At dawn, Kael stood before his knights, arms crossed as he surveyed the battlefield. The stench of blood and death still hung in the air, and the sight before them was no less gruesome than last night.
"Alright, time to start working," he announced. "We need to clear this mess. Move the corpses, gather anything useful, and check if there’s anything unusual left behind."
The knights moved with groggy reluctance, dragging their feet toward the massive piles of bodies. But as they worked, lifting slabs of broken armor and tossing aside shattered weapons, they quickly realized something.
"Gods above... there’s more!" one knight gagged.
"This isn’t just from the battle! Look at these bodies—they’ve been rotting for days."
"Shit! There’s a whole mountain of them back here!"
Kael turned and saw it too—a gruesome mass of corpses, hidden behind the ruined structures. Unlike the ones from last night’s battle, these bodies were pale, shriveled, drained of life.
"Damn it... they were sacrifices." Kael’s face darkened.
One of the knights doubled over and vomited.
"Enough bullshit. Stop reacting and start working," Kael snapped. "We don’t have time to stand around crying about it."
The knights swallowed their disgust and forced themselves to continue. Some covered their faces with cloth, others hardened their expressions and began the grim task of sorting through the bodies.
A loud scream tore through the air.
"My Lord! We found someone alive!"
Kael’s head snapped up. "What?"
Without hesitation, he strode toward the source of the voice, his heartbeat quickening.
The knights parted, forming a tight circle around something or someone. Kael stepped forward and immediately saw her.
A woman lay among the corpses, her body battered, her breath weak. She was no ordinary survivor.
She had long, flowing red hair, cascading down her shoulders like flames. Her skin was a pale shade of crimson, and a pair of curved horns jutted from her forehead, dark and smooth like polished obsidian. Even in her weakened state, she possessed an undeniable beauty, her sharp features both delicate and fierce.
Kael’s gaze hardened. He knew exactly why she was still alive.
Demons had vitality far beyond that of humans. Their long lifespans made them resilient, and even though most of her life essence had been drained, she had barely clung to survival. If she had been human, she would have perished long ago.
"She is damned pretty...Hehehe...You have got a jackpot kid,"Ramos asked with an expression that only men know only to make Kael bite him.
"Do you only think with your lower part?"
"What the fuck did you say?"Ramos shouted raising his knuckles but Kael ignored him while looking around at the knights who were pretty nonchalant that made him feel weird.
"Aren’t you surprised to see a demon..You don’t want to kill her or hate her."
"Huh?Why would we do that?"Ramos asked with a frown , making Kael confused.
That’s when a sudden thought stuck in his mind and he asked.
"Are finding demons in human land quite common nowadays?"
"It’s not common but it’s not uncommon either."
"In the Capital, you can find quite number of brothels run by succubus.Also there are quite a number of demons around who also occupied high positions in merchant groups and all that."
Ramos said, which made Kael understand.
’Haa!Sometimes, I forget that this isn’t the war era.And we aren’t fighting them now and have established a good relationship.’
In his time, if you find a demon in human land or a human in demon land, people would already start ringing alarm sign and begin the huntm
But since the war was over naturally, the distance and barrier between the two species must be lessened a lot.
"She’s still breathing," one knight muttered in shock.
"Get her out of here," Kael ordered. "Bring water and medicine. I’ll handle this."
The knights hesitated at first, their distrust of demons clear in their eyes. But a single glare from Kael shut them up, and they quickly moved to follow his orders.
Kael sat beside the unconscious demon, watching as the firelight flickered over her face.
He had carefully cleaned her wounds, wrapping bandages around her arms and torso. She was frail,a stark contrast to the strength demons were known for.
He placed a damp cloth on her forehead. Her breathing was slow but stable.
"Hah! Taking care of a demon woman, huh?"
Kael looked up and saw Ramos, the old man, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. His wrinkled face split into a smirk, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Damn, she’s got a nice face. Maybe I should have let myself get cursed if it meant being saved by a beauty like that," Ramos whistled.
Kael snorted. "Shut it, old man."
Ramos chuckled. "Just saying, lad. If I were younger, I’d definitely try my luck." He gave Kael a knowing look before walking off, whistling all the way.
Kael shook his head and sat down on rock.
Moments Later,she awakened.
A soft groan reached Kael’s ears. He immediately turned to see the demon woman’s fingers twitching slightly.
Her eyes fluttered open—deep crimson, glowing faintly even in the dim firelight. For a moment, they were blank, unfocused. But as soon as she recognized her surroundings, her gaze turned sharp and cold.
She sat up abruptly—then winced, clutching her side.
"You’re awake," Kael said simply.
Her eyes snapped toward him, burning with a quiet rage.
"Where am I?" she demanded, her voice rough yet unmistakably strong.
"You were found among the corpses. I saved you," Kael replied.
The demon woman clenched her jaw. Her fingers dug into the fabric of the blanket covering her.
"Saved me?" she repeated coldly.
"Save me....From who?Why?"
Question marks appeared on Kael’s face wondering if this woman is sane.
The demoness looked at Kael with a confused gaze and asked,"Tell me.... Do you expect gratitude?"
Kael’s expression changed a bit as he asked. "No. Just doing what needed to be done."
She studied him for a long moment, her crimson eyes unreadable.
Then, with a slow, controlled movement, she exhaled. "Hmph. A strange human."
Kael didn’t respond—just handed her a waterskin.
She hesitated before snatching it from his hands. Even in her weakened state, she still carried herself with pride.
As she drank, Kael finally spoke.
The demon woman paused, lowering the waterskin slightly.
She looked at him, her eyes cold yet thoughtful. Then, she answered.