Crackling sounds filled the air as the hunter, cloaked in a rabbit fur coat, used his hunting knife to chop through the branches blocking his path, swiftly navigating through the forest, following the trail left by the deer he had wounded earlier.
His mood was somewhat anxious. On one hand, he didn't want to let go of a prey that was already within his grasp, and on the other hand, he worried whether he had ventured too deep into unfamiliar territory.
This was already the boundary of the human world, and even though he was an experienced hunter from a nearby mountain village, he had never been this close to the Gate of the Abyss. Further north, the deep valley, like a wound on the earth, was the gate to Devildom that still existed in the main world.
Although it had been a long time since any Demon invasions had occurred, occasional roaming monsters were still common in the borderlands. Even a low-level monster like a skeleton or a wraith could take his life, not to mention a real Demon. It was quite normal for a hunter to die in the deep forests and mountains, without needing to consider the possible repercussions.
"No, no, what am I thinking?"
The hunter shook his head, deciding to focus on catching up instead of worrying about the situation. Judging by the congealed blood on the branches and ground, he was very close.
Getting determined, the hunter continued to swing his hunting knife to cut through branches while slinging his hunting bow off his shoulder.
Upon cresting a small hill, the hunter's keen senses and years of hunting experience immediately made him crouch down, concealing himself among the grass and leaves, cautiously peeking out.
If everything went as expected, he should be able to see... Huh?!
As he observed the scene below the slope, the hunter momentarily doubted his eyes. The first thing he saw was the target he had been tracking all along - a deer with an arrow in its hind leg. This deer was quite cunning; otherwise, it wouldn't have taken the hunter so much time to track it down. Even if he caught up with it, the hunter would need to seize the opportunity to shoot it with an arrow to end its life, or he'd have to redo the entire hunting chase.
But now, it seemed unnecessary.
A crystalline layer of frost covered the deer's speckled fur, trapping the creature in a motionless state due to the abnormal phenomena known as The Realm. The entire area was engulfed in this anomaly, where although the weather wasn't scorching hot, it wasn't cold enough for the entire forest to be covered in frost in deep autumn. Such anomalies, in the hunter's experience, could only be caused by magic.
Could it really be a Demon?
The hunter's heart clenched tightly, swiftly weighing the advantages and disadvantages of leaving his hiding spot to take the deer with him, before quietly retracing his steps back along the path he came.
"Oh, you're leaving, huh? I thought you were their accomplice," a silver-haired girl remarked, standing in the frost-covered area in the middle of the slope. Stepping onto a protruding rock, she turned her gaze away from the direction where the hunter had hidden and looked at the mercenaries still wielding their weapons at her.
When the Frost Chi erupted, the mercenaries closest to her naturally weren't spared. Their entire bodies were encased in centimeters of solid ice. If it weren't for Tiran kindly helping them break the ice on their faces, they might have suffocated.
"Who are you... Are you also a Demon?" the leader of the mercenaries, a classic burly man, braved through the bone-chilling cold, his lips already turning purple from the frost, his complexion not looking too good. As a mercenary accustomed to sneaking into Devildom to hunt monsters and sometimes Demons, their team's individual strength and teamwork could outshine most adventurers and mercenaries. The fact that a team like theirs was completely wiped out by a young girl was mind-boggling.
"Demon? Are you kidding me? Look at me, how could this lady here resemble a Demon... Oh, sorry, you look pretty too," the silver-haired girl playfully commented and waved at a girl in a nearby cage staring at her.
"Human? Why did you attack us?" The mercenary captain, resisting the bone-chilling cold, questioned through gritted teeth, "Our mission was specifically ordered by Count Feish, you should think about the consequences!"
"I say, you should be the ones thinking about consequences. Hunting Demons, especially high-level Infernals, can lead to war," the girl waved her hand nonchalantly, completely unfazed by the mercenary captain's words, a hint of an uncontrollable smile dancing on her lips.
"Also, I remember Feish... isn't he just a border count? Although he has some military power, the entire Kingdom of Kargel is only so big, right?"
"Lastly, to answer your previous question, the reason is, of course, that the lady caught my eye."
With a final remark, the silver-haired girl left, leaping toward the nearby cage. "Eirin, I'm your fan - no, no, miss, come to me!"
For Mimi, that day was definitely a turning point in her life - surrounded and hunted by a group of ruthless mercenaries, transported to the human world, and then saved by a human girl acting on her whims.
Mimi felt that her perception of humans had taken a slight detour. Were burly mercenaries less formidable in combat compared to slender girls?
Nevertheless, the focus was not on that. When faced with the human girl's hand extended after effortlessly severing the anti-demon silver alloy cage, how should she respond?
While she couldn't understand the human language, she assumed the purpose of her savior resembled that of the mercenaries who had brought her to the human world. If that was the case, what significance did this so-called "rescue" hold?
Mimi had heard of human nobles with twisted desires, who enjoyed capturing Demon females as slaves, subjecting them to endless torment due to their enduring and resilient lifespans. Compared to that, wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the failing anti-demon cage and end her own suffering?
*Gurgle*
An untimely sound resonated due to the empty stomach stimulating intestinal contractions, causing the once resolute Infernal girl to deflate. A tiny spark of magic fizzled out at her fingertips.
"Uh, that, um..." the embarrassed Infernal girl wanted to cry, her mouth agape but uncertain of what to say.
The silver-haired girl seemed to comprehend something. Rubbing her hands together, she displayed an expression of sudden realization. "Oh! I get it! You must be hungry, right!"
As she spoke, she took out the food she had bought earlier from a nearby village in her storage bracelet.
"Wait, I don't..." The Infernal girl tried to shake her head in refusal, but the spasms and contractions in her awakened stomach made her lower her half-raised hand in despair, accepting the cooled but still fragrant bread.
What was she doing accepting human food? They were a vile species that had surrounded and taken her away from her home.
But the food did smell delicious, unlike the lava slime gel she normally consumed. Were there really such appetizing, non-squirming foods in the world?
Seeing the Infernal girl lost in contemplation, the silver-haired girl, assuming she understood the conflicting emotions, asked uncertainly after a moment, "Um, are Demons really like the legends, all cannibals?"
While making a conjecture, the girl intentionally or unintentionally turned her gaze toward the mercenaries still frozen in place nearby.
"Hey! What are you looking at?! Even if we're on opposing sides, we're all humans here. Don't get any weird ideas!"
The mercenaries were utterly astonished. Was this woman some kind of witch wanted by the Holy See?
"Hey, you can't say that! Weren't mercenaries supposed to be bloodthirsty? They probably don't value life that much either..." The silver-haired girl sauntered over step by step, her face beaming with a smile.
"What nonsense! Where did you hear such rumors?!"
"It doesn't matter where I heard it from, and I'm not after your lives. Look at that Infernal girl over there; she doesn't seem like she has a big appetite. I figure a thigh would be enough... Here, let me cut it, it won't hurt."
"Don't come any closer!!"
*Crackling sounds*.
The flames crackled as the firewood burned, releasing heat that melted the frost around the campfire. On the crude makeshift grill made from tree branches, a whole deer, skinned and gutted, exuded an enticing aroma.
In that moment, the Infernal girl regarded the silver-haired girl with eyes akin to how she would gaze at a demon. Was it the work of humans to release one frozen mercenary to handle the deer nearby before refreezing them? While these mercenaries were all capable warriors, using their Chi circulation to prevent freezing to death, being frozen in place and smelling the tempting scent of roasting meat could be considered torture to some extent.
"Wow! This seasoning smells amazing!" The girl sprinkled the spice she found in one of the mercenary's pouches onto the deer meat, contentedly sniffing it before casually tossing it into her storage bracelet.
"...Hey, that's my mom's special seasoning!"
"Oh! Please thank her for me when you get back!" The girl nodded, then skewered a piece of meat with a wooden stick, decided it was ready and tore off a piece, handing it to the Infernal girl on the other side.
"You..."
"What's wrong? Do you have a problem?" The silver-haired girl glared fiercely at the mercenary who still seemed like he wanted to say something.
"N-No, I just wanted to say, since you used my seasoning, can I have a bite... it's been quite a while since we've eaten..."
"Well... What do you think?" The girl, twirling the smooth chin under her scrutiny, asked the Infernal who had already taken a bite, unable to resist the tempting aroma.
