The Red-handed Return of a Demon, and The Majestic Return of a Human

Partya casted a small umbrella-like dome above the four of them.

"Ah, I guess we should start with introductions. My name is Gavien, and this hooded lady is Partya, my... travel companion."

"Hello, Mr. Sir Gavien."

"Ahem, just call me Gavien, please."

"Okay then, Gavien." The chubby man indignantly dropped the honorifics. "My name is Drato Hechman, and this is my coachman, err..."

"Faust, sir. Just Faust."

"Ah, your name is Just?"

"..."

Faust stayed silent amidst Drato's stupidity.

"Ah, I'm just kidding to lighten up the mood, you bloody idiot, ahahaha!"

Gavien nodded solemnly as if acknowledging the joke, while Partya chuckled silently.

"So, what are a couple of humans like you doing in Purple Smog Forest?"

Drato's laughter was cut short as he drew a sharp breath.

Faust shrugged, disavowing himself from any responsibility.

"Well, my hobby is traveling to exotic places, ahaha." Drato nervously laughed.

Everyone stayed silent.

With a gulp, Drato bit his lip.

"F--k, fine. I'll tell you lot, since you saved me and all. I'm an apprentice mage."

As he said that, Drato waved his hand, clearing some kind of mist wrapped around his face.

"That... it's a disguise?" Faust never even suspected a thing.

As the mist subsided, Drato's face remained unchanged, just that he had horns sticking out of his forehead now.

"Do try your best not to be all dazzled, yeah? But, the truth is, I'm an exiled demon."

Drato bit his lip. He expected everyone to get repulsed by him. Humans hated demons, after all.

And, as Drato had thought, Faust's pupils shrank as he pushed himself away from Drato.

"D-Demon! Spawn of hell! Stay away from me!"

Faust stood up and tried to drag both Partya and Gavien away.

"Come on, hurry up and stand! He-- he's a dirty demon!"

Drato pursed his lips.

"Hey, imbecile, at least try to finish the trip, right? I already paid you the advance!"

Faust took out a pouch of gold and threw it on Drato's face. "I don't want your filthy money, hellspawn!"

He resumed pulling on the two. "Come on, why aren't you two standing up?!"

"Sit down, Sir Faust. Sit and calm down. You too, Partya, cancel your encantation right now." Gavien's loud voice temporarily calmed everyone down.

Faust sat down behind Gavien and Partya. He talked to the latter.

"Yo-you really tried to cast magic against that demon? Tell me, what kind of wicked magic were you planning to use?"

"Shut up, Faust! Just shut your mouth right now!" Gavien was fed up. "Haah, Mr. Drato, please continue what you were saying."

Drato raised an eyebrow at Gavien's peculiar attitude. Not only was he not frightened and repulsed by his presence, he even admonished Faust for doing so?

As for Partya, well, he didn't even detect that she started casting magic, so he was a tad bit terrified of her. Had Gavien not sensed her encantation, he probably would be dead by now.

"Ahem, as I was saying, I'm an exiled demon. I've stayed in human settlements for a year or two already, but I can't take it any longer."

"Hmm, why? Do you hate humans?"

"Ah, no, no. My neighbors are lovely people. What I meant is, I haven't seen my wife and children at all since I've been exiled."

At this point, Drato chuckled. "I'm just a pathetic father, aren't I?"

All of a sudden, Partya, who hadn't opened her mouth since the start, spoke her thoughts.

"What crimes did you commit?"

"What?" Drato was caught off guard.

"I said, what crimes have you committed? Surely, it must have been something grevious, for you to get exiled like this."

"That's, ahem." Drato hesitated.

"He must've killed his entire clan or something..." Faust whispered, albeit at a volume everyone could hear.

"I haven't done anything like that! No matter how filthy my hands got, it would never stoop so low as to take someone's life."

"Hechman, right?" Partya interjected. "The Hechman family, notorious for their distribution of illegal dark magic items."

Drato widened his eyes. "How do you know that?"

"I'm a Sergil."

It was as if a bomb had been set off inside Drato's head, as he suddenly knelt down and bowed.

"Stand up. That's an order."

Drato followed her orders and stood up, keeping his head lowered.

"And so, what now? Were you trying to sneak back inside the Demon Kingdom?" Partya continued speaking, her voice turning colder with each word.

"Y, yes, Your H--"

"Shhh." Gavien put a finger on his mouth. "Can't you see someone's trying to be low key?"

"Ah, of course, of course." Drato nodded hurriedly.

"So you were. Luckily, I caught you red-handed. Head back to the human settlements, else you'll be heading straight to the dungeons." Partya waved her hand, as if ridding herself of a nuisance.

Drato's face turned pale, lamenting how unlucky he was to have encountered the Demon Princess here.

At this point, Gavien whispered in Partya's ear, to which she nodded gleefully to.

"Ahem. On second thought, you're staying with us, as a guide."

"A, a guide? For what?"

"You'll guide us through the human settlements."

"What?!" Drato's pupils shrank. "Pardon me, but may I ask why-"

"None of your business."

It was at this moment that Drato realized he had no say in the matter, at all. He could only hold his breath in the case that the Royal Princess of the Demon Kingdom would pardon his crimes after he guided her in the human settlements.

Faust, who was feeling utterly confused at the moment, was dragged away by Gavien.

"S-sir Gavien? What are you doing, what's wrong?"

"Ahem, I have to ask for a second. You are a summoned beast, right?"

"--! How did you find out?"

[Name: Faust]

[Race: Human (Cerulean)]

[Status: Enslaved]

[Master: Gart Mooney]

Gavien smiled mysteriously, not telling Faust anything.

"Let's put that aside. Are you satisfied with your current life?"

"Me? Am I... satisfied?"

All of a sudden, memories, years of abuse, flooded Faust's mind.

"No, no! Of course not! I don't wanna be a slave anymore! It hurts, it sucks, I don't get paid leave..."

"Say no more."

Gavien talked to the system in his mind.

[Are you sure you want to sever "Faust" from their master "Gart Mooney"?]

"Yes, sever it!"

[Starting the process.]

Faust, who was still thinking about how bad his life had been for the past decade or so, began to feel lighter. His soul felt like it was being freed, the shackles forcefully placed on it shattering one by one.

[Finished.]

At last, he breathed freely.

"I-I'm free?"

"Yes, you are a free man now."

"That's... woo-hoo!" Faust couldn't help but shout with all of his might.

"Wait, wait, I still have something to offer you."

"What is it, Sir Gavien?" Faust's worship for Gavien rose to new heights.

"Do you want to go back to your home world?"

"My... home world? But, it's been so long, everyone must be ten years older by now." Faust chuckled.

"That's irrelevant. My question was, do you want to go back to your home world?"

"I, I... Yes. Please. I want to see my parents. My, well, my ex-girlfriend I guess. And my home."

Gavien heard exactly what he wanted to hear.

[Are you sure you want to send "Faust Ferroin" to the planet "Cerulean"?]

"Yes."

[Starting the process.]

"Well then, goodbye, Faust Ferroin."

"Ferroin, huh. Been a long time since I last heard my surname..."

Faust faded into the wind.

[Finished.]

[Mission Progress: 1/100]