Shadow Ruler

It seems to be a very peaceful place where demons rarely come.

To a normal person, this place would be boring and empty, but to me, experiencing the outside world for the first time, it was so wonderful that I could see the world shining brightly in every direction.

“But you know what? If you don’t pay attention to your surroundings in a place like this, you’ll be eaten by demons while you sleep. Do you understand?”

He told me that there was a lot of danger out there, so I had to be careful even when I was sleeping.

It’s amazing how difficult it is for adults to be careful while sleeping.

“Most of the time, people form teams and take turns to watch their surroundings, and it’s quite rare for people to be able to pay attention while sleeping.”

There are a few people who can do it alone, but they’re few and far between.

A team was a group of several people working together, and one of them would fall asleep while the other was looking around, another would look at the timing, the one who was looking would fall asleep, and so on.

Oh, by the way, what was the last thing the scary-looking guy threw?

The cat gave it to me.

Is that a stick?

“That’s a cane.”

A cane? I tilted my head and he told me.

“It’s a tool to help you use your magic powers, or to swing and strike when you fight. In other words, it’s there to help the Master and protect her when the time comes.”

He also told me that with this stick, I can work as hard as anyone else.

Also, walking normally is not something I have the strength or muscle power to do. But with this stick, I can walk longer than usual.

The stick is as long as an adult person, and it’s extremely simple, according to the bird.

The color is made of wood, but it had a natural green color, retaining the gentle color of the beautiful wood.

The bird told me that it looks green, but they use young wood, so they call it blue even though it is green.

To me, it’s not exactly a grass-like green, but it looks kind of soft green.

Also, when I hold it, my body feels warm, and I feel a little more energetic.

Moreover, it is so light that even I can hold it with ease.

It feels so light that I don’t even feel its weight.

“It looks like it contains magic to strengthen your body and magic to increase your magical power.”

He explained that body strengthening is a magic that can make you more energetic than usual when you use it, and magic skill increase is a magic that can make you better at manipulating magic power, which is the basis for using magic.

Well, I don’t know what magic is, but I find it mysterious.

Magic itself is a mysterious power that can do many things, depending on the individual.

I wonder if I can do it too?

I hope to find out someday.

“Let’s just get out of here, okay? It’s not good for us to stay here too long… I want to go to a town for now.”

We’re going to a town, a place where people gather.

But as far as I can see, there are only trees everywhere.

Which way do we go?

When I was tilting my head, the cat pointed with its tail.

After seeing that, a bird climbed up into the sky and looked in that direction and came back.

“There was a town-like place over there. Let’s go over there for now… We’ll take frequent breaks, so hang in there.”

I hugged the bird, who said he was sorry he couldn’t carry me, and the cat, who looked apologetic, with a gentle but not painful hug, and then I walked slowly, step by step.

The bird flew at the same pace as me, and the cat walked with me at the same pace.

I’m too weak to walk normally, but with the help of the cane, I can manage to walk… I have a lot to thank the big brother and grandpa for.

However, I was tired after walking a few dozen meters, as the bird said.

I was tired, but I couldn’t stop walking as hard as I could.

I was more energetic than usual thanks to the cane, but I couldn’t go any further…

“It can’t be helped. You haven’t been able to exercise for a long time. Besides, Master is still young. Why don’t we take our time? There’s no need to panic. Master can do whatever she wishes, wherever she wishes, however she wishes. You’re free now, you know?”

Freedom?

“Yes, freedom. Master needs to be happy. We’re here for you. Let’s just find a place where you can be happy and have fun together, okay?”

Is it okay… is it okay for me to seek happiness?

“It’s okay. We love you, Master. You want the person you love to be happy, right? You want them to smile a lot, right?”

(Nod Nod)

“It’s the same in reverse. We love you too, so we want you to smile a lot. See?”

I think I understand the feelings of the bird and the cat.

I’m really tired, but I’ll do my best.

Let’s move forward.

We still have a long way to go, but let’s move forward.

The outside world is something I’ve never been able to see or feel before.

There are so many new things to experience.

I’m sure there will be hard times, but I’m sure I’ll be all right with the help of the cat and the bird.

I’ll do my best.

Ugh… But I can still see the forest, and I can’t even get to it… Ugh…

And I heard that the forest is a lot bigger than the meadow we’re in now. Or rather, the bird told me.

Ugh… I have to move around and find something to eat.

I’m so tired, my legs are getting sluggish, I’m losing my senses, I’m getting dizzy, and I’m starting to feel light-headed, but I try my best to walk.

I have to do my best.

The cat and the bird will be bothered, so I’ll do my best to walk.

That’s all I can do for now.

“Master, come on, we should get some rest, okay? I know how you feel, but don’t overdo it.”

The bird said in a very concerned voice.

But I didn’t hear it at the time.

I was so desperate that all I could think about was walking.

When I finally got out of the meadow and into the forest, I caught my leg on a tree root, fell down, and passed out instantly.