0.15.

A negotiation was taking place between Gull and the town's chief. Around the table were various dishes native to their home, the staple being tuber plants and meat from monsters in the forest. Wrapping the mashed root plant meat paste inside a large pilaf-like leaf, Sequencee shoved the small ball of food into his mouth. His cheeks were all puffed up, prompting Anna to poke it. Sequencee glared at her, she giggled.

"Astrid, how are you?" Anna asked, turning to the young slave munching on smoke-dried jerky.

"I'm okay," she responded simply.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Much better now, thank you," she replied with a blush and looked away.

Astrid age was unknown, but one could assume that she was at least older than Sequencee. Anna had just applied some minor healing magic to soothe her period cramps, thus her reaction.

Sequencee who didn't know any better ate as if no tomorrow.

"Mom, is Schwii going to come this year?" Wiping the salt from his lips, he asked.

Caught off guard by the question, Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm not sure. But since you're so adamant, I will try to persuade her this time around."

'If she doesn't come then … '

The daughter of the succubus queen Vyiella Leviath who ruled over the demon nation of Leviath, Schwii Arch, was his friend–no, his girlfriend. Since he was five, Anna would bring Schwii to their home every year to spend time together.

He was now thirteen, and two years ago she confessed to him. However, last year, she excused herself from coming on the pretext that she was busy with the responsibilities as a princess. Sequencee didn't know if her feelings for him had changed, or that there was some political pressure involved.

At eleven years old, after completing his basic education, his mother began bringing him around the world. Since then, he had a glimpse of a wider world. He learnt that love was a much more complicated topic when status and politics were involved. Whether Schwii still liked him or not–he wanted to confirm it with his own two eyes and ears.

"She has her reasons."

"I know but … "

"You know, it's not easy to manage the responsibilities she holds in her position."

"Yeah … "

Key point: princess. Whether this culture of building early competence in the field of politics was or was not unique to demons, Schwii who Sequencee knew to be only fourteen years old this year was already managing the affairs of the demon nation.

Sequencee wondered if the confession from two years ago was nothing more than the infamous puppy love he often heard about?

"Who is Schwii?" Astrid asked.

"Schwii? She's the daughter of a friend of mine," Anna said.

"What a unique name," Astrid muttered, "Sequencee, you like Schwii?"

"Uh … yeah …?"

"What does it feel like to like someone?"

Astrid, who had only seen romance in books, couldn't help but wonder if the portrayal of the emotions were the same in real life.

"I don't know how to explain it," Sequencee huffed.

'How does it feel like? Stuffy and constantly on the top of your mind. But it's faded over the months.'

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, that, you see, Ceylon said he liked me. I don't know how to deal with it," Astrid muttered

Gull had many slaves under his command. It was cheaper long term, and much easier to manage them than hiring actual workers. Even so, he made it a point to treat them with respect and dignity, providing them with working clothes, food, water and a roof to call home.

Ceylon and Astrid were two of the half dozen slaves Gull had under him. Astrid was one of the more intelligent ones, often taking the initiative to help out.

"Do you like him then?" Anna asked in a soft voice.

Astrid peeked at the small boy named Ceylon.

"For a slave, the fact that he's still thinking about romance feels like a naive thing to do. I don't think I like him as a romantic partner either," Astrid shook her head.

'My condolences.'

Sequencee prayed for Ceylon's better future.

===

Trace scent of iron and soggy moss could be derived from the zephyr coming from deep within the forest. The sounds of ripping flesh and gnawing jaws echoed brazenly in this vast, deadly forest.

A C-rank hallowbear, a mutant one. The fur of this beast was typically a dark-green or brown, allowing them to somewhat blend into their environment. This one however, had white fur. Its dull eyes had a blood-red shine to it, making an inconspicuous existence in the forest. However, it was almost twice as big as its normal counterpart.

It raised its snout, blood dripped from its mouth, creating sticky strings of red. It turned towards the direction of the dark, there was a small red dot.

Snap. Whoosh–

The red bead whizzed through the air. Entering the mouth of the unsuspecting bear, it exploded.

Splatter!

Guts and viscera splattered, the hallowbear fell to the ground with its head gone.

"Good job."

"I don't get why we need to do this mom. Aren't these just monsters?"

"You need to better familiarize yourself with hunting."

"That I already know, don't I? And, it's not like the same thing from the dungeons can be applied here."

Many of the monsters in Norcto's Woodlands were D-rank. Only rarely would you find something above C-rank. The main reason for this is the lack of mana in the air which, when having prolonged exposure, enhanced the abilities of the monsters. That said, it wasn't like Norcto's Woodland was any safer than a typical dungeon. Most monsters here work in packs, something that shouldn't be overlooked.

"No, no. The principles remain the same, the only difference is the environment. It's exactly for this reason why you still need training."

Anna began going on about the similarities between hunting and dungeon crawling, explaining that it all comes under the same umbrella of 'best practices'. The changes aren't so big that these best practices fall out of place. Things like body mechanics, planning and techniques for scouting.

Tremble–

"Huh?"

"Sequencee, don't be aloof."

"Huh? Oh."

The ground shook as if a giant were walking the lands. A trent? A forest troll? He raised his vigilance. It did not seem like this thing was headed their way, if anything, the tremors were fading.

Sequencee looked at his mother. He was surprised to find a frown on her face.

"What is it?" He whispered.

"It's been a while since I've gone all out."

"Yes?" Sequencee didn't understand why the air around Anna suddenly changed. Did she know the source of the trembling?

"Let's go deeper."

"H-Huh?"

"Fufu. You scared?" Anna grinned.

'In the end, she doesn't even follow her own advice.'

Sequencee sighed inwardly.

Half an hour later …

"Darned, we missed it!"

"Missed what?"

"I don't know, something big!"

Sequencee held back the urge to smack himself. His mother was huffing in frustration yet didn't even know what they were chasing.

A nice cold wind blew, cooling Anna's burning disappointment. She glanced off toward the cliff at the edge of the plains.

On one side, there was Norcto's Woodlands, the other, an infinitely deep trench which spanned the entire continent. Intersecting the empire and the many kingdoms that rose with it– also known the most notorious dungeon which had ever come into existence–

The Black Ravine.

Anna walked up to the low fence which had been built along the parameter of the ravine. She kicked off some dirt, it tumbled down and down and down–so far below that her wind magic could no longer sense its presence.

A black abyss no one knew the depths to.

A mystery which baffled historians and archaeologists alike.

A treasure land for mercenaries-turned-adventurer, hunting for ancient relics, some dating all the way back to the Last Era.

"Wow. I can't believe we actually went down there … " Sequencee muttered, staring into the abyss.

During their previous go at the dungeon, they had an encounter with the lesser leviathan. If only Anna hadn't been so gung-ho, they wouldn't have ended up in such a desperate situation. Then again, what could he say? That is just how she is.

"Want to spend a night here?" Anna dropped her sling bag to the ground and took out a camping kit.

"Here? Isn't it dangerous?"

"The Black Ravine emanates an aura that makes most lesser monsters flee from it. It's safe as long as we don't sleep too close to the forest–besides, isn't it nice to stargaze every once in a while with your mom?" Anna said as she twirled on the spot with her hands spread open wide.

A day earlier, they had just reached Coulley's March. Gull had an appointment with an important client here, and he estimated that the meetings and discussions will take at least a week. So taking this opportunity, Anna brought Sequencee out.

The sound of crackling fire added warmth to the peaceful night. Anna and Sequencee sat around the fire. Just the two of them.

"How long are you going to keep the spell going?" Anna asked.

"Spell?"

"The one you always use to hide your horn. There's no one here, so you can loosen up."

"Oh, okay."

'So this is another reason why huh?'

Sequencee put a pause on his illusion magic. First, tens of dozens of colourful elemental beads came into view. These were all for the purpose of training his mana control for various magic, each bead represented an element.

Following that, the appearance of the horn on his head.

[Illusion Magic: Universal Haze]

To elaborate simply, it was a Gift which helped Sequencee distort physical reality. At the current tier zero of the Gift, he could turn small things invisible, create life-like illusion, or muffling sound. There was a limit to what he could do with it of course.

Releasing the magic which he had been clinging to was like a weight off his chest–he felt incredibly light.

"Does it look weird, with it sticking out like this?" Sequencee carefully touched the base of his horn.

"No dear, it doesn't," Anna said cheerfully. But deep down inside, her heart ached.

–You don't know anything do you, Anna?

The night sky was filled with stars, hundreds of millions. Barely any clouds obstructed the perfect view.

–Though I admire your goals and efforts, in the grand scale of things, it doesn't amount to much.

Anna recalled the joy and experience she felt when he was born. With him in her arms, it only fueled the fire of aspiration within her. She had to achieve her goal, she thought.

–Your life is short, enjoy it while it lasts.

But something was threatening her wish.

Passing his hair through her fingers, she observed his sleeping face lit by the orange flames. A small leaf flew and fell on him. She reached over and picked it off.

–He married you for that purpose, don't overdo it.

His head on her lap, soft breathing noises in his sleep. Gently, she traced the base of his broken horn.

To live in the human empire, she had no choice but to hide his identity with this method. Sequencee himself had said that illusion magic couldn't do anything about the physical touch of an object, so she had to cut his horns down in order for it to not hit someone whenever he turned his head. It was painful, gruesome– it wouldn't be wrong to call this maltreatment even.

'What I'm I even doing … '

Why was he the one that had to be hurt? Was this the sacrifice required to achieve her wish? Her goal, her wish–to forever break down the walls of conflict between the human and demons.

Her fingers brushed over his forehead.

As the youthful her of the past who knew nothing about motherhood, she had conceived a child. The struggles and wonder of how she should nurture him, especially when his father hadn't the privilege to come visit him. It had been more than a decade since his birth, and while she didn't not regret her decision, she had always felt guilty that he had never met his father, that he hadn't known his own people.

"Maybe I should bring him back home … "

Home. Anna deliberated if she should, instead of asking Schwii to visit them, she should bring him along with her to the demon empire. There, she would be able to nurture him among the fellow demons …

"What am I even thinking … "

If they learnt that his horns had been cut off–what would they think of him? What would they think of The Sovereign? The ridicule, the mockery they would have to face …

"I've fallen complacent," Anna muttered.

To keep up with his pace, she had slowed.

Anna turned to the mountain range past the forest, the dark purple glow of the horizon–