The morning sun never pierced the heavy clouds to touch the ground. A suffocating atmosphere of dread hung permanently over the village. Compared to its once prosperous past, the place was now nothing more than a wasteland of scattered tragedies.
The stench of blood lingered in the air. Corpses lay along both sides of the road, villagers frozen in death with their eyes wide in shock.Their expressions carried no pain—meaning they had been struck down in a single blow. Only civilians' bodies remained, the ground stained with long-dried blood. From the brutality of it all…
"It was the demons." Aura concluded after a quick survey of the scene.
No one had been spared—children, adults, all slaughtered alike. This was the hallmark of demonic cruelty: merciless, thorough, and absolute. Lives trampled into nothingness without hesitation.
Ash's gaze lingered on the two familiar stone statues that still stood in the center of the ruined village. His lips remained silent, yet emotions too complex to name flickered deep within his dark pupils.
The village had been destroyed not by humans, but by demons. Protected once, it had endured countless trials. Even though more than half the villagers had been killed or wounded before, they had struggled on, clinging to revival. And yet… a passing horde of demons had finally reduced it to ash.Was this the inevitable fate of the village?
"…How pitiful," Ash murmured, crouching low. His fingertips gently brushed the cold cheek of a young child, frozen forever in terror. "If only the goddess you prayed to truly existed."
Aura frowned in puzzlement. "What are you doing?"
"I was just thinking… I never want to die like this."
"Then we can only train harder."
"…We need to come up with something."
"What do you mean?"
"The greatest gap between demons and humans when it comes to magic," Ash replied, standing slowly and looking back at the girl who always followed him, "is inheritance. Humans have teachers, traditions. We have nothing—no guidance, just fumbling in the dark. That's why our skills are so crude. Wouldn't it be better if we found a teacher?"
At those words, Aura burst out laughing so hard she nearly toppled backward. "Find a teacher? Hahaha! Oh, Ash, that's hilarious! We're demons! Who in their right mind would teach us? Are you being serious?"
"…Of course demons won't teach us. That's why we'll change our target," Ash said calmly, ignoring her sneers as he turned away. "For now… let's leave this place."
"Yes, yes~" Aura wiped away her tears of laughter, still grinning, and followed him out of the ruined village.
Before departing, Ash set fire to the abandoned homes. Flames consumed the last remnants of the place where he had once lived. Only after the blaze roared high behind him did he turn his back for good.
They hadn't walked far before Aura jabbed him in the side with her elbow, looking irritated.
"By the way, where exactly are we going next? I heard there's a Demon King up north. You thinking about going there to hang around with him?"
"…I've been considering that," Ash admitted.
"So what's your decision?"
"I'm still thinking."
"And? What's it like?"
"You're so annoying. Quiet down for once."
"Nope, I'm fine just the way I am—ooof?!"
Aura puffed out her chest proudly, but before she could finish her sentence, Ash slapped her across the face. The sharp sound cut her words off. Pushing her aside, he strode ahead, frowning, thoughts heavy with uncertainty.
If possible, he didn't want to wander endlessly anymore. Maybe… joining the Demon King would be better?
After leaving the village behind, Ash wondered whether any survivors had spread word of demons hiding there. Either way, with the massacre, the area would soon be crawling with danger.
The thought gnawed at him. He glanced at Aura, sulking as she sat atop the back of their magic bull. She avoided looking at him at first, but after noticing his gaze, she couldn't resist asking, "What now? Have you figured it out?"
"…Let's head back first. We can talk on the road."
He mounted his wolf and deliberately kept a little distance from her as he mulled over their next step.
When they returned to the crude wooden house they had been using as shelter, Ash sank into a rough-hewn sofa. Staring across at the carefree girl, he sighed.
"Thinking it through carefully… we really should leave. If we stay here, sooner or later we'll be surrounded and attacked."
"You'd better protect me well," Aura said casually. "If I get into danger, that would be a real pain."
"That's exactly what I was about to say… but isn't this the wrong time for jokes?" He sighed again, shaking his head. "Still, our bond really is deep. You truly are like a sister to me."
"Forget that—where should we actually go?"
"The north. That's where the Demon Clan's stronghold lies."
"So in the end it's the north. Well, fine by me~"
Since Ash had already chosen, Aura didn't bother questioning further. She stood and began packing her things without hesitation.
Demons didn't usually rush anything, but when survival was on the line, diligence came naturally. Aura was no exception—her actions showed it clearly.
Once the decision was made, the two began preparing at once, packing supplies to set out that very day. Their goal: to cross the continent and reach the northern stronghold of the Demon King's forces.
It wasn't loyalty to the Demon King that drove them. Demons swore allegiance to no one but themselves. They simply wanted to avoid being hunted down.
Among demons, the weak were often tormented or destroyed, yet sometimes they were simply ignored—that alone was preferable to the constant bloodshed that came with fighting humans.
Of course, humans weren't much better. They too killed each other, exploiting the weak without mercy. The difference was only in flavor: demons followed the raw law of the jungle, while humans cloaked their cruelty in society. Perhaps humans had more elaborate ways to torment one another…
Both sides, demon and human alike, considered the other abnormal. But Ash and Aura had no energy to waste debating such questions. That was the realm of philosophers, not wanderers like them.