A theory

'That man is a demon?' he stood in disbelief.

Beside the man, a family member was sitting to take care of him.

'I should be careful when revealing this information.'

'Calling someone a demon was synonymous with giving a death sentence. If I make a mistake here, I would antagonise the family member.'

'In a matter of life or death, I can't predict how they would react.'

'All the fear and enmity they had for the demons might be redirected at me if I mishandle this situation. But I also have to think about the tribe and the people around it. If the demon turns violent and lashes out, killing someone before I could do something, I would have to live with the guilt forever.'

A multitude of thoughts streamed through Aru's mind. He was considering all the possibilities he could think of rationally.

"Aru, why are you standing there? Come quickly." Kora rushed him towards a side.

Most of the warriors were taught how to take care of injuries. And the injuries Aru sustained were within Kora's ability to treat. However, he still wished for the apprentice of the shaman who came with them to take a look at Aru.

"Mala, can you take a look at him?" Kora asked a young woman who was nearby.

The young woman, Mala, was the apprentice of the shaman. She was learning about medicine and treatment methods from the shaman. 

At just seventeen years old, she was a rank 1 warrior and excelled in medical treatment. Literally, she was the most skilled medic of the tribe after the shaman.

Kora had called out to her while she had just finished treating a patient. So, she immediately turned to look in his direction.

The number of people in the tribe was comparatively low, so most of them knew each other. Kora knew the medic Mala and vice versa. 

"Yes," Mala replied.

At a glance, you could see that she was exhausted. She had been tending to all the injured during the chaos and after. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep or time to rest. The dark circles surrounding her eyes were proof of that.

Aru did his usual thing. He tried to link with Mala to identify her stats. 

[Rank 1 Human ]

The text show reassured him when she moved closer to him. 

'She is a pretty.' Once she walked closer to Aru, he noticed. 

With clear skin with no blemishes and tidy combed hair tied in a ponytail, she was indeed pretty. However, she was trying her best to cover up her body with puffy clothes and a hooded jacket. 

"Is this the student you were talking about?" 

"Yeah. His name is Aru."

"Hello, Aru. Come here, let big sister take a look." As if coaxing a child, she asked Aru. 

'I am not a child. I am a warrior, you know. Don't speak like that to me.' He muttered in his mind. But he didn't show his discomfort outside. 

"Aru, take off your clothes quickly and show them to big sister." Kora urged.

"Uh!" Aru exclaimed.

'Take what off! Show what to big sister?'

Aru blushed without knowing. His mind was wandering on all the wrong paths. 

"Look at him being shy. Isn't he cute?" 

Seeing this scene, a smile blossomed on Mala's face. She was tired beyond words, but that small interaction seemed to have rejuvenated her. The kid was funny, she thought.

"Hey! Shy kid, follow me." Suddenly Mala said.

She then led him into a small room within the shelter, where a thin wall separated them from the outside.

Kora followed them into the room.

Although unexpected, it was working out in Aru's favour.

To be separated from the demons was the thing he wished for. Now, even without doing anything, he got a chance. A perfect chance to inform someone about the danger. 

Mala confirmed that Aru's wounds weren't particularly severe once they entered the room. Shallow cuts on the skin and bruises were injuries that could be healed within hours with the right medicine. She swiftly treated the open wounds before providing him with medicine to be ingested.

During the treatment, Mala was amazed by Aru's ability to endure pain. She mentally noted down the name of the child.

As her treatment concluded, she was about to step away.

'Now is the time,'

"Sister Mala?"

"Hm? Do you need anything else?"

It was difficult to outright say it, but Aru decided to trust his instinct and speak. Only his master and Mala were in the room, and they both weren't demons. He had nothing to worry about.

"There is a demon inside this shelter." He spoke in a hushed voice. He didn't want those outside to hear it.

Aru's words took everyone by surprise.

Mala's eyes turned sharp while Kora quickly approached Aru. 

"What do you mean?" Kora asked.

"It's as I said, I sensed a demon inside this shelter."

"You can do that?"

"I think so." 

While Kora and Aru conversed, Mala's face became grim. 

Kora trusted his student, but it was not the same with Mala. It was the first time she had seen him, and she had no reason to believe his words.

Moreover, every person here was personally tested by her, the current medic. Yet, to hear that one demon had slipped through meant that she was doing a lousy job. As a hardworking person, her ego was a little hurt by this presumption. 

Kora suddenly remembered Mala and turned to look at her. Seeing her grim face, he knew that Aru had said something that made her unhappy. 

"Mala…" Kora began, but he was cut off by Mala.

"Is there any proof to your claim?" she interjected.

"I don't have any valid proofs now. But I can prove it once we take off the bandages of that person," Aru responded.

Then, he took some time to explain which patient he was speaking about.

"You don't have to check again. I had already taken off his bandages and looked. His injuries were severe and were healing at a normal rate. There is nothing to see there," Mala affirmed.

Mala was sure of it. She would not make a simple mistake like that. 

This kid Aru was just wasting her time. She decided to leave the room.