Chapter 2: I Thought I Picked Up a Girl Who Had Fallen Down, But It Turned Out To Be The Future Demon Lord.
The sun was setting and the night was coming.
And the beautiful moon was peeking out from between the trees.
It reminded me of a fable I heard in my sleep as a child. There is a god in the sky, watching over the people. If you did something wrong, the gods would be angry with you. It was such a common fairy tale.
I wonder if there is actually a God. In this world, it would not be surprising if he is there. If I had a chance I'd like to meet him and talk to him. Well, I wonder if religious people would be offended if I said such a thing.
Surrounded by moonlight and magical light, I made my way through the trees and grass and found a person lying in front of me.
Although I couldn’t confirm her age or appearance as she was lying on the ground, I could tell that she was a girl from her long, waist-length hair and slender body.
Her clothes were stained with mud, the hems were torn, and her bare skin was being exposed without protection, she had scratches here and there…. How pitiful.
I rushed over to her, turned her face to the side, and held out my hand to her mouth.
Thank god! I can feel the... breath firmly.
And all I see is a horn sticking out of the side of my head. Huh, is she a beast-man?
It doesn’t seem she's been injured to the point of death, but she's so weak maybe it was the reason why she fainted.
Though, I can leave her like that. I picked her up in my arms and started walking towards the ... base camp.
Now, we were in the middle of an unpopulated forest, and there was probably only a village at the end of the road. It was a long way to get to the village, but there was a road that had been maintained by humans.
She had no proper equipment, she had injuries all over his body, her clothes were in tatters, and she was a beast.
She was a beast. I could feel my brow wrinkling unconsciously.
The relationship between humans and beasts is not bad. If I were to be precise, I would say they are indifferent to each other. They consider each other to be a nuisance.
In my travels, I have heard of incidents where people have raided races for their treasures and “hobbies”. Hopefully, this is not the result of short-term greed and the short-sightedness of human behavior...
Back at the base, I quickly started the fire again.
I was relieved to see a warm glow in the darkness. I wondered why I felt so calm and comfortable when I heard the sound of the wood chopping and saw the fire moving slowly.
Thinking about this, I look at her as she lies on the animal's fur.
She had waist-length silver hair and a neat face that could be seen even with her eyes closed. Her slender outline is younger than I expected, somewhere between a girl and a woman.
Most notably, the horns on the side of its head and the distinctive scales on its wrists and elbows.
She’s a dragonkin...
I put a pot on the fire while she closes her eyes and makes a small shudder.
It was filled with rabbit meat that I'd just hunted, seasonal vegetables from the village I visited, and dried mushrooms from the mountains.
These I took out from the pouch on my waist.
The fist-sized pouch didn't look like it would hold all these ingredients, but it was a typical magic pouch with a larger capacity than it looked. The fact that the items in the pouch don’t decompose is also very useful and beyond description. I am very glad that I was lucky enough to get it.
Frying the ingredients on a pan with butter, pour in milk, and add a little dashi. A gentle aroma that stimulates the appetite envelops the area.
What I'm making is white stew. If it were just me, I would have been fine with survival cooking, but now that a girl is here, it's a different story. Chunks of meat would not be kind to her aching body and would be difficult to eat. A bowl of soup would be easier for even the weakest of bodies to eat.
I looked away from the girl and stirred the contents of the pot so that it wouldn't burn.
No one would think that there was someone camping in the gap between the Whispering Forest and making stew.
A small moan rises in the background, probably from the aroma of the stew. It's a sign that she is waking up.
I reach into the small pouch that hangs around my waist and pulls out two bowls from inside, placing them next to the fire.
As I was slowly stirring the pot, I felt a strong presence behind me.
I opened my mouth without looking back.
"You're awake. Are you hungry? The stew is almost ready.”
There was no reply. On the contrary, there was a small sound of air being split.
A blade made of magical power was thrust at my neck.
"...!"
It's not me who let out a cry of anguish.
I made a wall of ice to block the air blade. If I hadn't done this, my neck would have been separated from my body.
It’s an ice-based elementary spell. It's a spell that creates ice spikes in front of you and sends them flying at your enemies, but it can also be used in this way if you're crafty enough.
Since I was a child, I had been weaving my magic like a limb, refining my skills. It's no exaggeration to say that I devoted my entire youth to the excitement and enthusiasm I felt when I learned I could use magic.
I diverted from the main topic here.
"Ah, it seems you are in good spirits. I'm not going to do anything to you and I'd appreciate it if you'd calm down for a moment."
“...Shut up. You humans have caught me off guard and killed my clan. You have no right to question me. Now die for me.”
… I had a strong sense of déjà vu.
I heard a familiar voice when I turned around with the pot in my hand.
Her cheeks, white as lingering snow, stood out brilliantly against the orange fire.
Her sharp, slit eyes gave the impression of a cat's, and their deep red color lit the light of her will. Her clear silver hair billows like a tail. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.
She sharpened her murderous intent as if she wants to take my life.
I stare blankly at the blade as it unfolds. I don't want to... die yet. Somehow, I calmly handled her attack out of my thoughts.
The two of us crossed our gazes.
Her appearance was so good that it gave off the impression of fake.
A heavy and sharp attack from a thin body that would break if you touched it.
A voice like the sound of a bell leaked from her lips.
Her magic color was the same as the sky and the technique she was using to attack blades with magical power.
A sense of déjà vu shuddered through my brain and I drew a picture.
A scene I saw in my previous life through my phone, a picture of a character loading.
This girl... isn't she the Demon Lord?
- Translator: Heartless