Inside the Green Forest, the atmosphere felt much different from the barren region around the palace. Here, on the border between the Human Continent and the Demon Continent, life felt more lush.
There was a clear, though narrow, path, just wide enough for a single horse cart. Sunlight managed to pierce the dense canopy in some places, creating patches of light on the forest floor. The sound of birds chirping and a cool breeze blew, rustling the green leaves.
In the middle of that path, the peaceful scene was ruined by a violent sight. A wooden cart was overturned, its contents spilled, and four human corpses lay scattered about.
"They all look dead," Elvar said calmly, gazing at the four lifeless humans.
Two of them wore full armor, likely guards. One wore a mage's robe, and the other, who seemed to be a civilian, wore a simple leather mask.
"It's true, Lord," Grakthos explained as he approached the bodies. He sniffed the air. "This is where human bandits operate. They kill them cruelly like this, and then they will say that demons were the ones who killed them. That's what usually happens."
Elvar observed the wounds. There were clear slashes, like those from a sword, on their bodies, indicating they were indeed killed by someone using a sword. Not torn apart by monsters.
"I'll take them for dinner," Grakthos said in a practical tone. He pulled out a coarse rope, preparing to tie the bodies one by one onto the same rope and drag them.
Carmilla, on the other hand, looked at Elvar, waiting for an order.
I was aware that looting wasn't a commendable behavior. But, even if we didn't loot, we would still be accused just as Grakthos explained. It would be reported that these humans were killed by demons, and he said that was "usual".
Therefore... if we were already going to be accused, we might as well take any items that seem valuable and could be used in our kingdom.
"Carmilla," Elvar commanded her. "Check what items are left and can be used for our kingdom."
"Yes, Lord," she replied. Carmilla moved immediately, checking the contents of the overturned cart and the scattered pouches. After a few moments, she returned and bowed.
"Reporting, Lord, there are no useful items left," she reported after checking all the belongings in the cart. "It seems the bandits already took everything valuable."
"Very well," I replied calmly, appearing not disappointed at all.
My attention shifted to the human wearing the mask. I approached him. The mask he wore looked plain, made of dull leather. I crouched down and pulled the mask off his face.
After I pulled it off, his real face made me a little surprised.
No wonder.
It turns an the reason this human wore a mask was because his face was covered in horrific burn scars, from his cheek to his forehead.
It made him ashamed and he used a mask. Was he a merchant? And the others his guards? If so, this really marks him as a perfect target for bandits to hunt.
I looked at the leather bag still slung over the corpse's body. I opened it. Inside, I looked through the bag's contents. I was surprised again. There was another mask he wasn't wearing inside his bag, maybe as a spare. Then I saw a notebook that looked like a merchant's ledger, and several other thicker books.
Books!
Without a second thought, I took both masks and secured the books, putting them into that bag. In my opinion, books are priceless knowledge. Especially since this world is still new to me. This will probably be very useful for me.
"What is that for, Lord?" Carmilla asked when she saw me take the bag containing the masks and books.
"This bag contains books," I explained with dignity, without lessening my majesty in the slightest. "They might be useful to me. I will read them after we arrive back at the kingdom."
Grakthos, who had finished tying up the corpses, pointed ahead with his chin. "So, this path is the border of the Human Continent and the Demon Continent, Lord. Not far from here is a human settlement. We should probably not go too far in that direction, to avoid causing any trouble."
"Very well. If this is as far as we go... Let's just return to the kingdom. This is enough for me, and it's starting to get dark anyway," I replied authoritatively.
"Yes, Lord," Grakthos and Carmilla replied in unison.
We turned around, beginning the long journey back to the palace. Carmilla carried the bag I had taken earlier, walking beside me. Grakthos was in the back, casually dragging the four human corpses, which were tied in a line on the ground by the rope.
The sound of that dragging made me uncomfortable.
"Why are we bringing those corpses?" I asked Grakthos, even though I already knew the answer.
"This is food, Lord," Grakthos said, his voice cheerful. "The meat is very tasty. It's a waste to just leave it." He licked his lips, which were full of a Dragon's characteristic teeth.
Here it is. The awkward situation about food, repeated. I have to stop this, but how can I do it without sounding like a human defending humans?
"Actually," I said in a soft, yet cold tone, without any intimidation or prohibition. "I do not like seeing you eat lowly humans like that."
Grakthos stopped for a moment. "Why, Lord? Truly, it's delicious for us."
I have to make an excuse that makes sense for a Demon King.
"In my world," I explained, my voice (thanks to the mask) changing to become full of disdain. "Humans are lowly creatures. They are even lower than animals like rats. So, I feel uncomfortable if my citizens, the citizens of the Blackfix Kingdom, have to eat such lowly food."
I hope that by saying this, I can change their perspective. It's no longer about "taste," but more about "respecting me" and their own pride as demons.
Grakthos seemed to think hard. "That's a shame, Lord. But we haven't found any food that tastes better than humans."
Damn, he's still focused on the taste.
"If there was something more delicious than humans, could you stop eating humans?" I asked.
"It's possible, Lord," Grakthos said. "And besides, humans are hard to get, and honestly we don't want to kill humans. The same goes for the monsters in the forest. It's just a real shame to let this be. Food this delicious shouldn't be left to rot."
"Very well," I said, this was a compromise for now. "This time, it's not a problem. In the future, if there is food more delicious than humans, please stop eating these lowly creatures, okay?" I said, persuading Grakthos and Carmilla.
"I don't really mind either way, Lord," Carmilla chimed in. She looked at me with her amethyst eyes. "Even if there is nothing more delicious than humans, if you ask me not to eat them, I will not eat them, Lord."
"That is a good statement. It shows you respect your King's wishes," I praised Carmilla.
"Lord!..." Grakthos said, his voice like a jealous child's. "I also won't eat them anymore if I'm strong enough to resist, Lord! So praise me too, Lord!"
"I will praise you after you truly stop eating humans, okay?" My voice was firm, but I was teasing him a little.
"Hmm... Very well, Lord," he replied, slightly disappointed.
During the journey home, the atmosphere became more relaxed. I took advantage of this time.
I can't waste time. I have to continue my plan. The construction plan.
"Grakthos, the black stone on the palace cliffs, how hard is it?" I asked.
"Hard, Lord. Very hard. But my claws and strength can break it, though it takes time," he answered.
"Carmilla, can magic be used to dig or shape stone?"
"It can, Lord. Earth or Destruction type magic can, but I specialize in Fire and Wind. Perhaps there are other demons in the palace with that ability, but on a small scale."
Okay, so we're relying on physical labor and basic magic. This is going to be tough. I thought back to the terracing and cliff dwelling concepts from before. If we can't excavate the stone easily, we have to build on top of it. Maybe a wooden platform structure? But the wood...
"The wood from the Black Forest we passed through yesterday, is it strong?"
"It is, Lord," Grakthos again. "Very strong and resistant to light fire because it grows near lava. But it's hard to cut down."
Hard to cut, but strong and fire-resistant. That's good material. We need tools. We need... basic industry. Saws. Hammers. Chisels. Where do I even start?
Elvar discussed the house he would build from scratch to finish. Step by step, tree by tree. The dignified conversation of a Demon King planning the future of his kingdom and his subordinates made time fly.
The sun (which was invisible) had definitely set. The darkness in the forest grew thicker, but for the demons, it wasn't a problem. Before long, they had arrived at the kingdom's gate, greeted by the guards who bowed respectfully.
They parted ways upon entering the palace. Elvar, with Carmilla's help earlier, carried the bag and went to his room to rest.
Upon arriving in the room, the first thing I did was lock the door. I also closed the large windows, making sure no one could peek in.
Then I took off my mask.
"Haaaah..."
The breath of relief I had been holding all day finally came out. My legs felt weak, and I immediately sat down on the edge of the bed.
Okay, now. What did we get today from that exploration?
I emptied the contents of my looted bag onto the bed. There were three books, titled:
Basic Magic.
Basic Qi Muscle Usage.
History Book.
My eyes went wide.
Hey!! Lucky!! This is exactly what I need!
I quickly opened the magic book. Its contents explained all the ways to use basic magic, exercises to increase mana, and the magic system of this world. The Qi book explained techniques for using Qi, and what skills could be used with Qi. And the history book... told the history of humans and other races in this world.
Even though the bandits thought these basic books were useless, for me, this is the first treasure I've found to understand what this world is like.
Then, my eyes fell on the two masks I had taken.
The first mask was plain white, with three carved lines on the cheek. The lines were only a few centimeters long, ending at the edge of the mask's cheek. The second mask was red with black striped patterns, two straight black lines from top to bottom, splitting the eye area.
Okay, let's try it first. Can I use these masks too?
I picked up the white mask first. I pressed it to my face.
When the mask was worn, the same notification appeared as when he first used the Demon King mask in this world.
...
...
...
- Notification -
Non-Exclusive Mask
...
User Skill Name : Mask Actor
Mask Type : Merchant
...
Note: This mask has been used by its rightful owner for 1 year. With 4 months of mask soul experience. Power comes from the Experience of a merchant. And other Powers come from the inheritance of the previous user's body. This mask does not have any skills that can be used.
This notification will not appear again after you wear it for the second time. -
...
...
...
So this is just an ordinary mask, and can't be used for anything.
And that "User Skill Name" is the skill I use, or the skill inherent to my body, which is "Mask Actor". I can imitate anything from an "Exclusive" Mask. What makes a mask "Exclusive"? The description on this one is "Non-Exclusive" and only used for 1 year.
Mask Type: Merchant...
Will I be able to trade if I find a Merchant mask with the "Exclusive" mark? It seems possible. Since I'm an "actor," I can become a performer who has mastered trading techniques.
Oh yeah, there's still one more mask. Let's try it now.
Elvar swapped the white mask with the lines on the cheek for the red mask with the lines on the eyes.
... ... ...
- Notification -
Exclusive Mask
...
User Skill Name : Mask Actor
Mask Type : Merchant
...
Note: This mask has been used by its rightful owner for 25 years. With 21 Years of mask soul experience. Power comes from the Experience of a merchant. Power comes from the inheritance of the previous user's body. This mask inherits the knowledge of trade and speech for negotiating during bartering. The entire 21 years of experience as a merchant can be perfectly imitated.
This notification will not appear again after you wear it for the second time. -
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...
Wow.... This is an Overpowered Skill.
In conclusion, I'll take a guess. The "21 years" shows this mask has been used by its owner, so it has soul experience. But the total time this mask was owned by its owner is "twenty-five years".
A simple example is like this: I bought the mask 25 years ago, but I've only used this mask for a total of 21 years. It's something like that.
Now I can become a merchant... Muehehehe!...