A young man wearing a black coat and hood was walking among the crowds in the market.
He turned and spotted a deserted spot.
"Here?"
I entered slowly.
In front of me, I saw a person, and behind me, there was a cell with someone inside—a girl, I think.
"What are you doing in this deserted place?" I said sharply.
"Who are you, young man? I don't recall wanting to meet you."
After focusing, I saw a girl tied up inside the cell.
My eyes flashed for a moment.
"Do you traffic in people?" I said casually.
The man shouted and laughed. "You're clever! Yes, I traffic in them. Do you have a problem with that?"
"A problem?"
I drew a magic circle.
The man's eyes widened immediately.
"What the hell? Who are you?!"
I was already behind him.
I pierced his chest with my fist.
I drew a magic circle inside his chest and then withdrew my hand. Moments later, he was reduced to ash!...
I looked at the cell. The girl was looking at me fearfully, though her gaze was somehow blank. She was about my age.
I approached the cell.
The girl didn't react, but her eyes were expressionless. I felt like she wanted to cry.
I drew a magic circle and broke the cell.
I calmly extended my hand toward her.
"What's your name?" I said with a smile.
"Eve."
The girl took my hand.
"Eve, that's a beautiful name. My name is Roselle."
"Roselle? Why did you save me? Is there something you want from me?" she said, as if saving her was something extraordinary.
"Something? No, nothing. I just wanted to save you."
The girl stood up.
Her clothes were slightly torn.
I drew a magic circle and then pulled out a black coat. "Take it."
"Thank you." She put it on immediately.
"Do you have anywhere to go? Family or something?" I asked with concern.
"No," she replied sadly. "My family was killed a long time ago."
"I see. Then come with me, what do you say?" I said with a smile.
"Huh?" A faint sparkle appeared in her eyes.
"Sir, would you sell me?"
"I didn't save you to use you! I'm not like those bastards!" I said angrily.
I felt her become a little scared.
I sighed and said, "Just call me Roselle, and don't worry. I'm not angry. I'm sorry."
"Come here," I beckoned.
The girl moved closer. I drew a magic circle.
My vision turned snowy; it was teleportation.
At the same time, the magic circle appeared in the throne room.
"Where are we?" the girl asked.
"This is my castle," I said with a smile.
"...Your castle?...You're a king?..."
"I'm the Demon King, Roselle," I said as I drew a magic circle. The hood disappeared, and I sat on my throne.
"The Demon King? I've heard he's evil," Eve said casually.
"Evil? Well, I won't deny my tyrannical nature, but I'm not evil enough to kill an innocent girl like you," I said with a smile.
"What will you do to me?"
"Hmm, you can stay here. I told you before, don't worry. I have no intention of involving you in any war or fighting. You will stay in the castle."
"Why are you doing all this?" the girl said, as if she didn't care about herself at all.
"There's no need to reject yourself so much," she replied, her voice slightly sad. "I feel your pain. Forget it and move on with life. So, take care of yourself and stay here. I will ensure your safety, and if you have someone close to you, I don't mind looking for them."
After these words, she felt like crying, but she suppressed her emotions.
"Sister... I had an older sister," she said, her voice heavy with sorrow.
"Where is she now?" she asked.
"She's disappeared."
"Disappeared? What is that supposed to mean?"
"One day I was with her, but several people appeared; they seemed to be slave traders. Anyway, I don't know what happened, but I suddenly lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in a dungeon."
"I see. I'm sorry about that. And what was your sister's name?"
"It's... Kuzi. No need to apologize; it's not your fault."
I smiled and said, "No need to frown. I'll have my friend look for her. If she's alive, I'll find her."
"Why are you doing all this for me?" the girl asked, her face flushed and tears welling up.
"I just want to help you. Even though I'm the Demon King, I can't ignore you because my goal is to bring peace right now."
"Bring peace?"
Then, in an almost sorrowful tone, I said, "Peace. I want it after so many wars. I'm fed up. If this goes on, I'll have to exterminate humanity."
"Exterminate? You were just talking about peace!" the girl exclaimed in surprise.
"I said it because I have no other choice. If this continues, I will."
The conversation was interrupted. A magic circle appeared, and a young man with black hair emerged.
"What is it, Roselle?" the young man said.
"So you're here. I want to ask you something."
The young man looked at the girl in surprise.
"Who is this girl, Roselle?!"
"My friend, Eve."
"Oh, I see. Eve, then?" (Zane looked surprised for a moment, but then turned his attention back to Roselle.)
"So what do you want from me?"
"Tell me the latest, Zane. What's happening with humanity?" "Simply put, the city's inhabitants live peacefully between demons and humans, but some humans are trying to orchestrate an incident to kill many demons."
"Why?" I asked sharply.
"As I understand it, they want revenge for those of their own who were killed in the war, by killing demons."
"Even though it's not their fault, since I'm the one who killed the humans, I still detest such a thing. Take me to them," I said, my voice both calm and sharp.
"I'll guide you. Just tell me about this human girl; I haven't seen her before."
"Zane, she's a girl I freed from a slave trader, so she's my friend now. And I'll ask you for something else, but let's go now."
"Understood."
I stood up and took a few steps until I was beside Zane.
"Stay here, Eve; I'll be back in a little while."
"Understood," Eve nodded.
A magic circle appeared, and my vision turned snowy.
Then we appeared near a large building, resembling a castle but not quite one, sprawling and ancient.
I used my flight magic and soared into the air, Zane following me.
"Do you want to go inside and see what they're planning?"
"No," I replied with a smile.
While we were in the air, I drew a large, intricate magic circle.
My eyes sparkled and glowed a deep red.
At the same moment, a small black sun appeared in the sky. In an instant, it transformed into a meteor and crashed directly onto the sprawling castle.
A tremendous explosion shook the entire area.
"You're truly ruthless," Zane said, his voice filled with concern.
"The best solution is to eliminate the problem at its source. I sensed several magically powerful beings around here, so I knew they were gathered," I said with a smile.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained. Everything turned to ash, and the place had been excavated to an immense depth; everything around it had turned to ash!
"About the other thing, you said you wanted something else? What did you mean?" Zane asked.
"Oh, about that, look for a girl named Cozy. She's human, and she's Eve's older sister."
"Wow, is she missing?" Zane asked.
"Yes, she's disappeared. If you can find out where she is or anything related to her, tell me directly."
"Okay, I'll do what I can, though I can't guarantee anything."
"No problem. The important thing is to search; the results will follow," I said with a smile.
Then I glanced at the place I had destroyed. A sad look crossed my face.