Enkrid observed the people welcoming him, and those watching from afar. Their skin was violet, their eyes a clear brown—for the most part.

“My name is Zoraslav. This way, please.”

The man named Zoraslav led them toward a house with a round roof in the center of the village. Along the way, heads peeked out timidly like frightened squirrels or curious cats, their eyes blinking or necks retracting as they looked on. The scene was not much different from how any village regarded strangers.

In other words, a human response.

The place Zoraslav led them to was built of plaster and brick. It seemed to serve as both a village hall and a kind of church. It was the only building large enough to accommodate more than ten people.

“We’d like to offer you food, though I’m not sure it’ll suit your tastes.”

A woman stepped forward from behind him.

“Welcome. I don’t think we’ve ever had this many guests before.”

Led by the woman—beautiful enough by any standard to be called a true beauty—they moved to a room that functioned as both a parlor and a dining hall. They sat around a large table on dark-brown wooden chairs that were clearly handmade. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

There was no sense of threat or danger. Everyone likely felt the same.

They received plain utensils among similarly plain furnishings.

Jaxon sniffed and tasted the food, nodding. No poison. Shinar and Lua Gharne had different dietary needs, so they abstained, but the rest began to eat.

A stew of potato-like crops and meat, with coarse but nutty bread.

After being fed and resting for half a day, Rem glanced around and muttered:

“This is kind of awkward.”

What did he mean by that?

They worship a Demon God, sure—but these people seemed too ordinary to start hacking apart with an axe. That was the implication behind his words.

Shinar wrinkled her brow slightly—so subtly it could’ve gone unnoticed.

Whenever they crossed into the Demon Realm, she always sensed a change in the air. This village felt the same.

Enkrid felt it, too.

Not as much as the Demon Realm, but...

There was a taint in the air.

For Shinar, it brought back unpleasant memories—specifically, the moment she’d been imprisoned in a demon’s lair.

So it was only natural she felt uncomfortable. Still, she was no ordinary fairy and endured it well.

“My fiancé, stay close to me.”

That was ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) all she said.

Enkrid, understanding her feelings, did just that—keeping near her whenever possible.

Roman scratched his head as he looked around at the others.

“I told you it wasn’t normal... but it’s still kind of shocking, right? I was, too.”

Enkrid nodded. The others had similar reactions.

They’d only been here half a day, but based on all they’d seen:

It’s normal.

There were strange elements, sure—but in terms of eating, drinking, resting, working, and living day by day, the village was completely ordinary.

Fields had been cultivated deeper in, with various crops planted. Beside them, blue fruits were harvested from neatly planted trees. The crops and fruit weren’t exactly ordinary, but—

They’re not inedible either.

The most unusual part?

The villagers prayed three times a day. To whom? As the central monument indicated, to the Demon God.

“Let us pray.”

Before sunset, they would kneel before the figure of the Demon God erected in the village square—pressing their foreheads to the dirt, regardless of where they were.

Even those inside homes came out to join. The sick or coughing stayed behind to rest.

There was no coercion or pressure. No one forced them to pray.

There was no need to interrogate why they worshiped the Demon God.

And judging by the way they prayed—it didn’t even seem heartfelt.

More like something done out of habit.

“They’re an odd bunch,” Lua Gharne said, twitching her cheek.

This place wasn’t even worthy of being called a borderland to the Demon Realm.

Calling it the front yard of the Demon Realm would be more accurate.

Which meant one thing:

You couldn’t survive here with just a flimsy wooden fence.

It was a place monsters and demonic beasts would naturally wander through, like it was their personal pantry.

There were even a few infamous roaming monsters in the area—beasts that didn’t go down easily.

“Protection from the Demon God, huh...”

Enkrid muttered. That summed it up.

This was a gathering place for those who survived under the Demon God’s protection.

Their violet skin likely stemmed from that very fact.

Rophod looked around the village and said,

“When beasts are tainted by demonic energy, they become monsters. So if it’s humans, should we call them demonkin?”

As a term for humans infected by magi, it was apt.

***

So—what should they do with this place?

For now, the people here were simply... living.

“Let them be. They’re just trying to survive, like anyone else.”

Worshiping a Demon God was heresy. And yet Audin was the first to say they should leave them alone.

“Heh... Had it been the old me, I’d have said we needed to drive out the magi with divine light and purge them with fire. But not anymore. I’ve learned to respect the lives people choose to live.”

A soft white light flickered in Audin’s eyes—sacred power, rising of its own accord.

Enkrid met his gaze squarely and nodded.

“Then let’s leave it at that.”

They were simply people, trying to survive. They worshiped the Demon God because it was how they could continue living.

Zoraslav occasionally returned to explain the village’s way of life.

“It’s true. We receive protection because we worship the Demon God. If you’re asking whether we truly believe... well, that’s harder to answer.”

Did they have blind faith?

No. That wasn’t it.

Then what?

“To survive.”

They worshiped a god to serve a purpose. Then added:

“We’re content with things as they are. Even if it means living on the edge of the Demon Realm, praying to its god.”

This small village, this community, was of one mind. There was no dissonance—those who failed to blend in had been cast out, offered as sacrifices, or killed.

So—should they be wiped out?

No, that wasn’t it.

If this was truly the life they chose, then they would be left to it.

Enkrid knew himself well. He was no orator. He was a swordsman.

And so—if he wasn’t going to cut them all down, then the right choice was to do nothing at all.

Zoraslav was the village’s representative. The man who had welcomed them now spoke in a neutral tone.

“Then let me ask: did you come here to punish us? Do you see us as evil?”

From Zoraslav’s perspective, this group was a threat.

Swordsmen, a Frokk, and even fairies. What else could one assume, seeing a village of the Demon God’s faithful visited by people like that?

That question held all of that tension.

Enkrid asked himself:

Are they evil?

No one could answer that easily.

Enkrid knew better than anyone: you couldn’t divide the world neatly into good and evil.

What’s righteous to one person is unjust to another.

Someone’s hero is someone else’s executioner.

Still, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t draw his sword just to avoid being labeled evil.

He simply didn’t want to lose his respect—for others, and for himself.

They had chosen their own path. Enkrid chose to respect that.

“That’s not what we’re here for.”

At his denial, Zoraslav smiled.

He had seen people offering parts of themselves to the Demon God.

He respected them—but wondered, Was this truly the life they wanted?

Still—was there anything he could do for them right now?

That was something to ponder.

Zoraslav gave the group a place to stay.

The next day, Ragna said he needed some air and left. Rophod followed after him.

“You shouldn’t go alone.”

“Why?”

Ragna replied coolly. From behind, Rem answered.

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“If I already know, then why ask? It’s common sense, savage.”

Enkrid simply watched them banter.

Rem turned toward him.

“...I’m serious. Can’t we just bury that guy somewhere? Tracking him down every time is more work than anything else.”

He meant it—at least half seriously.

That day, Ragna and Rophod returned after clearing out part of the Demon Realm.

They fought creatures called the Drowned—swollen waterborne monsters and ghouls—led by a hunched demon that cast spells.

“Those bastards had been nesting there since last year. They’ve been a constant pain. They kept eyeing our village, trying to drag us off if we crossed the line even a little.”

Zoraslav was genuinely pleased.

Rophod said the demon had unleashed bolts of lightning from its hands—until Ragna’s sword suddenly blazed with light and burned it to ash.

“I’m getting used to it.”

Ragna said offhandedly.

A knight—a prodigy with overwhelming talent—wielding not just an engraved weapon, but a family heirloom handed down for generations.

It was the natural result, but not something you could just dismiss as ordinary.

“We don’t have much to offer, but...”

Zoraslav slaughtered a sheep. Yes, they raised livestock. Quite a few, in fact.

Real livestock. Not demonic beasts.

That night, the group feasted on lamb.

“This would make a decent base,” Lua Gharne said after checking the surrounding terrain.

What had been their original purpose again?

To clear out smaller pockets of the Demon Realm and hunt down wandering monsters.

Balrog was one such wanderer—too elusive to pin down.

They needed to lure him in with a Serenade of Temptation.

And this village’s location made it an ideal base camp.

Enkrid nodded and began walking around the outskirts.

As he walked, the dreams he’d had over the past two nights kept resurfacing.

The sound of waves lapping, and a ferryboat widening.

Clatter.

Pebbles accumulated beneath his feet, and waves washed over them.

Though standing atop a boat, it felt like walking along a riverbank.

“Let’s walk for a bit.”

The ferryman, calm as ever, held up a lantern and spoke.

Enkrid walked beside him—three and a half steps away. The ferryman’s voice was softer and thinner than usual.

“So. You’ve seen the village now. What are your thoughts?”

It was a casual conversation, a dialogue as they strolled. Much like the day before.

“Did you observe those who worship the Demon God? Did you see the traces of sacrifice?”

The ferryman asked again.

The intent behind his words was easy to grasp.

He made no effort to conceal it, and Enkrid was sharp enough to sense it.

Knowing this, the ferryman skipped ahead a bit and asked the real question.

“Are these people among those you would protect?”

Are they worth guarding—or worth cutting down?

Where is the line between good and evil?

Which path are you walking?

Can all who worship the Demon God be branded evil?

A time of cruel speculation and cruel decisions.

The ferryman could not see the future—but he had glimpsed countless branches.

He observed possible futures for Enkrid.

One where Enkrid slaughters every resident of this village.

Roman, watching, accuses him.

“You killed people. Just people.”

Enkrid wavers.

Is this the right path?

Another branch—Enkrid leaves the villagers alive.

But years later, they will have no choice but to consume human flesh and blood to survive.

The end is inevitable.

These are people who sold their future to survive the present. Something anyone could do.

Selling tomorrow for the sake of today.

Between those two choices, the ferryman asked:

“Which path do you truly want? Does a ‘right path’ even exist in this world?”

Enkrid realized—the ferryman’s test was not over.

“What has you so deep in thought?”

Shinar’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. Enkrid blinked, looking at the fairy with otherworldly beauty.

Was the ferryman a woman, too?

Looking at Shinar made him wonder.

Then came the next question—naturally, unbidden.

“Your home changed after you migrated. Your way of life changed, too. Were you... okay with that?”

The fairy village had begun trading with humans, even sharing techniques and technology.

It was a question he had never asked before.

Shinar showed one of her rare smiles.

The corner of her emerald eyes curved. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind.

“A fairy’s home is wherever fairies live.”

It was the truth.

Enkrid mulled over the ferryman’s question once more.

What is the path I desire?

TL Note: Hey guys, we’ve officially caught up with the author! 🎉 New chapters will drop 5 times a week, one per day. Thanks for reading and sticking with us ❤️