My breathing was heavy and my body was lying weakly on the ground while pouring out a lot of blood. Despite managing to avoid most of his fatal attacks, many wounds on my body made me weaken over time.
"Oi oi, where your high fighting spirit earlier?"
The man in white armor continued to look at me with a sarcastic look before laughing out loud. I tried to stand up again but my weak legs prevented me from doing so. I looked at him while trying to stand with the strength of both my hands.
"Nice reaction..."
"WHERE WAS THE HARD FACE GO?!!"
The man kicked my stomach so hard that I was thrown a few meters back while bleeding from my mouth. I gasped weakly on the ground while holding my aching stomach.
("I HAVE PROMISED TO HIM NOT TO DIE HERE")
I used all my strength to get up again. My hands that kept shaking prevented me from getting up. I looked at the armored man in front of me who kept looking at me with a sarcastic smile.
"YOU'RE DEAD"
The man quickly charged back towards me to send a me final blow. However, his body was immediately pushed aside as soon as he approached me due to large fire magic getting thrown on him.
"Ugh, looks like we have an uninvited visitor"
The armored man managed to repel the attack using his greatsword at the very last moment. Even so, the ground where he was thrown left a severe burn mark indicating the capacity of the magic aimed at him was with an intent to kill. For a moment, the man in front of me looked into the sky while spitting blood out from his mouth.
"Warrior, show yourself"
Dimly, I saw a figure floating in the air as a huge blackish glowing greatsword appeared above him. I looked at the figure with a surprised face.
("S-SAOTO?!!")
I was surprised to see him come to help me. What was even more surprising was that he also had a sword that was exactly the same as the sword belonging to the armored man who was still standing in front of me right now. In an instant, my body was surrounded by a strange light that seemed to heal the wounds on my body.
"OI OI, COME DOWN HERE IF YOU DARE. DON'T BE A COWARD"
The man in white armour shouted loudly calling out the figure floating in the air. The figure returned his gaze with a blank stare with a burst of anger.
"The weak shall silent"
"Go to hell"
In an instant, the huge black glowing sword sped towards the man in the white armour while releasing a huge amount of energy causing the surrounding trees to shake and even some of it got blown away. I covered my blurry vision with my hand until everything calmed down again.
The armored man in front of me was nowhere to be seen. Either live or dead, I can't assure it since he disappeared without leaving any trace. Only a large crater and blackened soil left at the scene.
I looked at the man who approached me with a blank look. Saoto also walked slowly towards me with a blank look. Neither warmth was formed nor did any strange feelings arise from my gaze on him.
I realized that this man in front of me was not an ordinary man. His great strength is impossible to reach with a strong determination only. It did come from himself and he continued to hone it to become stronger. I realized that this man in front of me was none other than a Warrior who had been trained by The Kingdom to fight the demon in Terror Canyon.
I don't know why I shed tears as soon as I thought about it. This should be natural for me to hate him since we are both enemies who will never get along. Despite that, for some reason my heart breaks when I remember the warmth I had with him.
I then got up and rushed towards the man in front of me. My wound that had already gone due to the strange light that appeared just now no longer hinders my movement. I quickly hugged the body of the man in front of me tightly while shedding tears from both of my eyes.
I don't know why even though the man in front of me was also having a sword as a Warrior, I was not threatened a bit by the power of his crazy sword. I even felt calm as soon as I saw his sword as if I believed in that black shining sword. I continued to hug the body in front of me tightly without showing any sign of letting it go.
The forest remains quiet as if there are any birds chirping or wind blowing. Saoto, who had been silent since earlier, finally returned my hug by putting my head close to his chest while gently caressing my head. His shirt already wet in my tears that immediately came out as soon as I hugged him.
"S-Sei. D-Did Sei didn't scared?"
The man in front of me asked me in a tearful tone. I was shocked to hear his question and went silent for a while.
What a stupid question, I thought.
"S-Sei didn't scared at all. Sei even felt so happy as soon as Sei saw Saoto's sword"
Regardless of him being a Warrior, I am also the one to be blamed since I betrayed the trust he gave me. I kept crying as soon as I imagined my body lying weak after being thrown out of his life. Saoto held my head tightly as his tears fell on my head.
"Thank goodness. Saoto is afraid Sei'll hates Saoto..."
I was shocked to hear Saoto's words. Each of us is afraid of being dumped by the other. I shed tears of happiness as soon as I found out that I was still given the opportunity to follow the man in front of me. Tears also dripped from his eyes indicating that he was also the same as me, happy because still given a second chance.
The silent atmosphere of the forest was now filled with the sound of both of us crying. Saoto and I kept hugging each other tightly not wanting to let go of the other. For a moment, I was shocked to see Saoto who suddenly wiped the tears that flowed from my eyes with his hand.
"Sei don't be afraid. Saoto here"
Saoto looked at my face again with a smile on his face. I didn't think the man in front of me was capable of putting a smile on his face. Maybe I'm lucky to see his handsome face that is always flat looking at me with a smile on his face. My heart was so happy and slowly all my worries disappeared from my mind. My tail started to sway gently showing my very happy emotions at the moment. I continued to hug the man in front of me tightly to feel the warmth of his body which was very pleasing to my heart.
Something feels off.
Just by touching each other, a strange desire appeared in me. My heart felt like it was beating faster. My breathing felt heavier and my whole body felt very warm. My body feels strange. My tail also wiggled as if it wanted something. I looked back at the face of the man in front of me while saying in a low tone.
"Hey Saoto. Sei's body feels strange. Sei's heart is not calm at all..."
I looked directly into his face. Saoto was a little surprised to see my look that seemed to expect something from him. Unbeknownst to me, he quickly carried me with both his hands before gently stroking my head.
"Had Sei calm down?"
I nodded slowly in his embrace. My heavy eyes were closed after looking at Saoto who still smiling at me. I slept peacefully in the arms of the person I trusted more than anyone in the world.
----------------------------------------------------------
"YOU DECEIVED ME. GO AND DIE"
A man drew his katana and rushed towards me. In an instant, his body split into several parts and died in a horrible state in front of my very eyes.
The strange dream startled me from my sleep. Even though it's just a dream, sweat already dripped all over my body due to how realistic it was. I calmed myself down before opening my eyes widely. The roof made of wood filled my entire view. I pushed the blanket that was covering my body and immediately got up while looking around carefully. I was in a room in an unknown place and was sitting comfy on a bed that was not very small but quite comfortable. I continued to observe my surroundings.
For a moment I was surprised to see my large chest that usually prevented my vision disappeared from my view.The white hair that usually spreads down to my lap was nowhere to be seen too. I doubted and touched my chest quickly to assure it.
("None") (Surprised)
I don't know why I feel sad with the loss of my prominent chest. I quickly flipped the blanket that covered my body. Suddenly, sweat dripped all over my face.
My eyes widened while looking at the lower part of my body. I was shocked to see that not only was I not wearing any shirt but I was also not wearing any pants while revealing my secret part publicly. Although I was relieved to see that my 'friend' appeared there, I couldn't calm myself because it could be seen clearly by everyone since it was not covered up. I then pulled back my blanket and covered my whole body while shivering in fear.
("Why did I become a man again out of the sudden while not wearing any clothes... What did he do to my body") (Anxious)
("I'll never think he would cross that boundaries") (Shocked)
I can't think straight at the moment.
Suddenly, my ears caught the sound of the slamming door followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the bed where I was hiding myself in. I started panicking because no one in the world would be positive after seeing a man naked inside the blanket.
Pervert.
I kept scratching my non itchy head as soon as I thought about it. Suddenly, the sound of the footstep that went disappeared causing me to sit stiffly in the blanket so as not to raise any suspicion to the figure with me right now. After some time, the figure standing next to me started patting my back before saying,
"Sei, did Sei feel well?"
I was surprised as soon as I heard the voice that greeted me. I then took out my head of the blanket and looked directly at the man who was standing in front of me right now.
A quiet atmosphere filled the entire room. Neither me nor Saoto wanted to speak. We looked into each other's eyes for a while while waiting someone to speak up first.
"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!! I'M SUDDENLY LIKE THIS WHILE NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES-"
I gasped as soon as Saoto stroked my head. I don't know what I want to say in response to something like that. Saoto looked at my face with a slight smile.
"Sei, did Sei recall Sei asleep earlier? When Saoto carried Sei that was still asleep, Sei suddenly changed into how Sei is now".
I was surprised to hear Saoto's explanation. I don't know if I want to be happy or not after my body changes back to the way it was before. Deep in my heart, I was sad because I could no longer feel the warm atmosphere that enveloped me when I was with him.
"Sei, you don't need to worry about that. Sei knows well that Sei is a succubus, right?"
I was surprised to hear the topic brought up by Saoto. I then looked at him again with a surprised expression.
"Saoto knows that Sei is a man and also a succubus?"
Saoto grinned at me who seemed excited by the topic he brought up. I looked at his face with a curiosity in my face.
"As a succubus, Sei was able to change Sei's appearance according to the Sei's opponent. That explained why Sei turned back"
I looked at Saoto with a disappointed face. I also know about what he said from a novel I read once in my previous life. Sei rubbed my head again while continuing,
"It means Sei can turn back into succubus whenever Sei wants"
My eyes widened as I looked at Saoto's smiling face. Saoto removed his hand from my head after seeing the disappointment in my face fading. My heart felt calmer as soon as I knew more about myself.
"W-why did Saoto take off Sei's shirt then?"
Even though I turned back to be a man that doesn't mean I need to be sitting here naked. Saoto who seemed a little surprised by my question sat on the bed next to me. I distanced myself a little from him, worried that he would do anything to me.
("I myself am not sure that he has done something indecent to my body but I still demand a proper explanation for his action")
"Anyone who sees a man in tight-fitting women's clothes will immediately think bad as soon as they see him. That's why Saoto took off Sei's shirt by using magic."
I was shocked to hear his explanation.
("That's right. Who would think a man in tight women's clothes is normal? I might get accused of being a pervert by them ") (Stared)
I was silent for a while. In a low tone, I looked back at Saoto's face before saying,
"T-Thank you Saoto for taking good care of Sei"
Saoto smiled at me before getting up and picking up something that had been placed on the table as soon as he entered the room. He turned back to face me as he handed me the new looking clothes.
"Here, wear this. Saoto bought it at a clothing store around here"
I accepted the clothes Saoto handed me. I then looked back at Saoto's face while asking something that had been bothering me from earlier.
"Saoto, where are we already? It's still a long way to go-"
"We have arrived at Terror Canyon"
"Huh?!!"
"More precisely in Miltia, the region that Saoto leads"
I then wrapped my head back into the blanket.
("He really did all the walking by himself?!! Even carrying a weight like me...") (Stared)
I was surprised to feel Saoto's hand patted my back.
"EEP?!!"
"Why Sei, did something bothering Sei?"
"N-nothing"
Saoto was silent and didn't give any response for a while. I still covered my whole body because I refused to look at his face. Even though we are both men, I feel sad because I can't fulfill his request to be his lover in my state like this. I kept thinking about it until my head seemed to be gently caressed by the hand of the man next to me.
"Sei change your clothes first. Saoto will wait outside. After that we will move on to the palace"
I could feel Saoto kiss my forehead before leaving me alone in the room. Although I refused to look at him, I felt calm knowing that he still treated me the same as before.
I took out my head which I kept it hidden from his view. I pondered for a while to think about my next move.
For a moment, my bitter and painful past crossed my mind. I am nobody in this world. I used to sit in the forest when I was little. But Saoto who came from nowhere invited me to stay in his palace. I was ridiculed and looked down upon by the people around me, but he did not treat me like that and instead served and took care of me well. I, who never used to feel some strange feeling when I was with someone somehow feel it when I was with him.
I let out a heavy breath. I thought for a moment before finally making up my mind. Regardless of whether I will remain in this form or not, I will still accompany him. I will try my best to fulfill his wishes but if my destiny says otherwise, I don't mind staying by his side.
Either his buddy or his lovey.
I then got up and put on the shirt he gave me. I then rushed after him who had been waiting for me outside.
("Saoto looked at me with a smile on his face that time, I won't let that smile go away like it was when I first met him")
I have made up my mind.
----------------------------------------------------------
In a magnificent building, four people wearing armor gathered at a long and large table. A guard ran hastily towards the table and paid respects to all the figures who were sitting casually in their respective chairs.
"Coming to report. Warrior Rud has been confirmed dead along with a hundred elite mages who have been deployed to the Bloody Forest, the border of The Kingdom and the Terror Canyon near Grion"
A man wearing black armor laughed out loud as soon as he heard the report delivered by the guard.
"Hahahahaha, really interesting"
"What's so funny, Rodrick-Sama?"
A woman wearing red armor asked as soon as she saw the man in front of her laughing by himself. The man named Rodrick grinned before looking back at the face of the woman who questioned him with a condescending look.
"They are trying to deceive us. The Grion area is the domain of the Demon King Laius. If they go there, they must have been dragged here."
Everyone was silent while listening to the man's explanation.
"After all, the Demon King has an agreement that does not allow any of them to disturb their respective territories. The Demon King Saoto won't take such a stupid action to save a girl" he replied again.
The woman in red armor was silent for a moment as she thought about something.
"Demon King Saoto. The Demon King who just ascended the throne in the East part of Terror Canyon? To think about it again, he needs to be watched because he successfully defeated the previous Demon King, Baros. He is indeed a genius because despite his very young age he was able to achieve that"
Another woman raised her hand to ask something.
"What makes us act in such a hurry? Our people have been safe without any problems from the demon for over the last thousand years"
Rodrick was silent for a moment as he readjusted his body posture. He placed both hands on the table before seriously looking at the faces of everyone present.
"The woman who was taken away is suspected of being the Tyrant Demon King"
Everyone present was surprised but silently helped without giving any response. Suddenly a soldier raised his hand to report something.
"The elite mage unit consisting of a hundred middle nobles has been crushed. We can't-"
Rodrick raised his hand to cut off the report the man wanted to convey.
"We will send Warrior Mona to manage the problem in Miltia"
All of a sudden, everyone present was surprised to hear Rodrick's proposal. The woman in golden armor stood up and slammed the table hard while looking directly into Rodrick's face.
"Why would we send our most talented warrior candidate directly to him?"
The atmosphere was quiet for a moment. However, in the crowd, a man in green armor clapped his hands at the idea given by Rodrick.
"Brilliant idea. We can see for ourselves how capable the Demon King Saoto is, in confrontation with our strongest potential warrior"
"But-"
"Even if that Demon King is able to defeat Warrior Rud who is equal to us, that doesn't mean that he is invincible. After all, Rud just depends on his muscles and lacks in terms of strategy"
Rodrick added some reasons for the proposal he proposed. The golden-armored woman fell silent again and sat back in her chair.
"Not only that, we will lose more troops if we continue to underestimate him. By deploying a strong warrior, we can ensure his strength first and combine the rest of the available strength"
Everyone present was silent in agreement. The golden-armored woman lowered her head before continuing again,
"Understood..."
"We are responsible for keeping the human world from being destroyed by the Demon"
Everyone rose from their seats and cheered before leaving the building.
A tall, bound yellow haired woman wearing iron armor leaning against a pillar of a building.
Rodrick who left the discussion stopped for a moment beside her before whispering something,
"Don't fail. The Tyrant Demon King is not a figure to be underestimated"
The woman looked down before Rodrick walked back out of the building. The woman raised her face and looked at a blurry picture hanging on the wall of the building.
"The Tyrannical Demon King..."
----------------------------------------------------------
I stand in front of the door that separates me from the building I currently live in and the outside world that I don't know. The Demon Race is known for having its advantages according to each species and being able to use magic makes them difficult for normal humans to deal with. I swallowed my spit deeply and gave myself to open the door in front of me.
For a moment I was fascinated to see the scene that I witnessed with both eyes at this time. Despite being made up of various demon races, they all live in harmony with each other. Even though the city is still like a medieval city, children run around the streets without any fear and even have smiles on their faces. I was amazed to see the scene in front of me which is hard to believe by all means.
I looked around to find Saoto who had been waiting for me. It didn't take long for me to find him sleeping on a chair. I briefly smiled thinking that even if I was in this form or not he still respected me as who I was before. Slowly, I walked closer to him to surprise him.
("Saoto")
("SAOTO")
Saoto opened his eyes while stretching his body. He then looked at me with a small smile on his face.
"Has Sei decided? The choice is in Sei's hands"
He asked me while looking directly into my face. I smiled back at him while patting his back.
"Don't be so serious, Saoto. If I can't be your companion, I don't mind staying as a friend"
Saoto was a little surprised to hear my answer. He then stood up after welcoming the hand I gave him as a sign of approval.
"But Saoto, I won't give up first. So, please teach me how to be a succubus"
Saoto was surprised before looking back at me with a small smile on his face. Then he hugged my body tightly but with a quick reflex, I held him back with a panicked reaction.
"Oi, that habit has to change a little because now we're friends" (Panicked)
I hugged Saoto's shoulders tightly and smiled at his face. He who was a little surprised by my actions just now responded by hugging my shoulders tightly as well.
"Alright. Saoto will help, but the final decision remains in Sei's hands"
I was happy when Saoto was willing to accept me even if not as his life partner. Even so, I still promised to keep the smile etched on his face at this time. In a moment, a cat race ran towards us and pulled Saoto's hand before we were surrounded by his friends.
"Mahou, Mahou, is this Mahou's bride?"
("EEK?") (Surprised)
I was anxious and moved my hands spontaneously, but Saoto first lowered himself while gently stroking the child's head.
"He's Mahou's friend and Mahou's future partner"
I was shocked to hear Saoto's confession and then bowed my head in depression.
("Why did you mention that last part...") (Depressed)
For a moment I was surprised as soon as Saoto held my shoulder tightly.
"Oi, don't be depressed yet. Sei said Sei hasn't given up yet, right?"
I raised my face and looked at the face of the man next to me. Saoto and everyone there looked at me with a smile.
"Hmmph" (Smiling)
I then stood up and led Saoto's hand while moving forward. A surprised Saoto followed me with a smile on his face.
"LET'S SEI TEACH WHAT FRIENDS MEAN!!!) (Enthusias)
I was silent for a while after remembering something. I then looked at the faces of Saoto and the children who were looking at me back.
"Which place to visit here?"
Saoto and everyone watching was silent before each of them burst out laughing after hearing my question. I was depressed for a moment before my arm was quickly pulled by Saoto.
"Let's have fun, Sei"
I smiled looking at Saoto's face and then followed his steps, leading my hand somewhere.
We walked around the town before I stopped after seeing something. Saoto immediately stopped when he found his hand restrained from continuing to pull my body.
"Can we play there" (Excited)
Saoto smiled at me who looked excited and followed me into the place that caught my attention earlier. I looked around with an amazed face.
"Wow, there's a fun fair over here. I didn't think it was true at first glance. Even though the city is like the medieval age-"
Saoto patted my shoulder making me a little surprised.
"What makes Sei wonder? In The Kingdom specifically in its big city, there is this too and even more developed than this"
I nodded slowly hearing Saoto's words. I then quickly pulled his arm somewhere. Saoto looked at me with a smile as he continued to walk quickly after me.
We stopped at many stalls there.
"Sei, you have to aim well before you shoot and then-"
The bead bullet I fired hit Saoto in his forehead.
"Aah... S-sorry-"
Saoto grabbed the gun in my hand before continuing,
"Here I show you how it's done"
In an instant, I was lying on the ground after being shot with beads in various places on my body. I finally realized that the man next to me was a little vindictive.
"Ou-ouch"
Saoto handed me a gift that looked like a stuffed animal to me. I, who had been complaining about the pain earlier, rejected Saoto's gift while panicking.
"T-That's a woman's t-"
"Just take it, Sei. If not, why are you playing it in the first place?"
I gave up and finally accepted Saoto's gift. Saoto who was tired was surprised when his hand was pulled back by my hand to another place.
We stopped at many stalls offering various games and prizes. I was very excited to try every single game available even though I didn't manage to get any prizes from it. Saoto, who had been following since then, continued to win every game I played and got many prizes even though he kept handing them to me.
I'm now holding all the gifts that were hilling and blocking my view.
"I think I'mma dead now" (Depressed)
"Let's Saoto help"
In an instant, all the prizes that were won went into magic spell that was cast by Saoto. I was surprised to see it asking excitedly,
"What kind of magic is that? It's so practical" (Excited)
"This one? It is storage-kinda magic that is used by simply manipulating space"
I nodded after hearing his explanation. I looked at Saoto's face while smiling. Since I didn't need to hold any gifts, I quickly pulled his hand toward another booth. However, I stopped as soon as Saoto pulled my hand back.
"Saoto has been following Sei since earlier. Now, Sei needs to follow Saoto"
I was surprised to hear Saoto's request. But I don't deny that he has followed many stalls I stopped by earlier. It's hard for me to refuse his request. I nodded slowly before we walked away from the theme parks.
"W-WHY ARE WE STOPPING HERE"
I was surprised as soon as I saw Saoto taking me right in front of a bar. My mind started to think strangely as soon as I saw this kind of place.
"We should go inside first"
Instantly, everything I imagined was destroyed as soon as I saw the atmosphere in the bar. Rather than being said to be a place to have fun between men and women, it seems more like a place to relax and hang out with friends.
"Saoto feels tired. We'll drink here first. If you don't want to drink wine, you can ask for another drink"
"Who said I don't want to drink? My friend has invited me and I won't refuse"
I looked at Saoto's face with a full smile. Even though this was my first time drinking it, I didn't want to make him sad by not accompanying him to drink. We then sat at the table and wooden chairs that were prepared before being served the drink that we ordered.
"Cheers"
Saoto and I drank the wine to relieve our tiredness at the theme park earlier. Saoto drank a lot and I started to lose consciousness after drinking a glass. Without realizing it, I who was drunk snapped Saoto's hand and held his hand tightly.
"Sa-Saoto, thank you for playing with Sei. Sei has never played any game like that before in Sei's life. But Saoto stopped and followed Sei's wishes and continued to accompany Sei to play every game. But Sei felt that something was missing in each game we played. Sei wants to be touched and caressed like we used to do. Sei doesn't feel at ease when Saoto doesn't do anything. But Sei knows that Sei is just a friend-"
Saoto gently stroked my head which was lying on the table because I was very drunk. I was silent for a moment and became calmer as soon as I was gently caressed by his hand. It feels like I got what I wanted all this time. Slowly, my consciousness disappeared after being so drunk. However, my ears still managed to catch something coming out of Saoto's mouth.
"If that's what Sei wants, Sei has to be confident in Sei's choice. Saoto will help"
I smiled a little before slowly losing consciousness and not feeling anything anymore. Everything became black and quiet.
("Sei already chose Saoto")