After returning to the castle, I decided to spend time again seated by the gates.
This world was almost entirely different from the one I used to live in; even the Demon Realm had a sky that was red instead of blue during the day.
But if there was one thing still familiar and unchanging, it would be the night sky, where the stars shone brightly.
Although the positions of the stars seemed different.
Rustle, rustle—
“You really don’t get tired of this, do you…?”
I sensed a presence from the distant bushes.
It wasn’t that of a living creature; it felt similar to one of those familiars.
If I picked up a stone and threw it…
Bang!
“…Nice shot.”
Direct hit.
Lately, I’ve been worried about the lack of good stones around the castle to throw, but recently, with the appearance of golems, I’ve been able to find some excellent stones for throwing.
Anyway, when it’s quiet like this, I end up with a lot of idle thoughts.
The reason I came here was because of Arsep.
My last memory was being stabbed by some lunatic and dying on the street.
To save me, she used up all her remaining magic, and now, here I am, choosing to stay in her castle as its gatekeeper.
I don’t think that’s a bad arrangement.
‘Is there really no way to help her?’
Still, I worry if there might be a way to solve Arsep’s problem.
Of course, it’s something that bothers her the most, but how long does she have to live like that?
Her body is frail, and she can’t use magic like other people, so I can’t leave her alone.
Just the other day, she went out by herself and nearly got into trouble with some street thugs, and today, she fainted just from seeing a spider larger than a bear.
She should at least be able to protect herself, but it’s hard not to worry.
Teaching her self-defense wouldn’t work because her body isn’t strong enough even for the most basic moves.
Exercising wouldn’t make her stronger either, so it’s quite the dilemma.
Honestly, it would probably be faster and more effective to train ten-year-old Flua as a bodyguard rather than trying to make Arsep able to defend herself.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
While I was pondering solutions, Arsep quietly approached and asked.
It seems Flua is already asleep.
“I was just wondering which might be older—the stars in the sky or the mistress of this castle.”
“Just kidding.”
Seeing something in Arsep’s eyes like lasers ready to fire, I quickly corrected myself.
‘If she had any magic left, would she actually shoot lasers from her eyes?’
‘Or perhaps from her fingers?’
“You really are a strange one. How do you manage to poke at my sore spots so precisely?”
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That was not a compliment.”
I wanted to ask her real age, but I have some tact and kept quiet.
For now, I’ll settle for estimating her age by the minimum I can calculate mathematically.
“So, why did you come outside? It’s chilly.”
“I came out because you looked lonely. Even if I tell you to stay inside, you keep coming here to look at the sky, don’t you?”
“I just feel more comfortable outside. It’s awkward to throw trash out over the cliff from inside.”
I pointed to some of the wooden or stone carvings nearby.
“Your hobby is something I still can’t get used to, no matter how often I see it.”
“This is surprisingly fun.”
They’re all by-products from making coffins, or something like that.
I don’t know much about carving, but as long as I control my strength, I can shape wood or stone without breaking them, creating forms like coffins.
Being a guard can get pretty boring sometimes, so I used to do little things like this on the side as long as it didn’t interfere with work.
Back then, it was ordinary knitting…
Now, sometimes, I even feel like knitting people.
“I hope I get to use my handmade creations soon.”
“Isn’t it better if the day never comes to use them…?”
“Well, this isn’t a problem that will be solved by worrying.”
“For now, let’s focus on finding a purpose for those coffins.”
‘After going through all the effort to make them myself, shouldn’t I test at least one or two of them in the field?’
***
The next day.
With the food supplies I had brought from the town running low, I decided to make a quick trip to the village to do some simple shopping.
It would be faster to go alone, but I felt uneasy about leaving Arsep and Flua alone in the castle.
Though the trip itself wouldn’t take long, selecting the ingredients in the village would inevitably take some time.
Even if we have plenty of money, I’m particular when it comes to buying food.
“Are you okay?”
“Flua, there’s no need for you to worry.”
As expected, Arsep got tired midway, so I carried her on my back, and, with a reassuring thumbs-up to the worried Flua, she told him not to worry.
“Should I just make you a wheelchair instead? There’s an unused cart in the castle storage; we could use that….”
“…No, that would be too much, even for a demon. Doesn’t it make me seem like I’m utterly dependent on others if I start using that? And it’s not like my legs are injured!”
“It’s just that you have ridiculously low stamina.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a blade in place of a tongue?!”
Arsep tapped my back with her hands while she was on my back.
She seemed to be hitting with all her strength, but even a passing cat’s paw would probably be stronger.
Not just a feeling—it’s likely true, as street cats in the Demon Realm were about the size of tigers.
“Flua, are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
“You’re impressive for being so young; most adults would get a little tired from walking this much.”
“Anyone who’d get tired from this much walking… would already have been caught.”
Flua’s response brought a moment of somberness.
Come to think of it, Flua had been raised as a slave by a slaver from a young age, and one day, amid chaos, he had miraculously managed to escape.
It seems that in this world, practices like slavery and human trafficking are openly occurring, meaning there are likely more children like Flua.
And what Flua meant by “caught” just now…
It’s best not to dwell on it.
“Is there anything you want to eat, Flua? Not only is my gatekeeper strong, but he’s also a fantastic cook! Feel free to tell him whatever you’d like to eat!”
“…People might think you’re the one cooking if you say it like that.”
“I can cook too. If you’re too tired, I could make it myself.”
“The ingredients deserve better, so I’ll cook.”
“Haha! Then I’ll leave it to you. I wouldn’t want to eat my own cooking, anyway.”
For the record, Arsep can’t cook.
More precisely, she can’t season food properly.
She’s good at following instructions, but she’s hopeless with anything else.
Due to eating only water and bitter, sour tree fruits for a long time, while she’s improving, it’s still impossible to leave cooking entirely to her.
I still haven’t forgotten the time I asked her to add a bit of salt to fried eggs, and she dumped a whole ladle of it in.
“Anything is fine for me, really.”
“You don’t have to be modest; if there’s anything you want to eat, just say it. I can’t promise I’ll be able to make it, but I’ll try.”
“I’d… like to try cake.”
“Cake?”
Flua nodded.
“Can you even make cake?”
“I can… more or less.”
Cake, huh?
I had studied baking and even earned a certification, so I have some confidence in my skills.
However, this place doesn’t seem to have proper flour or many of the ingredients needed.
While I might be able to find them in a bigger city where there are bakeries, there’s nothing like that here in this village.
There’s no way a small shop in the countryside would sell things like cream cheese, yogurt, or whipped cream.
I could technically make it myself, but finding the ingredients is another challenge…
“I-I don’t have to have it, really….”
Seeing that made me want to make it for him even more.
But creating ingredients from thin air wasn’t possible.
“If it’s a cake, I can make it if I manage to gather all the ingredients, or we could buy one from a bakery in the city. But you probably won’t be able to eat it today. Is that okay?”
I smiled, patting Flua’s head.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
I didn’t want him to feel any burden over something like this.
It’s not like it’s an issue to ask for something to eat.
Fortunately, I remember seeing a bakery selling cakes in the city I visited last time.
While the design wasn’t particularly pretty, the ingredients seemed better than those used in chain bakeries, and it was made entirely by hand.
The bread I tried last time was quite delicious too.
Because of that, the price was a bit high, but if you have enough money, price isn’t an issue.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to head to the city instead of the village?”
“I’d like that too, but if we did that, we’d only reach the city after sundown.”
“That’s true….”
By the time we arrive, the bakeries would probably be closed.
Besides, while traveling is unrestricted during the day, nighttime checkpoints become strict, making it difficult to travel with both Arsep and Flua.
One is a demon, and the other is a dark elf.
“Hold on for a moment.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“Look over there.”
As we were almost at the village, Arsep stopped me and pointed toward it.
“Adventurers. Quite a lot of them….”
The village was full of adventurers, numbering in the dozens.
I didn’t know what was going on, but going into the village now seemed likely to cause unnecessary commotion.
While adventurers have visited the village before, I’ve never seen so many gather at once.
‘Could it be that they’re planning to attack the castle again under the pretext of a demon lord subjugation?’