Aftermath

Tyler watched the townsfolk clean up the battlefield. They had all collapsed to the ground the moment the battle ended. After a quick rest, they moved the injured into a large building by the side. None of the dead had a clean death. They were either burnt alive or ripped to shreds—it wasn't a pleasant sight. But the townsfolk held themselves together and gathered the bodies (what was left of them). Some also moved the bodies of the monsters and began collecting their cores and the five magic crystals from the magic beasts, three of which had been killed by Tyler.

He had noticed that there were people hiding in the building at the center of the town. He figured those must have been civilians, likely including children. This explained why they were working so hard to clean up the gruesome sight.

It took quite a while to finish everything. There were very few people left alive who could use magic. From what he had seen so far, most of the residents of this settlement seemed to be ogres. He had heard a little about them and knew that they rarely possessed magical abilities. Liz had gone to check up on the woman he had saved. According to one of the ogres who had approached them, Erin was the only healer in the town. Liz had grown impatient and decided to check on her herself.

They hadn't said much. The ogres told Tyler that the chief of the settlement was unconscious, along with the captain of the guards and the vice-captain. Tyler found it odd that they didn't have anyone else capable of taking charge on standby in the shelter, but he guessed that was part of their nature.

There was someone taking the lead, though. They said his name was Jarret, and he was the leader of the hunting party Erin—the woman Tyler had saved—was part of. Tyler waited patiently, and now it seemed the sun was about to set. The chief was the first to awaken, and he was quickly briefed on what had transpired after he fell unconscious.

Soon, Tyler and Liz were brought to the chief's house. It was quite large and could be considered a mansion. Walking through the front door, they saw a large, muscular man clad in armor only from the waist down. He had short white hair and a clean-shaven face, standing at 7 feet tall. He looked like an intimidating half-giant.

As soon as Tyler and Liz walked closer to him, the man dropped to his knees, and the guards behind him followed suit. Tyler was surprised by this. He had been told this man was the leader of the settlement. He didn't know if it was wise for the chief to kneel, but seeing the guards follow suit, he guessed they must not have had a problem with it.

"I don't know who you are, but you have my deepest gratitude. I cannot express enough how grateful I am that you saved my town. If it weren't for you, my young boy would be dead by now. Thank you." The guards echoed his last words as they kept their heads lowered.

Tyler felt a bit awkward just standing there. He wanted to say something but didn't want to sound ignorant and lose the respect he had just gained. "Please, feel free to request anything. As long as it is within our power, we will do everything possible to make sure you have it," the chief said as he stood back up. Tyler glanced at Liz, then nodded. She stepped forward and spoke.

"My friend is badly injured. We are unable to move her here, so I would like to request your healer to escort us back to save her life."

The chief looked at her strangely for a moment, then turned to Tyler and asked, "Is that all you require?" Tyler's heart almost skipped a beat. He felt like he was back in school, and the teacher had just randomly called on him to answer the most difficult question. He quickly calmed himself down and tried to speak in a dignified manner.

"Not quite. I would also like some information. Don't worry—it won't be anything too difficult." The chief seemed a bit relieved. In this world, there was nothing more dangerous than a free gift, as everything always came with a price.

"I was told you were the one who killed three of the five magic beasts. Please allow us to return the three magic crystals to you, and accept the extra two as a show of our gratitude."

Tyler didn't say anything. He nodded his head as he received the five magic crystals from a guard. They looked and felt just like the previous one he had, only a little weaker. The chief continued, "As you already know, we only have one healer here. She's the most skilled healer I've ever seen, so I am sure she would be able to help your friend. As I am aware, you also saved her life. I'm sure she would be eager to repay her debt. As for your information, I would be happy to tell you anything you need to know."

Both Tyler and Liz nodded. Liz was a little relieved they had found a healer who was quite capable.

The chief led both of them to his office and offered them a seat. Before they could start discussions, though, a guard came in requesting to take a mana potion to Erin, who had just woken up. She wanted to begin healing the injured but was short on mana. The chief granted him permission almost instantly. Liz wanted to go and see the healer at work but decided against it. She didn't want to be a distraction, and she was quite curious about what the man beside her was interested in knowing.

The chief sat down in his chair, and Tyler began. He had thought hard about what to say, but nothing came to him. He decided he would just tell the truth but be a little vague about it.

"You see, for reasons I cannot say, I've been in a state of deep sleep for a very long time. Now that I'm back, I almost can't recognize anything around me because of the drastic changes over the years. I would like you to give me as much information as you can about this area and what has been going on in the continent over the last few centuries," Tyler said as he sat leisurely in his seat, waiting for their response.

The chief looked a little confused. He knew demons had long lifespans and some could live for centuries, but he didn't understand why one would need information about the demon continent from an ogre—a minority in the demon continent. Tyler could see the look on the chief's face and had half-expected it. He had prepared something for this, but in the end, he didn't need it.

"Allow me to answer your question, my Lord."

Everyone in the room turned toward the voice that spoke. Albert had just entered the room. He had already changed out of his armor and now wore a complete set of an early Western-style suit, his hair neatly combed back. He had a noble air about him and commanded a certain level of authority.

My Lord? Tyler thought as he remembered who this man was. He had gone back and reluctantly returned his sword, so he had gotten a better look at his face.

"This is the Darknar region, my Lord—the former Demon King's region. As of five years ago, there are only 77 regions in the demon continent, including this one. Originally, there were over 900 regions during the Demon King's rule."

Albert walked to the side of the desk and stood by the chief's side. Looking at Tyler, he continued, "After the death of the Demon King, the entirety of the demon continent entered a time of chaos. We lost some of our land to the humans and were in a constant state of civil war. That was until five families, formed from the former demon generals, took charge. They expanded their reach and absorbed the other regions belonging to the weakest nobles, as well as the strength of those nobles, into their families."

"The other families tried to do the same but only succeeded in staying relevant. The civil war ended over five centuries ago, and now only 77 families and some high-level demons have been able to retain their regions. Throughout this time, none of the other families succeeded in taking over this region. There was an unwritten rule that whoever claims this land would be crowned the new Demon King. Although some have managed to expand into it a little, they would be interfered with by the others."

Tyler felt a serious headache coming on from all this. In the end, it sounded like he was trapped in a box. Before he could think any further, though, Albert continued.

"This region is divided into three main parts: the ever-expanding Darknar Forest, the Darkin Mountain Range, and the Greyad Fields. There were a few cities in this region, but they were all abandoned centuries ago. Recently, settlements like this one can be found scattered throughout the region."

"Without an army or hunters to routinely clear out the monsters, this place immediately became the most dangerous region in the entire continent, with various legendary beasts taking residence in various locations. Anyone who was willing to move here had no choice—it was their only option. There are also scouts from each of the five great families stationed in safe zones near the Demon King's castle. I am unsure of their true intentions, but I've heard the castle has a series of complex seals and concealments placed on it by the Demon King himself. Even with centuries of effort, they are still only able to partially access the castle."

Before Albert could continue, a knock came from the door. After receiving permission, a guard entered the room. "Chief, we're ready for the cremation. Everyone is gathered at the gate."

"Alright," the chief answered, and the guard hurriedly left. "Please excuse us for a moment. We must attend the cremation ceremony. It's our way of honoring the dead."

"Of course," Tyler replied. Liz seemed a little uncomfortable. It was obvious she was getting impatient—her friend was still in critical condition, after all.

Tyler felt a little bad that he had almost forgotten about that. They were invited to watch the ceremony, and Tyler accepted. He didn't want to be stuck in an awkward atmosphere with Liz. She also accepted, and they both left with the chief and Albert.

When they reached the gate, Tyler finally noticed something. The aftermath of the battle revealed that most of the population in the town now consisted of children, the elderly, a few pregnant women, and only about 40 or so fighters. With this ratio and in a dangerous place like this, there was no way they would survive the next monster raid. He felt bad for them. If nothing was done, they might not even survive a week.

The ceremony wasn't long. The chief gave a short speech. The smaller kids cried, and even some of the pregnant women wept. The pile of bodies had been covered with some kind of tarp to prevent the children from seeing such a gruesome sight. The bodies were set ablaze and burned quickly. Everyone showed their respects and left.

Tyler and Liz watched this from a distance. Liz was a little upset. Seeing this scene made her think of Rain and whether she would survive. It was almost dark now, and the last rays of sunshine were about to disappear. She knew they could no longer return to the castle today. All she could think about was the worst-case scenario. Tyler could feel the emotions coming off her. He placed his right hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry. She was stable when we left. In that state, she would be able to last a week. Two days is nothing."

He had no idea what he was talking about, but it seemed to work. She calmed down a bit. As the ceremony ended, the chief and Albert walked back to Tyler and Liz. They were accompanied by someone else this time—it was the woman Tyler had saved at the gate. She saw his gaze aimed at her, and her cheeks heated up a bit as she avoided making eye contact.

"This is Erin. She's the only healer in our town and has agreed to escort you back to heal your friend. We would also like to escort you back as well. We can no longer stay here, and although you have already done so much for us, we would appreciate—and of course compensate—you if you can escort us out of this region. Of course, this would be after your friend is healed."

Escort you? I'm the one who needs an escort! Before Tyler could say anything, Albert interjected. "Forgive me, Azar. I failed to mention this earlier. I have already offered my Lord my life in order to save Erin, and I will now be serving under him until the day I die."

"HUH?!" Both Azar and Tyler echoed each other's surprise.

"Cough, cough… My apologies. I hadn't realized something like that had happened. We can talk more about it on the way to… By the way, young miss, where is your friend?"

"She's resting at the Demon King's castle."

"WHAT?!"