How to Rent an Apartment After Defeating the Demon King

The evening had begun perfectly normally. Aldric had returned home a little after seven, prepared his dinner, put away the dishes, and taken a shower before settling into the living room with a book. He was halfway through a chapter on weaponry when a shout rose from the lower floors.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Aldric looked up. The sound seemed to be coming through the stairwell or carrying through the walls of the building, loud enough to reach his apartment on the fifth floor.

"NO! NO! NO! BACK UP!"

Aldric slipped a finger between the pages of his book. The shout most likely came from the apartment below, probably 4B.

He barely knew its occupant, as they had only crossed paths a few times in the stairwell and had never gone much beyond a brief greeting.

Aldric waited, but no sounds of fighting, violent impacts, or calls for help followed. Since arriving in this world, he had learned that shouting did not necessarily mean someone was in danger. People could raise their voices while watching a football match, a movie, during a phone conversation, or simply because an object was not working as intended. He therefore returned to his reading.

"I'M DEAD!"

Aldric slowly closed his book.