The battlefield smelled like smoke, roasted meat… and fear. But the demons didn't care.
They were happily collecting the burnt bodies of the slave capturers. Some were licking their fingers, others were tossing heads into a giant boiling pot like it was a normal picnic.
Rost, the giant faceless boulder demon, happily stirred the pot with a tree trunk.
"Finally, something worth chewing," he mumbled.
Beside him, Zenis was sipping blood from a wine glass. "Delicate flavor. Slightly cowardly."
The little girl was happy because she met her mother and was crying.
The little girl come to Eren and said thanks "Big Brother".
Then Eren replied "it was nothing"
The little girl left with a blushed face..
Eren was sitting on a pile of swords, looking like a cool anime protagonist. He had no idea how to sit like one, but he was trying.
That's when a group of freed slaves walked up to him. In front was a girl, maybe sixteen, with pointy ears, short silver hair, and sharp eyes. She bowed low.
"Thank you, Demon Lord. You saved our lives… We owe you everything."
Eren blinked. "Uh… yeah, cool. No problem."
He looked to Zenis, whispering, "Is this the part where I give a speech?"
Zenis ignored him.
"What's your name?" Eren asked the girl.
"Jessy," she replied. "I'm a demi-human. Just like the rest here."
Eren stood up and dusted off his weird cloak. "Jessy, is it… normal for demi-humans to be caught like this?"
Jessy's face turned cold. "Very normal. We aren't treated as humans… or demons. Just something in between. No land of our own. No laws protecting us. We're born to be slaves, die as slaves. That's our reality."
There was a long silence. Even Rost stopped stirring.
Eren clenched his fist. Then turned around to a half-dead slave capturer rolling on the ground, crying.
He walked up slowly, fire rising from his back.
"Where… do you take them?"
His voice was soft, but the flames around him screamed danger.
"I—I won't talk!" the capturer gasped, crawling back.
"I won't hurt you." Eren said with a smile. His hand lit up with fire. "Unless you lie."
The man shivered and finally spoke.
"They're taken to the City of Traders! From there, sold to other cities... The money is huge! B-But don't go there! There's a hero! A powerful one who protects the traders! You'll be killed!"
"A hero, huh…" Eren smirked.
Jessy stepped forward, her eyes wide. "One of the carriages escaped earlier… ?"
Eren looked at the slaves—bruised, scared, hopeless.
Then, he grinned.
"I'll free every slave."
He raised his hand to the sky.
"And I'll give them a place… in my army!"
The demons behind him roared in excitement.
"But… Lord," Zenis asked, narrowing his eyes, "how do we fight a hero?"
Eren paused. Then looked at his heart.
"…Oi. System, ideas?"
His heart replied calmly inside his mind:
"Let me remind you—there was a malfunction. You weren't supposed to be reincarnated. So… don't expect a tutorial."
"…Useless."
Eren says "We need a plan.."
Than Hagemaru Smirked with his glowing red eyes..