When I woke up, it was nighttime.
All I could see was a sky full of stars.
The crackling sound of burning wood.
The flickering shadows of dancing flames.
I must have fallen asleep beside a campfire.
Of course, I had no memory of starting a fire, nor of camping out under the open sky.
My last memory was... right.
The sky had suddenly changed color, and then I was engulfed in white light.
And then that dream.
Damn it.
What an awful dream.
"Hah...!"
I frantically looked down at my body.
It wasn't the heavy, useless body anymore.
I was back in young, strong
The moment I confirmed it, the memories from before began fading like a dream.
What a relief.
"Tch..."
That
But truly, thank god.
It seems I can still live in this world.
There are still so many things left undone.
...At the very least, I wanted to throw away my proof of being a magician.
I sat up.
My back ached.
I must have been left lying on the ground just like that.
Beneath the night sky, cracked earth stretched out in every direction.
Almost nothing grew here.
There wasn't even an insect—apart from the crackling of the fire, I couldn't hear a single thing.
There was even a sense that if I made a sound, it would be swallowed up by the endless silence.
Where is this place...?
At the very least, there was no such place in my memory.
All of the
Could the white light have done this...?
Wait, no.
That wasn't it.
The Man-God had told me.
I had been teleported.
To the Demon Continent.
Then this must be the Demon Continent.
It must have been because of that light... oh.
Ghislaine and
Just as I tried to stand, I noticed Eris sleeping right behind me, clutching the hem of my clothes.
For some reason, she had something like a cloak draped over her.
I didn't have one, though...
Well, I supposed I could call that ladies first.
Behind her, the "Arrogant Water Dragon King" was sprawled out on the ground.
At least there didn't seem to be any visible wounds, which was a relief.
Maybe Ghislaine or someone had taken care of things.
I thought about waking Eris up, but she looked like she'd be loud about it, so I left her alone for now.
Where was Ghislaine?
As I looked around, I noticed a figure beyond the campfire—a figure I hadn't spotted before.
"...!"
I realized instantly that it wasn't Ghislaine.
He was, yes, a man.
He stared at me motionless, as though observing me.
He didn't seem wary.
Rather, he looked at me the way someone would approach a cat cautiously.
...What was it called again?
Right.
Like how my sister used to approach a cat—tentatively, afraid of scaring it off.
Since I was a child, he was probably worried I'd be frightened.
Then he probably meant no harm.
The moment I relaxed, I noticed his appearance.
Emerald green hair.
Porcelain-white skin.
A sensory organ on his forehead like a red gemstone.
And most decisively, the three-pronged spear resting beside him.
A Superd.
A vertical scar ran down his face.
His gaze was sharp, his expression stern—he cut a fearsome figure.
At the same time, I recalled
"Don't get close to the Superd. Don't speak to them."
I almost scooped up Eris and ran at full speed, but stopped myself just in time.
I remembered what the Man-God had said.
"Rely on the man who is nearby, and help him."
That self-proclaimed god's words couldn't be trusted.
After everything he'd said, to suddenly produce this suspicious man—how was I supposed to believe that?
And a Superd, no less.
Roxy had drilled into me time and again just how terrifying this tribe was.
Even if a god told me to trust and rely on him, how could I?
Who should I trust?
The unfathomable Man-God, or Roxy?
That went without saying.
The one I wanted to trust was Roxy.
So I should run. Immediately.
No.
Maybe that was exactly why it was "advice."
Without any information at all, I would have fled from this man.
And if I managed to escape by sheer luck... then what?
Look around me.
This dark, unfamiliar landscape.
Nothing but rock, and cracked earth.
I'd been teleported to the Demon Continent.
If I took that claim at face value, then this was the Demon Continent.
Come to think of it—before the Man-God's impact made me forget—I'd seen something strange.
A dream of flying over every corner of this world.
Mountaintops, the depths of the ocean, deep forests, the bottoms of ravines...
There were plenty of places where I'd die instantly.
If that dream wasn't meaningless, then the teleportation was probably real.
And I had no idea where in the Demon Continent I was.
If I fled, I'd be dropped right in the middle of this vast continent.
In the end, there were no real options.
If I ran from this man or fought and defeated him, there would be nothing to gain by wandering the Demon Continent with just Eris.
Or should I gamble?
Gambling that there would be a settlement nearby when dawn broke?
Don't be ridiculous.
I knew all too well how painful it was to not know the way.
Calm down.
Breathe.
I couldn't trust the Man-God.
But what about this man himself?
Look closely.
Read his expression.
What was that look on his face?
It was anxiety.
A mix of anxiety and resignation.
At the very least, he wasn't a heartless monster.
Roxy had said not to get close.
But she'd also said she'd never actually met a Superd in person.
I knew about "discrimination," "persecution," and "witch hunts."
The fear surrounding the Superd might be based on misunderstanding.
Roxy might not have intended to lie.
She might simply have been mistaken.
To my instincts, this man didn't feel dangerous.
At the very least, I felt none of the shadiness I'd sensed from the Man-God.
Right now, not Roxy, not the Man-God—I would trust my own senses.
At first glance, I hadn't gotten a bad or frightening impression from him.
I'd only grown cautious because of his appearance.
Then let me at least try talking to him.
I'd judge from there.
"Good morning."
"...Ah."
I offered a greeting, and he returned one.
Now then, how should I approach this?
"Are you an emissary of the gods?"
At that question, the man tilted his head.
"I don't know what you mean by that, but the two of you fell from the sky.
Human children are fragile. I started a fire to keep you warm."
He hadn't mentioned the Man-God by name.
Had that god not passed along any message to this man?
If I was going to believe the claim that he'd done this "because it was interesting"—then perhaps the god intended to observe not just my actions but also the actions of this man who'd come into contact with me, all for his own amusement.
If that were the case, maybe this man could be trusted.
I'd talk a bit more.
"Thank you for helping us."
"...Are you blind?"
"Huh?"
That was a sudden and strange question.
"No, both my eyes open and work perfectly fine."
"Then did your parents never teach you about the Superds?"
"Maybe not my parents, but my teacher warned me strictly. She told me not to get close."
"...Do you not follow your teacher's teachings?"
He asked slowly, carefully, as if testing me.
It was like he was asking whether I was okay with the fact that he was Superd.
He was surprisingly timid.
"Are you... not afraid when you look at me?"
No, I wasn't afraid.
There was no fear.
I was only skeptical.
But there was no need to say that.
"It would be rude to be afraid of the person who saved me."
"You're a strange child."
His face was fixed with a look of bewilderment.
Strange, huh?
For a Superd, the experience of being shunned must be the norm.
I'd studied the Laplace Campaign.
I knew that after the war, the Superd had been persecuted.
Discrimination against other demon races was fading, but the prejudice against the Superd was abnormally persistent.
As if they were American soldiers during the war seen through Japanese eyes—every race loathed them.
As if to say, if absolute evil existed in this world, it was the Superd.
If I hadn't been a Japanese person in my past life who rejected discrimination, I might have screamed the instant I saw him.
"..."
He tossed a dry branch into the fire.
It popped with a sharp sound.
At the noise, Eris stirred with a small "Mmph." She might wake up.
Oh no.
If Eris woke up, she was definitely going to make a scene.
Before things got chaotic, I should at least get introductions out of the way.
"My name is Rudeus Greyrat. May I ask yours?"
Certain demon races had surnames predetermined by their tribe.
It was mainly only humans who gave themselves family names.
Apparently some other races occasionally adopted them on a whim, though.
For reference, Roxy's surname was Migurdia.
That's what the Roxy Dictionary had said.
"Ruijerd. I think this girl next to me will wake up soon, and she tends to be quite loud, so let me apologize in advance. I'm sorry in advance."
"It doesn't matter. I'm used to it."
If Eris saw Ruijerd's face, she might very well charge at him with her fists.
To avoid any hostility, I should finish the necessary conversation first.
"Excuse me, I'll sit here."
I glanced at Eris's sleeping face and decided she was still fine, then moved next to Ruijerd.
In the dim firelight, his attire was strikingly ethnic.
If I had to compare, maybe like an Indian.
An embroidered vest and trousers.
"Hmm..."
He shifted uncomfortably.
Unlike the Man-God, who had come on strong and pushy, his reserved manner left a better impression.
"By the way, changing the subject—where are we exactly?"
"This is the northeastern part of the Demon Continent, the Begaritt region. Near the ruins of Kishiris Castle."
"The Demon Continent..."
Kishiris Castle was supposed to be in the northeast of the Demon Continent, if I recalled correctly.
If the story was true, that is.
"I wonder how we ended up falling here."
"If you don't know, then I don't either."
"Fair enough."
This was a fantasy world, after nothing was impossible, I suppose...
A big shot like Perugius's subordinate had shown up, so maybe this wasn't just a coincidence.
Actually, there was a high chance the Man-God was involved.
If our being caught up in this was accidental, then just being alive was a win.
"Either way, thank you for helping us."
"No need for thanks. More importantly, where do you live?"
"The Asura Kingdom on the Central Continent. A city called Roa in the Fittoa Region."
"Asura... that's far."
"It certainly is."
"But don't worry. I will see you there."
The northeastern Demon Continent and the Asura Kingdom.
That was the far edge of the map and the near edge.
Like the distance between Las Vegas and Paris.
Plus, in this world, ships could only sail in limited waters.
That meant we'd have to go overland the long way around.
"Do you have any idea what might have happened?"
"An idea, sort of... The sky lit up, and then a man named Armagfi, the Glory of Light, appeared and said he'd come to stop the anomaly. While we were talking, a white light suddenly surged in, and... the next thing I knew, I woke up here."
"Armagfi... so Perugius mobilized.
Then something must have truly happened. You're lucky it was only a teleportation."
"Exactly. If it had been an explosion, I would've died instantly."
Ruijerd didn't flinch at the name Perugius.
So he was the type to spring into action when things happened, huh?
"By the way—have you ever heard of something called the Man-God?"
"The Man-God? No. Is it a person's name?"
"No, it's fine if you haven't heard of him."
He didn't seem to be lying.
His reason for concealing knowledge of the Man-God... I couldn't think of one.
"Still, the Asura Kingdom, huh."
"It's far, I know. That's fine—you just need to send us to the nearest settlement..."
"No. A Superd warrior does not go back on his word once it's made."
Stubborn, but straightforward.
If it weren't for the Man-God's advice, those words alone might have been enough to win my trust.
But right now, I was drowning in suspicion.
"It's at the opposite end of the world, you know."
"Children shouldn't worry about things that aren't their concern."
He reached out as if cautiously and placed his hand on my head, then tentatively patted it.
When I didn't pull away, he looked relieved.
Was this man fond of children?
But the settlement wasn't exactly a ten-minute walk away.
Being told so casually that he'd escort us there—I couldn't just accept that.
"Do you speak the common language? Do you have money? Do you know the way?"
When he said that, I realized—oh, right.
I'd been speaking in the human language this whole time, and this demon man had been answering fluently.
"I can speak the Demon God language.
Since I can use magic, I can earn enough money.
If you can just bring us somewhere with people, I can figure out the route myself."
I'd tried to steer the conversation toward declining.
This man might be trustworthy, but I had a feeling it was better not to let things proceed according to the Man-God's design.
Even though my words were tinged with suspicion, Ruijerd gave a straightforward answer.
"I see... Then at least let me serve as your escort.
If I were to leave a small child to fend for himself, it would wound the pride of the Superd."
"So your tribe values pride."
"Scarred pride, but pride nonetheless."
At that joke, I let out a chuckle.
The corner of Ruijerd's mouth was lifted too. He was smiling.
A warm smile—nothing like the Man-God's unsettling grin.
"Either way, tomorrow we'll head to the settlement where I've been staying."
"Understood."
I couldn't trust the god, but I might be able to trust this man.
At least until we reached that settlement—I'd put my faith in him.
--- Some time later.
Eris's eyes snapped open.
She bolted upright and looked around frantically.
Her expression gradually turned anxious, but when she saw me, her face visibly relaxed.
Then, immediately, she locked eyes with Ruijerd sitting nearby.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
It was less a scream and more of a shriek.
She scrambled backward as though rolling, tried to stand and run, but her legs gave out and she collapsed.
Her legs had gone completely numb.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Eris was in a full panic.
But she didn't thrash around, nor did she crawl away.
She simply cowered in place, trembling violently, her voice the only thing she could muster as she screamed.
"I don't want to! I don't want to, I don't want to! I'm scared! I'm scared, I'm scared!
Ghislaine, help me! Ghislaine! Ghislaiiiiine!
Why won't you come?! No, no! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Rudeus!
I'm sorry for pushing you! I'm sorry for not having courage!
I'm sorry for not keeping my promiiiiise! Ah, ahhhh!
WAAAAAAHHHH!"
In the end, she curled up like a turtle and burst into tears.
The sight made me shudder.
(Even Eris is... this afraid...)
Eris was a strong-willed girl.
Her personal motto was probably "I alone reign supreme over heaven and earth."
She was spoiled, violent, and punched first and asked questions later.
Was it possible I'd been making a terrible mistake all along?
Was the Superd truly someone you must never, ever encounter?
I stole a glance at Ruijerd.
He remained calm.
"That is the normal reaction."
No way.
"Then am I the abnormal one?"
"You are. But..."
"But?"
"It's not a bad thing."
Ruijerd's profile looked terribly lonely.
I felt something stir inside me.
I stood up and walked over to Eris.
At the sound of my footsteps, she flinched.
I gently stroked her back.
I remembered how, when I was little and crying because I was scared of something, Grandma used to pat my back just like this.
"See? Nothing to be scared of. Nothing to be scared of."
"Hic— of course I'm scared!
S-She's Superd!"
I couldn't understand why she was so terrified.
This was Eris, after all.
The same Eris who bared her fangs even at Ghislaine, the Sword King.
Someone like her shouldn't have anything to be afraid of.
"Is he really that scary a person?"
"Y-Yes, because she's Superd!
Superds! They—they eat children! They eat them! Hic!"
"They don't eat people."
They don't eat people, right?
I looked at Ruijerd, and he shook his head.
"I don't eat children."
Right.
"See? He doesn't eat people."
"B-But! But she's Superd! She's a demon!"
"She's a demon, but she understood the human language perfectly well."
"It's not about language!"
Eris raised her head and glared.
Her usual self had returned.
Yes, this was Eris.
"Hey, you'd better crouch down properly, you know.
Otherwise, he'll eat you!"
"D-Don't make fun of me!"
When I said it in a teasing tone, Eris glared daggers at me.
Then she turned and glared at Ruijerd too...
And started chattering her teeth.
Her eyes were brimming with tears.
If she'd been standing up straight in her usual manner, her legs would have been shaking too.
"H-My... my n-name is E-E-Eris Bo-Borea—
Half in tears, she forced out her introduction.
Glaring imperiously while introducing herself—it was almost funny.
Come to think of it, I might have taught her to do that way back when.
When you meet someone, introduce yourself first as a preemptive strike.
"Eris Boreas Greyrat, was it?
When did humans start giving children such strange names?"
"No, that's wrong!
It's Eris Boreas Greyrat! I just stumbled a little!
And you—tell me your name already!"
After shouting that, Eris suddenly went "Ah..." and her expression turned anxious.
She'd remembered who she'd just yelled at.
"I see. My apologies.
Ruijerd Superdia."
Eris's face relaxed, and she put on a smug expression.
The "See? I wasn't scared at all" face.
"R-Right? It was fine, wasn't it?
If you can talk to people, you can be friends with anyone!"
"That's right! Rudeus is absolutely right!
Mother was lying the whole time!"
So Hilda had told her that.
Just how terrifying a legend had they spun about the Superd?
Well, even I might freak out if I saw a Nure-onna or a Namahage in real life.
"What did Hilda say?"
"That if I didn't go to sleep, the Superd would come and eat me."
So it was a superstition used to get children to bed.
Like that "uncle who'll do stuff to you if you're naughty" kind of thing.
"But he hasn't eaten us.
Actually, if you become friends with a Superd, you can brag about it to everyone!"
"I-I wonder if I could brag to Grandfather and Ghislaine...?"
"Of course you can!"
I glanced at Ruijerd, and he looked surprised.
Good.
"Ruijerd doesn't seem to have many friends, so I think if Eris asked, he'd be happy to get along right away."
"B-But..."
Was I laying it on too thick?
But Eris was hesitating.
Come to think of it, Eris didn't have friends.
I was... a bit different, I supposed.
She might feel reluctant around the word "friends."
One more push.
"Come on, Ruijerd too!"
I urged him on, and Ruijerd seemed to catch the drift of things.
"Hm? Ah, ah. Eris... nice to meet you."
"! F-Fine then! I-I'll be your friend!"
When Ruijerd bowed his head, something inside Eris seemed to crumble.
Good.
Still, Eris was so simple.
It made all my overthinking seem foolish.
But since Eris was this simple, that meant I had to do the thinking for both of us...
"Whew. Anyway, let's rest a bit longer today."
"What, you're going to sleep already?"
"Yeah. Eris, I'm tired. I feel really sleepy."
"You do? Fine then. Goodnight."
When I lay down, Eris took the cloak-like thing beside her—it was probably Ruijerd's personal belonging—and draped it over me.
I was utterly exhausted.
Just before my consciousness faded: "You're not afraid anymore?"
"With Rudeus here, I'm fine."
I caught fragments of their conversation.
Yeah. At the very least, I had to make sure Eris was delivered safely.
With that thought, my consciousness slipped away.