"Is that so? But your face is completely blank. Is that how you talk to your beloved?" Aura stepped out of the water, closely observing Ash's expressionless face as he read, looking puzzled.
Unfortunately, Ash had no intention of engaging, not even to retort her odd "beloved" comment. He washed his hands in the cold river water, stood up, and headed toward the bushes they came from, saying without looking back, "Done washing? Let's go, or the meat will be snatched by beasts or monsters."
"Ugh, Ash, you're so boring."
"Show some respect for your big brother, you brat."
"I'd love to, but you show so little care and affection for your sister. And who calls their beloved sister a thing or a brat?"
"Humans do, actually."
"Huh? Really?" Aura's face lit up with surprise, instinctively following him while thoughtfully advising, "Humans are so barbaric, Ash. You're a demon. How can you act like those savages?"
What do I do? She actually believed me. Should I tell her the truth? Nah, it's kind of fun. Let's keep it like this for now. Ash, walking ahead, covered his face in mild distress before promptly dismissing the issue.
It wasn't a big deal, so no need to dwell on it. He'd figure out a plan if she realized something was off.
After another year of joyful coexistence in the great forest with his quirky sister, Aura, despite lacking sufficient combat strength without protection, rapidly built an army of nearly a hundred controlled beasts and monsters with Ash's help and her tamed creatures, growing like a snowball.
Over the years, the two, having mapped out the forest, navigated its dense jungles and soon reached a human village near the mountains.
Without any resistance, their controlled minions swept through like a landslide, effortlessly occupying the village without bloodshed.
Looking at the trembling villagers gathered in the center, Aura proudly declared, "From today, we are your masters!"
"From today, you'll cook for us!" Ash immediately voiced his greatest wish.
Aura was dumbfounded. "Ash, don't you have any bigger ambitions? Shouldn't we just kill them?"
"What are you talking about? Isn't it great to have people cook for us? Or do you want to cook for me yourself?"
"Let's keep them then! These humans may be barbaric, but they have some value."
Though her instincts urged her to kill, the thought of avoiding chores and memories of being bossed around and roughly treated by Ash over the years quickly overrode her impulses.
Seeing demons leading nearly a hundred beasts and monsters, a dozen hunters initially tried to resist, but Ash's gravity magic pinned them to the ground, forcing the others to abandon resistance in despair.
Their conversation, however, sparked a sliver of hope among the villagers, and Ash stepped forward again at the right moment.
"No need to worry, everyone. We're good people. No, good demons. Well, not exactly. Anyway, we're good demons."
How do humans in this world view demons? Encountering humans for the first time, Ash felt a small pang of worry.
Though his frustrating system promised strength through killing, its actual effects were unclear, and reckless slaughter might get him labeled a Demon King. Plus, he didn't enjoy senseless killing, so he chose to lay low and develop quietly for now.
The villagers were skeptical of the sudden appearance of someone leading a horde of monsters and beasts surrounding their village, especially this "human" claiming to be a demon.
Indeed, Ash's appearance was entirely human, lacking the characteristic demon horns, making it hard to distinguish him from one.
Only a mage with deep knowledge of demons could identify him by his aura; ordinary humans couldn't tell the difference.
Ash noticed this and thought claiming to be human might be easier.
But with Aura nearby, and considering that hiding his identity might erode trust later, he decided not to bother pretending, spreading his hands. "Don't judge by appearances. I'm really a demon, but we don't plan to kill. So, we hope you'll cooperate with us."
"Cooperate?" An elderly man, likely the village head, stepped forward.
"Yes. If you take care of us, we'll protect you from beast and monster attacks. Sounds fair for a village on the forest's edge, right?"
"Just that?" The elder was dubious.
"You'll see through our cooperation. Of course, you're not allowed to leave for other villages or populated areas."
Actions spoke louder than explanations, so he didn't elaborate, forcing the agreement.
Under the wary villagers' guidance, they went to the village's best house.
Soon, under the monsters' watch, the villagers served food.
The table held cheese, bread, milky soup, roasted meat dripping with fat, and baked chestnuts wafting a sweet aroma.
The enticing smells overwhelmed the two, who had lived like savages in the mountains. They exchanged a glance, reaching out in unison, grabbing food without regard for past courtesies.
They didn't worry about poison, knowing ordinary toxins were ineffective against demons, and a village like this wouldn't have anything potent enough.
Thanks to the food, Aura fully trusted Ash's judgment after the meal, deciding to settle there together.
Initially, the villagers were terrified, but with the help of the beasts and monsters, hunting success soared, injuries plummeted, and, as Ash promised, external threats vanished.
The controlled creatures also aided in farming, boosting efficiency and helping reclaim new fields.
In the first winter, this poor border village saw no starvation deaths for the first time.
This shifted their mindset. By the third year, they built statues of Ash and Aura as guardian deities, though they quietly omitted Aura's horns to avoid heresy accusations.
Relying on the villagers' support, Ash and Aura focused on studying magic and enjoyed good meals daily.
After the first year, they relaxed restrictions, allowing the village head and a few willingly controlled villagers, bound by Aura's obedience magic, to move freely and procure supplies, unable to betray them.
Beyond the command to self-destruct if betraying, their lives were unchanged, just unable to defy Aura's orders.
For ordinary villagers, a life of mental constraint with full bellies versus mental freedom with starvation risks was an easy choice.
In this medieval era, where meals were inconsistent and starvation was a real threat in this poor border village, their kingdom was also at war with neighboring nations, burdened by heavy taxes.
Through this human village, Ash learned about the world's structure. They were in the Southern Lands, far from the demons' stronghold in the Northern Continent.
Thus, only scattered demons appeared here, with fewer demonic threats, leading to frequent wars between nations.
Each wanted to conquer the other but couldn't, resulting in constant conflicts, recently intensifying, even affecting this remote village with two war orphans fleeing here.
Those two orphans, escaping the war, provided Ash with valuable outside information.
"Humans in any world always end up fighting each other, don't they?"
During a break from magic practice, Ash gazed at the wheat fields, musing on the state of their kingdom before quickly dismissing such philosophical thoughts.
The sunset bathed the golden wheat fields near the buildings, rippling like a golden sea in the breeze.
The serene scene felt unlike a border village in a war-torn kingdom, so peaceful it made Ash lazy, lying on the grass by the village, leaning against a tree, eyes closed, ready for a nap.
But before he could drift off, a hesitant, aged voice interrupted, "Lord Ash, it's almost dinner time. Lady Aura hasn't left her room for three days. Shouldn't you check on her?"
"No worries. Three days won't starve a demon. She's probably just focused on her magic." He glanced back at the hesitant old village head.
The fact that humans cared about a demon's well-being amused him more than Aura's seclusion.
It wasn't surprising, though. They had reached a strange mutual reliance with the village, where neither could easily part, especially the humans, who depended more on Aura.
Ash's nonchalant dismissal, clearly uninterested in checking on Aura, left the old village head at a loss, hesitating without knowing what to say.
But Ash didn't care much, standing up and heading into the village, saying without looking back, "Don't worry too much. She'll come out when she's hungry."
"Is that so?"
"Exactly."
Shrugging carelessly, he offered no further explanation, heading to the house the villagers had willingly built last year.
Villagers he passed greeted him with smiles.
Inside, food was already set on the table. The middle-aged woman who cooked was leaving, and he nodded with a smile. "It's getting chilly lately. You and Lady Aura should eat while it's hot."
"Thanks."
Ash nodded slightly, sitting at the table to eat alone, not bothering to call Aura, knowing she'd throw a fit if disturbed.
The rough wooden table held simple fare: coarse bread, homemade cheese, freshly roasted beast meat, and fresh vegetables. Not gourmet, but far better than their old savage life.
Ash ate quietly, his face showing little emotion, but his eyes revealed contentment and calm, seemingly satisfied with the status quo.
Yet, in this peaceful atmosphere, twilight crept into the room's depths, carrying a faint sense of impending trouble.
Outside, the wind stirred, rustling leaves, as if nature whispered something ominous.
Ash knew coexistence between humans and demons would bring issues, but when those would arise was anyone's guess.
So he didn't dwell on it, savoring the quiet meal and this moment of peace.
But the trouble he feared arrived one late autumn afternoon, though not as he expected.
On that autumn afternoon, the sunlight was soft and warm, the air slightly cool.
The sky was a deep blue, with a few clouds drifting lazily, distant farmers harvesting, nearby cows and sheep grazing idly, and the occasional chirps of insects and birds.
The tranquility made Ash lie on a haystack of wheat, basking in the sun, dozing off.
But half-asleep, someone nudged his shoulder.
Opening his eyes, he saw Aura, now eighteen but little changed, looking down at him, brows furrowed. "Stop sleeping. Something's wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"The magic wolf working with the hunters was killed."
"Is that so?"
Sitting up, pondering whether it was humans, monsters, or demons, he caught a whiff of blood in the breeze, mingled with wheat and floral scents.
His ears picked up distant hoofbeats and panicked shouts, prompting him to stand and look toward the sound.
A troop of blood-stained cavalry charged from the nearby fields.
Their banners marked them as soldiers of the Telton Kingdom, enemies of their current Tadd Kingdom.
To counter forest beast attacks, these heavily armed cavalry launched a guerrilla raid near the border.
The lead rider's spear bore the body of Julius, a familiar young hunter and war orphan who had fled here to escape conflict, recently apprenticed.
"He kept trying to escape war, but even here, he couldn't. Poor guy."
Ash squinted calmly, taking the sword the trembling village head handed him.
Unlike the others, the village head was far from calm, pleading urgently, "Lord Ash, please, you must protect us!"
"I'll do my best."
In this medieval war, there were no real boundaries. Wars always lacked limits, but this era was worse. Victors plundered, raped, and massacred without restraint.
Slaughtering enemy border villages and towns to sow panic, disrupt economies, and weaken resolve was standard, also letting soldiers indulge literally.
None of this was surprising, but their presence as demons in the village added a dramatic twist.
"Why are demons in this village, with so many monsters?" The officer leading over thirty cavalry, sweeping the area, noticed the village's beasts and monsters, and Aura beside Ash, his expression souring.
But the mage beside him, eyeing the village's faintly magical figures, smirked confidently. "No worries, Lord Maynard. That demon and the mage beside him are clearly novices. These monsters are just common local species, relying on numbers alone."