should be okay making contact with them.
The question is, do the saints reside on earth… Or the human realm? I mean if the demons have a whole realm of their own, then couldn't the same be said about the saints?
I just don't know if any of these two races can live in the human realm though.
There is no mana in there and it's because of this that I wasn't able to use magic until yesterday.
But Mum and dad seemed to be able to adjust and live comfortably with me for a long time and it didn't seem to affect their ability to use magic.
I just find it strange that these two races, as strong as they are, haven't enslaved humans already.
Well… now that I think about it, what could they gain from enslaving humans? They are weak, their world basically has no mana or any magical ore or plant that the other realms would have.
Humans are so pitiful. Thank God I'm not one of them… although my situation can't be said to be all that better.
"Okay, Next question. Placed in a situation where you would need to choose between fighting against your parents or losing your life, what would you do?" The man said while typing on a tablet he came into the room with.
"I.. I… I don't think I would fight at all, so uh… losing my life it is" I said while stuttering.
I didn't really expect this question. Could it be that they are trying to inform me that my parents and I may end up being on opposing sides.
Is it because of their war? It shouldn't have anything to do with my family right? Why can't these people leave us out of their problems? It's not like a single person can change the tide of a war entirely[2].
I'm becoming increasingly frustrated as these thoughts pass through my mind.
"Are you willing to kill to survive?!" The man suddenly asks.
My brain crashed for a few seconds and I became listless as a gloomy feeling washed over me.
Although I had expected it before and this IS the outcome I desired the most, there is no way I can ever be happy about losing my freedom so suddenly.
My guess before was that instead of killing me instantly like they've almost done numerous times already, they would rather control me and use me as a weapon against the saints having realised my strength and potential.
Obviously, they won't put me in dangerous situations at first, but I would eventually be dragged into their war and by then or even before that having to take someone's life to survive may become unavoidable.
But I want to live! Whether it's to learn more about this brand new world I've discovered, to reunite my family or to return to the peaceful life I had before this and even if it's just to live out my Chuunibyou dreams…
"I need to live to realise it all and if I need to take someone's life, then so be it!!" I raised my head and looked the man in the eyes with all the determination I could muster.
This might just be all talk for now and I may not be able to go through with it perfectly when the time comes, but believe me… I DEFINITELY will try, if not it would be I who gets killed.
Even though I lived a normal life until yesterday, I have nearly been killed on three separate occasions, the last one might as well have traumatised me.
I don't have any strong attachment to anyone but my family.
I have distanced myself from people for ten years and I've always felt alone.
Excepting it comes to my weird hobbies like martial arts or Chuunibyou fantasies, I have spent everyday for as long as I remember performing averagely just to get by,
My point is, it has been a long time since I felt this much pressure in my life and I barely have anything to lose, so I might as well continue to move forward.
When I finished talking, I felt a shiver run through my whole body and something that I may have been suppressing unconsciously for some time suddenly leaked out of me.
At first, I thought it was mana but I instantly denied the thought because I can barely feel my mana flow right now.
It felt more like… an instinctual response.
There was no change in my body, only in my mind as I suddenly felt clear headed and a little bit… excited?
What the hell is this feeling? All I had in my head were gloomy thoughts about how I would have to fight for my life from henceforth, with a chance that killing may become a necessity but now I… I suddenly feel excited?
All my thoughts became less complicated and everything summed up to a single sentence - "Fight, all I need to do is fight![3]"
I felt disgusted as my lips twitched, nearly forming a smile from excitement.
The man looks surprised and continues to stare at me before a huge grin forms on his face as he nods his head in approval.
"Amazing!" The man exclaims.
"Don't you dare let that fighting spirit of yours diminish!! Let your demon bloodline boil! Let it overshadow that filthy saint bloodline in you! Haha! Hahahaaha!!" The man shouts and laughs out loud in joy while looking at me with an excited expression on his face.
"He'd be even more imposing if he could hide that irritating stench of the saints on his body" Amelia says with a wide grin.
Excuse me! Filthy bloodline? Irritating smell? Okay, I get that you guys don't like the saints, but no need to diss the parts of me I can't control… not to mention, I inherited them from my dad.
My mind suddenly returns to normal and the excitement I felt before disappeared.
"Too bad, he can't really hold it for long. But imagine the look on the faces of those saint bastards if they were to ever see him like that! Hahaa!" The man continues to shout excitedly.
"Hehe Yeah. He just needs to learn to hide that saint aura of his and he could even pass off as a demon'' Amelia chuckles before saying.
"Wait! What the hell was that? Why are you guys so happy?" I asked as I panicked as whatever's making them so happy may not be good news to me.
"It's your natural
Demonic aura? That sounds badass!
It felt incredible as well but my state of mind when in that form scares me.
My head was clear and I only had thoughts about fighting someone strong.
I felt excited, completely looking forward to any kind of battle.
The thought of having to kill someone barely even phased me and the fact that I might die made my thoughts flow faster.
I feel like I can use this to give myself confidence during a desperate situation and my clear thoughts could also help me react faster but I don't think I can always control that urge to fight.
Besides that, when I returned back to normal, I felt scared because I didn't really feel like me and now I think it would be even more difficult to return to that state.
"Is it normal to feel the way… "
"Nevermind that now, I've asked all the questions that I need to ask, you just need to stay here for a little while longer while a temporary servant collar is being prepared for you" The man suddenly interrupts me.
"Servant? Shouldn't it be slave collars?" I questioned him as this is what they are usually called in novels and anime.
"I think is you that has the wrong Idea, there are no slaves in this part of the demon realm and these servant collars were originally made for demonic beasts, and well, the ready made sizes wouldn't fit you very well" The man answers with a smile on his face.
"Seriously? Then what do you guys do with your prisoners from the saints race?" I asked curiously.
"If we can't get the information we need out of them then they are left to rot in cells with chains like the ones we have on you attached to their body or…" The man says, pausing mid way.
"We kill them immediately after we are done interrogating them, but they are usually more tightlipped than you were so sometimes we kill a few unimportant prisoners to weaken their willpower a little" Amelia says with a smirk.
"Wh… What?" I stammered in a low voice in fear.
Could that really have happened to me? Did I just dodge a horrendously sized bullet?
I don't even know whether I should be happy or sad that I wasn't stubborn previously.
"What did you expect? That we would let any saint we catch in the demon realm walk out alive, just so they can come back for revenge or worse sabotage us from the inside?"
"Amelia!!" The man suddenly shouts.
"What? The question he asked was really stupid" Amelia says as she lowers her head like a child caught playing a prank.
It suddenly came to me how stupid my question actually was.
This is a fantasy world where magic exists and there might as well be many ways for someone to take revenge unless there are techniques to seal their ability to use magic completely, not to mention that releasing them to return to their people would only make their enemies stronger and could even cause whatever intel they could gather from these prisoners of war useless.
"A case like yours has never happened before and you aren't completely free to do as you like as well, the Servant collar would be our leverage and we can kill you whenever we need to, that is if you step out of line" The man explains calmly.
"Yeah, that sounds more comforting" I said, depressed.
"Why is the servant collar temporary? I don't assume you guys would set me free after I've proved my loyalty or something" I asked as I remembered him saying that "a temporary servant collar" would be prepared for me.
"Since we are going to be letting you move around without supervision most of the time, my superior has determined that you would need a servant collar that can not be removed by anyone below demon knight level as you may never come in contact with people of that strength"
"Woah! Are you serious!! Then doesn't that mean that…" Amelia exclaims in an excited tone with a wide smile on her face.
"Yes! Kuda! Ranked 10th of the Onimirai knights! Would be paying a visit to us in a week!" He answers loudly, his tone fussed with deep respect.
"Who is that?" I asked, one again left out in the dark.
"Didn't you hear him, he is ranked 10th of the Onimirai knights, although he only reached demon knight level strength at an old age and is the weakest among the knights, he's still at a power level that none of us could ever compare to!" Amelia said with passion.
"The hell! Why is someone like that coming here?" I exclaimed.
Although I have an estimate on how strong Amelia is, I don't know how strong the man opposite me is but he should at least be stronger than her and now that I am witnessing both of them display so much respect towards this guy, I can't even imagine how strong he is.
"The strength of a servant collar depends on the person who is in control, so to make sure no one below demon knight strength can remove or destroy the collar without killing you, someone of demon knight strength must be your… owner or… Master" The man says calmly.
Okay, but have you guys even considered his feelings?
I doubt this "Kuda" guy would be okay with having to travel a long distance just to put a collar on someone who smells like a saint, AKA the demon's greatest enemies.
For all I know, this guy would take out his anger on me the moment he gets here.
"Until the temporary servant collar is ready, just relax here. Amelia come with me, I have something to discuss with you" The man says getting up to leave the room.
"Yes Sir!" Amelia says ready to follow him out.
"Wait!" I said trying to stretch out my hand that I forgot was chained to the chair that I'm sitting in.
"What? If you are worried we would take long, then don't be. The collars should be ready in about two hours" He said, barely turning his head backwards to face me.
"Oh no… Well there's that, but I… Uhh… I don't really know your name" I said.
I was honestly just going to say that I'm hungry, but I am still technically prisoner so I don't really want to push their boundaries by requesting for food
"I'm Major Richard[5], highest ranking military officer in this city, make sure to follow protocol and call me sir" The man smiles before leaving the room followed by Amelia.
Now what am I going to do for the next two hours?
I adjusted my sitting position to feel more comfortable as I began to think of what might have happened in the new episode of the anime that I missed yesterday.
A scary thought of not having access to anime suddenly crossed my head I hope I can still watch anime while in the demon realm
"Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!" My stomach growled suddenly followed by a feeling of intense hunger.
Oh God I'm so hungry!
***************************************************
Like Richard had said before, I only had to wait for two hours before someone opened the door again.
It was Richard followed by Amelia and finally a tired looking man I hadn't met before.
He looked middle aged with a moderate build wearing what looked like a red military uniform while on his head was an abundant amount of black hair and beard which from what I've noticed is a rare hair colour among demons.
"Sorry for the sudden request Dale, It's just that you're the only blacksmith here" Richard said looking at the man in uniform apologetically.
"It's no problem Captain, I don't have much work piled up and I actually needed a break from creating weapons day after day" The man assures Richard with a look of respect on his face.
Now that I think about it, Captain Richard isn't wearing any kind of uniform, but the respect that the newcomer showed him confirms his position.
Dale only gazed at me for a few seconds before taking out a black cloth inlaid with chains that looked like a bangle or something and handed it over to Richard.
"There no prior designs of a servant collar for demon and I couldn't just make his directly resemble those made for beasts as it won't be very appropriate"
"So I made this one like this, from one of the strongest fabric materials I could find and not the usual leather to make it more comfortable for him to wear"
"But don't worry, the metal chain, the main part of the servant collar can still perform all the functions of a normal servant collar, you can instantly disrupt his mana flow or even remove his head at any moment" Dale said as a look of exhaustion twisted into an excited expression.
He then held up the small servant collar which then levitated his hands slightly before the chains inlaid in it suddenly transformed into a few small terrifying looking buzz saws.
"BZZZZ!!"A sound that should NOT be mistaken for a running clipper was heard as the buzz saws began to rotate.
I flinched seriously and cowered into the backrest of my chair as I saw the minimum lighting in the room reflect from the buzz saws to my eye.
After the demonstration the collar returned back to normal and the slit on the textile caused by the buzz saws completely disappeared and Dale looked at both Amelia and Richard as if seeking approval.
"It looks amazing, send me the schematics, this design may be used in the final product that would be used by Sir Kuda himself" Richard said nodding his head in approval.
It looks amazing? Please, you're not the one who's going to be wearing that thing on the neck!!!
"Yeah I think it looks nice as well"Amelia said with a grin while looking me directly in the eyes.
My whole body shivered as she looked at me. Damit! I'm so scared.
"I think it looks nice as well, but don't you think the buzz saws are over kill?" I asked in a pleading tone with teardrops in my eyes hoping to appeal to this middle aged man's humanity… or demonity?
Dale looks at me for the second time since he came here and his respectful expression when hearing Amelia's compliment instantly switches to a look of disdain.
He looks at me for three more seconds before averting his eyes again.
So this is what it's like to be disdained so openly… It hurts.
Richard took the servant collar from Dale and gripped it tightly as he closed his eyes as if concentrating on sometime.
I'm guessing that he is trying to form some kind of connection with the servant collar using magic which I wish I could see, but I can't use my ability to see mana flow.
When Richard opened his eyes again, the servant collar levitated slightly before falling back into his palm.
He then started walking towards me slowly with his usual stern expression which frightened me.
I really want to scream that he shouldn't come any closer but knowing that it was inevitable, I just shrank further into my chair as he got closer.
"Stay still" Richard said as the size of the collar increased and he passed my head through it.
After placing the servant collar on my neck, its size began to slowly reduce until it was a perfect fit on my neck.
At least Dale didn't lie, It feels very comfortable.
"How does it feel?" Amelia asks while Richard also looks at me awaiting an answer.
"It's a perfect fit and feels very comfortable si… No! Ma… Mas…'' I stuttered and looked away from them shyly.
"Ma?" Richard looks at me in confusion.
I strengthened my resolve and built up my courage before I looked up and stared intensely into Richard's eye with a smile on my face before speaking.
"It feels good Master!"
[Author's Notes]
1. Word count - 3376 words
2. "Ahem!* For "Ahem!" Foresha "Ahem!" "Ahem!" Foreshadowiiinnng.
3. Tatakai! Tatakai!! TATAKAI!!
4. For non-men of culture, Tatakai means "Battle" in Japanese.
5. It came to my notice a few seconds before I uploaded this chapter that Richard is apparently a Cristian name… so… uh… Please endure this great blunder or you could completely ignore it… OR you could just assume that demons don't mind bearing Christian names…
6. Not much action recently… I think I should change that.