It was my first time meeting a hero, in this life and in my last life.
"Are you alright?" The woman hero, known as Nimata, asked me with a concerned expression.
I nod.
As a demon I should not get too involved with the humans here.
For now I should act weak until I'm able to leave this place.
"Thank you for saving my subordinate and I, Hero-sama." I tell her.
She blinked at me before putting her fist to her mouth and chuckling.
She tilt her head with one eye closed as she looked at me, "no need to call me that. Here people call me Nimata." She says.
She lowers her fist and stuck her hand out to shake.
I stared down at it and instead turned away, "there's no need, though I'm grateful you saved me, I can only call Hero-Sama, Hero-Sama."
I could hear the other adventurers whispering around me as I walked back up to the quest board.
"How rude."
"Ungrateful, even though Nimata helped her."
I wasn't here to make friends, after all.
I grabbed a quest from the board and sat it before the clerk, "we'll take this one." I tell him.
The man picked up the quest and peered at it.
"I see, good choice. A collection quest." He says stamping the paper to approve it.
"Please return the materials here to complete the quest." He says.
Kika and I make our way out the adventure guild.
Nimata's point of veiw
"Lady Nimata." Aman Burges make his way through the crowd and stood before Nimata who still watched the two who walked out the adventure guild.
"Ah, Aman. What brings you here?" She asked glancing in his direction.
He placed his hand to his chest and bowed his head a bit, "I came on behalf of your father the Duke." He says.
Oh, that old fart again?
"Is that so. I won't be going back home. I found something interesting in the adventure guild." Nimata says with a smile that could scare children.
"Lady Nimata, please don't smile like that. It's frightening." Aman says dryly.
She covers her mouth instantly, "does it? Well nevermind that Aman. Let's follow those two." She says.
"The kids from earlier?" He asked.
Nimata smiles at him, "Aman, it seems you're a blind fool." She mutters.
Well, it's a great thing because only she had noticed that the supposed kids from earlier had a small amount of demon energy spewing from them.
How fun, it looks like she'll get some nice interesting toys this time.
What's this? Lady Nimata is a two-faced hero!
Back to Female Lead
The collection quest was an easy one. I only had to collect a certain flower and the quest was over.
At least it was supposed to be like this.
I glared at the men that blocked our way.
Deep in a forest with a glowing purple flower in my hand, Kika and I had ran into a ruffian group of men.
"Looks like the intel is correct, demon ogres!" A man with an eye patch says with a lecherous grin.
When did it happen?
I stared at Kika who was on his knee gripping his arm and snarling at the humans before us.
His mask was knocked a few feet away and his hood no longer covered the small horns sticking from his head.
No, when were we discovered?
"Who are you people?" I asked clutching the flower tightly.
The men looked at me and then began to laugh among themselves.
I don't like this feeling that something worse was about to happen.
Is this my fault?
I wanted to leave that boring cave and become even stronger.
In this world where survival is for the fittest nothing is easy.
I should have known better.
I should have left Kika there, taking him with me was a mistake on my part.
"Kika, are you alright?" I asked my gaze not leaving the enemies before me.
After their laughter died I can sense a shift in their movement.
"Don't worry about him, he won't die. After all the person who paid for us to do this want you guys alive." The man with the patch says.
So they were sent by someone?
I should have known.
I took a step back but was immeditely grabbed from behind by someone.
I struggled as something sharp was put to my neck.
What the hell is this?
I didn't sense this person at all!
"Good, remove the mask." The man orders.
Before I could even react my mask was removed and my face revealed.
"Oho! Look what we have here."
I struggled against the person who held me tightly.
Let me explain to you what others are seeing from the perspective of these men.
Men's Perspective
Reesa
Race: Demon Ogre Title: None
Age: 15
Appearance: small stature at 5 feet. Flat chest and thin figure. Also has small green horns sticking from her head. Long black hair as black as coal. Her only redeeming feature is her skin color; which is a pale pink, and her face; which is very pretty and angelic. Her eyes were a dark red with her pupils being shaped like thin ovals.
Some of the men's eyes were blazing with lust while others saw money lining their pockets.
"It's a high quality demon ogre! Men this is our lucky day!"
Back to Female Lead's Perspective
"I think it's a waste if we hand you over to that person. What do you think men?" The man with the eye patch asked.
"That's right Leader. If we sell her she'd fetch for an even higher price than what that person offered!" The man that held me says.
Not good.
"Master!" Kika yells and tries to stand.
"No Kika! Stay down." I yell.
The man with the patch took his foot and slammed it into Kika's face.
Kika hit the ground and lands on his side.
*Cough!*
"Kika!"
He's not moving. These damn bastards! I grit my teeth.
"Haha! Isn't this grand. we have a cute demon and a really prettey one. I can see our pockets lining with money!" The man with the patch laughs.
"What's this. You want to steal my toys?"
That voice!
I noticed at first, a figure standing where the sun's rays broke through the trees.
I can't believe this, "Hero-Sama?" I asked.
"Call me Nimata, remember?" Nimata says with a smirk.
"You! Why are you here?" The man with the patch says.
Nimata unsheaths her sword and points it in his direction, "simple really, I didn't trust a bunch of ruffians to bring me back my merchandise." She says.
He scowls, "no matter, we already have the demon ogres in our hands. There's nothing you can do."
Nimata looked at him as though he has said something foreign and then burst into laughter.
She wiped a tear from her eyelash, "this is so hilarious. I'm afraid that you have forgotten who I was."
Like a flash of light the men that came with the man with the eyepatch let out screams of pain.
They were covered in flames and reduced to nothing but burnt flesh, even the man that had a hold of me.
All that stood was the man with the eye patch.
"Clean up this mess." Nimata says.
As though he had been there all along another man clad in golden armor appeared from the trees.
Using some type of magic the armored man made every body disappear.
"What did you do? My men!"
Nimata resheaths her sword then walked over to grab the man's chin, "let this be a lesson to you. Cross me again and I'll kill you." She says an aura of red flames surrounding her body and eminating killing intent.
The man with thte eye patch scampered away so fast that I was sure he left a dust trail behind him.
Nimata turned to look at an injured Kika that was passed out on the ground and covered in injuries.
She crouches before him, "damn, what bad luck. To put such hideous scars on my toy. It's sad really. Aman, kill the boy." Nimata says straightening.
"Noooo!" I yelled and ran in Kika's direction.
I mustn't let him be killed!
I may have found him irritating but even so he was still a comrade.
I said this but I didn't make it to his side.
Instead Nimata grabs my hair and yanks me back.
"How cute, I will surely have fun with a fiesty toy such as yourself." She says.
I watched in utter horror, the dagger that plunged deep into Kika's chest.
It was a scene that replayed over and over again until I fainted.
What will come of our FL who witnessed the death of Kika?