Admiration and awe from allies, fear and awe from enemies.
But the man knew.
That admiration was synonymous with fear, and awe was synonymous with awe.
As long as there is war, a man will seek and obey and be proud of his valor.
That was his role, for he had no other role to play.
But still, when the role was done, there was only emptiness left for the man.
The man was exhausted.
Whoever he fought for, he could only see himself as a weapon.
There is no rest. There is no peace. A role of use.
I accepted that role because I wanted to. There is no dissatisfaction there.
The man just wanted the world to be at peace.
Where everyone could have peace and laughter.
It was not only for his allies, but he had come to hope that such a world would come for his enemies as well.
Given the title a man holds, it is an idea that should not be allowed.
But still, if such a utopia exists someday, I want to make it happen.
The man was exhausted, and before long he was seeking that place of dreaming.
This is the story of one man.
It was the story of an encounter with people who would eventually determine the fate of this world.
...... I'm starving.
The man lay sprawled out in the woods and muttered to himself.
I haven't had anything to eat lately.
If I want to eat something I'll have to hunt it down.
But I wouldn't want to take a life if I could.
As the man scoffs at the thought, he hears the breathing of the beasts.
He moves his head and sees a snarling wolf-shaped demon.
"Hey! You'll only break your stomach if you eat me!
I was hoping that they would release their hostility towards me, but it's not going to happen.
The man tried to close his eyes in a state of complete resignation, thinking, "Oh dear, it hurts a little bit, but if I can stand it for a while, I'll go away.
"You idiot! What are you doing?
A dignified voice rang out.
The next moment, I saw the wolves that attacked me being torn apart in an instant.
The man had seen this kind of scene several times before, but the girl was the first to cut down a demon so well.
It was like a sword dance, and the elegance of the dance drew the man's attention.
You can't help but raise your head and look at the girl who appeared in front of you.
Gold hair. Her petite but toned body was lean, and the lack of excess fat seemed to accentuate her slender beauty.
Pretty. In a word, she was a beautiful girl.
You're an idiot to be lying out here in the woods on your own! What the hell is wrong with you?
As soon as you get rid of the wolf, he approaches you and preaches to you.
I think the girl is right, and in light of the trouble I caused her, I'm going to apologize honestly.
"I'm sorry. It is true that the demons will be in the way if you fall down in a place like this.
A girl in a freak-out over my apology. Did I say something funny?
"No, not there: ...... Oh, forget it. Do you have no place to go if you're stranded?
I was taken aback and changed the subject.
Well, not at the moment.
"Is there any place you want to go?
Well, if you ask me, I'd say
At that moment, rather than me answering the question, a stomach bug rumbles back.
The girl, stunned by this, asks with a wry smile, "I have a recommendation for a restaurant.
I have a recommendation for a restaurant, what do you think?
This is ...... delicious. Yeah, it's really good. I didn't know there was such a thing as good food.
"Oh, thank you. It's all because the ingredients are so good.
You can also have a look at the following tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your work
It is certainly a blessing for a chef to have your food praised and tasted.
But even so, this dish was beyond flattering.
Even though the ingredients themselves should be commonplace demons, they are all fresh and above all, they are imbued with good taste.
The ingredients here are specially made by a demon cultivator. "The ingredients here are specially made by a demon cultivator, so they are fresher and tastier than the wild ones.
Then the girl from earlier, the one who called herself Lily, proudly replies.
What ...... is this all grown and made?
Yes, that's why I don't go out of my way to risk killing monsters these days, because I can get the food so much easier.
It's a good thing that you are so lazy, or else your brother will be angry with you.
It's okay, I prefer to live a slow life if I can, and above all, I don't want to fight for nothing. I don't want to kill more demons than necessary.
I stopped eating at Lily's words.
It's the same idea I've been thinking about: "I'd rather not waste my time fighting if at all possible.
I didn't know there was someone else who thought that way. And perhaps this girl--
"No, I worked up a good sweat today! Mina! The usual lunch set one!
"Ah, Mr. Keough, welcome! Yes, please wait a minute.
Hey, isn't that Lily over there. You're having lunch too?
Well, sort of. I just picked up a downed man in the woods and led him up here.
Well, that's another one of those cautious people.
There were some careless people who raised demons without thinking.
I wonder who that guy is.
The boy appears in the cafeteria and is talking to Lily in a friendly manner.
The boy looks perfectly normal, but his clothes are stained with dirt and mud all over.
But what surprised me most was the monster he carries on his head and shoulders.
It was a jack-o-lantern and a mandragora.
Wild jack-o'-lanterns don't attack as long as you don't act hostile, but even so, not many of them are that friendly to humans, and mandragoras are too valuable and wary of humans to open up like that.
I was taken aback by the improbable harmony between man and monster that appeared in front of me.
"Who is your guest, by the way?
"Hey you, ...... this is the careless guy who was lying in that forest.
"Oh, I see! So let the unwary introduce themselves here. My name is Kyou. I'm making a living by growing demons. If you want to buy some of our demons. It will help us to earn a living.
I nodded at the boy as he introduced himself and said hello.
So this is the demon-grower you were talking about. You can't help but look at him with envy.
You're going to be able to have a look at your own name, and you're going to be able to say your name again in return for his introduction.