Chapter 9: Heading North to the Demon Clan's Headquarters
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The morning sun did not penetrate the clouds to reach the earth. An atmosphere of horror always lingered over the village. Compared to its once prosperous past, the village now stood as a place filled with scattered tragedies.
The air was heavy with the strong scent of blood, and the villagers lying lifeless on both sides of the road had died with their eyes wide open in shock.
There were no signs of pain on their faces, suggesting they had been killed instantly. The only traces left were the corpses of civilians and long-dried blood on the ground. Judging by the methods used...
"It was the demons," Aura concluded after a brief observation of the scene.
No one had been spared, whether children or adults. This was typical of the demons' style—ruthless, cruel, and thorough—where lives were mercilessly ravaged and trampled upon.
Ash stood in silence, staring at the two familiar stone statues in the center of the village, indescribable emotions flickering deep within his dark pupils.
The village had been protected by demons and wasn't destroyed by humans. Even though more than half of the villagers had been killed or injured, the village had been trying to recover. However, it was soon completely destroyed by passing demons. Was this the village's fate, or was there something more?
"...How pitiful," Ash murmured as he crouched down, gently brushing the cold cheek of a young child with his fingertips. "It would be great if the goddess you believe in really existed."
Aura appeared confused. "What are you doing?"
"I just don't want to end up like this."
"I can only continue to work hard on my power"
"...We need to think of some way."
"A way?"
"The biggest difference between demons and humans in magic is the matter of inheritance. We don't have a teacher, so we have to figure everything out on our own, which is why we're still third-rate. Wouldn't it be better to find a teacher?"
Ash slowly stood up and turned toward the girl who always followed him.
But Aura's response was to burst into laughter, almost falling backward. "Just find a teacher? Haha! Hahaha! Ash, you're so funny! We're demons! How could anyone possibly teach us? Are you serious?"
"...Of course, the demons won't teach us. So, we'll have to change our target." He ignored Aura's laughter and walked ahead without looking back. "But for now... let's leave this place."
"Yes, yes~" Aura wiped away her tears of laughter, her tone devoid of interest, and followed him out of the village.
Before leaving, Ash set fire to the houses, letting the village, once his home, be engulfed by flames. He then turned away and left.
But before they had walked too far, Aura nudged his stomach with her elbow, looking annoyed.
"By the way, where are we going next? I heard there's a demon king in the north. Want to go hang out there?"
"...I've been thinking about that, too."
"So, what's the plan?"
"I'm still thinking."
"And how's that going?"
"You're getting on my nerves. Can you tone it down a bit?"
"No, I'm fine... oo??"
Aura puffed out her chest in defiance, but before she could finish, Ash slapped her across the face, cutting off any further words.
He pushed Aura aside, who was standing in his way, and walked ahead quickly, frowning as he worried about what to do next.
If possible, he didn't want to keep wandering aimlessly. Maybe it would be better for him to join the Demon King?
....
After leaving the village, Ash wondered if the surviving villagers had told anyone about the demons living there. But now that the demons had massacred the village, the area would become even more dangerous for them.
This thought troubled him again and again. He glanced over at Aura, who sat not far away, sulking but already settled on the back of the magic bull.
Though she didn't want to engage with him, she couldn't help but ask, noticing his gaze, "What's wrong? Have you figured it out yet?"
"...Let's go back first. We'll talk while we walk."
Ash then mounted the back of the wolf, keeping some distance from Aura, as he continued to ponder their next move.
Upon returning to the simple wooden house where they had been living, he sat on the rough wooden sofa, looking at the indifferent girl sitting across from him. He sighed deeply:
"After thinking it over, we really need to leave here. If we stay any longer, we might get surrounded and attacked."
"You better protect me well. It'd be a pain if I were to get in danger."
"That's exactly what I wanted to say... But is this really the right time for this discussion?" He sighed again, shaking his head. "Our bond is strong enough—typical for siblings, I suppose."
"More importantly, where should we go after we leave?"
"The north. That's where the demon clan's base is."
"So, it's the North after all? Well, I don't mind."
Since Ash had already made his decision, Aura didn't bother overthinking it. She simply stood up and began packing her things.
Demons weren't known for procrastination when it came to survival. In fact, they could be even more diligent than others. Aura's behavior in this regard was no exception.
So, with their minds made up, the two began packing together, preparing to cross the continent that day and head north toward the demon gathering place.
It wasn't because they particularly liked other demons or felt any loyalty toward the Demon King. Demons were only loyal to themselves. For now, they just wanted to avoid being killed.
Though demons frequently killed each other, and the weak were mercilessly trampled, they were sometimes ignored. That was preferable to the certainty of being hunted down by humans.
Of course, humans weren't much better. They also killed each other and ruthlessly abused the weak. The difference was that demons operated by the law of the jungle, while humans were more structured socially. Though, the perverted ones found even more creative ways to exploit the weak.
Maybe both demons and humans thought the other was abnormal, but—at least neither Ash nor Aura had the energy to dwell on philosophical or sociological questions like that.