“Are you talking about how to silence them?”
“Since we just sent back the people who came last time, more showed up today. And this time, it was fine since the demons came along with them.”
After a skirmish between humans and demons ended, I discussed with Arsep how we should handle those who come to our castle in the future.
“First and foremost, the best way to silence them is by killing them.”
“…Is there no other way?”
As expected, Arsep, like a true demon, offered a simple yet effective solution.
“But killing… just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“I didn’t have any grievances with society, nor did I have mental issues. So, even if I found myself in another world overnight, I couldn’t just commit murder without hesitation.”
“Of course, I am human, and my patience has limits, so there’s a chance I might accidentally lose control of my strength. But I still believe that violence should be the very last resort.”
“So, perhaps, I won’t ever kill someone intentionally, or even by accident.”
“Maybe?”
“I can’t predict the future, but I’d like to believe that.”
“Right, I forgot you were originally human. Unlike demons, I’ve heard that humans have an aversion to killing their kind. Likely because of their social nature.”
“It sounds like demons don’t have such scruples?”
“Of course not. Unless it’s a senseless mass murderer, demons don’t mind the fate of losers or those defeated in competition. After all, nature dictates that weaker beings get weeded out.”
“It seemed that demon society was more akin to a natural ecosystem.”
“Perhaps demons and humans view communal living differently.”
“As for silencing them, there’s no other way. I can’t use magic to erase memories, so it’s up to you to make the choice.”
“My choice?”
“Yes. I don’t know the laws of the world you came from. But here, it’s survival of the fittest. Even when hunting a monster, you must be prepared to be hunted yourself.”
Arsep suggested that I needn’t overthink it, and I should only consider my homeland’s ethics or morals when necessary.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel reluctant.
If there ever comes a day when I do end up harming someone, I should at least honor them with a proper farewell.
At the very least, I should prepare a coffin.
***
“So, you are quite a compassionate one, aren’t you?”
Arsep observed me quietly.
“Me?”
“Right now, you hold considerable power, at least from what I can see. And if this is you keeping it restrained, there’s nothing more to say. Yet, even with such strength, you put others before yourself?”
“I can’t help it. Just today, I lightly tossed a rock, and the entire forest was wiped out… If I don’t control myself, there’ll be nothing left around me.”
“True, that is indeed the case…”
In daily life, controlling my strength isn’t difficult.
I haven’t ripped door handles off or shattered cups just by holding them.
However, in tasks that need a bit more force—like preparing today’s lunch—I accidentally cut through not only the pork but the cutting board and the stone underneath it.
Throwing a brick and leveling a forest was just the same.
I suppose I’ll have to get used to it gradually.
“It’s reassuring to know that about you. You seem like someone who would never abuse their power.”
“I generally avoid conflicts unless absolutely necessary. Back then, it only brought more trouble when I got involved.”
“The apartment I worked at was decent, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any problem residents.”
“In fact, I died because some lunatic was chasing a child with a knife, and I tried to stop him.”
“If I can, I’d rather avoid trouble.”
“If people in this world are capable of learning, they probably won’t mess with someone who doesn’t leave his castle. Perhaps I won’t have much to do as a gatekeeper.”
I think it would be nice to live like this, repaying Arsep for saving me.
***
After that day, there was unrest among both humans and demons.
[A demon special forces unit appeared?]
[Adventurers from the human realm approached that castle?]
The reason was simple.
The location of the old castle was a region where neither demons nor humans ventured.
Although recently, humans had started approaching the abandoned castle, up until a year ago, neither humans nor demons would go near it.
Whenever someone neared the castle, a thought of “Let’s turn back” would appear in their minds. As a result, no one thought to investigate it.
But recently, things had changed.
What was once a vague presence had become distinctly noticeable, leading some humans to mistake it for the Demon King’s castle and attempt to find it.
While this didn’t matter much to demons or humans at first…
“Why have demons appeared there? That place is close enough to human villages that demons usually avoid it, isn’t it?”
“Yes, there’s a human village in that area. But there’s no need to worry, as an ancient hero’s tablet nearby keeps us from approaching that place.”
This time, however, it was something they couldn’t ignore.
Enemies who had never approached the castle before started appearing, despite its long-standing mysteries.
“Could it be that the entity those adventurers encountered last time might be a servant of the Demon King, or perhaps another powerful demon?”
“It’s likely that the humans destroyed the familiar, but there’s no reason for them to be interested in that place… Could there be something we don’t know?”
This led the various factions to turn their attention to the castle.
“For now, our guild should investigate this matter. We don’t have enough information to report it to the higher-ups yet.”
“There’s no need to report this to the Demon King. Not yet… Let’s have our engineering and surveillance units investigate more thoroughly.”
Although the combined forces of each continent were engaged in a massive war, they couldn’t entirely ignore the events happening in a remote area of the Demon Realm.
“We should send scouts to observe the movements of nearby demons. If we confirm that there’s something significant in the castle, we can send an exploration team.”
“There’s a new combat-type familiar we’ve been developing. We could send it to see if the humans are plotting something.”
Thus, this chain of events became inevitable.
***
After that day, both the Demon Realm and the Human Realm began sending scouts to the deserted castle regularly.
Of course, most demon familiars were either destroyed before gathering any useful information, or human scouts would encounter demons and be forced to retreat.
The investigation didn’t progress much.
Still, they uncovered one thing:
“Why do the demons keep sending troops to that land?”
“And why do the humans remain so interested in that place?”
“There was clearly something hidden in that region.”
“Otherwise, there was no reason for demons and humans to engage in meaningless skirmishes over it.”
“Come rain or snow, no matter if it was dawn or morning…”
As a result, an unintended victim emerged…
***
“Can’t I just kill them all?”
“Calm yourself, please!”
That victim was the gatekeeper, who was responsible for guarding the nearby castle.
“Seriously, what kind of battle happens in front of the castle at 4 a.m…? Wouldn’t it solve everything if I just wiped out both the humans and demons here?”
“Then we’d have no way of knowing whether you’re a human or a god of destruction! Show some mercy, please!”
“Even Buddha wouldn’t forgive this. Once or twice, sure, but they’ve been at it every day for the past month. Although it did get quieter on holidays, I suppose.”
After nearly a month of constant clashes regardless of weather or time…
“Since the Great Demon King is here, don’t you ever feel like destroying the world or something?”
“No, not in the slightest!”
Finally, the patience of a certain gatekeeper reached its limit.
It had been a month since I started living a new life.
In that month, I learned about this world, practiced controlling my strength, and avoided repeating the disaster I’d caused in the forest outside the castle.
Arsep still hadn’t found a way to restore her power, but her mood had brightened significantly, and her stamina had improved enough that he could even walk outside for thirty minutes.
Things were going well.
Well, they would have been if it stopped there.
Creeeak -!
“You… you’re working hard again today, I see.”
The castle gates opened slightly, and Arsep peeked out.
“Good morning.”
I smiled and waved, setting down the corpse of a monster I’d been carrying on my shoulder.
“…Isn’t that a minotaur? They usually live in the forest quite a distance from here. How did it end up here?”
“With all the constant skirmishes around here, I think it’s attracting monsters. But for some reason, this one took an interest in me, so I took care of its spine.”
Unfortunately, unlike in games, I couldn’t eat monster meat.
I could if I wanted to, but at least with this minotaur, the meat was gamey, and it was so tough that it wasn’t suitable for cooking.
Eating it would be less of a meal and more of an exercise or task.
“That monster is five times your size… Anyway, you did well. Why don’t you come inside and rest?”
“I’ll just dispose of this first. Leaving a monster’s corpse near the castle could attract other monsters and cause a stench.”
Luckily, there was a deep ravine near the castle.
It was only a twenty-minute walk, so it wouldn’t take long.
I threw the monster’s body toward the ravine, adjusting my strength just right.
Since I didn’t hear the sound of it landing, it seemed to have reached the ravine as intended.
All those years I played basketball as a hobby paid off.
After disposing of the monster’s corpse, I picked up some fallen logs from the ground.
“Why are you bringing those logs? Are they for firewood?”
“No, I’ll use them to build coffins.”
That day, I found myself a new hobby.
“You know… saying things like that with a smile, especially with blood on your face, is terrifying.”
“It’s just a hobby. No need to be scared.”
That hobby was building coffins.
I had a feeling I’d need quite a few in the future.
“I don’t know who has coffins as a hobby… Anyway, I prepared some bathwater for you, so you should go wash up.”
“Thanks, I was just about to do that.”
Yes, I would definitely need them in the days to come.
Making coffins as a hobby? Man. The fucking nostalgia. Why. Why.