Chapter 8 — The Queen and the Demons
My head throbbed. A dull, persistent ache that made the world sway for a moment. I blinked and tried to focus on the small, warm forms around me.
"Are the children all right?" I croaked.
They were. Ben, Yeri, Lucy, Anna — curled together, asleep. Viktor and Kira were playing with the elf children nearby. The rest were scattered, quiet and safe.
"Hello," I called, forcing my voice steady. "Are you all well? Tell me if you need anything. I'll find whatever I can."
An elf stepped forward, eyes soft. "We are fine. If we need something, we'll tell you. But we must thank you — you helped us when we had no one. You refused nothing. We owe you our lives."
I shook my head. "I didn't do anything great. I just help those who need it."
I looked around. The camp needed order. The thought came to me like a small, bright thing: a field. If I made a plot for fruits and vegetables, the elves could eat without buying anything. My money would last longer; they would be fed.
"Everyone, come here," I said. "I'll make a field for vegetables. Will you help? I have seeds — we only need to plant."
They agreed at once. Hands lifted. Smiles appeared. For the first time since the battle, the village hummed with ordinary hope.
A day passed with backbreaking work — leveling soil, clearing stones, marking rows under the sun. The System provided the seeds when I asked, and by evening we were ready. Planting would wait until dawn.
"We're finished," someone said. "Now we wait for sprouting."
I sat with the children, playing until dusk pulled its blanket across the sky. One by one they fell asleep. Their breathing evened and soft, and I thought of how much I still had to learn about this world. I'd never left the forest much — so much remained unknown. The fight with Yago had left me badly wounded; without the System I wouldn't be here. I needed to become stronger. Tomorrow I would travel to Geldiya and see what the town held. Maybe I could learn something useful, or trade for tools the elves could use.
At dawn the elves prepared breakfast for the children. They promised to help with the fields and the other chores. My feet carried me toward Geldiya — part curiosity, part duty.
The town wasn't what I expected. It wasn't grand, but it had its life, its crooked streets and market stalls. A woman with a stern gaze greeted me as I stepped inside.
"Welcome to Geldiya. I manage the place," she said.
"I've come for a quest," I replied.
"What quest do you want?" she asked.
"The best one you have," I said. "Something that pays well."
Her eyes flicked, measuring. "There is work — dangerous. The Black Forest is swarming with creatures. The more you hunt, the more you earn. Will you take it?"
"I'll take it," I said. No one here needed to know I lived near that forest already.
A day later I returned with the proof of my work. "How did you manage this?" the woman demanded as she handed coins into my palm.
"It's a secret," I said with a grin she didn't get. Night fell, and in the morning the children's laughter pulled me back home.
Yuri, Anna, Lucy, Ben — they ran ahead, shouting and stumbling, their small voices filling the air.
"Dada! Dada!" they cried, tumbling into my arms.
"Alright, up you go," I laughed, lifting them one by one. After the meal, I promised to teach them how to read and count.
Then the System alerted me.
System: New mission available.
"What is it now?" I asked.
System: Special assignment — you will face monsters of Yago's rank. Completing this mission can increase your level.
I felt the old pulse of adrenaline. "I accept."
System: Mission started.
Far beyond our camp, in the capital, the queen had been tracking a rise in demon activity. "Demons increase in our lands, especially in the Black Forest," a courier reported to the throne. "There is a man there who hunts them and brings rewards to Geldiya."
"Find everything about him," the queen ordered. "We must know if he is ally or threat."
Back at the forest I continued my hunts. These creatures came in pairs sometimes — powerful but not cunning like Yago — so I could deal with them. They were dangerous, but practice sharpens you as steel sharpens blade.
Thirty days remained on my current assignment, the System reminded me. I hadn't intended to stay so long, but the elves were still here. I couldn't leave them with my children's safety in question. The choice was simple: protect them until they were old enough to stand on their own, or risk everything for knowledge and power. I chose to stay.
As dusk fell, I watched the children sleep, felt the ache in my ribs, and listened to the soft murmurs of the camp. The world was messy and cruel, but in the quiet of our little clearing there was something like peace. I promised myself, quietly and fiercely, that I would wake stronger. For them — and for the day I could face Yago without fear.