From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 102: The Village Among the Trees...

The swamp seemed endless.

Nox walked slowly behind the three Little Ones.

The tiny blue creatures moved ahead of him with complete confidence, as if they had crossed this forest thousands of times before.

Roots protruded from the mud.

The dark water barely reflected the orange canopies overhead.

The silence was strange. Not even insects could be heard.

Only the mud sinking beneath Nox’s boots.

After nearly an hour of walking...

The forest began to change.

The trees were no longer spaced so far apart. Their trunks grew much thicker, and something immediately caught the demon’s attention.

"...What the hell?"

He slowly lifted his head.

High above the ground, resting among the branches, stood wooden platforms.

Suspension bridges, stairways, and small structures had been built between the trees.

It wasn’t just one or two.

It was an entire village.

Houses connected by hanging walkways.

Some had smoke rising from tiny chimneys.

Others looked like watch posts.

Everything had been built high among the treetops.

Nox let out a whistle.

"...Now this is something I wasn’t expecting."

The three Little Ones reacted instantly.

"Aude!"

One of them jumped in panic.

Another covered his mouth with both hands.

The third began making exaggerated gestures.

"No noise. Don’t talk. Something like that."

Nox raised both hands.

"Alright, alright."

The Little Ones were still frantic.

One of them even started pushing him toward a patch of bushes.

The demon finally allowed himself to be guided.

The four of them hid among mud-covered roots.

Nox looked back toward the village.

’What exactly is this place?’

He focused again.

His Danger Sense wasn’t reacting.

Nothing at all.

Not a single warning.

’Then... why are these three so terrified?’

The Little Ones remained perfectly still.

They breathed slowly, as if making even the slightest sound would be dangerous.

Then...

He heard voices.

"...she was injured by a strange creature."

Another voice answered.

"The same one?"

"Yes."

"It was wearing a Marauder’s Mask too."

Nox’s eyes widened slightly.

’Are they talking about me?’

Another voice.

Deeper this time.

"How the hell did it survive an attack from four of the Dark Swamp’s best hunters?"

The demon slowly raised his head.

He could make out several figures moving across the platforms.

They were no longer wearing masks.

They looked like ordinary people.

Well...

More or less.

Every one of them had dried mud covering their bodies.

They wore leather armor, tall boots, cloaks made from animal hides, and many carried weapons.

Axes.

Spears.

Bows.

’So... they weren’t monsters.’

’They’re just people.’

Nox observed them for a few more seconds.

Then he smiled.

’Perfect. Then we can talk.’

He slowly stood up.

The three Little Ones nearly had heart attacks.

They immediately began tugging at his clothes again.

"Aude."

"Aude."

"No."

Nox chuckled softly.

"Relax."

He crouched down and opened the inside pockets of his long coat.

"Hide."

The Little Ones looked at him in confusion.

"Come on."

The three of them climbed into the enormous inner pockets of his coat.

Only their tiny blue heads remained visible.

Nox gently patted them.

"Much better."

Then...

Darkness once again enveloped his face.

The Mask of the Marauder appeared.

A second later...

He vanished into the shadows.

◇◆◇

When he reappeared...

He materialized directly on one of the wooden platforms.

Right beside the group gathered around the injured woman.

Everyone turned toward him instantly.

Absolute silence.

The woman’s eyes widened.

"Him!"

She pointed directly at Nox.

"It was him!"

The others reacted immediately.

Three men raised their weapons.

Another stepped in front of the woman.

Nox immediately raised both hands.

"I didn’t come here to fight."

No one answered.

"I’m sorry."

He pointed at the woman.

"I didn’t know who you were."

The woman still clutched her side.

The bandages had turned completely black.

The nearest man stepped forward.

He was tall, with dark hair, and carried a massive axe.

"You don’t look like one of us."

Nox inclined his head slightly.

"Because I’m not."

The man raised his axe.

"Then... why are you wearing a Marauder’s Mask?"

Good question.

Nox didn’t have a clear answer either.

So he decided to do the only thing that might earn a little trust.

The mask disappeared, revealing his true face.

His black horns were visible once again.

Several people stepped back.

"...A monster?"

One of them muttered.

Nox kept both hands raised.

"I didn’t come here to attack."

He pointed at the woman again.

"Let me heal her."

Everyone looked completely bewildered.

Nox didn’t understand why no one was attacking.

They were probably just as busy trying to figure out what a demon was doing calmly walking through Mireveil.

The man with the axe still pointed the weapon at him.

"Don’t take another step."

"You don’t have to."

Nox replied.

"I just want to fix the damage I caused."

The woman was breathing with difficulty.

The demonic burns continued to spread.

Then another voice spoke.

A much older voice.

"Let him heal Yuri."

Everyone turned.

A gray-haired man slowly descended from an upper platform.

He carried a black wooden staff.

His beard reached nearly to his chest.

He looked first at the injured woman.

Then at Nox.

And finally at the man holding the axe.

"If he really can heal her..."

He calmly leaned on his staff.

"...let him try."

The man with the axe clenched his jaw.

"But..."

"It’s an order."

Silence returned.

At last, he slowly lowered his weapon.

He looked at Nox.

"If my sister dies..."

His voice became ice-cold.

"...I’ll cut your head off."

Nox nodded.

"Sounds fair."

The man stepped aside.

Nox slowly walked over to Yuri.

The woman still watched him with distrust.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Perfect."

Nox smiled.

"Because neither am I."

He raised both hands.

The Phoenix’s golden flames slowly appeared around his fingers.

The entire platform was illuminated by their warm glow.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

"What kind of magic is that...?"

Someone whispered.

Nox carefully placed one hand over the wound.

The flames began wrapping around Yuri’s side.

The black burns slowly started to recede.

Her skin gradually returned to normal.

The woman’s eyes widened.

"...What?"

The pain slowly faded away.

As though it had never existed.

Everyone present stood completely motionless.

No one spoke.

No one even breathed.

They simply watched as that demon...

Used fire...

To heal.

And that...

Made absolutely no sense.