When the woman's figure first emerged from the darkness of the night on the road more than fifty paces away from the family campfire, she looked like she was carrying some kind of large backpack with black straps tied around her shoulders. Then she came a little closer, and it looked like an animal, perhaps a black pig clumsily in its arms; But soon she was close enough for him to tell that Andokes knew it was a demon. She carries a demon child on her shoulder.

He gasped and stood up, suppressing a wave of panic.

The young woman was strange enough in itself to make anyone hesitate. Despite the creaky of gravel on the icy dirt road beneath her feet, she walked barefoot. Only a wide strip of cloth was tied behind her back to cover her breasts, and a pair of ankle-length baggy pants rustled on her legs. Her hair was shaved, the first woman he had ever seen without hair, which made her look pathetic and horrible. Her skin is as pale as Aguna's, indicating that she is a northerner.

Swallowing the fear rising in his heart, Andrekles walked towards the road with a spear in his hand. Once there, he frowned and made it clear to the eccentric woman that she and her passengers were not welcome in his family campfire. He felt his hand grip on the hilt of the spear tightly, calculating if he was fast enough to stab the thing before it ran past him.

The woman calmly met his gaze and continued to walk towards him along the icy dirt road. Deliberately. Gods, who is she? Who is she? Mary's angry sister who no one told him?

He was almost startled when he felt something slip into his spare hand, and he looked down to see that the cute little Galby had already come over to be with him. She stood casually, holding his hand, huddled tightly around him, trying to keep some warmth. She draped the half-bear skin over the shoulders of the ox because "he looked cold," and now she shivered because her thin green linen clothes could not keep her warm. Her wheat-blonde hair was tossed by the wind, a stark contrast to her face, which was red from the cold wind.

Andlos pointed to the fire and said, "Go back and sit down, girl." Hurry up. ”

"Why? Do they have any problems? She asked, looking at the woman on the road and the demonic child instead of behaving well.

"Yes! He hissed, almost throwing her down. "Come back!"

"Wait a minute, Dad. I want to talk to them first. ”

The woman, who was now only a dozen steps away from her, walked over calmly and attentively, her eyes revealing a longing serenity that, despite her youth, could still be a young man. Andrx was almost panicked; He can finally get Gabi to obey – he's usually more stubborn than she is – but he needs her out of here now. If that thing bites her

This is his last resort, A

d

Okles said, "Ga

Bi girl, do you know what your hair looks like right now?"

Gabby reached out his hands to touch her hair, an expression of fear hanging over her. She ran to the campfire and said, "Oh! Oh! Mom, can you help me with my hair? What a mess! Please?"

Thank the gods that this girl loves to be pretty.

The wolf scar moved in his comfortable hiding place under the fur, and Anders patted him and said, "Stay there and don't move."

"Can I take a look?" Wolf sca

Ask.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

A

d

Okles tightened the fur with his free hand and held the little fairy in place, wolf sca

Soon the writhing stopped. Because the woman stopped a few steps away from him and stared at Ann with curiosity or bloodlust

d

Campfire behind Okles. Who knows? It was a cold night, and Androx's beard was frosty, while she was bald, almost naked, and carried a demon on her shoulders as if it were human.

It was the first demon child he had ever seen, and the first demon child he had ever heard of. Its blue-black skin was only visible where the moonlight reached the edges, and it had no clothes at all. It's younger, even younger than Ga

bi is still small, and A

d

Okles doesn't know its gender. Its short, black hair looked as if it had never been washed, and there were no horns on its forehead, but two bumps that would grow one day. It folded its arms over the young woman's head and rested its head on it. It fell asleep, its long, thin, hairless tail swaying with every step the young woman took.

The young woman smiled, perhaps just baring her teeth, and said in a soft, friendly tone, "Oh my God, you're a big man!" Hello, fellow travelers. How's the road?"

Andlos looked down at her and clenched his spear. He knew he had to be polite in case she was some god, but it was hard not to scream. "Why are you here?" What do you want? He asked.

"I'm on my way from one place to another, just like you. I wish you could give me a blanket? Little Sephie here is always cold and I don't have anything to make a fire with. ”

“Seffy ?”

She pointed to the demon. Does it have a name?

"I don't have any extra money," he said. His left foot slid backwards, just enough to relax his posture so he could react if she or her monster suddenly attacked. He gripped the spear tighter.

The young woman noticed, frowning slightly, as if she knew what his move meant. However, she did not make a similar move. "So, do you mind if I warm him up by the fire?" Looks like there's still a place," she asked, staring at where his family was waiting.

"My thoughts. You can't," he said.

"Why not? She said.

"Do you know what that is?" He asked, pointing to the group of demons. A cold sweat began to emerge from the skin under the leather jacket he was wearing.

"It's a little boy," she replied bluntly, almost as if she were joking.

"It's so dangerous you can't believe it. Its tail—"

"Are you kidding?" She complained loudly and took an aggressive step towards him. "Do you think a cold and hungry little boy is dangerous?" You people on land are idiots!"

"I'm talking about chopping off your head with just your tail!" It's not just a little boy. That's a bunch of demons. Do you think you can tame it? Andlocks said he hoped his sarcasm would mask his fears. Gods, what if she's a female demon? He'd never seen a female before - what if that's what they look like, and it's about to lose its mind and want to bite him to pieces with its teeth?

The young woman glared at him, colder than the night's chill, and said, "My little Sephie won't even step on worms." You look much more dangerous than he is. More. ”

"Yes, and—"

"Daddy?" Ga

BI interrupts. "What if they're cold?"

"Be quiet, girl."

"Daddy, look at them!" They're cold! She insisted. Her hair was now arranged, and she stood up and began to walk towards Anchors and the strange woman.

"Close it! He shouted. Gabi paused and returned to Aguna's warm knees, who glared at him gloomily.

"Don't look at me like that, girl. Listen up. And you, stranger, because I don't think you realized what you picked up. Those things are not people. They are not rational. They are almost impossible to kill. I've seen a man tear a sturdy helmet with his bare hands. They are fiercer than the hungry lions, I should know, because I have fought with them too. If - - - - - - "

The demon awoke, and Anders froze. It began to sob and tremble, clutching the young woman's head tightly. It saw Ancreth and was staring at him with silver eyes, like the eyes of his sons, reflecting the light of the fire. He guessed it did look aloof and helpless. He swallowed pity as much as he swallowed fear.

"Daddy! He's just a little boy!" Ga

Bi insisted.

"No, Gabi, it's not!" Aren't you listening? I'm going to get in trouble if I fight him. There's a lot of trouble. Shut up now, because this man is leaving," he said, hoping the faint fear and frustration in his voice sounded like stern anger.

The young woman gave him a mocking smile and pointed at the demon on her shoulder. "Can this little thing kill you, Westerner?" Is this one?"

He said to her with a half-smile, "When its parents find you, they'll throw you on a little bloody debris half a mile away, woman." Don't approach us with that. ”

"Dad, I want you to help them!" Ga

Bi said. "You have to be like your mother, and you have to see into his soul!" He's just a little boy and he's scared! Daddy!"

“Ga

What about the little girl who quarrels with her father? Agu

e? He said he thought the girl would be spanked with her mouth covered and spanked after a while.

Arguna met his gaze and looked at him for a long time with an evaluative eye, as if trying to figure out how serious he was. In the end, she said, "I don't see what you see, but I can clearly see what's right in front of me." Maybe one day it will change, but for now, the little one is harmless. ”

"He's as malicious as a little viper!" Androx said. Swear in the name of the godfather, the woman didn't know it at all! She should dig up the wreckage of Euphemios and ask him how dangerous they are. Not all the bodies were buried, as there were some fragments that they could not find.

The young woman said, "I just got him out of the slave pit, not from his parents. He didn't bite or anything. He just gave me a lot of hugs, don't act like a coward. I'm not worried about the cold, but I think it won't be long before it freezes to death. ”

The Devil's Child refuses to look directly at Andkel; It buried its face in its arms and just looked sideways at him, its silver eyes sparkling. The light of the fire or the moonlight shone on its blue skin, and only its outline could be seen; The rest are like shadows. The young woman reached out and began to rub its back, probably to warm it up. Then she said, "Tell you, traveler, that if you promise not to hurt my little Sephie, and let us keep warm by the fire, I will show you the way ahead."

"It's not worth it. He replied as he straightened his skirt so she could hear the click of his sword in its sheath, just in case the spear wasn't enough.

"Then I'll tell you a ...... Well...... A good joke, right?" Come on! He trembled! The young woman said. She was starting to sound a little desperate.

"You know what God thinks about starving orphans, Androx." Agunn said. She still seemed hesitant, and that was a good thing for him; If he disagrees with something about her, he may find out how much of her frivolous threats about the curse are accurate.

"If he wants to feed the demons, he can do it himself." At least his children are still outside collecting firewood. They may unite against him.

The strange young woman said, "So be it, traveler. I'm going to have you hit me hard in the stomach once, and if you can knock me down, I'll strangle him right now. If you can't, you let us rest by your fire, give us food and clothing, and treat us like ordinary good people. What's going on?"

Both Arguna and Gabi gasped, and Arguna said, "Oh, girl, that's a bad idea. Take it seriously. Only...... Take this blanket and keep walking. ”

"What kind of trick is this?" A

d

Okles asked. "Are you a god or what?" Or are you blind?"

"No, just my father's daughter. Pretty much," she replied. "And I'm sure I can withstand a punch from someone like you."

"Don't you see my arm?" Where do you think these scars come from? Weave? Or not, you want me to see how serious you are and change my mind out of pity, don't you?"

"Andrx ......" said Aguna "She sounded worried, and there was no doubt that she knew how things would end." This grumpy woman might be angry about it for a week, but killing that demon is the best option, especially when the other option is to have it sit next to the life of the person he cares about.

"No, I think I'll accept that offer, and when she's strangled her, I'll tell you how it feels to them on the battlefield. They are not like men, regardless of their size. They are monsters. Androxes said as he looked gloomily at the young woman.

She met his gaze, unwavering. She straightened her shoulders, flipped her heels slightly outward, and exhaled slowly, pushing her open palms toward the ground. The demon gripped her head tighter, grabbing the cloth on her chest with his toes.

"Aren't you going to put it down first?" He asked.

"Nope. I'm ready. I want you to be a man of the word. ”

"Woman, my honor is stronger than iron. If I kill you with this punch, I'll strangle you to death. ”

Her eyes were on him, but he could see that her mind was focused on concentration. If she had been smarter, she wouldn't have put herself firmly on the ground – her best bet would have been to try to get a hit and jump away. She looked ready, though, so Androcles lowered his spear, concentrated his strength, and slammed his fist into her bare stomach with all his might. Gabi screamed in horror as he shook.

The punch landed heavily on the ground, sending out an echo, but the young woman didn't move. She took a punch and didn't even shake. She just stared at him, only now with a smirk.

He took a step back, his chin drooping, his eyes wide open. He may have hit a thick, old tree. The muscles in her stomach were tied to his knuckles like chains, and his entire fist ached. "A goddess! He said. He instinctively reached for his sword, but when he remembered that his agreement was over, he stopped. He relied entirely on willpower to control his panic, but it only barely worked.

"I am not a goddess," she said, walking from him to the fire as if nothing had happened. "I'm just better trained than most. My father was stubborn. The demon on her shoulder squirmed, as if he wanted to avoid everyone's gaze, but there was nowhere to hide.