Rescue from the Depths

"Huff, huff!"

How much time had passed?

Amid the densely packed trees, he was moving forward, gasping for breath.

As he took one step at a time, his body swayed dangerously. Eventually, he collapsed right where he was cursing his own foolishness.

'It was a blunder.'

After starting in the spring, several hours had passed.

The sun was already setting, but there were no traces of a village or even a signle person.

Only the thick pine-cone forest was repeating endlessly.

At that moment, he realized.

He had made a colossal mistake.

The nearest human village that existed in his memory was merely about one or two hours away.

However, that memory was from the time when he was the mighty Demon King, ruling over enormous power.

As obvious as it was, at that time he had never walked on foot.

He had flown through the air using the synthesis creatures he created or the overflowing magical power.

In his memory, the village that lay one or two hours away was the duration it would take to cover that distance while in flight.

Naturally, there would be a difference in speed between flying in the sky and walking on the ground.

He had made an utterly ridiculous mistake.

".....Ugh! Grrr..."

Moreover, his mistake wasn't over yet. He had forgotten another important fact.

While lamenting his foolishness, he grabbed his growling belly and groaned, an unbearable hunger overwhelmed him.

That was it.

His second mistake.

He had overlooked the human appetite.

*

It goes without saying that humans cannot endure without eating.

And he had forgotten this fact. After all, he was the Demon King.

From the moment he obtained a body made of pure magical energy, he had transcended the four basic needs that living beings feel.

Thus, for him, a meal had become merely a pastime to revive memories, an act he gradually stopped enjoying over time.

As a result, he had completely forgotten the fact that humans need food to survive.

And as a consequence, his body was now literally in a crisis situation.

"Grrr....!"

Upon hearing the growl coming from his stomach, he squeezed his abdomen and moaned.

It was now beyond the limit.

How many hours had passed since his resurrection?

During that time, he hadn't eaten at all.

It was clear he was in the immediate aftermath of his revival. His body was devoid of energy, having consumed nothing more than a small amount of spring water to quench his thirst. 

In such a state, there was no way he could endure.

"Ugh, damn it!"

Feeling an unbearable sense of humiliation, he rolled around on the dirt ground.

He could never have imagined he would end up in such a situation.

"Damn... Is there nothing to eat?"

Muttering like a lunatic, he looked around.

However, only the dense pine-cone forest surrounded him.

No matter how hard he looked, he could not see anything edible.

"Ugh..."

When humans found out that the Demon King died of hunger while searching for food, what reactions would they show?

And what expressions would the demon kin would wear?

Thinking of that, his face turned ashen.

This couldn't be happening.

He had to move his feet somehow. With that thought, he let out a loud cry and tried to get up.

"UAAAAH!"

However, soon his body collapsed back onto the dirt ground.

'Did he no longer even have the strength to stand up?'

Was this how it would end?

To meet such a ridiculous end... has he endured those suffering and pain for nothing?

Overwhelmed by rage at his fate and the inability to take revenge on his subordinates and lover, he literally screamed.

"Uaaaaaah!"

And it became his last desperate struggle.

Eventually, his body, drained of all strength, collapsed completely.

In the faintly fading consciousness, he begged for forgiveness from his subordinates.

It was then.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle."

"...!"

He heard footsteps approaching him.

'Could a wild animal have caught his scent and come closer?'

He thought so and forced himself to turn his head in the direction of the sound.

But there stood an unexpected figure, not the wild animal he had imagined.

In his blurry vision, he caught sight of a girl with red hair standing against the backdrop of a pine-cone forest, dressed in white and black.

"Save me..."

He opened his mouth desperately to ask for help.

But the only thing that flowed from his throat was a thin voice that sounded like a scream.

'No way.'

It felt like he would lose consciousness at any moment.

He had to call out to her somehow. But now, his voice could no longer come out. That wasn't all; his consciousness was flickering and fading as well.

'Damn it, is this the end?'

'It couldn't end like this.'

'So please, someone... Anyone.....'

A snapping sound echoed in his mind as if something had broken.

And just like that, he lost consciousness.

It was right after that that the girl discovered him lying down.

*

"Seria!"

A newly appeared blonde woman shouted from among the woods.

At the sound of her voice, the girl with red hair looked at the woman.

Looking at the girl with red hair, the woman frowned and opened her mouth.

"I told you clearly! You shouldn't act recklessly during an operation!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lady Karen!" 

Startled by the icy reprimand, the girl named Seria responded hurriedly. Karen let out a deep sigh at her demeanour.

"Glad you understand. From now on, be careful! By the way, who is that boy over there?"

"O-Oh, yes! This boy! He is the one whose scream we heard earlier!"

Saying so, Seria turned over his body. At that moment, the rags he was wearing fell away, exposing his body to their sight.

Upon confirming that, Karen grimaced and turned her head away.

"Ugh, what are you showing me! Cover that boy's body immediately!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

In a panic, Seria tried to cover the boy's vital areas with the rag he had been wearing.

Only then did Karen approach the boy with a somewhat displeased expression to check his condition.

"...Um, Lady Karen? How is he?"

"...No need to worry. He just seems to be exhausted. He probably hasn't eaten well for a while."

After checking the boy's condition, Karen shook off her hands and stood up. Seeing that, Seria let out a sigh of relief.

Watching Seria's reaction, Karen clicked her tongue slightly.

'Could it be that she really had heard a scream?

Perhaps there was beast's blood in her lineage.

That was how it seemed.

Her eyesight was sharp. Her hearing was excellent.

This was no ordinary level of talent.'

Karen belonged to the Order of the White Flame, known as the 'White Knights,' renowned for their skill as elite warriors and knights. 

However, to possess senses that surpassed even hers was simply a remarkable talent.

She thought indeed that this was a promising individual, labelled as the best talent in the last five years at the knight academy.

Yet, that didn't mean there were no flaws.

One of the flaws is that she exhibits sudden outbursts just like before.

This was an extremely significant issue for the knights facing monsters while riding golems through a mutual connection.

No matter how outstanding one's individual abilities are, it's impossible to fight multiple monsters alone.

It was a given, but cooperation between each other was absolutely necessary.

In such situations, the personal actions of a comrade who had their back were literally a matter of life and death.

However, Seria exhibited such outbursts far too often.

Moreover, there was another issue with her like her, lack of common sense.

Even now, it was the same.

Without any hesitation, she exposed the bare body of a man to others.

It was unbelievable that she thought so casually about such a filthy appearance.

I heard she had lived deep in the mountains for a long time with her father, just the two of them.

It was clear that this had dulled her perception of men.

Additionally, her understanding of social norms was severely lacking.

Especially regarding the etiquette that should naturally be possessed by a paladin.

"..."

Sighing lightly, she looked at Seria, who was helping the boy to stand up.

It had been two months since she took on the educational duties assigned by the order of her country.

Although she thought she had made considerable corrections, she never expected such issues to still arise.

It was nothing short of embarrassing for her country.

'No, I can't just sigh like this.'

Gathering her resolve, Karen thought about what to do next.

If something was lacking, it could be fixed.

If it didn't work, it would be repeated again and again. Thinking that way, she planned to tighten Seria's training regimen even more.

At that moment, Seria, carrying the boy on her back, felt an involuntary shiver creeping up her body.

But no matter how much she looked around, she could not find out why.

"Let's head back."

Looking at Seria, Karen spoke calmly and then turned away, striding forward.

"Yes, Lady Karen!"

Seria hurriedly replied and began to follow Karen. Behind them was the black-haired, red-eyed boy, unconscious and being carried.

Thus, the three of them moved away through the shadows created by the densely rising dark bramble trees.

They did not know.

What significance their meeting just moments ago held.

And how this meeting would change the course of their fates.