Moments later, the devils untied Sho and marched him toward their village, hidden somewhere deep within the forest.
The village wasn't big by any standard. If anything, it was far too small to house the number of residents Sho was seeing.
Huts covered every corner, and the people stood along the sides, watching as he was dragged forward by the chains binding his wrists.
One could almost say he was being treated like an animal.
Soon, they arrived at a single hut that stood apart from the rest, planted at the very forefront of the village.
Unlike the other huts, this one was far larger, and two massive devils flanked both sides of its entrance.
"On your knees."
The devil shoved Sho down, forcing him to kneel as a blade was aimed at his neck.
For starters, Sho didn't try to resist, because in truth, this was precisely what he wanted.
It was pointless to beg for his life against people who already hated him for his race, but that said, if he could speak reason to their leader, then it would all be worth it.
The three devils that had escorted him stood off to the side, their heads bowed as they waited for their leader to show herself.
Despite the shock etched onto the people's faces, not a single one of them made a sound.
Then… she showed herself.
The devil queen, as most knew her.
As she walked out of the hut, Sho was utterly speechless, so much so that all he could do was gape at the sight of her.
Just like the rest of the devils, she too was tall.
Her long red hair flowed down behind her back, and her crimson eyes glowed with an aura strong enough to make even the strongest of men shake in their boots.
Like everyone else, all she had covering her body was animal skin that shielded her lower half and her chest, both bouncing slightly with each step she took.
Adding to that was her red skin that glowed under the sunlight.
That alone was as intimidating as the aura she carried.
"My Lady, we greet you. We have brought the human, just as you requested."
Once again, silence fell.
The devil queen kept her eyes fixed on Sho, as though reading him from head to toe.
Then she turned to the devil beside her.
"This was the human that threatened to go to war with us?" she asked.
"No!" Sho immediately moved to defend himself.
Of course, to them, it felt as though he was making a move, since they could barely understand a single word that came out of his mouth.
Some of the devils had already reached for their weapons, unwilling to take any chances.
Sho gritted his teeth a little, his eyes darting from one devil to the next.
[I have gathered all the information regarding the language of monsters. You can now speak their language using the skill, God of Wisdom.]
"Ah, finally. Took you long enough."
There was a momentary pause from all of the devils.
They could understand him.
Sho made sure to use that opportunity to the best of his ability, knowing full well that the devils were all still confused as to how he was able to speak their language.
The language of demons was something that had never been spoken by outsiders, not since that one event that had taken place long ago.
Pointing at himself, he began—
"Hey there. My name is Sho, Sho Demonson. I assure you, I am no threat whatsoever, nor do I intend to go to war with anyone."
The shock slowly melted away, and the devil queen faced him head on, taking a single step forward as she locked gazes with him.
"Human. You must take us for fools. Perhaps it is because you still have your limbs that you feel no fear of your situation. You mean no harm, you say? Why else would a human dare show himself in the land of devils?"
"Because I am lost. That is the truth," Sho replied almost instantly.
"I don't know how I arrived here. I come from a place far away from here, and I do not understand the workings of this world. If I look human, then it's probably just a coincidence."
One of the devils standing right next to the queen looked at her with a disgusted face.
"My Lady, this one speaks rubbish. Let us end his life already."
Then another devil spoke—
"I agree with that one. The longer we listen to the lies of this human, the higher the chances we fall for them. Just like we did long ago."
Sho frowned a little, realizing that none of what he was saying was getting through to them.
'Fuck. Cella, give me something here. Anything.'
[Suggesting ideas for current scenario.]
[I have noticed a fatal flaw that should be useful as a bargaining chip.]
A hopeful smile hinted at the corner of Sho's lips, but he did well to hide it before anyone could spot it on his face.
Meanwhile…
The devil queen had thought it over for a while, and she seemed to have come to a conclusion after hearing the opinions of her people.
"If the human is of no use to us, then be sure to eliminate it. Worst-case scenario, we will have another conflict with whatever human faction sent it. In which case, you all should prepare for war."
Her words were easy enough to understand, and they were also a source of joy for the devils, as this was a good chance for them to finally kill a human.
After all, the hatred between humans and devils was something that had existed for ages.
Many of the devils with weapons in hand were already charging forward, evil grins plastered across their faces.
It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume they wanted to each take turns killing him if they could.
However, just as they closed the distance, with one of them already reaching out to grab him by the throat, Sho finally acted.
"Are you sure that is what you want?" he uttered calmly, smiling as he stared directly at the queen.
"If you kill me, then not even you will survive what is eating away at your core. And that, is something I can heal you of… but only if I am alive to do so."