► The First Guild Member ◄

'Hey Shoto, can I ask you something?' Shoto nodded, 'Sure, what's up?' Vox tried asking carefully, 'What were you thinking about when you saw those corpses just now? It's just, that you looked kind of sad as if you were regretting something.' The purplette stopped in his tracks, but soon started walking again when he remembered, they were in a hurry. He had the same sad expression he had when seeing the corpses as he recalled the image. Then, he began answering, 'When I saw them, I remembered the faces of all the demons I killed. And, when I saw how many humans were a part of that group of corpses, I realized that my mindset was wrong all along. I always thought, all demons were bad... But in reality, demons and humans are very similar. There are bad ones and good ones. There are greedy ones and selfless ones. It doesn't make any difference what your origin is. You are the best example for that. You're warmhearted and kind. You worry about your friends and help people in need. I know, I only met you yesterday, but I can already tell that you are a great person.'

His gaze was lowered the whole time while talking. After his last sentence, he glanced up to see Vox contently smiling and his warm eyes were fixated on him. Shoto then added, 'That was a little cheesy, wasn't it? But, it's just how I feel right now.' Vox replied while still watching him from the side, 'No, not at all. You are right. No one should judge others by their origin. And I'm thankful that you have such an impression of me. As you know, I also killed people and I don't know if they were all bad people. But, I did so in order to protect my own. Besides, if they plan on harming others to achieve their goals then I am more than happy to stop them in any way possible.' Shoto interrupted, 'See? You are doing the right thing because you are protecting others. But me... I killed out of revenge. Out of hate.' He dropped his gaze again. The guilt was eating away at him.

They were now standing in front of Ike's office when they faced each other. Vox raised his arm and rested it on Shoto's shoulder while comforting him. 'Listen. I'm not going to tell you, that it wasn't wrong to kill innocent people. But I can understand how you must have felt all this time. What happened to your village was a big trauma to you which clouded your judgment. Nonetheless, you managed to climb out of this dark pit and changed. And I can already tell, that you are warmhearted and kind. Yet, you can be cold when you need to be. Just like when you killed the assassin that tried to harm Ike. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and for being so honest with me.'

The next moment, Vox pulled Shoto in to give him a tight hug and said, 'I'm glad that you are here now and please don't hesitate to ask me for help. I'll help you to the best of my abilities.'

When Shoto was released from the hug, he blushed slightly while smiling. 'Thank you Vox. You can also ask me for help anytime.' The other chuckled lightly. 'You are cute, when you are honest. Did you know that?' Shoto got completely flustered. 'W-w-what? I'm not cute. A-anyway, let's start searching for the herbs. They should be here soon.' Vox chuckled again while thinking, Oh, he is so very cute and no one can tell me otherwise. Then he opened the door and went inside.

'What were the names of the herbs again?' Vox asked. 'I think, it was Calendula, Echinacea and goldenseal, Dandelion and Ledum.' Shoto answered. The other exclaimed, 'Wow. You could remember all that? I'm impressed. I mean Dandelion was easy. Who doesn't know of it right? I still don't know it's effects though.' 'Well. After a few years of fighting against demons, you learn to remember them. You might know about marigold. It's another name for Calendula. You can use it in tea or apply it to the skin. It's for minor wounds. Echinacea and goldenseal can be used together to protect against infection. Dandelion has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. For puncture wounds, we need Ledum. I guess, Ike is worried that Shu has deeper wounds than he told us.'

(Author's note: Oof, I had to google for this, haha)

After Vox heard Shoto talking about all those dangerous fights, he realized something shocking. All those years, this boy was all alone. Without anyone taking care of him or even being there for him when he needed mental support. How many times must he have been scared, in pain or lonely? I don't even want to imagine how often he could have died, but narrowly escaped... And yet, he took it apon himself to take care of two young demons and selfreflect his mistakes of taking revenge.

When Shoto noticed Vox frowning he asked confused, 'Is something wrong? You seem out of it.' The demon then replied with a smile replacing the frown, 'Nah. I was just thinking about how strong you are.' Shoto was caught by surprise as he stammered, 'Eh? Th-thank you.'

I'm just glad he kept his cuteness. Vox thought. Then they both started gathering the herbs.

Fortunately, Ike was very meticulous when it came to herbs. The office was a little messy, but the herbs were neatly labeled and there were little notes that described their effects and dosage. There were even a few plants that helped with energy boost like ginseng.

After a few minutes, they had all they needed and headed to Shu's room which was just across Ike's office. There were four rooms in this hallway. First was the office, next to it was Ike's bedroom, on the opposite side was Shu's bedroom and next to that was another room which Shoto couldn't tell the purpose of. Vox's room was one floor higher and Shoto slept in the room across from his, the night before.

'There you are' Ike said. 'Vox, could you get me some water please? We need to clean Shu's wounds first. Shu, please take off your corsette and your top. They are in the way. Shoto, could you please get a few towels out of the shelve in the corner there?' Ike pointed towards a small shelve in the right corner of the room. Everyone listened without any words needed.

While waiting for Vox with the clean water, Ike began grinding the herbs next to Shu who was sitting on a chair next to his bed. Shu took the chance to talk to Shoto. 'How about we finally introduce each other? My name is Shu Yamino and I'm one of this castle's protectors.' Shoto replied with a kind smile, 'Sure. As you already know, I'm Shoto and I will be joining you guys as a protector. My role will be that of a guild master. I assume, you are a sorcerer, Mr. Yamino?' Shu answered, 'Yes, I am a sorcerer, my specialty is curse magic, but I can use offensive magic, too. Just like what you witnessed today. And please, just call me by my first name, just like the others.' If offensive magic isn't his specialty, then I'm a little scared of witnessing his curse magic. Shoto thought and said, 'Alright Shu.'

'So' Shu began. 'Since you are a guild master now. You will need some members, right? How about I join?' Shoto was surprised by the sudden offer, 'Of course. But, are you sure? I mean, we just met like an hour ago and you already know what I was called in the past.' Shu nodded, 'Yes, I'm sure. To be honest. Ike and I overheard you guys in front of the office. I don't know what happened to your village, but it must have been something very devastating, since Vox mentioned a trauma. Moreover, you talked about revenge so I can guess the reason for your demon slayer past. I can only imagine what you must have gone through and how it made you to who you are now. I can tell, that you are strong and that you will be a good leader shaped by your experiences. I would like to support you in your future choices and I want to see in what direction you will grow further. Also, if you need any help, you can always ask me.' Shoto felt his heart tingle as he was moved by his new friend's words. How did he deserve such good people? With that, he greatfully accepted his offer and held out his hand for a handshake. 'Thank you, Shu. I will do my best to not disappoint you.' Shu replied with a smile and returned the handshake, 'No. Thank you for having me, guild master.'