"So, my mother was a high-ranking demon." Belal looked at his right hand and clenched it tightly, feeling the raw strength in his body. Then something popped into his mind. "Wait a minute. Brother Ragnar, how did you know I was a demon?"
Ragnar replied back with a smile on his face. "The Lord told me. I was actually shocked to hear that because you looked and felt no different than any other human."
"I looked like a human…brother, is there anything else?" Belal felt a bit stupid because he still believed in his heart that he was a human, and he was having a hard time with his new demon identity. So, if he were a human, why would he look different from other humans in the first place?
Ragnar pondered for a bit, finding the correct feeling. After a while, something clicked inside Ragnar's mind. "Brother…Belal, I think it is mainly because I do not sense any kind of demonic energy from you. You are not hiding your energy like others, so my senses cannot be wrong."
Belal had been calling him brother for so long, so Ragnar felt it was right to call him back too.
"I see." Belal glanced at his right hand, feeling the vital energy but no other energy outside that. He asked Ragnar curiously. "Brother Ragnar, why do I not feel the demonic energy inside me? Is it because I failed to inherit my mother's powers, or do I have to do something to awaken them?"
"That…" Ragnar thought for a little before answering. "I do not know. We learn to fully utilize the power inside us when we kill any being. So it feels natural to us. But yours didn't; maybe there is another thing that is a ma-"
"Uhhhh…about that." Belal suddenly cut off Ragnar in the middle of his talk, making him confused.
"What is it?"
"Brother Ragnar, to be honest, I have not killed anyone in my life. Demons, beasts, humans…none of them died in my hands." Belal said, feeling extremely embarrassed for some reason.
"What!?" Ragnar became so shocked that he was left speechless. "You lived your entire life without spilling blood with your hands?"
Belal nodded his head, feeling a bit proud. Then Belal started discussing other stuff with Ragnar.
Meanwhile, Bailey and Tanaka watched them from behind. Tanaka couldn't help but say it, seeing how well Belal and Ragnar were getting along. "Brother Belal is at it again. No matter who it might be, Brother would somehow make them gain a favorable impression of him and become friends."
Bailey agreed with Tanaka, this was a sort of special skill that Belal had within him. "But, Tanaka. Is it okay to trust these demons? Maybe these guys just want to use Brother Belal for their own gains. I am sure they wouldn't have helped us if Auntie and Brother weren't demons."
"That…I can't argue with," Tanaka paused a little before continuing. "But, we have to accept our situation. If we want to live, then we have to live alongside demons because our own kind won't let us step into your place."
"But." Bailey was still having a hard time accepting reality. She couldn't imagine living side-by-side with demons.
"Bailey." Tanaka said, glaring at Bailey, "Did you forget the look Auntie gave us before she left this world? She wanted to stay beside her brother all the time and take care of him. We are the only ones left that my brother can call family. Will you betray him for your own beliefs? It was our brother who picked us from the trash; it was him who taught us how to fight and live in society properly. Do not forget that."
Bailey became silent, as everything Tanaka said was true. They were heavily indebted to Belal, which they could never repay in their entire lives. "Thank you, Tanaka."
"It's okay. There is nothing wrong with being irrational at this time; we have gone through a lot of things in such a short few hours." Tanaka said with a sigh.
"But, if they try to do anything to brother Belal, then you won't see me stay put." Bailey with a firm voice.
"Undoubtedly." Tanaka nodded his head, regaining his smile, and so did Bailey.
…
On the other hand, Benimaru and the girls were rushing as fast as possible, getting closer to the forest every minute.
On the way, Benimaru pondered to himself. 'I didn't expect Belal to be a demon. Well, the first time we met, the system didn't show his information status, I should have already guessed at that time something was wrong.'
'Hmmm..it wasn't my fault either. At that moment, the system also didn't show any information about Bailey or Tanaka, so I thought the system was asleep.'
[ Please, host. Refrain from blaming the system. The system never sleeps, it is always active, watching the host and his surroundings. ]
'Even when I am in the shower?' Benimaru didn't mention the toilet because this wasn't an issue for a supernatural being like him.
[ Yes. ]
'I knew it!' Benimaru yelled in amazement. 'I always had that nagging feeling that someone was watching me, but unfortunately, I never saw the culprit. I didn't expect the pervert to be living inside me.'
[ Host, please stop badmouthing the system. The system does not have any sexual urges because it does not have a gender. The system is only monitoring the host's status and is on the lookout for anything noticeable. ]
'Okay,okay. Stop crying about it. You will not go to jail for it anyway.' Benimaru joked with the system a bit more before asking. 'Forget all of this; I have finally found you. Answer a few of my questions. You seem to have become more secretive about revealing anything, and you do not receive my summoning.'
[ Okay, I will answer just one question this time. ]
'One huh?' Benimaru went into deep thought, trying to find the best doubt in his mind that was important for him to know. 'System, why can't I see everyone's information? Are there some prerequisites that I have to fulfill?'
[ Yes, host. There are a few prerequisites that you have to fulfill before getting that person's information. The reason for not many people's information getting shown is just as the host guessed. ]
[ There are many people who are stronger than the host and pose a threat, so the system refrains from showing their information. From what the system has seen and read about the earth's history, curiosity can lead humans to do things beyond their reach. ]
[ The system is afraid that the host will bring hostility from the unknown. However, the host can get their information if they have their full trust or if they have already made the other person the host's enemy. ]
'Oh, that makes sense. I might actually try to make connections with them if I know them fully. My cautionary nature will make me want to know everything about the person who might pose a threat to me. Fortunately, the level of threat an unknown person from this world possesses is truly frightening. That helped me to not go and try to know them. Well, you have my thanks here, system.'
[ No problem, host. The system is your best helper. It would never do anything that harms you. ]
[ Now, the system will go back to sle- monitoring the host. ]
'Oi, I heard what you said there. You there? Tch, left in a hurry.' While Benimaru was giving a few curses to the system, something clicked in his mind. 'Wait, if only the fully trusted person's information can be shown, that means Belal has yet to trust me fully.'
Benimaru thought that with how innocent Belal was and how close they were, he would have already trusted him to his heart, but it looks like there was still a barrier. 'Hmmm, he is lost. Do not know where to go. It is okay to be vigilant of others.'
'But, the system didn't show any information about Bailey, Tanaka, or Nil and his team. Maybe they are all together and connected to Belal, so the system identified them as equal threats.'
Benimaru felt he started to know more about his surroundings and about himself by just contemplating this one issue.
At that moment, Ravenna asked. "Benimaru, will Belal be able to join us?"
Benimaru raised his eyebrows and asked curiously. "What makes you say that?"
"It is because in the last moments, Belal's mother looked at me with full trust, and through her eyes, I could see that she wanted to entrust her son to us. I think Belal also guessed her wish." Ravenna told me what was on her mind the entire time. She was a bit worried about Benimaru's answer, as she had never seen or heard of him recruiting humans.
"We will see about that when the time comes." Benimaru didn't give a proper answer to her question. "It is one's wish to be who he or she wants to be. If Belal wants to join my force, then I won't reject him, but if he doesn't, then I won't force him to join us."
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