Days of a forgotten past

Climbing the stairs, Satoru felt relieved, this was definitely the craziest day of his life, fighting a dragon and still getting out alive, not that he thought he could die.

“You know Hilda, thanks for everything so far.” Satoru walked into the mine as he smiled.

"That's not like you."

"Eh?" Like this?"

"Simple, this is the first time you've thanked everyone excitedly, or spoke in that more excited tone, you don't even sound like the Satoru you were before."

Not having noticed any difference in attitude, Satoru looked at their own, now that Hilda pointed out this detail, he realized his change in attitude, it was not the first that he had such an abrupt change, against the Orc it was the same thing or his excessive fury and pride against Litchia.

Something seemed out of the ordinary, trying to breathe more calmly, he felt his mind calm down and return to natural, but something remained, this crazy shift in emotion caused him strangeness and fear.

Amazement that it was the first time he noticed this and fear that he didn't know if he could control himself at the height of the change.

"Satoru."

Lost looking up, Satoru suddenly heard his name being called, Hilda was looking at him, without him noticing that his head was being rubbed.

"You did well, don't worry about it."

“H-heh! Where did this suddenly come from?!"

Once calm, now agitated Satoru Seigi was flushed, it was a little scary to see this loving part of Hilda, who was always so closed.

"You do this when Envy is worried, isn't that a custom in your world?"

“N-no wait, but that's usually with younger people, as a kid."

"I see, but to me, you're no different from a scared child, so I guess that's fine."

Moving her hand, Hilda looked worried, seeming to see more than Satoru himself could see and understand.

"I don't think any of this is "okay.”

Still embarrassed Satoru was calmer, he was embarrassed that he was almost 20 and needs to be comforted like that as a child, but he knew it had worked to make him feel more shame yet.

"By the way, it wouldn't hurt for you to spend your life with a dragon, it has the longest lifespan among living beings."

"Spend your life with Litchia?" Satoru stopped again, trying to process Hilda's sentence.

"Poor Litchia, you're not aware of how to express yourself, that 'so if you want a day, a favor or someone worthy, you know where to find me', is the way to say you passed the test, you can take me as a bride if you want, dragons have always respected the strength and with dignified attitudes, for her, you are the ideal bridegroom even though you are of an unknown race."

"Okay, I get it… WAIT WHAAAAT?"

When the two finally found the group, Envy jumped in and hugged her brother, she had certainly gone from the most confident to the most worried, so after a brief conversation, most decided to rest and proceed tomorrow with the path now clear.

⊛⊛⊛

While most of the dark elves went to sleep, Envy and Satoru had also curled up in one place. Hilda and Gileon, however, remain awake and talking farther away from everyone.

"A dragon, aren't all humans in the other world bizarre like him?" Gileon gripped his bow tense at the thought that she was so close to a dragon.

Hilda showed clear disbelief in her own words, still thinking that it was all just a very long dream. She witnessed with her own eyes the end of the fight, that small being and his gigantic weapon made from nothing hitting a dragon and knocking him out of the sky.

"No, according to him, all humans in his world are normal, magic is just history, just like the other races."

"I imagine it came as a shock to him to arrive in such a different world, but still, if he's not like humans, then what is he?" Scratching his head trying to think, Gileon has never seen anything like it before, not even in the legends of his people.

"Don't ask questions I can't answer." Hilda shrugged, she had stopped thinking about it a long time ago.

"So how about, how did you find him?"

"Floating on top of a stone platform in a lake in the middle of the mountain range."

Before talking naturally, she didn't even compare to this answer that seemed to have been made a long time ago, it certainly wasn't a very natural way to talk.

“Hilda, right?” Gileon lowered his bow and asked.

“Yes, why is that now?"

“Daemons have been warriors from childhood, most are temperamental, but you're well controlled, an ex-soldier, probably famous, I'd even say once worked for the ancient demon king."

"Like you…"

"You know? I wasn't always an archer who fought on the battlefield, before everything changed, I was a diplomat between the races, I never really served to risk my life, but even if the days of peace are far away, I know it already I've heard your name before, and the way you reacted, I was right on target. That said, I have a question, how someone as influential as you ended up stuck on this continent taking care of a human child and a super-powerful being."

"I didn't expect anyone to even remember me…" Hilda for the first time in a long time made a wistful expression.

⊛⊛⊛

A long time ago, a family made up of three daemons, lived isolated in the countryside, they were happy like that, they didn’t lack food and didn’t even go cold in the winter.

The child of the family, Hilda, was a cheerful young woman who loved to lie down all day or practice swordplay with her father.

Always wanting to be close to the girl, her mother tried to make her learn to cook or clean the house, but it never worked, yet there was one thing the girl valued more than anything, a bedtime story.

With that, the family's happy days never seemed to end, until the day war broke out. It was night and candle lighting didn't help the bad weather around the three of them, something no one wanted but had to be done.

“Hilda, my daughter, you know that evil humans want to hurt you and your mother, and that's why daddy has to fight on the battlefield.” The father knelt in front of his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Wearing leather and metal armor, with a sheathed iron sword, her red skin, and yellow eyes, her only difference from Hilda would be the color of her hair, which was white.

"But why daddy has to go alone, I can help too, I know how to fight, you said yourself I'm the best of my age!" Hilda excitedly started to speak, she just didn't want her father to leave.

"And you are, but you're not there yet, the war could last more than a decade, until it's over, I won't be able to return home, so Hilda, you have to keep training to get stronger and protect your sister and mother ."

"Dad, I don't have a sister."

Seeing his daughter's doubt, the father looked at the mother who sighed and smiled rubbing her hand on her stomach.

"I'm pregnant, Hilda, you'll soon have a sister."

"You get it now, stay here and take care of both of them until I get back, I promise it won't take more than five years" The father then kissed his daughter's forehead and kissed his wife, saying goodbye to both of them, he walked out the door still at night.

【Four years later】

With Hilda now sixteen, she had the body of a grown woman, common in the race of faster-maturing daemons, keeping her hair black in a ponytail, she wore fine clothes while practicing with an old and rusty sword, she had a goal, if her father didn't come back, she'd go after him on the battlefield herself right after her sister grew older, of course.

Millia, her younger sister, was four years old and growing up healthy, however, she had pulled her mother closer as she loved to do the same things.

Milia had a unique characteristic of her: her hair mixed strands of white and black streaks, which made her very beautiful. Hilda with her big sister instinct couldn't say no to that cute little girl she was on a mission to protect.

Until one day in the morning, Milia was still sleeping, while Hilda had abandoned her routine of waking up late only to sleep more, with the responsibility weighing on her, she decided to become an example, but when she answered the door.】

A tall man with long black hair, cat ears, and even a tail, wearing armor that mixed iron and gold, he held in his hands a cloth that covered something large.

"Forgive me the intrusion, are you?" the man asked gently.

"Hilda, and would you be?"

"My name is Gondor, I am the captain of His Majesty's army, the demon king, could I come in to talk?"

Not quite understanding why an army officer was in her house, Hilda let him in and her mother for some reason was apprehensive when she saw him.

With everyone seated, Gondor placed the wrapped object on the table.

"I'll be brief, I don't like to do that kind of thing, but this time it was an exception." With regret in his expression, the captain spoke in a heavy voice.

Jaya, Hilda's mother, seemed to have understood the situation, gripped her clothes tightly, trying not to cry. Hilda, on the other hand, did not seem to understand the situation very well.

"Yigur, he was my right-hand man for two years, we fought several battles together, but in the last one we are being attacked from various sides, the enemy officer sprinted towards me, when his spear was going to hit me, his father jumped in front of me and protected, after the reinforcement arrived, he couldn't stand the wound, but he ordered me to bring something back."

Finishing speaking, the Gondor removed the cloth, revealing a sheathed sword, in its leather sheath, a design of two wings.

“Your father wanted me to bring back this sword and scabbard, they are yours now.” Gondor pushed them toward Hilda.

Not believing what was happening, he put his hand on top of the hem as if he didn't think it was real, feeling the fabric of the leather, his eyes watering.

"This isn't…can't be…real…he would never let me!" Pulling the hem into her arms, tears flowed, neither she nor her mother wanted to accept reality.

Gondor got up and walked to the door, he was down too although he didn't show it, even if he did it wouldn't change anything, something made him stop a little before leaving.

"Mommy, why are you and sister crying?"

A small girl opened the bedroom door and appeared still sleepy asked.

The captain couldn't help showing a sour face and suddenly saw Hilda get up, sheath in hand, and leave the house without a word.

Not understanding what she was going to do, he followed her, stopping at the back of the house. Now sword in hand, Hilda seemed to be trying to practice, but her tears would not let her concentrate, with her emotions being such a mess, she began to scream until she fell to her knees on the floor.

No longer able to stand to see this scene, Gondor approached the girl.

"If you're in that much pain, get up and focus on getting better, then when you have nowhere else to progress, know that there will always be room for you in the army."

"Army?" Hilda was wiping her tears, and in a husky voice, she asked.

"Your father told me about you and how talented you are, your family needs you now, but when everything straightens out, you can look for me in the unified capital of the races, it would be an honor to fight you by my side."


【nine years later】

Almost a decade since her father's death, Hilda prepared each day for when she could leave the house, practicing with countless weapons day after day, improving herself as much as she could, but there was something that kept her at home even though she had so long.

Her sister Milia, now 13, had a woman's body in her late teens, she was just as talented as Hilda, but there was a problem she didn't like to practice.

With the sound of the clashing iron swords, the girl with black and white hair, attempted a lunge thrusting with the sword. Hilda effortlessly dodged by spinning her own body, she crouched down and used her leg in the middle of the spin to hit her sister's legs who fell on her ass on the floor.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Hilda angrily spoke pointing her sword at Milia's neck.

"What do you want from me?" I already told you I don't want to fight!”

Milia threw her sword to the ground, then got up and walked away.

"Milia! If you don't fight, who will protect the mother when I leave?"

Hilda suddenly noticed that Milia had a sad expression on her face, pulling her sister by the shoulder.

"So that's it, he's just going to leave us like his father didn't!"

"Hey! Our father didn't abandon us, he went to fight for our good!"

"Where is he then?" If it's for our sake, why has he never come back? It's easy for you, at least you got to know him!"

Pulling the hand that gripped her shoulder, Milia angrily walked back to the house, she never forgave her father for not staying and raising her like she had her older sister.

Hilda on the other hand, couldn't feel angry with her sister, she understood well what the other part felt. When she walked into the house, her mother was cooking dinner, Milia had probably locked herself in her room.

"Did you two fight again?"

Jaya didn't even have to turn her head to know that Hilda was down again, the more Milia grew the more frequent fights became.

"She doesn't understand and doesn't even stop to listen."

"You used to do the same thing when you were younger, you only listened to your father and no one else."

“How do I make her listen to me?" Doubtfully, Hilda leaned back in her chair.

"Try listening to her side first, how about that?" Putting Hilda's plate on the table, Jaya smiled as she saw her daughter growing up and having to deal with the problems that arose.