After winding through what felt like an endless maze of polished hallways and towering marble pillars, we were finally escorted into one of the castle's inner chambers.
The room itself was massive.
Twelve ornate seats surrounded a circular table carved from dark blue crystal, its surface reflecting the floating chandeliers above like calm water beneath moonlight. Knights stood lined against the walls in complete silence, armored hands resting on sword hilts as if they expected violence at any moment.
Honestly?
That part felt normal already.
Hiroy sat calmly beside me while Syrah rested beneath his chair in her cub form, tail swaying lazily. Across my shoulders, Kyoko lounged like an oversized cat while Sangui's tiny three-headed form sniffed around the room suspiciously.
Nobody spoke for several minutes.
Then the doors opened.
Every knight immediately bowed.
Hiroy and I exchanged a glance.
"…Were we supposed to know to do that?" I whispered.
"You first."
"Coward."
A man stepped into the chamber.
He wasn't particularly tall, but his presence carried weight. Short white hair framed sharp blue eyes that seemed capable of reading people faster than words could explain them. His clothing was elegant without becoming excessive, layered in silver and dark blue fabrics stitched with gold thread.
He stopped briefly when he noticed neither of us had bowed.
"…So you truly know nothing of this land," he observed calmly.
I shrugged.
"No one handed us instructions."
Several knights looked offended.
The man smiled faintly instead.
"My name is Ruenji. One of the ruling nobles of this territory."
Hiroy introduced himself first.
"I'm Hiroy."
"Shiro."
Ruenji's gaze lingered on us longer than comfortable.
Especially on Kyoko and Sangui.
Interesting.
He sat at the table across from us.
"The creature you defeated outside the gates," he began, folding his hands together, "normally requires at least twenty trained soldiers to handle."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"How exactly did two boys defeat it alone?"
Hiroy leaned back casually.
"We trained."
"That answer lacks detail."
"It's still the truth."
I crossed my arms.
"That thing wasn't weak either."
Ruenji tilted his head slightly.
"You recognized the creature?"
"Not specifically," I admitted. "But Kokono taught us about corrupted entities."
At the mention of Kokono, something flickered through Ruenji's expression.
Gone almost instantly.
"The Devourers," he said quietly.
The room became noticeably heavier.
Several knights lowered their eyes.
"The creatures that plague this world."
I rested my chin against my fist.
"So those things aren't normal monsters?"
"No." Ruenji's voice hardened. "They are born from corruption. Living distortions that consume life, magic, and eventually entire regions if left unchecked."
Something about the way he described them made my stomach tighten slightly.
Not fear.
Instinct.
Like the creatures themselves felt wrong to existence.
Ruenji slid a parchment across the table toward us.
"We recently received reports of four more lower-class Devourers attacking a nearby settlement."
Hiroy picked up the document first.
I watched his expression carefully.
Focused.
Calm.
Heroic.
Meanwhile I was mostly wondering if the town had decent food.
"Four confirmed sightings," Hiroy muttered. "Mostly nighttime attacks."
I leaned back.
"Sounds manageable."
A knight near the wall looked deeply disturbed by my confidence.
Ruenji studied us carefully.
"You speak rather casually for people facing Devourers."
I shrugged.
"If lower-class ones almost killed us outside the city, then getting stronger just became more important."
That answer seemed to satisfy him more than arrogance would have.
Interesting.
Ruenji nodded slowly.
"If you assist us, I will ensure you receive official registration, payment, and lodging within the city."
Hiroy immediately agreed.
"We'll help."
Before Ruenji could continue, I leaned forward slightly.
"One question."
The room quieted again.
"How did you know about the fight outside the walls?"
The noble smiled faintly.
"I maintain scouts throughout my territory. Information is survival."
Not a lie.
But not everything either.
Muray's training had sharpened my instincts too much for me to ignore subtle things now.
The slight hesitation before answering.
The way nearby knights stiffened.
Ruenji knew more than he was saying.
Still, he didn't feel dangerous.
Yet.
I leaned back again.
"Fair enough."
Ruenji gestured toward the chamber doors.
"Since you are unfamiliar with the city, I'll assign escorts."
"I don't need an escort," I replied immediately.
"You absolutely do," Hiroy countered.
"I survived Muray."
"That barely qualifies as being civilized."
Ruenji raised a hand before we could continue.
Four women entered the room.
Two humans.
Two demi-humans.
The first fox demi had long red hair matching her ears and tail, dressed in a pink-and-white kimono reinforced with light armor beneath the fabric. A long staff rested against her back, and unlike most people we'd encountered so far, her eyes held confidence rather than fear.
The second fox demi had darker fur, sharper eyes, and wore red-and-white combat robes with a wand attached at her hip.
The two human women contrasted each other heavily.
One possessed long silver-gray hair and twin swords resting against her back.
The other had short green hair with twin daggers strapped along her thighs, moving with assassin-like balance.
Ruenji gestured toward them.
"These four are experienced adventurers familiar with the city."
I stood immediately.
"Cool."
Then started walking toward the exit.
"…That's it?" one knight asked in disbelief.
"If you're coming," I said over my shoulder, "keep up."
The red-haired fox demi and silver-haired swordswoman exchanged glances before following after me.
Behind us, I could already hear Hiroy apologizing for my personality.
Again.
---
The city was alive beneath the setting sun.
Golden light spilled across crowded streets while lanterns slowly awakened overhead. Vendors shouted across market stalls, children ran through alleyways laughing, and music drifted from nearby taverns.
For the first time since dying, things almost felt normal.
Kyoko rested proudly on my shoulder while Sangui sprinted between civilians in his tiny form, accidentally terrifying several merchants.
"…You should probably stop him," the silver-haired swordswoman muttered.
Sangui's left head barked proudly at a crying civilian.
"He's socializing," I replied.
"He threatened a child."
"He's trying his best."
The fox demi laughed quietly.
At least someone appreciated my parenting.
"The name's Shiro, by the way," I finally said. "The tiny dragon pretending she's superior to everyone is Kyoko. The three-headed disaster is Sangui."
"Disaster?" Sangui's middle head repeated, offended.
"Yes."
The fox demi smiled softly.
"I'm Yura."
She gestured toward the swordswoman.
"And this is Shina."
"Two-person party?" I asked.
Shina nodded.
"Three months."
"That's rare."
Most combat parties Muray had taught us about contained at least four members.
Yura adjusted the wand at her side awkwardly.
"You use magic?" I asked.
"Mostly support and ranged casting."
The moment she touched the wand, something felt wrong.
Not cursed.
Just inefficient.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"…Your catalyst is terrible."
Yura blinked.
"What?"
I turned toward a quieter forest path outside the city.
"Come on."
Shina immediately looked suspicious.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"To prove I'm right."
---
The forest clearing was quiet except for distant birdsong.
I sat atop a large stone while Yura stood awkwardly nearby holding her wand.
"Use magic," I instructed.
Pink magic slowly gathered around her body before expanding outward in soft waves.
Not weak at all.
Actually impressive.
I held out my hand.
"Wand."
Yura hesitated before handing it over.
The moment I touched it, Edith and Zenith pulsed faintly at my waist.
I frowned.
"Yeah. This thing is awful."
Shina crossed her arms.
"You can tell that just by holding it?"
"It's leaking magic constantly." I rotated the wand carefully. "Whoever made this either scammed you or hates you personally."
Yura's ears drooped slightly.
"…I spent most of my savings on it."
"Well," I said honestly, "that person deserves to be punched."
To my surprise, Yura laughed.
Quietly at first.
Then harder.
Shina sighed dramatically.
"You're strange."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I accepted it anyway."
Kyoko yawned from my shoulder.
"She is improving socially."
"See?" I pointed proudly.
"The standard was catastrophically low," Kyoko replied.
Rude.
---
By the time we returned to the castle, night had fully settled across the city.
Kyoko had resumed her larger form to carry us back through the skies, which unfortunately caused immediate panic the second we landed in the courtyard.
Guards rushed forward instantly with weapons drawn.
Again.
I stared at them blankly.
"…Do people here solve every problem with swords?"
One trembling guard pointed toward Kyoko.
"T-That's a dragon!"
Kyoko lowered her head slightly.
The pressure rolling off her alone nearly dropped several guards to their knees.
"As I explained earlier," I said slowly, purple flickering faintly in my eyes, "if people keep pointing weapons at me every ten minutes, eventually I'm going to take it personally."
The guards froze.
Yura and Shina quickly stepped forward.
"They're with us," Shina explained immediately.
The guards relaxed almost instantly.
Interesting.
So the girls held status here.
Useful information.
After the situation settled down, I was finally escorted to my room.
The moment I collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion crashed into me all at once.
My final thought before sleep was wondering how badly Hiroy was embarrassing himself trying to act mature around the girls assigned to him.
Then the door creaked open.
My eyes snapped open instantly.
Three masked figures slipped silently into the room carrying poison-coated daggers.
Terrible stealth.
I moved before they realized I was awake.
Edith appeared in my hand instantly.
I kicked the first assassin hard enough to launch him into the wall while simultaneously throwing Zenith across the room. The blade pinned another attacker's hand directly into the floorboards before he could react.
The third lunged.
I caught his wrist.
Twisted.
Then smashed his face into the second assassin's skull.
Both dropped instantly.
The final attacker tried crawling away.
Sangui's tiny paw landed gently on his head.
The assassin froze completely.
"M-Monster…"
Sangui's right head grinned.
"Correct."
A few minutes later, I dragged the tied-up assassins through the hallway.
Only to find Hiroy dragging three unconscious attackers of his own.
We stared at each other.
"…You too?" I asked.
Hiroy sighed deeply.
"Yes."
I smirked.
"Looks like we already made enemies."
He pointed directly at me.
"No. You made enemies. I'm experiencing collateral damage."
"That still counts as teamwork."
"It absolutely does not."
Together, we dragged the assassins back to Ruenji's chamber.
The noble looked genuinely disturbed when we dumped six unconscious killers at his feet.
I crossed my arms.
"Your security is terrible."
Several nearby knights looked personally insulted.
Ruenji pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…I noticed."
The silver-haired knight and red-haired mage from earlier immediately stepped forward.
"Find out how this happened," Ruenji ordered coldly. "Now."
They bowed and vanished immediately.
I yawned.
"Well. Good luck with your assassination problem."
As I turned to leave, I noticed Hiroy watching me quietly again.
Like he wanted to say something.
I tilted my head.
"What?"
"…Nothing."
"Hm."
I shrugged and started walking.
Behind me, Kyoko's tail flicked slowly.
"Your lives escalated quickly."
I smirked tiredly.
"Good."
Somewhere deep inside me, beneath the exhaustion and adrenaline, instinct whispered something quietly.
This world was dangerous.
And for the first time in a long time…
I felt alive.