Chapter 3 — I Think My Heart is Talking… And It’s a Jerk

The village was dead quiet. Not even a chicken left behind.

Eren stood on a broken fence, looking out over the empty human homes.

Burnt food still sat in pots. Laundry fluttered like flags of surrender.

His mighty demon army stood in rows behind him… tired, hungry, and disappointed.

Hagemaru flipped through his storybook like it was a battle manual. "There's no map in this thing, Lord Eren. I think this book is just for bedtime."

"Wonderful," Eren muttered. "I've got a starving army, a bedtime book general, and a village full of ghosts."

Rost scratched his stone belly with a grrkkk. Zenis picked her nails with a dagger, clearly bored.

Eren sighed. Then it happened.

A voice echoed softly—from inside his chest.

"You asked how to burn the world. First, maybe light a fire under this army."

"…What?" Eren blinked and looked around. "Who said that? Zenis? Was that you? That felt… inside me."

She frowned. "If I was inside you, you'd be dead."

"…Not helping."

Then the voice came again—calm, snarky, and clearly having a better sense of direction than Eren.

"Relax. I'm your system. I live in your heart now."

Eren pointed to his chest. "System? What kind of system lives in my heart? Where's the menu? Where's the status bar? The cheat codes?"

The voice sighed like a tired office worker.

"There was a… situation. A glitch during summoning. You weren't supposed to be reincarnated. Someone else was supposed to get this Demon Lord body."

So now I am your best friend You can talk to me about anything.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Eren nearly fell over. 

System says what happened.

So you are telling I can't even use the system like system. 

"Yes" system says.

Eren says shut your mouth.

Before his new existential crisis could continue, there was a rustle in the nearby bushes.

They all froze.

Rost raised his fists. Zenis reached for her twin snakes. Hagemaru dropped his book and crouched behind Eren like a backpack.

The bushes shook again. Then a small, bruised Demi-Human girl crawled out—dirt on her face, hair tangled, and eyes wide with fear. But instead of screaming, she started crying.

Eren knelt slowly. Something in her face hit him like a truck.

A memory—flickering and raw.

Young Eren, back on Earth. Bullied, beaten, thrown into lockers.

Tears on his cheek. Bruises on his arms. Laughter behind him.

He had cried like this once—alone and small.

The present snapped back.

"Hey… hey, it's okay. You're safe now." 

"What happned . Where are other people"

The girl sniffled. "They took them… all the demihumans from our village. The slave traders came in the night. They killed my father… They took my mom and the others…"

Eren urgently tell them in group . 

"If we rescue them," he said out loud, "this people will owe me.

Zenis's eyes sharpened like a blade. "Do you want me to track them, my lord?"

Eren stood slowly, thinking.

 They'll need a new home."

He turned to Zenis. "Go. Quietly. Find them."

She bowed with a sly grin and disappeared like smoke.

Hagemaru blinked. "You're going to rescue slaves to… build an army? "

Eren raised an eyebrow. "You got a better idea? You wanted to eat humans."

Hagemaru replied "No Lord if they join our army. Our army will increase and we can gather more food " 

"He grinned and say you are genius boss…."

Eren turned his eyes to the horizon. His chest burned—not with anger, but intent.

He clenched his fist and whispered,

"Hey… heart system thing. Can I kill this slavers at my level ?"

The voice answered instantly.

"You can destroy them. Burn them."

Eren smiled darkly. "Good. Because I'm done sitting on thrones and doing nothing."