The glow of the moon illuminated the cobblestone paths of Troken. The roads were empty save for a few domestic animals that had strayed too far from home. The crickets were most lively at this time. Their chirping filled the area, accompanying anyone who walked the lonely road.
The guards were anything but vigilant. Perhaps they were asleep, because when Kael passed through their post at the town's entrance no one had questioned why he was carrying a demon's corpse.
Kael walked down the street with nothing but a demon's corpse and the calm cool winds to keep him company.
He had a destination, and after threading down this path for some time he found his goal.
The night was dark; all the houses, lined on both sides of the roads, had their lights turned off.
His destination was the only building still lit with an orange glow. The name of the shop was imprinted on a signboard hanging loosely from its roof. 'Iris's Magical Plaza'
They were still open. Kael, dragging the corpse along, entered the shop.
The shop wasn't too big but the shelves were packed with a wide variety of items.
There were also a few items in glass vases on display. One of which was a dagger that seemed to constantly release lightning. It was a spectacle but the lack of a price tag told Kael that it was probably not for sale.
"Didn't expect anyone—"
Iris' words got stuck in her throat. This six-foot lady was seated at the sales counter, she wore a white tank top and a pair of shorts.
Her glasses were perched on her face as she held up the book in her hand.
Her eyes, however, were not on the book, but rather on the boy in tattered clothes who was dragging a demon into her shop.
The previous Kael and Iris had had a good relationship. He also had a huge crush on her, and Kael could see why. Not only did she have a face that could make any man lose his footing, but the sheer magnitude of her bosom even made Kael gulp.
In his previous life, he had never been attracted to women who couldn't make him more powerful. So it was strange that he was now losing his composure because of the woman in front of him.
It was most likely an effect of taking over a teenager's body.
"What the hell, Kael? Don't tell me you actually did it."
She had already gotten up and rushed to him.
"Did you hunt that?" She pointed to the still bleeding corpse.
Kael nodded and watched as her expression went from amazement to fear.
Her hands rummaged over his body in search of any wounds. "Why would you even go into the forest all by yourself?"
Kael's heart warmed when he noticed the genuine concern written all over her face. To calm her down he decided to craft a lie.
"It was already half dead when I found it," he said while looking at the ground. He couldn't risk looking directly at her considering that her wide cleavage was directly in front of him.
Whether it was the current Kael or the previous one, both of them had zero experience with women.
"Really?" She asked unsure if she was to believe him. He nodded.
Well, she didn't expect someone as young as him to kill a demon from scratch—that would be insane—so the most plausible option was that he found a severely wounded one.
She took him into a bear hug. "How would I face your parents if something happened to you," she said as a bout of relief flowed into her heart.
Kael, on the other hand, found it hard to breathe as two mountains pressed against his face.
After some time, she released him and then asked, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm not," Kael replied gasping for air. Iris's face turned red when she noticed that she had almost strangled him.
After regaining his breath, Kael turned to the mangled corpse and asked, "So…?"
Iris composed herself and then walked towards the corpse. "I never actually expected you to bring a demon. But since you did, it shouldn't be hard to get her the medicines she needs."
She touched the corpse and after a second, it vanished into thin air. Kael was surprised that she had a dimensional item, he didn't expect something like that from such a backwater town.
"Since you killed it, it means you've unlocked the interface." Her gaze turned serious.
Interface? Who the hell calls it that?
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. I'll be free in four days. We'll go to the city together so you can get assigned a class. And also get some pills for your sister."
Class, huh.
The thought of getting a class brought so many memories. Most of which were bad, but there were a few good ones. But he wanted nothing to do with such memories.
Since he was starting afresh, he buried them back where they belonged. Both the bad and the good.
Kael had no idea what type of class he might get this time. But he was certainly curious.
Iris agreed to meet with him in three days, so they could prepare for the journey.
It was very late, so after that, they bid each other farewell, and Kael headed home.
On his way home Images of Iris flashed in his mind. Perhaps it was the residual feeling of the previous Kael, but he felt a weird feeling in his stomach. He had never experienced such a thing before, not even in his previous life.
He took a deep breath, then continued on his way home. His sister was probably worried sick about him, that wasn't good for her health.
Why do I care so much about her?
Although Kael was in complete control of the body, it seemed a major part of the previous Kael's feelings were still affecting him. He frowned, a bit concerned about how the feelings of a dead body could affect him, a former warlord.
Just as he was thinking about it, he sighted the house that the previous Kael called home.
It was a small cottage, made with no more than two people in mind. This house, which the previous Kael had spent most of his life in, seemed so foreign yet so familiar to him.
He entered the home, heading to the kitchen to fill his grumbling stomach. However, the only thing he found was a piece of stale bread. He was so hungry that he didn't mind eating it, but when he took a closer look at it, there were more than a few tiny bite marks.
Kael, with great reluctance, threw the piece of bread away. He had no plans of eating the rat's leftovers.
There was a single bedroom in the house and upon entering, he found his sister, Lilly, on the bed. She lay under a pile of blankets with only her pale face peaking out. Even in her sleep, Kael could still notice her shaking.
As if a hot knife had been lodged into his heart, Kael felt his legs go weak.
He left the room unable to bear the sight.
Why do I care so much? He asked himself while lying on the couch in the living room. He stared at the ceiling contemplating if it had been the right choice to take over this body. The previous Kael was anything but normal.
The grumbling of his stomach didn't let him think well, though. He made up his mind to go on another hunt tomorrow. They couldn't keep on living like this. After some time, sleep came like a soft wind and carried him to dreamland.