Victors

It worked better than I thought. I was relieved as I watched the demon's body fall next to Nozomi, who had removed the spikes. I climbed down from the tree and approached slowly; I didn't trust it. I doubted a lesser demon would die so easily.

"Nozomi," I spoke calmly, "keep an eye on the demon's body, in case it's still alive."

"I don't think it's necessary, master," Nozomi sounded nervous. As I got closer, I saw the reason. "It just stood up."

Neumas was standing with a large hole in his back that allowed me to see through to the other side. That blow had clearly destroyed his lungs and heart, and yet the demon was still alive, looking around with its manic smile. Then, the hole in its body began to close. I was going to say something, but it wasn't necessary. Aewyn immediately lunged at him again while Wulfred attacked from one side. Nozomi shot a blood spike, and three icicles were launched from Karen's staff directly at Neumas's head. She thought like I did; if he has no heart, maybe the head is the only way to kill him. Kharel was about to join the fight, but he suddenly stopped. The demon began to gather green energy around itself.

"Not bad," there was not a hint of fear in its shrill voice, only madness. "It seems I can have some fun with you." The attacks were about to hit him. "Toxic Wave!" As soon as he pronounced the name of the attack, the energy around him exploded loudly, sending a wave of energy shooting from his body. Aewyn and Wulfred were thrown back, and Nozomi's and Karen's attacks were destroyed with little effort. "My lady Gula will be pleased when I bring her sacrifices as strong as you, kiek kiek kiek!" Neumas's shrill laughter sounded much crazier than before.

"Your lady Gula?" Where I come from, that is the name of one of the seven deadly sins, usually represented by a demon. Do they really exist here? But now is not the time to think about that. Wulfred got up from the ground, but Aewyn wasn't moving, so I ran to her. Nozomi continued bombarding the demon with several of her spells, but the green barrier blocked them all again. The demon wasn't moving; it was staring intently at the wolf while licking its lips, maintaining its manic smile. When I reached Aewyn, I saw a pained expression on her face. Her arms had a green substance that seemed to be consuming her skin. The green magic the demon was casting must be acid. The wave it had launched had hit the wolf directly. She had covered her face with her arms, but her stomach had the same substance as her arms. I reached into my bag and grabbed the last potion, uncapped it, and gave it to Aewyn. She was still looking at Wulfred, who had attacked the demon again. Since he couldn't fly now, he was using his green energy to cover the part of his body that was about to be attacked by the wolf. Kharel had joined the offensive, trying to cut Neumas with his sword, but the demon, without even looking at him, easily dodged the attacks, moving as little as possible. Karen continued alternating between her icicles and fireball, being careful not to hit her brother, but the spells were nullified by the barrier. We wouldn't win like this. After taking the potion, Aewyn's wounds closed, and she stood up. She was going to lunge at the demon again, but I stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Aewyn, I have an idea," I said in the lowest tone possible. "Attacking recklessly won't work, but I think we can catch him off guard. Camouflage yourself and stay on standby. I'll signal Nozomi to launch herself at Neumas and keep him alert. As soon as he's distracted by an attack from Wulfred, you and I will attack at the same time. Aim for his arms, and I'll aim for his neck." Aewyn simply nodded, used her camouflage ability, and slipped into the bushes. "Nozomi, launch yourself at the demon and use blood spike to distract him. Try to coordinate with Wulfred."

"Yes, master," she didn't sound very convinced, but it was what it was; I didn't have time to explain the whole plan.

I concealed my presence using "One with the Shadows" and carefully approached the battle area, preparing the dagger in my right hand and waiting for the right moment. Wulfred lunged at the demon at high speed. The demon moved its right hand to stop the wolf's attack, covering itself with green energy. Then Nozomi lunged at Neumas and used her blood spike. The attack was blocked by the barrier, and Neumas gathered green energy in his left hand, ready to attack Nozomi. At that moment, I ran towards him, and Aewyn appeared from behind, grabbing the demon's left arm with great strength. A loud crack was heard, probably from the demon's arm, which had just dislocated when the wolf pulled back. The demon began to laugh loudly again as it started to gather green energy around its body, but I wasn't going to let that happen. With a quick movement, I aimed my dagger at its throat. The dagger easily pierced the skin, and with a bit of force, I ended up cutting its neck. The demon's head flew through the air, wearing a stunned expression, as if it hadn't expected what had just happened. While it was in the air, Karen accurately pierced the head with three icicles, and Kharel drove his sword between its eyes, forcefully driving the sword and the head into the ground.

For a moment, I sighed in relief. It was impossible for the demon to still be alive after severing its head, right? But the green glow from the demon's body did not stop; its spell was still in effect. I pointed my hand at Nozomi and withdrew her with the spell, then grabbed Aewyn by the waist and began to run. In less than a second, the demon's body swelled, grew slightly in size, and exploded, releasing a powerful wave of green energy. I used my own body to block the wave of energy to prevent it from hitting Aewyn, and we were both thrown back by the force of the wave. My back burned as if I had pressed it against a hot stove. Soon, we both ended up rolling on the ground. My back hurt so much that I barely felt the impact's force. The wolf ended up on top of me, quickly lifting her head and moving away from me. As I raised my aching body, I saw why. Wulfred had shielded the twins from the wave with his body. Although he seemed fine at first glance, the wave hadn't reached that far—maybe about 10 meters. The twins were practically on the edge, so the wave's power had hit them with less force. Still, all the grass near the center of the explosion had been scorched, and the grass at the edges had wilted. I had probably escaped by a narrow margin. I got up from the ground and tried to check my back with little success, so I summoned Nozomi.

"Master, it doesn't seem like there are any toxins," she said after examining my back. "The explosion was just energy."

"That's a relief," I replied. "If I had been poisoned, I would be in trouble."

Aewyn reached Wulfred and hugged him. She seemed to be crying. The wolf licked her face and stood up, looking perfectly fine. I approached them slowly.

"Kiek kiek kiek!" The demon's shrill laughter came from the severed head. Quickly, Karen moved away and pulled Kharel away from the sword. "Not bad, humans!" I could see the ecstatic expression on Neumas's face. "To defeat a demon like me is worthy of praise, kiek kiek kiek!" Suddenly, from the demon's neck, its head began to disintegrate into particles of green light. "Listen to my words; I was just a pawn, but my lady Gula will not sit idly by in the face of this aggression. You have provoked the wrath of the demons!"

This is very cliché. Probably in the future, a higher-ranking demon will try to take our heads. Let it try!

"What was your grand plan?" I asked the head. "We have defeated you. If you have honor, that is what you owe us after trying to kill us."

"Honor? Honor?! Kiek kiek kiek kiek!" Its mouth was disintegrating, but I could still hear its voice. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. "You are a very interesting human! The plan was very simple: corrupt the forest, sacrifice creatures, bring back the demon king. Very simple! Kiek kiek kiek kiek!" Its shrill laughter sounded much more distorted than usual. "My death changes nothing! Nothing! There are others like me! Like me! Very soon—" The voice cut off abruptly. "No... No no no no no no! My lady, don't do it!"

What was left of the head began to compress upon itself until it imploded, splattering everything with red blood and brain matter. What just happened?

"You've been lucky, humans," a feminine, childlike voice resonated in my head, and from the others' reactions, it seemed they heard it too. "My foolish subordinate has messed up big time, but I'm in a good mood and will let you live. But you'd better watch your backs. Although I find you interesting, if you meddle in our plans again, you will be the main course at my celebration dinner! Ki ki ki ki ki ki!" The childlike yet macabre laughter echoed in my head and slowly faded until everything fell silent.

"Ray!" Karen shouted. "What did the demon say?"

From how agitated she was, I imagined she understood the voice perfectly.

"That, by the order of her lady Gula, she wanted to corrupt the forest and sacrifice creatures to bring back the demon king," I began to explain as I sat on the ground. "And that her death wouldn't change anything, that there are others like her. Then it seems her lady found out and finished her off."

"Gula!" Kharel seemed nervous.

"That's the name of one of the seven great demons," Karen explained. "The seven who serve directly under the demon king and command the demonic hordes. I thought they had died during the war!"

"If it's a title," I replied, "it's likely they are different. If they haven't acted in a long time and are now making moves, they may have chosen other seven great demons and just need the king."

"Then we must warn the guild!" Kharel said. "We need to go back immediately!"

"I agree," Karen said, "but we don't have a carriage, and the sun is already setting. I think we should rest in the village before heading back to the city. We're exhausted after the battle."

"But there's no time!" Kharel was clearly agitated. "The longer we take to warn them, the more likely the demons will invade us!"

Kharel and Karen began to argue. I understood Kharel's point of view, but it was true that we were exhausted, and resting would be the best option. I was about to say something, but Wulfred spoke up first.

"I can take you to the city. With my speed, carrying all four of you, it would barely take an hour."

Not bad. I would communicate this to the siblings.

"Wulfred is offering to take us," I commented. "Even though I also think we should rest, the best option would be to warn the guild as soon as possible. If Wulfred is offering, we could sleep tonight at the inn after notifying the guild."

Karen was about to say something, but Aewyn interrupted.

"If more packs like mine are in danger," the blue-haired girl took my hands, "then let me go with you! I want to repay you for helping my pack and saving my life."

"As much as saving your life..." Honestly, I didn't know what to say. "I don't think it was like that. I just covered you from an attack that didn't seem fatal and gave you a potion."

"But you protected me!" Aewyn's tail wagged energetically, and her ears were perked up. "I will protect you too!"

I sighed, released one of my hands, and stroked her hair.

"I was going to invite you anyway," I stopped petting her head and extended my hand, intending for us to shake hands. "Welcome to Flower of Wishes, Aewyn."

Aewyn ignored my outstretched hand and lunged at me, knocking me to the ground while giving me a tight hug. My back began to hurt terribly, but I didn't care. Seeing her so happy while rubbing her cheek against mine and wagging her tail at high speed made me forget everything else.

"Thank you!" Aewyn stopped and looked me in the eyes. "Can Wulfred come too?" She gave me puppy eyes while pleading.

I directed my gaze to Wulfred.

"I will always be with you, my little one," Wulfred said. "Just say my name, and I will be there for you, but I must take care of the pack."

It seems Wulfred is aware that he can be called by Aewyn, but she doesn't seem to know it. With those words, the blue-haired girl nodded and stood up, extending her hand to help me get up. I took her hand, and she lifted me with ease.

"Welcome to Flower of Wishes!" Kharel hugged Aewyn from behind.

"Welcome!" Nozomi climbed up Kharel and perched on Aewyn's head while congratulating her.

"Welcome," Karen said, bowing before turning to me. "Can we stop by the village first? We should inform the village chief."

"I agree," I replied.

Suddenly, Wulfred appeared between my legs and placed me on his back just behind Aewyn. He quickly lifted Karen and Kharel, and Nozomi jumped from Aewyn's head to my lap.

"You'll see how cool it is to ride on Wulfred!" Aewyn seemed very happy.

Karen was about to complain, but Wulfred began to run at breakneck speed, probably as fast as or faster than a bullet train. I ended up holding on tightly to Aewyn to avoid being thrown off, and it seemed Karen had the same idea, as she had hugged me tightly. I could hear Aewyn's laughter and Kharel's shouts of amazement. As for me, I had my eyes closed; I wasn't sure if this kind of speed was good for my health, but before long, the wolf came to a stop.

"We've arrived at the village," Wulfred announced. I slowly opened my eyes, and indeed, we were just a few meters from the village, still within the forest.

Aewyn was the first to jump down, followed by Kharel, who was very cheerful and excited from the ride. Karen hadn't moved; she was trembling and still holding onto me tightly.

"Karen, you can let go now," I said, and at my words, she quickly released me and jumped off the wolf, almost stumbling as her legs were still shaking. But using her staff for support, she managed to stay upright.

I also got off Wulfred, and Nozomi leaped onto my head. I felt better than I expected; maybe it was due to my high stats. I placed my hand on Karen's back to help her move forward, and she was soon able to walk on her own. I noticed her face was a bit red, probably from the embarrassment of hugging me from behind. It was quite adorable when she got like that.

Karen led the way, followed by Aewyn, and then Kharel and I. Some villagers outside looked at the blue-haired girl with curiosity and then directed their gazes at me, probably because my nose was still swollen, even though it no longer hurt. When we arrived at the village chief's house, he greeted us with a smile. We explained what had happened, omitting that the cause was a demon, and told him that the wolves would no longer attack the village. He thanked us with tears in his eyes and invited us to dinner, but we declined his offer since we were in a hurry. It seemed the elder hadn't noticed Aewyn, as he made no comments about her.

We left the village lightly, and the villagers waved us off with smiles. It seemed they had heard our conversation with the chief. Honestly, I felt great; doing good deeds is very rewarding. As we exited the village, we mounted Wulfred, and he began to run at full speed. We were in the same positions as before; Aewyn didn't seem to mind that I was hugging her, but Karen was holding onto me even tighter than before. This time, I dared to open my eyes. Now I understood why Kharel was so excited; watching the landscape rush by at high speed was an interesting experience.