The Demon Continent

I had a dream.

In the dream, I held Eris and Aisha as I flew.

My mind was hazy, but for some reason, the feeling that "I was flying" was the only thing that was clear.

The scenery before my eyes changed at an astonishing speed.

I flew as if I had turned into sound or light itself, shooting up, down, left, and right, weaving and swaying in irregular motions.

I had no idea why I had ended up in that situation.

All I knew was that if I relaxed for even a moment—no, even if I didn't—sooner or later I would definitely lose speed and plummet.

I focused my mind.

Amid the dizzyingly shifting scenery, I searched for a place that looked relatively safe and tried to land.

If you asked me why I did that, I honestly couldn't say.

I just had a premonition that if I didn't, I would die.

But I was moving far too fast.

When you tried to stop a slot machine on a specific pattern, the reels felt like they were spinning quickly, but compared to the speed at which the scene before me changed, that was nothing.

I focused even harder and poured mana into both my eyes.

Then, for only an instant, the speed slowed.

This was bad. I was going to fall.

Just as that thought flashed through my mind, I saw land.

It was flat ground. Falling into the sea would be bad, mountains would be bad, and a forest would be dangerous too, but if it was flat ground, maybe...

Clinging to that hope, I descended.

After no end of struggle, I finally managed an emergency brake and dropped onto the reddish-brown earth.

My consciousness cut off there.

When I woke up, it was already night.

A sky full of stars stretched before my eyes.

"Ah...!"

I hurriedly sat up and looked left and right for Eris and Aisha.

Thank goodness. They were right beside me, still breathing, seemingly asleep.

"Phew..."

I let out a breath and tried to prop myself up. A stab of pain ran through my back. Apparently, I had been lying on the ground for too long.

I looked around and saw dry, cracked earth stretching away beneath the night sky. There was hardly any grass, trees, or other vegetation in sight.

Were there not even any insects? Aside from Aisha's and Eris's breathing, I couldn't hear a thing.

It was so quiet...

So quiet that it even made me feel as though any sound I made would be swallowed up endlessly.

At least, in my memory, I had never been to a place like this.

Within the Asura Kingdom, it was either forests or grasslands. Had it turned into this because of that white light...?

I looked at the cracked, dried-out ground... If that white light really had caused this, there was no way we could have survived...

So... this probably wasn't the Asura Kingdom...

In any case, I gathered some deadwood and started a fire.

The nights here were cold, and sleeping on the ground definitely wouldn't be comfortable...

"Just in case."

I cast magic, using earth magic to lay more earth magic around us in a thirty-meter radius, mainly so I could sense anything.

If any monsters or enemies approached, I would notice in time.

"Let's sort out the situation first..."

Because of that pillar of light, Eris, Aisha, and I had been inexplicably teleported to an unknown continent.

After observing it, I found that this continent was unusually cracked and dry, very similar to the Demon Continent Teacher Roxy had described.

For now, let's assume this was the Demon Continent...

According to rumors, the Demon Continent had a great many monsters, and they were extremely aggressive. On the Demon Continent, the days were unbearably hot and the nights unbearably cold.

The Demon Continent was unfit for human habitation. Even battle-hardened soldiers or adventurers couldn't last long on this land.

"The Demon Continent, huh..."

Water resources... I could handle with magic. Food... I would probably have to hunt monsters.

I turned to look at Aisha and Eris, who were fast asleep.

Eris was tough, and she was an advanced swordswoman too. She should be able to adapt...

Aisha...

A four-year-old child, brought to a place like this...

Could I really get her off this continent...?

I couldn't doubt myself. I could definitely do my best and get Aisha safely, unharmed, and healthy... off this continent.

"Rudeus...?"

After who knew how long, Eris woke up.

I turned to look, and Aisha had woken up too.

"Brother... where is this...?"

Aisha asked me groggily.

"I'm not too sure either, but judging from what I've seen, this might be the Demon Continent..."

When she heard "Demon Continent," Eris seemed to perk up a lot, while Aisha's mouth parted slightly, as if she had no idea what to think.

"In any case, O sacred power, fragrant grain, grant strength to those who have lost their vigor so that they may stand once more—[Healing]."

I used healing magic on Eris and Aisha.

"Thirsty?"

"Yeah!"

"Me too!"

Aisha and Eris answered at the same time.

I had them open their mouths, then released water magic and let it flow into them.

After drinking the water, they got up first and looked around.

"Don't go too far."

"Okay!"

After a while, they sat back down beside me.

"Rudeus... can we go back...?"

Eris asked that, staring fixedly at the fire.

Aisha leaned against me without saying a word.

"Don't worry. I'll absolutely get you both back safely."

In truth, I had no confidence at all.

I didn't even know which direction we should go...

But as an adult, I absolutely couldn't show fear in front of children.

After hearing my answer, Eris nodded, while reaching out to touch the sword at her waist, as if that could help put her at ease.

"Brother... is this really the Demon Continent...?"

"Most likely. The environment here is very similar to what I know of the Demon Continent."

"Oh..."

"What's wrong? Have you heard of the Demon Continent?"

"No... wait... I think I heard about it in a dream."

Aisha pressed her index finger to her chin, tilted her head, and thought for a while.

In the end, she seemed unable to think of anything and gave up.

"Right, are you two hungry?"

Aisha and Eris shook their heads at the same time.

Looks like they weren't hungry... That was good, at least.

"Mm... We'll set out tomorrow. If we run into monsters on the road, I'll try to hunt them. That'll be our source of food. Of course, if we encounter a large group of monsters, we run straight away."

"Rudeus! What about me?"

"Uh... what do you mean?"

"I want to hunt too!"

"Eris... this isn't—"

I had only gotten halfway through my sentence when Eris stood up, drew her sword, and rushed at a large rock not far away, slashing at it. The rock split cleanly in two.

Then she snorted.

"Rudeus! I'm two years older than you!"

I let out a sigh.

"Fine, but you have to follow my orders. If we run into danger, you absolutely cannot act rashly. This is the Demon Continent. My healing magic only goes up to advanced tier, so I'm afraid you might..."

"I know already! Don't worry, Rudeus! I've always longed for an adventure like this!"

Eris stood there with her hands on her hips, her eyes shining.

Helpless, I nodded.

"What about me, what about me?"

Aisha's cute voice rang out beside me.

"You just hide properly. When the time comes, I'll cast magic, and you'll hide inside it."

"Huhhh?"

"What does a four-year-old think she's going to do? I absolutely won't allow you to do anything dangerous."

I lightly chopped Aisha with my hand.

"But, but! I can use magic..."

"No. I'm not so weak that I need help from a four-year-old child."

Aisha was very sensible. Once I said that, she gave up.

Her expression was a little dejected, and she lowered her head.

"Rudeus, don't be so harsh on your own little sister!"

"I know already..."

I pulled Aisha into my arms.

She still didn't say anything in my embrace, obediently lifting her head to meet my eyes.

"Aisha, you're still little. Your big brother doesn't want you to suffer even the slightest injury. If you got hurt, Paul would never forgive me, and I wouldn't forgive myself either."

"I know..."

"I'll teach you magic every night from now on. Once you grow up, we'll go on adventures together. How does that sound?"

"Mm...!"

Just then, Eris stood beside us with her hands on her hips and said, "I'll teach Aisha swordsmanship too! Of course, you'll need to have a sword first."

"Thank you, Sister Eris."

Aisha replied obediently.

I smiled.

"In any case, let's keep resting today. We set off tomorrow. The Demon Continent gets really hot during the day."

Aisha and Eris were very obedient and soon fell asleep.

Only after expanding the coverage of my earth magic from a thirty-meter radius to a fifty-meter radius did I finally relax and narrow my eyes slightly.

Because I was afraid that if I fell completely asleep, the magic would disappear, I only took a short nap.