Quick note: this chapter was done before the hiatus but I forgot about it back then, anyway, I thought that I might as well upload it since it was already written.

Adam leaned on the wreckage of one of the broken wagons away from Shiira. He pulled out the metal disk he bought from Yassu out of her bag and started prodding and poking at it inquisitively while waiting for their pursuers to reveal themselves. A few seconds passed before the first one stepped forward, a young four-horned demon wearing almost no armor besides some scattered pieces that didn’t even match.

The first thing both Adam and Shiira took notice of was just how young he was, even by their already warped standards. Scars of all sizes decorated his exposed arm, telling a story of the hard battles he fought and serving as an eternal witness to them.

Adam stopped fidgeting with the disk for a moment, looking at the young demon with sentimental eyes before ignoring him once again. The demon took notice of his strange reaction but couldn’t afford to think about it for too long, for Shiira had taken a stance, one that looked as graceful as it was deadly.

“so you’re that fool’s guard? How much of an idiot is he to only bring one when lugging around that much gold, especially when he has no manners at all, must be the son of some wealthy merchant from the south as I thought.”

His words drew no attention from Shiira or Adam as the former only stood in place, waiting for the others to show themselves or attack, and the latter was too busy hitting his disk with a rock like a caveman to see if something would happen.

The young demon was again taken aback by their reaction, it was too calm, a far cry from what he was expecting when he took on this assignment, but it wasn’t cause for alarm yet. Magic swelled within him as he prepared to cast a spell but even when he was visibly about to attack they both remained motionless and uncaring, and that was enough to make him stop dead in his tracks.

“damn…what is it with these crazy assholes? They didn’t even flinch, do they both have advanced barriers up? This could be more dangerous than I thought…better play it safe.”

Instead of casting a spell or lunging with his sword, the demon simply snapped his fingers and within seconds another demon appeared from behind the sea of wreckage and went right for Adam, putting a dagger to his throat.

“put your weapon down or we’ll kill him, NOW.”

A nervous smile appeared on his face, thinking that his plan worked now that he had Adam hostage, and that Shiira would undoubtedly comply, but his demands were not met with obedience but with pity. Shiira looked at both of them as if they were digging their own graves, not putting others in them. he couldn’t see hatred or malice in her eyes, not even anger, just genuine remorse. It was yet another reaction that made the thief nervous, his hands trembled as his heart and mind couldn’t agree on what to do.

He felt the cold hands of death itself strangling him even though he was in a more advantageous position, in his heart he felt that going any further would lead to his demise but he couldn’t find a way to rationalize it, however, before he could decide on how to proceed, someone else revealed himself. The only one to get any reaction from Adam so far.

“pfft, so it was you? C’mon now, did my words hurt that badly?”

The familiar face of a certain merchant appeared from behind the remains of wood and steel, wrinkled and drenched in sweat, the swindler who tried to sell Adam fake anti-magic alloy came into view. His breathing was heavy and his eye-catching attire ruffled from the short journey he took with his hired thugs.

“just kill the guard already you buffoon, get the others out of hiding to help if you need to, he won’t be going anywhere now, I’ll teach him what happens to those who dare tarnish my image.”

The merchant radiated an aura of undeserved pride, reminding Adam of his meeting with Uzan not too long ago.

“but…there is something wrong here can’t you see? They aren’t reacting at all, they might be stronger than they let on.”

“Shut up you fool, I saw them spend 5000 gold buying useless rubbish earlier, they must have three times-no four times the amount on hand. We can ransom off that rich bastard for even more coin too after I’m done with him. so, hurry up and get it over with”

Adam watched in amusement as the two argued over what to do, but he was slightly disappointed when the leader of the companions gave in to the merchant. It was a familiar sight. a weak, overly arrogant idiot with no real battle experience and the survival instincts of a panda trying to order others around, getting them all killed in the process, it was far too unpleasantly familiar to him.

Reluctantly, the demon clapped his hand, summoning three others who surrounded Shiira on all sides, weapons in hand. But although they appeared ready to attack they did not, upsetting the merchant whose face was red from anger by this point.

“what are you all waiting for, attack already!!”

The merchant screamed at them but they remained motionless, waiting on the signal from their leader whose eyes darted between Shiira and Adam, nervously assessing the situation and fighting the deepening pit of despair in his stomach.

“It’s sad to see, you obviously have good instincts and your form isn’t too bad either. Definitely way better than the others, so why are you taking orders from that bug?”

Adam spoke calmly, his voice unhindered by the anxiety expected from one with a knife that close to his throat. The demon lowered his head and bit his lip, cursing under his breath where none could head.

“I know that look, kid, you feel like you’re about to die right? Like the moment you give the signal to attack your head is going to roll? Good, that feeling is what separates those who survive from those who don’t, listen to it.”

The young demon was taken aback by Adam’s words, by the unmistakable truth in them.

“I…b-back off, we’re leaving. here’s your gold, we don’t want it.”

The merchant’s eyes filled with rage and the veins hidden underneath his balding head bulged out. He tossed the sack of gold returned to him by the young demon into the ground, stomping on it as if it was nothing but a dirty cloth.

“you traitorous scum, you dare mock me? I’ve fed you and those other mutts for years, who else would’ve taken in a brat with nothing but the clothes on his back? I gave you the life you have and I even tolerated it when you brought those other strays into my home, and now you spit on my face because you got a bit of power?”

The young demon tried to plead with the merchant but his words went unheeded and unheard. Rage continued to envelop the merchant as he hurled insults at his own help, yet the young demon simply could not obey him, not with the frightening yet calm eyes of Adam mocking him.

All that hatred in the merchant’s heart culminated in a punch. A feeble, weak strike thrown by one who never knew a battlefield, but it was a strike nonetheless. Spite emerged and overtook the young demon’s face for a second, but he quickly brushed it off and turned his back on the merchant.

He certainly has more self-control than me.

Adam couldn’t help but smile, watching as the young warrior recalled his troops, enraging the merchant even more to his amusement. He was so entertained that he even gently waved goodbye to the young warrior with a smile on his face, knowing full well that had he decided to attack, he would’ve killed him instantly.

Even Shiira quickly relaxed as the companions put their weapons down and walked away, but just when the situation was practically over, the merchant reached into his satchel, searching it violently while spewing nonsense about killing them all.

“YOU BASTARDS…ALL OF YOU JUST WAIT. WHERE IS IT? HE GAVE IT TO ME. I’LL USE IT TO KILL ALL OF YOU”

Adam, now once again focusing on his overly expensive metal disk, turned and walked away as well, heading in the opposite direction of the young demon.

“HE SAID IT WILL GET RID OF ALL THOSE WHO WRONG ME, THAT IT WILL BRING ME SALVATION TOO.”

Shiira quickly retook her place at Adam’s side, unable to hide her smile or happiness. Adam chose to spare those demons instead of outright killing them even when they put a knife to his throat, and while she knew it was a special case because of his exceptionally good mood, she still found solace in that mercy he showed. The merchant’s insane ranting was not something she cared for at that moment, not because her happiness blinded her, but because much like Adam, she did not believe he had anything that could pose any real danger.

“THIS IS IT, I FOUND IT, THE GIFT OF THE THAT WEIRD BASTARD. NOW ALL OF YOU DIE”

A faint clicking sound entered Adam’s ear. It was one that most would miss and even those who heard it would easily dismiss it as nothing of import, but it was different for Adam, because that noise, that click reminded him of something, something he felt the need to desperately remember.

His mind raced and raced until he eventually remembered what that click reminded him of, but it was too late. His head spun around only for his vision to be swallowed up in a sea of darkness, a black cloud that covered his vision and thickened the very air, but the darkness did not last long, for it was almost imminently replaced by a blinding light, followed by immense heat, and finally a deafening roar.

Once the dust settled the only thing left standing was Adam who was unharmed but lost his hooded robe, and Shiira, who was visibly unharmed at well, but was on her knees coughing uncontrollably.

“w-what” “happened”

Shiira’s managed to squeeze a few words in between the uncontrollable fits of coughing, but her question was still relayed to the equally as surprised Adam.

“that was…a two-phase bomb. A human weapon that went out of production before I even took command, I don’t understand, how the hell did he get that thing?”

*cough* “w-why am I”

“uncontrollably coughing and feeling weak? it’s because that dark cloud before the explosion was made of anti-magic particles. You inhaled it so your body is trying to expel it as quickly as possible, and since it’s anti-magic it naturally weakens you… how the hell did he get it though? he said someone gave it to him…didn’t he? how can a relic that old still even work.”

Adam was quickly sinking into his own thoughts when cries of pain pulled him back. The sounds of pain and agony were close by, right in the opposite direction to where the bomb exploded, unable to hold back himself, Adam went to investigate, walking right past the crater created by the merchant and his final attack and towards the owner of the quickly weakening voice. The very young demon who attacked him mere moments ago.

“color me impressed…it looks like your comrades took the brunt of the explosion for you by accident due to their position but still, it’s hard to believe you’re still alive, well, most of you at least.”

The young demon was laying in a pool of his own blood, missing an arm, leg, and a small chunk of his abdomen. On the verge of death, he looked up at Adam, finally meeting his eyes fully.

Adam expected to see despair and pain, but all he could find was reverence.

“g-gods…you are one of the gods”

Adam was confused for a second before he realized what had happened. The sunlight and cold breeze were greeting his face freely, unhindered by the hood he wore for anonymity. His face and humanity, the sign of his supposed godhood was bare for all to see.

“I know I slighted you, I know I deserve this fate, but please, please don’t let me die.”

The demon pleaded and begged, tears flowing from his eyes as furiously as blood did from his wounds, but Adam had no means of helping him. He could only look with conflicted eyes as the young demon neared death more and more. Eventually, Adam decided to help him the only way he knew how, by giving him peace.

Faint blue light gathered around his hand as he prepared to end the young demon’s suffering, but right before he could, Shiira reached out and stopped him.

Having heard and very likely seen and felt the explosion, many merchants and their clients came to investigate, and they saw what they could only explain as a legend in the making. They saw their god standing over a dying demon as his priestess healed his wound completely and brought him from the brink of death.

For having witnessed such a sight, there was only one thing the demons could do. bow in reverence, and as Adam watched in shock, one after the other, they all got on their knees, silently wailing and crying tears of joy for having met their most merciful god.