"Um... I've already taken you out of the Monster Woods. You don't need to follow me anymore."
Leyang stopped with a sigh, turning to face the white-haired, crimson-eyed demon girl trailing behind him.
Louise gazed at him silently, her ruby-like eyes shimmering with an odd light as she tilted her head.
"Don’t tell me you want to come back with me? You’re Demon Race. If you enter a human city, people will mistreat you."
"You. Good. Live. Together."
Louise nodded, then shook her head.
Great. She was clearly sticking to him for good. Leyang could afford to support her, but having a demon companion would draw too much attention. Most humans despised the Demon Race—bringing her back would only invite trouble. He scratched his head in frustration.
Then again... Louise was utterly alone. She looked so young. If he left her now, she’d likely just return to the Monster Woods. Bad luck might get her killed by demon-hating adventurers—or worse, sold as a slave to perverts with twisted tastes. Leyang had seen too many tragic stories like that in his past life: children treated like cargo, stripped of dignity. The lucky ones found kind masters. The unlucky? Broken beyond repair.
"I’ll take you back," Leyang said finally, locking eyes with her. "But you must obey me. If anything goes wrong, I won’t be responsible."
"Mm."
Louise nodded quietly.
*Picking up a demon girl on a routine quest... Is this luck or a curse?*
"Those horns stand out too much. We need to hide them."
Leyang studied her head, already weighing options. Her horns were large—any cover-up would look clumsy and unreliable.
At his words, Louise instinctively touched her horns. Then, before his eyes, they shrank visibly, becoming small and delicate.
"What? You can control their size?" Leyang blurted out. According to his mentor Soya Jemi, only high-tier demons could do that. *Did this girl he found in the woods carry noble demon blood?* Adult high-tier demons were terrifyingly powerful.
"Like this?"
Louise looked up at him, confusion flickering across her lovely face.
"Perfect. Lower your head a little."
Leyang tore a strip of cloth from his cloak. He wove it through her hair, tucking the tiny horns beneath the fabric until they vanished completely. "Once we reach Camilla City, I’ll get you a proper hair accessory. For now, hide your demon aura well. No one must discover what you are. Understand?"
Louise nodded slightly.
At Camilla City’s gate, Leyang flashed his Adventurers Guild pass—exempting him from the head tax. Louise wasn’t so lucky. Unless she registered as an adventurer or got an Imperial Pass, she’d have to pay.
Getting a permanent Imperial Pass required buying property in any Camila Empire city. But even the cheapest house cost 200-300 Large Yala Coins—way out of reach. The practical option was a temporary pass from the Adventurers Guild: one Small Yala Coin for thirty days of free travel between imperial cities. Merchants loved it; adventurers used it too. It needed monthly renewal, but it beat bankruptcy.
The guards eyed Louise’s rare white hair and crimson eyes suspiciously. But they detected no demon aura—and Leyang’s status as a Tier-2 adventurer smoothed their passage after payment.
Inside the Adventurers Guild, heads turned. *So pretty...* Leyang thought wryly, *Guess pedophiles exist in every world.*
He slapped a wolf’s horn and snake fangs onto the counter. "Completed the commissions. The snake fangs were extracted within two days. Verify them if needed."
"You finished two Tier-2 quests already? In just days?" Receptionist Lily gasped. But the bloodstained proof silenced her. She dashed to the back, returning with stamped paperwork. "Total reward and deposit: twenty-four Small Yala Coins. Minus our ten percent fee—two coins—here’s your twenty-two." She slid the coins across the counter with a professional smile.
Leyang pocketed them without a word, then led Louise out.
