I looked towards the south where the sounds of fighting were gradually fading and let out a sigh of relief.
I didn't know why the original event didn't happen, but I managed to create a similar situation anyway.
I couldn't figure out where the original story, which had been proceeding well until now, got twisted.
Or perhaps it didn't happen because it wasn't twisted.
Since the only major change was Valheit, maybe...
I shook my head, which was getting complicated.
First, I had to get out of this chaos.
The fleeing smugglers didn't seem likely to treat favorably, and the fire was spreading through the wooden buildings, carried by the wind.
‘Above all, after rampaging this much, the Border Guard might co.’
I got a promise that they wouldn't do anything, but if the fire spreads to the forest, they'll have to step in too.
If they stand by and the fire spreads to Novosibir, it becos a problem on a different level.
Deciding to slightly detour around the procession of smugglers grabbing whatever goods they could and fleeing, I headed south where Karl and Til would be.
Along the way, empty tents and abandoned carts lined the path.
‘…There are many slaves who couldn't escape either.’
Most slaves were trembling in the corners of carts, and so frantically shook the bars.
The sound mixed with screams and sobs was chilling.
If left alone, they would obviously burn to death or freeze to death.
They were extras whose fate didn't matter, but my heart wasn't at ease.
‘Freeing them probably won’t change the flow of the original story.’
Just as I made up my mind and turned towards the carts, soone erged from the shadows.
I hid myself without thinking.
It was soone dressed in clothes so tattered they were pitiful, clearly looking like a slave.
As the prisoner approached the cart, their appearance gradually beca clearer.
I was slightly surprised by their identity.
‘It’s the protagonist.’
Two sharp, red horns protruded, and their ears were pointed.
The ears were too short to be an Elf, and the horn shape was too different to be a Goral.
It was a Diaboli, a race that looked typically demonic, best fitting the term 'demon', and the race of the protagonist of 『The Path of the Demon King』.
As he approached the cart, his appearance beca clearer. Black hair, red eyes, sharp fangs. It matched exactly the appearance I had imagined.
Considering everything, that was definitely the protagonist.
The reason the protagonist would co here? Obvious. To do protagonist-like things.
I decided to watch with a pleased face.
“Wh-what, why is a demon here? G-go away!”
A human slave inside the cage scread and fled to the corner.
It was the natural reaction of people seeing a demon normally.
Despite the blatant hostility, the protagonist silently gripped the lock.
After struggling for a few minutes, the iron lock broke with a clang.
“Run away.”
“What are you trying to do? You think I’ll trust a demon’s words?”
“It’s better than sitting here waiting to die.”
Leaving a blunt reply, the demon moved to the next cage.
Just as I was inwardly cheering for the protagonist freeing the slaves one by one, an uninvited guest interrupted.
“What is this demon bastard doing!”
One of the fleeing smugglers had spotted the protagonist.
This wasn't in the original work; did it change because I intervened?
He was just a mob character with a knife, but the protagonist right now couldn't use his abilities properly yet.
At best, he could use it to break locks, but combat was difficult.
Looks like I have no choice but to step in here.
Though, admittedly, there was so personal interest mixed in.
“Uh, how about we talk this over.”
“It’s a Diaboli, isn’t it? Catching him would fetch a good price. Today wasn’t entirely unlucky after all.”
I gathered mana towards the smuggler who was approaching the protagonist with a sleazy grin.
As I flicked the mana, a bolt of lightning flew towards the smuggler.
The smuggler hit by the Discharge couldn't even scream before being thrown back.
While the protagonist processed what happened right before his eyes, I erged from the shadows and stood before him.
“There’s no need to worry. I have no connection whatsoever with those trash.”
“Seems like it.”
“You were freeing the slaves, I see. Alone, you won’t be able to finish before the fire spreads.
Let’s do it together. By any chance, what is your na?”
After hesitating for a mont, the protagonist nodded, seemingly accepting the help.
“Call Noah.”
“Noah. Do you not have a surna?”
“Uh… I, I can’t rember.”
His evasiveness was exactly as expected.
It was natural to hide it, considering it was a strange na in a fantasy world.
Park Noah.
A modern person suddenly dropped into another world, the king of the Demon Tribe, the protagonist of 『The Path of the Demon King』, the one destined to kill .
“Alright, Mr. Noah. Then let’s split up and handle this.”
He looked a bit different from the cover illustration, but the features and feeling were the sa.
My fan heart wanted to ask him all sorts of things, but I held back firmly.
I shouldn't change the direction of the story too drastically.
-Or so I resolved inwardly, but with the character I liked, the person I had imagined hundreds of tis in my head, right before my eyes, it was hard to look away easily.
If I had my way, I wanted to nag him, saying ‘Dude, that’s not how you use your ability… why are you doing it like that? Isn’t it better if you use it like this?’, but I firmly held back.
While the protagonist broke the locks with all his might, I tore off the entire door with the lock attached using Mana Grasp.
Before long, all the prisoners regained their freedom.
I did most of it, but Noah also saved quite a few people.
“It’s all done.”
“Indeed.”
The humans who had been watching cautiously also started to co out and flee.
Only the protagonist and I were left behind, watching them.
“By the way, it’s strange. A demon trying to save humans. Is there a reason?”
I casually probed. Noah stared at with eyes that said ‘that’s strange’.
“Is that so strange?”
“It’s not common. Demons and humans have a bad relationship, you see.”
“Ah. Ahem, it’s because I’m a bit of an oddball.”
Noah nodded.
Inwardly, he must be diligently analyzing what kind of world this was.
Thinking sothing like - from now on, I should make excuses and save humans.
A protagonist cunning enough to adapt to the world and his surroundings, yet still retaining his goodness.
This was the protagonist of the novel I liked.
Hiding my pleased feelings, I pointed south.
“Well then, we should probably start escaping too. If we go south, there are other demons, so let’s join them.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know because I called them.”
“Are they your companions?”
“Let’s just say we joined hands temporarily. Don’t worry. Since you’re also a demon, they’ll take care of you in their own way.”
Should I trust him or not?
Indecision flickered across Noah’s face.
Soon, as if having made up his mind, he nodded.
“Well, there’s no other choice… By the way, what’s your na?”
Should I strike a pose and tell him to think of as anonymous, or should I just blurt out Valheit right now?
Well… there's no need to tell him everything from the start.
“You can call Falsh.”
* * *
“Are you sure there’s no one left?”
“Almost certain. We need to move quickly. We don’t know when the Border Guard will arrive.”
At Hillia’s urging, Karl turned his gaze towards the Wasteland.
The monster that had tornted them for months was collapsing, engulfed in flas.
“Alright. We return to the temporary shelter through the forest. Hillia, you take responsibility and lead them.”
“ take responsibility? What about you?”
“…I’ll return when Falsh cos.”
“He seed like a human who could take care of himself.”
“Because the contract between us isn’t over yet.”
There was the issue that since the other party upheld the Blood Contract, he also had to uphold his end, but there were other considerations too.
Karl planned to ask Falsh to help them a little more.
When Karl first ca to Novosibir, his only goal was to save his sister.
But after staying for nearly half a year, he realized that simply rescuing his family wasn't enough.
He needed to cut off the flow of human trafficking, which happened little by little but steadily, so his kin could rest easy.
For that, he needed power.
Even if it ant receiving help from a human.
“Ha, right, it’s a Dark Elf curse, so you’d know better. Still, don’t take too long. By the way, what about that rcenary Falsh hired.”
“Leave her. She probably has things to discuss with her employer.”
As Hillia grumbled and left, Karl turned his gaze back to the Wasteland.
Carefully observing the human prisoners struggling to escape, Karl soon spotted a familiar, unpleasant face.
He whistled, and the other party waved back in response.
Falsh approached leisurely, bringing along a demon Karl had never seen before.
“Seeing as my blood is still fine, I assu my sister is safe.”
“Yes.”
Karl scanned the demon standing awkwardly next to Falsh.
A Diaboli… a considerably rare race.
How did he get involved with this human?
“Well then, now it’s my turn to ask a favor.”
“You said you’d entrust sothing important. What is it?”
Instead of answering, Falsh gently pushed Noah’s back.
Noah, who took a few steps forward, looked at Falsh with an incredulous expression.
Karl felt similarly.
“Please take care of this friend.”
“Sothing important… is it?”
“I never said it was an object, did I?”
“No, that’s not what I’m questioning, I just don’t understand why this demon is important.”
“I don’t understand the situation right now either.”
Noah grumbled.
‘They don’t even know each other?’
The questions grew larger.
Falsh just smiled as if enjoying himself.
“Well, you don’t need to know the backstory. If you take him in, the contract is fulfilled.”
“…Alright. Understood.”
Just as Noah, who was suddenly thrust upon him, opened his mouth to protest, Falsh cut him off.
“Where is the friend I hired?”
“She should be waiting below. About that rcenary.”
“Did she do sothing wrong?”
“No. Not at all. Rather, I’d like to borrow her strength a bit more. I’ll sohow arrange additional paynt, can you lend her for a while?”
“Hmm, since I have to leave Novosibir for a while anyway, you can use her for the ti being.
You’ll have to pay a good price later.”
Surprisingly, he readily agreed.
Did he have so other ulterior motive?
Regardless, this enigmatic human was already waving and leaving.
“Well then, let’s et again next ti, Mr. Karl. Mr. Noah, let’s et again soday too.”
Watching Falsh disappear towards the Wasteland, thick with acrid smoke, Karl clenched his fist with an inexplicable sense of unease.
“No, just leaving like this, what am I supposed to do! Hey!!”
Next to him, the Diaboli jumped up and down.
Hmm. Why on earth did he entrust this one?
The mystery surrounding the strange human deepened.
* * *
Cesare lit a cigarette.
He naturally offered one to the person sitting opposite him, but the other politely refused.
“I don’t smoke, you see.”
“Ah, excuse .”
Putting away the cigarette pack, Cesare exhaled smoke.
“It’s improper to greet you in a warehouse.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The other person waved his hand with a smile.
Cesare tried to gauge what thoughts lay behind those closed eyes but quickly gave up.
Cesare, who dominated the underworld of the Northern Federation, was utterly insignificant compared to a monster hundreds of years old.
“So, Count Valheit, what brings you here?”
“I ca to see what the youngest mber of the Eight Council looks like.”
Valheit smiled lightly.
It was impossible to read what he was thinking.
Why had Count Valheit, who hadn't even visited him, a mber of the Eight Council let alone the Northern Federation, co now?
And specifically tid to when Cesare was combing through the border region.
“I hear the Borgia Liquor Guild has been doing well recently.”
“…Thanks to the Count’s consideration.”
Trade with the Empire had certainly increased after the Imperial Tribute incident last ti.
Not only alcohol but also smuggling thrived alongside it, bringing in good money, but the sudden favor felt distinctly uncomfortable.
“Isn’t it a good thing when a colleague’s business thrives? I just ca to see if there were any secrets.”
“Is that so.”
Was this so kind of surprise inspection?
The timing was terrible.
“Is there perhaps a problem? For example…”
Valheit smiled and tilted his head to the left.
‘Don’t tell .’
Cesare waited for the next words, frozen.
“Human trafficking, perhaps.”
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