The training field was more crowded than usual.
Zotol and Satoru stood at opposite ends of the grounds, separated by enough distance for a fight with long weapons to unfold without putting the spectators in danger. To one side, several of the men who had returned with Zotol watched with interest, some with their arms crossed and others murmuring among themselves. There were also some soldiers of Muno, drawn by curiosity, along with Nina, Karina, Liza, Tama, and Pochi.
Karina looked at Zotol, then at Satoru, and let out a sigh.
"This won't end well."
Nina gave a small laugh.
Zotol heard the comment and turned his head toward them.
"You do not need to worry, Lady Karina. We will not hurt each other too much."
Karina looked at him with dead eyes.
"Yes… of course."
Nina glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
"It could be interesting. Zotol's men have not clearly seen Lord Satoru's strength, and to be honest, neither the old soldiers nor I have seen him fight directly without using magic."
Karina crossed her arms.
"Yeah? Well, don't expect to see much."
Nina raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Zotol's voice drew her attention once more.
"Lord Satoru."
The knight's tone became more formal than before. Zotol was a man who liked to fight, but his humble origins and the years he had spent serving nobles had left him with the habit of speaking respectfully when he recognized someone above his position.
"I thank you for accepting my request. Even more so, considering that you agreed not to use magic."
Satoru remained standing, without taking a stance.
"It is not a problem."
Zotol smiled.
"Then I'll speak more freely. Since I arrived, I have heard quite a bit about you. I was curious to know what kind of man could earn so much loyalty from Liza, Tama, and Pochi."
Liza remained serious.
Tama raised both hands.
"Master, do your best~!"
"You can do it, Master!" Pochi added with force.
Some soldiers smiled when they heard them. Others looked at Satoru with a certain doubt, as if they still did not know whether it was proper to cheer for someone like him in the same way they would cheer for a training companion.
Zotol raised his greatsword with both hands.
"I have no intention of holding back. I hope that is fine."
A reddish glow ran along the blade of his sword. The energy wrapped around the metal like a thin and stable layer, without overflowing or losing shape. Zotol's men reacted with murmurs of approval when they saw Magic Edge activate.
Satoru observed the glow.
"That is fine."
There was no referee. Neither of them had asked for one, and everyone understood that it was unnecessary. Even so, Satoru did not move. He did not bend his knees, raise his hands, or prepare a guard. He simply remained still, looking at Zotol as if the fight had not yet begun.
Zotol waited for a moment.
Then he understood that Satoru truly did not intend to take the initiative.
"Then I'll go first."
The knight advanced with a speed improper for the size of his weapon. The greatsword rose above his head, the red glow intensified around the edge, and the blow descended with enough force to split a man in full armor with a single slash.
Satoru did not blink.
He raised one hand.
The blade fell onto his palm.
The impact kicked up dust from the ground and instantly silenced the murmurs around the field. The sword was not deflected or stopped with an elegant technique. Satoru simply let the edge fall onto his hand and held it.
"Wh…?"
Zotol's voice was cut off.
His arms trembled under the pressure, but the sword did not move forward or backward. The Magic Edge continued shining against Satoru's palm, unable to pierce through it.
"I see."
Satoru's eyes shone with sober interest as he observed the reddish energy around the metal. He did not seem impressed by the attack; it was as if he had confirmed something with that one movement.
Zotol had no time to ask what he had seen.
A monstrous force pulled on the sword.
His body was dragged along with the weapon before he could let go. In the next instant, his vision filled with the image of a fist approaching his face.
The blow was dry.
Zotol was thrown backward in an arc as he spun, finally falling onto his back and ceasing to move.
For a few seconds, no one said anything.
Tama slowly lowered her hands.
Pochi opened her mouth without knowing whether she should say something.
Liza observed Zotol calmly, confirming that he was breathing, and then turned her gaze back to Satoru.
Karina looked at Nina.
Nina was still watching the field.
Then she understood.
Karina's words did not mean that Satoru's combat skills were low. They meant they were so high that Zotol would not even manage to show them.
Karina sighed.
"I told you."
Nina did not respond immediately.
On the field, Satoru released the sword and looked at the nearby soldiers.
"Take him to rest. He should not take long to wake up."
Zotol's men reacted with a start and ran toward their captain. No one argued with the order.
***
After Zotol was taken away to recover, Satoru parted from the group and headed toward the tower Nina had prepared for him.
The building was set apart from the castle's main movement, but close enough for a messenger to arrive without difficulty. It had a room intended for rest, several storage spaces, and a work area equipped with the materials gathered by Muno.
Satoru walked through the interior in silence.
It was not a facility with the best technology and resources. Even so, it served its purpose. There was space, order, and enough materials to begin.
When he reached the main work area, he took a deep breath.
He did not do it out of emotion or because the place had moved him. His body did not need to breathe, and the tower was not particularly impressive. He did it because, for the first time since his return, he could directly resume the task that had been delayed.
The treatment of the seal.
Akon's seal was still there, embedded in his structure like a constant interference. His subordinates continued investigating from the results obtained before; Zen and the Black Demon could advance through different paths. However, Satoru could not leave everything to them.
While they worked with their own resources, he had to do the same.
He placed the first materials on the table, reviewed the notes prepared during the journey, and began with simple tests. Before trying to force a response from the seal, he needed to grow accustomed to Muno's tools, verify the quality of the materials, and measure how much he could adapt his knowledge to the current conditions.
***
That night, the light of the tower remained lit until dawn.
The first week passed quickly.
The incorporation of Zotol and his men allowed more expeditions to be organized against the criminal groups that continued occupying roads and villages. Liza continued participating in those incursions, and with her were Tama, Pochi, and several soldiers who had already gained real experience under her command.
By looting the reserves of those groups and collecting rewards for criminals wanted in other lands, the barony recovered resources it urgently needed.
The overall poor state of Muno remained a problem, but it had also left an advantage for the initial recovery. The population was limited. The city, though extensive, concentrated its inhabitants in a reduced area, and more than half of the houses remained empty. Many construction materials could be obtained from abandoned buildings that no one was using, which made it possible to repair important areas without depending entirely on outside trade.
Liza began drawing more attention.
Her new red spear did not go unnoticed. The soldiers talked about her, the servants recognized her when they saw her pass, and the citizens who had seen her go out on patrol began to remember her as the demi-human warrior with the red spear.
That did not make her careless. On the contrary, under Zotol's guidance, she began to understand Magic Edge better, not as an accidental flash, but as a technique she could repeat with discipline.
Tama and Pochi also trained with more energy than before. The mission in which they met Zotol, Liza's new spear, and Satoru's promise to prepare something for them if they kept growing combined into a simple but effective motivation. Tama worked hard to move faster and disappear better among shadows and obstacles. Pochi focused on resisting, protecting, and striking without losing her balance.
Satoru, for his part, spent most of those days in the tower.
At first, he worked on simple things. As a result, he created several minor magic items. Some were for Liza, Tama, and Pochi. Others ended up in the hands of Nina, Karina, and the Muno family.
That caused a new idea to spread inside the castle.
If someone did their job well, there was a possibility that Satoru would notice.
And if Satoru noticed, perhaps they could receive something.
The idea solidified when, after hearing the reports from Liza's missions, Satoru prepared a necklace with a physical enhancement for the sergeant who had supported her as second-in-command. It was not an especially complex artifact, nor something that could change the fate of a battle by itself, but for a soldier of Muno, it was a treasure.
During those first days, the tower was seen almost like a promise.
Then Satoru began to focus on the seal.
Working with sacred energy, divine energy, negative energy, and opposing forces produced results.
It also produced incidents.
BOOM!
Smoke poured out of one of the tower's highest windows and rose in a gray column above the courtyard.
An elderly soldier, who was reviewing a guard list near the wall, looked up without much surprise.
"Second time today."
Inside the tower, the damage had not reached Satoru. The explosion had destroyed part of a table, blackened a wall, and reduced several containers to fragments, but his body remained intact. To him, that was a useful reaction.
An error, yes, but also information. If a combination exploded, it meant it had responded. If it responded, it could be studied. With that in mind, originally, Satoru did not mind repeating the same process and result consecutively.
The problem was that the others did not share that perspective.
After several incidents, Nina was the first to intervene. Karina supported her strongly, and Liza, though at first she tried to justify that her Master was researching something important, ended up joining them when she began to worry about him and about what the explosions caused for everyone else.
Thus, a limit was established for the daily incidents.
Satoru could have argued, but he did not. Upon calmly reviewing his notes, he admitted that having pauses between tests allowed him to detect errors he would have overlooked if he continued chaining experiments without interruption.
Before, he left the tower only to catch up with Nina or fulfill some specific task, such as eliminating a hydra rumored to have appeared in an area near the river. After the imposed limit, he began to have more free time than expected.
That changed some things.
***
The elderly soldier continued watching the smoke until it began to disperse. He already knew what came next.
A short while later, footsteps were heard on the other side of the tower's main door.
The door opened, and Satoru came out as if nothing had happened.
His clothes were clean. There was no soot on his face or dust on his hands. The soldier decided to attribute it to magic and not think too much about it.
He straightened immediately.
"Lord Satoru."
Satoru looked at him.
"Erick."
The soldier blinked, though he managed to recover his posture right away.
"Has the research gone well, sir?"
"For now."
"That is good to hear."
Satoru nodded and began walking toward the castle.
Erick followed him with his gaze for a moment before returning to his guard list. He no longer felt the same tension as at the beginning when he saw Satoru pass. He was still a difficult presence to ignore, but at some point between the first magic item delivered and the third explosion of the tower, fear had lost part of its strength.
It was not only him.
As Satoru advanced through the castle corridors, several servants and soldiers greeted him when they saw him.
"Lord Satoru!"
"Lord Satoru, good day."
"Lord Satoru."
He answered with a nod and, when appropriate, with a name.
"Marla."
"Gelt."
"Ronan."
To Satoru, it was nothing special. Remembering names was simple, and returning a greeting was part of basic manners. However, for people accustomed to status marking every distance, having someone like him call them by name carried an evident weight.
The uncertainty inside the castle was no longer the same.
Liza, Tama, and Pochi had helped people accept his presence. Karina had as well. Her return, her direct way of treating him, and the way she moved near him without seeming like a prisoner or a victim calmed many tensions. Satoru, without consciously intending it, did the rest.
Besides, it was difficult to maintain an image of absolute terror toward someone whose tower exploded several times a week.
***
Satoru arrived at one of the castle's free training fields.
Karina was already there.
She wore simple training clothes in brown tones, with long sleeves and no unnecessary ornaments. Raka rested on her chest as always. Upon seeing him arrive, she raised a hand with an expression that tried to seem casual.
"You're late."
"We did not establish an exact time."
"But I arrived earlier."
"That does not mean I am late."
Karina frowned.
Satoru spoke some incomprehensible words. His clothes changed form, replaced by a training outfit similar to Karina's, simple and comfortable for movement.
Before taking position, he looked at her.
"Did you finish your homework?"
Karina froze.
"Huh?"
"Your homework."
"We're about to train. Do you really have to ask that now?"
"Yes."
Karina looked to the side.
"I finished it."
Satoru lowered his gaze toward Raka.
"Is that true?"
The pendant answered calmly:
"Lady Karina finished her etiquette exercises and the reading assigned by her sister."
Karina clenched her fists.
"Hey!"
Satoru nodded.
"Then we can continue."
Karina wanted to complain. She truly wanted to. The problem was that, on this occasion, she had no way to win. Normally, she tried to escape from some classes whenever she could, especially etiquette, and Satoru had developed an irritating habit of handing her over to her parents or to Soruna every time he discovered it.
In her eyes, he was a stubborn, uneducated, and disloyal man who refused to spend time with her until she fulfilled her duties.
Karina took a deep breath and raised her arms in a combat stance.
Satoru took position in front of her.
Since meeting Mito, he had been practicing the swordsmanship and martial arts obtained from her. Since he did not need to sleep or rest, he had hours that others would have lost to simple exhaustion. At first, that practice had been solitary, a way of arranging techniques inside his own body.
Now it was not always that way.
Karina accompanied him when her duties allowed it. Zotol also sought him out every few days, especially since discovering that Satoru practiced with a sword. For the knight, losing had not been a reason to distance himself, but an invitation to try again when he could remain conscious for longer.
Karina slightly bent her knees and imitated Satoru's stance in her own way.
"This time, I'll reach you."
"Your balance is still loaded toward the front."
"I haven't even started!"
"That is why I am pointing it out now."
Karina puffed her cheeks, annoyed, but corrected her posture.
Satoru observed her for a second and nodded.
"Better."
Karina did not respond immediately.
As had happened to her before, upon hearing that correction, her gaze unconsciously lowered toward her own chest. She did not need anyone to point it out to be aware of how exaggeratedly abundant it was.
She had carried that generous bust all her life, impossible to completely hide even with dresses designed to conceal it, drawing gazes that followed her more than she would like and causing the constant discomfort of speaking with men who did not know where to put their eyes.
At another time, before leaving Muno to search for the giants, she probably would have blushed to the tips of her ears and complained to Satoru about the way he spoke. She would have thought his words had a second intention or that, like so many others, he was paying attention to something he should not.
But now she knew him better.
Satoru was serious when giving instructions. Too serious, even. When he said her balance was loaded toward the front, he was speaking of her center of gravity, her feet, and the way her body prepared to move. There was no mockery in his voice, nor hidden interest in his gaze.
That was why Karina said nothing.
She only corrected her posture, breathed carefully, and advanced.
The training began.
Satoru moved with an efficiency difficult to follow. There were no ornaments in his movements, nor motions meant to impress. The style he practiced did not seem born from a refined training hall, but from war and survival. It was direct, effective, and brutal. Every step sought a better position, every turn closed an exit, and every strike seemed designed to decide the fight in that same instant.
Karina tried to enter from one side.
Satoru shifted his arm and forced her to stop before she could complete the movement.
"Your shoulder opens too much."
"Yes!"
"Do not correct it after the strike. Correct it before."
"That's what I'm trying to do!"
She moved again.
This time, she managed to advance a little farther, but Satoru changed the angle of his body and pushed her off line with brief contact. It was not a strong blow, but it was enough to break her rhythm. Karina clenched her teeth, recovered her balance, and raised her guard again.
With every movement, her chest shook under the training shirt. The fabric was comfortable, far more practical than a dress, but it was not made to keep everything still during intense practice. Karina noticed it with every step, every turn, and every attempt to speed up enough to reach Satoru.
Honestly, it was embarrassing.
Even more so because they were in a public field.
She did not need to look too much to notice some soldiers' gazes drifting in her direction. It was not all of them, and several looked away as soon as they realized they could be discovered, but that did not change the fact that she could feel it. The discomfort climbed up her neck, and for an instant, her concentration broke.
Then she glanced at Satoru from the corner of her eye.
As expected, he was completely ignoring her.
No. Saying he was ignoring her would be incorrect.
Satoru was paying attention to her. Every time her feet crossed wrong, he pointed it out. When her breathing changed, he corrected her rhythm. If her guard lowered, he forced her to notice with a dry touch to the shoulder or forearm. His attention was there, precise and constant, but not in the way she would have expected from any other man.
That gave her peace.
It also gave her an annoying doubt about her own charm.
Karina slightly pursed her lips and attacked again. Satoru dodged with a short turn, placed a hand near her wrist, and stopped the movement before it gained force.
"Too wide."
"Not everyone can move like you!"
"You do not need to move like me. You need to stop being obvious."
Karina wanted to respond, but she did not find a good phrase in time.
Satoru stepped back and allowed her to recover her stance.
She took a deep breath. Fatigue was already beginning to settle in her legs, and her shirt clung slightly to her skin from sweat. Even so, she did not want to stop. There was something irritating about not being able to reach him, but also something strangely comfortable about continuing to try.
As she resumed her guard, her gaze passed over the edge of the field.
Some maids had stopped near one of the outer corridors. They were not very good at pretending they were there by chance. Satoru drew gazes easily, even dressed in simple training clothes. His face, his bearing, and that impossible-to-disturb calm made anyone end up watching him more than necessary.
Karina could not blame them.
The worst part was that he did not seem to notice either.
Or, if he noticed, he did not care in the slightest.
For some reason, that made her smile.
Being with him was strange. Sometimes he irritated her to the point of wanting to yell at him, and other times he said things so dry and honest that she did not know whether she should be offended or grateful. But by his side, she did not feel that heavy pressure that usually accompanied other people's gazes. Satoru did not treat her like a fragile doll, nor like a lady who had to be placed on a pedestal, nor like a body that drew too much attention.
That made her feel at peace.
"Lady Karina."
Satoru's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Karina blinked.
"What?"
"Your guard dropped again."
She had no time to digest his words before the world spun.
He had thrown her to the ground.
"Waah!"
Her body fell with a solid thud.
Satoru observed her without changing expression.
"If your thoughts drift during combat, your opponent will not wait for them to return."
Karina felt heat in her cheeks.
"I know that."
"Then correct it."
She clenched her fists and raised her guard again.
"Fine. This time, I'll do it."
Satoru took position in front of her.
"Go ahead."
***
After training, both of them changed clothes and moved to a quiet room inside the castle.
Karina dropped into a comfortable chair with a long sigh. She did not sprawl indecorously, but enough that anyone who knew Soruna would know she would have received an immediate correction if her sister had been present. Raka rested on her chest, and water, tea, and some sliced fruit had been placed on the nearby table.
Satoru took a seat across from her with his usual calm.
Karina looked at him for a few seconds, still with some fatigue in her shoulders.
"No matter how much I think about it, it still surprises me."
"What are you referring to?"
"That you, of all people, are interested in stories of heroes and Demon Kings."
Satoru remained silent for a moment.
"There is useful information in them."
Karina narrowed her eyes.
"What a very you answer."
Satoru did not deny it.
After learning from Ishizuchi that Mito had been King Yamato, founder of the Shiga Kingdom, Satoru had begun to investigate more carefully the person he had fought that night. The free time imposed by the limit on incidents in the tower gave him the opportunity to do so, and in the castle, the people who could speak the most about Yamato were Karina and her father.
Baron Leon, however, had little room to sit and talk.
The barony had not yet fully recovered, and its population was still far from what it had once been, but effective control over the city's core changed Muno's legal situation.
By law, the owner of a city of that scale had to receive at least the title of count. It was still less than the marquisate the Muno house had possessed before the disaster caused by Zen, but it was a tremendous step forward compared to the years in which the region had been reduced to a shadow of itself.
That was why Leon spent much of the day between documents, meetings, and preparations.
Karina, on the other hand, had more time. Or at least enough when Satoru made sure she had finished her homework.
"Well," she said, taking a grape between her fingers. "What do you want to hear about today?"
Satoru thought for a few seconds.
"The Demon King against whom King Yamato fought."
Karina straightened a little.
"The Golden Boar Demon King?"
"Yes."
She let out a low sound, between interest and amusement, as she searched her memory.
"That one is famous. Even I know it well."
"Then I am interested in hearing it."
Karina smiled, satisfied that, for once, the subject was in an area where she could speak with more confidence.
"The Golden Boar Demon King was one of the Three Great Demon Kings. It was said he had the head of a boar and a huge but hairless body, which always seemed like a rather unpleasant description to me."
"It is an easy image to remember," Raka commented.
"That does not mean I want to imagine it too much," Karina replied before continuing. "The battle between him, his demon generals, and King Yamato was so important that people still talk about it. There is a huge painting in the Ougoch Capital Museum that represents it. My father saw it once when he was young and said King Yamato appeared in the center, surrounded by flames, soldiers, and monsters."
"Is the representation reliable?"
Karina made a face.
"It is a historical painting, not a military record. I'm sure it exaggerates many things, but if it survived for so long as a symbol, at least it shows the importance they gave it."
"That is reasonable."
Karina took another fruit and continued speaking.
"The Golden Boar ruled over the orc race. Not as a simple monster chief, but as a true king. Or emperor, according to some stories. His empire no longer exists, but it is said to have occupied an enormous region before falling."
Satoru remembered the remains found during his journey toward Yamaki.
"We found debris that could match that."
"Exactly. The remains of that empire still appear in some places, though most are destroyed or buried. There are scholars who believe many ruins attributed to minor civilizations were actually part of the orcs' domain."
Raka emitted a soft sound, as if arranging his own memories.
"One of my former bearers also spoke of those ruins. I cannot affirm that everything belonged to the same empire, but the orcs of that time were much more organized than people today usually imagine."
Karina nodded.
"Yes. In common stories, they are presented as brutal monsters, but when speaking of the Golden Boar, things change. He had generals, organized armies, and cities under his control. That is why his fall was so important for the Shiga Kingdom."
Satoru listened without interrupting.
There was interesting data in that conversation: the dominion over an entire race, the existence of a vanished empire, the way the ruins were still linked to Yamato's war. However, if he had to point out what interested him the most, the question was simpler.
"Was he strong?"
"Hmm?"
Karina and Raka looked at him at the same time.
For an instant, neither of them said anything.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but there had been something strange in Satoru's tone. It was not open emotion or impatience, but there was a small pressure different from his usual calm.
It almost sounded like competitiveness.
Karina blinked and cleared her throat.
"Well… each of the Three Great Demon Kings is considered one of the strongest existences in history. They were anomalies capable of defeating even dragons."
I can do that too, Satoru thought.
He did not say it aloud.
Karina continued, not fully noticing the nuance of his silence.
"The Golden Boar was an expert in close-range combat, with overwhelming physical strength that could make the earth tremble. In addition, he could use different types of magic. And he had incredible resistance, capable of ignoring most attacks, both physical and magical."
Satoru remained silent.
That felt familiar.
"His power was so great," Raka added, "that King Yamato could not defeat him on his own."
Karina nodded.
"He needed the support of the Dragon Goddess, Akon Kagura, to obtain victory."
"..."
The room fell silent.
Satoru did not move his face, but Karina noticed that something in him had stopped.
"Then, how strong would he be compared to me?"
Now it was Karina and Raka's turn to remain silent.
Karina looked at him.
Then she looked at Raka.
Raka did not answer.
Karina looked back at Satoru.
"..."
Satoru waited.
Karina slowly lowered the fruit she had in her hand.
"Do you want a serious answer?"
"Yes."
She took a deep breath, as if she had just understood that the conversation had taken a far more complicated direction.
"I don't know."
Raka did not try to correct her either.
"It is impossible to measure it with certainty," the artifact added. "We know stories, chronicles, and fragments transmitted through generations. We also know what Lady Karina and I have seen of you, but that does not mean we have seen everything you can do."
Karina slowly nodded.
"That is true. I have seen absurd things thanks to you, but I do not know where your limit is."
Satoru remained silent.
Karina watched him for a moment, and curiosity overcame her before she could hold it back.
"Then, who has been the most powerful opponent you have defeated?"
The question hung in the room.
Satoru did not answer.
His face did not change, but the silence stretched long enough for Karina to understand that she had touched a subject different from what she intended. Raka said nothing either.
After a few seconds, Satoru spoke calmly.
"I should be stronger."
Karina blinked.
"Than the Golden Boar?"
"Yes."
It did not sound like arrogance. Nor like an affirmation made to impress her. It was closer to a conclusion Satoru had formed on his own and that did not seem to fully satisfy him.
Karina did not immediately know what to answer.
Satoru took the cup of tea and changed the course of the conversation.
"Then, was the Golden Boar Demon King considered the strongest Demon King?"
Karina rested one hand on her cheek, following the change of subject though she still looked at Satoru with some doubt.
"That is also complicated."
"Why?"
"Because it depends on whom you ask. In many stories, the Golden Boar is among the strongest. But if we are talking about the title of strongest Demon King, the debate usually ends between him and another."
Satoru lowered the cup.
"Another?"
Raka answered this time.
"The Dogheaded Demon King."
Karina nodded.
"Yes. The Dogheaded Demon King. Although in his case, it is even harder to speak with certainty. He is not like the Golden Boar, who is more closely tied to the history of the Shiga Kingdom. The Dogheaded Demon King belongs to far older legends, from tens of thousands of years ago."
"What do those legends say?"
Karina made a small grimace.
"Absurd things."
Raka emitted a low sound.
"But repeated often enough that they cannot be completely ignored."
Karina took a fruit from the table, though she took a while to eat it.
"It is said that he destroyed the world as it was known in that era. That no dragon could defeat him. That the champions sent by the gods died one after another. And that, in the end, the gods themselves had to kill him personally."
Satoru remained silent.
"At least, that is what the legend says," Karina added.
Raka continued in a more cautious tone.
"That is why his name usually appears beside the Golden Boar when speaking of the strongest Demon Kings. The Golden Boar is clearer as a historical enemy of King Yamato. The Dogheaded Demon King, on the other hand, is covered by stories so ancient that it is difficult to separate reality from exaggeration."
"I understand."
Satoru placed the cup on the table.
Golden Boar Demon King and the Dogheaded Demon King.
He did not know how much of those stories could be taken as fact and how much belonged to exaggeration accumulated through the centuries. Even so, both names had survived long enough to continue appearing when people spoke of the strongest Demon Kings.
That was enough to remember them.
"For now, that is sufficient. Thank you."
Karina looked at him in silence for a few seconds.
"Are you going to keep asking about them?"
"On another occasion."
Karina blinked, then let out a small sigh and sank a little further into the chair.
"On another occasion, you should choose a less heavy topic."
"I will consider it."
Satoru took the cup of tea without denying her words.
Raka emitted a low sound, almost amused, and Karina looked at him with annoyance before taking another fruit from the table. The conversation ended there, but the names remained in Satoru's mind with a clarity he had no intention of ignoring.
******
Author's Note
Thank you very much for reading.
This was a chapter dedicated to routine and to Satoru's integration into the lives of the people around him. That said, I genuinely enjoy writing this kind of interaction, so I hope you enjoyed it as well. And don't worry, things will start moving again soon.
Something worth mentioning about this chapter is that it was easy to write. This original arc is something I had already prepared a long time ago, so putting the ideas together and reaching the final result came much more naturally.
***
New chapters of Traveling to Other Worlds are available early on Patreon for Early Traveler members.
Patreon also includes extra notes, differences from canon, and the experimental story Chaos Gacha.
Support is entirely optional. Reading, commenting, and continuing to follow the story already means a great deal to me.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/GreenHistories
***
That is all for now.
Thank you again for your support, and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come.