(Pov - Daniel.)
(In the cave.)
We continued searching the cave, but there's nothing unusual, just some insignificant small animals irrelevant to our mission… Though it smells like death.
The cave is creepy, but that's it; there's nothing strange. I was hoping to see undead or vampires, but there's nothing. It just smells like death, that's all.
How odd. This is supposed to be a rank A mission. Why haven't we seen anything dangerous?
"No bodies, nothing," Alex said.
It's too quiet… That means something bad is about to happen. This is a cliché.
"This is weird; I have a bad feeling. Stay on guard," I said with a serious expression.
We kept searching for over 20 minutes until we found a man with a dog's head eating a human arm. The guy is naked.
… Yes, that's definitely what we're looking for. Why do I say that? Because a wall of earth appeared behind us, blocking our escape! We fell into its trap!
It leaves us no choice; we have to fight, whether we like it or not.
That monster is too weird… And it's terrifying.
Definitely another world.
"Is that normal?" I said, confused, seeing the monster.
A man with a dog's head… What kind of monster is that?
"How strange, it's a dog man… What's it doing here?" Sara said.
"First chicken men, and now dog men?"
What kind of world is this…? Oh, oh. It saw us.
The dog man looks at us, and its human part vanishes. It turned into a giant dog.
This world is scary!
"That's a werewolf!" I said, terrified.
The two girls scream; they're really scared… Scared?! They must be joking!
"Ahhhhh!" they scream, terrified… Why are they screaming?! Don't they have experience fighting monsters like this? Or is this just as weird for them?
Either way, I can't hesitate! It's just a giant demonic dog; I can beat it! Don't be a coward!
"Bolflou!"
A fireball shoots from my mouth and hits its body. Oh… I planned to distract it to buy time and think of a better strategy, but I ended up hitting it and did a lot of damage. I'm in luck!
"Solar Arrow!"
A red bow appears in Sara's right hand.
Sara shoots arrows into its body, dealing fatal damage to the dog man, and it tries to escape, realizing how powerful we are. Wow, I must admit I didn't expect that reaction.
What a disappointment, but it's also great for us! A rank A monster is afraid of us! That's excellent news!
"My turn!" Alex said, excited.
Oh, wow, wow. The fear was temporary to make the dog lower its guard, huh? A pretty smart strategy. You could've told me! I was scared; I thought you were actually terrified!
Alex places her hands on the ground.
"Earth Trap!"
A wall of earth rises from the ground in front of the dog man, preventing its escape.
Things didn't go as you planned, huh, dog? You thought you had us trapped, but now you're the one who's trapped.
"Well done, Alex."
"I surrender!" the dog man said.
It even talks?!
"It talked?!" I said, shocked and nervous, thinking this monster was a wild one.
"It's practically a man, so it can talk," Sara said.
"W-wow, wow. I guess that makes sense."
The dog man turns back into a man but keeps the dog head. Huh? Its wounds vanished. Did it regenerate?
"I was hungry, and this is my only way to get food; you have to understand."
"Your only way? If you're an intelligent monster, get a job and buy your food, or…"
"Boring!" it said, angry.
Tch. How rude… It reminded me of a homeless guy who tried to rob me once when I didn't give him money, though that guy got a good kick in the crotch, and I ran away.
The man is turning back into a dog. It's determined to kill us! Sorry, but now I'll fight with my secret weapon!
"Dex Sword!"
This is going to hurt me, but it's necessary. I wanted to avoid killing it this way because it's too gruesome, but it left me no choice.
My sword appears in my right hand. I'm so sorry; it's going to hurt me to kill a dog this way, but it's your life or mine. Sorry.
The dog man leaps at me, but I strike it with my sword right on its head, splitting the dog man in half.
I love dogs, so this hurt me to do. Dogs are my favorite animal… No, Daniel, this wasn't a normal dog; it was a monster. It wasn't a dog; it was a monster… A monster… Ugh, I need to eat something; I don't want to get anxious again.
I killed a monster shaped like a dog, and it still hurts like I killed a real dog… Huh? Gross!
Some of its blood got on my face and mouth!
"Pfft! I hope AIDS doesn't exist in this…! In this place."
I almost messed up. Better not say anything else.
"Well, we solved this. Let's go," Sara said.
… Ugh, I can't help but feel so disappointed by this weird outcome. Was that really a rank A monster? Well, my fireball left a pretty big wound on its body, and Sara pierced it with arrows. I guess it didn't think we'd be this powerful.
The good thing is everything turned out fine, and we're the winners.
"Should we take its body?"
"No, the guild employee will know we completed this mission by checking our cards."
"Alright."
Phew. Good. I didn't want to carry its body… Gross.
I looked at its corpse before leaving. I split it in half. Its intestines and brain are very visible… I killed a monster that could talk… I killed again.
I'm a murderer… Ugh, my life will never be the same.
I took a deep breath and sighed.
"God… Ugh… Why?"
"Why?" Sara said.
"It's nothing… Ugh, let's go."
Why is it so hard not to feel like crap? What I'm doing is necessary; I have to kill. Dialogue won't work; I can't take this lightly.
I can't go through life thinking I can change my enemies. There will always be enemies who won't understand words, and if I hesitate to kill them, it could cost me my life.
I have to kill to survive. Kill to win. A disgusting and evil thought, but necessary.
I need to get used to this feeling… I need to get used to killing.
"I have to do it."
•
•
After a few minutes, we left the cave. I thought I could finally rest, but another problem presented itself.
Two hooded people were waiting for us. Demons? Evil adventurers? Whoever they are, I can't let my guard down.
"I hope you're ready to die, demon!" both said.
Those voices… Kids?
The two remove their hoods; they're a boy and a girl, about 8 or 10 years old. They have short brown hair, both wearing black pants and white shirts… They look pretty normal to me, and I don't even sense they're dangerous. What's wrong with them?
"We'll defeat you!" both said.
Maybe they think I'm a demon living in this cave. Adventurers?
Even kids are adventurers… Are there no laws in this world? That sounds pretty sick.
"Wow, wow. Sorry, I'm not a demon, and I don't want to fight you. Bye, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I have a date with a plate of food."
"You're not escaping!" the girl said.
"Yes, I am escaping. Want me to treat you to some food?"
The boy extends his right hand toward me.
"Flums!" the boy said.
Flums? What does that spell do?
Rocks the size of golf balls shoot from his hand, and I dodge them. Are they seriously planning to kill me, or are they just playing? It's impossible to defeat someone with this spell! They're risking their lives for nothing! If I were really a demon, they'd already be dead!
"I don't want to fight. Stop throwing rocks at me, please."
"Shut up, demon!" both kids shouted.
Ugh, poor creatures; they probably have some mental illness or something. No one with common sense would try to kill a supposed demon with simple rocks.
Why are they doing this? Do they really think they can defeat me?
Sara and Alex try to help me, approaching the kids.
"He's not a demon; if he were, you'd already be dead!" Sara said.
"Stop bothering and go back home!" Alex said.
Aw. It feels great to have friends who support me… Ouch! I got distracted!
A rock hit me in the forehead. That hurt!
I admit I got a bit angry. Rude kids need to be punished!
"Wow, wow. Alright, you asked for it."
I extend my right hand, pointing at them.
"Flums!"
Slightly larger rocks, about the size of baseballs, shoot from my hand and hit them in the forehead… Uwaaah! I thought they'd dodge! I hurt two kids! What did I do?!
T-they're both groaning in pain and fall to the ground unconscious… I-I knocked out two kids… Did I kill them?!
I'm an idiot! I'll go to jail! I need to turn myself in to the authorities for child abuse!
"Did I kill them?!" I said, scared and nervous.
Sara checks their bodies. P-please, let them be alive; I don't want the deaths of two kids on my conscience.
"They're unconscious. They'll be fine; they just need rest."
I sigh in relief… Why did I do that? I'm an idiot. I think being a killer is changing me, and now I act more impulsively.
"I feel a bit bad for hitting kids… Why did they think I was a demon? I don't even have horns… At least not visible ones."
Sonia put horns on me, but those don't count.
"They probably saw you flying and thought you were a demon," Sara said.
I guess they'll be fine; the hit wasn't that hard. And there's a village nearby; their parents will come for them… Did I really think something so irresponsible? I need to take them home.
"I'll carry them to…"
"No."
Sara stopped me and pulled me away from the kids.
"It's dangerous; it might be a trap. I highly doubt these kids attacked you just because; they must have planned something against you. It's risky to get close."
"You think they're demons?"
"I don't know, but I highly doubt they're stupid enough to try to kill you with rocks."
Yeah, she's right.
It's too suspicious that they tried to kill me with rocks… I need to trust Sara. She's the genius of the team.
It pains me to leave kids here, but it's for the best. I don't want to risk my life. I don't want to waste lives.
"Wow, wow. I guess you're right… Alright, let's go."
"Summon the unicorn!" Alex said, excited.
Of course I will!
"Stop!" a girl's voice said.
Huh? Who said that…? Huh?!
Two girls arrive flying and stand in front of us.
"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you. I need to talk to you, Daniel."
I notice one of them has wings… Wings… A fairy?
"Are those… wings? Are you a fairy?"
The smaller one glares at me, annoyed. Did I say something rude?
"We're both fairies!"
I see the smaller one doesn't have wings… Are there wingless fairies? Maybe she's hiding them or something.
"And your wings?"
The girl blushes and looks down… I think I made her feel bad. That blush is from embarrassment.
"I-I don't have any."
Perfect, I just hit two kids and now made a fairy feel bad. Is today a bad day for me?
"Sorry… Wow, wow. What do you want to talk about, miss?"
She approaches me, and I step back cautiously. I just fought two suspicious kids; I won't trust her, she could be a demon.
"Don't come any closer, or it'll mean you want to fight."
"Sorry."
She stopped… Alright, I guess it's safe to listen to her.
"D-Daniel, she's Rose, one of the best sorceresses in the world. We can trust her," Sara said.
One of the best in the world?! Wow… Awesome!
"I want to know how you got all types of magic. No one can have all types of magic. You can even use the fairy spell: Arches Nexus."
Ugh, sorry.
I don't care how important you are; I'll keep the secret.
"It's a secret. In three or four years, you'll know how I got it."
"Are you a demon? An angel? A fairy?"
"I'm a normal human."
"A human…? Fufu. My interest in you is growing."
"Wow, wow. That's great, but we need to go."
I know I might get into unnecessary trouble if I keep talking to her. For now, I'd rather leave and talk to her later. It's only my second day in this world; I don't want more stress. I need to take things slowly.
"Please come visit me; I live in the castle. I'll teach you spells only fairies know."
Oh, and I didn't even have to ask… She'll definitely want something in return. I won't let my guard down with her.
"Sure, maybe I'll go, thanks. Divine horse, come to me!"
The circle appears, and the unicorn shows up. I hope I'm not bothering it by summoning it.
The two fairies look at the unicorn, surprised and curious. Fufu. Yes, I know, this unicorn is beautiful and awesome! If you behave with me, I'll let you ride it later.
"You again?"
I-I hope it doesn't reject my request.
"Please take my teammates to the guild; they'll show you the way. Will you help me?"
"Sounds simple. No problem."
Sara and Alex climb onto the unicorn.
"Alright. Thank you so much."
"… You're welcome? You're pretty weird, kid."
"I've been told that a lot."
The unicorn takes off running… Galloping? Ugh, whatever.
Wow. Awesome, it's really fast. It's as fast as me when I'm flying.
"T-that was the special summoning of the Royal family?" the smaller fairy said.
"It is? The king gave me a book with spells, and I think that spell was included."
"But that summoning can only be used by people with Royal blood."
I guess I'm a unique case.
"Don't look at me; I'm just a commoner. Arches Nexus!"
I start floating, and the fairy woman smiles at me.
I return the smile and wave my hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you soon."
"Don't forget my invitation. I'll be waiting. Cookies or cake?"
"Cookies. I might visit in a week. Bye. Take care."
I fly away from there.
She seems nice, but also bad… I have a feeling I can trust her, but not completely.
But one thing I'm sure of: that woman is dangerous.
•
•
The fairies watched Daniel fly away, and Rose let out a small laugh.
"Fufu. Even his speed surpasses us. This Daniel is an extraordinary case."
"Sister, he's incredible. Is he the legendary hero our ancestors warned would come?"
"I don't know; there's something strange but amazing about him… You said before you wanted to be an adventurer, right?"
"Yes! Are we going on an adventure, sister?!"
"I'm not going; you are."
"Huh? Just me?"
•
•
(Pov - Daniel.)
I'm flying at high speed over a beautiful green valley. I veered off course just to see the scenery and calm myself. I need some fresh air to feel less evil.
"I really like this spell… I think I'll take a few laps around the place," I said, smiling.
I need to calm down… Being cheated on still hurts… But I have to get over it.
Sonia, you were one of the most important people in my life; it'll take me a lot of time and effort to forget you, but I will… I don't want you in my mind anymore.