The villagers hesitated at Ash's words. They didn't fully trust someone who mingled with demons and claimed to be one himself.
Indeed, physically, Ash looked like an ordinary human. He lacked the horns typical of demons, making it hard to distinguish between the two.
Unless someone was a mage with deep knowledge of demons who could tell them apart by their aura, ordinary humans generally couldn't differentiate.
Ash realized this and thought it might be easier to claim he was human.
However, with Aura by his side, it was better to be honest from the start rather than risk having the truth exposed later and shattering trust. So, he didn't bother hiding his identity and said frankly:
"Don't judge people by their appearance. I am indeed a demon. But we have no plans to kill anyone, so we hope you'll cooperate with us."
"You say… cooperate?"
An elderly man, likely the village chief, stepped forward.
"Yes, as long as you take care of us, we can protect you from monsters and wild beasts. How's that? It's a good deal for you, living on the edge of the forest, right?"
"…That's all, really?" The old man was still skeptical.
"You'll find out as we work together. Of course, you're not allowed to leave this place to go to other villages or populated areas."
Actions spoke louder than explanations, so Ash didn't elaborate further and forcibly established their cooperation.
Then, guided by the terrified villagers, they went to the best house in the village.
Soon, under the supervision of the monsters, the villagers served food for them.
On the table were cheese, bread, milk-based soup, roasted meat dripping with fat, and roasted chestnuts spreading a sweet aroma.
The appetizing aromas made the two, who had spent their childhoods like primitive humans in the mountains, exchange glances. Without hesitation, they reached out and scrambled for the food, disregarding etiquette.
They didn't need to worry about poisoning. Based on their own understanding, ordinary poisons wouldn't affect demons. And it was unlikely that a village like this would have poison capable of harming demons.
Thanks to the delicious food, Aura fully supported Ash's decision after this dinner and decided to settle here.
At first, the villagers were uneasy, but with the help of the monsters and beasts, their hunting success rate skyrocketed, and the likelihood of injuries dropped. As Ash had promised, they were no longer threatened by external dangers.
The controlled beasts and monsters also aided in farming, greatly increasing efficiency and helping them clear new land.
In the first winter, this poor border village, for the first time, had no deaths from starvation.
This quickly changed their mindset. By the third year, they even made statues of Ash and Aura, regarding them as guardian deities… though, to avoid being labeled heretical, they quietly removed Aura's horns.
With the villagers' support, Ash and Aura could focus on studying magic and enjoying delicious food every day.
As a result, after the first year, they largely relaxed restrictions. Or rather… they allowed the village chief and a few villagers who voluntarily accepted control to move freely after Aura applied her Obedience Magic, ensuring they couldn't betray them. They could go out to shop.
However, the only command given was to commit suicide if they betrayed them. Without additional orders, their activities were the same as before. They simply couldn't disobey Aura's commands or betray them.
For ordinary villagers, a secure life bound by mental chains versus the mental freedom that could lead to starvation for themselves and their families… the choice was obvious.
Despite the constraints, this poor border village, in a medieval era, often faced starvation and could even die from it.
The kingdom they lived in was at war with a neighboring country, and various taxes were oppressively heavy.
Thanks to this human village, Ash learned about the structure of this world. They were in the southern countries.
This place was far from the northern continent, the main stronghold of demons.
Thus, only a few scattered demons lived here. The threat from demons was far less significant, which also led to frequent wars between the countries here.
Everyone wanted to annex others, but none succeeded. They fought endlessly, and the last war seemed particularly fierce, to the point that two war orphans reached this remote village.
…And these two orphans, fleeing the war, provided Ash with a lot of information about the outside world.
"No matter the world, humans always end up killing each other, huh?"
During his free time, Ash looked at the wheat fields before him and pondered the state of the country he was in. But he quickly dismissed the boring philosophical question.
The setting sun illuminated the golden wheat fields beside the buildings. As the breeze swept across the land, waves of wheat rolled, like a golden sea rippling in the gentle wind.
The scene felt peaceful, unlike a border village in a war-torn country. The tranquility even made people lazy. It also made Ash lie on the grass at the village's edge, leaning against a tree trunk, closing his eyes, and wanting to take a good nap.
Unfortunately, before he could fall asleep, a hesitant, aged voice sounded beside him:
"Master Ash… it's time for dinner. Miss Aura hasn't left her room either. It's been three days. Won't you go check on her?"
"It's fine. Demons won't starve to death in three days. She's probably just focused on studying magic." Ash turned, and the old village chief looked hesitant to speak.
But rather than Aura locking herself away to study magic, the fact that humans were worried about a demon was more intriguing to him.
It wasn't surprising, though. They had reached a strange, unspoken understanding with the village. For now, neither side could abandon the other… And the humans couldn't survive without them—or more accurately, without Aura.