Shirou and Ruijerd talked and shared their stories, building a basic level of trust.
But neither went too far into each other's past, keeping a certain amount of restraint.
Shirou liked Ruijerd for this alone.
At least Ruijerd was honest enough, a lot better than the God of Man who clearly wanted to find out everything about you, giving Shirou a real sense of trust.
So, the two talked all night, discussing things related to the Demon Continent.
During their talk, Ruijerd warned Shirou that it would be best if Eris didn't see him when she woke up.
Shirou didn't really understand, so he didn't listen.
The next morning came quickly.
Eris suddenly opened her eyes.
She woke up from a dream, suddenly sat up, looked around with wide eyes, and her face slowly showed worry.
Finally, when Shirou's reflection appeared in her eyes, she clearly relaxed. But after only a second, she locked eyes with Ruijerd who was sitting beside her.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
The girl suddenly screamed miserably.
After seeing Ruijerd, Eris stumbled backward, then stood up to run away, but lost her balance and fell back down, her legs too weak with fear to stand.
"Eris?"
Shirou was ready for Eris's reaction, but he didn't expect it to be so extreme. He realized he had underestimated how deeply the world was marked by the Superd race.
"Nooooo!"
At the same time, Eris was still in a panic. She was so scared that she forgot to crawl away, just curled up in a ball, trembling all over, and screaming as loud as she could.
But then, as if remembering Shirou, she quickly came back to her senses and grabbed Shirou's hand, shouting, "Run, brother, run! That's a Superd!"
"..."
Shirou was touched that Eris, even in such a panic, remembered to tell him to run. But he was also shocked by how extreme her reaction was.
After all, Eris was a very strong-willed girl whose motto was probably "I am the greatest in the world."
She was willful and rough, and always acted before thinking. That was just the kind of person she was.
But Eris, seeing Ruijerd, was showing such a terrified reaction. It really surprised him.
What did the Superd race do in the past to cause people in this world to have such a terrible impression?
While Shirou was surprised, Ruijerd said calmly, "That's a normal reaction."
"Looks like I was too optimistic."
Shirou sighed. He touched Eris's head and said soothingly, "Don't worry, don't be afraid, I'll protect you."
As he did this, Shirou was reminded of taking care of Miyu, when he often touched Miyu's head to comfort her.
But Miyu's personality was pretty stable, rarely having big emotional changes, so there were only a few times he got to comfort his sister.
After being comforted by Shirou, Eris slowly came back to her senses. But she still looked at Ruijerd with doubt, saying nervously, "But, but that's a Superd! Even you can't handle it, brother."
Shirou wasn't used to Eris so easily calling him "brother." But he quietly said, "Why do you think Superds are so scary? Is there a reason?"
"Be... because... Su... Superds wi... will... will ea... eat... eat kids! Waaah..."
"Eat kids?"
Hearing Eris's words, Shirou hesitated and looked at Ruijerd.
"We don't eat kids."
Ruijerd shook his head.
Shirou turned to Eris and said, "Did you hear that? Superds don't seem to eat kids."
"Bu... bu... but! That's a Superd! A demon!"
"Are demons scary? My teacher is a demon."
Shirou was naturally talking about Roxy. Because of Roxy, he didn't have any particularly negative feelings towards demons in this world.
"That..."
Hearing Shirou's words, Eris slowly realized the situation.
But she still couldn't calm her emotions. She looked at Ruijerd with fear, and said with tears in her eyes, "Ni... ni... nice to meet you, I... I'm... Eris Boreas Greyrat!"
Ruijerd smiled wryly at Eris's introduction and nodded seriously, replying, "Hello, I'm Ruijerd Superdia."
"You can really talk?"
Hearing Ruijerd's response, Eris seemed completely relieved.
She then said helplessly, "Mother is so mean! Always lying to me!"
"Lady Hilda? What did she say?"
"Mother said that if I didn't go to bed early, the Superds would eat me."
"I see."
Shirou recalled what he had heard about Superds in Buena Village and realized that in this world, Superds were basically seen as monsters.
No wonder Eris was so scared.
So, Shirou tried to get Eris to talk to Ruijerd, so that Eris would understand that Ruijerd wasn't some scary monster, but someone she could talk to.
Eris was very scared at first, but slowly she became bolder and, without realizing it, she went back to her usual bossy self.
Ruijerd wasn't angry at all, instead looking at Eris with fondness.
Shirou fully realized that Ruijerd probably really liked kids.
...
After resting properly, the three quickly started moving again.
They couldn't stay in that sandy place forever.
After leaving the wasteland, Shirou and Eris fully realized what kind of environment the Demon Continent was.
According to legend, the Demon Continent used to be part of the Central Continent, but the incredible impact of the Human-Demon War caused it to be torn apart by both sides of the battle.
Now it's ruled by demon lords.
The Demon Continent is about half the size of the Central Continent. But it has almost no plants, the ground is dry and cracked, there are many high and low terrains like giant steps, and rocks taller than people block the way. It's a land like a natural maze.
Also, because the concentration of magic power is high, there are many powerful monsters.
It is said that walking across the Demon Continent would take about three times as long as crossing the Central Continent.
Shirou was worried about whether Eris could handle such a difficult journey. But he didn't expect her to have no complaints, instead being full of energy, seeming passionate about the unfamiliar Demon Continent.
Shirou couldn't help but remember Eris's listless appearance in class, and realized that kids liked exploring more than studying.
"Ruijerd, where are we going next?"
"To a nearby village, just follow me."
"Okay."
Shirou followed Ruijerd without hesitation.
He didn't doubt that Ruijerd would lead them somewhere dangerous.
This wasn't only because he knew a little about Ruijerd, but also because he realized that the Demon Continent was dangerous everywhere.
Even if Ruijerd did nothing and just left them in the wasteland, Shirou and Eris would struggle to survive for a long time.
There was no need for him to do anything against them.
While on the road, Shirou asked Ruijerd what kind of weapon he liked, planning to forge a suitable spear as a reward when he had the chance.
Ruijerd didn't care about it. He didn't think that Shirou would forge a weapon for him, so he simply described some of his preferences.
Shirou remembered all of this.
...
The three walked in the wasteland for several days.
During this time, Eris and Ruijerd built up a pretty good relationship.
She had a very outgoing personality, and after learning that Ruijerd wasn't scary, she talked to him openly.
Ruijerd didn't say much, but he responded to everything Eris said.
Eris became more and more reckless, even doing some disrespectful things, making Shirou feel embarrassed.
But Ruijerd tolerated all of it.
Shirou was even more convinced that Ruijerd probably really liked kids.
While he was thinking about this, Ruijerd suddenly asked Eris, "By the way, Eris, is Shirou your brother?"
"I... I guess so."
"I guess?"
"Because we're not related by blood."
"Siblings who aren't related by blood, so, adopted siblings?"
"Something like that."
Eris didn't seem to be able to fully accept that Shirou was her brother. She kept calling him "brother" when she was scared, but when she calmed down, she was her usual disrespectful self, even calling Shirou by his name.
Ruijerd saw this and said quietly, "Even if you're not blood-related siblings, I still hope you cherish your family, Eris."
"Cherish?"
"Yeah, they might disappear one day."
Ruijerd said quietly, with emotion.
This resonated with Shirou.
He realized more and more that Ruijerd was someone very similar to him. But he also didn't want to easily bring up Ruijerd's past. He just silently watched their conversation.
"That's not true, Shirou will definitely be with me forever!"
"But nothing lasts forever in this world."
"Ugh..."
Ruijerd's emotional words made it impossible for Eris to argue.
Eris could only say hesitantly, "I... I'll cherish him, okay..."
"Is that right? Then you have to call Shirou 'brother' normally."
"Why are you forcing me to use that word?!"
Eris was shocked and unwilling.
Ruijerd was very stubborn about this.
During their conversation, Shirou suddenly frowned, noticing that the surrounding terrain was very strange, and that his Mind's Eye was giving off a very strong reaction.
Danger!
The moment Shirou reacted, he suddenly drew the [Wind Break] from his waist!
At the same time, he realized that Ruijerd had drawn the trident spear on his back at about the same speed as him, or even faster.
The two of them stabbed into the shadows at the same time!
"Stab!"
A giant centipede had just emerged when it was pierced by both the sword and the trident.
"So..."
Eris didn't react at all. She realized the battle was already over, her face full of surprise.
Ruijerd looked at Shirou with a hint of shock, and said in surprise, "Shirou, you're so fast? Could you be a very skilled swordsman?"
"Not really, just a normal Advanced Swordsman of Sword God Style."
Shirou still hadn't passed the test in the Holy Land of Swords, so he couldn't call himself a Sword Saint, even though he had mastered the Longsword of Light.
Ruijerd was a little surprised by this. For a moment, he sensed a hidden depth in this young man.
---
Read 55+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/yeyeqiu
Free member can read up to 4 advanced chapters