《Still images in the depths of hell》 Prologue [I never would have thought such memories would appear. Flashing before my eyes to what seemed like a film strip being inserted down in front of a projector aperture. Frame by frame, the projections continued to move from one frame to the next, effectively creating an illusion of motion. Reality, as it is, is filled with continuous movement. Nothing stays fundamentally still. But a camera can capture a state where an object was once, in an instant, stood completely still like taking of a single frame from a roll of film.] [When I observed this, I always questioned myself until then if everything is real. If from what I see isn¡¯t just some kind of illusion that a being more powerful than us would create. That said being however, claimed it so.] "UWAAAH¨C! Denis is so fast! Not fair!!" The trio as of right now, are currently playing tag and the 9 year old boy named Denis was IT. The weather for today was fair. It was sunny with no visible clouds in the area. Though it was sunny, it was windy as well. This sort of combination makes the heat less noticeable. The voices of kids screaming joyfully as they ran through the playground, the bustling cars that passes through from time to time, and the chirp of the birds, singing carelessly on top of the branches are the only things that could be heard at the moment. "Tag you¡¯re it!" "Not fair!" The girl, Elisa, complained like somebody had just stole her candy. She''s a sour loser towards these kinds of games and doesn''t want to be bested by anyone else. So when Denis had caught up to her, she drowned herself with the thoughts of herself being slow. Then another boy approached the two. His name is Robert. A smart yet caring boy. "Don''t be such a cry baby." Robert then caressed Elisa''s head, the youngest of the three. About 2 years. Just then, a smirk has appeared on Denis'' face. What a perfect opportunity! He thought. Robert is now completely distracted from comforting Elisa. A gust of wind suddenly blew between them. With the thoughts of ending the game with his utmost victory, Denis walked towards Robert with a grin on his face. And then... "Tag, you¡¯re it!" "Wha¨C!" Robert didn''t notice that Denis was there, or rather, he thought that the game was paused while Elisa is weeping. "WAAH¨C! See! He''s cheating!" Cheating? Denis had thought. That wasn''t considered as cheating, was it? This was another episode of Elisa''s unsightly complaining. Of course, being friends for 2 years already, Denis and Robert is already used to how Elisa acted. After all, Elisa is only 6 years old. That being the case, Robert is in the middle, being 8 years old. A year younger than Denis. "Stupid. That wasn''t cheating." That is what Robert said but he too, originally thought that Denis is cheating. "He is! I bet he made a deal with the devil to be able to run that fast!" Stunned by the uncharacteristic remark of Elisa, Denis could only open his mouth widely while Robert is uneasy and worried. For his little sister to be accusing their friend of having to have a deal with the devil, he wondered why Elisa had thought that in the first place.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "That''s not something you should say to your friend!" So scolded Robert. Because of his older brother''s sudden scolding, she could only resign and apologies. "I can assure you, I didn''t have a deal with the devil." Denis reassured Elisa from his suspicions. But to think that she already know the word devil in the first place... So thought Denis. Having to grimace. Yes, Denis is a fast runner for his age. Even his parents were surprised on how fast he runs. It''s just talent, they thought. The three have been friends for two years and this is the first time that Elisa have accused of Denis to be doing something as ridiculous as having a deal with the devil. More so, if he were to have a deal with the devil, he wouldn¡¯t ask for something as stupid as being able to run fast. They both know for a long time that Denis is a fast runner. Though it''s strange, she didn''t really mean it. Denis had thought to himself. It''s probably just her copying a line in a horror film. Yeah that''s it. Denis had dismissed what Elisa had said to him as nothing more than just how a mere child would get easily influenced by shows in television. He himself is the same also, he thought. "Let''s rest for a bit. My feet is tingling from all the running." "Right." As what Robert suggested, the three rested under the only tree in the playground. The tree is a bit close to the road though. They can still smell the carbon monoxide the cars have constantly released to the road. It was the end of summer. Tomorrow, they would go to the same school but not the same grade. After school they would meet up, go to the playground to play tag or any other games they would think of then after that, they''ll return home to be scolded by their parents for coming home late. Like always. This sort of already established schedule will never change. Again, a gust of wind suddenly blew through them, giving Denis an idea to talk about... Somehow. "What''re you guys want to do in the future!?" He excitedly asked as he stood up with a smile on his face and pointed his finger at them. "What we want to do? What do you want to be in the future, Elisa?" Having been asked suddenly, Elisa sunken deep in thought. After a few seconds, she spoke. "I want to be an artist!!" "Oh?" The two said in unison. Elisa does love to draw. Even the notebooks that should have been used to write notes, she''d drawn all over them with stickman drawings or doodles. Being the big brother, Robert had to erase all of them. As per the orders of their parents. "What about you, big brother?" Having been asked suddenly too, he is also deep in thought. And so did Denis. While Robert is thinking, Denis is also thinking of what he wants to be. Denis never really had thought of anything and having something to dream of never crossed his mind. Not the slightest. What should I be in the future...? He is now also deep in thought. Then came Robert''s answer. "I want to be a writer! I will write stories about how robots take over the world!!" "Wow!" "That''s interesting." Denis and Elisa nodded to his plans. "Elisa, since you want to be an artist, why don''t you be the one to do all the illustrations for my stories? We''ll be a duo!" With him raising his fist as he finished his sentence. Elisa tilted her head. "What''s an illustration, big brother?" "Ah... Yeah. Well it''s basically just drawings." Elisa''s eyes sparkled. Being introduced with a fancy word with meaning equal to that of a simpler word is exciting for her. Even more so when she can do that said word''s intention. "OK! I will draw cool pictures for you!" "I''ll look forward to it!" After smiling at the sight of his little sister''s cheerful answer, Robert then turned to Denis. "How about you, Denis? You¡¯re the one who asked and yet you¡¯re the one who answered last..." Denis sunk into deep thought again. Dreams, ambitions... Why can''t I think of anything? He murmured to himself. Anything will do fine just think of something... Just then, suddenly having a vision. Glimpses of something flashed before his eyes. The flashes of white and black, one by one, crossed his thoughts like a strip of film running through a camera. This took ages but the time didn''t move, not even a second have passed. All these flashes swooped by like an instant but felt like centuries. Then, the flashes became clearer. It shows a series of images about an angel. And then the story starts. There was an angel who had fallen from heaven. For reasons of betrayal, the angel is banished to hell and thus became a fallen angel. This certain fallen angel wondered over hell, coming across feral demons as it made its way through its treacherous journey. Journey to where? It wasn''t told. The images then reverted back to black and white. The time slowly regained momentum and the flashes steadily became transparent until it''s no longer visible. | A small strip of what this angel is shown. For the rest, thou shall come in a later date. | dorL nomeD~ Confused to what he had seen but not scared. Not even creeped out nor startled. Not an emotion showed on his face. Like it was all natural. Like nothing ever happened. This was odd... The last message that this sudden vision had shown him made him more confused. To his judgement, he can only expect more of these in the future. Time had fully regained speed and now time moves in a normal pace. Why did time also stopped when the images crossed my mind faster, like it was real? Was it even real? Who is that angel? What is its name? What happened to it? This is all so confusing... Is what he asked to no one in particular. Then a thought came to Denis. P...ho...tograph...y... That word suddenly came to mind. No reason he noticed to why this word comes out, no reason to why this word specifically. It just did. So by now, a mere 3, seconds have passed from the time when Denis was asked by the question. "... photo..." "Can you speak up?" The two requested him. "I want to be a photographer!" Denis triumphantly announced to his friends and fiercely pointed his index finger to them. "Eh? Why?" Because of how proudly Denis had answered the question, Robert unconsciously asked him why photography. "...Why?" So thought Denis to himself. He never answered that question. Unbeknownst to him, this feeling of having known his true purpose in life was artificial. [Even now, I still can''t answer that question. ¡°Why?¡± Is the question I always ask myself every morning. Why? Why? Why? WHY? Until now, I wondered over my answer. Till now, 9 years later, I still wonder. I might have, more or less, forgotten something important. It''s probably the answer to why photography specifically. But I get the feeling like this isn''t the answer that I meant to go with. I feel like someone just lead me to it.] ... And it maybe wasn''t... ...So I forgotten about it. Too, those friends I dearly cared for. Their existence is gone. And so I ask myself again. Is this world an illusion? Chapter 1: A purposeless (?) camera "Oh... It''s already morning..." The person whom studied his whole life as a photographer groggily stood up from the small sized bed meant only for one person. Having to be woken up by the ray of light of the sun, he squints his eyes. He grabbed the glasses just by the counter next to the bed, along with a blank picture frame. He walked towards the cabinet containing his clothes. "What day is it today? Saturday, right?" He murmured to himself. Sorting through the few shirts and formal wear he has available, he finally decided to pick one. A slightly worn out polo shirt with long sleeves, brown coat with patches on the side, and a black pants. Will this do...? I hope they aren''t so judgemental. So he thought to himself. After picking his favoured clothes, he exited his very small bedroom and hanged it up using the small hook attached to the upper part of the door. Then after that, he took a bath in the bathroom which is 4 times smaller than his bedroom, about two meters wide on each side. After the bath, he put on his clothes, tidied up his hair and hanged the I.D. that he recently got. What''s written on the I.D. is Denis Onasawa. He glanced at the apartment that he had rented. Nothing was out of place but still, Denis felt like something is missing. For someone whom studied photography but works in an animation studio and still doesn¡¯t own a camera, he could only let out a sigh. So then, he exited his room. ? "Oh man... I should have brought an umbrella. It''s so God damn hot..." Is the words that escaped Denis'' mouth. He looked skywards and stared at the blue sky with an absence of clouds that resembles that of the vastness of the ocean that he once went to when he was still a child. He confirmed this memory of his. It certainly happened. If it didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be stored in his mind but still, Denis felt like was all just a false memory. As he walked towards his office building in a crowded bustling streets of Ronto, it was only natural for someone to feel hot. The city is a famous place to go to if you want to look for a job and he also thought. The city of Ronto is currently experiencing an unsustainable overpopulation and with overpopulation comes high job demand and thus foreigners or any other entrepreneur for that matter is now hasting towards the city like hungry lions, setting up establishments like there''s no tomorrow, fighting over getting unemployed people and giving them minimum wage. Below minimum wage actually. But the government didn''t stop this since it helps people get jobs in order to live. But the problem now is the housing. There''s no house available nor any land. This is also the reason why Denis is currently staying in an apartment. He is lucky that he can get an apartment room since every other apartment is currently fully booked. It always did for 3 years. 3 phantom years is the more appropriate term as that memory is somewhat fuzzy for Denis. Denis didn''t commute to his work since it will take longer to wait for the train than it is to just walk toward his place of work. He took out his handkerchief and swiped off the sweat that was currently flowing down from his neck. It''s not even 10 minutes and his clothes is already drenched with sweat. What makes that heat even worse is the fact that it''s summer, the season where it''s the hottest. Also it''s really crowded. Passing by other sweaty office workers which he doesn''t have any affiliation with whatsoever, sometimes colliding with one another, he felt uncomfortable. Suddenly his phone rang. He hurriedly took it out of his pocket and answered. "H-hello?" [Oh! Denis, how''s the first day of work?] He thinks for a second. Who is this woman? [Denis, dear? Are you there?] Then it hit him. It was his mom. How could I forget my own mother!? I''m such an idiot! My brain is really getting worse. I''m getting amnesia out of nowhere. "I still haven''t arrived yet, mom." [Right, right, sorry for calling you so suddenly but I have important news I need to tell you!] Hearing her say "important news", intrigued him. Finally, something meaningful. He thought to himself excitedly and a smile formed in his face. Anyone would feel the same if all you did for 2 months is job hunting with zero success. He stayed silent. [Your birthday is next week, right? I have a special present for you installed!] He again stayed silent. Present on my birthday? I''m not a kid anymore. I''m already 18. So his thoughts read. [Denis, you there?] "...Yeah." [Right, that''s all. I''ll see you next week in your apartment. Take care.] "You too."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Thus the call ended. What is that present? He wondered. He thought of bland things like groceries, coupons... New shoes... Those things came to mind because of how her mother always gives him gifts. He appreciates them very well but all the gifts that he receives isn''t anything great. A mug in his 11th birthday, a picture frame on his 13th, a set of combs on his 14th and the last but certainly not least since it''s the best gift he ever received, a brown coat. Which he is currently wearing right now. There are more gifts that he received on the other birthdays he had but they are all really bland things. One example of which is a pencil case... When he is already 17... But again, he questioned himself. Why does it feel like everything is fake? As he was about to put his phone back to his pocket, a woman had bumped him, causing him to drop his phone. The woman has jet black hair like him but her hair is longer, obviously. Her hair is tied into a bun with a red string. She¡¯s wearing an office uniform with a leather shoulder bag hanging from her¡­ shoulder. ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t just run like that in a middle of a crowded area!¡± Denis scolded the woman. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± Then the woman dashed again. He didn''t observe much but all that he can tell from the woman is that she''s wearing the uniform that the company that hired him has. I can understand why she¡¯s in a hurry but at least don¡¯t hurry to the point that she would bump into other people¡­ Is what he silently told to the women in his mind. He picked up his phone again and after checking if there''s any cracks, continued making his way towards his work place. ? Denis finally arrived at the building. It¡¯s a 10 story building with the usual tinted glass as the exterior. There at the front of the building stood the words ¡°Animation Studio¡±. That¡¯s not the name of the company though. As it stands, the name of the company is ¡°Kyonto Animation¡±. "Sounds like a rip-off." He murmured to himself. Taking a deep breath, he nervously entered the building. Though he might have entered this building once before when he was appointed for an interview, he would still feel at awe and anxious at the same time. A gush of cold air collided with his skin, calming him down. The familiar scent of an office building reassured him as well. At first entry, you would notice first the receptionists sitting with a straight back, wearing a straight face. Three receptionists, all are women. Then two pathways from both left and right, leading to the two elevators respectively. The floor is shiny in the hall and there¡¯s a chandelier hanging above the ceiling, with lights effectively illuminating the whole hall. After greeting the receptionists at the desk, Denis made his way to the left elevator. This elevator is the one you should use if you want to go up, or so the receptionists told him. Being confused as to why, he followed their advice anyway. Being diligent and someone that follows their superiors is the image that he wants to portray to his co-workers. Its common sense that you would show the best image you can at the first day of the job. As the elevator made its way up to the 5th floor, he feels incredibly anxious. This is his first job. It would be a massive shame if he gets fired on the first day of work. So he took deep breaths like he''s trying to filter the air of imaginary confidence particles. He isn''t particularly afraid to talk to people. It''s just that, if he isn''t familiar to something and particular, then he would feel incredibly anxious about it. The elevator dings which signifies that he had reached his desired floor. He jumped from surprise as the elevator opened. "Wooow, don''t get startled. I ain''t gonna eat you." The man in black suit that entered the elevator said to Denis sarcastically. "Ah, right, right. Sorry about that." Denis said as he scratched the back of his head. "You''re new here, aren''t you?" "Yeah actually. It''s my first day today. I''m a data organizer." "Data organizer, ey?" The man in black suit rubbed his chin. "Well, your manager should inform you on that. Good luck!" The man in black suit tapped Denis'' shoulder. "Ah, thanks. Who are you anyway? You seem experienced." As Denis said that, he exited the elevator. "Oh. I''m the head director of our next project. Please do cooperate in it." "Wait!? You''re the director!?" "Yeah." With a grin, the director said that as the elevator closes. For dramatic effect, of course. Leaving Denis with his jaw hanging. ? And so he arrived at his boss¡¯ office that he memorized the way to during his interview. The room is a small, about 6 meters in width on each side, containing a metal cabinet for storing files, one large window parallel to the entrance, a desk with a bunch of papers lying on it, and a large teddy bear behind said desk. Upon closer inspection, it was his boss... It wasn''t the one that interviewed him. The teddy bear is writing something on one of the papers. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Ay. Your name is¡­¡± the man looked at one of the papers on the desk. ¡°¡­Denis Onasawa, is it?¡± ¡°Yes it is.¡± The man with brown tidy hair, having a wide body, tall and somewhat muscular, still has stern eyes that would make you think that he''s looking through you, and he''s wearing a tuxedo with a name card that Denis had noticed. Roland Sanchez is what''s written on the name card. There''s also a title card on the desk. What''s written on it is "Project Manager." He pulls out a cigarette from the metal case on the table and lights it up with a matchstick. Denis doesn''t smoke however, he never thought of smoking in his life. As the smoke fills the room, he had inhaled some of it which he coughed at. Roland grimaced at how Denis coughed due to the smoke. "Not a smoker? That''s the problem nowadays... Kids not having to strengthen their resistances." Roland''s voice echoed through the room. Denis wondered over the strange words the man had released. What is this guy thinking? If children and teenagers were to smoke also, this city will be covered in thick black smoke! Is what he screamed in his mind. ¨CIs this guy an idiot!? "Here, try it. It came from the province." "No thank you, I don''t smoke." He denied while having his hands raised to his chest level, seemingly trying to surrender. "Hah..." Roland then again, puffed up a visible white smoke from his nostrils and mouth. The smoke then again went towards Denis. He holds his breathing this time. "I''ll be honest here," when those words entered Denis'' ear, he couldn''t help but tense up. "You getting hired is a mistake." Roland looked at Denis straight at his eyes. Not even blinking nor glancing to another direction. Roland''s eyes were sharp. Like a sharp knife able to pierce through solid metal. In this case, the gaze of his boss could only make Denis shiver in anxiety. Denis gulped his own saliva, cold sweat started to drift down from his head to his neck. His heart rate increased. He tenses up even more, expecting the worst to come. However he didn''t show his worry and anxiety on his face. His outer appearance is unchanged. A skill that he had thought himself to do. A skill to be able to hold in one''s emotions to show physically and visually is something he is proud of. It is the sole reason to why he is alive until now. He can see why him getting fired is a mistake. His mom is the one who pulled some strings in order for him to get this job. He thought that this is cheating and that this not morally correct but he kept his complaining to himself. His mom is helping him get a job after so many failed attempts. During that time, he was depressed. He lives an unsustainable life style so he resorted in minimal diet. His mom took pity on him and so she helped him. He also needed this job in order to help him survive in the modern society. He then moved into an apartment which thankfully has a room available, the rent is cheap, and is closer to his place of work. About a 20 minute walk. "I can fire you on the spot. I have the authority to do so but that''s not fair now, is it?" Roland then puffed a smoke and continued speaking. "So I''ll give you a shot at this. If you didn''t please me in a week, you''re fired." Denis felt relieved that he has a chance but worries on how he can even impress his boss. After all, he is a mere data organizer. The out of place this particular job aside, as the name suggest, a data organizer is someone who in the core of things, compile and organize files based on either category or level of priority, depending on what files that was being organized. What am I supposed to do here? Type faster or practice precision computer mouse navigation? Is the methods he came up with. Spoiler alert, they aren¡¯t effective in the slightest. It is to be expected from someone with no job experience anyway. He thinks of himself as someone who is very organized and well educated. He is a self-proclaimed indicator after all. His invention being a sapient robot with its only purpose is to hand over the butter when he is eating pancakes. ¡°Now¡± Roland spoke in a deep voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to assign you as a wildlife photographer. Of course you have the right to refuse but do remember that we currently don¡¯t have any use of a data organizer.¡± Suddenly, a question mark floated above Denis¡¯ head. Roland somehow saw this imaginary question mark lets out a sigh, puffing another white smoke from his mouth. ¡°Regarding the job change, I can¡¯t tell you why. All you have to know is that we desperately need a wildlife photographer. Of course I won¡¯t be relying on you only for this job. I¡¯ll also be assigning other workers here with non-important or vital jobs for this company as a wildlife photographer.¡± Is his explanation. Denis¡¯ job is an odd job, a data organizer. Being there¡¯s only 3 other data organizer in the company, it can be said that being a data organizer is a rare thing but also a non-important thing since all the other employees can manage without it by simply compiling and organizing their files themselves. But, he pondered in his head. If they were to just suddenly change people''s jobs into something as practical as photography, were as having the possibility they don''t have any experience with, wouldn''t that just result to poor... Results? But he didn''t question his boss. Denis processed what his boss has said to him for a few seconds and then replied. ¡°Why a wildlife photographer?¡± ¡°We just need some for the time.¡± Denis¡¯ sighed. He gave up on further questioning. He understood that this is somehow an important choice in improving the already unknown animation studio. His boss is the executive director of the company. He brainstormed to the reasons as to why wildlife photographers are needed. It''s quite pointless, he thought. Would it not be better if they would just look up pictures in the Internet? If it''s something specific then that would be there reason for it. Maybe this is a part of the next project? ¡°But, unfortunately I¨C¡° His intention was to say that he doesn''t have any sort of experience on the matter but then the scene changed from the small office into a blurry mess of black and white images suddenly moving to and fro in front of his eyes. These images, which relatively looked real, also looked surreal. Like a roll of film. Time also changed. It suddenly slowed down little by little. A second took a minute, then it took an hour, then it took a day, to week, to a month, to a year, until eventually, it took an eternity but even still, time reached to a full stop. Denis isn¡¯t scared nor even bored, just confused. The only emotion he can experience. But this is a different kind of confusion. A kind of emotion that will make you question everything going on around you. So for the period of time that was given to him, that¡¯s what he did so but his thoughts were quickly forgotten. This sort of experience is like a dream that lasts an eternity but still manages to reach the end. Thus time finally stopped completely and the images passed faster inversely to the speed of time to which it moves up until the images became clearer. The black and white images then formed a series of understandable pictures like a video. These images is about an angel walking in a desolate land filled with fire. And so the story continues¡­ Chapter 1-2 [A certain angel has been banished from the heavens by the suspicion of betrayal and is now damned to survive in hell itself. As this certain angel wondered in the demon infested place where the infamous sea of fire is, all it can do is hide in order to survive. But still, that isn¡¯t enough for it to completely avoid harm as the heat that had accumulated in the unhospitable place that is hell. Being an angel who had lived in the heavens for all its life, it had never felt such extreme temperature. Actually, it had never felt any change in temperature as the heavens is a place with such perfect conditions that there¡¯s nothing, even a single thing, uncomfortable or inconvenient there. There¡¯s nothing it can do about it. All it can do is endure the deathly heat. Even though it is banished by god itself, it still possesses immortality. Something that it wishes to have been removed from it as the heat in hell is worse than death itself. The angel hid itself behind one of the red hot pointed boulders around the terrain of hell in order to hide from the ferocious demons that roamed the lands. It hid for hours to days to weeks to months, often changing places between boulders and even at one time, almost falling into the sea of flame. If it ever fall into the sea of flame, it wouldn''t kill it but will forever condemn it into an eternal torture of being ablaze. The thought of being in such a predicament made the angel shiver in fear. An angel''s immortality, though not as infinitely powerful as God having absolute invincibility and immortality which could only be void with the power equal to his own, it does prevent death to befall to them but they can still feel pain. However, this immortality has a weakness. If a sentient being were to have full intent to kill an angel they would do so with ease. Basically ignoring the said immortality that the angel''s possess. This kind of weakness isn''t a big deal to the angels as in the heavens, they are offered absolute safety and thus no one in this place would ever possess such killing intent to be able to kill an angel. Except for God which is omnipotent. As time passed, the angel grew more exhausted and hopeless more so. Hell is a demon infested place and is where the infamous sea of fire is. The constant extreme heat took a toll in the angel''s sanity as well as the constant fear of hiding from the demons. It is a miracle that the angel had survived for this long with a relatively without falling into extreme distress. It ventured aimlessly to the vast land of hell, often running for its life when every time it gets spotted by a demon. With a body not even worn out but with a mind on the verge of complete break-down. The angel endured for months. Then one day... The angel woke up in a cave that it found yesterday, being faced with a large demon with large teeth poking out of its wide mouth. It has a long neck and a large body with what seemed to be wings. It has four legs with claws and its whole body is covered in scales. There is a rumour spreading among the angels that God had created a creature with such power that it can engulf an entire world in flames. A flying creature no less with the ability to breathe fire so hot that it¡¯s hotter than a thousand sun. The angels confronted God itself directly to confirm this but they never get a clear answer. The banished angel is now face to face with said mythological creature. Its nostrils released a gust of hot air that''s able to melt steal. This hit the angel. But the angel didn''t flinch from the pain as it already got used to the boiling heat of hell and also there''s a much more serious matter in hand. "An angel? So that guy actually banished another one of its petty creation!? HAHAHAHA!!!" The behemoth''s laugh resound throughout the whole cave like a thunderclap, deafening the angel. All the angel can do is stare at the creature with a mouth wide open from laughing with shaken pupils. So suddenly, the creature stopped laughing. "So, for what reason we''re you banished? That guy may be strange from what he creates but he isn''t irrational. He will never do something without a reason." Having to be asked by that question snapped the angel back to reality. The angel''s lips moved automatically to answer that question like it was natural to do so. It was natural anyway. The reason being only filled the angel with loathing. ¡°I¡ª¡° And thus the angel finally said its answer with an unwavering voice. Its voice succulent and sweet that the very sound of it could soothe one¡¯s ears but that was all a fa?ade. ¡°¡ªforced to be a source of entertainment in the guise that I betrayed him.¡± ¡­ Now back to Denis. The images slowly blurred and being inversely proportional together, time slowly speeds up while the rate of which the frames move by slowly decreases until, what felt like an eternity, time regained momentum to its optimal speed and the images then ceased to be visible. This whole experience took place in under 3 seconds. Only being confused to the whole ordeal, being only confusion the only thing he can experience but he couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgic. Those two are the only feelings that he got and remembered from it. ¡°Unfortunately? What?¡± his boss said, snapping him back to reality. ¨CWait¡­ what were we talking about? Ah right! Regarding the change job to being a wildlife photographer! But... That story seems familiar... I feel like I heard that story when I was little. Also what the hell was that experience!? It''s so surreal! It''s like I just slept for eternity with absolutely no idea what the hell''s going on. Now back to the subject at hand. He remembered what he was going to say, despite the fact that he literally spent countless years being in a slowed time state, watching images of black and white moved by from left to right in front of his eyes with fortunately having only confusion as an emotion to retain his sanity.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He did remember it anyway but something inside of him tells him not to. Like something is saying that this is something that he should do. Something he is obligated to do. Like it was what God has told him to do. A purpose in life is what this thing said. Something he never found through all the time he spent on self-reflecting. Then the memory of when he was a child suddenly re-surfaced, the time when a thought came to him when he was thinking of his ambition that he aspires to achieve. The thought read; Photography. Along with that message, he remembered that first time that this vision had occurred before him. His memory was fuzzy but he knows it''s true. ¡°Never mind. I promise that I will do my hardest in this job." "Right. Let''s talk about the specifics." Roland tapped the papers in the desk with a thud, they then discussed about the job. ? ¡°How the hell can I pull this off¡­.?¡± Denis is currently contemplating while sitting on his chair at his desk at staring at the black computer screen. The office space of each employee is connected to one another side to side, like a typical office set up. It¡¯s only natural that he should be contemplating. His boss, Roland, gave him a week to prepare all of his equipment as the expedition towards an exotic rainforest. Regarding why this job is needed, he never questioned it. Since he understood that this topic is somewhat confidential... For some reason. Though it would be an interesting experience, the thought that he was tasked on something like going to an exotic rainforest never crossed Denis¡¯ mind. Also, he currently lacks the equipment to go to such place. Needless to say, he still doesn¡¯t own a camera and would only hope that what his mom would give him something like that. Suddenly a finger poked on his back. ¡°A-are you Denis Onasawa?¡± Denis looked at the one who had poked on his back and asked that question with quite a feminine voice. It is, unsurprisingly, a women which Denis had guessed to be around 20-25 years of age. This women have a black short hair that is surprisingly soft as it danced with the gust of wind that a nearby fan had produced, being odd for it to be in the wide room that is already cooled by 10 air conditioner. Back to the description of the women. She has short black hair, a bit childish face but still retaining some sort of matureness to it, a petite body with a not so large breast size, not that breast size is something important. She also possess a pair of black-coloured framed glasses with a brightly coloured blue eyes and is wearing the traditional uniform for females. It resembles the girl that bump him a few hours ago on his way to work. Looking at her, Denis could only feel nervous but still remained composure by having to quickly straightening his back and putting on his ¡°normal face.¡± Having to suddenly remember what they were talking about after spending 5 seconds of awkward silence, he immediately confirmed his name like nothing ever happened. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes it is. Do you have business with me?¡± ¡°Oh? Right.¡± She then gently smiled. ¡°Firstly, my name is Yuuki Sorairo. I would like to inform you regarding the job change.¡± When Denis heard the name of Yuuki Sorairo, he assumed that she is a Japanese but refrained from confirming it. From the looks of it, she is his superior. ¡°The one that Mr Roland talked to me about? What of it¡­ ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°No need to call me with a ma¡¯am. I would prefer if you would call me with my first name.¡± ¡°Then Yuuki, what is it about the job change? Is there something that I haven¡¯t been told about by Mr Roland?¡± He said this since Roland had spent 30 minutes discussing with him about the sudden job change. ¡°There is actually. I¡¯ve just been told by Mr Roland that I will apparently be your partner in the upcoming expedition next week.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Denis¡¯ mind suddenly went blank, the whole place turned completely black, only him being in the center as a single light illuminated him like a spotlight. This isn¡¯t correlated to the visions that Denis had before, it¡¯s more because of the sheer fact that a girl this cute would actually be his partner on something. This is an experience he never had as a kid up until his teenage years. ¡°Denis, is everything alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah Yeah! Everything¡¯s¡­ alright. Haha.¡± After the awkward laugh, Yuuki again smiled heart-warmingly. ¡°Then if you say so.¡± Denis, after seeing her smile so beautifully, couldn¡¯t help but to unconsciously blush. This is a feeling that I never thought that I would experience again. He thought. This is certainly something but still, I¡¯m pretty pathetic to fall for a girl with just a simple smile. So he thought the obvious. ¡°Well unfortunately, I don¡¯t have that much equipment. None at all actually¡­¡± Denis said depreciatingly. ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the same.¡± Am I imagining this or did a ray of light that came from the heavens suddenly appeared above her? ¡°Then, would you like to buy some equipment?¡± He asked. ¡°Oh sure! I guess some beginner stuff should be fine. Tomorrow then?¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Among to what Roland and Denis had discussed, he would be exempted from his work to prepare for the expedition on a remote rainforest just at the north of the city of Ronto. He also silently lets out a sigh of relief upon discovering that something like a rainforest that is just north of the city is actually not cut down for the production and expansion of the already over populated city. Yuuki then sat on the chair that was on his right. Surely enough, this shocked him. When he arrived at his desk, there¡¯s no one sitting on the chair beside him, on his right since he is at the end of the row of office desks. ¡°So you¡¯re also my office neighbour?¡± ¡°Well I guess I am. Hahaha.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious. What¡¯s your job before the job change?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Data Organizer.¡± ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re like me then.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re also a Data Organizer? I still haven¡¯t met the other Data Organizers in this company for almost 5 years now. I even starting to believe that I¡¯m the only one.¡± ¡°Data Organizers really are rare, huh?¡± "Well they aren''t really necessarily needed that often so..." With a giggle, Yuuki slowly frowned. "I guess something like photography would be a nice change. If I can only do so..." "What was that?" "It''s nothing." Yuuki gently smiled. "Come to think of it, how old are you?" "Just recently turned 18 last month. How about you?" "36. You look a lot older for your age." "Oh? Well you look a lot younger for your age." Yuuki puffed up her cheeks. "Geez! 36 isn''t even that old. This kind of age is just like a mere second for me." "You''re older than me for 18 years! That''s basically twice my age!" "!¨CSo what? You''re still a baby, aren''t you?" "I didn''t mean any of it. Also, just a baby?" ¨CWhy am I talking to her like this...? Also, what the hell is she talking about? "Pfft! Fine! If you''re implying that I''m old then treat me with respect." "Eh? OK...?" Yuuki corossed her arms with an arrogant look on her face. While Denis is just dumfounded to what just happened. ? ¨CI didn''t even do anything today at work... Denis sighed. "Hey, wanna grab something to eat?" Asked Yuuki nonchalantly while cracking her knuckles, straightened her back and leting out a heavy yawn. "I got a tight budget for this week so I really ca¨C" "Then I''ll treat you." "Really? You don''t have to though." "Don''t worry, I insist so stop being modest already." They then went to a nearby fast food restaurant just a few blocks away. It''s currently 7pm which is a point of the day with the highest traffic of people as this is the point in time where most jobs in Ronto usually ends. The place they''re going to is a popular destination so it''s usually full. The establishment in question is a two story building with two large windows at the facade and walls coloured with red and yellow and a large M at the top of the building. "Let''s try the other one over there." Denis suggested. "Don''t want to. This place is my favourite and the food here is good." "It''s already full. Plus, the food here isn''t any different from the other one''s." "Nope. I said this is the one I want." "Eh...? Fine, fine. You¡¯re buying anyway." ¨CIs this woman really 36 years old? To be so persistent when there''s absolutely no vacant seat... Yuuki glanced at Denis like she heard what Denis had thought about just now. "Well I''m actua¨C No, nevermind. I already said that I''m 36 years old. You still don''t believe me? Also I''m being persistent because I need to be here. Haa... For a mere baby like you to tell me that... "Umm..." Denis was set aback to Yuuki''s sudden statement. The idea of being of we being a mind reader came to Denis'' mind but subsequently denied this idea as it''s to irrational. After all, magic doesn''t work in the real world. Is his reasoning. Also it''s impossible to read minds as thoughts are just signals sent by neurons to other neurons. "Don''t be so closed minded. I really can read minds." Another absurd statement by Yuuki which Denis is shocked at again. This is the second time she supposedly "read" Denis'' mind. Such a feat is very impressive. Denis only knows few magicians and illusionist that can do something like reading minds. Yuuki let''s off a sigh. "You don''t believe me do you? "What do you mean?" "Fine I''ll show you." They approached the window and Yuuki pointed at the table for two with a reserve sign placed on top of the table. "See that? I''ll get us those seats." "How?" "I''ll talk to with the waiter. Wait here." "We can just go to ano¨C *sigh* never mind." - What did I get myself into...? She''s obviously living in a fantasy. Didn''t expect that from a 36 years old. But for her to know what''s in my mind is rather impossible... No, Denis your better than this. Don''t be fooled. Magic is just something stupid. After a few minutes of Denis staring at the blank sky, Yuuki came back with a grin on her face. "Looks like good news. Done bribing the waiter?" "You really lack fate in me do you? I''m guessing you¡¯re an atheist." Yuuki crossed her arms and made a smug like look. Then she pointed her thumb towards the table before like some kind of badass. At the table, there''s a waiter removing the reserve sign. "Wow you actually did it." Denis said sarcastically. "So how much did you gave her, the waiter that is." "I didn''t bribe her." Yuuki clicked her tongue. "I convinced her give us the table with my power." Denis could only raise an eyebrow from the outrageous claim of Yuuki. The thoughts that''s swarming inside his mind are... This is bad news - she''s completely nuts! - ran away! - crazy detected - what excuse should I say? - 36? Lies! "...Right." Denis made a wry smile as to not raise any suspicion while he talks his way out. "C''mon let''s go!" Yuuki grabbed Denis'' hand and pulled him in the fast food restaurant. The smell of fried chicken and baked potatoes fill the air. From groups to families all ate their food while chatting with one another. It''s all nostalgic for Denis. "This way please." The waiter waved at them and pointed towards the table. "Wow. Didn''t know the waiter here leads costumers to their table." Denis said. "They don''t actually." Yuuki replied on impulse. "What do you mean?" Denis asked with a puzzled face. "I convinced her, the waiter to give us quality service like the ones on those 5 star restaurants." "How?" "I''m an all-powerful being so something like that is child¡¯s play." "Sure, sure." Denis couldn''t comprehend what he just heard. To think that someone would actually claim something as an all-powerful being, being it 21st century at that. Denis only knows three kinds of people who would boldly declare that what they did is magic. One, a magician performing tricks and two, someone who is drowned by their own delusions. Three, a con man that tricks people into joining their made up religion. The options being presented before him, he picked the second and third option. "I can see that you still don''t believe me, eh?" "You can tell?" "I don''t need my powers to know. Your face says it all." "I wasn''t born yesterday. Let me answer your previous question, yes I''m an atheist so I don''t believe those kinds of things." "Oh? Then let me show you." Just then, Yuuki''s lips twisted. Chapter 1-3 The scene changed. For a moment we were sitting on a table in a famous fast food chain then in blink of an eye, were in a desolate place with nothing but piles of rubble everywhere, stretching far and wide into the horizon. The smell of dust was in the air. It seemed that the sun has only just set but unlike the orange hew that we normally see in a sunset, this place shows a toxic green hew. I could only stare at something this impossible. This is surreal and therefore, it is a dream. That''s probably it. I''ll wake from this dream any moment. "I can assure you, this isn''t a dream." Yuuki, with her both her hands on her chin like a master tactician convoluting a strategy. Her eyes are sharp, so sharp that it can pierce my soul. This isn''t her. The hair all over my body fizzes up, my skin shivered like I''m in the Antarctic. I can''t even open my release words out of my mouth. "You seem confused. Don''t worry, as long as you stay in this area, nobody can harm you. And to why I went through all that sort of role play, well, I just wanted to see your reaction when everything suddenly changes in the most inconspicuous way possible." "But I have to give it to you. You sure are quite dense. A wee bit closed minded." I don¡¯t think that that¡¯s inconspicuous. Rather, it¡¯s the most obvious way possible but more importantly¡­ "Who...Are...?" "Who am I? I''m God." She smiled gently. I don''t believe it. "Where...? "This is the world you live in. You should be thankful that I even used my own time to save you." "No... This isn''t..." "Ronto? It isn¡¯t but also is. The Ronto you knew is just an illusion. This is the real one. Destroyed, devolved into rubble. This but remains." This can''t be true... No. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s more unbelievable. the fact that God, whom I denied his existence for as long as I remember is sitting in front of me or the fact that the place we are in, the place I grew so familiar of is wiped out like a meteor had just hit the surface of earth, eliminating life itself and the mark that it made to proclaim that it even existed. No, this is all just an illusion. I¡¯m probably mugged or something. Maybe this is why I always get the feeling like everything is just an illusion. Because a dream such as this would sprung up out of nowhere. "I don''t think so." Yuuki spoke. No, this isn¡¯t Yuuki. ¡°he¡± spoke. Nothing is threatening in her words but why did a chill just ran through my spine? "This place is your real world. The world I created at that." "You created?" "Yes." There''s no emotion on his face like the words he had spoken is something normal. Like he''s implying that I''m the one who''s abnormal here. Right now, were sitting on the very same chairs that we originally had sat on and with the very same table in between us. It¡¯s undamaged. Who would create a desolate world? This. This is just stupid. This task is idiotic even for the God that I deny. "I created this world because I wanted to. Because I was bored. Because I felt lonely." ¡°Why would you even create such an empty world? No, you probably didn¡¯t, right? Then who destroyed it?¡± "I¡¯m sure that an atheist like you would know about angels, yes?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°I created the angels with good will in their hearts, kind and considerate. Faithfull to me. But some¡­ some rejected me and thus I rejected them and now I no longer consider their existence. Fallen angels is what they are called.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I know that much.¡± ¡°Of course you do. I allowed you to know, anyway.¡± "..." ¡°I¡¯m sure that you may have very well know now who destroyed the world I created when I told you this absolute fact.¡± I stayed silent. It¡¯s plainly obvious who the culprit is. Even though I¡¯m an atheist, I know some things about the concept of God. I know that he is omniscient and omniscience. A stupid figure. Such a being can never exist since that sort of being will spring up a lot of paradoxes like if God, a supreme being were to create a boulder so heavy that he cannot even lift it, not even an inch. If he ever made such a boulder then that will defile God¡¯s very definition. A being that can do everything. Since that¡¯s the case, if ever his angels were to betray him, he knows beforehand that they will. Actually, he knows from the very start. And when they did, it is not those angel¡¯s responsibility but God¡¯s. Since God knows everything, then he could have stopped them but he didn¡¯t. ¡°What a reasonable claim. Yes, you are correct. My very existence is full of paradoxes. But consider this¡­¡± She, with a voice that somehow resembles all the voices of humanity, but at the same time, doesn¡¯t, moved her mouth close to my ears. ¡°You forgot the fact that I created the universe and its laws.¡± Upon hearing that voice, I felt that the feeling of dread lingered on every part of my body. What is this feeling? A mix of fear and hope. ¡°Even If I were to create such a boulder that I cannot lift, then I would simply change its properties so that I can lift it. It would not limit me so because I already possess the power to do so even if I did made such a rule, and yes, the very fact that I am omniscience is quite true but those angels, whom I have cared for and loved, still chose to do so, still chose to betray my love. Then if that¡¯s the case, why would I still choose to prevent such a betrayal when they already have chosen that act themselves? The act of evil that they freely chose to do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I can¡¯t reply. Not because I don¡¯t have anything to say but because I¡¯m afraid to say it. Neither can I even think of my rebuttal. This cheater. Is this what they call the divine fear? Her?no, God¡¯s expression still haven''t changed the slightest since we''ve came here. Thick black ashes started to rain down, accompanied by a loud explosion from a far. I can only guess it''s a volcano. The ashes slowly drifts downward like snow in winter then rested upon our heads. Since he didn¡¯t pay any mind to it, it should be courteous that I shouldn¡¯t either. I still don¡¯t fully believe in God, more so, I merely consider that such concept would be possible rather than impossible before and for an astronomically rare chance, such concept is right before my eyes. I should consider myself lucky. I consider God as an idea, not an existence. ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡± The sound of the explosion from a volcano that had travelled far to be able to reach our ears eventually ceased. Now only silence fills the surrounding. The sun had also fully sunk into the horizon and what''s left of the night sky is but a twilight. Darkness enshroud the surreal scenery and the sky. The stars still doesn''t appear as it is still too early for it to appear. I can only hope that it will appear in the first place. As I was observing our surroundings, the lips of which the body that God had used to resemble itself moved. "What do you think are the capabilities of the beings that I created?¡± "That depends on the capabilities that you bestowed to them.¡± God had changed form from the look of a 36 year old office worker to that of a cluster of particle that took form in the shape of a human. His face, his body, his voice. It resembles all yet doesn¡¯t resemble anyone. A general shape. "Yes, capabilities. How one is capable on a certain concept. Their talent, their shape, how they act, what they are good for, what their purpose is in this world, their fundamental nature. Those are the basics of how I base my creation. But, let us focus on one thing. Purpose. Everyone, everything has a purpose, right?¡± I simply nodded. ¡°Then tell me, what purpose did I gave you?¡± What? How should I know!? ¡°It¡¯s simple really. You are but a source of entertainment.¡± Though god doesn''t have any eyes, I can feel like millions of eyes are staring right at me. It''s unsettling. ¡°Entertainment?¡± ¡°Yes, entertainment. I destined that you will be made because I crave for entertainment. It¡¯s quite boring when you know the actions of those you created.¡± ¡°Sorry but I don¡¯t get it. Why am I a source of entertainment? Why me in particular? You can create anything, right? Then just create something that you can¡¯t predict.¡± ¡°I did and that¡¯s you.¡± So now I¡¯m a play thing of the God that I didn¡¯t even acknowledge the existence of until now? ¡°Well, I would be lying if I said that it¡¯s only you. There¡¯s someone or something that I purposely created so that I can¡¯t predict their actions are?¡± He paused for a moment which suffocating silence instantly followed and then he spoke. ¡°?The most powerful creature in hell.¡± I¡¯m shocked. I¡¯m shocked because of how foolish his decision is. He just made the most powerful creature in hell unpredictable. ¡°Oh, I also made that creature completely invulnerable to my power and gave it the power to eliminate my existence if it so have the chance.¡± ¡°WHY!!!¡± He merely chuckle to his own absurd statement. I accidently screamed. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? For a supreme being, this is the biggest blunder you can ever do in your entire eternal life! This is absolutely stupid! No matter how bored you are, you shouldn¡¯t create something that¡¯s completely immortal. Wait, no. I¡¯m stupid. I remembered one concept. ¡°Right. You are a supreme being. You can just remove such properties, right?¡± ¡°What I meant when I said that that creature being immune to my power, is, as just what I said. Immune to my power. Therefore, any such command that I wish to bestow on that creature is nullified. Seems like I may have step on the boundaries of the very paradox you¡¯ve just mentioned.¡± The corners of his lips turned upwards. ¡°Then what you¡¯ve just done is falsify your very definition.¡± ¡°Not quite. I¡¯m merely bending the rules.¡± ¡°What do you mean? ¡°What¡¯s that definition again? ¡°God can do everything¡±? That is quite true but, does that statement prohibits me using instruments for that task to be done? It certainly doesn¡¯t. Technically, I can still do everything with the use of such instruments. For example, if a man were to lift a heavy boulder, he would utilise something like pulleys. If a man were to say his thoughts throughout the crowd, he would use a device that amplifies sounds. It¡¯s just like that. I am merely bending the rules.¡± A logical reasoning, but¡­ ¡°That certainly is but doesn¡¯t that limit you? You said it yourself. By limiting you, it would essentially break that definition were as God can do everything. And by breaking such definition, you will essentially create a paradox. Even the Creator of the universe should know that paradox is something that shouldn¡¯t be crossed.¡± God¡¯s lips turned into a smirk. ¡°And so, how should we break that paradox?¡± ¡°By negating the previous rule that you had made.¡± ¡°Correct. You seem to know my very full potential. You passed.¡± Passed? ¡°Yes. I was testing you to know how you would react to such paradoxes. Though your answer is basically saying that you give up but nonetheless, you still said the correct answer. But I will tell you this, I can assure you that I purposely allowed that creature to be able to eliminate me. It doesn¡¯t create a paradox when there isn¡¯t any foundation to create it, yes?¡± ¡°That seems so.¡± ¡°So what should we do about that?¡± ¡°Eliminate the creature¡¯s existence?¡± ¡°That would be boring. I¡¯m appointing you to destroy that Creature before it finds a way to destroy me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything about it?¡± ¡°I am. I¡¯m appointing you to do the dirty work.¡± ¡°No, what I meant was, doing something personally.¡± ¡°Of course not. Like I said, that would be boring and boredom is something that I¡¯ve experienced for a long time.¡± Then something came into my mind. ¡°Considering the things we¡¯ve talked about until now, I would presume that when you said to me that you can¡¯t predict my actions are a lie as well?¡± ¡°Ah, attentive, aren¡¯t you? Well. I should say that I can¡¯t predict your future but I also can. Since me being unable to predict your future essentially limits my capabilities and thus void because of my very definition.¡± Basically saying, he couldn¡¯t predict my future if he wouldn¡¯t put his mind into it. ¡°Precisely.¡± I don¡¯t know why but somehow the atmosphere turned serious. God¡¯s smile turned upside down at that. I assume that something serious will come up. ¡°Denis, was it? Since I had appointed you to destroy the most powerful being in hell, it¡¯s only fair that I give you, a lowly human whom have seamlessly no knowledge of the place that awaits you, a gift, yes?¡± God slanted his body back towards the back of the chair, placed his arm on the arm rest and rested his head onto his knuckles. ¡°Following our talk about the future, I shall bestow upon you a gift that you may use on your journey. A power to see a glimpse of the future, precognition. Use it however you please. This will be my only gift as I want to observe quietly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for this gift that you¡¯ve bestowed upon me, though, I wonder, do I perhaps have the right to decline this journey?¡± ¡°Unless you want your very existence to be eliminated, then be my guest.¡± I guess that¡¯s a no. Looks like I have no choice. God lets out a sigh and continued. ¡°Let me repeat, your very existence is but an entertainment for me. Though I may, most likely will not interfere the choices you make, I simply want to know how you react to it. You seem to be quite quick witted, not the most of your kind, but it¡¯s definitely something I slightly admire?¡± God leaned closer to the table and placed his arms on the table. ¡°?Nevertheless, please do impress me.¡± And suddenly, the scene turned white. Chapter 2: Gone through hell and back [In a blink of an eye, the scene changed again. From the blinding white to an endless darkness. It''s all black. I can''t see anything.] [I guess I got unlucky to be the one out of the 7 billion people in the world, chosen as God''s puppet. It''s stupid.] [I can only guess that I''m in a cave. I think. Or maybe I¡¯m just under tons of something. It also seems to be hot in here. Boiling hot. I feel like my skin is about to be burned off. Eventually it adapted to the temperature and the only thing that I can feel is lukewarm... And prickly objects.] [Its rocks. Bundles of tiny and sharply edged rocks.] [I tried to move my arms and the only input I got is pain. Excruciating pain. Though my mind might be as calm as the steady current of a stream but I can tell that my face is contorting into various facial expressions. I''d like to see it but there''s no light in here. Whatever this place may be.] [I tried to move my legs but it''s the same with my arms. I can''t move them. So it looks like I''m paralyzed or my limbs are just broken. For him to send me in this pitiable situation. Just what kind of torture is this?] [Upon assessing the situation I''m in, the only plausible result would be... Death. Wow, no shit Sherlock. I don''t think that that fact isn''t anymore obvious. I can''t believe I resort to insulting my own brain at this point. It''s only been like a few hours in my estimation.] [I feel numb and dizzy. I think that that''s thanks to the blood loss that I''ve experienced. My blood should have clotted my open wounds by now. Looks like my blood is also useless. Oi, God if you''re listening, your play thing is going to die right from the very beginning. Thanks for putting me in this situation where I don''t even know what the hell just happened.] [So... My subconscious, how are you doing? Chilling out I see. Well as you may have known, I''m currently dying from blood loss but don''t worry, I''m totally fine for the next few hours or minutes at that is when I''m going to sleep with the fishes. Hm? What''s that? Want to talk for the remainder of my pitiable already-ending life and not do anything? I like that offer!] [I don''t mean any harm, my beautiful subconscious. I would like to chat a bit longer but alas, I really want to fucking live eh? If I die, you''ll die too.] [When I am not being crazy, I can actually think! What a revelation! So God bestowed to me a little cheat eh? Hehehehe. It''s probably something super op that could kill that whatever powerful is. Hm? What¡¯s that, subconscious? You said that it''s precognition? Hm... So, do you want to talk until I die?] [Geez, when I want to save myself, you go all tsundere on me but when I want to leisurely waste away the remainder of my life, you want me to save myself? What kind of contradictory bullshit is this?] [Alright, fuck. I''ll use it. When I focused on the power that God had given me. Well it''s more like believing in something imaginary and hoping for it to be real. But anyway! Time slowly... Slowed down. A second took a minute for my perspective. Then that second took an hour to pass. From an hour to a day, from a day to a week, from a week to a month, from a month to a year. Eventually, a second took an eternity to pass. Like a supertask. Something as large as infinity could be compressed by a mere two seconds.] [Eventually, time stopped. During those unfathomably long time, I been able to think of a lot of things like how tasty a donut is and how convenient a chair is. Yes, all the things that I can think of in that time period is super mundane that anyone would get bored to death when they''re able to read my mind in that state. ] [Once time had stopped, something which looks like a roll of film, appeared in my vision. It was surreal but I think I''m already used to surreal stuff. My mind also went to normal and the useless garbage that I''ve put considerable amount of effort to think about like how can I touch something is completely erased. The roll of film then displayed from what I can guess is the future. This is a short glimpse of the future that I''m seeing here. I think that depending on the actions that I do, the future also changes.] [In the future, I will be saved by... Demons? Looks like I really am in hell. But what action did I do for those demons to save me. I mean I''m a vegetable from head to toe. What sort of ingenious plan did I come up with? As I tried to focus on the cause to what lead to me being saved, I could only get to as far as the point where the demon started removing rocks. It looks like I can only see the result. Yeah, if I can see the cause then that would be too overpowered. I also found out there are countless scenarios that leads to subtle to the most extreme changes in my preferred ending in this predicament. One is where I somehow vomited my intestines. Yeah. It looks like this power chooses my most preferred outcome of an event and in this case, being rescued and shit.] [Seems like I''m done using this. I focused my mind to discontinue the usage of my precognition. When I do so, time quickly regained momentum and a few short moments, time has fully returned to normal. But I, on the other hand, is still very much far from normal. My limbs still hurts like a bitch and I''m still stuck here with my blood gushing out of my body.] [Time for the thinking game. What possible action I will do to be able to be saved by those demons? Checking my limbs again, it''s completely useless. I''m basically a wet vegetable right now. So what to do, what to do...?] [Considering the fact that I am immobile, the rescuers came to save on their own accord which mean I will do something to lure them in.] [Upon thinking about it, I realized how stupid I was. I should scream for help! My God, I want to kill myself for this. I''m thinking way too much into it. The answer is super obvious.] [I inhaled deeply, readying myself for the biggest scream that I can muster. Once the preparation is done, I used that air to let loose the biggest shout. ] "He¨C! Kuwa¨C..." [Blood came out of my mouth. Shit. My vocal cords is also fucked! God! For fucks sake, what the hell is this!?] [I banged my head on the rocks. This is fucking stupid... I can''t believe I''ve became the guy''s plaything.] [I continued to hit my head on the rocks like a woodpecker would to a tree. Blood started to flow out of the scratch on my head but I didn''t care. So be it if I die a little bit faster. I''ll die anyway.] [Blood continued to flow out of my wounds. Slowly, I began to get even dizzier. My vision, which had already adapted in the darkness, started to blur. I tried to scream again and again but rather than words, blood came out of my mouth.] [I guess this is over. My mind begins to drift away from reality. My vision blurs even more. Before I lost my conciseness, before I close my eyes for maybe the last time, before I draw my last breath that I''m aware of, I see a glimpse of light. Is that it?] [The solution is utterly stupid.]Stolen novel; please report. ? I regained consciousness but I still didn''t open my eyes. The sensation of heat is always constant but it seems that my body had adjusted to it. How convenient. I tried to subtly move my arms and legs but all it did is give me a surge of pain. As expected. I touched my mind to my breathing. Though it''s rough, I can breathe easily. As do my nose as well. I took a sniff and picked up a scent. The very first scent that I can smell is close to the smell of the sewers that had not been maintained for years. First time for everything but I never thought that my very first time would be so miserable. This stench could only come from the demon that''s carrying me. It''s quite rough to be carried like this like I''m some bothersome sack of hay being carried by shoulder. Looks like I''m still alive and somewhat functional from all those observations. Just to re-confirm, I was saved because I banged the rocks so hard that the rocks moved and somehow the two demons here noticed. I know, ridiculous. Finally I opened my eyes. It''s... Disappointing. I thought I would be blinded by the light of some sort but considering this is hell, this is to be expected. But I expected that the sky would be red but apparently it isn¡¯t so. The sky isn¡¯t as calmingly blue as earth but it¡¯s somewhat blue nonetheless. If I were to be honest, the dark blue sky of hell is signifying that the apocalypse will soon come. From first glance, you can see the inextinguishable ocean of flame far off into the horizon. Or is it sea of flame? Whatever, they''re the same! When I gazed down, apparently we''re walking on a bridge made of stone with holes where suddenly, a burst of flame shoots out of that hole. That sure is reassuring for my safety. From the end of this bridge is what looks like a village or a town? I can''t really tell. From what I¡¯ve observed, that place¡¯s, which I¡¯m just going to call a town, buildings are made from stones commonly found in the area. When I turned my gaze up top, all I could see is an unending hew of red. I expected that there¡¯s ceiling but I guess not. This is certainly hell, but it isn¡¯t the underground hell. It¡¯s a different world. "Oi, awake?" ... The fuck? Did this guy who is carrying me just spoke in a different language which I have never heard of but I, somehow understood it? How the hell is this possible? No wait. If it''s that guy then surely it is. So here''s a question, did I retain my body, which I undoubtedly don''t want by the way, and that body is the body that I''m currently using or did that guy, God that is, use some weird crap and put my consciousness in another guy''s dying body? From all the crap that I''m experiencing right now, it''s obviously the latter. If my human body were to be seen by the demons here, if it can possibly not become a pool of jelly when they did find my body, then they will surely use me as a sacrifice or maybe just eat me. Also, if for some reason I am not turned into a jelly and not used as some kind of religious sacrifice for Satan then how can I understand their language? But may also be solved by that guy but the guy already said that the precognition that was bestowed upon me is its only gift. "You know, you''re pretty lucky. If we didn''t notice the piles of rocks move then you might not be alive right now. Don''t worry, we patched you up pretty good so I doubt that you''ll die from blood loss now. That is beside the fact that you might die from an infection. Well, just look at the¨C ow!" Looks like the other guy punched the one carrying me. ¡°Ah?Right¡­!¡± Since my face is just adjacent to this demon''s face then I can tell that he just smiled wryly. I noticed that in his voice, there''s a hint of anticipation? Why? This guy''s appearance looks pretty ¡°demony¡± to me. With his fangs poking out and a horn sticking out of his forehead. "Ah... *Cough* *cough* thank you..." Blood escapes my mouth when I speak. This is irritating¨Cly painful. "Sir, you shouldn''t talk right now! Your throat is still has a massive cut from the rocks! Please rest easy." The demon on the back had said with urgency. Sir? Now that''s a word I didn''t expect in my entire life that I would be called with. It also seems that I can speak their language. I listened to his advice and stood silent throughout the way. ? Eventually we arrived at the town. The town is... Really, really poor. Demon beggars can be seen in very alleyway. The streets is filled with brown solid and liquid substance which I''m hoping isn''t shit. The demons here is using high shoes so they won''t step on those mysterious waste. The sight of this is really horrible that I could throw up at any second. The stench is even more so, like the said sewer that I mentioned before had dumped all of its contents and poured it all in this town The houses are built poorly as well. From the look of it, almost every building isn''t structurally sound. All are constructed with some kind of cement that they use which are somehow really weak. This scene gives a vibe of the middle ages, a time where the people are really unhygienic. Regarding the demons which I will refer to as people instead, looks just like a human but with horns. Though there are a few of those people who look like monsters, they''re all mostly on the humanoid side, but¡ª ¡°We are nearly there.¡± ¡ªI get the feeling that the people here looks at me with scornful eyes. I think it¡¯s obvious to say that I would inevitably have gazes set upon me since I¡¯m being carried like a sack but rather than eyes with curiosity to why I¡¯m being carried like this or how I got these wounds, their gazes seemingly carried the meaning like I¡¯m some trash. The people here are really non-hospitable. The guy who are carrying my body took me in a wide building with a sign that says "Hospital." How generic. "We are very sorry for the poor conditions, we beseech your excellency to forgive us for bringing you to this place but this is the closest that can offer help." The guy in the back said to me earnestly. What''s with the formalities? Excellency? What the hell? Sir is surprising enough but for him to use excellency? Just what upside down world am I living in? Too bad I can''t speak since my neck is fucking slit. I have so many questions that I want to ask these two. ¡°Let me talk to the doctors to let them know that you¡¯re are here.¡± The other guy then entered the hospital. Shortly after he returned with a smile on his face. He gave a side glance to the one who¡¯s carrying me and to me. The guy who is carrying me smiled too. I don¡¯t get it¡­ Upon entering the hospital, the eyes of those who saw me widen... For some reason. Did God made me someone important? Geez. For some reason, their gaze on me is like they¡¯re looking at something disgusting. Seeing my wounds, the people whom I assume are the doctors, rushed to me and immediately sent me to one of the rooms were the bed is stained with something brown and red. Yeah, I can tell that this is a low budget hospital. What did I expect from such a poor town as this? The scent of rotting bodies fills the air with a tinge of sulphur. The place is lit with the glow of lava placed in a small well positioned on the corners and the middle of the room, giving of a tribal feeling from the shadows that it creates. The clothes of the doctors are shabby and their horns varied in sizes. I noticed that, from their panic, the ones with the shortest horn are the ones who are being ordered around while the ones with longest are the doctors. It looks like the two who carried me here already left. I still haven''t thanked them properly. I don''t know why they''re panicking so much. I mean, I only got broken legs and arms. It''s not a big deal. Eventually someone, who appeared to be the head doctor come up to me. An old man with wrinkle on his forehead. With white hair covering half of his horn, this old man still stands with a straight back. Truly someone who is respected by many, an experienced individual in his profession. Surely he can¡¯t do something that would change my mind otherwise. But then he immediately bowed before me... "Your excellency, my name is Rabusto. I am the head doctor of this lowly institution. We sincerely apologise if such place as this would be worthy to operate your excellencies liking. We will, to the best of our abilities, restore your health. We shall promise that with our life!" "..." I don''t know what to say. Do I really deserve something like this? I''ve only came into this world and I''m being treated like some high class noble. God must have put my conciseness on some noble who got rocks fallen into him. Probably my horn is incredibly long. That sounded inappropriate The operation is incredibly painless. What witchcraft is this? The needles they use is like that of a blunt object which seamlessly turns cold once in enters my skin. They used tools that looks like a mess of scissors morphed into one to relocate my bones and they used stainless steel, not like it can rust anyway, to replace and strengthen the places where the bones are cracked. For a shabby hospital like this, they sure are skilled. Sweat trickle down through the neck of the head doctor, Rabusto which had then been quickly wiped by his assistants. Ah..... I really don''t deserve this. Shortly after, the operation is done. When I stood up, they bowed before me. ¡°Your excellency, the operation is done. Please do rest leisurely as your body is but still too weak.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I am grateful to all of your efforts to improve my health.¡± Now I¡¯m talking like I¡¯m some high noble. If they believe me so, then I might as well act like it. ¡°Yes. We shall so that you may rest in silence.¡± The head doctor and his assistants all left the room. And now I¡¯m all alone right now. Firstly, assess the situation. Somehow, I am treated as someone with a high social standing and because of that, they gave me the best treatment for my injuries. Surely enough, I can somewhat move my limbs now and I don¡¯t feel excruciating pain when I do so. From what I¡¯ve observed, those with longer horns are treated with more respect and thus, given with higher and more important roles. Maybe that sort of rule only applies in this place but that¡¯s the best assumption that I can think of. So that should mean that I have a long horn myself, right? I reached out to the top of my head and grabbed something which I assume is my horn. But¡­ My horn isn¡¯t even that long. From what I¡¯ve observed from the other demons in this hospital and from the demons outside, the length of my horn is average at best. Wait¡­ As I continued to search through the top of my head, I felt another one. A horn. There are two horns sticking out of the side of my head. So maybe that¡¯s the reason. Maybe a demon having two horns is a sign of a noble birth? Considering their attitude towards me, that should be the case, right? Really this is such a cheat. I don¡¯t know why that God told me that my precognition is the only gift he gave me. God even given me the body of a noble! Now, killing that ¡°Most powerful being in hell¡± is slightly bit easier! Though I wonder¡­ what will happen to me when I did that? Well no need to think of something that far off in the future. I should rest like a grizzly bear sleeping through the winter. For my case, sleeping through this hot climate. Chapter 2-2 I got woken up by noises outside the room. Seems like the doctors are talking about something. What better thing to do but to eavesdrop on them! I got up from my surprisingly comfy bed and made my way to the door and placed my ear on it. ¡ªWhat should we do about him? ¡ªWe sell him of course! Why the hell did you think we saved him? I mean, from his face and horns alone, his very existence is already illegal. Though from the looks of it, he¡¯s somehow clueless. Good thing he is or we wouldn¡¯t have tricked him this far! ¡ªYou¡¯ve got that right! He doesn¡¯t even have the slightest of suspicion on his face. You know that he¡¯s clueless just from that! ¡ªToo bad he¡¯s the shittiest birth possible. Someone with two horns. It¡¯s disgusting. I don¡¯t know if he will even sell that well. ¡ªDon¡¯t worry about that gentlemen? That voice¡­ it¡¯s the head doctor. ¡ªHis blood may be cursed but someone with two horns would sell really high, I can assure you since if one were to own a slave with two horns, it is a symbol that you are rich, someone with influence and is in a higher state in the social ladder. Just sell him with a relatively generous price in the auction and soon that price would reach millions. ¡ªPfft!! Millions!? The two exclaimed instinctively. ¡ªI can¡¯t believe that guy could sell that much! ¡ªThat is to be expected. Someone with two horns are relatively rare after all since they are killed off when they¡¯re born. I too, have killed some two horned newborns myself. So most commonly, the slaves that were being sold off are just one horned like us whom either been picked up from the streets or more rarely, nobles and the rich whom declared bankruptcy. ¡ªThis is great. We could move to other towns without shit everywhere more freely! Fuck! I knew it! Those things spread all around town are actually shit! ¡ªWhat about you doc? You must have something in plan for those countless gold and silver coins right? ¡ªThough that may be the case. It isn¡¯t something you would expect. I plan to use that money to renovate this place. Surely, I can¡¯t leave this place since I¡¯m sentimental to it. The crumbling ceilings, the unstable beds, the dull tools, yes, they are all something that I really cherish. Not the objects themselves but the experience that I had with them are the things that I cherish. Though those experiences may be at most, something gruesome and only filled screams of the patients, nevertheless, they are still memories that I cherish. Since those memories are inside these objects, it is only natural that I restore them to their former selves.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡ªWell, whatever you do with the money, we don¡¯t really care. All that matters now is if we are able to sell that guy with the highest price we can. For someone who restores the health of people here, you sure are open minded on slavery. ¡ªThat is life here. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. ¡ªYou know, you don¡¯t have to go out of your way to fully restore his health. ¡ªI ask you this, would you choose a product full of disease or a product that looks as if it had been taken care of? Surely you would pick the latter. ¡ªTrue enough but I don¡¯t think you should go that far. ¡ªDo you think he¡¯s awake? ¡ªI don¡¯t think so. I had injected him with a powerful tranquilizer. I doubt he will wake up anytime soon. ¡ªSince he¡¯s still asleep, why don¡¯t we chat a bit more, doc. ¡ªFor an old man, you sure are interesting to talk with. I¡¯m guessing that you have stories and folklore, or perhaps some legends? ¡ªI¡¯ll take you up on that offer. As for stories, I have plenty. Just then, I stopped listening. When I recalled of everything that had happened so far, this deception is really obvious for me not to see. But, even if I did anticipate it, there¡¯s nothing that I could have done anyway. From the get-go, the people of this town is already quite hostile to me. It¡¯s ridiculous on how quickly I¡¯ve gotten such a rotten reputation. Evidently, my horns is the one to blame. The norm of this town, or at the most, the entire world, is that someone with 2 horns are an outcast from society. This is bad. Thank God (not necessarily that guy who sent me in this pit of shit) that they think that I¡¯m still asleep in this time or I might not have any leeway to think of something. Rabusto, the head doctor, had said that he himself tranquilized me. The question is, why didn¡¯t I get affected by it? The only conclusion I can come up with is that I have a resistance to it. The fact that there¡¯s a big pool of diarrhoea outside implies that water can exist in this world. More specifically, something like water but can exist in a temperature exceeding boiling point. There also seems to be a slave market here. Not surprising. Although what intrigues me is the fact that there are other towns close to this. I shouldn¡¯t say close since I still don¡¯t know how far it is but from what they said, it appears that I need to have at least some fortune to get to go there. Judging by the era I¡¯m in which is probably the middle ages, the method of travel here are by horses and boats. I think that I can walk from here to there since this area is pretty desolate with vast mountains here and there and also this town is small so I can escape from it quickly. Now, what would happen if I did everything right? I focused my mind to activate the power that god had given me and¡­ It didn¡¯t work¡­? What!? Shit, a message appeared in my vision saying that I can only use it once a week. Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. Not like it will help me escape anyway. It¡¯ll just guide me to whatever actions I should do to be able to acquire such an outcome. Not to mention being it limited to one use per week. I should use it on situations that I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen when I did something correctly or to help me escape from deadly situations. Just overall, a point where there¡¯s a lot of outcome. This is a deadly situation but I don¡¯t have the luxury to use it but like I said, I don¡¯t necessarily need it since the only thing I want right now is to escape and I will surely do it if I did everything right, I think. Firstly, search for objects that can help me. There, on the table are clothes. The clothes are worn with holes on them, it¡¯s also something that a noble would wear. All black, a formal attire with a tailcoat. This is better than the patient gown stained with blood that I¡¯m currently wearing. Looks like this what I originally wore. I wore the clothes quickly and quietly and continued my search. There¡¯re surgical equipment placed on a tray by the bedside. There¡¯s an array of knives, scissors, and other tools whom I don¡¯t know the name of. They all look sharp. For self-defence, I took the largest knife and placed it inside my coat¡¯s inner pocket. For a while, I searched through the whole room and found a piece of cloth still dripping with blood, a wire hanger, and the syringe of what I think Rabusto had used to tranquilize me. I scanned the room and there is no probable escape route like windows. This is bad. Thinking about the viable options that I have, the only option that would result best is to exit through the backdoor which I saw at the end of the corridor so less people will notice me. After thoroughly scanning the room is when I realized that there are still bits and pieces of decaying carcass lying on the side of the room. After resisting the urge to vomit, I also noticed there¡¯s tiny rocks which looked like sulphur. Looks like I sort of got an idea. Yeah, I can do something about this. The question now is¡­ How do I pull this off? Chapter 2-3 ¡ª [Demon Race] Rabusto Barbos ¡ª Head doctor of a medical institution "¡ªThe world that we, demons, currently live in is a world named simply hell. An appropriate word for a world were oceans consists of unending flame and the temperature is enough to boil our skin but fortunately, we survived. And because we survived, we adapted and so those the other creatures that occupies this world. Now such temperature is merely just a warm sensation on our skin. But even so, it does not change the fact that our ancestors were just savage beasts that followed only their instincts and nothing more. But then one day, beings which they later claimed themselves as "Fallen Angels" fell to the surface of this world but somehow uninjured. Their wings black with two horns attached on their heads and a faint grey glow emanated from their bodies. At first, our ancestors attacked them but soon enough, these fallen angels managed to domesticate them until eventually, they, our ancestors, became intelligent. The Fallen Angels left us after that, promising that they''ll come back one day after they had won the war but they never returned. Not knowing what to do, our ancestors slowly returned to their former feral state. So even copulate with other creatures which spawned the existence of beasts which due to them, came the dreaded Half-Beasts but they came in a later date. After hundreds of years, another being fell from the skies. It was confused and wary like a child greeting a stranger but later became the ruler of us all. The story is but lost. The being, the Ruler of Hell, the one who named it so, the regarded Demon Lord by all, the only being with the right to bear two horns, the only being from all the other beings that fell to this world that has a bright shining aura that surrounds her, claimed that her memories were stolen from her by God. The memories of her origin and how she came to be. Before she can even pass down her story." The two seemed to be engrossed as a curious child listening to the stories of their grandparents to the tale I¡¯d just told them. These two are nomads so their clothes are but shabby and ragged, a dress code that was prohibited to be worn in a medical institution such as this but I¡¯ve placed a blind eye to it. The eldest of the two, spoke his thoughts. ¡°We never heard of such tale before. Where did you heard it?¡± ¡°The tale didn¡¯t come from the mouths of people but instead written in scriptures that was passed down on certain families as a family heritage. The details of which are prohibited to be told to others other than a blood relative but the general idea could be. You two are lucky to have heard of this. Not many people know of this tale.¡± ¡°So doc, your family is one of those who possess a copy of those scriptures.¡± ¡°Naturally, yes. But I don¡¯t have it. The eldest of our siblings has it.¡± Currently, we are in my office. I had invited them over when they proposed that we talk more and served the two some tea. I¡¯ve only met few individuals whom are interested history so this is a rare chance to tell legends that I¡¯ve learned throughout the years that I¡¯ve kept to myself. ¡°Tell me gentleman, what were your business to this poor town?¡± ¡°We travel town to town learning on how different their culture is there to the other towns. Eventually, we might move to the larger towns and kingdoms then to the heart of the middle continent where the Demon Lord resides. Essentially, we¡¯re just mere wanderers that records the differences of culture in various areas. But since the fair for transport is really expensive, we sometimes spend a couple weeks in each town to work." ¡°What have you learned from here, then?¡± ¡°Well for one, this town lacks proper waste management.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± I reached for the kettle and poured a red-amber coloured liquid into my cup. The sweet aroma of the tea lingers in the room like how the perfume the nobles use attach to their clothes and bodies. I gazed at the two if they wanted a refill but they politely refused by lightly shaking their heads. I took a sip. The tea is still hot but not that hot to burn the insides of my mouth. I focused my thoughts on the taste of the tea. It has a slightly peppery or better yet, a spicy taste. Even after the tea had fully went down into my gullet, the taste still lingers. The two then follow suit and drank their tea. The surroundings is silent except for the occasional noise outside but soon after, I could hear faint rapid footsteps which gradually grew louder as it got closer. Just then, the office door suddenly sprung up making a screeching sound as it did so. The culprit for all the noise is one of the nurses. She had a panicked expression on her face and is breathing heavily. This looks urgent. The two were surprised to the sudden arrival of the nurse but I remained composed. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°Dr Rabusto, when the one of our caretakers was delivering food for the two horned, he was attacked and killed! Now, the two horned has someone hostage and is requesting your presence!¡± In a single breath, she said the report. After hearing it, cold sweat trifled down my neck. ¡°Why did you guys sent that two horned a meal?¡± ¡°Well since he said he was hungry so since we are maintaining our act, we delivered him some then the incident occurred.¡± I gazed at the two and they both are confused as well. How did this happen? I know that I had tranquilized him with enough dose to make anyone drop cold for days so how. I recalled in my mind on any signs to how one could be able to resist such a concentration of tranquilizer then I figure it out. The answer is most likely not impossible but certainly is an extremely rare case. If one were to have had such resistance, they would have to be tranquilized for a large amount of times to be able to gain a certain level of resistance to it or maybe, in an extremely rare chance to happen, he must''ve had divine spirit possessed him.. Considering that he doesn''t have any sort of mark that would suggest that he was injected by a syringe a large number of times, then as much as I want to doubt it, it would be the latter.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Evil spirits, which is the name that the Demon Lord had given them, generally possess pregnant females in order for their child to be born with two horns and a condition with it which the spirit always leaves after she gave birth. Generally, it''s a lack of intelligence but it could be other ailments like lose of hearing, etc. Evil spirits only possess those who had disrespected a divine being or those who had copulated to someone who did. The only divine being that we know of is the Demon Lord. But for some unknown reason that a two horned who''d been cursed by an evil spirit while also been given a blessing of some sort by a divine spirit which the Demon Lord had named personally as "God", I couldn''t believe it. Only a few is possessed by it, as said in those scriptures and one is the Demon Lord himself which she claimed to give the possessed one a resistance to all sort of ailment as a side effect alongside the intended blessing. I really don''t think that such a thing were to be possible... It¡¯s a huge blunder but it isn¡¯t something that couldn¡¯t be fixed nor could be predicted. Since the two horned proposed that he to see me, which meant that he wanted to make a deal and that deal would most likely lead to him letting the hostage go in exchange for him to be released from the hospital. Then if so, we would just need to trick him into letting the hostage go then quickly subduing him and sell him to the slave market immediately. Even if he were to be possessed by a divine spirit, he would be still be affected by curse for the evil spirit. In the end, he''s still a two horned with just a tough body. A low birth as they are known. I don''t even think that he would even know how to use the blessing the divine spirit intended to give to him. "Dr Rabusto, is everything alright?" The youngest of the nomads had said to me. Looks like I''ve unconsciously strolled in circles for a moment there. ¡°Then gentlemen, if we please.¡± I said so, ignoring his question. I gave the two a nod which they clearly understood the meaning of and followed me towards that low birth. ? Once we¡¯ve entered the ER, the first thing that I noticed is a two horned demon wearing tattered formal attire with a tail coat, currently sitting on the body that he had killed a stain of crimson blood covered the stone floor and struggling to get free from his arms is the said hostage, a nurse which he¡¯d put the tip of the surgical knife close to the her neck. Blood slowly trickled down from the cut that the knife had made. The staff of the hospital is waiting outside, seemingly scared because if they were to intervene then another one of their colleagues will be killed. Upon seeing me, his mouth twisted into a disgusting grin. After seeing how wicked he is, I still need to be composed. ¡°Ah, Head Doctor! How good to see you. I think I still haven¡¯t properly thanked you for healing my wounds.¡± ¡°Please do skip with the pleasantries. I¡¯ve heard that you had requested my attendance?" ¡°That seems so.¡± To summarize, what this two horned desires most at this moment is to get out of this place in exchange for the life of the hostage. I expect that he would be affected by the curse afflicted by the evil spirit, then that would mean that he would be less intellectual than an average demon. I''m hoping that it would be at least to the point that he won''t suspect anything regarding this exchange. If that were the case then this would be a breeze. It''s likely the case since the blessing of the divine spirit shouldn''t be able to nullify the curse. After a short moment of silence, excluding the noise outside, the two horned spoke. ¡°What I ask for is a map of this continent and a peaceful escape. Not so hard to grant, right?¡± ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t. Unfortunately, we do not own a map but¡ª¡° I turned my head towards the two nomads which, upon seeing my sudden gaze, looked perplexed at first but the eldest understood my intention quickly and took out a map and placed on my outstretched hand. Of course I¡¯ll replace this map later. After taking the map, I tossed it over to the side of the two horned. Upon doing this, I hope that his suspicion of me betraying him will decrease. ¡°Easy and done, am I right? Haha.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°I presume that you will let me escape?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± Obviously this is a lie. If he let¡¯s go of the hostage for a second, my staff will abruptly pounce at him and immobilize him. That¡¯s what I advised to the nurse that sent us the report. ¡°If it¡¯s you whom said it, then I believe you.¡± He quickly grabbed the map using his right hand which also has where he¡¯s grabbing the surgical knife. He doesn¡¯t seem to be all too worried that his hostage might escape within his grasp. When I looked closer, I saw a wire hanger which he used to hand cuff the nurse. Resourceful. ¡°This map isn¡¯t fake right¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It isn¡¯t. These two are nomads with a map to be their only guide. Why would they carry a fake map when their lives somewhat depends on it?¡± The only ones to ask that question are either a demon which cannot store long term memories or a demon whom have grew up without the knowledge of the outside world, hence being, never acquiring a map. I think it would be the former. Further implying that, yes, the curse did work on him. While his eyes are focused on scanning the map, the eldest of the nomads whispered to my ear. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan to let his guard off?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. There¡¯s no need of a plan. I¡¯m expecting that this two horned is as dumb as a rock. He will surely accept that we will let him free without any suspicion. Once he let go of the hostage, we¡¯ll tackle him to the ground and subdue him.¡± ¡°Ah, gotcha.¡± He then whispered what I told him to his friend. There''s also a possibility that the intended blessing of the divine spirit would take effect somehow but I hardly doubt that he knows how to do it. ¡°This place sure is vast¡­¡± He said it with a voice so quiet that I only barely understood the meaning of. So he really is ignorant to the world? His parents must have protected him to the point that he¡¯s practically a prisoner of his own home. As he folded the map four times and putting it in his pocket, he lets of a heavy sigh and closed his eyes as if he¡¯s frustrated about something. Of course he will, he¡¯s cornered anyway but I didn¡¯t expect him to have noticed that. He might be slightly smarter than what I had assumed he was. I think that him having such a noble like outfit is a huge hint at that. He probably just stolen it, anyway. Later, he opened his eyes and looked at me with a mischievous gaze. ¡°Well then doc. Are you very knowledgeable?¡± ¡°I did master medicine. A pointless question I should say.¡± I shrugged my shoulders as I said so. ¡°Right. Then I also assume that you know of minerals as well. Then do you know of flash powder?¡± ¡°Sadly I don¡¯t.?! That¡¯s a dangerous name. What is¡ª¡° Before I could even finish my sentence, He throws a pouch which he then threw molten lava at it with his bare hands at that instant, a bright flash of light disturbed my vision like the sun suddenly appeared before me. That flash of light took a few seconds to end more so to recover my sight. After I did, that sly two horned escaped. I quickly looked towards the door and the even the others were dazzled by that flash. How could this be¡­? How could a mere two horned made something like that with nothing to work with!? Also, even if there was something to work with, then a mere two horned couldn¡¯t possibly have thought of doing something with it! Calm yourself. I think I underestimated him. He¡¯s obviously isn¡¯t an ordinary two horned. So the curse of the evil spirit didn''t work on him!? Upon realizing that the two horned might have went towards the exit, I ordered my staff to look for him immediately. The two nomads also searched for him. I just stood there, barely understanding the event that took place. I looked forward and there, the nurse that he took hostage the caretaker he supposedly killed. I removed the towel still dripping with blood that¡¯s covering her mouth and the twisted wire hanger used to hand cuff her. I looked at her eyes and though we are technically looking at each other, her eyes suggest otherwise like she¡¯s looking through me, in a distant place. After calming her down, I asked her, ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°W-when I heard a faint scream, I rushed to this room and then...¡± She spoke in a low voice, her face looking as if all the colour of her face washed away. She felt her neck lightly. Looks like he planned this. But, why did he? We treated him like a nobleman as to not raise any suspicions. We even used our finest equipment so he can trust as a bit. There must be something that made him resort to planning something like this. Something that told him that we were going to sell him off or at least, do something incredibly displeasing. Form thinking back on it now, since he isn¡¯t affected by the tranquilizer, he must have woken up just when we we¡¯re talking about our plan to sell him off to the slave market. That hypothesis has a much higher percentage of happening so it must be that. It was a blunder to talk about that topic right in front of the room. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have anticipated that either since I confident that I had injected him with a high enough dose of tranquilizer for him to be right out cold for days. Tranquilizers aren¡¯t cheap. I think that we shouldn¡¯t have left the surgical equipment too. Before I thought that it would be troublesome to bring it out again since we¡¯ll be using it again anyway. I let out a frustrated sigh. Everything didn¡¯t go according to plan because I underestimated that two horned. Upon realizing my sigh, the nurse looked at me. She looks somewhat stable now. ¡°Did he told you anything?¡± Considering how he acted, he should have told this nurse something. She thinks for a minute and spoke reservedly. ¡°H-he suddenly told me his name, Denis and said that he¡¯s a toy of that bastard. I don¡¯t know who that bastard is but he seems annoyed by when he said it.¡± Bastard? Who¡¯s that supposed to be? I think that may have been his former captor. I¡¯m guessing that captor is a noble or someone who is rich from looking at what he wears. Sometimes, those who bought slaves dresses them up in a formal fashion implying that they can afford to spend large amount of money on their slaves. It¡¯s basically a show of wealth to the commoners. While I was discussing about other details about what had happened, which her answer is quite vague so I couldn¡¯t piece them all together that much, I heard a groan coming from the apparent dead caretaker. So he¡¯s still isn¡¯t dead!? Just then, a relief washed over me like a gust of an extremely rare cold breeze were to suddenly rush all over my body. The nurse heard it to and hastily turned her head towards his supposedly dead colleague. The corpse suddenly raised his torso and looked around the room with a confused look on his face. ¡°But how?!?¡± ¡ªWhere the question that the nurse asked instinctively and also the question I ask myself but after scanning the room more thoroughly, I saw the syringe that I used to inject the two horned?no?Denis. He must have used it to the caretaker and made him appear dead my smearing blood stained cloth all over the place and on his neck. Soon after, the others arrived saying that they couldn¡¯t find him and had told the people about his appearance and if they did, it were to be sent to the hospital immediately. The two nomads looks disappointed like a hunter that¡¯ve lost his prey. I can understand their feelings. But to what that two horned had done¡­ He surely made me looked at his kind with more respect now. I unconsciously formed a smile on my face. But I wonder, the object that he created called a flash powder. How did he do it? Chapter 3: A grasp on the world that is Hell ¡ª [?] Denis ¡ª A two horned who doesn¡¯t have any idea what world he is in. Or rather, how this world works. As I listened to my surroundings, I heard loud panting just close by as if I¡¯m listening to an Olympic runner moving to the speeds of up to 20 miles per hour and soon I realized it was actually me. Currently I¡¯m still running through the dark alley way which is full of less shit. I never thought that my seemingly random talent of running fast could potentially save my life since the city of Ronto is so over populated that my chances of ever getting caught up in a mugging is really low so I didn¡¯t really think that running fast would be that useful. Except for the time when I''m late for work, which i never get to experience. When I threw that pouch filled with flash powder using some ingredients I found in that room which is actually a lucky break, I threw to it a handful of molten lava which the pain still stings until now then a flash of bright light blinded them all so I make a break for it and managed to leave through the backdoor before they can recover. How I did it you might ask my beautiful subconscious? Well for one, I know the recipe for making flash powder. These flash powders are used in the past (Probably until now) as a flash when taking a photograph. All you need is sulphur, aluminum powder, and potassium nitrate which all are readily available in that room. Mostly all actually. Since the room is mostly made of stone with very little maintenance, these kinds of elements naturally form. Firstly, the sulphur is already there in the form of rocks. Potassium nitrate is luckily there also because of the decaying corpse and the stone walls. Aluminum is the one I took a gamble in since I didn¡¯t know that they serve food with aluminum foil. I shouted out that I¡¯m hungry and there, on the tray that the caretaker is carrying is aluminum foil. I subdued him and grind the aluminum foil into a powder. It was not pleasant for my arms and hands since I had to finely grind it. I mixed up the ingredients and there it is. Then a nurse came in which I assume to check on why the caretaker took so long to arrive which I then made her as a hostage. Thinking back on it, I really am just lucky. Right now, I¡¯m hiding inside a barrel that I saw which is made of some sort of wood material in the back alleyway. It¡¯s a bit moldy with a fungi like thing growing out from the sides but it¡¯s better than running aimlessly. I can see through the hole of the barrel the people in the streets rushing to their destination. From commoners to peasants to slaves, this place sure is crowded. Brown liquid splashes upon every step with a short yet noticeable sudden change in the people¡¯s expression when they¡¯re hit with the splash accompanying it. The pungent smell of rotting feces and garbage is the first thing you¡¯ll notice upon entering this town. The arrangement of the houses are like those in the middle-ages. Rather than some being made out of wood, all of them are made out of stone. Soon after, I turned my gaze towards the wagon moving unsteadily, like its wheels are made of rocks clumped together. The material used to make the wagon appears to be the same wood that¡¯s used to make the very barrel I reside in though the wagon looks as if it was left for years until termites had eaten all of almost half of it. The wagon is being pulled by a horse I assume but with a distinct characteristic. Rather than skin, the horse is covered in scales. The driver covered himself/herself with a dark grey robe, taking the appearance of a desert dweller but I took back that thought when I saw the goods, which is also covered in dark grey cloth in the wagon. Looks like he/she is a merchant. ¡°Everyone¡ª!¡± Then I heard a sudden shout not so far from where I am. From those words, it seems it¡¯s a public announcement. ¡°¡ªPlease be on the look-out for this man! This man is a murderer whom had killed a caretaker in our own and only hospital! He is wearing a formal attire and has two horns!¡ª" Upon hearing the words ¡°two horns¡± more people took interest on the guy¡¯s announcement and gasped. Looks like I am a wanted man now. Just great. Two horned demons really are infamous. I couldn¡¯t really see the announcer but from his words alone I can assume that he¡¯s holding a picture of me to show to the people. ¡°¡ªFurthermore, those who captured that man alive, please deliver him to the hospital and you¡¯ll be rewarded one thousand runni! This announcement is approved by our town mayor, Aubey Hays!¡± As expected, the mention of a reward made a spectacle on the crowd. I¡¯m really screwed if I don¡¯t get out of this town quickly. Looks like the mayor¡¯s name is Aubey Hays. Odd name for this era I think but not too sure. The currency''s name here is runni. I looked at the map that Rabusto had given me. This map shows the very far eastern continent of this world called hell with some lines and dots on certain places drawn on it. The guys who saved me are really wanderers of some kind. Looks like the head doctor actually told me something truthful.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Judging from the geography of this place, this town is at the south of the continent. The ocean of flame is relatively close from here which is also appropriately coloured red in the map. The continent is surrounded by the colour red which implies the ocean of flame. But one question still remains, where¡¯s the water located? There should be some since this place is full of it but in the form of brown. I should worry about that later. After examining the map even more, the place where the Demon Lord lives in isn¡¯t in this continent. Killing the Demon Lord is the last of my priorities so for now, I have to worry about escaping this town and moving to another one where I am not wanted. I should also mind my horns. If someone with two horns is taboo here, the chances that the other places with the same belief is high. For now, I¡¯ll make my movement in the back alleyway so fewer people will notice me. As I was about to get out of the barrel, a woman with a dark red hair and possessing an emotionless expression like she was watching a boring movie and is on the verge of falling asleep, wearing a dirty gown that a peasant would wear, is there staring down on me. What makes the situation worse is the fact that this woman has one horn. The very ones who scorns two horned demons. Shit. ¡°¡­H-Hey?¡± I smiled meekly at her which she responded with nothing. She continued to stare at me. ¡°You¡­? Aren¡¯t you going to capture me?¡± She shook her head. Looks like she doesn¡¯t want to. I tried to slowly get myself out of the barrel and when I¡¯m half way done, she suddenly spoke. ¡°Why are you wearing those kinds of clothes?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not too sure myself.¡± I finally moved my entire body out of the barrel. Nobody noticed me since we are in a dark alleyway and even though I¡¯m completely exposed, I don¡¯t expect someone will notice me through all this darkness since I¡¯m wearing black. I turned my head towards this weird woman whom is shorter than me. I made a complicated expression and I greeted her again, now in a more normal matter. ¡°Hello, my name is Denis. Thank you for not screaming when you saw me.¡± The woman, who still have an emotionless expression, moved her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve been staring at you for a few minutes now, trying to figure out why you were in this barrel.¡± A few minutes!? She is something else. No normal person would actually do that, right? Although I do that sometimes but at a level were I¡¯m not directly seen by the person I¡¯m staring at. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°About that. I was running from those guys who are searching for me and then I stumbled upon this barrel and waited in here until they¡¯ve given up.¡± She sharply looked at me like I had violated a common rule. ¡°May I ask, is what the doctor said true?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Did you kill the caretaker.¡± Her expression changed from an emotionless doll to that of as if she¡¯s looking at a villainous criminal. ¡°Ah that? It may had looked like it but I didn¡¯t kill him. I merely tranquilized him.¡± I told her the truth since I can¡¯t very much hide my expression whenever I tell a lie. ¡°Is that so?¡± I nodded in reply. She placed her hand on her chin, looking as if she is thinking about something. She fixed her gaze on the ground for a moment and then looked at me again. ¡°Had you recently arrived at this place? Or were you kidnapped. Judging the clothes you wear, I presume it¡¯s the latter?¡± She¡¯s really curious about me for some reason. Maybe it¡¯s because, leaving aside my horns, I look like a noble. A strange noble wearing a tattered dress. Anyone would be curious on seeing someone like that. ¡°More or less. I was rescued by two wanderers of sort and sent me to the hospital which they then treated my wounds. They treated me with respect. I soon realized that their treatment is but a fa?ade so I wouldn¡¯t expect that they would sell me off in the slave market, I planned to escape after i knew that.¡± Looks like my answer didn¡¯t satisfy her. ¡°Rescued you? What happened then?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t recall. Sorry.¡± The reason I can¡¯t recall is because my mind is transferred to this body by god without any sort of background on whatever resulted in that accident. It¡¯s really cruel for him to do that, he must have laughed his ass off on seeing how I reacted to it. ¡°You were going to be sold off in the slave market, yes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°From how you said it, you seem like you don¡¯t know anything. Even if you are a noble birth, you should have known that two horned demons are scorned by society.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that beforehand. I really thought that that¡¯s the norm of this place.¡± Again her expression changes. She grimaced at my response like she¡¯d just heard something stupid. ¡°Why did you think that that¡¯s the norm of this place? There¡¯s no town nor kingdom where they treat two horned demons like their equal. Are you perhaps stupid?¡± Though she didn¡¯t raise her voice, there¡¯s still a weight of anger in her voice. I should just be completely honest with her. She is the only demon I knew of that I can talk to without that much worry. But of course, if she were some sort of affiliate of the hospital then i''ll resort to threatening her. Somehow. ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m not particularly well informed about this place. To be more specific, I don¡¯t know anything about this world.¡± I said apologetically with a wry smile. Her expression still didn¡¯t change. Well, I didn¡¯t expect her to believe me that fast. ¡°Aren¡¯t you weird? Well, you don¡¯t seem to be lying. Seems like you suffered from a mass memory dump from your accident¡± Something caught my interest. ¡°What¡¯s mass memory dump?¡± ¡°Like the name implies. It¡¯s an extremely rare phenomenon where one, mostly two horned individuals, suffers a large scale memory erasure due to trauma, having to receive a serious injury, or having one¡¯s horn cut off.¡± Sounds scary. ¡°And that being rare, you didn¡¯t doubt that hypothesis?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a rare one yourself so I don¡¯t doubt that something surreal as that were to happen to you.¡± I unintentionally chuckled at her retort which she lightly smiled at. From how our conversation is leading to, I think I can be a bit comfortable with her. She seems trustworthy, right? Well people in this world will almost treat me with prejudice. She is rare herself. But of course, I still don¡¯t fully trust her yet. From what I experienced before, people here can be a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. I should confirm it and so I asked: ¡°I have to ask, why aren¡¯t you calling me out?¡± She seemed surprised on my sudden unexpected question which she quickly recovered from. ¡°I¡¯ve been friends with some two horned in the past. You¡¯re quite different from them because you really are ignorant to the world. The ones I¡¯ve met before you are either traumatized from their past experiences or mentally retarded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a blunt description you gave them.¡± ¡°Nothing will change in this world if we didn¡¯t speak our words truthfully. Lies are shallow words, they don¡¯t have any weight to them.¡± She¡¯s interesting. I¡¯ve never met anyone like her from earth. Or maybe, I''m just with the wrong people. Silence took over our conversation and as we just continued to stare at each other, a feeling of awkwardness comes to mind. What should we talk about anyway? As I was thinking about that, she broke the silence. ¡°My name is Bulrom¡ª¡° She placed her hand on her chest and looked at me with a cold gaze like the icy breeze of winter. I can tell that what she is about to say is something important. ¡°¡ªand so Denis, would you care to stay at my home? Surely you don¡¯t have anywhere to stay, correct?¡± A very hospitable offer! I¡¯m literally on the verge of crying right now but I successfully held it back. ¡°I will gladly accept such offer. Since you are my benefactor, I will try to help you out the best I could.¡± She nodded to my statement. ¡°Of course you will. Bringing you in my home is very risky. It¡¯s only natural that you pay your debt with service since that is the only thing you can offer me.¡± She still possesses a cold gaze which sends a chill down my spine. Though I should be cautious. This kinds of acts is really unnatural. If I were her, I wouldn¡¯t bring someone like me to their house. It will only lead to either getting arrested or getting burned at stake. Although demons are quite resistant to this unholy constant heat, I have first-hand experience to how hot lava can be. It¡¯s like pouring a kettle of oil whilst still in flames on your hand. ¡°Really, thank you. Since coming to this world, you¡¯re the only one that I can trust.¡± She tilted her head at my words. Ah, a slip of the tongue. ¡°Coming to this world?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mind that. It just felt like I was somehow summoned here when I experienced that mass memory dump we were talking about before you see.¡± ¡°Right, then please follow me. My house is just nearby. Although I apologize in advance if it¡¯s too small for your liking since you seem to have been born in a decently wealthy family.¡± She turned her body towards the left path and walked towards it. ¡°Why would I be picky when I¡¯m the one receiving help?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± There¡¯s one thing that I learned in psychology is that when one is feeling like he/she is trusted, they will most likely not do something to break that trust. Hopefully she wouldn¡¯t sell me out but if I refused her offer, there¡¯s nothing much I can do to get out of this town. So if I managed to persuade her into helping me move to another town where my identity isn¡¯t spread throughout, then I¡¯ll have more leeway to move around if I hid my horns. I turned my gaze to her and followed suit from behind. But for some reason, I felt like she smiled. Probably just my imagination. Chapter 3-2 ¡°Entertainment!? Had that guy gone mad or something!? I don¡¯t even understand why he created something as powerful as me and now he sent an angel here with the sole purpose of being his toy and not because it had attempted to betray him. This is getting ridiculous.¡± The loud sound of his voice echoed throughout the barren land of hell. I could see the wild demons observing from a far, looking at this creature with fearful eyes and then back at me now with the eyes of a predator stalking his prey from afar. I remained composed before the creature that can set ablaze an entire world in a week and looked at him straight in the eyes. His large body could barely fit through the cave and could only enter if he retracts his wings closely to his body. I noticed that this creature has a tail which remained steady this entire time. ¡°So now, what¡¯re you going to do, lil angel? Can¡¯t hide forever now, could you?¡± Plans? I haven¡¯t thought of that. I¡¯m so worried for my own survival that I didn¡¯t think that I need to do something about it. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Then get out of here. This is my place to sleep.¡± The flying behemoth covered in scales produced a flash of light so bright that it could melt one¡¯s eyes upon a glance but I¡¯m used to this. Heaven is after all, a place where darkness doesn¡¯t exist. This light, which eminated from his body slowly started to dim down. As my eyes started to adjust, I could see a form taking shape. From the looks of it, it¡¯s the form of God then slowly reaches to resemble the shape of a woman. Soon enough the light dissipates and reveals the said woman. ¡°¡­I thought that you¡¯re a male.¡± She has a crimson hair tipped with orange, like the colours of the flame. With a fair complexion that rivals that of the skin of an angel and a beautiful face accompanied by two horns at the side of her head like the very horns that she previously had possessed, wearing nothing but a brown robe covering most of her body, it can be said that she is crafted by god with care. ¡°Why did you think that? Hmph! I don¡¯t care anymore now leave before I turn you into crisp.¡± But I didn¡¯t react nor did I listen to her words. In fact, I didn¡¯t even hear her. I just continued to stare at her with eyes filled with confusion. Just then, he glared sharply at me whilst showing her fangs. Her mouth opened so wide that her own head could fit in it and then a ball of flame formed, suspended above her mouth. The ball of flame grew larger, lightning covered its surface and sparks of flame shoots out and immediately goes down like the arcs of flame of the sun. Eventually it stopped once it reached the width equal to her own head. A ray of flame instantly comes out of the orb, directed towards me. When I came back to my senses, I tried to doge it but it¡¯s too late. The ray of flame, as soon as it came out of the orb, hit me. ? ¡°WAAH¡ª!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Oh¡­ It¡¯s just a dream. Now that I remember it, it¡¯s a continuation of the visions that I¡¯ve gotten before. Who¡¯s that angel anyway? Why¡¯s this vision appearing so suddenly and unexpectedly? I can be sure that that other one is some sort of dragon which that idiot made and given it the power to change its form. If these visions are true then this dragon might be the most powerful creature that I¡¯m supposed to kill? Maybe but the Demon Lord is a candidate for that also. Like I can do that. I slumped my body back down and laid there on the tattered bed, thinking about it. Currently, I¡¯m in her house. By her, I mean the weird girl who took me in, a two horned who is scorned in society and whose very existence is taboo, Bulrom. When I arrived here in her home, she requested that I lay down since she thought that I¡¯m very tired which is true anyway. The instant that I entered her home, I immediately searched for the bed. Come to think of it, it was kinda rude but she didn¡¯t complain so I guess it was fine. For a deadpan young woman such as herself, she is oddly nice to two horns. I expected that the youth would be more influenced in regards to the racism towards two horned demons but i guess she''s an exception. Her home isn¡¯t small but it¡¯s not large either. I could barely fit in 3 rooms. One is the bedroom which I can see the kitchen through the window, the other one is the restroom or the bathroom. I looked around, checking my surroundings and there I saw her in the kitchen by the corner, preparing a dish I think. I still wonder though, where do they get their water? And so I bluntly asked that. ¡°So where do you get your water here? Surely a place like this with a boiling temperature and an ocean filled with fire, water is hard to come by, yes?¡± I faintly heard a sigh coming from the other party. Though gladly she didn¡¯t ignore me, but replied half heatedly. ¡°What are you, an alien? Ha¡­ Water is found deep underground. There¡¯s a large reservoir deep within the regions of the ocean of fire so it¡¯s quite difficult to get to it. In the past, water isn¡¯t something we needed since we¡¯ve adapted to this kind of climate. If you didn¡¯t know, we sometimes drink lava as an alternative.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surreal. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Really. Water is only used for miscellaneous tasks like washing the dishes or taking a bath and of course, we could also drink it but it isn''t really necessary. Although, it is also used as an ingredient in wines and more like it but only the rich could afford that.¡± So that exist too in this world, huh? Well, I got the gist of it now. Rather than being found in the surface, water is acquired using I¡¯m guessing pipes of some sort to extract the water underground and deliver it to the public. But how do they even discovered that there¡¯s water is astonishing. ¡°Also, somehow, water makes our skin smoother when we bathe in it. It sort of feels like magic.¡± ¡°Is that so? Sorry for asking you this obvious question. My memory is a bit fuzzy at the moment.¡± I scratched the back my head as I said that whilst keeping an eye on Bulrom. She glanced at me shortly then resumed what she¡¯s doing. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± I continued to seat there in the bed, looking through her house. It¡¯s quite messy and the walls are a bit damp to say the least. Due to the stone walls which aren¡¯t even painted, it gives of a vibe that she¡¯s living in a cave. In terms of furniture goes, she has plenty. Only the ones that were needed. A bed which I¡¯m currently sitting on, table in the living room with three chairs, and a bookshelf with only 4 books stored. Since she doesn¡¯t have any closet to put her clothes in, she just stacks her clothes on one of the chairs. ¡°Food¡¯s ready.¡± Oh so she¡¯s cooking? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. She looked at me through the door with absolutely no emotion on her face. I don¡¯t know what to make up with that expression. ¡°Ah, right. Sorry for the trouble of cooking for me.¡± I hurried towards the living room and I saw her placing the dishes on the table. I wonder how they cook their food in this world. It¡¯s plain roasted meat with steam still coming from it. She also put herbs and spices to it, mostly to lessen the smell of it. Even when it¡¯s roasted, it still stinks like the guts of a pig. As if she¡¯s reading my mind, she spoke. ¡°Even though it stinks, it¡¯s quite a delicacy in this town. The quality of meat isn¡¯t that good so I apologise.¡± Eh? ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologise. I¡¯m truly grateful that you even cook something for me. Thank you really.¡± I raised my hands in the air as surrender and she smirked at my reaction. I couldn¡¯t but feeling like she planned this just to see me like this. Soon after, she moved her lips. ¡°Anyway, this food is still good despite the smell. Please try it.¡± Apparently she doesn¡¯t have any utensils so I grabbed the piece of meat with my own hands. Before eating it, I glanced at her for a second and she has a slight smile on her face. I don¡¯t know what to consider that smile of hers. It could mean that she¡¯s excited to for me to taste her cooking or she¡¯s smiling because I¡¯m about to eat something really disgusting. My thoughts are conflicting. One side of me says that I should drop the meat and ask her to go first while on the other hand, I should just take a bite since it¡¯ll be rude of me to refuse the food that she prepared for me. Crap. Whatever. I¡¯ll just take a gamble and eat a portion of it. I took a bite and chewed it a few time. It¡¯s a bit stringy and slightly sour but other than that, it tastes just like pork. Here I am worrying about nothing. ¡°This is good.¡± Her smile widened but not as wide as a normal smile would. ¡°Glad you liked it.¡± She then ate hers. Ha¡­ I¡¯m getting a bit paranoid by this. After eating our food in silence, she lets out a sigh as if she¡¯s frustrated about something. ¡°What¡¯s troubling you? Ah, if it¡¯s because of me then please tell me about it.¡± I lowered my head in respect however when I glanced at her, she didn¡¯t even react to my statement. Her expression still is emotionless. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do now? No, let me rephrase it. What will you do now? If you aren¡¯t feigning ignorance this entire time then that would mean that you completely lack the common knowledge of this world.¡± I straightened my back and looked at her but still lowering my gaze at the table. Upon seeing me so, she also straightened her back. ¡°It is true that I don¡¯t know anything and it would only burden you to ask for help so I plan to learn much from this town before leaving. But the act of leaving this town is really difficult I heard so I might have to plan for that as I go along with it.¡± Once I finished my statement, she started to clean up the table then going off back to the kitchen which I presume is where the sink is. ¡°What a stupid plan.¡± She said bluntly while she¡¯s still in the kitchen. Although her distance may be a bit too far, I could still understand her words. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve only arrived at this place with absolutely no knowledge on how the world works so what do you expect for me to do?¡± Of course, I also have the power that god had given which is only useful on very unpredictable situations which I still haven¡¯t found myself in but I don¡¯t need to tell her that. It might cause some kind of dispute regarding religion. ¡°You do seem to have forgotten a lot of things. There aren¡¯t many cases that a two horned demon having to suffer from mass memory dump from which they literally forgotten the ways of the world but nonetheless, you still have your intelligence intact which is reassuring.¡± She glanced at me for a second then resumed her work. As a response, I merely gave her a smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t consider myself intelligent though. I only know of things which are for the most part, really useless to use here.¡± I said so nonchalantly but I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯ll look at me with a gaze that so cold that it could freeze this entire planet in seconds. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯re intelligent so don¡¯t get ahead of yourself but what you said made me curious¡ª¡° Her gaze at me grew softer until eventually she looked back towards what she were doing previously. ¡°¡ªWhat do you mean by useless knowledge?¡± So it came to that. I really don¡¯t want to talk about it because people will look at me with strange eyes, which they already do but what I mean is those people who looks at me like they are my equal or just people who are comfortable to be with which the only person that I know that has at least one of those characteristics is her, Bulrom. But I guess I have no choice. If I didn¡¯t speak about it, I might lose her already small amount of trust for me which then most likely will result to me being ratted out by her and eventually being sold off to the slave market. So as cliche as it is, honesty is the best policy for this situation. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you but please keep an open mind about it, won¡¯t you?¡± Not reacting at all she responded: ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Though not that practical in this place, I know knowledge about photography. You know of it?¡± ¡°Not so. Please explain.¡± Ha¡­ looks like something like photography isn¡¯t invented yet in this world which, to be honest, gave me a relief since I will be the pioneer of it but I couldn¡¯t say that I mastered it though. That also means that no one in this world knows of it which will give me some leeway if I were to be using it in some of my actions in the future. It sort of gives me a bit of edge in this world but not to the extent that I¡¯m overpowered. In most cases, it¡¯s quite useless. After taking a deep breath I explained it so. ¡°You see, photography is probably still isn¡¯t invented yet so I guess you could say that I have knowledge of something that still doesn¡¯t exist but anyway, if I were to explain it in simpler terms. Photography is a form of art that uses an enclosed dark box of sort and light to capture images currently being presented in reality. Basically, it takes pictures that mostly looks exactly like the scene that you angled a device towards.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± With her short response, her house is now filled with the noise of running water. I looked restlessly towards wherever my eyes gaze upon at the very moment. I now noticed a few things which caught my attention like a golden coloured trumpet that¡¯s hanging on his wall and a taxidermied viper like animal also hanging from the walls. Not that important but... As I looked towards those objects, I heard that the water stopped which means she¡¯s probably done washing the dishes which didn¡¯t take much time at all. ¡°What you said, do you really think that I''ll believe you?¡± She said as she walked towards the table and calmly sat on the chair but the words she spoke means otherwise. ¡°No but I did hope that you¡¯ll keep an open mind to it.¡± Looking at me with knife like gaze, she spoke: ¡°If I¡¯m saying it correctly, you said that photography is an art that lets you capture images from the world that we see in to what I assume, a piece of paper or something like that?¡± ¡°More so, yes but you would need a device like a dark box in order to achieve that.¡± She grudgingly listened as I explained to her while she¡¯s massaging her forehead with clear annoyance on her face. ¡°So firstly, I need you to explain to me how you learned all of this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t explain that in words that you¡¯ll be able to grasp so I¡¯d rather not explain it.¡± If she¡¯s having a hard time understanding what I just said, she¡¯ll most likely have an even more difficult time understanding to how I was in another world which already has a technology like that advanced to the point that the very act of it is as easy as pressing a button so I refused to explain. ¡°Fine then. If you don¡¯t want to then don¡¯t tell me. So what¡¯s this dark box you speak of?¡± Thank god she dropped it immediately. ¡°It¡¯s actually called camera obscura which translates as a camera meaning enclosed room but doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be a room and obscura meaning dark. Essentially, it¡¯s some sort of enclosed or vaulted chamber with a tiny hole in the center of one of its walls, essentially creating images inside the chamber but inverted vertically¡ª.¡± She reached out her hand and covered my mouth, consequently stopping my long-ass speech about the very first camera used. ¡°So what you¡¯re basically saying is that this camera obscura or dark room you speak of is a shallow object which I presume doesn¡¯t have to be necessarily a box in shape with a tiny hole on one of its sides, correct?¡± ¡°Yewbs, dwats bewsiwcaly iwt. (Yes, that¡¯s basically it)¡±
(C10) Chapter 3-3 ¡°Wait, work?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? I need work to live, or did you also forget the concept of work?¡± ¡°Ah no, that¡¯s not it. Are you working on a maid caf¨¦?¡± She tilted her head in confusion and even I did so. My question just came out of nowhere. ¡°Well whatever maid caf¨¦ is, I don¡¯t work on one but I do work as a maid in a mansion. As you can see with the dress I¡¯m holding.¡± She waved the dress as if she¡¯s showing it off to me. So maid caf¨¦¡¯s isn¡¯t a thing. I¡¯m surprisingly surprised by that. ¡°So I have to dress up as a maid too?¡± ¡°No, you idiot. As a butler of some sort. The place I¡¯m working on is in need of an extra butler and they don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a two horned or not so you¡¯ll fit right in.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no mansion here as far as I can see.¡± ¡°Not here. From another town. Or a kingdom I should say.¡± I think I get where she''s coming from but thinking about it, it doesn''t really fit the criteria of being able to do anything as I please. In other terms, it means I''m only working there and that''s it. So basically it doesn''t really matter if I work there or not except for the fact that I can learn something as I''m doing the job. "What''s with that disappointed face?" I didn''t notice that expression changed but in any case... "Not to doubt your plan or anything but, I can''t see how this will help me. Technically, I am out of town but I''m not necessarily free from doing what I want." She closed her eyes as she puts away the maid outfit that she''s holding and soon after, looked at me again. "Of course I know that. Think about it. Do you really think there are any other option? If you were to use any form of transportation here then you would be easily found out. You should be aware that your face is all over the place which I''m guessing is also one of the reason why you want to move out of this place so badly. Furthermore, I am quite trusted by the Master of the manor so surely he will listen to my request." Then I''m guessing that I have to work there for some time so I could earn the request she''s talking about which I think would be my freedom or something. "You said that your master lives in a mansion and also you are a maid there then why aren''t you living there? Shouldn''t maids and other staff have their own rooms in the mansion?" "About that, I''m currently in my weekend vacation and tomorrow I would be moving there again." "What about this house then? You only have this with the sole purpose of being your vacation home? Then if so, why didn''t you pick a better town? You should be also aware of how stinky this town is." "Although I may have the option to choose a better town to reside in but this is my birthplace. The place where I grew up on. Surely you would like to live in or at least visit your place of birth no matter how much you hated it?" I can''t argue with that. Even after spending only half a day in this place, I really do miss my own world regardless if it''s destroyed or not. Is this what they call homesickness?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "I presume that this is your old home when you were just a child?" "I would be lying if I said no." So this shabby place is her old home. I wonder where he parents might be but I''m afraid to ask as it might open up old wounds. Done it many times in the past. It''s really regretful. ? "Wait, aren''t we facing the same dilemma here?" I asked her once I realized a very crucial detail which she only responded by tilting her head. "How would we even reach the mansion when I''m wanted? You said it yourself, didn''t you? That we can''t use any form of transportation in this town or we''ll get caught." She took a sip of tea which she had brewed moments ago and spoke nonchalantly. "Idiot. There''s a personal carriage that we will be receiving. Thankfully, the carriage is closed off and the coachman being the only one seen outside." That''s good and all but... "Then what if they checked inside the carriage?" "That wouldn''t happen. In the orders of my master, the King, it is not permitted for people ever disturb a staff of the Manor unless they have permission." Bulrom''s master is someone with a high status in society. If I get to earn his trust, I could somehow get his help. If I think about it, if she were to suggest me as a butler, being her trusted as she claimed to be, the King would think that she saw my potential and thus, have a slightly higher expectation from me which is a double edged sword too. If I''d didn''t meet said expectation, my reputation towards the King would drop, lessening my chances of receiving his help and also, the request of Bulrom. But if do work diligently there then my chances are pretty high and thus, freedom! "I guess that''s fine. You said it will arrive tomorrow?" "Yes." "Then what would we do then?" An awkward question if I think about it. Could be interpreted in a lot of ways too but I don''t think she''s that shallow minded to do that. "Firstly, we will write a letter of recommendation to my master, Zagan, then we should fix that ignorant brain of yours. It will only severely affect the both of us." "Sorry to be holding us back." "Well it couldn''t be helped. Then shall we get to it? Writing that recommendation letter that is." "Right." Taking two sheets of paper. ? "¡ªAnd done." Right after she said that, a thud this could be heard as she placed the quill down on the table, declaring more clearly that the task at hand is done. That took longer than expected. I guess the writing in this world is so complex that even writing a single letter requires a lot of words and punctuation just to get a message across. It other words, the writing is ineffective and should be revised as soon as possible. Sadly, I''m a mere amateur photographer, I don''t think I can handle language. Or the language of another world for that matter but at least I can understand it so that''s good enough. "All that is left is to send this off to the local post office and we''re good to go." She said as she waved the letter up in the air. While tucking in the scratch paper in her pocket. As the fire from the candle flickered aimlessly, casting dark shadows across the room from various objects, I stared out of the window from which the moonlight shined dimly, telling me one thing about this world. It is night and the fact that it is night means that somehow, this world revolves around a moon which of course, the world having its own rotation. Though there is a moon, it is a fuck ton larger than how the moon appeared in earth. I could only guess that this world got its climate from having too much greenhouse gases or maybe that bastard God fucked around with it. "You seem deep in thought?" Said so by the one horned whom helped me, a complete strange, Burlom. But I shouldn''t call her stranger now, should I? "I didn''t expect that this world has a moon." I faint sigh could be heard. The culprit being Bulrom. "There you go again, spouting weird lines. Of course this world has a moon. It acts as a stabiliser for the constant fire to stop it from being too unpredictable." "Well, I can''t promise that I will stop saying things like those." "I don''t expect you to. Shall we go?" Wait... "Why should I come along?" "So you could see more of the town. You''ll be spending more time here than you would expect." "Why?" Just then, she took in a deep breath and sighed, wearing an annoyed face. "Every weekend, we''ll be returning here so it''s better if you know more of this place. I can''t let you staying here forever now, can I? By doing this, you can be a little more useful to me." "Then what if I get caught?" "I''m sure you can manage to escape like you did in that hospital. Plus, people usually don''t question someone wearing a robe but since a certain two horned is wanted then there might be risks but that risk is very much low if I talk our way out of trouble." For her to not be concerned about her own safety... It''s a little unsettling for me. "Aren''t you going to be in trouble also? I mean, if you''re seen with a two horned and a wanted one at that, won''t they also do something to you?" "They would but they won''t" What the heck does that mean? Like she just read what''s on my mind, she replied so half-heartedly. "If any form of harm were to be done to one of master Zagan''s staff without any strong enough reason, then consequences shall be put forth. Plus, in the eyes of the law, it would only look as if I''m just trying you in so my actions are completely justified and the suer would be punished because of what I just said before." "Is that''s so? Sorry for¡ª" Before I could even finish, she swiftly placed her hand on my mouth and glared at me like how she usually does recently. "I don''t want to hear it. Can''t you hear yourself? Your apologies are getting annoying. I''m starting to see it in a lesser value." I was about to mumble "sorry" but held myself from speaking. She lets out another sigh and eventually removes her hand away from my mouth. Even for someone who lives in a dirty town like this, her hand smells like lavender, inevitably leaving a lingering scent on my mouth. "I will be saying it again, shall we go?" For a brief pause, I readied myself. Looking back on the things that had happened so far, formed a slight smile on my face. "Yes." (C11)Chapter 4: Ignorance is a bliss... Not "Will you keep up the pace?" "It''s hard to walk on these. I''m not used to it." Currently, we''re walking on the streets. The very streets with rotting faeces and surrounded by thick brown liquid. She lent me an extra pair of her high shoes made of a wood like material so we won''t be stepping on the contaminated streets. Of course, I can''t walk out in the open without any form of cover for my horns so she, being so considerate for me, lent me a robe which she''d been hiding under her bed. I''ll just try my best so that people won''t see my face. "We''re close." Those are the words that escaped her mouth. Looking at the place, in certain areas, you would actually think that this place is a normal town. Excluding the streets, some buildings are even decorated. Maybe I''ve only seen the worst parts of the town before. This area is more high class. "Is waste management a thing in the other town or is it the same in here?" Though she didn''t look at me, she replied anyway. "Yes but to a slightly lesser degree than the center continent or heart continent as some may call it." "That''s reassuring." So being the place where the Demon Lord lives, it''s expected that it would be cleaner than the other ones. After walking around the streets, we eventually reached the post office, done our business there, and made our way back. Throughout the way, we just stayed silent. I observed my surroundings as she told me. Demons and sometimes humanoid animals are walking in the streets like us. She told me that those humanoid animals are called Beasts. Basically, they are sold off in the slave market and due to their strength in certain fields of work depending on the race of animal that they''re possessing the appearance of, they are higher in the social hierarchy than regular slaves because of their use and because of the fact that they are easy to manipulate and control.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. That being said, they''re mainly used in certain economical work. "Good morning Bulrom, what brings you to be out in this sort of day?" Second just behind me greeted Bulrom. From his speech alone, it looks like he''s an acquaintance of her. Even after he greeted her, she didn''t react at all. She didn''t even stop walking. Maybe she didn''t hear him? "Bulrom, are you perhaps, going deaf from all the yelling from your seniors in your work?" Against she didn''t stop but this time she glanced at me, as if saying to me to just ignore him as well. Not like I want to talk to him. You don''t need to point it out for me. As we continued to walk towards Bulrom''s house, I felt a hand just held my shoulders. Shit. Is this guy serious? This isn''t the time that I want to talk to someone other than her. We''re practically open, if he discovers that I''m a two horned then everone here will chase me and send me off to that hospital. I mean, who the fuck is this guy anyway? "Are you in Bulrom''s possession? Could you please call her for me? She seems like she''s ignoring me intentionally." What the fuck should I say? Possession? What? Just then, cold sweat ran down my nape. His voice isn''t particularly menacing nor does it contain any sort of bad intention but I''m still nervous. Maybe I should feign ignorance then he might leave me alone then if I do that he would bother Bulrom. Her being called out twice and still not responding, it would only mean that she has some grudge against this guy. I still didn''t see what he looks but form his voice alone, it seems like he''s someone with a high social status. So what should I do then? "Bulrom, this gentleman seems to be wanting to talk to you." She stopped her tracks and if you''re listening carefully, you could hear her sighing. She turned around, facing the man holding on to my shoulder with a eyes filled with bloodlust. Oh shit. I moved away from him and moved closer to Bulrom, from which she elbowed me upon getting closer then glaring at me as if asking why the hell did I even replied to him before returning her gaze toward the guy. Did I made a mistake? Shit. I hope that isn''t the case. "What do you want?" Said Bulrom with clear annoyance and anger on her voice. If she were to speak her true words, then that would be, "Why didn''t you kill yourself, or do you want me to do it for you?" Type of comment. It would really suck if I got into her bad side. But I''m probably exaggerating things here. "I just want to ask why you came out here in the center of the town? Before, you would hate it just to take a step on this area so you must have some sort of business going here? Am I right?" The guy looks as if he''s in his twenties. With a short blond beard and hair, and eyes befitting a tycoon, judging from his tidy outfit, I assume that his someone who knows and manages money or at least has some sort of successful business "And that would concern you, why?" He looked at me not with any I''ll intent but rather, sympathy... For reasons why he looked at me like that, I don''t know but it''s certainly nerve wracking. I have to remain composed though. Got to keep my head cool. Whatever this guy may be thinking, I have to be prepared for it. And so he spoke. "You sure are lucky to be stumbling upon two horned this frequently." He said with a flat face. This only made Bulrom more pissed. But the fact that he knows that I''m a two horned is the scary part. Am I screwed right now? "I found him at the back alley way. What''s so special about that?" "Right. Well your house is really close to the hotspot on wandering two horned so I shouldn''t be surprised that you found any so frequently. Now, on to important matters, you sent that letter to me, right?" Wait what? I thought that... No wait, she couldn''t possibly do that right? She won''t do that. Yeah, the guy is lying. I saw her right the letter and even read it so it''s impossible that that letter was for him. But, why is she so nervous? "N-no, I sent it to Master Zagan so¨C" "Oh really?" He looked at me not with sympathy but instead how someone where to look at a precious object. "Boy¡ª" I unconsciously gulped my saliva as I waited for him to say something. "¡ªThis here lady, is about to sell you to me." ... (C12) Chapter 4-2 "Bulrom, is that true?" I asked her directly. I don''t believe it. We got a plan for me to get out of this place, I even saw who the letter was addressed to. This guy is just lying. But... Why is she trembling? "Valefar, why don''t we talk someplace else, it sure reeks in here." Still hadn''t received my answer, she gestured me to go home by myself. Presumably, Bulrom''s place. Yeah, that Valefar guy is lying. He must be. Maybe I''m just being pathetic right now. Desperate for help and now my brain resorted to perpetual denial of the things I don''t want to hear. I headed back, opened the door with the key that she gave me and waited for her there. Staring blankly through the window covered by curtains. I didn''t get bored though. I got my thoughts to keep me company. Bulrom said that she would show me around town before I head towards the mansion. Roam around town, eh? I learned a lot on our trip, about how the buildings here are structured and how people here interact with one another which are the same in earth. Then again, I''m still clueless about the world outside this town. Surely their culture there is different. More varied species of Beasts, more varied people with differing social standings, cleaner streets unlike this one. I sure want to see all that. Maybe that''s what those two nomads who rescued me also thought. Rabusto said that those two are wanderers so that would mean that they go around places often. They must have learned a lot of things from different places. Well, these kinds of thought is really useless now unless I do something in order for me to freely roam around and learn about this world so right now, I should just focus on escaping this place with the help of Bulrom. I''ll just wait here... Lying on this bed... ... When I woke up, I found myself inside a wooden box. ? ¨C [Demon Race] Bulrom ¨C A one horned demon who works at the the mansion of Zagan. "Why are you so mad? Did I not just speed up the process of transfer? With me being here directly, you won''t need to wait for tomorrow." "That''s not the issue here."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I said so, pouting. I can''t believe my plan almost fallen apart. Depending on what that two horned will do will determine the success of my plan. "Then what is it? You''ve been one of my regular source for new products regarding two horned demons. Our cooperation and relationship regarding business, I wouldn''t want it to be tainted at the slightest. Your products are unusually exceptional." I pointed my finger at him and said my thought with clear annoyance. "This isn''t about business, Valefar. The two horned is no ordinary two horned. He knows something and I want to know what he knows before I sell him. The letter I sent you says that I would be sending him to you in a week from now on my next weekend vacation. Still, I couldn''t believe he didn''t saw switched the letter." As expected, he didn''t believe me. "What are you saying? Haha! We''re talking about a two horned demon here! The dumbest kind of demons next to those Beasts. That''s the reason why they''re ostracized in society and to why they''re being sold off in the slave market." "I know that but what I''m telling you is the truth, the two horned, Denis isn''t a normal two horned. Have you heard the news lately? It is said that a two horned just escaped the hospital and having killed a caretaker, that was him. Do you think that that''s something a regular two horned can do?" To why I want to know more about what Denis speaks of, I only want to tell it to Master Zagan. If he were to know about it, if proven true, he would surely praise me. He always trusts me and took me in when my parents were taken away because of the debt they made. Although, I always wonder where my parents are now, but those thoughts are meaningless now. I have a master to serve and I sell off ignorant two horned demons to gain money in order to support master Zagan even more. But I guess it¡¯s rather ironic for me to do that. "Well nonetheless, he''s still a two horned demon. Even if he knows something unique, didn''t you ask yourself that what he may be saying is wrong or perhaps, something he just made up in order for you to have some sort of investment in him? Then if that guy is really the one who managed to escape from the hospital then that possibility may very well be true." "Of course I thought of that. That''s why I requested of him to show me an actually device if he spoke the truth." "Then think about it. Do you really think that what he said is actually true? Like I said before, this is something that he may have made up in the fly. The last thing you know, Denis might backstab you on the back. From what he''s done until now, that''s not entirely unlikely." To how our conversation is going, I just let out a sigh. A sigh which had recently been escaping my mouth more frequently since that two horned, Denis had entered my life. "For the headmaster of thieves and slave traders, you sure do care for someone who only gives you one or two products every month or so. Even to the point of advising said someone personally regarding a particular product''s behaviour?" "It''s only natural to do so. Plus, it promotes trust all around so expectedly, it promotes better business also." "Nonetheless, please don''t interrupt someone if they don''t want to. I was clearly ignoring you and you persist. Being the information he gave me is the truth or just a fabricated lie, it doesn''t matter overall. I still want to hear it at its end." "Suit yourself. Why are you so invested on what that two horned has to say? I''m sure you know how they act by now yes? Even if he''s capable of doing something a normal two horned can do, by the end of the day, he''s still a two horned." What''s so I interesting in what he said anyway? Photography. Why did it caught my attention in the first place? Is it because it''s new, is it because if I told it to Master Zagan, being a ruler who finds different things exciting, he would reward me, is it because of the surprise that a two horned actually knows something that I don''t, or is it because the two horned who told me that is quite interesting? I know now. I''m not interested in the information itself, but rather, I''m interested in the man who told said information. A peculiar demon who, not only managed to escape capture but also, though ignorant towards the world, is a knowledgeable person for a two horned in areas still unknown to the world. Even if what he just said is made up, I would still consider him knowledgeable. Denis... I shall remember that name. But I don''t want to be so attached to that person. I think it''s best if Valefar were to take him away. But I sent him home. Regarding if whether he is at home or not, it doesn''t really matter. I just wish to be with him and hear this photography he speaks of. An intriguing story. And for that I have a plan. From the back of a building, I walked toward the direction where my house is located. "I had enough of your lecturing. Please come to my house and take him away. I want the pay to be due tomorrow." Valefar, rather than following, just stood there stunned. Presumably, because of my sudden change of mind. "What''s with the sudden change of decision? You''re easier to negotiate with than I thought. Do you find it also in your head that it would be better to send him off right now than tomorrow?" "Just follow me. I just realized that I don''t have any more use of him so it''s better for him to be removed from my hands as soon as possible and like what you said, it more convenient this way. It saves a lot of time." Though only for a split second I glanced at him, I immediately noticed his wide grin when every time a successful transaction was made. It was really creepy given the light setting we are in. Even though he has already too much slaves on stock to sell where some literally dies from age and disease, he still wishes to buy more? "Stop it with the pathetic expression and follow me." "Hahaha! Sharp tongued as always. I like the part of you." Though I didn''t particularly listened to what he just said, I can tell that what he just said is a line coming from a masochist. When we arrived at my home, we found him sleeping on top of my bed. I looked around to see if he did something but surprisingly, he didn''t. Or rather, he cleaned the whole place. Oh Denis. Such a naive boy. I guess that''s something that I like about him. (C13) Chapter 4-3 When I woke up, I found myself inside a crate made of wood, currently being carried via a carriage to who knows where. I could only hear the steps of the horse, making a splash on every step as well as shaking the carriage slightly. Sometimes, I could hear the snapping of the reins and the agonized groan of the other passengers. Presumably, inside a box respectively. I''m such an idiot. Why did I carelessly trust her that much? No, why did I trust anybody in the first place? My mind was transferred inside a two horned demon''s body. Being two horned''s a social outcast for some reason, and even with the fact that I know of this when I escaped the hospital, why did I still trusted her? Even when the guy that we met on the streets told me that she''s going to sell me off to the slave market, why did I still returned to her home? Am I just naive or am I just desperate for help? Maybe both. Life is a bitch here. Especially for a two horned like me. Being this life a bitch, the God who sent me here is an asshole. Fuck you. Fuck you for ruining my normal life, even if it was just a fucking illusion. Motherfucker didn''t even thought of creating another human being and give them the task to kill who-the-fuck. Like shit, how the fuck am I supposed to kill the fucker when I don''t even have any form of combat ability let alone a grace period just for me to prepare for this shit world. At the very start of coming into this world, I was dying then some wanderers saves me just to sell me as a slave. I didn''t even have a break. Then the bitch, Bulrom, deceived me because she knew I was ignorant on the ways of the world which I stupidly told her that very information. Fucking life this is. I just want to die. I hope that who''ll ever buy me kills slaves for fun. ... Oh, I''m crying. I didn''t even noticed it. I''m really pathetic. Hah... I need to calm down for a minute. ? "Wake up you pieces of shits!" I got woken up by a loud thud accompanied by a shout saying to wake up. He''s probably the driver. Well, if you think about it, that was pretty stupid of him to wake us up when we''re still in these boxes. It wouldn''t really matter now, would it? Pushing away his idiocy, looks like we would be transferred to the main market now considering that we just stopped somewhere which is most likely where the market is. At least I got out of that town. I got what I wished for. Who am I kidding? That doesn''t make the situation any better. Woop! The box that I reside in just lifted up and is now mobile. It''s quite bouncy but not at all unpleasant. To be honest, I''d rather be carried like this than in a carriage. Oh what''s that, my beautiful subconscious that will never betray me? Why do I act so calm right now when I''m on the verge of being sold of to who-knows-who?This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It''s quite simple actually. I cried myself to sleep. That''s it. Also, I''d rather not think about that, it will just infuriate me to the point that I might explode spectacularly. I still can''t use my powers that that bastard, that false God gave me. Yeah, I''m calling him false God now. That''s what he is. A fucking useless piece of shit. This is the reason why I''m an atheist. Hah... OK chill. Alright I''m chill. Good thing this box has a tiny hole in one of its sides. I could barely see the place outside. Well, it''s dark so I''m guessing it''s night time. I could see other demons¨C wait, no. Those are Beasts. So those Beasts, having the appearance of a boar like animal with chains on their necks, are carrying the boxes with new slaves which I''m a part of and also there''s demons keeping watch. Though I barely see it, each one of them has a whip and a dagger on their waist. Pretty prepared I should say. I''m guessing, this place is the back alley which I assume , leads to the back entrance of the market place. Glancing at the ground for a moment, looks like this place has better waste management. Thank God. Not that fucker though. The supervising demons shouted some incomprehensible sounds which the beasts then understood for someone. From their communication, the content of the weird sound doesn''t matter, the context of which does. These beasts are like cavemen. Some Beasts, while carrying the other slaves, went to another entrance while the one carrying me went to the center entrance. Presumably, classed as such. Being the two horned slaves be entered at the center back entrance while other species of slaves be entered at the other entrances. How organized. Once we entered the establishment, it''s surprisingly doesn''t smell like shit and piss. The slaves here are really well kept with proper hygiene. Wait no, they aren''t actually. In a Woop, I got dropped on the floor. It really pains my buttocks but I didn''t expect them to treat me with respect now do i? Just a little rub should fix it. Wait, no. It still hurts. The lid of the crate is creaking. A metallic something just poked inside. Looks like it''s a crowbar. Eventually, the lid popped open and I got lifted up by beast who was carrying me earlier. The place is barely being lit up by a bunch of candles. This looks like a dungeon than a slave market. That being said, this place also had the smell that I''ve expected from a dungeon. A putrid smell of piss and shit lingers and is most potent at the very middle of the room. To why they don''t regularly clean this place to attract customers, I really don''t know. Cages like that in circus, are packed close together to conserve space since this room isn''t that big for a storage space. The contents of these cages varies but all of them are two horned demons. Looks like they organize them by age. Being the old at the very back and the young at the front it. Specifically, close to the main entrance where the customers are coming. Since I''m 18, then that would mean I would be very close to the entrance myself. From the looks of these slave''s bodies, it looks like they are at the most part, aren''t starved to death. They are malnourished but not to the point that their bones are visible. Though, the slaves at the front is more well taken care off than the slaves at the back, where the oldest are in. There on my left, I see a vacant cage which the beast then thrown me in it. Welp, this will be my home, or at least someone took a liking toward me then bought me but until then, this is my home and I should try my best to be comfy. I''ll be more specific towards describing the place. Basically we are in the back room of the market place. Warehouse or storage room if you will. Which means we aren''t entirely seen by the people outside. People will only come in here if they want to see more products, I assume anyway. Through the window of the door, I could see a bunch of people, presumably looking at the best looking slaves I think. Or maybe a kind of slave with rarity. Be it a rare kind of beast or a noble birth. I don''t really care. Some of the demons in the crowd is wearing luxurious clothes. Kind of like mine, excluding the tear and stains. Hah... This is life. Almost dying at the start of the summon, getting healed in a hospital to only be sold off to the slave market for a higher price because I''m a fucking two horned, getting my hand burned just to escape from the hospital, and being tricked by a red haired bitch and sold me off anyway, making my efforts meaningless. This is my life now. Fuck this world. And all its inhabitants. ? "...Psszt. wewyk up." As I was dozing off, trying to spend as little time here as I can by being asleep, some asshole whispered in my ears. The culprit being the girl I''m next with. Having really long and messy brown hair, with a petite body, and just wearing white plain shirt so long that it''s practically a gown. No she doesn''t wear any pants but at least she has a pantsu and no I''m not a lolicon. Her horns are barely visible due to how messy her hair is but her red eyes, which is very much impossible in earth due to genetics, is quite alluring. No, I''m not a lolicon. So in response, I gave her a threatening glare which clearly means to fuck off. But sadly, it''s ineffective as she nonetheless spoke anyway. "Whawt yuwr neym?" What the fuck? No wait. Two horned demons are retarded in nature. Why did I get so surprised? Well whatever. Since the guards are nowhere to be seen, I might as well chit chat with her to kill time. "Denis. Yours?" "Sahrna... Saharna... Noow..." She talks like a baby. She even bangs her head with her hand when she couldn''t remember her name. "Sahara! My name''is Shahara! Sowry I fowrgowt hehe." And so it is. Who could''ve thought? "Hey Sahara. Now leave me alone." I said so, forcefully and laid my head on the other side of the cage. Done wasting time now. Leaving pointless matters aside, I guess the best bet for me to actually escape here than waiting for someone to buy me. Plus, people might not buy me considering my reputation right now. The two horned who killed someone and escaped. That news might still not had spread to this place but sometimes the speed of rumours can be really unpredictable sometimes. But while I was thinking that, the girl, Sahara talked to me. "Awr you owkay?" She said so innocently, while tilting her head and all. Fucking annoying. "Yes." She looks dumbfounded for some reason and spoke again in her usual childish manner. "Bawt you doown''d lewk layk iwt." What? Oh wait. But you don''t look like it. "Why do you care?" "Cawz your my frewnd!" With a fucking cheerful face, she said that. I don''t want to associate myself to people like you! Always assuming that they''re my friend. Fuck. Giving me false hope. "How could you be my friend when we barely know each other?" "Soow... Dwen I shouwld gewt tu know yuw bewtter? "Yes but sadly, I don''t want to associate myself to you." "...bawt¡ª" "Sleep already. Don''t talk to me. I''m tired." After that, I just ignored her. There''s no use in talking to her anyway. Well at least she stops talking. What use could I have for talking to a retard like her? It''s just a waste of time. I should just think of a way to escape from this place. If I were to be bought before I could escape, I would be treated with cruelty but if I act smart, I might change the thoughta of the one who''ll buy me towards me. As I was thinking about that, I began to feel drowsy. Before I knew it, my eyes were shut. Then I woke up again. "Yowr weewrd. Why diwd you dress layk thawt?" Annoying. "Why do you care?" "Beewcuz I wawan''td tu know yu bewtter." "Please shut up for fucks sake." She pouted like a child. "Meanie." "So what? I don''t care if you think I do. Rather, I don''t care if you hate me or not. Don''t talk to me. I want to sleep." "I wown''t heywt yu." She twisted her mouth into a large grin, revealing her teeth with some missing. I could barely understand her. It''s fucking annoying to just even translate what she is saying. I tried to ignore her the best I can. I managed to sleep after that. When the morning came, the girl I''ve talked to before... Is gone.