Chapter One: The Demon Lord Saves a Damsel in Distress

"All righty, this should do it for today!"

As the sun began to set above the forest, Luina Scarlett stretched her

tired back. After a hard day's work in the fields, a large drop of sweat rolled

down her innocent, charming face, and her beautiful, spotless skin was

covered in mud. It wasn't how one would expect a fair maiden to look at the

end of the day, but her lively smile showed that she didn't care to meet such

expectations.

"Mommy! All done?"

A young girl, her hands covered in mud from copying Luina for a while,

was squatting down next to her. She also had mud streaked across her

forehead, which had probably come from wiping her sweat with one of her

dirty hands.

"Yep! Thanks to your help, Marie, we're already finished!" The gentle

smile Luina wore as she spoke caused Marie's face to light up with

excitement.

"Mommy! Pet my head!"

"There, there. You're such an angel; how could I not pet your head?"

"Lemme help s'more, Mommy!" Marie clung to Luina's leg after

having her soft hair stroked. "I want more pets!"

"All right, you can help me wash my hands!"

"I'll make 'em sparkly!" she said, taking Luina's hand as they walked to

the well.

◆◆◆

"Heave-ho, Mommy!"

"Watch me!"

Answering Marie's radiant smile, Luina pulled on the coarse rope. It

scraped against her hands, but the heavy bucket slowly ascended from the

depths of the well. Once it had made it to the top, she lifted it with shaky hands and gently placed it on the ground, making sure not to spill any of the

water inside. Marie then stuck her hands into it and splish-splashed around as

she washed the dirt off.

"I'm all sparkly!" she exclaimed, proudly presenting her clean hands.

"Oh, look at you! Well done!"

"I did good! Mommy, can you get sparkly too?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe if you cheer me on."

"Good luck, Mommy! You can do it!"

"Thank you! I'll do my best!"

After washing her hands in the remaining shallow water, Luina showed

them to Marie, who carefully examined them. A radiant smile broke out on

her face and she clapped her tiny hands together.

"Mommy, you're sparkly! You deserve pets!" She rubbed her tiny hand

on Luina's head, but quickly removed it and put it over her stomach when she

heard a small growl. "Did you hear my tummy say 'Grrrrr', Mommy?! It

went 'Grrrrr'!"

"It sure did!"

"When's dinny?"

"Once we get home, okay?"

"Yaaay!"

She raised her arms high into the air, causing her baggy sleeves to slide

down, exposing her tiny, surprisingly slender arms for a three-year-old. She

wasn't starved by any means—if anything, she had an incredible appetite.

She never left food on her plate. The issue was that her diet consisted solely

of vegetables.

The last of her baby teeth had come in about three months prior, which

had opened up a cornucopia of options when it came to daily meals. She was

able to chew meat and fish, but they simply couldn't afford such things.

If only I were half as strong as my father was, Luina thought. Then, I

could give my children anything they'd ever need.

The Scarlett family, renowned throughout the kingdom of Raiten, was

financed by the government in exchange for aid in battle. Luina's father,

specifically, was heralded as a hero. He was incredibly talented—the

strongest of their bloodline—and had saved countless people on the

battlefield, yet remained a down-to-earth, kind person who treated everyone

as equals and loved his family above all else.

Having been brought up by such an incredible father, Luina's dream was to one day become the same strong, kind person he was. Unfortunately,

however, instead of inheriting her father's almost completely pure Scarlett

blood, she took after her mother, a woman with no magical talent. As a result,

Luina's affinity for magic was almost non-existent.

Then, two years ago, disaster struck. Luina's father left for the

battlefield, where he was cut down by a demon. The person who took over as

the head of the family broke off their agreement with the government,

sending them into poverty in the blink of an eye.

It was all too common that children lost their parents to demons. That

was exactly the reason Luina's father had built an orphanage: to give the

orphans a place to belong and a family to rely on. Most of the family's funds

went into maintaining and running the orphanage, and the rest of their money

was needed to treat Luina's mother, who'd fallen deathly ill after her

husband's passing. As their funds began to dwindle, the family was forced to

sell most of their possessions, until the fateful day about a year ago when her

mother passed away.

In its heyday, the orphanage was filled with many energetic children,

but as time passed and its funding had to be cut, most were adopted into

different families. The only ones that remained at her home were Luina,

Marie, and one other child. Their little family of three was nowhere near as

lively as before, but raising two children with no source of income was a

challenge in and of itself. The townsfolk gifted food and other various

necessities every so often out of the kindness of their hearts, but those

occasional gifts would only relieve so much of the pressure.

Luina's house was situated at the edge of the town and had very limited

means of transportation; the reason they'd chosen it was its large yard they

could let the kids play in. She sometimes thought about letting go of the

house filled with the memories of her family and moving into a flat with a

better location. Doing so would be a reasonable way to make their lives a

little easier, but moving into the city and losing her yard meant she would no

longer be able to grow her own vegetables. With her self-sufficiency gone,

food expenses would skyrocket, which could result in her children having to

go hungry for a time. She was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

Stop, she thought. I can't let myself be caught up in this futility.

Children were perceptive of adult's feelings; Luina always had to act

cheerful not to make Marie worried.

"I wanna play after dinny!" Marie said brightly

Despite having worked all day, she was as hyper as ever. Her bright

eyes dispelled Luina's dark worries.

"Okay, then let's race back home! Are you ready?"

"Ready! I'm super fast! Look!"

Marie boasted of her skills and set her eyes on their house, which was

right nearby. She was ready to rush off when a crack! rang out from the fence

behind them.

"N-No way…" Luina squeaked after turning toward the source of the

unsettling sound.

The color drained from her face. She decided to act cheerful around

Marie, but the small, earthen-colored creature standing before her filled her

with dread. "Wh-Why is there a demon here?"

Demons were hard-wired to hunt down humans. If left alone, they

would sniff out human habitats and raid them. In order to prevent such raids,

Hunters risked their lives patrolling the outskirts of any and all human towns.

It wasn't rare for people to be killed by demons outside of town, but

inside was completely safe. Luina's home may have been on the edge of

town, but it was no exception to that rule. Her father, like any other sane

person, would never have built an orphanage anywhere that had even the

slightest chance of being attacked by demons. For all intents and purposes,

such an event couldn't happen, and yet there was a small, earth-colored

demon—a goblin—standing right in front of her.

Though about the same size as Marie, goblins were not to be

underestimated. They were strong enough to easily smash through a wooden

fence. Luina was in good shape, but one could rip her apart in mere seconds.

Naturally, the young Marie stood no chance either. They had only one option.

"Run!" Luina screamed at the top of her lungs.

"M-Mommy?"

"Run back home! Now!"

Marie hadn't yet learned the horrors of the goblins; she was too young

to know. From Luina's panicked voice, however, she understood that their

situation was dire, so she set off toward the house, bawling.

That alone didn't save them from the danger, though, because demons

were hard-wired to hunt down humans. After killing Luina, the goblin would

make its way to the house and murder Marie as well. Therefore, Luina's duty

was not to buy time. She had to kill the goblin, or it would be the end of their

family.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad! Please forgive me for using our treasured

artifact!"

She reached into her bosom and took out a pendant—a deep red crystal.

It was, however, no simple ornament. It was a magic stone.

When demons perished, they left behind magic stones. By charging

them with mana, one could replicate the fallen demon's powers. The more

mana one poured into a stone, the more powerful its effects would be.

Luckily for Luina, who was so weak that focusing all her magic into the

highest quality stone wouldn't allow her to defeat even a single goblin, the

Scarlett family had been accumulating mana into their artifact for

generations.

Using it would destroy all those years of hard work, but she had no

other option. She clutched the stone and shouted a cry of hope.

"I'm begging you! Save Marie!"

In that moment, the pendant began emitting a blinding red light as if

responding to Luina's prayer. The countless rays of explosive light converged

to form a single beam, which then created a circle on the ground, which gave

off a light akin to that of the setting sun.

When the light faded, a man wearing a robe as black as the darkest night

was standing before her.

◆◆◆

When the light faded, Anima found himself in an unfamiliar place. The

morning sun above him was suddenly setting, and he hadn't lost

consciousness at any point, so he must have been teleported.

There were other signs to support his theory as well: the desolate

wasteland had been replaced by lush plains with a thick forest nearby, and

staring meekly at him was a woman who looked to be as gentle as a lamb.

Her spotless skin was covered by a simple muddy dress, and her smooth

blue hair, tied together with a ribbon, danced down her back. With the

exception of her impressive chest, she seemed delicate and slender, especially

with her beautiful face having lost its color and her azure eyes shaking with

nervousness. Anima couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Am I dreaming…? he thought.

Anima often daydreamed about what his ideal family would look like.

The number of children and type of home changed every once in a while, but one thing was constant: the wife he imagined always had a calm,

compassionate air to her. The girl in front of him was obviously nervous, but

even through the tears, a gentle warmth radiated from her eyes. He was

smitten.

Staring at her any longer would only scare her even more, though, so

Anima shifted gears and began weighing his options. He could either leave

immediately, or he could take off his hood and reveal his identity.

By leaving, he could avoid scaring her, but that'd also mean giving up

on the woman of his dreams. He'd no doubt spend the rest of his life

regretting his choice. He wanted to talk to her—or rather, to build a family

with her, and the only way he could do that was by revealing his identity.

Doing so had the potential to cause her to run away if terror, but for

Anima to hide his identity while being with her would be deceptive. That was

out of the question, as the first step to building a happy family was honesty.

More importantly, however, he wanted to be accepted. If she didn't love him

for who he really was, building the family of his dreams was impossible.

"I mean no harm."

With that pitiful preface, Anima timidly pulled off his hood. He had

snow-white hair, mean-looking crimson eyes, a surprisingly cherubic face,

and two horns growing from the side of his head. The girl scanned his face,

but the scream he'd expected was nowhere to be heard. Perhaps she was so

afraid of him that she couldn't make a sound.

"U-Umm! Behind you! It's behind you!" she screamed in panic as that

thought crossed his mind.

"Behind me?"

Anima turned around, where he spotted a tiny, hideous bipedal creature.

Its eyes seething with bloodlust, it looked directly at him and began smacking

his waist with its slender arms.

His heart sank. He couldn't believe that the love of his life would date

such an ugly thing, but that was the only reason it would want to fight him,

right? To save the one it truly loved from the clutches of evil.

Something similar had happened to him in the past. That man had fled

in terror, but the repulsive little brute he currently faced showed no signs of

running. For it to attack him with such dauntless courage showed that such a

woman meant the world to it, and though his love for her didn't waver, he

had no right to trample over others' happiness.

"Calm down. I'm not here to tear you two apart."

"What do you mean?!"

"Hm? Aren't you dating this little mongrel?"

"No! Not even close! I'm not dating anyone!"

She denied his claim and provided a piece of information so crucial that

everything else ceased to exist for Anima. The woman of his dreams wasn't

dating anyone. While he dealt with the butterflies in his stomach, the girl

timidly opened her mouth.

"Umm, are you okay? Doesn't your waist hurt? That thing has been

hitting you ever since you appeared."

"Are you… worried about me?"

"Of course I am!"

Anima was completely charmed by the girl's kind heart. He'd finally

found someone who cared for his well-being.

"May I ask for your name?"

"I'm Luina…"

"Luina, listen to me," Anima said, etching her name into his very soul.

"You may have heard rumors of me being a cold-blooded, heartless monster,

but I do have feelings. I haven't shed blood in decades, so I don't know if it's

cold or not, but I shed tears from time to time. Believe me when I say I'm not

the detestable fiend people make me out to be. There certainly was a time

when I rampaged through the lands, and fought countless battles, but I'm not

a violent foo—Arghhh, you're annoying!"

Anima grabbed the goblin by its head and threw it at the ground,

causing the creature to bounce high into the air with a dry shriek.

Wha—? It's so weak.

Anima was dumbfounded. He had meant to be gentle with the creature;

he hadn't wanted to kill it since it may have had a family. Regardless, though,

he couldn't afford to get caught up in that. Painful as it may have been, he

had to focus on his conversation with Luina. Lamenting his mistakes could

wait until he'd established a common understanding with her, so he cleared

his throat and looked at her once again.

"Either way, I'm not some bloodthirsty monster, so please don't be

scared of me."

There was no answer, only confusion. It must've been hard for her to

believe that Anima wasn't a cold-blooded murderer.

"I know what you want to say," he continued, "but please believe me.

I'm not the man the rumors make me out to be."

Luina was in a daze. After Anima waved his hand in front of her face,

she finally looked at him, then quickly bowed her head.

"Th-Thank you very much!"

She expressed her gratitude as tears welled up in her eyes.

"…What did you just say?" The tables had turned. Anima was in utter

shock after hearing those words. As someone who was never thanked for

anything in his life, he couldn't process what was happening. "Wh-What was

that? Did you say, 'thank you'?"

"Yes! I'm incredibly grateful!"

"Why are you grateful to me?"

"Because you saved me!"

"Saved you?" He finally grasped the situation. "Wait, that thing attacked

you?"

"That's a demon!"

"That? A demon?"

Anima had fought countless battles with men and demons alike, but he

had never encountered anything so feeble before. Either the demons of the

land he was currently in were incredibly weak compared to the ones

inhabiting his home, or the one he'd just sent flying was simply an

extraordinarily weak specimen. Not like it really mattered, as, to him, no

creature amounted to more than a pesky fly.

No matter the reason, it was hard to imagine that Luina was lying,

which meant that there was no reason to mourn the death of that creature.

Demons were governed by a simple rule: kill or be killed. While Anima was

busy assessing his situation, Luina began to cry.

"We only just met, but you saved my life. I'm so happy I was able to

summon such a kind person."

"Me? Kind?"

Her warm, gentle words baffled him. The man who had always been

treated as a monster felt care, gratitude, and warmth for the first time in his

life. Such a blissful series of events could not have possibly been real. Maybe

he was dreaming after all.

"Will you do something for me, Luina?"

"You're my savior. As long as it's within my power, I'll do anything

you ask."

"Great. I want you to hit me."

"Huh? Wh-Why?"

"Don't ask, just hit me!"

"I-I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"How could I hit someone who hasn't done anything to deserve it?"

"You're so thoughtful."

Overwhelmed by her kindness, Anima slapped his own cheek. A loud

smack! echoed across the fields, but due to his resistance to pain, he didn't

feel anything. He wanted to be hit by something more powerful, but using

magic could have injured Luina as well.

"A-Are you okay?"

While he was busy coming up with a solution, Luina reached out toward

his face. Anima had lost his sense of pain a long time ago, but his sense of

touch was intact. When attacked, all he felt was that something had touched

him.

So warm…

His cheeks could have never felt such warmth in a dream. Everything

was real—Luina was real. Anima broke down in tears of joy when made that

discovery.

"A-Are you crying because it hurt so much?"

"I don't feel pain. I'm just… happy."

"'Happy'?"

"Yes. I'm happy to have been summoned by a woman as kind as you,

Luina." As he said that, he caught on to something. "Actually, what exactly is

'summoned'?"

"I owe you an apology," Luina said, averting her gaze. "The magic

stone I used has the power to bring a being from another world to this one,

but it can't send them back."

"'Another world'? Is this world different from where I lived until now?"

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry for—"

"Thank you for summoning me."

Anima interrupted Luina's apology with words of gratitude.

"Huh? Wh-What?"

"Thank you. You saved me."

He had no attachments to a world where he was hunted and detested by

everyone, but in a new world, he was a nobody. The terrifying rumors and his

countless enemies were no more. He could build a new life from the ground

up. Furthermore, a gentle girl was standing right in front of him. He had been nothing if not rescued.

"A-Aren't you mad at me? You'll never be able to return to your world.

You'll never be able to see your precious friends again!"

"There's only one person who's precious to me, and that's you."

"M-Me? Umm, we only met a couple minutes ago, didn't we?"

"We may not have a long history, but you hold a special place in my

heart. I will remember the moment we met for the rest of my life."

"Okay, uh, may I ask what 'you hold a special place in my heart'

means?"

"It means I'm in love with you."

"You're in love with me?! Really?!"

"Yes. You mean the world to me."

"The whole world?!"

She was redder than an apple, but Anima's expression remained

unchanged.

"Luina, I want to spend my life with you."

"Y-Your life… Does that mean you want to marry me?"

"I'll be happy as long as I have you by my side," he said, nodding

enthusiastically. "If possible, I'd like to marry you."

"B-But we only just met! I don't even know your name!"

"I'm Anima. Please marry me, Luina."

Anima had no experience in dealing with people—he didn't know what

a proper proposal was like. His only option was to dive straight in.

Luina's confusion was probably due to his awkwardness, but he

couldn't give up. He desired Luina's love more than anything else. That was

why he'd decided not to beat around the bush; he'd simply tell her how he

felt.

"Anima, why would you like to marry me?"

"I want to start a family."

"Do you long for a family?" she asked, seeming to have finally

understood him.

"I do," he said with a nod. "I've always dreamed of having a family. A

family to rely on in times of trouble, to share my joy. Honestly, I thought I

would've been fine marrying anyone as long as I could have such a family

before, but I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you. The

warmth of your eyes ensnared my soul the moment I saw them, and the

gentle care you showed in your concern for me stole my heart. I love you, Luina."

Anima poured his heart out to her in order to confirm his feelings for

himself. There had to have been other girls in her world who wouldn't be

afraid of him; there had to have been other kind, gentle women. Even so, the

moment he spotted Luina, he knew she was the girl of his dreams. There

wasn't anyone more beautiful in her world or his own, and of the countless

beings she could've summoned, it was he who was standing there. If not for

that, they never would have met—what was that if not proof they were

destined for each other?

He couldn't imagine life with anyone else, and in order to build a family

with her, he was ready to sacrifice everything. Finally, he'd found the words

he wanted to tell her, when a young girl came rushing out of the nearby

house.

"Mommy!" Tears streaming down her face, she pulled a broom as she

approached him. "I-I'll, hic… get… hic… the scary man!"

Anima panicked as the sobbing girl glared at him. He was used to seeing

grown men shriek in terror as they realized their own futility, but seeing a

child cry always tugged at his heartstrings.

Without any tricks up his sleeve to cheer children up, calming down a

crying child was a herculean task for him. Chilling rumors about him may not

have been circulating in his new world, but that didn't make his naturally

mean look go away, to say nothing of the horns on either side of his head.

It was natural for demons to have horns, but neither Luina or the child

had one, which alluded to the fact that Anima was considered atypical in their

world. Forget consoling the child, he would have been happy to simply not

traumatize her.

"Calm down, Marie." Luina gently pet the girl's head just as Anima was

about to reach his wits' end. "Anima isn't scary at all. He shooed the monster

away."

Luina's kind words surprised the little girl.

"…Really?"

"Yes, really. Anima protected both of us."

"You beat it?"

The small child named Marie sniffled and looked up at Anima, whose

heart was racing due to being stared at by a child for the first time in his life.

Flustered, he settled for a simple nod.

"Don't worry. I defeated the demon."

Marie's face bloomed into a radiant smile. She dropped the broom and

clung to Anima's waist.

"Thank you, Mishter!"

The bottoms of Anima's eyes rapidly warmed up as he looked at

Marie's pure, bright smile. In his old world, parents would often tell their

children, "If you do something bad, Anima will come and eat you!", causing

them to fear him, but Marie rushed up to him with a smile and even hugged

him. All in all, it was no wonder that Anima was moved to tears.

The innocent little girl, however, didn't know about his circumstances.

In her mind, tears meant that something bad had happened.

"Mishter, you hurt? Ooh! I'll make the hurt go bye-bye!"

Saying that, she raised her arms high into the air and stretched herself as

much as she could.

"Your head!" she cried. "Your head!"

"What about my head?"

"Too high!"

Seeing tears begin to well up in Marie's eyes, Anima once again fell

into panic.

"What should I do?"

"Maybe you could squat down?" Luina suggested.

"Like this?"

The moment he crouched, Marie began petting his head. He had horns

growing from the sides of his skull, yet the little girl didn't even flinch.

"Pain, pain, go away! All better?"

He didn't understand how that could possibly heal any injuries, but he

knew that she was earnestly trying to help him. The gentle feeling of Marie's

hand rubbing against his head enveloped his body, mind, and soul with a

loving warmth.

"Thank you. It's much better now."

"You hear that, Mommy?" Marie cooed, smiling ecstatically at Luina.

"He thanked me!"

"I did! Well done!"

"Mm-hmm! And, and, my tummy's all rumbly!"

"Oh, then let's have dinner when we go back inside. Would you like to

join us, Anima?"

"A-Are you sure?"

"Of course! I'll cook extra tonight."

"Do you mean it?" Anima was shaking. He looked at Luina with his

cloudy, crimson eyes. "You're really going to treat me to a warm, homecooked dinner?"

"Why are you crying?"

"I have never been happier in my entire life."

Anima's usual diet consisted of demons. Once in a while, he would visit

human towns in search of some booze, but the moment he set foot into one,

either the bars closed and everyone hurried inside or the villagers outright

deserted their homes. If he kicked down doors because he knew the owners

were only pretending to be out, they would give him all the food, alcohol, and

money they had while begging for their lives, only to tell everyone the next

day about how the Demon Lord himself had robbed them.

Having to spend his days munching on demons all by himself was a

thing of the past, though; Luina had asked him to eat with her while wearing

a gentle smile. She was definitely the one for him.

"Marry me, Luina."

He proposed once again, to which Luina furrowed her brow.

"B-But, I'm always busy with—"

"With what?"

"Well…"

Anima watched her steal a glance at Marie.

"I have to take care of the children. Even if we did get married, I

wouldn't have time to act like a proper wife. Not to mention that we're poor,

and since I'm running an orphanage, it's always so hectic with the children

running around. You wouldn't have the money to do anything, or even the

time to relax."

"What is an orphanage?"

"It's a place to raise children who don't have living relatives."

"That's great news!" he shouted, realizing that meant the two weren't

mother and daughter by blood. "Now I want to marry you even more!"

Luina stared at him like he'd just grown two extra heads.

"Which part of what I said was 'great news'?"

"Having troubles means that I can help you. Isn't helping the person

you're in love with the greatest thing ever? Plus, I would never allow a child

feel lonely, because… I'm all too familiar with the agonizing pain of

loneliness. Lifting some of the weight off your shoulders, allowing you to

focus on the children, and making sure everyone is always happy would be a

dream come true for me. Luina, I'm serious. If I can't marry you, I at least

want to work here."

Even if they couldn't get married right then and there, Anima could still

become friends with Luina and help raise the children. Simply spending time

in a bustling household would release him from his damning loneliness, and

that alone would be enough to make him happy.

"I see…" she said as the look on her face became more relaxed. "You're

a strange one, Anima."

"In a bad sense? If so, just tell me and I'll change immediately!"

Luina shook her head.

"You don't have to change. I want you to stay the kind, strong person

you are. You know, I've always wished for a man like that to be by my side.

Marie seems to have taken a liking to you as well."

"R-Really?"

"If you don't believe me, let's ask her. Do you like Anima, Marie?"

"I love him! He beat up the monster!"

No child had ever said such a thing to him before. While Anima was

struggling to contain his happiness, Luina turned towards Marie.

"Marie, do you want a daddy?"

"Uh-huh! 'Cause I want him to carry me like the other daddies!"

Marie's longing for a hug from her father was all too familiar to Anima.

He was always jealous of other children who were carried by their parents or

were allowed to sleep in their arms. Forget being carried, his own father

wouldn't even take him anywhere. If Marie was fine with him being the one

to do it, Anima was ready to hug and carry her anywhere in the world.

"Marie, do you want Anima to be your daddy?"

"Yeah! I want Mishter as Daddy!"

Marie hugged his leg with a beaming smile, and Luina turned to face

him again while he lost himself in that pure, innocent expression.

"Are you sure about this, Anima? Do you honestly want to marry me?"

"I've never been more sure of anything. I will always love you, no

matter what may come."

Blood started to rush to Luina's cheeks.

"You won't be able to lead a comfortable life with me…"

"Nothing matters as long as I can stay by your side, Luina. All I've ever

wished for is a happy family. I'll do anything to fulfill that wish and build a

warm home full of smiles and love."

Page 19 Goldenagato | https://mp4directs.com

Anima's straightforward confession made Luina blush even more. She

cast her eyes downward and pondered for a second before lifting them again.

"Okay. Let's have a wonderful future together."

She agreed, fulfilling Anima's one and only dream. It moved him to

tears—he was so happy he couldn't even form words.

"Mommy!" Marie said, rubbing her stomach. "My tummy's hungy!"

Luina smiled gently at her.

"Let's have dinner, then. I'll head to the kitchen through the back door

and get ready, so please show Anima to the table. Can you do that for me,

Marie?"

"I caaan! C'mon, Daddy!"

After wiping the tears from his face, Anima caught up to Marie, who

was trotting a bit ahead, and they made their way into the house.

◆◆◆

Luina placed a hand on her chest as she watched Anima make his way

toward the house with Marie, her heart pounding against it.

Just how hard have I fallen for him?

She hadn't expected to be struck by Cupid's arrow when she'd

summoned Anima. The moment she'd laid eyes on him, she saw a man

crushed by loneliness. The pain nested deep within his eyes spoke volumes;

he was a man who had been deeply scarred through constant rejection based

on unjust rumors.

Then, he'd looked at her with trembling eyes, deathly afraid of being

rejected once again. Seeing his terrified look, Luina had wanted to do

something for him—he'd saved them from certain death, after all. Even if he

hadn't, though, Luina still couldn't have left him alone. She'd wanted to heal

his wounds and have him move in with them, but while she'd been trying to

find the perfect chance to make her offer, Anima had asked her to marry him. His proposal had sent her heart into turmoil. She'd wanted to become

friends with him first and take things one step at a time, but had changed her

mind after hearing his story.

It wasn't the first time she'd been proposed to out of the blue, but

everyone who had done so had looked at the children as pests, obstacles in

the way of the life they'd imagined with Luina. Anima, however, was

different. He not only loved her, but he also genuinely cared for the children.

One look into his eyes confirmed that it wasn't just a farce to woo her.

I can't believe fate brought me together with such an incredible person.

For as long as she could remember, Luina had looked up to people with

the strength and heart of her father, and Anima was just that sort of person. It

wasn't difficult to see why she would fall in love with him, especially after

how hard he'd tried to convince her. He had the power to protect them from

danger, and he loved others' children as his own. When she realized that

building a happy family with a man like him was well within the realm of

possibility, she decided that she would marry him.

Luina's ideal family was the same as Anima's: a warm home full of

smiles and love. But in order to build that, she first had to make him smile.

That was her duty as his wife.

I hope he likes my cooking.

Excited to be praised for the dinner she was about to put on the table,

Luina left for the kitchen.

◆◆◆

Anima followed Marie through the house, the wooden floor creaking

under his feet as they made their way to the dining room. At its center was an

old wooden table surrounded by four chairs, one of which had been worn by

the sands of time and was visibly wobbly. It would definitely snap if he sat

down on it.

"…Where should I sit?" Anima asked timidly.

He'd been fine while Luina was with them, but being alone with Marie

caused a turbulent storm of anxiety to rage deep within him. What if she

suddenly broke down crying? He'd tried to use his softest voice, but there

was no guarantee that his naturally menacing look wouldn't scare her.

"I wanna sit next to you!"

His anxiety vanished the moment he saw Marie's innocent smile.

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"I… I want to sit next to you as well, Marie." After squeezing those

words out, he sat down in the chair next to the one she'd climbed into. "How

big is your family?"

There were only four chairs around the table, meaning there couldn't

have been more than two people Anima still hadn't met.

"Me, Mommy, and Myukey!"

"Is Myukey your sister?"

"Mm-hmm! And then you, Daddy!"

Anima once again found himself on the verge of tears as Marie pointed

right at him. She welcomed him, the big, scary monster of his world, into her

family. That was the very moment he swore to become the best father he

could and to raise Marie with the love and care she deserved.

I don't know what makes a good father, but thanks to my dad, I'm very

well aware what makes one the worst.

His father's life revolved around flirting with women. He didn't commit

to a single one, instead showering every woman in sight with affection. They

also enjoyed his company and unrelenting love, but due to that lifestyle, no

one paid any heed to Anima.

In order to avoid having such a sweet little girl experience the same

loneliness he had, he couldn't hog all of Luina's attention for himself. Anima

would love everyone in his family equally; the exact opposite of his father's

parenting should make him a good parent, after all.

"Sorry for the wait!"

While he was coming up with ways to become an ideal father, Luina

entered the dining room with a large pot. Inside was a rich, white soup full of

finely chopped vegetables. It was the kind of meal Anima had longed for

while he'd been munching on fried demon meat alone. Taking a deep breath,

its sweet, appetizing aroma entered his nostrils.

"It's a hearty stew with a mix of veggies! Please, enjoy it."

After filling her bowl to the brim, Luina sat down, leaving the last

wobbly chair for Myuke. Anima couldn't let a child sit on a chair like that, so

he decided he'd switch seats with her once she arrived.

"Where's Myukey?"

"Oh, you heard about Myuke?"

"Marie told me earlier. Is she asleep?"

Luina looked back at him with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"She's…"

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"Myukey isn't home!"

"Is she on a trip?"

That would explain Luina's look of concern. She must have been lonely

without Myuke around.

Anima wanted to meet her as soon as possible. He wanted her to accept

him as well, and experience the hustle and bustle of life as a family of four.

"I'll introduce you once she's back around next week."

"I'm really excited to meet her. By the way, can I start eating?"

"Of course, dig in! I hope you like it."

"I'll love everything you cook for me."

Anima excitedly picked up his spoon and was ready to dig in at a

moment's notice.

"Ahhh! You gotta say thanks first!"

He hurriedly put the spoon back down after being scolded by Marie.

"How do I do that? Can you teach me?"

"Watch! Like this! Thank you for the meal!" she said as she clapped her

hands together, her lively voice filling the room. She then stared at Anima

and asked, "Did you see it, Daddy?"

"Thank you for the meal. How was that?"

Marie broke into a radiant smile upon seeing Anima awkwardly clap his

hands together.

"Wooow! Daddy's so smart! Mommy, did you see? Did you see what

Daddy did? He's so smart!"

"I saw it. Well done, Anima!"

"Me too! I did well too!"

"Yes you did, Marie. Well done!"

"Ehehe!" With a delightful smile, she scooped up a spoonful of stew,

and brought it to her tiny mouth. "Yummy!"

She put her hands on her cheeks, joy plastered all over her face, and

Luina smiled gently.

"I'm happy you like it! Eat up!"

"I will! Daddy, can you munch?"

"What does that mean?"

"She's asking if you can use the spoon."

"I see. I can use a spoon, but how did you know what she was asking?"

"Because I'm her mommy."

"That makes sense. Then as her daddy, I'll have to learn her language

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quickly."

"Daddy, can you munch? Lemme do the cabbage!"

"'The cabbage'?" He tried to figure it out, but to no avail. "What is

that?"

"She wants to feed you. Open your mouth when she says 'Here comes

the carriage'."

"Oh, okay. In that case, could you do it, Marie?"

"Uh-huh!" Marie scooped up some stew. "Here comes the cabbage!"

She moved the spoon toward Anima's mouth. He opened wide and took

a bite.

"Mph—!"

The warm stew's sweet aroma spread through his entire mouth. It was

thick and rich, and the minced vegetables left a wonderful aftertaste. The

flavors were simple and gentle, yet it left a stronger impression on him than

any meal he'd had before. All he could do was stare into space in an attempt

to internalize what he'd just experienced.

"…Do you like it?" Luina asked nervously.

"I love your cooking," he replied, nodding like a bobblehead after being

snapped back to reality.

The warm, fuzzy feeling Anima felt well up in him as he watched a

dazzling, tender smile blossom on his wife's face almost made him tear up.

"I'm so glad," Luina said. "I made a lot, so don't hold back! Eat as

much as you'd like!"

"Me too!" Marie chirped. "I'll eat lots!"

"Good! Eat as much as you'd like, Marie!"

Anima put his spoon down and watched as Luina started eating her

dinner.

"…Am I using my spoon strangely?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"Because watching you makes me happy. Thinking that a woman with

eyes this gentle is now my wife fills me with so much happiness that it makes

me want to cry."

"I-I see…" Her cheeks suddenly turned bright red. "Can I watch you as

well, then?"

"Watch my face?"

"Yes. Thinking that a man with eyes this gentle is now my husband fills

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me with so much happiness that it makes me want to cry."

"My eyes seem gentle to you?" Anima had been cast out by his siblings

due to his mean look, so why was it that Luina thought they looked gentle?

"Don't you think they're scary, like I'm constantly scowling at you?"

"Your eyes do slant, but it doesn't look like you're scowling at all.

Actually, I find it cute how wet they are now."

"R-Really… I'm happy, but that's rather embarrassing…"

"Hehe. That's payback."

Luina's teasing giggle made Anima's blood rush to his cheeks. He was

completely overwhelmed by the intense feelings of happiness and

awkwardness. He wanted to do more to make this cozy little family happier.

"What are your plans for after dinner?"

"I'll do the dishes, then draw a bath, bathe Marie, and put her to bed.

After that, I'm thinking of doing the laundry."

"Can I help with anything?"

"Would you help Marie take a bath? I'll do the dishes in the meantime."

"What does that entail?"

"Watch over her while she's in the tub. She loves to play around in the

water, so if we're not careful, she could get lightheaded and end up

drowning."

Marie's safety was in Anima's hands. The pressure was immense, but it

showed just how much trust Luina had in him. He was ready to fulfill his

duties, no matter the adversities he'd have to face.

"Got it. I'll help her take a bath."

"Thank you! I'll get it ready for her once we finish dinner."

"How do you prepare the bath? If it's difficult, I can help you."

"The tub is full today, so I just have to warm it up. It's been getting

warmer out, but I still don't want Marie to catch a cold."

Collecting water and then warming it up. The process of preparing a

bath seemed to be the same as in his own world. Getting used to his new life

wouldn't be too difficult with such similarities between the two worlds.

"Do you fill the tub yourself?" Anima asked.

"Yes, from the well in the garden."

"I see. Then I'll take that job over starting tomorrow. Let me handle all

the physical labor around the house."

"I'm really glad I summoned someone as kind as you. I was worried

about what would happen if I summoned someone scary—I could make them

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listen to my orders, but who knows how much power I'd need to exert control

over them."

"What do you mean by that?"

Luina grabbed the pendant hanging from her neck and looked straight

into Anima's eyes.

"I summoned you using this magic stone. Magic stones are—"

She explained that, in her world, demons left behind crystals when they

died. Those crystals were called magic stones, and by focusing one's mana

into the stone, they could replicate the passed demon's power.

"For example…" She held her right hand out toward Anima. On her

ring finger, she wore a ring embedded with a tiny crystal. "This is a stone left

behind by a fire lizard. I don't have much mana, and this is a cheap, lowquality stone, but I can at least use it to create a tiny flame."

Strength notwithstanding, she seemed to be able to produce fire without

any issues. Anima considered helping out with that as well, but it was

probably for the better to leave it to her.

Demons from Anima's world had four elemental classes they could

utilize: fire, earth, water, and wind. Some excelled in one area, while others

were proficient in all four. Anima himself, for example, could use earth and

fire magic. He was able to build a sturdy house by fortifying the earth with

his magic, and could burn an entire forest to ash in the blink of an eye.

He'd been honing his powers—both physical and magical—for over a

hundred years; a simple mistake in controlling the strength of his flames

could set the house, or in the worst-case scenario, the whole country, ablaze.

It was better for everyone's safety to let Luina take care of heating the water.

"This might come as a surprise, but I should mention it while we're on

the topic… I grow a tail when I use my fire lizard stone."

"A tail?"

"Mm-hmm. Replicating a demon's powers can cause you to temporarily

inherit some of their physical traits."

Anxiety began building inside him. What if Luina thought his horns

were temporary results of using a magic stone? What if she got scared after

learning they were his own, permanent horns? He had to clear up any

misunderstanding right away.

"Luina… Are you afraid of men with horns?"

She understood Anima's inner struggle, and gently touched the pendant

on her necklace.

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"Those two horns on your head don't matter to me at all. I fell in love

with you because you're strong, yet gentle and kind. I wouldn't change a

thing about you."

Her warm words tugged at his heartstrings; he couldn't even respond.

Luina accepted him as he was. He still couldn't believe that he'd been blessed

to have such an angel as his wife. If someone had come up to him yesterday

and told him that he was going to meet such a girl, he'd have dismissed it as

some sort of cruel joke.

"I'm so grateful to have met you, Luina."

"I am too. I never imagined that someone like you could be summoned

with the Harbinger stone."

"Is 'Harbinger' the creature that left behind that magic stone?"

"Exactly. The Harbinger apparently held the power to summon

familiars, which would be bound to its will. The reason we can talk to each

other despite being from separate worlds is that there needs to be

communication and mutual understanding for orders to be carried out."

"That Harbinger seems like a neat creature to me."

"Not at all. It's common knowledge here that the Harbinger used

countless familiars to wreak havoc on this world. I heard it even summoned a

dragon, of all things! Its reign of terror came to an end after its familiars were

defeated, but a lot of people lost their lives in the battles."

Anima was surprised at how evil the Harbinger sounded.

"Does that mean you haven't seen the Harbinger's rampage yourself?"

"No. Their tyranny happened over three hundred years ago. There was

also an ongoing war during that time, but the warring states formed an

alliance in order to stop the Harbinger."

"Oh, I see. So it was one of your ancestors who killed that demon."

Luina was in possession of a magic stone, so it was safe to assume that

it had been passed down by her family. Confirming that suspicion, she

nodded.

"My family had been channeling their power into this stone for decades

in hopes that it would put a stop to the Harbinger were it to rise again.

Personally, I never wanted to use it, but I had no other choice."

Luina was attacked by a demon, which forced her hand in order to save

Marie, yet she seemed to feel guilty about using the stone.

Anima couldn't let her feel anxious, as it'd go against his picture of the

ideal family: one full of smiles.

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"Don't worry, you used that crystal the way you were supposed to. If

the Harbinger rises again, I'll make sure to destroy it; you don't even have to

use your power to order me. Like I said, I'll do anything for you, including

bathing Marie and putting her to sleep."

"Daddy, go night-night with me!"

Marie raised her head and spoke while happily munching away at her

dinner.

"As long as you and Luina are okay with that," Anima replied.

"I wanna be with you and Mommy!"

"Of course I'll sleep with you," Luina said. "Seeing your sleeping face

will no doubt make my heart skip a beat, but a wife should always sleep next

to her husband. Besides, we only have one bed."

"Really? In such an impressive house with so many rooms?"

"We have a lot of rooms, but we sold most everything that would sell. If

we hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to afford anything." That put the

wobbly chair into perspective; no one would buy that. "Ah, but there's

always food on the table thanks to the wonderful field outside!"

Luina's cheerful voice lifted the heavy atmosphere from the room, and

Marie doubled down on it.

"I helped Mommy lots today!"

"Did you now? You're a very good little girl. How old are you?"

"Umm… I'm three!"

"Three years old? You're practically a newborn. And Luina, if I had to

guess, you're probably around… a hundred, correct?"

"A HUNDRED?! E-Excuse you! Do I look like a wrinkly old lady to

you?"

"Not at all, you're very youthful. Eighty, perhaps?"

"That's no different! This might come as a shock, but I'm only twenty."

"Twenty?! That means there's over a hundred years between us."

"There's that big an age difference?! How old did you say you were,

Anima?"

"A hundred and thirty."

"You're deceptively old. I figured you were older than me, but you

could be my great-grandpa."

"In my world, a hundred and thirty is the prime of your life, so don't

worry. I'll help you with everything from carrying water to bathing Marie!"

"That would be wonderful. Then would you help me in the field the day

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after tomorrow?"

"Hm? What are we doing tomorrow then?"

"I'll finish the housework in the morning and show you around Garaat

in the afternoon."

"You gonna go to town?" Marie asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Me too! I love town!"

"Sure! We can all go together!"

"Yaaay! Daddy, carry! Carry me around!"

"You got it! Leave the carrying to me!"

The next day, Anima would head into town with his daughter in his

arms and his wife at his side. Simply thinking about it made him giddy with

happiness. While imagining their day together, he took a big bite of the

world's most amazing stew made by the world's most amazing wife.

◆◆◆

Around the time when Anima proposed to Luina…

A certain man in his mid-thirties walked restlessly around in his

mansion in Garaat. His unkempt brown hair reached down to his shoulders. A

thick layer of dirt covered his round face, carved with wobbly lines by the

beads of sweat that were stopped by the stubble covering his nervously

chattering jaw. The man's name was Krain.

"Wh-What the hell happened?!" He bashed his staff, decorated with an

azure crystal, against the wall and scratched his head in rage. "No way!

There's no way my goblin was defeated with a single strike! This is

nonsense!"

Krain was a magic stone collector. From among his countless magic

stones, he'd used one of the rarest and most valuable—the Goblin King

stone, which summoned a powerful clod goblin as his puppet—to attack

Luina. It was not an act of whim; he had spent weeks planning the attack, but

he had been negligent in his preparations. He'd caught a glance of Luina's

pendant before, but though he wasn't able to assess its power from just that,

he decided to take the chance.

His plan should have been perfect. He'd picked a day when Myuke, the

only one in the family with a Hunter license, was out, and made sure to wait

until the end of the day when Luina was already exhausted from work,

decreasing her chance of running to practically zero.

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Under the veil of the night, he'd snuck into the heart of the forest,

summoned the clod goblin, and ordered it to remain on standby until the

perfect moment. When everything was in place, the goblin had broken

through the fence and attacked Luina.

However, that was when the unthinkable had happened. A crimsoneyed, white-haired man had appeared out of nowhere. Krain had simply

wanted Luina and her kids to experience the horror of demons, even if it had

resulted in a few broken bones and while he hadn't wanted to see her killed,

that was not true of the mysterious white-haired man. The seeds of terror

would surely take root within Luina's soul were someone to die in front of

her, so Krain had ordered his minion to kill the man.

Clod goblins were much stronger than common, run-of-the-mill goblins.

They were able to break boulders with their bare hands; the frail bodies of

humans crumbled under its attacks.

Yet somehow, the white-haired man hadn't so much as flinched. Not

only had there been no signs of damage after the goblin's relentless attacks, it

was as if he hadn't even felt the mighty demon's strikes. To add insult to

injury, he'd killed it as easily as he'd swat a fly. The cow-like horns sticking

out from the sides of his head led Krain to believe that it must have been the

effects of a minotaur magic stone, capable of enhancing one's physical

abilities, but that didn't fully explain the unbelievable power he displayed.

"I wasn't prepared to deal with something like that…"

Krain was in total panic. He had experience with the method he'd used;

a number of people had fallen before his goblins. He'd even used them to

murder several prestigious Hunters, making it especially painful to have

failed to intimidate a simple village girl and her children.

"I-I may not have hurt her, but she was deathly afraid!"

Clod goblins were deaf, but they had eyesight. Krain may not have been

able to hear Luina's scream, but by looking through the goblin's eyes, he'd

definitely seen all the blood drain from her face. His job had been to plant the

seeds of terror into her soul, and the idea that her life could suddenly come to

an end at the hands of a demon should have been more than enough to

torment her.

She didn't have the means to hire a Hunter, nor the strength to undo the

shackles of fear. Marrying a powerful man who would protect her for the rest

of her life would be the only way to release herself from the overwhelming

dread. If that man also happened to be filthy rich, he could free her from her

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life in the village as well. The allure of safety and luxury for herself and her

children should have made Luina more than willing to accept a proposal from

such a man, so despite the slight hiccup, Krain had managed to complete his

task.

Failing his duties would have resulted in severe punishment, but

fulfilling them would be justly rewarded. With the money he was to receive,

he would be able to live in the lap of luxury. He would be able to have any

woman he wanted, enjoy the finest alcohol, and savor the most exquisite

food.

"I can't wait to tell Lord Malshan about my grand success!"

Excited for his reward, Krain left to report to his employer, Lord

Malshan.