"Is that sugarcane?"
I asked as I looked at the huge plantation on both sides of the road.
"Yeah, this is one of the most common plantations around here, and this is where I get my supply of sugar from," Sian said.
"The booze they make is top-notch," Milka added. "There's a huge variety. When we come back, I'll show you my collection."
Even though we were already close to reaching the city, it still took some time before we reached the gate. On the way there, I saw how they were preparing the soil for planting.
Instead of horses pulling the plows to prepare the soil, it was centaurs who did it. It is quite strange to personally see these beings with the upper part like humans and the waist down like a horse.
Interestingly, this is not a good season for planting, but according to Sian, there are some plant demons that make this possible. Complementing his words, Milka said that the variation for demon species were incalculable, ranging from insects to sea creatures.
I can even imagine the things that could be made from the silk web of a spider demon, or the honey of a bee demon type.
My heart flutters with the many doors opening, all full of possibilities.
"It looks like this trip is going to be more promising than I expected."
"Hey, what are you muttering there, take this."
Snapping me out of my trance, Sian threw a gray cloak over my face.
"Master, we are arriving at the gate," Bethony's voice came from the coachman's seat.
The stone wall surrounding the city seemed at least 20 meters high. As far as I could see, it has several watchtowers, and the entire visible length of the wall contained a few small windows, but since we were so close, I had no view inside.
"What city are we in?" I asked.
"I don't know the name. I just call it Clay's city."
"Clay's City?"
As I gave him a questioning look, Milka answered me.
"Clay is the name of the demon lord."
Honestly, I expected a more imposing name for someone known as a demon lord.
"Put that on."
Pulling out three more gray long-sleeved, hooded cloaks, Sian put on one and put the others on the children.
Although I didn't know why, I put on mine as well. Soon after, Sian handed me a simple black mask that covered the upper half of my face.
"Use that too."
"What's the need for this?" I asked.
"Don't attract attention."
"Is it dangerous here?"
"No, but it's better to walk without drawing attention so as not to get in the way of our walk."
"Why am I the only one wearing a mask?"
"Your face stands out a lot," he replied. "If you go as you were, it's likely some idiot will show up to try to kidnap you."
"That's pretty common around here," Milka said. "They've tried to get Becca many times."
Perched inside Sian's hood, Teshar added, "Even though master's strength is well known around the region, some people don't pay attention to it. Many of the beings here are brave in a reckless way, so from time to time those who want to challenge someone stronger appear."
"It's really a pain in the ass," Sian complained.
Our entry into the city was simple, there was no inspection or anything like that. But for some reason, when we were passing through the gate, the guards stopped to slack off and took an upright and respectful posture.
It may have just been my imagination, but I believe I heard people talking about the horses and the carriage. Does this mean that he is really well known around here?
When we reached a street without people, the carriage stopped and we got off. But for some reason, someone among us wasn't wearing anything to hide her appearance.
"Why isn't Milka also wearing a hoodie?" I asked.
Although she is not as beautiful as I am, her body, especially her large breasts are quite eye-catching.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Turning to Milka suddenly, he showed a kind expression, "Come here, I have something for you."
Looking tense, she took a few steps back.
"No, that seems suspicious."
"There's nothing suspect in that," he denied.
Of course it has! I retorted silently.
For him to change his way of acting suddenly out of nowhere, it's obvious that he's up to something.
Opening his arms to Milka, Sian said, "I just want to give you a hug."
"Why now?" Acting cautiously, Milka kept maintaining some distance.
"I remembered I didn't have time to hug you after I came back, but if you don't want to, that's fine."
It's clearly a lie. There's no way she could fall into it.
Or at least that's what I thought ...
"Master~~ I want your hug~~"
With a look filled with happiness, she didn't even hesitate as she literally jumped into his arms.
But before her landing, a sort of glowing blue blanket came between the two and, in a matter of hundredths, encased Milka completely like a mummy.
Before she even landed, he kicked her into the carriage.
Not seeming willing to stay behind, she started crawling like a caterpillar, but before she could get out, Sian shut the door.
"You are too flashy. Go with Beth and wait in the castle."
Immediately after his words, the carriage sped off.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I want Emily and Tina to try the food here. So before we go find Clay, let's go for a little walk."
As if he had come here several times, Sian passed through the narrow streets and alleys while keeping Emily on his shoulders and holding Tina's hand.
As I followed him closely, it wasn't long before the smell of alcohol penetrated my nose.
On the clay street outside the buildings, there were several indecently dressed women who seemed to be trying to hook some customers.
"Hey, good-looking boy, want to come to play with me?"
Across the street, a woman with sharp fangs and pointed ears shouted in our direction. Her lower part had a long tail full of scales like a snake.
Without receiving an answer, she added.
"I promise you won't regret it, I do it dirty cheap for you."
Even though it was directly at him, Sian just kept walking without even looking away.
"I've never seen someone like her before," I said. "Was that woman a lamia?"
"Yeah, even if you haven't seen them, they exist on the central continent as well. But because of being treated like monsters, they stay deep in the forests."
Keeping a steady pace, we left the pleasure street and arrived at the flea market.
With a wide variety of stalls available, Sian went straight to one on the outskirts, where they had apples on a stick for sale. Although the stall was small, it was much larger and better maintained compared to its peers.
After he ordered one for each, including me, the vendor who looked like he had a tree bark skin dipped the apples into a yellowish, viscous liquid. From the smell, it seemed to be caramel.
"Here you go, one toffee apple for each," the vendor said as he handed the sticks to Sian. "The price is-"
Before he finished speaking, Sian sneakily presented a crest. Although I couldn't see it, considering that the vendor's expression changed, it seems to be something important.
"So it was you," the vendor sounded friendlier. "Since you weren't with the demonic cow today, I ended up not noticing. I won't charge my benefactor, it's on the house."
Demonic cow? Is he talking about Milka?
Without uttering a word of thanks, Sian handed one apple to me and then to the girls.
"Try it. I'm sure you girls will like it." He said as he took a big bite of his apple.
Doing as he said, I tasted it, and it tasted better than I expected. As I thought, it wasn't just the smell, that liquid was really caramel.
Because of the size of the city, the market was very busy and noisy. This was the first time I saw such a variety of different races that I never imagined being possible, even in a world where magic exists.
The variety ranged from ones that looked like plants to various kinds of insects and animals. Some I couldn't even tell what they were. But one thing was certain, they all had some body part or body shape that resembled humans.
The best example was a species of creature that was popular in movies for a while, werewolves.
Close to where we were standing, there was one that was at least two meters tall. His body was completely covered with a gray fur with the belly part being lighter.
Strictly speaking, he clearly looked like a wolf that had a bone structure that allowed him to stand like humans.
"Is that wolf using the bestial transformation?"
Since I've never seen it before, I asked Sian through telepathy.
"Well, even if it looks like he does because of his appearance, he's not doing it."
"Be clearer."
"He was already born that way. More precisely, those of his kind and beastkins in general were created to be that way. Those were the initial forms of the races created by the gods during the calamity epoch, the primitive form of beastkins. They were created with combat efficiency in mind, so despite the similar body shape, they don't look much like humans in terms of appearance."
While I remained silent, Sian continued to explain.
After the war, peace came, and with that, some crossbreeding took place, which eventually produced the beastkins that have only a few animal characteristics, such as Emily and Ophilia. Naturally, because they had a physique closer to humans, they were relatively weaker than their ancestors.
Apparently, bestial transformation was also known as primordial transformation. The transformation brings out the inherent power of the beastkin race and enhances it while bringing them into something close to the base form of the species to which they belong.
In the case of those like that bipedal wolf from before, they would be able to perform the transformation more easily. Naturally, they would be stronger than someone with weakened animal characteristics.
"But that doesn't mean that those like Milka are weaker, it all depends on how well they can control the transformation. Besides, the bestial transformation is extremely rare even among furry beastkins."
"For such a simple question, that was a completely unexpected information..."
I was amazed. I never imagined that the origin of beastkins like Emily would be like this, but since it came from Sian, who probably learned from the Sage, it's probably true.
At the end of our conversation, Sian crouched down and wiped Emily's face with a handkerchief. Pulling another handkerchief out of nowhere, he placed it around her neck, under her cloak opening.
As for Tina, although she refused to be treated as a child, he did the same to her.
Looking at him acting like this, it really doesn't give the impression of someone cruel and bloodthirsty.
"You seem to be a babysitter better than expected," I said.
"Well, I'm trying to be a good father as much as possible."
"You are not my father!"
Despite Tina's immediate denial, Sian didn't seem to mind.
"Let's get going. There are still plenty of foods for us to try."