New World

Vergil, sent to another world by the goddess Tanaris, ascended towards a brilliantly shining white light that drew closer until his entire field of vision was covered. Eventually, the light began to fade.

The light disappeared, revealing a completely different scene. Where his gaze had been directed upwards, he now saw a clear blue sky. Vergil lowered his head and looked around.

"Where is this…?"

Surrounding him were brick houses with red roofs and brown walls. If he listened closely, he could hear the pleasant sound of a flowing river. It was a stark contrast to the dim space where he had faced the goddess, and it felt like a town straight out of a medieval fantasy, but quiet and sparsely populated, with only a few people to be seen.

It was not a city lined with skyscrapers, a dangerous neighborhood filled with thugs, nor the demon-infested, desolate Demon World. This town, where nature remained and coexisted, was entirely new to him.

After surveying his surroundings, Vergil examined himself. His clothing was unchanged from when he spoke with Tanaris. He could feel the power of the magical equipment he had regained in that place and his own demonic power. He clearly remembered fighting Dante as Nelo Angelo and losing, as well as his conversation with the goddess Tanaris. Just as she had said, he had been transported with his memory and body intact.

"It appears she wasn't lying after all."

Realizing he had been transferred into another world, Vergil began to organize his current situation in his mind.

Tanaris had said he should become an adventurer and defeat the Demon King in this world. However, he lacked information, not just about the Demon King, but even about where he was, whether there were other adventurers, or if he himself was an adventurer.

Going out blindly without knowing anything would be foolish. He needed to investigate this world first. To find a place where he could gather information, Vergil began to move.

It was at that moment.

"Hey, you there."

After taking about five steps, he was called from behind. Vergil turned around nonchalantly without ignoring it.

Standing there was a woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, light blue eyes, wearing armor predominantly white and yellow over a black inner garment, with what seemed to be a sword on her back, a figure very much like a proper knight. As Vergil silently stared at her, the blonde woman continued.

"I didn't recognize you in this town, so I thought perhaps you were a new adventurer here for the first time..." She said as she approached Vergil.

"Oh, forgive me for the late introduction. I am Darkness, one of the adventurers living in this town. You seemed to be looking around, so… if you don't know your way, I could guide you."

The knight who introduced herself as Darkness made a proposal to Vergil. For someone who had just arrived in a new world and knew nothing about the town, it was a generous offer.

"Indeed, this is my first time in this town, but I have no need for your guidance. Get lost."

"—!"

However, Vergil refused her offer. Accepting her guidance would have quickly gathered information, but he disliked her familiar attitude and the notion of acting purely out of goodwill.

Vergil spoke coldly, turned his back on her, and started walking. Despite the harshness of dismissing someone offering help with a simple "get lost," this was his usual behavior.

"B-but, it would be better to walk with someone who knows the town than wandering around cluelessly—!"

Not ready to give up, Darkness tried to catch up with him, but she immediately froze.

Vergil had suddenly materialized a sword—a pale blue blade, and pointed it at her neck.

"Get lost. I won't say it a third time."

"Ah…"

Without bothering to acknowledge her, he spoke even colder, heavier words. By now, she was no longer a human in his eyes, merely trash in human form. His cold glare pierced through her, leaving her speechless and frozen.

Thinking she would no longer pursue him, Vergil tightly gripped the sword in his right hand, shattering it like glass, and once again turned his back on her, continuing to walk. As he predicted, she did not follow him any further.

*****

Even after Vergil left, Darkness stood rooted to the spot for a while. Eventually, her strength gave out, and she sank to the ground.

She knew nothing about him. She had genuinely believed he was an adventurer lost and in need of help, and had approached him out of kindness, never expecting to receive such a baptism.

The look he gave her was worse than that given to a pig in a slaughterhouse, indeed, it was far worse. It was a gaze that showed he had no interest in her at all. If he had killed her right then and there, he would have thought of it no more than squashing a bug.

A single misstep, and she would have been dead. The fear of death that chilled her to the core made Darkness tremble.

Well, not really.

"Aaan! So...good," Darkness muttered with a shaky and panting voice.

With a sword at her throat and his cold gaze upon her, she felt an unexpected thrill.

The reason she had frozen in place was because the unexpected reward had left her speechless with joy. She had collapsed because the experience was so intense that her legs gave out. Her trembling was, as she called it, a warrior's tremor. In fact, when he first told her to "get lost," she was already quite affected. She had approached him again, partly out of kindness, partly out of expectation for an even greater reward. The outcome reflected this perfectly.

"I've found an incredible man…!"

The man in the blue coat with silver hair. To see him again. To be looked down upon with those cold eyes. Darkness imprinted his appearance in her mind with a look of ecstasy.

*****

"…Hmph."

Vergil hummed with interest as he turned the pages of a book.

After walking around the town for a while, he had stumbled upon a free library. The books contained various pieces of information. Here, he could gather information about this world and adventurers. With that in mind, Vergil had spent a long time reading through the books.

The characters were unlike any he had seen before, but as Tanaris had mentioned, there seemed to be an automatic translation function, allowing him to read without difficulty. Reading was one of his few hobbies, so Vergil continued reading without feeling any discomfort, absorbing various pieces of information.

This world was filled with cultures, languages, and technologies he didn't know. What stood out the most was the existence of 'monsters' here, unlike in his original world.

In this world, monsters were defined as non-realistic and non-scientific beings, different from animals and other living creatures. Even the 'demons' Vergil was familiar with were considered a type of monster here.

Moreover, despite reading many books, he found no mention of 'Mundus, the Demon Emperor' or 'Sparda.' These were legendary figures even in his world, and he had read several books about them, but their names were nowhere to be found here.

It wasn't just that. In his original world, the stench of demons was everywhere. Even in the human world, demons appeared constantly, attacking him repeatedly as he walked down the street. Yet, here, he had neither seen any demons nor sensed their presence. This was highly unusual for Vergil.

"A world where my father or the Demon Emperor is absent... interesting."

Realizing this was a completely new world, Vergil felt a rare excitement. When he finished the book he was holding, he put it back in its place and started organizing the new information in his mind.

The name of this town was Axel, a town known as the starting point for novice adventurers. True to its name, it was a gathering place for rookie adventurers who had just begun their careers. The town was circular and surrounded by walls, with adventurers going to a place called the 'Guild' at the center to take on quests.

An 'adventurer' was defined as 'a person belonging to the Adventurers' Guild and engaged in adventuring work.' To become an adventurer, one had to go to the Guild and register. Once a quest was accepted, they would move to the designated location to complete it and receive rewards. There were various types of quests, including monster hunting, gathering, capturing, and emergency quests. Some even involved solving problems within the town, making it somewhat akin to a handyman's job.

However, the primary job remained monster hunting, which was the main source of income. Some monsters coexisted with humans, while others were threats to them. The greatest threat among them was the 'Demon King.' Many adventurers had ventured to the Demon King's castle in the past, only to return battered and bruised or never to return at all. Some had attempted solo expeditions against the Demon King; one had returned crying for some reason after the first attempt, but never came back after the second.

"For now, becoming an adventurer is the top priority…"

Having grasped the situation to some extent and understood what needed to be done, Vergil left the library.

"The Guild is at the center of the town. That should be my first destination."

He had confirmed both his current location and the direction to the Guild using a free map available in the library. Thanks to the goddess's automatic translation function, communication would not be a problem. If he got lost, he could simply ask a local resident. With the sun high in the sky, Vergil headed towards the Guild.