What Will Happen If I Kill Both His Familiars?

Two men with dark skin and red eyes, clad in leather armor, fixed frowning gazes on Aaron and Protean.

"Who is this, Emily?" the first man asked, turning his head towards the young demoness.

"Emily, why did you bring someone into the village?" the second man echoed, his tone suspicious.

"Calm down, you two," Emily retorted, a hint of impatience in her voice. "This is Aaron. Now both of you should move aside and let us in!"

"Hey, young girl, you are the daughter of the Commander and Chief, but that doesn't mean you can talk to us in that manner," the first guard, Rob, sneered.

"Say that again," Emily challenged, her red eyes beginning to glow ominously.

"What are you doing, Rob? Let her in," the other guard urged his companion, then added in a lower voice, "Do you want her to beat you again?"

Rob shot him a glare. "Keep your voice down." He then grudgingly turned back to Emily. "You know the situation of our race. Are you sure he's not a spy?"

"He has demon blood and can also use Demonic energy, so he can't be a spy," Emily stated confidently.

The two guards exchanged a look, then nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, Emily," Rob conceded, stepping aside and opening the small gate wider.

"Let's go in," Emily said, grabbing Aaron's wrist and pulling him through the entrance.

The two guards' gazes remained fixed on Aaron as he passed. Rob subtly made a "My eyes are on you" gesture.

'Wow, that was something. And what situation are the demons in?' Aaron wondered, his mind racing with questions.

As they walked further into the village, hushed whispers followed them.

"Who is he?"

"I've never seen Emily with a guy before."

"She's even holding his hand."

"Is she dragging him to the Chief?"

"What wrong could such a handsome kid have committed?"

"Let's find out."

"Who is this, Emily? Did you refuse to follow me for this guy?" A young boy with striking blue hair, who looked around fifteen years old, approached them with folded arms, a possessive air about him. Two other boys stood protectively behind him.

"Get out of my sight, Vince. I won't ask again," Emily said, her voice sharp and dismissive.

"What? Are you chasing me away because of this country bumpkin? He doesn't even look like a demon." Vince scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked Aaron up and down.

"Yes, Vince. He looks like one of those pathetic humans," one of the boys behind Vince chimed in with a sneer.

"Yes, if not for Emily, I would have taught him a lesson," the other added, echoing his friend's sentiment.

"Oi! I bet she followed him because of that griffin on his shoulder," the boy on the right snickered, pointing at Protean, who remained calmly perched on Aaron's shoulder.

"That's nothing. Vince has a raven and also a deadly horn dog," the boy on the left countered dismissively.

'A raven? Protean wouldn't draw as much attention if he were a raven. And this fool might have a magic ring or familiar ring. I forgot what it's called… But that would be beneficial if I could get a magic ring,' Aaron mused, a plan forming in his mind. He placed his hand on Emily's right shoulder.

"Let me handle this," he said confidently.

"Uh?" Emily looked surprised by his sudden action.

Aaron stepped forward, placing himself in front of Emily and staring directly at the three boys.

"What do you think you're doing, you toddler?" Vince sneered, looking down at Aaron.

"I'll only ask two questions," Aaron said, raising two fingers.

"Oh really? And what profound inquiries do you have?" the boy on the left said with a mocking tone.

"First: Do you have a magic ring? Second: Can I get the core of your raven?" Aaron asked, his expression serious.

Emily's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The three boys burst into loud laughter.

The onlookers, who had been observing from a distance, frowned slightly at the commotion.

"Magic ring? Are you referring to my enchanted ring? Hahaha… I don't know why you agreed to follow such a fool," Vince said between fits of laughter.

Protean's eyes flashed blood red, a low growl rumbling in his chest at the insults directed at his master. Even Emily's hands clenched into fists, her anger simmering beneath the surface.

"And have the core of my raven? Are you mad?! Giving you the core is akin to killing my familiar. Even though we demons can only have two familiars, I'm not planning on killing one," Vince scoffed.

"Okay then, I'll just have to kill your familiar and take the core. I don't need your enchanted ring anymore," Aaron declared with an air of nonchalant arrogance.

"You bastard!!" Vince and the two boys behind him erupted in fury.

"Who do you think you are? Coming to our village and acting all mighty! Vince is an Awakened Stage warrior. Do you think you can face him and his familiars?!" the boy on the right yelled, his face contorted with rage.

"I won't use all my strength, because I don't want to kill you. So just summon your familiar, and please, it should be the raven," Aaron said, his tone laced with feigned exhaustion.

"You! Deadly Horn Dog, show yourself!" Vince roared, pointing the ring on his finger forward. In the next moment, a red, forty-centimeter-tall dog with a five-centimeter-long horn protruding from its head materialized in front of them, snarling menacingly.

"Step back, Aaron. Let me deal with h—" Emily began, moving to intervene.

"—Shhh," Aaron cut her off gently, glancing at her over his shoulder.

Seeing Emily's uncharacteristic deference towards Aaron, Vince gritted his teeth and yelled at his familiar, "Attack him!"

The villagers continued to watch, their murmurs growing more intrigued.

"What is that kid doing?"

"That's Vince, the son of the best hunter in the village, who is also an Archer Class."

"Should we stop him?"

"Wait, for Emily to follow a boy… This boy might have something about him that caught her attention."

"You might be right."

"Let's just wait. If it escalates, we'll intervene."

Aaron groaned in frustration. "I said the raven, not a dog!" He stared at the charging canine, its small but sharp horn glinting in the dim light.

'Should I kill this animal?' Protean whispered telepathically to Aaron.

'No, Protean. I need to make a statement in this village. For these fools to respect me.' Aaron said back.

"What will happen if I kill both his familiars?" Aaron then asked Emily in a low voice.

"With your… position, they won't be able to do anything. And they're the ones who started it," Emily replied, her eyes fixed on the approaching dog, ready to act if things went awry.

Aaron nodded, a grim determination settling on his face. He drew his dagger just as the Deadly Horn Dog lunged towards him, its claws extended and jaws wide open, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Whoosh!!

{All Seeing Eyes.}

{Success rate: 100%.}

"...."

"?!!!"

"...."

Everyone, including Emily, froze in stunned silence. The dog's severed head tumbled onto the ground, followed by its lifeless body. No one had seen Aaron move past the charging beast, let alone deliver the swift, fatal strike that severed its head.

"What just…? My familiar!" Vince staggered backward, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror. A mouthful of blood suddenly erupted from his lips.

"Vince! Are you okay?!"

"Vince!!"

'What just happened?' Even Emily was frozen in place, her mind struggling to comprehend the speed and precision of Aaron's attack.

"Did that kid just kill Vince's familiar with one strike?"

"At such a young age, he's already a killer?!"

"Where did Emily find this devil from?!"

"What should we do? The Hunter will be enraged if he returns and finds out his son's familiar has been killed."

"There is nothing we can do. The Chief will handle this; his daughter is the one who brought this boy to the village."

"Yeah."

"How dare you?! Black Raven! Show yo—" Vince began to shout, reaching for his ring again.

"—Stop, Vince."

Everyone turned their heads towards the newcomer, a man with short, fiery red hair walking purposefully towards them, his expression stern.

Emily: "Dad?"

"It's the Chief."

"The Commander is here!"