Demon Child

Early in the morning, Li Yan opened his sleepy eyes, and Xiao Wu and Xiao Xue brought him a set of luxurious formal clothes.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the white stockings Xiao Wu and Xiao Xue wore. It was a sight of freedom and beauty.

After admiring the view, Li Yan got up, thoroughly satisfied, and put on the formal clothes reserved for nobles with Xiao Wu and Xiao Xue's help. Today, he planned to take a Tiger Head Army squad out on patrol and clear some pests from his family's territory along the way.

After a simple breakfast, Li Yan took the Holy Sword from his backpack. On this trip, he would show himself as a warrior at his most glorious, so the residents of the territory could live in peace.

The Tiger Head Army squad had been notified and had already assembled. Li Yan mounted his white warhorse and began patrolling the territory.

The fully armed Tiger Head Army squad followed close behind Li Yan as he rode out of the castle. The residents of the territory watched in awe. They knew full well that they were looking at the Kingdom's hero, the warrior who guarded their lives, the bulwark that let them live in peace.

Beyond the city, the danger was nothing like what it was inside. The monsters and demons lurking in the forest were potential threats, and if they weren't careful enough, it was all too common for an entire force to be wiped out.

"Commander, should we send scouts ahead to check the road, in case the whole group comes under attack?"

Levi, captain of the first squad, made the suggestion as he looked at the flat road ahead. Having fought demons for several years, he had a certain sense for danger.

"Agreed!"

Li Yan looked ahead impassively. Although he had detected no danger ahead with his mana sensing, there was little to lose by sending scouts to investigate.

Two men quickly ran out from the first squad and headed straight down the road to scout. Several minutes later, the scouts returned safely, their search complete, and reported that the way ahead was clear.

"Keep moving."

Li Yan gave the order impassively. At the group's pace, the closest settlements were Alas Village and Farit Village. If everything went smoothly, they could rest and recover in one of them.

Perhaps it had come looking for trouble. On the patrol route, a giant snake tens of meters long roared and charged Li Yan's entire group. At the sight of the monster's sudden attack, the squad captains all prepared for battle.

"Tiger-Crouch Defense!"

The Tiger Head Army soldiers gripped their hand shields, pressed their bodies straight against one another, and swiftly crouched on the ground, their shields facing the giant snake monster charging at them.

When the giant snake appeared, the horse beneath Li Yan seemed to panic. It reared high on its forelegs, as if trying to throw Li Yan to the ground and flee on its own.

"Impudent!"

Li Yan pressed down on the horse's head, forcing it down with sheer strength. He rose from the saddle, leaped up, and swung the Holy Sword in his hand instinctively.

The next second, the giant snake, its bloody jaws still open in anticipation of a tasty meal, was instantly reduced to countless chunks of snake meat.

"Commander..."

"So strong..."

"My new idol. He's only a little weaker than Lord Earl."

"As expected of Lord Earl's son."

Li Yan's attack had shocked every soldier present. The squad captains all stared wide-eyed. They had thought he was a young master who needed guidance, but he had turned out to be a super-thick golden thigh.

After the monster's sudden attack, the squad captains all breathed a sigh of relief, not just because the giant snake was dead, but even more because Li Yan had shown his strength.

After the giant snake, few troublesome monsters appeared along the patrol route. A few Goblins and Slimes did suddenly pass by, only to be cut into scraps of skin by the soldiers one by one.

In Alas Village, Li Yan felt a wave of ease as he took in its simple, honest atmosphere. The villagers eagerly invited him to eat with them, but Li Yan merely smiled and waved them off, sending his men to ask for a bowl of water to drink.

A cute little girl, her face still smudged with dust, held out a piece of candy to Li Yan. Looking at the paper-wrapped candy in her grubby little hand—several of which could be bought for one copper coin—Li Yan accepted it with a smile and peeled off the wrapper, revealing a small white sweet inside.

He put it in his mouth, and its full sweetness lingered on his tongue. Li Yan narrowed his eyes, looked up at the blue sky, and enjoyed the leisurely moment.

Though the little piece of candy was worthless to Li Yan—he might not even have given it a second glance if it had fallen at his feet—the little girl's sincere offering and her innocent eyes moved him.

Perhaps he could see that the little girl was still somewhat reluctant to part with it. Li Yan decided to eat the candy she was most reluctant to give up, then bring her a pocketful of candy on his way back.

The piece of candy the little girl had given him might well have been her very, very, very greatest treasure, yet she had still been willing to give it to a stranger she had only just met.

After resting in Alas Village for a short while, Li Yan led the Tiger Head Army out of the village and headed for Farit Village.

On the way, they also obtained the pelts of a few demon wolves. Once washed clean, they could be used as foot rags, which was also a good option.

Unlike the bustling Alas Village, the villagers of Farit Village seemed to be shouting about something, as though they wanted to kill some evil thing.

"Kill it!"

"Demons must die!"

"Leaving a thing like that in the world will only harm people."

Curious, Li Yan dismounted and went closer. Normally, ordinary villagers could only run when they saw a demon. Since when had it been their turn to decide a demon's fate so high-handedly?

Even young demons had the strength to kill adult humans.

With their sharp fangs and limbs alone, demons were opponents adult humans could never hope to defeat without some kind of weapon.

"The Tiger Head Army is here."

"The Tiger Head Army that keeps us safe is here."

"Let the lords of the Tiger Head Army decide. Ordinary people like us shouldn't get involved in deciding this demon's life."

The villagers chattered among themselves. The moment they saw the Tiger Head Army, they all had an idea and decided to hand the trouble over to them.

"What's going on? What demon?"

At Li Yan's question, the villagers stepped aside, giving him a clear view of the so-called demon.

It was a demon child with bare little feet and two small white horns on her head. Judging by her face, she was a very young demon loli.

Perhaps because she couldn't speak the human language, she trembled against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself, and looked at everyone in terror.

"A demon child?"

A hint of caution appeared on Li Yan's face, and he raised the Holy Sword slightly. He was somewhat tempted to cut her down with one stroke and be done with it.

But seeing how pitiful the demon child looked, Li Yan couldn't bring himself to kill her. If she had been a demonic beast cub, perhaps he could have steeled himself to stab it to death with one stroke. But the demon child before him resembled a human child, and he found himself somewhat unable to strike a child with a human appearance.

Over the years, he had killed plenty of demons: big ones, small ones, strangely shaped ones, and unruly ones. But he really had never encountered a demon child this young.

Perhaps it was the compassion he retained from the peaceful era of his previous life. Li Yan lightly bit his lower lip and put away the Holy Sword, then seized the monster child by the back of her neck with one hand and lifted her up.

"Does anyone have a chain? I'm thinking of keeping this thing for fun."

Li Yan called out to the surrounding villagers, his face expressionless, while the Tiger Head Army captains watched in awe.