My breathing becomes heavy as my body weakly lying on the ground, pouring out a lot of blood. Despite I've managed to avoid most of his fatal attacks, severe wounds on my body has weaken me over time.
"Oi oi, where's your high fighting spirit earlier?"
The man in white armor continues to look at me with a sarcastic look before laughing out loud. I try to stand up again but my weaken legs prevent me from doing so. I'm facing the armored man, forcing myself to stand with the strength of both my hands.
"What a nice reaction..."
"WHERE DID THAT TOUGH EXPRESSION GO?!!"
The man kicks my stomach so hard that I get thrown a few meters back, gushing out bloods from my mouth. I gasp weakly on the ground, clutching my stomach in pain.
("I HAVE PROMISED HIM NOT TO DIE RIGHT HERE AND NOW...")
Using all my strength, I force myself to get up again. My hands shake violently, refusing to support me as I try to stand. I look at the armored man in front of me who has been looking at me with a sarcastic smile etched on his face.
"YOU'RE DEAD"
The man quickly charges back towards me to send me a final blow. However, his body gets immediately pushed aside as soon as he approaches me due to large fire magic being thrown at him.
"Ugh, looks like we have an uninvited guest"
The armored man manages to repel the attack using his greatsword at the very last second. Even so, the ground where he gets thrown leave a severe burn mark indicating the capacity of the magic aimed is enough to kill him. For a moment, the man in front of me looks into the sky while spitting out bloods from his mouth.
"Warrior, show yourself"
Dimly, I see a figure floating in the air as a huge blackish glowing greatsword appears above him. I look at the figure with a surprised face.
("S-SAOTO?!!")
I'm surprised by Saoto who has been hold by many mages come to help me. What even more surprising is that he also has a sword identically same as the sword belonging to the armored man who is still standing in front of me right now. In an instant, my body gets surrounded by a strange light that seems to heal the wounds on my body.
"OI OI, COME DOWN HERE IF YOU DARE. DON'T BE A COWARD"
The man in white armour shouts loudly calling out the figure floating in the air. The stares at him blank as he returns his gaze with a burst of anger.
"The weak shall silent"
"Go to hell"
In an instant, the huge black glowing sword speed towards the man in the white armour, releasing a huge amount of energy that causing the surrounding trees to shake and even some of it get blown away. I cover my blurry vision with my hand until everything calms down again.
The armored man in front of me is gone, nowhere to be seen. Either he's alive or dead, I can't assure as he disappears without leaving any trace. Only a large crater and blackened soil leave the scene.
I look at the man who has been approaching me with a blank look. Saoto also walks slowly towards me with a blank look. Neither warmth nor any strange feelings arise from my gaze on him.
I realize that this man in front of me is never an ordinary man. His great strength is impossible to reach only with a strong determination. It has been coming from within himself as he continues to hone it to become stronger. I realize that this man in front of me is none other than a Warrior who has been trained by The Kingdom to fight the Demon in Terror Canyon.
I don't know why I shed tears as soon as I think of it. It's only natural for me to hate him since we are both enemies who will never get along. Despite that, for some reason, my heart breaks when I remember the warmth I've had with him.
I then stand up and rush towards the man in front of me. My wounds that have already gone by the strange light just now no longer hinders my movement. I quickly hug the body of the man in front of me tightly while shedding tears from both of my eyes.
I don't know why even though the man in front of me is also having a sword as a Warrior, I don't feel threatened a bit by the power of his crazy sword. I even feel calm as soon as I see his sword as if I have always believed in that black shining sword. I continues to hug the body in front of me tightly without showing any sign of loosening my embrace.
The forest remains quiet as if there are no birds chirping or wind blowing. Saoto, who has been silent since earlier, finally returns my hug by putting my head closer to his chest while gently caressing my head. His shirt is already wet with my tears, which start pouring out as soon as I hug him.
"S-Sei. D-Don't Sei gets scared?"
The man in front of me asks me in a tearful tone. I'm shocked to hear his question and fall silent for a while.
What a stupid question, I thought.
"S-Sei doesn't feel scared at all. Sei even feel so happy as soon as Sei see Saoto's sword"
Regardless of him being a Warrior, I am also the one to be blamed since I have betrayed the trust he has given me. My tears stream out as soon as I imagine my body lying weakly after being thrown out of his life. Saoto holds my head tightly as his tears fall on my head.
"Thank goodness. Saoto is afraid Sei'll hate Saoto..."
I'm shocked to hear Saoto's words. Each of us is afraid of being dumped by the other. I shed happy tears as soon as I find out that I'm still being given the opportunity to follow the man in front of me. Tears also drop from his eyes, indicating that he is the same as me, happy for having a second chance.
The quiet atmosphere of the forest has now filled with the sounds of our crying. Saoto and I keep hugging each other tightly not wanting to let go of the other. For a moment, I'm shocked by Saoto who suddenly wipes the tears that has been flowing from my eyes with his hand.
"Don't be afraid, Sei. Saoto's here"
Saoto looks at my face again with a smile on his face. I never think the man in front of me is capable of putting a smile on his face. Maybe I'm lucky to see his handsome face that always stared at me flatly, finally smiling at me. My heart gets so happy and slowly all my worries disappear from my mind. My tail starts to sway gently, unable to hide my happiness at the moment. I continue to hug the man in front of me tightly while feeling the warmth of his body which turns out to be very pleasing to me.
Something feels off.
Just by touching each other, a strange desire emerges in me. My heart feels like it's beating faster. My breathing feels heavier and my whole body suddenly feels very warm. My body feels strange. My tail also wiggles around as if it wants something. I look back at the face of the man in front of me while saying in a low tone.
"Hey Saoto. Sei's body feels strange. Sei's heart is not calm at all..."
I look directly into his face. Saoto looks a little surprised to see my look that seems to expect something from him. Unbeknownst to me, he quickly carries me with both his hands before gently stroking my head.
"Has Sei calm down?"
I nod slowly in his embrace. My heavy eyes are shut after looking at Saoto who is still smiling at me. I sleep peacefully in the arms of the person I've trusted more than anyone in the world.
----------------------------------------------------------
"YOU DECEIVED ME. GO AND DIE"
A man draw his katana and rushes towards me. In an instant, his body split into several parts and dies in a horrible state in front of my very eyes.
The strange dream startled me from my sleep. Even though it's just a dream, sweat has already streamed all over my body due to how realistic it is. I calm myself down before opening my eyes widely. The roof made out of wood filled my entire view. I push the blanket that was covering my body before immediately getting up while look around carefully. I'm currently in a room, in an unknown place and sitting comfy on a bed that is not very small but quite comfortable. I continue to observe my surroundings.
For a moment, I'm surprised to see my large chest that usually blocks my vision has disappeared from my view. The strands of white hair that usually spread down my lap is nowhere to be seen too. I, doubting my sight, quickly touch my chest to confirm it.
("It's gone...") (Surprised)
I don't know why I feel sad with the loss of my prominent chest. I quickly push the blanket that covered my body aside. Suddenly, sweat drips down all over my face.
My eyes widen as I'm looking at the lower part of my body. I'm shocked to see that not only I'm not wearing any shirt, but I'm also not wearing any pants while flashing my secret part publicly. Although I feel relieved to see my 'old friend' which has just appeared there, I can't calm myself down because it could be seen clearly by everyone since it is not covered up. I then pull back my blanket and quickly cover my whole body while shivering in fear.
("Why did I become a man again all of the sudden while not wearing any clothes... What has he done to my body...") (Anxious)
("I never think he would cross that boundaries...") (Shocked)
I can't thinking straight at the moment.
Suddenly, my ears catch the sound of the slamming door followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the bed where I'm hiding myself in. I start panicking because no one in the world would think positively after seeing a man naked inside the blanket.
Pervert.
That's the most controversial line women ever throw at a man.
I keep scratching my non itchy head as soon as I'm thinking about it. Suddenly, the sound of the footsteps earlier just disappears causing me to sit stiffly in the blanket so as not to raise any suspicion from the figure with me right now. After some time, the figure standing next to me starts patting my back before saying,
"Sei, is Sei feeling well?"
I get surprised as soon as I hear the voice that greets me. I then take out my head from the blanket and look directly at the man who is standing in front of me right now.
A quiet atmosphere fills the entire room. Neither me nor Saoto want to speak. We look into each other's eyes for quiet some time while waiting for the other to speak up first.
"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!! I'M SUDDENLY NAKED WITH NO CLOTHES ON-"
I gasp as soon as Saoto strokes my head. I don't know what I want to say in response to something like that. Saoto looks back into my face with a slight smile.
"Sei, does Sei recall Sei falling asleep earlier? When Saoto was carrying Sei while Sei was still sleeping, Sei suddenly changed into how Sei is now".
I'm surprised to hear Saoto's explanation. I don't know if I want to be happy or not after my body changes back to the way it was before. Deep in my heart, I somehow feel sad because I could no longer feel the warm atmosphere that has enveloped me when I was with him.
"Sei, no need to worry about that. Sei knows well that Sei is a succubus, right?"
I'm surprised to hear the topic Saoto has brought up. I then look at him again with a surprised expression.
"Saoto knows that Sei is a man and also a succubus?"
Saoto grins at me who seems to get excited by the topic he just brought up. I look at him with curiosity on my face.
"As a succubus, Sei able to change Sei's appearance according to Sei's opponent. That explains why Sei just turned back"
I look at Saoto with disappointment on my face. I already know about what he just said from a novel I read once in my previous life. Saoto then rubs my head again before continuing,
"It means Sei can turn back into a succubus whenever Sei wants"
My eyes widen as I look at Saoto's smiling face. Saoto removes his hand from my head after seeing the disappointment in my face fading. My heart feels calmer as soon as I know more about myself.
"W-why did Saoto take off Sei's shirt then?"
Even though I turn back to be a man, that doesn't mean I need to be sitting here naked. Saoto who seems a little surprised by my question sits on the bed next to me. I distance myself a little from him, worried that he would do anything to me.
("I myself am not sure that he has done something indecent to my body but I still demand a proper explanation for his action")
"Anyone who sees a man in tight-fitting women's clothes will immediately think badly as soon as they see him. That's why Saoto took off Sei's shirt using magic"
I'm shocked to hear his explanation.
("That's right. Who would think a man in tight women's clothes is normal?! I might get accused of being a pervert by them ") (Stared)
I fall silent for a while. In a low tone, I look back at Saoto's face before saying,
"T-Thank you Saoto for taking good care of Sei"
Saoto smiles at me before getting up and picking up something that he had placed on the table as soon as he entered the room. He turns back to face me as he hands me the new looking clothes.
"Here, wear this. Saoto just bought it at a clothing store around here"
I accept the clothes Saoto just offered. I then look back at Saoto's face while asking something that has been bothering me since earlier.
"Saoto, where are we already? Is it still a long way to go-"
"We have arrived at Terror Canyon"
"Huh?!!"
"More precisely in Miltia, the region that Saoto lead"
I then wrap my head back into the blanket.
("He really did all the walking by himself?!! Even carrying a weight like me...") (Stared)
I get surprised to feel Saoto's hand as he pats my back.
"EEP?!!"
"Why Sei, did something bothering Sei?"
"No-nothing"
Saoto falls silent and doesn't give any response for a while. I still cover my whole body because I refuse to look at his face. Even though we are both men, I feel sad because I can't fulfill his request to be his lover in my state like this. I keep thinking about it until my head feels like it gets gently caressed by the hand of the man next to me.
"Sei, get change first. Saoto will wait outside. After that, we will continue our journey to the palace"
I could feel Saoto kiss my forehead before leaving me alone in the room. Although I refuse to look at him, I feel calm knowing that he still treats me the same as before.
I then take out my head which I had kept hidden from his view. I ponder for a while to think about my next move.
For a moment, my bitter and painful past crosses my mind. I am nobody in this world. I used to live in the forest when I was little. But Saoto, who came out of nowhere, invites me to stay in his palace. I get ridiculed and looked down on by the people around me, but he doesn't treat me like that and instead serves and takes good care of me. I, who never used to feel this strange feeling when I was with someone else somehow feel it when I was around him.
I'm letting out a heavy breath. I'm thinking for a moment before finally making up my mind. Regardless of whether I will remain in this form or not, I will still accompany him. I will try my best to fulfill his wishes but if my destiny says otherwise, I don't mind staying by his side.
Either his buddy or his lovey.
I then get up and put on the shirt he just gave me. I then rush after him who has been waiting for me outside.
("Saoto looks at me with a smile on his face that time, I won't let that smile fade away like it was when I first met him")
I have made up my mind.
----------------------------------------------------------
In a magnificent building, four people wearing armor gather at a long and large table. A guard runs hastily towards the table and pays his respect to all the figures who are sitting casually in their respective chairs.
"Coming to report. Warrior Rud has been confirmed dead along with a hundred elite mages who have been deployed to the Bloody Forest, the border between The Kingdom and the Terror Canyon, specifically near Grion"
A man wearing black armor laughs out loud as soon as he hears the report the guard just delivered.
"Hahahahaha, really interesting..."
"What's so funny, Rodrick-Sama?"
A woman wearing red armor asks as soon as she sees the man in front of her laughing by himself. The man named Rodrick grins before looking back at the face of the woman who questions him with a condescending look.
"They are trying to deceive us. Grion is the territory of Demon King Laius. If they had really gone there, they must have been dragged here right now"
Everyone fall silent while listening to the man's explanation.
"After all, the Demon Kings have an agreement that does not allow any of them to disturb their respective territories. Demon King Saoto won't take such a stupid action to save a girl" he replied again.
The woman in red armor falls silent for a moment as she gives it a thought.
"Demon King Saoto. The Demon King who just ascended the throne in the East part of Terror Canyon? To think about it again, he needs to be on the watchlist because he successfully defeated the previous Demon King of Miltia, Demon King Baros. He is indeed a genius because despite his very young age he was able to achieve that"
Another woman raises her hand to ask something.
"What makes us be in such a hurry? Our people have been safe without encountering any problem from the demon for over the last thousand years"
Rodrick falls silent for a moment as he readjusts his body posture. He then places both his hands on the table before seriously looking at the faces of everyone present.
"The woman who was taken away is suspected of being the Tyrant Demon King"
Everyone present is surprised but stiffly frozen without giving any response. Suddenly a soldier raises his hand to continue the report.
"The elite mages unit consisting of a hundred middle nobles has been crushed. We can't-"
Rodrick raises back his hand to cut off the report the man wants to convey.
"We will send Warrior Mona to manage the problem in Miltia"
All of a sudden, everyone present is surprised to hear Rodrick's proposal. The woman in golden armor stands up and slams the table hard while looking directly into Rodrick's face.
"Why would we send our most talented warrior candidate directly to him?"
The atmosphere turns quiet for a moment. However, in the crowd, a man in green armor claps his hands at the idea that Rodrick just gave.
"Brilliant idea. We can see for ourselves how capable this Demon King Saoto is, in confrontation with our strongest potential warrior"
"But-"
"Even if that Demon King is able to defeat Warrior Rud who is equally strong as us, that doesn't mean that he is invincible. After all, Rud just depends on his muscles and lacks in terms of strategy"
Rodrick provides some reasons for the proposal he just made. The golden-armored woman falls silent again before sitting back in her chair.
"Not only that, we will lose more troops if we continue to underestimate him. By deploying a strong warrior, we can ensure his strength first and combine the rest of the available strength"
Everyone present falls silent in agreement. The golden-armored woman lowers her head before continuing again,
"Understood..."
"We are responsible for keeping the human world from being destroyed by the Demon"
Everyone rises from their seats and cheers before leaving the building.
A tall, bound yellow haired woman wearing iron armor leans against a pillar of the building.
Rodrick who just left the meeting stops for a moment beside her before whispering something,
"Don't fail. The Tyrant Demon King is not a figure to be underestimated"
The woman looks down before Rodrick walks back out of the building. The woman raises her face and looks at a blurry picture hanging on the wall of the building.
"The Tyrannical Demon King..."
----------------------------------------------------------
I'm standing in front of the door that separates me from the building I currently stay in and the outside world that I don't know. The demon races are known for having their own advantages based on what species they are and their ability to use magic makes them difficult for normal humans to deal with. I swallow my spit deeply and courage myself to open the door in front of me.
For a moment, I get fascinated to see the scene that I just witnessed with both of my eyes. Despite being made up of various demon races, all of them live in harmony with each other. Even though the city is still giving me a medieval vibe, children are running around the street without having any fear and even have smiles on their faces. I'm amazed to see the scene in front of me which is hard to believe by all means.
I look around to find Saoto who has been waiting for me. It doesn't take me long to find him sleeping on a nearby chair. I briefly smile at him while thinking whether I'm in this form or not, he still respected me as who I was before. Slowly, I walk closer to him to surprise him.
"Saoto..."
"SAOTO..."
Saoto opens his eyes while stretching his body. He then looks at me with a small smile on his face.
"Has Sei decided? The choice is in Sei's hands"
He asks me while looking directly into my face. I smile back at him while patting his back.
"Don't be so serious, Saoto. If I can't be your companion, I don't mind staying as a friend"
Saoto gets a little surprised to hear my answer. He then stands up after welcoming the hand I give him as a sign of approval.
"But Saoto, I won't give up first. So, please teach me how to be a succubus"
Saoto gets surprised again before looking back at me with a small smile on his face. He then hugs my body tightly but with a quick reflex, I hold him back with a panicked reaction.
"Oi, that habit has to change a little because right now, we're friends" (Panicked)
I hug Saoto's shoulders tightly and smile at him. Surprised by my actions just now, he responds by hugging my shoulders tightly as well.
"Alright. Saoto will help, but the final decision remains in Sei's hands"
I'm happy when Saoto is willing to accept me even if not as his life partner. Even so, I have promised myself to keep the smile etched on his face at this time. In a moment, a cat race kid runs towards us and pulls Saoto's hand before we are suddenly surrounded by his friends.
"Mahou, Mahou, is this Mahou's bride?"
("EEK?") (Surprised)
I get anxious and wave my hands spontaneously to deny, but Saoto first lowers his body while gently stroking the child's head.
"He's Mahou's friend and Mahou's future partner"
I'm shocked to hear Saoto's confession and then lower my head in depression.
("Why did you mention that last part...") (Depressed)
For a moment, I get surprised as soon as Saoto holds my shoulder tightly.
"Oi, don't be depressed yet. Sei said Sei hasn't given up yet, right?"
I raise my face back and look at the face of the man next to me. Saoto and everyone there look at me with a smile.
"Hmmph" (Smiling)
I then stand up and grab Saoto's hand while moving forward. The surprised Saoto follows me with a smile on his face.
"LET'S SEI TEACH WHAT FRIENDS MEAN!!!) (Enthusiastic)
I fall silent for a while after remembering something. I then look back at Saoto's face and the children who have been looking at me.
"Which place should we visit here?"
Saoto and everyone watching are silent before each of them burst out laughing after hearing my question. I get depressed for a moment before my arm is quickly pulled by Saoto.
"Let's have fun, Sei"
I smile while looking at Saoto's face. I then follow his steps, leading my hand somewhere.
We walk around the town before I stop after seeing something. Saoto immediately stops when he finds his hand gets restrained from continuing to pull my body.
"Can we play there" (Excited)
Saoto smiles at me who gets excited and follows me into the place that has caught my attention earlier. I look around with an amazed face.
"Wow, there's a fun fair over here. I don't think it is real at first glance. Even though the city is like the medieval age-"
Saoto pats my shoulder, making me a little surprised.
"What makes Sei wonder? In The Kingdom especially in its big city, this is everywhere and even more developed than this"
I nod slowly after hearing Saoto's words. I then quickly pull his arm somewhere in the venue. Saoto looks at me with a smile as he continues to walk quickly after me.
We stop at many stalls there.
"Sei, you have to aim well before you shoot and then-"
The bead bullet I just fired hit Saoto in his forehead.
"Aah... S-sorry-"
Saoto grabs the gun in my hand before continuing,
"Here, let me show you how it's done"
In an instant, I'm lying on the ground after being shot with beads in various places on my body. I finally realize that the man next to me is a little vindictive.
"Ou-ouch"
Saoto hands me a gift that looks like a stuffed animal to me. I, who has been complaining about the pain earlier, reject Saoto's gift while panicking.
"T-That's a woman's stuff-"
"Just take it, Sei. If not, why were you playing it in the first place?"
I give up and finally accept Saoto's gift. Saoto who seems tired gets surprised again when his hand gets pulled back by my hand to another place.
We stop at many stalls offering various games and prizes. I'm very excited to try every single game available even though I don't manage to get any prizes from it. Saoto, who has been following me since then, continues to win every game I played and gets many prizes even though he keeps handing them to me.
I'm currently holding all the gifts that are pilling and blocking my view.
"I think I'mma dead now" (Depressed)
"Let Saoto help"
In an instant, all the prizes that are won go into magic spell that gets cast by Saoto. I'm surprised to see it, asking excitedly,
"What kind of magic is that? It's so practical" (Excited)
"This one? It is storage-kinda magic that is used by simply manipulating space"
I nod after hearing his explanation. I look at Saoto's face while smiling. Since I don't need to hold any gifts, I quickly pull his hand towards another booth. However, I stop immediately as soon as Saoto pulls my hand back.
"Saoto has been following Sei since earlier. Now, Sei needs to follow Saoto"
I'm surprised to hear Saoto's request. But I don't deny that he has followed me to many stalls I stopped by earlier. It's hard for me to refuse his request. I nod slowly before we walk away from the theme parks.
"W-WHY ARE WE STOPPING HERE"
I'm surprised as soon as I see Saoto taking me right in front of a bar. My mind starts to think strangely as soon as I see this kind of place.
"We should go inside first"
Instantly, everything I had imagined gets shattered as soon as I feel the atmosphere inside the bar. Rather than being said to be a place to have fun between men and women, it seems more like a place to relax and hang out with friends.
"Saoto feel tired. We'll have a drink here first. If you don't want to drink a wine, you can ask for another drink"
"Who said I don't want to drink? My friend has invited me therefore I won't refuse"
I look at Saoto's face with a full smile. Even though this is my first time drinking, I don't want to make him sad by not accompanying him to drink. We then get a table and sit on the wooden chairs provided before being served the drink we have ordered.
"Cheers"
Saoto and I drink the wine to relieve our tiredness at the theme park earlier. Saoto drinks a lot while I on the other hand, start to lose consciousness right after drinking a glass. Without realizing it, I who get drunk snap Saoto's hand and hold his hand tightly.
"Sa-Saoto, thank you for playing with Sei. Sei has never played any game like that before in Sei's life. But Saoto willingly stopped and followed Sei's wishes and continued to accompany Sei to play every game. But Sei feels that something was missing in each game we played. Sei wants to be touched and caressed like we used to do. Sei doesn't feel at ease when Saoto doesn't do anything. But Sei knows that Sei is just a friend-"
Saoto gently strokes my head which currently lying on the table because of how drunk I am. I fall silent for a moment and become calmer as soon as I get gently caressed by his hand. It feels like I get what I've wanted all this time. Slowly, my consciousness fades away after being so drunk. However, my ears still manage to catch something coming out of Saoto's mouth.
"If that's what Sei wants, Sei has to be firm with Sei's choice. Saoto will help"
I smile a little before slowly losing consciousness, not feeling anything anymore. Everything turns dark and quiet.
("Sei already chose Saoto")