Zane descended from the sky.

After flying for hours through the territory of Malgrith Kingdom, he finally spotted a village in the distance and landed near its outskirts. The village was surrounded by a simple wooden wall, with several guards standing watch near the entrance wearing dark scale-like armor.

None of them noticed him.

Flying was an extremely rare ability in the current era. Guards were trained to watch for approaching travelers, monsters, or occasionally wyverns crossing the sky. A lone person flying high above the clouds was simply not something they expected.

As a result, Zane landed quietly near a corner of the village and entered without attracting any attention.

The moment he stepped inside, various unfamiliar scents drifted into his nose.

Food.

Lots of food.

Immediately, his interest increased.

While walking through the streets, he casually observed the residents.

Demons were different from humans, though not drastically so. Most possessed pointed ears slightly shorter than an elf’s, small horns growing from their heads, and slit pupils instead of round ones. Some demons had only one horn, while several of the wealthier-looking individuals possessed two.

As he walked, more and more people noticed him.

Whispers began spreading through the village.

"Look..."

"That’s a human."

"A human?"

"Maybe..."

One demon’s eyes widened.

"Maybe we can finally be saved."

Zane ignored all of it.

Food was more important.

Following a particularly spicy aroma, he eventually arrived at a small food stall where an old demon stood behind a large frying pan.

The smell alone was enough to catch his attention.

Looking up, he read the banner hanging above the stall.

Fried Pseudo-Cockatrice with Hot Flower Seasoning

Zane nodded thoughtfully.

"So basically this world’s fried chicken."

Immediately, he stepped forward.

"Give me a full box, old man."

The old demon was focused on frying and didn’t even bother looking up.

"Coming."

A few moments later, he grabbed a large box and began filling it.

One piece.

Two pieces.

Five pieces.

Ten pieces.

Eventually twenty-five golden fried pieces of pseudo-cockatrice filled the container.

From another small container, the old demon took a reddish-orange seasoning powder, wrapped it neatly in paper, folded it carefully, and placed it inside the box.

"There."

Only then did he finally look up while extending the box.

The old demon froze.

His eyes widened.

"Wait..."

His gaze locked onto Zane.

"You’re not a demon."

Meanwhile, Zane simply accepted the box and handed over the money.

The old demon’s expression immediately changed.

"It’s a human!"

His voice echoed throughout the street.

"We can be saved!"

"Catch him quickly!"

Instantly, the village erupted into chaos.

People began shouting.

Doors opened.

Nearby guards rushed toward the commotion.

Within moments, several weapons were pointed directly at Zane.

Looking around at the circle forming around him, Zane smirked slightly.

"Okay."

One of the guards stepped forward.

"Human."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"How did you enter this village? We never saw you."

"By flying."

The guard blinked.

"...What?"

"By flying."

The surrounding demons exchanged confused looks.

Then the guard’s face darkened.

"If you want to live, human, tell the truth."

Zane shrugged.

"I did."

The guard’s expression twisted.

"Capture him!"

Immediately he turned toward another demon.

"Daruma needs a human."

His voice was filled with excitement.

"This human will work perfectly."

"We’ll finally be free from him."

Then he pointed directly at Zane.

"Carn!"

"Restrain him!"

The demon beside him smirked.

"You’re finished, human."

"He is—"

"I know," Zane interrupted while rolling his eyes.

The guard blinked.

"What?"

"The strongest guard in the village."

Zane sighed dramatically.

"He’ll either be some skinny guy who’s secretly powerful or a giant mountain of muscles."

At that exact moment, a massive demon stepped forward.

Nearly everyone around immediately backed away to make room for him.

The giant demon cracked his knuckles and smirked.

Zane looked up.

Then nodded.

"Big giant guy it is."

The moment the words left his mouth, Carn attacked.

His massive fist shot forward like a cannonball.

BAM!

The impact echoed through the street.

Several demons smiled.

Several more looked relieved.

Then their expressions froze.

Zane hadn’t moved.

Not even an inch.

He remained standing exactly where he had been before.

Meanwhile...

Carn’s eyes widened.

A horrible cracking sound spread through the air.

His fist.

His arm.

The bones inside had shattered completely.

Then something even stranger happened.

Without warning—

His head slid off his neck.

A perfectly clean cut.

The giant body remained standing for a moment before collapsing heavily onto the ground.

Thud.

Silence filled the village.

Zane glanced at the stunned guards.

Then at the headless corpse.

Then back at them.

"What was it you said again?"

A small smile appeared on his face.

"The strongest guard?"

He casually grabbed a piece of fried pseudo-cockatrice from the box and took a bite.

"You really should’ve chosen your words more wisely."

For a few moments, nobody moved.

Carn’s massive headless body lay on the ground while his severed head rested several meters away. The smell of blood slowly spread through the street.

The villagers stared blankly.

A moment ago they had been cheering for Carn.

Children had looked at him with admiration.

Adults had believed he would easily subdue the strange human.

Now...

He was dead.

Completely dead.

Several guards unconsciously took a step backward while others tightened their grip on their weapons.

One younger guard finally couldn’t take it anymore.

"You bastard!"

He raised his weapon and was about to charge.

"Stop."

The main guard immediately stretched out an arm and blocked him.

The younger guard looked confused.

The villagers looked confused.

Even the other guards looked confused.

Because the main guard’s entire personality had suddenly changed.

A moment ago he had been ordering Zane’s capture.

Now he wore a respectful smile.

"Mr. Human, please don’t be angry."

The guard slightly lowered his head.

"We were only doing our jobs. We are truly sorry for the misunderstanding."

His voice was polite.

Almost painfully polite.

"We were simply surprised to find a human here so suddenly."

"Please forgive us, sir."

Zane stared at him.

Then at Carn’s corpse.

Then back at the guard.

"...Okay."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Quite the personality flip."

The guard laughed nervously.

"Haha... well..."

"But whatever," Zane continued. "I was only here for food anyway."

The moment food was mentioned, the guard’s eyes brightened.

"Food?"

"Ah! Food, sir!"

The smile on his face became even wider.

"As an apology, I shall personally provide you with the finest demon cuisine available in this village."

Zane quietly looked toward two different directions for a moment.

Then a faint smirk appeared on his face.

"Sure."

"Why not?"

"Who am I to reject free food?"

The guard’s smile widened.

"Excellent, sir."

Inside his mind, however, a completely different thought appeared.

Stupid idiot human.

Meanwhile, Zane casually took another piece of fried pseudo-cockatrice from the box and popped it into his mouth.

His smile became slightly bigger.

Stupid idiot demon.

Neither of them pointed out the fact that both had already seen through the other’s intentions.

For now, they simply continued smiling at each other.

Like two perfectly friendly individuals meeting for the first time.

The main guard and several other demons escorted Zane through the village while countless eyes followed them.

The villagers were still confused.

Some looked at Carn’s corpse.

Some looked at Zane.

Others simply couldn’t understand how the situation had changed so quickly.

A few minutes ago, the guards had been trying to capture the human. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Now they were practically treating him like an honored guest.

Children whispered among themselves while adults exchanged uncertain looks.

Meanwhile, Zane simply followed along while eating fried pseudo-cockatrice from his box.

Eventually, they arrived before a medium-sized manor near the center of the village.

The building wasn’t particularly luxurious by noble standards, but compared to the surrounding houses it stood out immediately.

The main guard opened the door.

"Welcome, sir."

Zane walked inside without hesitation.

A short while later, he found himself seated inside a dining hall while servants hurried around preparing food.

One dish after another was placed onto the table.

Roasted boar.

A steaming herb soup.

Grilled fish covered in spices.

Several unfamiliar demon dishes.

The various aromas mixed together, causing Zane’s mood to improve considerably.

Across from him, the main guard maintained a respectful smile.

"Please eat, Mr..."

He paused.

"I didn’t catch your name."

Zane grabbed a piece of roasted meat.

"Zane."

"Ah."

The guard nodded.

I have heard this name before.

But the guard dismissed his thoughts.

"Please enjoy yourself, Mr. Zane."

Without another word, Zane began eating.

The food wasn’t bad.

Actually, it was quite good.

Especially considering he had randomly walked into a village looking for lunch.

After several minutes of eating, he suddenly looked up.

"What’s yours?"

The guard blinked.

"...What?"

"Your name."

Zane pointed at him with a spoon.

"What’s your name?"

The guard looked slightly surprised before answering.

"I am Uro."

Then he tapped his chest.

"A medium-tier demon."

Zane nodded.

"I see."

After that, he returned to eating.

Silence filled the room for a while.

Only the sounds of cutlery and food remained.

Then, without warning, Zane spoke again.

"Now tell me."

Uro’s smile stiffened slightly.

"Tell you what?"

Zane casually drank some of the herb soup.

"Your real reason for inviting me here."

His tone remained relaxed.

Almost casual.

"Surely you aren’t giving free food to someone who just killed your strongest soldier."

The dining hall became quiet.

Several servants immediately lowered their heads.

Across the table, Uro looked genuinely surprised.

For a few moments, he simply stared at Zane.

Then he sighed.

The polite smile disappeared.

"Sir..."

He leaned back in his chair.

"I’ll be blunt."

A different expression appeared on his face.

One much more serious than before.

"After witnessing your strength..."

He paused briefly.

"...I believe it might actually be possible."

Zane smirked.

"What’s Possible?"

Uro looked directly into his eyes.

"I want you to kill Daruma."

The smile on Zane’s face widened slightly.