Raya and Lira decided to wander through various landscapes, enjoying the beauty of nature as they traveled through sand, forest, and grassland, having chosen a random direction to explore. Raya could have used teleportation magic, but he preferred to walk to clear his mind.
Leading the way, Raya walked ahead as Lira followed behind, finding joy in what felt like a pleasant walking date.
After walking for many hours, they began to hear screams in the distance.
Raya, who was busy admiring his reflection in a lake, couldn't help but feel irritated.
Seeing her lord slightly annoyed made Lira instantly angry as well.
"My lord, do you want me to check what's going on over there and destroy whatever is disturbing your peace?" she asked.
"Don't destroy anyone," Raya replied calmly. "Just go check and report back."
"Yes, my lord."
Lira spread her wings and flew into the sky, heading toward the source of the sound.
Raya waited behind, sitting on a tree stump and tossing small stones into the lake, watching the ripples fade.
A few minutes later, Lira returned.
"My lord, it's just foolish humans killing each other in a nearby village," she reported, her tone indifferent.
"Hmm…" Raya responded. He didn't seem to care.
"What do you intend to do?" Lira asked.
Raya was about to dismiss it. It wasn't his business, and saving them brought him no benefit.
But then he remembered his past, when he was human, when his village had been destroyed.
"…Let's take a look," Raya said quietly.
"Yes, my lord."
Lira used teleportation magic, and they vanished.
---
At the village…
Two knights were restraining a struggling villager while another knight stood before him.
The man was stabbed, the blade pierced through him and was pulled out repeatedly, the knight venting his anger as blood splattered the dirt.
Finally, the villager was kicked aside, collapsing as blood sprayed from his mouth.
Raya let out a soft sigh.
"…Might as well," he muttered. "I need to test my strength sooner or later."
"Change of plans," Raya said. "We save them."
When he turned to Lira, he noticed she had already transformed into a human. A beautiful one, the kind that could outshine even famous models back on earth.
"Allow me, my lord."
In less than thirty seconds, it was over. The knights were dealt with.
---
The Village Chief's House
The Village Chief's home was near the village square.
Lira stayed outside to guard while Raya entered alone. She wanted to follow, but Raya stopped her.
Inside was a small living room, with a kitchen off to the side. A rickety wooden table and several chairs sat in the center.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the room clearly.
Raya sat down and glanced around.
Farming tools leaned against the walls, a woman stood silently in the corner of the kitchen.
The chair creaked as Raya shifted slightly.
Soon, the Village Chief entered and sat across from him, his wife standing behind him.
The man looked worn. Muscular from years of labor, skin rough, hair mostly white gray, his clothes were dirty but not foul-smelling.
"Please, help yourself," the chief said, placing a cup of hot water on the table.
Raya raised a hand to refuse, "I apologize, even though you went through trouble to prepare this."
"There's no need to apologize," the chief replied hurriedly.
Raya inclined his head slightly, the couple panicked and begged him not to bow.
They couldn't imagine someone so powerful lowering his head to them, if only they knew he was the demon lord.
"You saved us," the chief said. "We have little, but…"
"I expect payment," Raya interrupted, not wanting to hear their sad story.
The chief nodded quickly. "Of course."
"How much can you offer?" Raya asked, going straight to the point.
The chief swallowed. "Ten thousand copper coins at least."
A few minutes later…
The village chief and his wife returned back from the village.
Raya was already outside the house, talking with Lira.
The village chief immediately bowed and handed a brown patched sack filled with coppers.
When the money was handed over, the system confirmed it, and the sack vanished into his inventory.
Just as Raya and Lira turned to leave, the Village Chief called out.
"Mr. Hero!"
Raya stopped, but Lira spoke instead, "Speak," she snapped.
The chief swallowed. "Please… protect our village, more knights may come."
"And how is that my problem?" Raya asked calmly.
Then he smiled slightly, "But… I will protect this village," he continued. "In exchange, half of your yearly food production."
A contract appeared in front of the village chief, he first hesitated. After considering the possibility of more knights from the kingdom coming to harm their village, he finally signed the Contract without fully reading it.
The moment he did, the contract vanished.
Something heavy then settled in the villagers' souls.
"You are under my protection now," Raya said coldly. "Fail to pay, and this village ends."
The Village Chief, feeling a bit of regret about signing the contract because Raya's words came across as rather intimidating.
"M-Mr. Hero?" the chief called out hesitantly.
"You're mistaken," Raya replied.
"I am the Demon Lord." Raya and Lira revealed their true forms.
The chief and his wife were so scared that they fainted on the spot.
"We're done here," Raya said. "Let's go."
"Yes, my lord."
As they disappeared, the Village Chief and his wife later woke up, remembering only that the Hero had promised protection.
They had forgotten everything else relating to 'Demon lord' shock