Chapter 230: Unexpected Reunion

Ed borrowed a horse from the stable and headed towards the First City.

It was only natural that magical beasts would get excited and rush towards such an easy prey, someone traveling alone across the desolate open field, not moving in a group.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

The ground trembled. A cloud of dust rose, and in the distance, a swarm of magical beasts came into view.

Yet, Ed’s expression remained unchanged.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve used my unique ability.’

He didn’t stop the horse, nor did he even slow down. Continuing to gallop, he firmly gripped the reins with one hand and brought the other to his mouth. He bit the tip of his white glove and pulled it off.

A bizarre black pattern that covered the back of his hand partially revealed itself.

Ed was born when demonic energy infused the wind. It wasn’t just the combination of pure wind and demonic energy that gave him life, though; there was also the offering of a human corpse.

On a day when the wind was fierce, at the boundary between day and night, lay the corpse of a human general. The corpse was corroded and decomposed by demonic energy, then recombined to form the flesh of a demon. The raging wind that mixed in became his unique ability.

Perhaps because of his unique ability, or because the corpse had been half-anchored in the Human Realm, or perhaps because he was a demon born from devouring a corpse, unlike most demons, his hair held the pale sunlight, and his eyes contained the clear sky. Relatively early on among the demons, he earned a favorable reaction from Deon Hart.

[Nice to meet you. My name is Ed, and from today, I will serve Demon-nim. I heard that your condition worsened while stopping the Hero’s self-destruction. I will do my best to assist you so that you do not feel even the slightest discomfort.]

[The color…….]

[Yes?]

[……No, it’s nothing. Please, take care of me.]

Ed remembered that at that time, for a brief moment, Deon’s red eyes, which had been thickly walled off, scanned his eyes and hair alternately before relaxing slightly. Later, Deon casually mentioned that unlike other demons, his appearance, including his coloring, was human-like.

It was then that Ed realized.

Ah, Demon-nim feels aversion to ‘demon-like things.’

He’s human, so it’s understandable. More precisely, it seems he feels aversion to ‘things different from humans,’ so it would be better to hide the characteristics of a demon.

The only demonic feature I have is the pattern that runs from my arm to the back of my hand. Since my arm is covered when I wear a suit, I just need to cover my hand. So, I’ve been wearing gloves all along.

‘Demon-nim…….’

The distance I had barely managed to close widened again.

Why is he suddenly distancing himself? Did I do something wrong?

His thoughts, drifting aimlessly, returned to Deon Hart and circled around him. Feeling a stuffiness in his chest, Ed deliberately stopped thinking and looked straight ahead.

“……Quite a lot of them have gathered in the meantime.”

He stretched out his bare hand towards the swarm of magical beasts blocking his path.

Since there was no one around but magical beasts, there was nothing to hold back. He spurred his horse forward, glaring at the magical beasts.

The distance rapidly closed, and just before impact, twitch—the pattern on the back of his hand moved.

Kwaaaang!!

The magical beasts were torn apart. No, even the noise itself was torn apart for a moment.

The black wind, swirling and tearing apart everything in front of it, slowly dissipated. The pattern on the back of Ed’s hand had long since vanished.

After a few seconds of silence, noise began to fill the empty space again. Ed spurred his horse into the now clear path, without hesitation, as the magical beasts were still unable to approach.

His heart was racing, and he could feel the wind filling his empty arm once more.

‘One hour until I can use it again.’

The remaining charge must be used carefully.

Still, thanks to the scene they just witnessed, the magical beasts seemed to be hesitant, so he should be able to reach the First City before things get dangerous.

In the first place, it’s not just because of a unique ability with such critical limitations that I was even considered as a legion commander candidate.

Ed calmly rode his horse, showing no signs of unease.

***

A boring afternoon with nothing to do.

Thump, thump!

The gatekeeper, who had been dozing off leaning against the door, was startled awake by the sudden vibration and noise. He straightened up in surprise.

Confused for a moment, he soon realized that the noise was from someone knocking on the gate from outside. His eyes widened in disbelief. It was because….

‘Surely, there weren’t any scheduled visits for today?’

In other words, this visit was strictly personal, meaning those outside were a minority.

‘A small group broke through that swarm of magical beasts and came here?’

The city gates, which were always open, had been closed except for special cases because the number of magical beasts had increased significantly.

For a moment, he even doubted if he had mistaken the sound of magical beasts bumping into the gate, but this was definitely a knock. A controlled sound of impact, rhythmically and intentionally knocking.

He hastily picked up the communicator stone.

“Hey, someone’s knocking outside right now. Can I open it?”

– …….

“Hey?”

– Uh… uhh…….

Is that a yes or a no?

Opening it without proper confirmation could lead to a disaster, letting magical beasts inside the city walls. Frowning, the gatekeeper spoke firmly into the communicator again.

“Speak clearly. Open it or not? Do we need troops to block magical beasts while opening?”

– ……You can open it. No need for troops either. There are no living magical beasts out there.”

The reaction was strange, but it was the guy on the city walls who had checked the outside directly. There was no reason not to believe him.

He reached for the device to open the city gate. Since it was likely a small group, he only needed to open it a little. If it were a large group, they would have scheduled a visit in advance and contacted them, so it was unlikely to be a large number.

As he moved the device, with a heavy rumble, the city gate opened slightly, revealing a gap. As if waiting, someone on horseback entered through the opening.

‘……One person?’

He waited, expecting a group to follow, but no one else came in.

Rather, the rider seemed to find the gatekeeper standing still strangely and asked,

“What are you doing, not closing the gate?”

“The group….”

“There isn’t one.”

Huh.

Unbelievable. Did he really come alone? The doubt that had briefly risen soon subsided as he sensed the ominous demonic energy emanating from him.

‘……He might have a reason to come alone.’

It was overwhelming, making it hard to gauge properly, but it felt almost like the demonic energy of the troops stationed in Demon King’s castle, especially close to the level of a high-ranking officer.

Even so, usually, to prepare for any unforeseen situation, one would bring companions. Does this mean he’s confident in his own abilities?

Anyway, since there are no more demons coming, he needs to close the city gate again. He placed his hand back on the device. And to make a final check, he glanced outside the gate without much thought, and froze on the spot.

‘……Did a storm carrying blades pass through here?’

Even though it was an extremely limited view through the narrow gap, it was shockingly clear that countless remains of magical beasts were scattered there.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, the horse passed the frozen gatekeeper and headed inside. Only after his presence faded into the distance, the gatekeeper could recall one memory.

‘His demonic energy felt strangely familiar….’

He remembered. It was the same feeling as the ominous demonic energy of the adjutant who had been beside the 0th Legion Commander when he visited.

……Wait, does that mean?!

***

He used the last remaining charge of his unique ability in front of the city gates. If he had left them as they were, they might have been dragged into the city when he entered, which would have been troublesome.

While trying to control it as much as possible, fearing damage to the city walls or gates, some gruesome remains were left behind, but at least the magical beasts were cleared away, so it was fine.

‘Now then, where should I go?’

After leaving his horse at the stable, Ed stopped in his tracks and looked around.

All he could see were unhealthy establishments like bars and gambling dens. A thought crept into his mind that he should have gone to the Fourth City, even if it was a bit further. The Fourth City was a city for relaxation.

‘……No, if I had gone there, I wouldn’t have been able to stay long before having to leave again.’

He dismissed his lingering feelings and sank back into thought.

This city of entertainment might be a relaxing place for some, but not for him. After a moment of hesitation, Ed decided to have a drink for the first time in a while and started walking.

There were so many bars that he didn’t need to bother searching.

He entered a bar that caught his eye and sat down, ordering only one drink. Something not too strong.

“Hey, is that even going to make a difference?”

“I have to go back soon.”

He came alone without any demons to take care of, so he couldn’t afford to get drunk.

Sensing from his firm tone that there was no room for further persuasion, the bartender clicked his tongue inwardly and turned away. Ed picked up the glass that arrived shortly after.

It was when he took a sip that a snake-like arm draped itself heavily over his shoulder.

“A demon who usually doesn’t touch alcohol, what’s the occasion? Got some worries?”

A slender black tail swayed in the corner of his vision.

A pointed black tail was a characteristic of incubi and succubi.

……Right, this was a city of entertainment. I should have gone to the Fourth City after all. Ed’s expression hardened.

“……Aiga.”

“Yeah, long time no see.”

The incubus narrowed his eyes languidly and waved his hand.

……Once, Ed had almost exploded with hostility towards the innocent Hien, warning him not to approach Deon again. At that time, Hien had misspoke, and Ed had grabbed his neck until Ben intervened. Ben had said this then:

[Understand him. He has bad memories related to incubi and succubi.]

[He mistook a succubus for an incubus and confessed his feelings….]

The incubus named ‘Aiga’ in front of him was the target of that damn incident.

The one he had genuinely loved when he thought they were a succubus. The first love who had revealed themselves to be an incubus and mocked him when he finally confessed his overflowing, unfamiliar emotions.

Incubi and succubi could change their physique to match the tastes of their partners, and if the partner had no external preferences, they wouldn’t change much from their basic physique. That’s why Ed was bound to be confused about Aiga’s gender since Aiga’s basic physique was slender. At the time, he thought he had no external preferences, and the succubus’s basic physique was just a bit flat.

And they exploited that so maliciously.

“……What nerve do you have to cling to me?”

“Hey, don’t be so uptight. Can’t I at least be a friend who listens to your worries? You don’t even have any particular prejudice against incubi or succubi.”

“I’ve had one for a long time now, thanks to you.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Even while apologizing, he didn’t seem sorry at all. His tail touched Ed’s neck. The pointed tip playfully poked his cheek. Ed grabbed it firmly and threw it away, growling.

“It’s troublesome to show your tail like this in front of a demon with prejudice. One of the reasons you guys are despised is because of this.”

The tail that exists in all incubi and succubi, as if asking to be recognized and discriminated against, on top of just living by parasitizing others. Among demons with free-spirited appearances, the unified appearance is just like saying, ‘Recognize us and discriminate against us.’

Regardless of Ed’s menacing demeanor, Aiga slightly wagged his tail, pulled it out of Ed’s hand, and smiled.

“Considering that, your reaction is surprisingly mild. You even let go of my tail so easily.”

“…….”

“As a reward for not slamming my head into the table as soon as you saw me, shall I tell you something? If the problem isn’t about public matters but about extremely personal relationships, then the problem is definitely with your attitude.”

“…….”

“Your attitude has always been half-hearted at crucial moments.”

A demon’s personality doesn’t change easily either. Aiga clicked his tongue.