Chapter 104: The Mud-Covered Woman’s Request...
Nox walked behind Yuri while the three Little Ones followed closely behind him, barely poking their tiny blue heads out from behind his legs.
The wooden platforms stretched between the enormous trees of the dark forest, forming what looked like a city suspended above the swamp.
Hanging bridges connected every home.
Rope ladders descended toward the massive trunks.
Everything had been built several meters above the mud.
It made sense.
If they had lived on the ground...
The swamp would have swallowed everything.
As they walked, more and more people stepped out of their homes to observe the strange visitor.
Men.
Women.
Elders.
Children.
Every single one of them looked the same.
Their bodies were completely covered in mud.
Some had patterns drawn across their skin using darker clay.
Others wore necklaces made from animal fangs.
The hunters, however, looked different.
They wore animal pelts.
Some carried enormous bones over their shoulders.
Others used massive tusks as bracers.
But the rest of the village...
Seemed completely unfamiliar with the concept of clothing.
Nox looked away for a few seconds.
’These people definitely have very different customs.’
The children pointed at his horns.
The elders whispered among themselves.
Several women smiled as he passed.
The Little Ones proudly walked behind the Demon Lord, as if they already belonged to his entourage.
Yuri glanced back at him.
She kept staring.
Far too insistently.
Nox eventually chuckled.
"Do I have something on my face?"
The woman smiled.
"No."
Then she looked him up and down once more.
"You’re just... strange."
"I hear that pretty often."
Yuri let out a soft laugh.
"You’re also very strong."
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"Not that strong."
The huntress slowly shook her head.
"You defeated four of our best hunters."
"They weren’t trying to kill me either."
"That doesn’t change the outcome."
Nox simply smiled.
For several seconds, they walked in silence.
Then Yuri spoke again.
"Demon Lord."
"Yes?"
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"The magic that healed me."
She pointed toward the wound on her side, which had already disappeared completely.
"I’ve never seen anything like it."
Nox looked down at his own hands.
"I suppose it was just... magic."
Yuri studied his fingers.
"Then it must be incredibly powerful magic."
Nox shrugged.
"I’ve seen far more impressive things."
The woman fell silent for a few moments.
Then she stopped walking altogether.
The Little Ones stopped as well.
Nox looked at her in confusion.
"Is something wrong?"
Yuri took a deep breath before turning to face him completely.
She grabbed both of his hands.
Her mud-covered palms left marks across the sleeves of his coat.
Nox blinked.
"...What are you doing?"
The woman looked straight into his eyes.
"Demon Lord."
"Yes..."
"I want to ask you for something."
"Of course."
Nox smiled.
"If I can help, go ahead."
Yuri inhaled deeply.
"I want to have children with you."
"..."
"..."
"...What?"
The three Little Ones tilted their heads at exactly the same time.
Clearly, they didn’t understand what was happening either.
Yuri looked completely serious.
"I’m not joking."
Nox was still trying to process what she had just said.
"Our children would become the strongest hunters in the swamp."
The woman smiled.
"I’m sure one day they’d become leaders."
Nox opened his mouth...
But nothing came out.
’What the hell...?’
He hadn’t expected this conversation.
Not even remotely.
Yuri looked confused.
"Did I offend you?"
"No."
He answered far too quickly.
"Not at all."
The woman sighed in relief.
"That’s good."
Nox let out an awkward laugh.
"Honestly..."
He scratched the back of his head.
"...I wasn’t expecting a proposal like that."
"Why?"
"We literally just met."
Yuri tilted her head slightly.
"Does that matter?"
It took Nox several seconds to answer.
’How am I supposed to explain this?’
His thoughts immediately drifted toward Audrey.
Misty.
Tessa.
Dawn.
Catherine.
And especially the expressions all of them would make if he returned with a pregnant woman.
He definitely...
Didn’t want to imagine that scene.
"You see..."
He took a deep breath.
"...there are already other important women in my life."
Yuri waited patiently.
"And honestly..."
Nox smiled with slight embarrassment.
"...I don’t think they’d be very happy about the idea."
The woman thought about it for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"They don’t have to."
"What?"
"Just get me pregnant."
Nox felt his brain stop functioning once again.
"...Excuse me?"
"You don’t have to raise the child."
She explained it as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Almost nobody here actually knows who their father is."
Nox blinked.
"What?"
"The women choose the strongest man they can find."
Yuri gestured around them.
"Many men have children with several different women."
She shrugged.
"It’s not considered a problem."
Nox remained completely motionless.
’This place has completely different rules...’
Now he finally understood why nobody felt uncomfortable walking around naked.
Or why Yuri had made that proposal so naturally.
To her...
This was an everyday conversation.
Eventually, Nox burst into laughter.
"I’ll think about it."
Yuri’s smile widened immediately.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
He raised one finger.
"But first, I want to speak with your leader."
Yuri nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course."
Then she lowered her gaze slightly.
"I’m sorry if I was too direct."
"It’s fine."
Nox laughed again.
"You just caught me completely off guard."
"I understand."
The woman started walking once more.
"But please..."
She glanced back over her shoulder.
"...give it some thought."
Nox slowly shook his head with a smile.
"I’ll keep it in mind."
As he followed her, he started brushing at his sleeves.
The mud still clung stubbornly to his clothes.
The Little Ones began giggling in their tiny squeaky voices as they watched the Demon Lord hopelessly trying to clean himself.
◇◆◇
After crossing several more bridges, the forest began to open up.
At the center of the settlement stood a colossal tree.
It was so wide that ten people holding hands would barely be able to encircle it.
Its trunk looked like a fortress wall, and wrapped around it stood the largest structure in the entire village.
A massive wooden residence embraced the giant trunk.
Multiple platforms surrounded it at different heights.
Bridges connected the enormous building to the rest of the settlement.
Nox slowly lifted his head.
"...Damn."
Even he had to admit it.
It was impressive.
Yuri stopped in front of the main platform.
She turned toward him with a broad smile.
"We’re here."
Nox looked up at the gigantic structure one more time.
’So this is where their leader lives...’
He adjusted the hat concealing his horns, took a deep breath, and stepped toward the enormous house built around the largest tree in the entire forest.
It was time to meet the true leader of these forgotten lands.