Beginning of the Worst Adventure (I)

When the light finally fades, I am suddenly greeted with a breathtaking view.

A rainbow-coloured sky blanketing the entire world in beautiful colour.

Sparkling rays of light stretching down above like spotlights from heaven.

An image too vivid to be a painting, too brilliant to be reality.

It is the sight of a world entirely different from my own. A place I could never imagine I would see, now unfolding before my very eyes.

“Woah…”

Words of amazement simply fly out of my mouth. In an instant, both my heart and my mind are captured by an undeniable feeling of awe and adventure.

There is no denying it now. I truly am in a fantasy world.

With all the confusion and chaos back in that realm of darkness, I still hadn’t really had the chance to process everything. Not the fact that I was going to another world. Nor the fact that I had been summoned by the Demon King. Nor the fact that I had died.

But now I have to accept it. My old life is over. And now my new life is beginning.

I’m still not sure about the whole Demon Lord thing, but at the very least, I am happy that I’m getting a second chance at life. The Demon King’s final piece of advice was to make the most of this second life. I can’t say I understand or agree with everything she said, but that last drop of wisdom did resonate with me. Now that I have a second chance, I do want to treasure it.

As for regrets from my past life… I do have a few.

Like the fact I never really had many friends.

Or the fact that I spent so much of my life at work.

Or the fact that I never achieved anything I was proud of.

Or the fact that I’ve never had a girlfriend…

Okay, this is starting to get embarrassing so let’s stop there.

The point being, this time around, I’d like it if I could have a better life. I don’t want to be greedy, but if I could fulfill even a few of the things I missed out on, I’d be glad.

“Yeah, that’d be nice…”

I eagerly nod to myself as I summon some quiet resolve.

I can do this. I’m gonna try to make this a good life. I’ll work really hard and hope things turn out well.

“All right. Let’s get things started. First of all… where am I anyways?”

I wonder as I look around my surroundings.

It seems that I somehow spawned on the top of a really tall tower overlooking a city. Right now, I seem to be wearing my school uniform and I’m carrying my bag – the things I had on me when I died. That also means I still have my wallet, phone, and all my schoolbooks in my bag, though I’m not how useful any of those will be here.

When I look down, I find beneath me a mosaic of buildings and streets, bustling with activity. I can’t make out any fine details from this high up, but the movement of all the blurry dots down below gives me the feeling that this is a city that rarely rests.

It seems like a rather important location, but where exactly am I?

“Oh, this is Adamsale. It is the biggest city here in Gabritannia, the Kingdom of Water.”

“Huh?”

Out of nowhere, a voice reaches my ears.

I immediately start looking around for the speaker, but I can’t spot anyone at the top of this tower with me.

“What the— Hey, who said that? Where are you? Show yourself.”

“Hey, it’s me. It’s me. Look closely. Right in front of you.”

“Huh??”

When I stop frantically searching my surroundings and just focus on what’s in front of me, a small chibi-like creature slowly starts floating to view.

It at once looks like a fairy and, at the same time, it looks like a mascotified person with demonic horns and wings and tail… and jet black hair…

“Wait! Are you the Demon King!?”

“Ya-ho! Long time no see! We need to stop meeting like this, or else people are gonna talk, yaaaa~”

“What the heck? I thought you were gone. And why do you look like that?”

Out of curiosity, I reach out towards the chibi Demon King to try and get a closer look, but my hand strangely just goes right through her body when I do. Confused, I try again but end up just swatting thin air once more.

“Huh? What’s going on? Why can’t I touch you?”

“Aiya~ Are you trying to touch me all over? How lewd~ But sorry, I’m not actually here. I’m just an image in your mind.”

“So, you’re an illusion or something?”

“In a sense. You could say that I’m a figment of your imagination or an alternate personality inside of you. I’m not the actual Demon King, you see. She mentioned that she was going to give you a helper that could guide you through this world, right?”

Now that she mentions it, I do remember the Demon King saying something along those lines.

“Well, rejoice! You have me now! I can answer any questions you have about this world and explain anything you’re having trouble understanding. All the knowledge and experience of the wise and mighty Demon King is now at your disposal. Could you ask for a better tutorial character?”

She puffs out her chest proudly, as if being a glorified tour guide was her greatest accomplishment in life.

Well, it does seem like she’ll be useful to have around. After all, I’m currently completely clueless when it comes to the locale, culture, or laws of this alien society.

I hate to imagine it, but I could see myself accidentally breaking some rule that’s different from how things are done back home and end up getting thrown in jail on my very first day here.

“Hmmm… I don’t really get it, but it does sound convenient. You’re basically like ChatGPT for this world, right?”

“Oi. I resent that comparison. I am no simple chatbot. I am a near perfect copy of the Demon King’s psyche that she installed into the Demonic Crest inside of you. If I had to use an analogy… think of me like a talking version of the Demon King’s diary. I have all of her thoughts and memories stored inside me, while not actually being her. Does that make sense?”

“I suppose.”

So basically, she’s not actually the Demon King herself. The actual Demon King is still dead. This little imaginary creature is just her talking diary. It can share her thoughts the same way you can learn about someone by reading their diary, but that’s all.

It still sounds like ChatGPT to me, but I decide to hold my tongue.

“Well, whatever the case, I’m glad to have your help, but…”

My expression quickly darkens as I start to glare at her and harshen my tone.

“Just making sure… but you’re not gonna try and control me or lure me towards the dark side, are you?”

In the end, I can’t forget what we were all thinking back in that realm of darkness. The Demon King summoned us to do her bidding and to make us become her agents of evil. She said that she’ll let us do as we please, but I don’t completely believe her. After all, I can’t blindly trust someone called the Demon King.

“Ararara, you humans sure are obsessed with that. How many times do I need to tell you I won’t, before you believe me? And if you aren’t going to believe me when I say it, then don’t ask.” The chibi Demon King sighs.

“I’m sorry for repeating myself, but this is important to me. I need to know that you’re not my enemy before I can listen to you.” I tell her seriously.

“Then, relax. I’m your ally. I’m nothing but your ally. My only objective is to support you with knowledge and advice. Beyond that, I can’t hurt you. I can’t even touch you. So, relax. I’m just here to help.”

“Really? You’ll help me. No matter what?”

“That’s right. I’m with you no matter what.”

“Even if I don’t agree with the Demon King? Even if I won’t do evil like she wants? Even if I refuse to use the abilities that she gave me? Even if I actively try to go against her and sabotage her plans? Cause that’s exactly what I’m planning to do.”

As if expecting me to say all that, the chibi Demon King smiles warmly at my declaration.

“Sounds good to me. If that’s truly what you want, I’ll support you till the very end.”

It’s hard to tell, but she seems genuine. At the very least, a part of me wants to believe her. But at the same time, another part of me just can’t.

“Mmm, you say so… but…”

“Hey, if you really can’t bring yourself to trust me, that’s fine. I can go ahead and just disappear, if that’s what you want. Good luck figuring out the world on your own!”

“Wait, wait, wait! I never said that! Let’s not be hasty!”

I quickly stop her before she flies off into the distance.

Aw, geez… she gives me no choice. I still can’t trust her, but I also can’t afford to get rid of her.

“All right. Then I’ll be relying on your help… wait, what should I call you? You’re not the actual Demon King so it feels weird to call you that.” I wonder.

“Hmm, that’s true. In that case… How about just my name? You can just call me Satanya, from now on.” She decides cheerfully.

“Nya? Are you a catgirl character?”

“I’m a demon girl character. A cutesy, cheeky, mischievous demon girl.”

She sticks out her tongue and wiggles her little body.

For better or worse, it looks like I’ve gotten myself quite the companion for my new life in this world.

I swear, if she ever starts saying “Hey Listen!”, I’m kicking her to the curb.

“Okay, Satanya. Then I have a question for you.”

“Oh, first one already? You’re quite curious, aren’t you? Very well, ask away. I’ll explain anything you need to know.”

“How do I get down from here?”

“Huh?”

I motion to the top of the tower around me. As far as I can see, there aren’t any stairs down or any doors leading into the building either. I’m completely stranded on the roof right now.

“Oh, uhh, I hadn’t considered that when I chose to spawn you here… maybe you could jump?”

“Oi.”

This woman may very well be the death of me.