"Ha ha ha ha! This boy... the demon is going to take him. I’ve been hearing that it has been collecting pretty women. This boy alone will do. Once we hand him over, we’re going to get a lot of gold and silver."
Two men with masks covering their faces laughed loudly. Their greedy eyes remained fixed on the small figure before them, already imagining the reward they would receive.
Standing between them was a little boy who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen. His long hair fell over his shoulders, and his delicate features made him look almost like a girl. His wrists were tightly bound, and a dirty rag had been stuffed into his mouth to stop him from crying for help. Even so, with a single glance, I could tell he was a boy.
"It wasn’t easy finding this one," one of the men said with a grin. "Hopefully, the demon won’t realize this brat is a boy."
"They wanted a virgin." The other man laughed. "We’ll give them a virgin boy. Besides, what’s the difference? He’s pretty enough."
The two of them burst into laughter again.
The boy struggled fiercely before finally managing to spit the rag out of his mouth.
"You evil villains!" he shouted. "Let me go! You will all perish and burn in the Nine Hells!"
One of the bandits kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him rolling across the ground.
"Shut up!"
"Soon you’ll be sent to the temple, and we’ll receive plenty of silver for you."
I folded my arms as I watched the scene unfold.
The system suddenly spoke inside my mind.
Rescue the boy.
Reward: 50 Hero Points.
For some strange reason, the system sounded unusually generous. Normally, it would keep trying to persuade me with endless notifications, yet this time it simply gave the reward and remained quiet. I wondered why, but I couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
"Hmm..."
"If I’m getting points, then I suppose it’s worth rescuing one stupid human boy who clearly doesn’t know how to stay out of trouble."
As the bandits continued talking among themselves, I slowly walked toward them.
"Hey."
"Let go of that boy."
The bandits turned toward me before looking me up and down with disdain.
Then they all burst into laughter.
"And who the hell are you to stop us?"
I smiled.
"I am the demon who will make you see hell."
The moment I finished speaking, I drew my sword.
The blade slid out of its sheath with a sharp metallic ring that echoed through the silent forest.
Seeing my weapon, the bandits immediately unsheathed theirs as well.
Without another word, they rushed toward me.
Our swords collided.
Clang!
Bright sparks flew the instant our blades met. The impact sent a shock through the air as steel scraped violently against steel.
One of the bandits suddenly tried to be sneaky, throwing a kick toward my ribs while I was blocking another attack.
I ducked beneath it.
In one smooth motion, I swung my sword.
Slash!
His leg was severed cleanly.
The bandit let out a miserable scream as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching the bloody stump.
The other bandit continued attacking me without pause.
While I was dealing with him, another quietly circled behind me, raising his sword for a surprise attack.
How laughable.
Did they really think something so obvious could catch this king off guard?
I vanished from where I stood.
Before the bandit could react, I appeared directly behind him.
Slash!
My sword carved across his chest.
Blood sprayed into the air.
I calmly licked the blood from the tip of my blade before laughing.
"Now you know."
"I’ve finally taken you to hell."
"You should have been more careful about the kind of person you chose to offend."
The remaining bandits turned pale, their confidence disappearing completely after witnessing how effortlessly their companions had fallen.
After dealing with them, I shifted my attention toward the little boy lying on the ground.
I turned around, waiting for the system to announce my reward.
Instead...
The boy suddenly rushed toward me and grabbed my leg.
"Please!"
"Take me with you!"
"Thank you for saving me."
"You?"
I looked down at him in disgust.
"As small as you are? Such a weakling."
"What could you possibly offer me?"
"You look tiny, fragile, and even have a feminine face."
"So useless."
The boy shook his head frantically before tears filled his eyes.
"No... no... I’m not useless!"
"I’ll follow you."
"Please take me as your disciple."
I raised an eyebrow.
"And who told you I belong to some righteous cultivation sect?"
"Hm?"
"I am a demon."
I grinned as I licked the remaining blood from my fingertip.
I expected the sight to frighten him away. Most mortals would have run for their lives by now.
Instead...
The boy dropped to his knees.
"If you’re a demon, then make me your demon disciple."
"If you’re a cultivator, then make me your disciple."
"I just don’t want to be left alone anymore."
I sighed inwardly.
I already had enough trouble.
First Ella.
Then this troublesome Casper.
I knew Casper’s journey with me would probably end once we left Crayon City.
But Ella...
I still had no idea what that strange fellow truly wanted. Every time I looked at him, it felt as though he was hiding some ridiculous secret behind that carefree smile.
I simply hoped that when his purpose was finally revealed...
It would at least be interesting.
I looked back at the boy.
Despite his frightened appearance, there was a stubborn determination burning deep within his eyes. Even after everything he had experienced, he still refused to back down.
"Well..."
"You may look tiny and innocent..."
"But perhaps you’ll be useful."
The system immediately began speaking again.
"Shut up," I said before it could finish.
There was no need to hear the rest. I already knew it was about to convince me to accept the boy.
I looked at him one last time.
"You..."
"You are going to be my bait."
"The temple is exactly where we’re heading."
"And if my guess is correct..."
"I’ll be finishing this mission very soon."