Tom, who had crossed the ridge of the mountain range, took a bite out of the sandwich in his hand and chewed on it for a while. He looked around with the telescope that was gifted to him by Kulvo. It had a telescopic strength of 2.
Tom spotted the encampment of the Hero's Allied Army. He could discern that they had fortified with something similar to a barricade made of some equipment well covered in cloth. The well-equipped Holy Knights were busy while the soldiers were gathered in a line, prepared to lay a siege.
In the distance opposing them, there was a bulwark constructed of tree spikes crudely embedded into the ground, which made up Demon Kingdom's frontline fortress. There were orcs wearing primitive leather armor and worn-out equipment, often holding weapons they had gathered from dead soldiers.
'By their numbers and equipment alone, the Hero's Allied Forces looked superior, but…'
"…Why do they look so pitiful?"
The corpses littering the battlefield in the distance were mostly that of humans. It looked as though Karakul was easily fending off the invaders.
'Well, he had been standing against the Hero's party for dozens of years. After all that experience, he should be rather competent at it. The average person shouldn't stand a chance.'
"In any case…"
Tom scratched his head, looking troubled.
'That Goblin, why did he lead me to the Hero's Army?'
He was closest to the camp of the Hero's Army. It was close enough that he would be able to arrive by foot in a day. The goblin must have sent him in this direction after seeing Tom's outfit.
'Well, it would indeed have been a big deal if I tried to cross over the demonic border with this attire.'
The demonic army would have definitely not let him in. Regardless, he couldn't turn back now.
'Should I change my appearance?'
'Something similar to Demons…?' Tom looked around his surroundings; all he could see were grass and wildlife. He blinked and clapped as he thought of an idea.
"…Ah!"
The night approached quickly, and the two forces held torches to fight the encroaching darkness. The entrenchments became lighter, and the orcs defending the Demon Kingdom's borders let out a long yawn.
They had been facing the assault from the Hero's Army. They didn't care if it was day or not as they continued to launch the offensive. They used slaves as meatshields during the day and poured siege equipment to dish out attacks during the night.
The defenders had managed to fend off these attacks effectively, but they couldn't help but be exhausted. The orcs clad in leather armor and shabby spears felt something get near them from the front and put on wary expressions.
"What is it? Who approaches?"
"…?"
The orcs watched the one drawing near in the darkness. The figure was wearing a hood, but they could see that his body was covered in leaves and an animal hide from head to toe with a crudely made horn assembled from branches attached to his head.
Anyone looking at him would see the person as a lunatic based on his appearance, but that was from the human perspective. The orcs tilted their heads and narrowed their eyes as their gaze swept across the figure standing before them cautiously.
"Who are you? Why have you come to this place?"
Tom, the monstrous figure standing before them, pulled down his hood a bit further before answering the orc's question.
"I'm a lost demon. Would it be possible to be a burden for a little bit…?"
"… Are you an Other Kin?"
The orcs approached him, their eyes sweeping across his body and their noses sniffing around for every bit of his smell. For Other Kins, it wasn't just their eyes that judged appearances. Instead, they recognized each other with not only their faculty of sight but also used their sense of touch and scent, even comparing cries, often enough. In the case of orcs, they relied more on the other's voice and smell to differentiate each other than appearance.
"…Hm? This guy, he smells like a human?"
"Are you sure that the smell is of a human? It's similar, but… a bit different? I can also smell faint scents of magic. He might not be human…"
"There are black mages among humans as well, remember? They have magic power too!"
Tom looked back at them and lied through his teeth.
"Ah, if I smell like a human, it's because I'm a mixed blood."
"Mixed blood?"
The watchmen looked even more repulsed. No one could say for sure which side people of mixed blood stood on. There was almost no chance that they allied themselves with humans, but there were some poor demons that grew accustomed to them and were used by them in the end.
The orcs spoke to Tom warily.
"How will you prove it? Prove you're not with humans! Just know that we'll chase you out after beating you to a pulp if you are!"
An orc roared and threatened him. Tom held both his hands to his ears due to the loud sound. He then simply smiled and replied, "A proof, huh… Well, something like that… Ah! How about I insult the God that humans praise? Mm… damned God? Artarrk, that rotten bastard?"
"…Even a half-blood also hates humans! I've heard that those that mock their God receive horrendous torture."
The orcs appeared disgusted, but they looked at each other awkwardly.
"That's still not enough!"
"Don't you have more proof?"
Tom raised his head at their words. Inside the dark hood drawn deeply around his head, a golden light began to shine brilliantly. The orcs who saw this were surprised and retreated instinctively. Even though they were flabbergasted, they managed to calm their hearts.
"Y-your eyes are shining! It's glistening even more than the gold refined by the midgets!"
"H-he's a demon for sure! There's no way a human would have that kind of fierce eyes!"
There really was no way for a human to have eyes that could cut through the darkness like his.
"So, is this bastard really a wandering demon? He smells similar to humans, but a bit different as well… I can also feel some magic power."
"Yea… What do we do? Mmm… I can't. Still can't do it! We have the Hero's Allied Forces right in our sights. It's quiet now, but we don't know when they'll ambush us. If they attack, people in the campsites are more dangerous."
The guards shook their heads. They looked to be concerned with the security of their nation but also apologetic toward Tom. After giving it a thought, they pointed toward the forest a small distance away.
"Make a camp there. We'll bring you food and water. There are other wandering demi-humans there, so you won't be bored."
The average demon was accustomed to the wild. Besides, there were some that were nocturnal, their hides and fur allowing them to withstand the cold and heat. These species could camp out anywhere except the most extreme regions. The orcs had taken it into consideration while making the decision.
Tom scratched his cheek awkwardly when he heard this. In reality, there was only one reason he had sought this place out: it was to meet Karakul. Only after meeting him could Tom hear whatever information Karakul had managed to gather and ask for more. However, it was becoming complicated as he was being held at the entrance.
'…I guess I have to come tomorrow morning again. Well, it's kind of an adventure to camp out leisurely in the wild!'
Tom decided to take a step back. He could see that the orcs were obviously exhausted. Regardless, they looked apologetic rather than irritated, so it would be rude to remain insistent.
Tom smiled brightly and bowed his head.
"I appreciate it."
Tom entered the forest afterward. There was a campfire within this bug-infested area where all manners of demons were gathered. A bunch of wandering orcs, and even ogres, were seated here. They were either warming themselves by the fire lit before them or sharing some meat to eat.
"Anyone looking to cook their food?"
"Ah, I prefer it raw…"
"Oi, could you bring that hot water over here?"
"You got it."