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Have you ever felt the pains of hunger? The cold, unforgiving floor of a dungeon? I have. I have been beaten. Staved and locked away for something I had no control over, and these people still expect me to protect them. Fat chance. The first chance I get, I am out of here. These people can fend for themselves. They were the ones that cheered and insulted me as the guards publicly beat me. I have no reason to save any in this godforsaken kingdom.

I can think of a few people that would have loved to have been transported to another world. Become a hero make a fortune from bringing modern cuisine to a fantasy world while enjoying life with a harem of beautiful women. What is not to like? But I got to tell you. My experience of being summoned to a parallel world is nothing like that. I am a hero, and there is a beautiful princess, but then there is the fact I am chained to the ground with a pair of knights holding their swords to my throat.

"Demon Spawn Chris Erickson," The king says, looking down at me from the other side of the bars of my cell. "We have no idea how you managed to steal the hero title, but we, the virtuous people of Albion, will put a stop to your evil plans."

I can't even defend myself with the gag they forced into my mouth. I didn't want to be a hero and have the title. I didn't want to be a demon! They were the ones who forced this on me. They were the ones that kidnapped me from my perfectly everyday monotonous life. I never wanted any of this. They were the ones that caused this problem, but they only blame me for everything that has happened.

Yesterday I was an ordinary student. I went to school, goofed off with my friends and got yelled at for forgetting to do my chores. It was not a perfect life, but I was still happy. But my life changed forever when I took a shortcut through an alley on my way home, and a blue portal suddenly appeared beneath my feet. The next thing I knew, I was here in the kingdom of Albion and surrounded by knights as people screamed and called me a demon. It was not until I was locked in a cell and given a chance to look in a mirror that I realised why.

My hair that was once brown, has been turned into a dark blue colour. The short length is still the same, but the colour changed. My eyes were the same colour, or at least one of them was still blue. As for the other, my left eye, it had become something truly demonic. My once blue eye now was red, with that white part becoming a colourless black void. No wonder people called me a demon when I first appeared. As for everything else, I was still the same height and weight as I was before I was sucked into that portal, and my facial structure looked the same. Unfortunately, those comforts brought me little happiness when I was locked in the cell with people calling for my execution.

"Whatever you had planned has failed you," The king declares as a young girl is ushered towards the bars of my cell.

She is younger than me, no older than twelve, with short brown hair and dark green eyes. She is shivering and looking like she can barely hold the sword she must have been given. I feel sorry for her. She can't have been here for long, and already she looks overworked with dark bags under her eyes.

"Behold, Demon Spawn, a true hero, has been summoned," The king continues pointing to the girl. The girl looks at me and imminently backs away. "I have made sure that the whole kingdom knows of her arrival, and tomorrow morning, she will be your executioner."

"Executioner…" The girl mutters, staring at me wide-eyed.

I'm surprised someone like her knows what the word means. She looks to me, then the king, then back to me. This king is the worst. I don't know how he can call me a demon when he is forcing this little girl to kill me. When I see the idea of killing me has made the girl cry, I wish I wasn't chained up so I could punch this jerk.

I have a younger sister, and this girl reminds me of her. I can remember a day as clear as it just happened despite the events taking place nearly three years ago. Some bullies in my neighbourhood tried to steal my little sister's bike. They pushed her over, causing her to cut her knee and get a bloody nose. They scared her so severely she cried. Unlucky for them, I saw everything. It did not matter that the bullies were bigger and older than me. I still kicked their asses. The cuts and bruises I received were worth the price of protecting my sister.

"It will be a historic day," The king smiles. "The first demon our kingdom has ever captured will be put to death by the summoned hero. People will cheer, and they will know our kingdom will be saved from the likes of you."

He really is lucky I am restrained. I do not like it when people gloat and brag in front of people. It makes the person seem pathetic, in my opinion. If they have free time, this is not the right way to spend it. If I was not gagged and bound, I would punch the king and tell him to find a better use of his time, then punch him again and warn him that if he makes that girl cry again, I will kill him. Gloating, bragging and making girls cry. This jerk of a king is really pushing all my buttons.

"The kingdom will be saved from whatever wicked fate you had planned for it," The king tells me. "Then the hero will save the world from your demon lord."

He really needs to find a better way to spend his time. The king leaves with the guards and the hero after saying his piece. Now I am alone again. Alone in a dark, cold cell. But that works for me. Pretending to be weak and helpless has its advantages. The guards never check me. The king thinks I am as good as dead, and no one suspects I am up to something.

I am a lot stronger than the guards and king thinks. Where they see evil, I found my strength, and if they would not have locked me up, then they would have had found a powerful ally in me. I was given power when I came to this world. I can use fire mage, with I have been using to cut from the metal handcuffs around my ankles and wrists. I could have cut it faster, but I was careful and patient, ensuring I was ready the day I was finally free from these shackles. When I said early, I was starving. That was not because they were not feeding me. They were just little pieces of food at a time and never a full meal. I have just been eating as little as I can, well, using a storage skill I gained upon entering this world so I would have something to eat during my escape.

I was planning on escaping in a few more days, but after what that king just said, I had no choice but to leave tonight. Well, no time like the present. I doubt the guard will be expecting me to escape right after the king visited me, so this is the best time.

Step one. I need to free myself from these shackles. It is a simple task. I just need to think to activate my magic, and within a few seconds, my hands and feet are covered in flames. It does not hurt or even feel hurt. I was also given immunity to fire alongside my fire magic, so I guess I have that to thank for feeling nothing. Step one was so easy I could have done it in my sleep. It takes no more than ten seconds, and the metal shackles trapping me to the cold hard floor have melted away, and I remove the gag from my mouth.

Step two. I need to get out of my cell. This step is more complicated but just as easy for me. I could melt the bars to my cell, fight my way through the guards and walk out the front door, but that is too risky. I could easily be brought down by a stray arrow or lucky swing of a sword. Fighting my way out will also make the king hate me more than he already does, and I will have people tracking me down right away.

Sneaking out is the better option. I have been given a menu skill like you would have in a video game to help with this. It comes with several valuable features, such as that storage magic I mentioned earlier, a screen where I can see my stats and a memo pad. But the most helpful feature is the map section. It displays the layout of the castle I am being held in, the surrounding city and even the whole country. Still, the best thing about it is that I can also see where everyone is on the map. With the help of this skill, I have everything I need to escape from my imprisonment.

This escape is easier than I thought. I would laugh if I was not trying to be stealthy. The two guards meant to keep an eye on me are asleep in the guard room. I was planning to melt a hole in the wall and jump into the moat but seeing the guards are fast asleep, I think it is better to find another way out. The bars to my cell are just as easy to melt as my shackles. Everything is going too well. If things keep going this way, I will be out of this castle before the sun has risen.

Step three. Now I need to get the hell out of here. This last step has become more complicated than I originally planned. Still, with the help of my map, I should be able to escape this hellhole unseen.

My luck just keeps getting better. The door leading out of the dungeon isn't even locked. Are these guys idiots or what? It is common sense to lock the door separating the king from dangerous criminals he has locked away. I bet it is only unlocked because the king wanted to stop by whenever he felt like it to insult and belittle me. I guess this is another advantage to pretending to be weak.

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The guards in this place are a joke. Not only is every door I come across unlocked, but they do not seem to be prepared for someone infiltrating the castle. There are only a few patrols that I rarely have to hide from. The only doors with guards stationed by them are the ones leading into the throne room and the bedrooms of the royal family. Even if I wasn't trying to be stealthy, I would have no trouble getting out of this place unseen.

I even managed to pay the food stores a visit and helped myself to plenty of food for my escape. I was tempted to take everything, but I held back and only took as much as I thought I would need. I also took one of the sharp kitchen knives just in case I needed to defend myself. If I had known it would be this easy, I would have escaped long ago.

"Let go of me!"

That girl! What is that king doing now to make her scream like that? Before I know it, I run towards where that scream is coming from. It's stupid. I don't owe that girl anything, and there are probably guards around her and the king, but I can't ignore a scream like that.

"Please calm down the prince does not want to hurt you," As I get closer, I can hear the king trying to talk the girl down. "He is merely extending an invitation to his future wife."

Future wife. This king really is a disgusting creep. That girl is just a child, and he wants to marry her off to the prince, who looks like he is at least twice her age. The prince is probably the only person in the castle, worst than the king. He beat me in my cell, spat in the food I was given a few times and tried to talk his father into torturing me to death.

"I never agreed to marry him!"

So the king is forcing his son on her. I bet the world would thank me if I were to kill him now.

"The marriage has already been decided," This king need to listen to her before I snap his neck. "Our royal family is the only match suitable for you, and my son is yet to take a bride." I wonder why he is single. Is torturing and being a bad person not a hit with the ladies? "Just calm down a spend the evening with him. I am sure you will change your mind."

"I said no!" At least the girl has no problems standing up for herself. The only problem is that no one is listening to her.

"What makes you think you have the right to defy me," Great, even the prince won't take no for an answer. "Father, have the guards take her to my room. I will make sure she… Ahh!!!"

"What the… why are you here!"

"Sound the alarm! The Demon Spawn has escaped!"

Perfect. Just perfect. I just destroyed any chance of escaping unseen now, but I don't regret it. Blowing open that door was worth all the trouble it would bring me if I could save the girl. These people are the worse. Forcing a young child into marriage. Planning on doing unthinkable things to her! There is no way I can leave her here where actual demons like the prince and king have access to her. They can call me a villain all they like I don't care.

"Die, Demon Spawn!"

A guard with a halberd charges at me, but I easily catch his weapon and through the guard into a second brave fool that tried to approach me. They land hard and don't get back up, but it is clear they are still alive from the way the two are moving. Another guard fires a blot at me from her crossbow, but it is child's play for me to catch the arrow. In the blink of an eye, I throw it back at her, and she screams when the bolt impales her shoulder. These guys really underestimated me. Like I said before. If they had taken the time to look into my power, they would have realised how strong I truly am.

"Hey, kid," I bed down to where the girl had collapsed on the floor. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"How dare you!"

Well, it looks like the prince had recovered from his shock. When I first entered the room, he was huddled in a ball on the floor, but now he is charging at me with a sword high above his head. I'm glad I get a chance to put this jerk in his place.

"That girl belongs to me!" The prince yells. "I won't let you have her Demon Spawn!"

Such a fool. I catch the blade of his weapon, but despite how sharp the princes sword is, the weapon fails to even scratch me. This is why they should have looked into me. If they had, they would have known that only magical weapons could harm me. A typical sword like the one the prince wields couldn't even scratch me no matter how much he tries.

"You're wrong," I calmly tell him as I shatter his blade. "People don't belong to other people." I punched him in the stomach, and even though I was holding back, he still landed on the floor a meter away from me. "I heard her tell you that she wants nothing to do with you, and yet you tried o force yourself on her. I really hate people like you."

"How… how dare you…." The prince gasps as he struggles to his feet. "How dare you! I am a prince! Royal blood runs through my veins! How dare a lowly creature such as yourself lay a finger on me!" Well, he completely lost it. "I will have your head on a pike! Someone kill him! I will give the person that kills him anything they desire!"

"Your head is mine!"

Here comes the first fool. Some battle crazed guard leaps through the air with a sword in each hand. Idiot. Does he not realise he is a sitting duck in the air? I hope he learns his lesson as I kick him in the side and send him flying away.

"You won't stop me!"

Fool number two, step right up. I know I shouldn't be having this much fun, but these guards are so pathetically weak I can't help but enjoy myself a little. This time I trip the guard as he rushes me with a spear sending him skidding into fool number three before he could even get close to me.

"How is he doing this?"

"How is he so strong?"

"If you two don't want to fight, then get out of my way!"

Fool number four steps up, pushing his way through the two most intelligible guards I have seen so far. I admit that bar isn't that high, but it's good to know not everyone in this kingdom is an idiot. Unfortunately, this fool charging towards me with a sword proves there are still plenty of stupid people out there. With a flick of my wrist, I send his sword flying out of his hands, and I can see the fear in his eyes. I knock him away with a flick of my finger before he starts to wet himself. But at least with fool number fours defeat, no one else is stupid enough to try and attack me again.

I turn back to the girl and see her shivering and staring at me. I'm not like the prince or the king. I will extend my offer once more and let her decide. If she wants to stay, I will leave her. If she wants to come with me, she is welcome to. I will even take her to a nearby town if she wants.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you," I gently smile as I kneel down in front of her. "I'm leaving this place. Do you want to come with me? You don't have to stay with me. I can take you someplace you can live in peace."

"You foul Demon Spawn!" Great the prince is back, and he has a new sword. Can someone tell me why they thought it was a good idea to arm this idiot? "Trying to steal my woman! I will kill you myself!"

So round two begins, and round two ends predictably fast. I let the sword he got from somewhere hit me and shatter against my shoulder. How can someone be so dumb? He literally saw me shatter his last sword. Well, I don't have time to teach this idiot common sense, so I will end things quickly. With another punch to his stomach, I send him flying away again. I may be hoping for too much, but maybe he would learn to be less stupid after a hit like that.

"I won't force you to come with me, but I will need your answer now," I tell the girl returning my attention to her. "If I stay any longer, I might end up accidentally killing that silly prince. So do you want to leave this place?"

"Please…" She looks at me like she might cry again. "Please, Mr Demon. Please take me away from this place."

"Hold on," I smile before picking the girl up and putting her on my back.

Since sneaking out of here is out of the question after this mess I caused, I guess I will have to go with my original plan. I shoot a fireball at one of the windows and walk towards it. After confirming a safe fall down into the moat, I prepare to jump.

"Demon Spawn!" The king yells from his hiding space. "How dare you steal our hero from us!"

"I'm going to jump now," I tell the girl paying the kings rant no attention. "My body will be able to hand the impact of the water, so I will take the brunt of the impact." I shift the girl around into a position I can better shield her from the fall. "On the count of three… three…."

"Are you listening to me!" The king continues to scream. "Release the hero at once!"

"Two…."

"You will be hunted down to the ends of the earth for this!"

"One…."

"I am ordering you to realise the girl!"

I jump. I have to fight not to close my eyes and position myself to minimise the danger to the girl. I really need to learn her name. It's not nice to keep referring to her as girl. That will have to wait, though. My body smashes into the water of the moat, creating a massive column of water. Checking on the girl, I am glad to see she is unharmed, but I can see the king looking down at us from the hole I blew through his window. He looks made, but I don't care what a fool like him thinks about me.

"Can you swim?" I ask the girl, and she nods her head, so I release my hold on her. "Follow me and keep quiet," I tell her, and she nods again. "My name is Chris, by the way, Chris Erickson. What's yours?"

"Fujioka Toya," She replies as we start to swim away. "And Toya is my first name. Most westerners I meet always gets the order of my name wrong."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Toya," I smile, looking over my shoulder. "Follow me. I know a place we can use to escape this city."

My mapping feature really is incredible. I know every move the king makes in real-time and the best way to escape his city. It won't be long until we are far away from him and his idiot son.