Journey's End!

"You're the Summoned Hero of Darwitz?" Veldia asked, her eyes wide in surprise. Her pupils sparkled like shiny crystals, full of wonder.

"Huh… What's the point of telling that to everyone?" Aoto replied with a tired voice. "Besides, there have been so many times when newspapers wrote about me. My face is everywhere with different pictures, and yet you couldn't figure it out?"

He let out a long sigh.

"Hahaha… I don't really read newspapers," Veldia said, scratching the back of her head and giving an awkward laugh.

Audrey smiled and said gently, "Let's go inside the village and check if everyone is okay."

Both Aoto and Veldia nodded. Together, they walked into the village.

As they arrived, they saw some leftover bandits running away in panic. A few of them had grabbed bags and baskets of food or clothes while escaping.

But Aoto didn't chase them. He just stood quietly, watching.

"They're just scared and desperate," he thought. "What matters is that the villagers are safe. That's more important than getting those stolen things back."

Thanks to Aoto's sudden arrival, the bandits didn't get the chance to cause much damage. Most of the houses were fine, and the people were unharmed.

Later, Veldia led Aoto to the village chief's house. There, many important villagers had already gathered.

As soon as they saw Aoto, they smiled and bowed politely.

"Thank you so much for saving our village!" the chief said with deep respect. "We are truly grateful!"

Others clapped and nodded in agreement. Some even patted Veldia on the shoulder, happy that she brought help.

"You did great, Veldia!" one of the older women said kindly.

Veldia's face turned red from all the attention, but she smiled proudly.

The village chief stepped forward again and asked, "Is there anything we can do to repay you? Anything within our power—we will do it!"

Aoto scratched his head and smiled lightly. "Oh, it's nothing really. I didn't do much. But if you really want to do something... please accept her," he said, pointing to Audrey. "Let her work at your church. I believe she'll be a wonderful nun. And make sure to treat her well."

"Of course! Of course! Without a doubt!" the village chief said excitedly. "We would be honored to have her!"

Audrey's eyes shimmered with emotion. She bowed to Aoto and whispered, "Thank you so much… for everything."

After that, the villagers insisted that Aoto stay for a few days to rest. At first, he hesitated, but they were so kind and persistent that he agreed.

He ended up staying in Freysac Village for three days.

During those days, the whole village celebrated. One night, they lit a big bonfire in the middle of the village and cooked food together. Everyone gathered to eat, sing, and share stories. It was warm and lively.

Kids played around the fire while adults laughed and shared drinks. Some elders even performed old traditional dances to impress Aoto.

One of the funniest things happened on the second night—several families tried to introduce their daughters to Aoto. Some girls shyly peeked from behind their parents. Others offered him food or flowers, clearly interested in him.

Aoto smiled awkwardly and politely turned them down.

"Not that I have anything against marriage," he thought to himself, "but I came here to find a treasure… Not to forget my goal of build a harem, So marrige is out of the question ",

----------------

After spending three peaceful days in Freysac Village, Aoto was ready to continue his journey. He stood at the edge of the village, staring at the dense forest ahead. The morning sun was just rising, casting a golden light on the tall trees. Birds chirped softly in the distance, and a gentle breeze blew through the leaves.

Aoto had already said goodbye to the villagers, Audrey, and Veldia. Everyone had waved him off with smiles and good wishes. Now, the only thing left was the treasure—the legendary sword he had come all this way to find.

He took a deep breath and lifted his foot to take the first step forward—

"I'll come too!" a voice called out behind him.

Startled, Aoto turned around and saw Veldia walking towards him with a serious look in her eyes.

"What are you doing here? This might be dangerous!" Aoto said, though in his mind he was thinking something else.

"Is she trying to get a share of the treasure? No way! I'm not giving away even a single thing ",he thought

But Veldia stood firm and crossed her arms. "You already helped us. Now it's my turn. I know this forest well and I'm great at finding paths."

Aoto blinked.

Hmm… she might actually be useful, he thought. He sighed and nodded. "Alright, you can come. But stay behind me, okay?"

Veldia grinned. "Got it!"

With that, the two of them stepped into the forest. The air grew cooler under the thick canopy, and sunlight barely reached the ground. Birds flew away as they walked, and the sound of their footsteps crunched softly on fallen leaves.

Aoto kept glancing at a worn-out map in his hands, following the direction carefully.

"Legendary sword… legendary sword… woohoo~!" he kept repeating in his mind with excitement.

They walked for a few hours through winding paths and thick bushes, until they came across a wooden sign stuck into the ground. It looked old and covered in moss.

On it was an arrow pointing forward, and in bold letters were written:

Area of Demons / Demon Realm

Aoto froze.

"What?! But on the map it clearly says this is still human territory!" he shouted in shock.

Veldia looked at the board and shrugged. "Borders change all the time. You should know that. Sometimes demons take over human lands, and sometimes we take theirs."

Aoto's face went pale as he stared into the forest ahead.

"So that's why no one ever found the treasure… it's inside the Demon Realm?"

His hands tightened around the map.

"But aren't there secret groups or spies who sneak into enemy lands? Someone must've tried to get the sword, right?" he wondered.

Despite being the chosen hero, even he didn't know about any such group.

"This world is seriously dumb", he thought. "If I become king one day, I'll make sure we have secret teams to handle things like this. Hmph!"

He turned back and began walking away.

"Forget it… this is too much trouble."

But then, just before he stepped away, he stopped. His eyes looked back at the path ahead.

"I've come so far… I can't give up now!"

He took a deep breath, his heart pounding. "I'm going in. Just a little. If I see any danger, I'll come back."

Veldia stepped forward beside him. "Then I'm coming too! I'm really good at running and fighting too "

Aoto gave her a small smile, and together, they stepped into the Demon Realm.

They moved slowly, making as little noise as possible. The air here felt heavy and cold. The trees were darker, the wind carried strange whispers, and there was an eerie silence, like the forest itself was watching them.

A few kilometers deep into the Demon Realm, far above the trees, someone was watching.

Floating in the sky with dark, bat-like wings was a woman. She had long black hair that flowed in the wind and skin pale as snow. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Aoto and Veldia.

It was Seraphina.

"Is that the hero… trying to sneak into our land?" she said quietly, her voice calm but full of danger.

Seraphina looked down from the sky, her sharp eyes narrowing. Below her, the Demon Realm stretched far and wide—and right at the center was something terrifying.

A massive army of demons and monsters.

There were so many of them that it looked like the land itself was alive. Roars, stomps, growls—they filled the air like a distant thunder. Easily more than a million creatures stood ready, armed and growling, waiting for the day they would march toward the Kingdom of Gwarga.

Seraphina's eyes widened in shock.

"No! If the hero finds out about this army… If he learns we're preparing to attack the Kingdom of Gwarga… or what if he already knows and came here just to confirm it?",

Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Her heartbeat quickened, and without wasting another second, she made a decision.

"The preparations are nearly done. I must stop him before he finds out more!"

With a powerful flap of her black wings, she shot down through the sky like a missile, heading straight for Aoto.

The wind screamed around her as she sliced through the air. The distance closed in seconds, and before long, she reached the forest where Aoto and Veldia were walking peacefully, still unaware of the danger above.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the sky.

"You dare to step into my lord's territory?!"

Aoto and Veldia froze as a strong shockwave blew through the trees. Leaves flew everywhere, and branches trembled.

Aoto looked up, confused.

"Huh? Who's that?"

Above them hovered Seraphina. She looked like a normal demon at first, her dark hair blowing in the wind and her wings beating slowly. Her aura was hidden, making it hard to guess how strong she was.

"I thought the fifth demon king was a man..." Aoto mumbled, staring up.

"I think she's just one of the demon king's underlings, She got weak aura too. Maybe you can beat her," Veldia whispered, peeking from behind Aoto. "But do it quickly and quietly before she alerts the others!"

Aoto grinned and stepped forward.

"Hey, demon lady! Wanna join my harem? Is your demon king treating you badly? Maybe there's a side quest for saving you or something?"

His voice was half serious, half playful—he really wanted a demon girl in his harem.

Seraphina blinked. Then her lips curved into a twisted smile. A second later, she burst into laughter like a madwoman.

"HAHAHAHA! So this is how humans propose duels now?" she said, her voice echoing through the trees. "You want me to be your wife if you win? How cute. But I prefer… death duels!"

She lowered herself until she was almost touching the ground and pointed her glowing sword at Aoto. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and madness.

"Let's see whose sword is faster, hero!" she shouted.

Aoto didn't move for a moment. Then, with a calm smile, he raised his right arm.

There was no sword.

Instead, the wooden stick he had been carrying transformed in an instant. In a blink, it turned into a beautifully carved shotgun with golden edges and glowing patterns.

"I think my gun is faster."

BANG!

The sound was deafening. Birds flew away in panic. The blast echoed like thunder.

It all happened so quickly that Veldia didn't even blink before it was over.

Aoto's shot hit Seraphina right in the face.

But…

The bullet broke.

Instead of blasting her head apart, it simply scratched her cheek—leaving a tiny cut on her perfect face.

Seraphina's smile vanished. Her eyes turned sharp, full of fury. The air around her shifted and turned heavy.

"You… YOU'RE DEAD!" she screamed, releasing a powerful dark aura that made the ground shake. Trees bent. Rocks cracked. The very air buzzed with magic.

Aoto stepped back, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.

Just then, he looked behind Seraphina and pointed. "Oh wow! The demon king himself is here!"

Seraphina gasped and quickly turned around.

"What?! My liege?!"

But there was nothing behind her. Just empty air and a few falling leaves.

She turned back—only to find Aoto and Veldia running like crazy in the opposite direction.

"Aaaaaaaaah! Someone save me!" Aoto screamed at the top of his lungs, running faster than he ever had in his life.

"Why are you running?! You're supposed to be the hero! Go back and fight!" Veldia shouted, barely keeping up with him.

"Why should I?! I'm too young to die! I'm not even married yet! I still have dreams!" Aoto shouted back, his eyes wide with panic as a fireball zoomed past his head.

Veldia almost tripped over a root. She gritted her teeth and thought, "Who the hell made this guy a hero?!",

Behind them, Seraphina's angry voice boomed across the forest.

"You're not getting away, Hero Aoto! You dared to enter my lord's land without permission!",