The sun rose on a village that no longer felt like home.
Smoke still curled from the burned houses. Blood stained the dirt road. People moved slowly, cleaning what they could, speaking in quiet voices.
The attack had taken twenty-two lives.
I stood outside my house, staring at the broken roof. We were lucky it was still standing at all. My mother was inside, tending to the wounded neighbors we'd taken in.
"Coker," a voice called.
I turned. Reko was walking toward me, dressed in light armor. His sword was strapped to his back, and the silver badge of an S-rank mage shone on his chest.
"The captain wants us on the road," he said.
"Us?" I frowned. "Why me?"
"Because I told him you're coming."
I almost argued, but Reko's eyes told me it wasn't a request.
"The capital needs to hear what happened," he said. "And I want you with me. Safer than leaving you here in case there's another attack."
The Demon King's voice slid into my mind. *He doesn't trust you.*
I ignored it. "Fine," I said out loud.
We joined the small group of knights at the east gate. There were ten of them, plus a supply cart pulled by two horses. The captain was giving orders when we arrived.
"We move quickly," the captain said. "If anything follows us, we form a defensive line and hold. No heroics."
His eyes swept over everyone — and stopped on me.
"You're the one who fought at the gate?" he asked.
I froze.
Before I could answer, Reko said, "He helped a few civilians get to safety. That's all."
The captain didn't look convinced, but he didn't press it.
We set out just after sunrise. The road east wound through the forest, shadows stretching long between the trees. The air smelled of wet earth and ash.
For a while, no one spoke to me. The knights kept their distance, their eyes forward. Only Reko rode close, his gaze flicking to me every now and then.
"You need to watch yourself," the Demon King said quietly in my mind. "They are already guessing. It would take only one mistake to expose us."
"Us?" I muttered under my breath.
"Yes. If you fall, so do I. Remember that."
Hours passed. The road narrowed as the trees thickened. Birdsong filled the air, but underneath it was a silence I didn't like.
Then the captain raised his hand. "Stop."
The horses halted. The knights tensed, hands on weapons.
Something moved in the brush ahead.
A low growl rolled through the air.
From the shadows stepped three wolf demons — smaller than the ones from the night before, but faster-looking. Their eyes glowed faintly.
"Formation!" the captain barked.
The knights moved into a half-circle, shields up. Reko stepped forward, wind gathering around his hands.
I stayed back, my heart pounding.
One of the demons darted forward, too fast for the knights to react. It slammed into a shield, knocking the man backward. Another leapt to the side, claws flashing toward a second knight.
Reko's wind struck, sending the beast tumbling through the air.
But the third one… the third one went for the horses.
The Demon King's voice was cold. *If they take the horses, the cart will slow us. Then the whole group will die. You know what you must do.*
I hesitated. If I acted, someone might see.
But if I didn't…
The demon lunged. I ran forward, grabbing a dropped spear from the ground.
I threw it — harder than I meant to.
The spear flew straight through the demon's neck, pinning it to a tree.
The knights froze for half a heartbeat, staring.
I forced myself to look surprised, like it was pure luck.
One knight muttered, "That throw…"
Reko's voice cut in sharply. "Focus on the fight!"
The remaining two demons came at once, claws and teeth flashing. The knights met them with swords and shields, Reko's wind slicing the air. In minutes, it was over.
The bodies of the beasts lay still on the ground, their black blood seeping into the dirt.
The captain looked at me for a long moment before finally saying, "Not bad, civilian."
I just nodded, gripping the inside of my hand to keep it from shaking.
We moved on quickly after that. But the glances from the knights felt different now — less like they were ignoring me, more like they were watching. Measuring.
When the sun began to set, we camped by the side of the road. A fire was lit, and food was passed around. I sat near the edge of the camp, away from most of them.
Reko joined me after a while, sitting on a fallen log.
"That throw," he said quietly. "You've never been trained with a spear."
"It was just luck," I said.
"Luck doesn't send a spear through a demon's neck."
I didn't answer.
Reko leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I'm your brother. If something's going on… I can help you. But I need the truth."
The Demon King's voice hissed in my head. *Lie to him.*
"I told you," I said, keeping my eyes on the fire. "It was luck."
Reko studied me for another moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. But if it wasn't… you need to control it before someone else notices."
When he walked away, the Demon King laughed. *He's giving you warnings instead of chains. He's a fool.*
"He's my brother," I said again.
*And that will be his undoing.*
I didn't reply. I just stared into the fire, the heat on my face, the cold weight of the Demon King's presence in my mind.
Tomorrow, we would reach the next town.
Tomorrow, the rumors would spread faster.
And sooner or later… I would have to decide who I was protecting — myself, or everyone else.