The three carriages bumped along the rough road for hours before the scenery finally changed.
Then the cliffs opened into flatlands painted with dying sunlight.
Then—
Looking at the surroundings, I noticed the three large carriages forming a circle to make a crude temporary campsite. There was a large fire in the middle.
It was a camp.
Smoke from cooking fires curled into the cool air, carrying the scent of roasting meat and fresh bread. Most of the travelers were resting on the ground, others sharpening weapons or talking quietly among themselves.
At this time, six people and a kid were already sitting and eating in a table.
The kid was of course Zayn.
One of the six was Ard.
We both have found themselves grouped with them during the trip mainly due to the little kid with him. He was very friendly and won't stop talking to people unlike I had expected. It was like he had forgotten himself that he was a demon. Regardless, this was for the better.
As it turned out, the passengers of the first carriage were adventurers.
The party captain was Corre, but pronounced as Core. He was a male in his mid-twenties, with a little bit of beard and short red hair. His weapon of choice was a broadsword and from his outfit, he looked like he was going for a balanced fighting style.
But this time, right after he ate, Corre had left and went to talk to the knights.
Yes, the knights.
For some reason, the rest of the passengers of the caravan were all knights. They wore warrior outfits and all of them wore a uniform set of armor. Even now, they were training and sharpening their swords. Some of them were standing guard and some even had actually been scouting the route ahead. Their disciplined movements and sharp attention immediately set them apart from the rougher adventurers.
I had already taken noticed of them earlier.
But I was still a little bit curious.
'I wonder why are these many knights in the boonies?'
Knights in the human realm weren't just people wearing iron armors and swords. It wasn't just a noble title or badge of honor either inferring not just social status.
It was a proof of someone's ability …more specifically ability to use mana or magic to battle.
Knights weren't common either.
In most noble territories, the number of knights that one has tells how powerful it is, not just in war, but also in peace. And in most baronies which is the lowest noble territory, having five knights were the minimum for it to protect itself from invaders.
Meaning when there are so many knights traveling from point a to point b, point b must not be a very safe at the moment.
Moreover, while not bestowed the title of the knight, the caravan also had a party of adventurers who was riding the first carriage with them, and most of them were at the knight-level. There's even a mage!
In this world, mages could also be called knights but not exactly. Mages refers to mana users who could manipulate the elements, such as fire or water.
At this time, I was walking at the camp when I could feel multiple eyes staring at our direction, mostly from the knights. He then remembered. Every time he went to crowds, people were always turning their heads to look at him. If not, they would avert their eyes. Some even tried fighting him out of nowhere.
It's not like he was scaring or harming anyone those times. He always wondered why.
However, unknown to Ard, they could not help themselves. He was tall, young, and was extremely good-looking to not stand out. His eyes shone like rubies and on top of that, it was hard to believe how delicate his skin looked like. He doesn't have any scars or pimples. The only problem was that he wasn't exactly the social type.
'Is this curiosity or suspicion?'
I was thrilled by the new emotions I am feeling and placed my hand on my chest that was racing, 'I guess humans all this time were wonderfully transparent.' I told myself, and the other passengers in the wagon.
In the table with the adventurers.
Zayn was for some getting interviewed and was doing more than well. He is smiling like he'd been waiting his whole life to tell that fake story we made.
"Well now, aren't you a lively one." The old mage said, while stroking his long beard.
Zayn laughed lightly. "Is that so?"
"But are you sure you and your companion want to go to the next town?"
"…Is something wrong?" Zayn asked, tilting his head.
The old man sighed.
"The nearest town might not be the safest place right now, especially for children. Rumor has it that a demon is roaming around its parts and taking its residents."
Zayn's smile faltered, just a little. 'Wow, a demon, huh…' He told himself. Of course, that shocked him, but after how many demons, both weak and strong, he had seen die one by one at the hands of someone who was travelling with him. It wasn't really as impactful anymore. Moreover, he was a demon himself.
"That sounds serious," he then said, scratching the back of his head with a small laugh. "But yes. That's still where we're going."
The old man studied him for a moment before laughing. "Hah. Youth really is fearless."
With his peripheral vision, Ard watched Zayn from the corner of my eye.
At the same time, he ignored the gazes behind him then discreetly surveyed the area with a cold gaze. He could sense demonic monsters around but they were being vanquished by the knights who had gone to scout earlier. From what it looked like, they were going to be more than safe.
Without caring about whether or not the ground was carpeted, I then sat down against a tree and began to eat the bread I had received from the adventurers.
There, he could feel it.
"Experiencing these emotions for the first time is exhilarating, yet it forces me to pause and overthink things I'm not even sure matter."
My eyes narrowed and focused on the ring on my finger.
'Ever since I wore this ring, I have gained the ability to feel emotions. I have also perfectly masked my demon miasma to the point no one could tell I am a demon. I look like a normal person. We don't even smell strong. But…'
I closed my eyes and started to look into the energy inside my body.
The next instant, I heard waves and I was floating on top of an ocean which represents the amount of mana I have.
'This…ever since I wore this ring, the amount of mana I can access have lessened as if a cap had been placed. Half of the energy in me isn't budging…'
After seeing no answers, I ended my checking and opened my eyes.
'Well, no need to panic. I still have a significant amount to deal with almost anything. And I can remove this ring anytime I wanted.'