After four days, they had finally arrived at the border city next to the demon king's domains.
Ryan and his party headed to the nearest tavern to request a room, but they found themselves involved in a commotion where Ryan stepped in to heal a poisoned girl.
The unusual twist in the situation came when another girl appeared in front of them to request to join their party.
"Absolutely not, you'd better beat it, brat," Ryan grumbled curtly.
She looked at him with a pout.
"Don't be silly, accept me, I'm really strong!"
"At least you have to admit she looks adorable," Mirian crouched in front of her and began to pinch her cheeks.
"Haha, hey, that tickles."
"Well, she definitely is a child. Where are your parents?" Helen asked.
"...I already told you guys I'm not a child, can't you see?"
"That's exactly why we're saying it, playtime is over. Now let's head to the bedroom. Did they give you the key?" Ryan asked, looking at Helen.
"Yeah, I have it right here. So when are we going to collect materials?"
"At dawn. For now, I want to sleep."
"Me too," Mirian said.
"Hmm, understood."
They made their way to the room.
They were exhausted from the long journey, and without another word, each of them went to sleep.
...
At dawn, they gathered at the inn to have breakfast.
And they began to plan their day.
They asked the keeper of the place about the best location for gathering, and he answered that it was uncertain, but it would be best for them to split up and thus cover more ground.
He also recommended not to enter the Demon King's domains under any circumstances.
Because a barrier, created by artifacts brought by S-rank heroes, was protecting the city; that was why the city was so lively after having been attacked.
"Alright, then we will meet back here in two hours. Gather as much material as you can."
"Right!"
Ryan split up from them, each heading in opposite directions to go out into the city's surroundings to search for the materials.
Ryan was near the south exit, already able to see the guards stationing the gate.
He advanced in that direction. But suddenly, a voice stopped him as it spoke.
"Hey, you! You're going to let me join, right?"
Ryan slowly turned his head.
The girl from the tavern had appeared once again.
'What a pain, does this kid not have parents or what...'
Ryan started walking fast, not heading toward the south exit, but rather ducking into the alleyways to try and lose the girl who was trailing him with insistence.
She kept calling out to him persistently, refusing to lose his trail.
At one point, before reaching an intersection in the alley, Ryan got distracted because the girl was clutching at his clothes. He quickened his pace and ventured deeper into the secluded alley.
Bang!
He crashed right into someone, and that person fell to the ground, landing in a sitting position.
"Oh, Zelyn, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I think so, heh, heh."
"Who are you guys?" asked the girl who was following Ryan.
Ryan approached them and offered his hand to help them up.
But suddenly, he was distracted upon seeing that person's face.
"Horns?"
"Tsk..." The person clicked their tongue and stood up.
"Zelyn, stay behind me."
The one she called Zelyn was also a little girl. She had violet eyes and black hair, but unlike the other girl with horns, Zelyn looked human.
"They're demons, watch out!" the blue-haired girl warned.
Ryan backed away from them, putting himself on alert.
'I have to protect this brat... of all times, I had to run into demons right now...'
"Crystal, we have to run, they've already discovered us!"
"Don't worry, she's just a kid and he is just an ordinary adventurer, not a hero."
'Did she just inspect me?'
Ryan raised his guard, positioning himself in front to protect the girl.
The demon girl fixed her gaze onto Ryan with a calm smile.
"I'm not going to start a fight here, instead..."
And before she finished speaking, the horned demon girl pulled out a stone with engraved symbols.
"Shit, run now, she wants to teleport us!"
The girl grabbed Ryan by the hand and they ran, but a blinding light enveloped them. And when they opened their eyes, they were in a completely different place.
Gloomy, with a foul stench of ash, and a smoky haze blanketing the area.
"What the hell happened, where are we?" Ryan asked himself, looking around the place.
"There's no doubt about it, that bitch teleported us to a spot inside the demon king's domains. Fortunately, it seems to be an empty area. The remnants of battle indicate they fought here, maybe a day or two ago..."
"Stop talking in such a rude manner. You're just a kid. And how do you even know all that?"
"I am not a child!!"
'Why did I have to end up in this place of all things with a brat...'
A deep voice resonated.
"What a surprise, we have guests." A silhouette approached, walking toward them, its shape outlined amidst the haze.
Then another silhouette appeared.
"Since we arrived late to the battle, this will be entertaining."
Ryan took a step backward, leaving the little girl behind him.
"Shit... those guys are demons too..."
"Fear not, I won't kill you. I'll just torture you for a few years and turn you into my pets."
"Hmm, and look at what a cute toy he brought with him. That girl will be my personal pet."
Ryan took a step forward and activated his gauntlets' aura.
"And you think I'll allow something like that? You're just scum."
"Shut up, foolish human. I changed my mind; I will kill you."
The demon lunged at him and delivered a powerful kick, but Ryan blocked it.
"Hmm, you're stronger than I thought, this... might be fun." Before the demon could even finish his sentence, the other one was already behind Ryan's back, attacking him with force and sending him flying a few meters.
"How underhanded. Do you really need those kinds of tricks?"
'They distracted me... they're used to fighting as a team.'
The girl ran over and positioned herself behind Ryan.
"We don't have time, buff me!" she shouted.
"What are you talking about? Just stay back. I'm planning to fight seriously now."
"Don't be stupid, buff me! You're a support member, aren't you?"
"...How do you know that?"
"I saw you heal the girl at the tavern, but we don't have time, do it now."
The demons began to slowly approach them, highly confident.
"Listen, I'm going to enhance you, but you just run away as fast as you can. I'll handle—"
"Just do it already, damn it!" the girl shouted.
'How can she be so stubborn with such low stats? For now, I just want her to escape.'
Ryan cast every single enhancement spell on her.
"Oh, what a surprise, you're a priest?" She looked at her hands with a smile.
"I feel my mana coming back..."
"And what if you get some mana back? You're just a tiny human."
"Haha, now you're going to experience true despair," the girl replied.
"What are you doing? I told you to run..."
Ryan's words were cut short as he watched the girl's body begin to change.
In just a few moments, her child-like body transformed into that of a woman.