Chapter 7

The Hero woke up early in the morning, as per usual. He had lived as a shut-in who couldn’t talk to people his entire life, and now he was suddenly on a long-distance trip to the Demon Lord Castle. His comfortable bed had been traded for a campfire and sleeping bag, and he traveled in the company of a weirdo who whipped herself every morning. Sound rest was a luxury no longer afforded to him. Two months had passed since the Hero set out from LMAO Castle Town. The three Demon General members traveled at a leisurely pace to accommodate the Hero’s slow gait and lack of stamina. Unfortunately, walking the roads with unfamiliar demons was also proving to be quite mentally draining as well. Urgh… I want to sleep in my bed… I want some of Mom’s soup… I want to play games… I want to surf the internet… I want to do nothing… Naturally, the things that had brought him joy back home were inaccessible now. Yet on some level, the Hero understood that this wasn’t all bad. He traversed the land with his own two feet, experiencing beautiful scenery in person instead of online. The monster meat that Mako prepared every night was surprisingly delicious, and he was getting on well enough with demons—something he would never have thought was feasible. All this would’ve been impossible back in his room. The Hero had always been an indoor person, but now he was starting to wonder if he should have ventured outside sooner. “You’re up early, Hero. Good morning!” Mako was the first to address the Hero in the morning as he warmed his shivering body by the fire. She yawned as she approached, looking as carefree as ever. The Hero, who was hopelessly shy toward all people regardless of gender, quickly inched away from her. “Oh right. You can’t even greet people without using your phone. I’m getting tired of this, meow,” Mako grumbled, adding a forced cat sound at the end. The Hero didn’t feel right responding with a complaint (even through text), given how much she had done to take care of him throughout the journey. Every night, she slept on high tree branches to keep watch and protect the Hero because he was too incapable of defending himself. “Good morning.” The next to arrive was the vampire, Nicoletta. Her face was practically glowing with satisfaction; she must have finished her morning whip training already. “What a beautiful day. And look at that blazing sun! The constant tingling on my body feels so good.” Her flesh sizzled and smoked. Sunlight must have been dangerous for vampires. […Doesn’t that hurt?] the Hero asked using his phone. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember the exact number of times you’ve experienced pain in your life!” Nicoletta fired back. Her nonsensical response convinced him to drop his inquiry immediately. “Looks like everyone is awake,” Pino the fallen angel remarked, fluttering down to the ground with her black wings out. The small bags under her eyes suggested she had been circling the skies for some time now. “Where’d you go, Pino?” asked Mako. “Nowhere in particular. I simply checked the area to ensure no one was watching us. Given our appearances, any human would be able to tell at a glance that we are high demons,” Pino replied. Although demons and humans had agreed to a cease-fire, not everyone was content to forget past offenses—grudges ran deep. Both sides had been embroiled in conflict for centuries, so there were plenty of humans who hated demons and vice versa. The temporary peace had only been established because the Demon Army had proposed the idea while poised to utterly destroy the world on the Demon Lord’s strength alone. Unquestionably, there were humans waiting vigilantly for the first sign of weakness from their perceived enemy. It would be their signal to attack. “That said, there isn’t a human alive who could prove a match for one of the Demon Generals. Changing the subject—I spotted a human castle about three miles ahead. Is that your hometown, Hero?” asked Pino. The sudden question flustered the Hero, and he quickly pulled out his smartphone to perform some searching. In the group chat, he replied, [No, that’s not where I’m from. That’s probably Tomorrow Castle, the largest castle in Beginnerland.] “Oh, then that means we’re close to a human town!” Nicoletta said. She hadn’t sucked human blood in years and was probably very excited at the rare opportunity to see humans (other than the Hero, of course). “Ah, that’s where I beat up that Sunege guy. It certainly is a big city,” Mako answered, recalling her recent visit. As though a light bulb just turned on in her mind, she raised her hand and exclaimed, “Ooooh! I want to explore a human castle town, meow!” “Noooo!” The Hero moaned out loud, unable to contain himself. Hurriedly, he explained himself via text. [That’s obviously a bad idea. People will immediately be able to tell that you’re demons. Worst of all, it’ll be a shock to see members of the Demon Army’s Four Demon Generals in the town. Right, Pino?] The Hero appealed to Pino directly, as she seemed to be the most reasonable and levelheaded of the three. “I-it’s not like I’m interested or anything, but if it’s possible, then seeing the town…is not something I’d want to do one bit!!!” Pino exclaimed, suddenly shifting personalities yet again. Oh, come on! They all want to go? To his credit, the Hero fought valiantly to dissuade his companions, but their curiosity proved too great. Admittedly, he did find the idea of a real bed appealing. After the group set a few boundaries, they decided to enter Tomorrow Castle Town.