He was the gatekeeper of a grand castle, but surprisingly, his shifts weren’t long.
There was only one proper entrance from outside to inside, and recently, incidents of demons or humans causing trouble in front of the castle had decreased.
As such, he generally had freedom, without having to spend hours chanting spells or worrying about someone setting off fireworks in front of the castle or opening doors left unlocked.
However, he couldn’t simply relax all the time, as somehow, he ended up playing a caretaker role here too.
“You… was there any trouble through the night…?”
“There was no trouble, and please, don’t come outside in pajamas; you’ll catch a cold.”
“Understood… then, I shall sleep a little longer.”
He guided the drowsy Arsep back to her room.
“If you… are tired, you should get some rest too…”
“Don’t worry, I’m not tired. Sleep well. Next time, try not to wake up in the middle and just sleep through.”
“Okay…”
Once she was back in bed, she quickly fell asleep again.
He’d already told her there was no need to come out so early every morning, but when dawn broke, Arsep would always emerge to check the state of the castle.
It seemed like a habit left over from when she had to live alone here before he came along.
Back then, with no one else to guard the castle, she must have had to check for intruders every morning.
Recently, another member had joined them in the castle…
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
The new member’s name was Flua.
She was a dark elf she had met in the fairy city, but unlike typical dark elves, she had fair skin, which was a unique trait.
At first, he wondered if it was some sort of albinism, but her hair was a dark, purplish black, and her eyes were a similar shade, suggesting there was something more to it.
“Are you hungry? If you are, I could make breakfast for you.”
In any case, this girl surprisingly required little attention.
She woke up on her own every morning, didn’t rush to him in the middle of the night, startled by thunder like someone else, and even handled cleaning neatly by herself.
Frankly, she seemed far more mature and adult-like than Arsep, so he didn’t feel his workload increased.
However, there was one small issue…
“I’m fine… I’ll eat with you later.”
“Oh, okay. Then, let’s have breakfast together later.”
It was awkward.
Very… awkward.
Although it had been over a week since Flua joined the castle, whenever Arsep wasn’t around, he found it difficult to know how to converse with her.
After all, he had only seen her face twice back in the city, and it was Arsep who had actually talked with and befriended her.
It seemed the feeling was mutual.
They sat silently on a bench in front of the castle.
“Flua, why are you here?”
“Just… because.”
“I see, you’re just here.”
Partly because he wasn’t particularly good at conversation, but also, he felt a cautiousness when speaking with someone like her.
It was clear Flua hadn’t had the best past.
“They aren’t here.”
Especially when he once asked at the inn where her family or home was, her answer had left him momentarily stunned inside.
For a moment, he felt like a terrible person.
Talking to someone with a dark past like hers made him worry about accidentally bringing up a painful topic.
He was concerned about that.
If he wasn’t careful, things could become difficult.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
This time, Flua spoke first.
She wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask.
“Are you really… human?”
Hmm…
What could be the reason for such a question?
Asking him if he was human out of the blue – the answer was obvious, wasn’t it?
Unless he was supposed to say he wasn’t human.
“I’m human.”
For now, he decided to tell the truth.
Avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings was best.
“So, you’re not a demon or a dragon or anything like that?”
“Well, I have no horns on my head, no wings on my back, and no tail, so I think it’s safe to say I’m human.”
“I see…”
He wasn’t especially good-looking or ugly.
But getting asked if he was really human made him wonder how he should take it.
***
Thud—
“These tiny pests! I’ll freeze them all!”
A familiar voice echoed, one he had grown accustomed to.
“…What’s that?”
“That’s a golem.”
“Why is there a golem near the castle?”
“Good question. I’d really like to know too.”
While they were awkwardly guarding the castle entrance, the ground trembled as a huge shadow loomed over them.
A strange monster with ice crystals growing on its body, a golem that had recently begun appearing near this area.
Normally, he’d sigh about it showing up again, but right now, he found it quite welcome.
The method for dealing with golems was simple.
He just picked up a nearby brick or stone and aimed at the joint connecting the golem’s legs to its head.
However, throwing too hard could cause a loud explosion, so in the early morning, it was better to throw lightly.
It was a solution anyone could follow if they encountered a golem on the road.
“Only one showed up today.”
He collected the shattered golem fragments and tossed them off a cliff.
He detached the ice parts to store later for keeping food like meat or fish fresh, similar to a medieval refrigerator.
According to Arsep, ice created by magic wouldn’t melt easily unless directly exposed to fire, making it possible to preserve food even in a medieval fantasy world without refrigerators.
Though usually, people would store things through magic.
“Are you really human?”
“If I weren’t, I would have used magic to catch this thing. I’ve seen people conjure fire and lightning from their hands.”
Flua still seemed to doubt his humanity, but he was, indeed, an unmistakable human.
Living as a non-magical human in a fantasy world was hard, though.
That evening.
Flua gazed out the window at the gatekeeper.
Unless he had specific business inside the castle, he spent most of his time sitting in front of the entrance.
Holding onto a spear that didn’t seem necessary for him, taken from some adventurer, he sat there as if he were truly a guard of this castle.
The girl sat quietly by the window, watching him in silence.
***
“Why do you look outside, Flua? Is there something out there?”
Perhaps because Flua was quietly gazing outside just as the gatekeeper sat still, Arsep, who had been reading a book on her bed, joined her at the window and asked.
Outside stood a human, not using any magic, yet capable of far surpassing the destructive power of a siege weapon just by throwing stones.
It was hard not to be drawn to such a sight.
A strange human, and a strange demon.
Come to think of it, she, too, was as unusual and unnatural as that man.
“Nothing.”
At first, she thought he was hiding his power to conceal his identity.
But over time, she realized that it wasn’t that he was intentionally suppressing his power – he genuinely seemed to have none.
Even when they were surrounded by slave hunters back then, and even here, in his own castle where there was no need to hide anything, he maintained a state where not a single trace of magical energy could be felt.
Every living creature possessed some amount of magical energy.
Even if they couldn’t use magic, it didn’t mean they had no power.
But he truly had none.
This was especially surprising, as demons were famous for being born with a massive amount of inherent magical energy.
***
“…Oh, you were watching him? Well, even I can’t help but watch him whenever I sit by the window.”
Arsep, sitting by the window, looked out at the gatekeeper and smiled, almost unconsciously.
Flua still didn’t know much about the relationship between the two.
She could only tell that they lived in the same castle and treated each other like long-time friends.
“Are you curious about him? If there’s anything you want to know, I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
“Is he really human?”
She asked if he was truly human.
“He is unmistakably human.”
Sqwaak—!
As soon as she heard the answer, the gatekeeper outside was already grappling with the throat of a massive, mindless orc that had appeared.
The spear he carried as a weapon was laid aside, and with his bare hands, he tore out the orc’s throat.
Even though the orc was three times his size, he expertly and effortlessly dispatched it.
The orc’s body shuddered, its muscles twitching, and soon it lay completely still.
Watching him grin as though he found it satisfying was a bit unnerving.
The gatekeeper was currently embodying the saying, “If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.”
“…A bit strange, perhaps, but he is indeed human. His soul is undeniably that of a human. I can guarantee that no matter what anyone says.”
Arsep, looking slightly flustered, soon turned to look at the gatekeeper with a proud gaze.
“I see… so he’s truly human….”
There were various emotions mixed in her gaze, and seeing this, Flua realized that neither of them was lying.
Otherwise, their relationship wouldn’t be the way it was.
Or perhaps there was something unknown to them, something they deliberately chose not to know…