Being human but still being regarded as a demon, a heartless demon who kills the good and innocent. But did I really do those things?
I am no villain, but people want me to be. Should I just be a villain? No, I can't. I mustn't. I would be as vile as the demon God if I hurt any ordinary humans.
Those thoughts have occupied my mind ever since I saw what happened. I tried to forget, yet to no avail. Can I really live this life without any hate from fellow humans?
"If I kill people, will you guys still favor me?" I looked up at the sky and awaited their answer.
[.....]
It was silence. Can I take that as a no? Of course, they are gods of this world; they will eliminate anyone who tries to destroy, and I am no exception.
I returned to my horse and rode along the dusty paths. Night time was coming. Do I need to set up camp? Or should I just keep on going?
[Esmond, this is Echidona. I suggest you camp for the night and rest since this path is quite dangerous]
"Danger? I'm the previous hero, and now I'm a demon king. What could hurt me?" I didn't bother to think about it at that moment. I didn't realize how much her care was.
I continued down the path. The sun was down, and the wind was blowing a cold breeze. It was me and my horse alone. I made fire using magic, and that was the only light we had.
But then a sudden gush of wind passed us, and I fell off my horse. I looked around and saw nothing, literally nothing; my horse disappeared. I could hear a faint sound from my horse, then it completely vanished.
[Are you okay, Esmond?]
"Yeah, I'm okay, but what happened?" I had my guard up. I looked around, but there was seriously nothing.
[Nightcrawlers, they are a group of monsters that hunt during the night and hide during the day. They kill any animals, especially those that can be used for transportation.]
"That's a long explanation. So, tell me how I can kill them."
[Speed and light. They are afraid of the light since it is the most effective against them.]
"I got it. How about speed? How does that help?"
[You've probably noticed that your horse disappeared in the blink of an eye. It's because of their speed and teamwork.]
"I see. Thanks, now I know how to handle this", I aimed my hand towards the sky and my hand began shine as it gathered light.
Then a light came out and flew up the sky like fireworks, and as it did, the entire area grew bright. I saw them, so I grabbed my daggers from my side.
With speed, I appeared behind a nightcrawler's back and decapitated it. Strange, it looked like a goblin, but it's black with black fur around its body.
I located a few more and killed them. The light slowly faded, so I rushed to the last one. I saw it in the distance and also saw a horse carcass. Its belly was opened, and the nightcrawler was so fat from eating it that it couldn't move.
"Damn it, my precious Bucephalus! I'm sorry, Alexander the Great. I named this horse after yours and got it killed."
So I did what any human would do. I slowly cut the fat nightcrawler's limbs as it cried. "This is what you get."
"[Esmond, have pity on the poor creature]
"Ha? It didn't have pity for my precious Bucephalus", I stabbed it's belly and slowly watched it die.
Well, that was fun. I didn't have time to kill monsters during the past years. I'm glad I let that out.
Now, time to go back on the road. "Bucephalus!" Ah, wait, my horse died. Damn it, I should at least bury it. So, I did. I grabbed its dead body and covered it with dirt using magic.
Now, what should I do? I sat on the grass, covered in blood, as I thought of ways to get out of here.
[I told you not to continue!]
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry for not listening to you."
[I know you're not sorry, Esmond! Now find a way to get out of there yourself!]
"Jeez, I'm sorry then." I looked at the road and sighed it would be more than hours for the sun to rise.
"I should get going then. Uhm, can't you guys help me at least?"
No answer. Damn, I only angered Echidona. Why are they all silent? Well, anyways, I continued on my own straight path until a few more hours.