Chapter 4: Food And Barrier

Chapter 4: Food And Barrier

Zephyr walked toward the center of the ruined city. A high podium lay in ruins, much like everything else.

He ascended it and sat down.

"Master..." the demoness and the elder demons regretted not having a throne for Zephyr, forcing him to sit on the ground like them.

But Zephyr didn't mind. Instead, he awaited the toad's message.

"Yes, yes. Quack, qua-"

"No, no. Yes. Quack," it was as if the toad was conversing with itself.

Meanwhile, Zephyr decided to assess the condition of the people.

'Hmm, none of them are gravely injured, except for the loss of horns...'

'But they are severely malnourished.'

"Tell me, how did you all become so weak? Can't you hunt for food?" Zephyr asked, but the demons stared at him blankly, failing to comprehend.

'Damn, this translator tool is useless...'

'It should translate both ways,' Zephyr nearly slammed his head in frustration.

'Hey, toady, if you're done with the message, come here and translate for me,' Zephyr requested. Just as he asked, the toad turned back, stared at him, and raised a middle finger.

'...'

'If you don't come here this instant, I'm leaving these people,' Zephyr threatened. Upon hearing this, the toad made the longest jump of its life and closed the gap within a second, as if it had teleported.

"Quack. What was your command, master?" the toad asked.

"Ahem, ask them why they are in this state. Can't they hunt for food?" Zephyr commanded.

The toad looked at them and posed the question. In response, the leader Demoness replied, "It's because we are trapped."

"Trapped?" Zephyr questioned.

"The humans... the Beastmen... the orcs... and even the goblins. They all despise us and formed an alliance to destroy our kingdom," she explained.

'More or less, I'm aware of this story. It was in the game...' Zephyr tapped his forehead as he recalled.

"And then, after our kingdom was destroyed, they started hunting down every demon they could find. We have managed to survive for a long time... by hiding," the demoness's words felt like thorns as she spoke, pricking herself.

"Many of our comrades fell… Yet we managed to hide again and again."

The rest of the demons shed tears as well, having personally experienced the persecution.

"But they found us... We were initially in the hundreds, but they captured many of our kind. A hundred of us somehow managed to escape, only to be trapped within this divine barrier. None of us can leave the city, and few beasts can enter," she concluded.

Zephyr finally understood their predicament.

"I see. Alright, don't worry anymore. I will protect you from now on," Zephyr assured them.

The toad relayed Zephyr's message, and upon hearing it, the demons were filled with joy, although their bodies were still weakened.

"Food is indeed a priority, but before that, let me destroy this idiotic barrier," Zephyr declared, raising his hand towards the sky and pointing at the invisible barrier.

The demons looked up, curious about Zephyr's actions. It didn't take long for them to realize something was happening as they heard shattering noises and cracks started to appear in the sky.

Creak, Crack!

Shatter!

And the barrier that prevented the demons from using magic was destroyed! Now, anyone could freely enter or exit the place. The demons could once again feel the flow of mana, and their bodies gained a renewed vigor.

"Long live Master!" the demons chanted in unison, expressing their gratitude.

Zephyr smiled in response to their chant when he sensed a new presence. A gigantic beast, walking on all fours, entered the city. But it wasn't just one; there were many of them!

The demons, having regained some of their powers, also sensed the intruders and immediately went on guard.

"There's something..." the Demoness stood up promptly, her gaze briefly shifting to Zephyr, who remained seated in a nonchalant cross-legged position on the podium's floor.

'Is Master unaware of the intruders?' she questioned herself, puzzled by his apparent lack of concern.

"Does he want us to take care of the matter?" the Demoness pondered, remaining confused about Zephyr's intentions. She couldn't comprehend his actions.

As she continued to contemplate, the beast finally made its appearance. It had orange-red fur, gigantic predatory eyes, long and sharp claws. The fierce fangs in its mouth and the few scars on its body made the Red Grizzly look terrifying, emitting a dominant aura.

The Demoness felt petrified. It had been far too long since she had encountered a beast of this strength. How many days had it been? 10? 20? No, it had been a full 1000 days, almost close to three years.

The presence of such a formidable creature left her shaken and uncertain of what to do next.

Seeing Zephyr seated calmly, the Demoness assumed that everything was under control according to his plans. However, her perception quickly changed as she noticed more bears appearing.

"Eh?" she exclaimed, turning around to find that all the other demons had moved back, keeping a significant distance from her. It wasn't an act of abandonment; it seemed to be a subconscious reaction.

Feeling brave amidst the uncertainty, the Demoness decided to confront Zephyr about the situation. Why were the bears here, and why was he not taking any action? More importantly, why did the bears have fishes in their mouths?

But before she could ask, Zephyr burst into laughter. "Hahaha. Good job," he exclaimed, addressing the Grizzly that had arrived with a bounty of fishes, following Zephyr's orders.

The Grizzly, unable to understand Zephyr's words, relied on the toad for translation. "Master, why would I be scared when I am under your protection?" the Red Grizzly replied, rubbing both its paws.

"All of my men feel the same," he stated, turning towards his loyal companions, who displayed a rather too calm demeanor in the face of the situation.

They didn't have even the slightest fear or respect as Zephyr had controlled his aura, not displaying his dominance.

Apparently, because of this, one of the bears, who had a rather inflated ego, spoke up, "Brother, are you scared of this human punk?"

Silence hung in the air when they heard him say that.

"…"