Childhood.
　Elfiszak has miscontrolled his power on several occasions.
　The demon that resides in his body is powerful, and therefore the repercussions are great.
　Lacerations and fractures are still a good thing, and it's not uncommon for an arm or leg to be blown off.

　That's when I realized two things.

　The first was that I am very strong in pain.
　Even if I had a strong body, my sense of pain was no different than anyone else's.
　If a bone breaks, it hurts, and if you lose a limb, you won't be able to breathe.
　However, Elfiszak was able to hold it in and not show it.
　Apparently, he was born with a greater tolerance for pain than others.

　Secondly, no matter where on his body he was injured, he could regenerate quickly.
　No matter if flesh was torn, bones were broken, or a limb was lost, Elfiszak's wounds were quickly closed up.
　No matter how serious the wound was, it would heal within a few hours at the earliest, or a day at the latest.

　Later, Elfiszak learned that this ability of his own was due to the vast amount of magical power.
　There are many theories, but it is said that magical power is the source of life and the bones that make up this world.
　It is said that if you possess a certain amount of magic power, the magic power will automatically fill in the parts of your body that you have lost.

　Also, even if you die, your soul will not disappear or be sent to the underworld, and it seems that you can even be revived by taking a long time.
　However, this does not seem to be the case if the amount of magic that he possesses erases all traces of it, or if he has given up on living.
　In fact, the immortal demons that existed in the past do not exist in this world today.

　Nevertheless.
　The fact that Elfiszak heals any wounds to a standstill, and is also a strong presence in pain -- that doesn't change.

...... ugh.

　At the bottom of the valley in the northeastern part of the Demon King's territory, Elfiszaak was there.
　He was lying limp and rolling around, moaning small.
　His left eye, which had a hole in it, and the great amount of blood that flowed from his abdomen dyed his surroundings red, and he, too, was covered in blood.

　A day has already passed since he was attacked by the mysterious monster.
　Normally, the wound should have healed completely long ago, but Elfiszak's wound was barely sealed.

　The cause was unknown.
　However, that monster's attack not only took away blood and flesh, but also sneaked away the magic power.
　Perhaps that was the effect.

''......!''

　I can't get any strength in my body and I can't speak.
　The wound is slowly closing up, but at the rate I'm going, it will be a few days before I can move around.
　It's not very long, but I can't afford to wait for that.

　There's no guarantee that that monster won't come down to the bottom of the valley.
　If you are attacked by a demon at this point in time when you are lacking in magic power, your life will be in danger.
　Normally I would be able to endure this wound, but if I eat it now, it would be a fatal wound.

　It seems that a lot of time has passed while he was unconscious.
　I could see that the sun was coming down.
　I could hear the howling of multiple demons from afar.
　At the very least, I have to hide somewhere.

'...... ah.'

　No matter how much effort I put into it, my body won't move.
　My throat makes a snatched voice and my vision shakes indistinctly.
　Perhaps it's because the wound has reached my brain, but I can't even put my thoughts together properly.

''Sh...... not ......?''

　It was the first time Elfiszak felt the realization of death.
　Even if Elfiszak was dead, it was possible for him to come back to life if he took a long time to do so.
　Not only did he have the lore he'd heard about, but he was also convinced that it was possible for him to do so.

　But Elfiszak did not want to die.
　He didn't know how long it would be before he was able to come back to life.
　And I haven't accomplished anything yet.
　I don't even know what it means to be born, and I don't want to die in a random place like this.

...... ugh.

　These thoughts never took shape and I still had no strength in my body.
　Unable to do anything about it, just before the sun tried to hide in the mountains ----, the

Oh, my God, oh, my God. Oh, my God, somebody's down!

　What I heard was a girl's voice.
　She tilted her head slightly and managed to turn her gaze towards the direction she heard the voice.

'----'

　--The one who was looking at me with her eyes wide open was a human girl.

◆

'Hey, Ferna. Do you know what you're helping me with?
I know that much. You're a demon girl, right?　One look at these black corners and you'll know it in one shot!
...... not. I'm asking you why I helped the demons. I've told you many times to stay away from them without a second thought.

　-- A warm magic power wraps around and enters the body.

　I knew somehow that it was something called healing magic.
　The intense pain eases and the speed at which the wounds on my body close up quickens.
　It was the first time I had ever experienced being healed by someone, but it wasn't unexpectedly bad.

　Currently, Elfiszak was in a simple hut.
　He is in the midst of being made to lie on a bed made of wood and receiving treatment.
　Unable to grasp the current situation, he is now pretending to be asleep.

'Why are you being so mean to me? If someone is hurting and suffering, you must feel sorry for them if you don't help them, right?
''I like Ferna's kindness, but what if they are the Demon King's army? They're the kind of people who would attack you without a second thought if they saw you as human.
Thank you for being so kind. I like you for caring about me like that, too.
....... That's not what we're talking about!

　I kept pretending to be asleep and opened my eyes thinly.
　I was very curious about the two people arguing in front of me.

　The calm girl is apparently called Ferna.
　A human girl with fluffy brown hair and hollow red eyes.
　It seems that this girl is the one who is casting a healing spell on herself.

　And the other one is a boy called Rai, who is red in the face from being teased.
　He's about the same age as Ferna, with short blue hair and jagged teeth like a wolf.
　He is the one who brought Elfiszak to this point, despite the fact that he was nitpicking to Ferna.

　Elfiszak took a strong interest in these two men.
　The fact that Ferna, a human, had helped him, a demon race, was one thing, but more than that.
　It's because Rai, who is arguing amicably with Ferna, is of the demon race (・・・・・).

　The part of him that hits the whites of his eyes is dyed black and his eyes glow yellow.
　Also, four sharp fangs, top and bottom, protrude from its mouth.
　It was obvious at a glance that Rai was a demon race.

　Humans and demons would kill each other just by looking at each other.
　It was very interesting to see such two races talking to each other in harmony.

　Thanks to the healing magic, my strength has returned to my body.
　The vision in his left eye hadn't returned yet, but the wound in his abdomen was already closing up.
　After making sure that the two of them weren't hostile to him, Elfiszak slowly opened his right eye.

'Oh, good. You're awake!''

　There is no fear on Ferna's face as she peers in with a look of relief.
　Even though she recognizes Elfiszak as a demon race, this human is not afraid.

'He was lying at the bottom of the valley, so I brought him here. I didn't know what to do when I saw the wounds on his stomach and eyes, but I'm glad I was able to save him with my healing magic!　You're healing so fast, I'm surprised at how quickly you're healing.

　As Ferna smiled a carefree smile.

Why did you help me, human?

　Elfiszak asked in a low voice.
　Immediately after, Rai, who had been silent until then, jumped forward to protect Ferna.

''As you can see, I am a demon race. I'm supposed to be in an adversarial relationship with you humans, right?

　A tingling air spreads through the hut and Rai grips his weapon in his back hand.

''-- It's only natural to help those in need. I don't think it matters if they're demonic or human or whatever.

　In the midst of all this, Ferna replied flatly, as if she were preaching common sense to a child.

'----'

　Elfiszak couldn't help but exclaim.
　In the earlier conversation, Ferna had said something similar to Rai.
　However, he didn't expect to be able to say the same thing in front of the demon race.

'Oh ....... Maybe it was annoying that you saved them?

　Ferna's expression is a complete change from the past, and she begins to fidget.
　For some reason, such a situation made me lose strength from my body, and

...... No. If I hadn't done that, my life would have been in danger. I thank you for saving my life.
Ho. That would have been nice. ...... No, it's not good. You've been hurt so badly, ...... are you okay?　Does it hurt?

　It wasn't long before Elfiszak, who honestly expressed his gratitude, had a puff of light on his face, and Ferna immediately gave him a worried look.
　Elfiszak nodded his head while admiring the colossal change in expression on the inside, "Mm.

''The wounds haven't closed up yet, but the pain has eased considerably. It's probably only a matter of time before the wound is completely sealed.
'--I see. Then let's hear it before the wound closes up.

　Immediately after, a cleaver was thrust at Elfiszak's neck.
　It was Rai, baring his fangs menacingly and glaring at us sharply.

'Ferna says this, but I don't trust you.

　Naturally, I agree on the inside.
　It's not right to approach a stranger, or even a hostile species for that matter, unprotected.

'Hey, Rae!'
"Shut up, Ferna. ...... You, what demon race are you from? Are you from the demon king's army?
''I didn't join the army. But my village is under the protection of the Demon King's Army. In the not-too-distant future, I'll be joining the army too.

　Silencing Ferna, who raised her voice, Rai asked in a low voice.
　Rai raised an eyebrow at Elfiszak, who answered honestly with his cleaver thrust at him.

''You don't belong to the Demon King's army yet, do you? Then why were you in that place?''
"I was traveling through the Demon Lord's Domain. On my way, I stopped in this neighborhood. There, I was attacked by a black creature and dropped into the bottom of the valley.

　I could see Rai and Ferna's expressions change at the word "black monster".
　They seem to know something about that thing from the fact that they are looking out for each other.

'Anyway, I was rescued. I have no intention of harming you guys.
............

　It was Rae, who stared at me as if she were assessing me.

Rae, you can't ask too many questions. You mustn't ask him too many questions, he's just been badly hurt. Put that fancy thing down. It hurts when I hit it.
...... Huh. I can't keep my nerves up when I'm around you.

　He sighed at Ferna's words and slowly lowered his cleaver.
　He still didn't seem to let his guard down, but the hostility he had shown was ringing off.

'Besides, it's okay. That boy wouldn't do anything to hurt us either. Right?
...... Why do you think so? You and I have only just met.
I have a very good eye for people. I can see that you're a good person.

　Inwardly, I agreed with Rae's words earlier.
　I couldn't continue to feel nervous when I was conversing with this girl.
　It was a strange feeling of weakness that I had never felt before.

'...... Elfiszak Guildegard.
What?
My name. My name is Elfiszak Guildegard.

　Ferna's face lit up at Elfiszak's mention of his name.

'I'm Ferna Grande!　Nice to meet you!

　He happily said his name too.
　Then he looked at Rai, who was silent, and urged him to say his name.

'--I'm Rae Granberia,'

　Rae sighed again, as if resigned, and then quietly said her name.

　Ferna Grande and Rae Granberia.

　-- this was how he met the girls.