“Maybe the Demons aren’t so bad, after all…” At some point, I had this thought.

They were simply another race who were trying their hardest to survive.

I learned the Demon culture, their language, and their values.

They were also living beings who felt and bled like all of us.

If only there was a solution to their problems, the war wouldn’t be necessary. And so, I worked towards that goal.

I hadn’t forgotten about my comrades, neither did I wish them evil.

But, as one who had seen both worlds, I couldn’t take a side.

“If I solve the problem of sustenance, there will be peace. Humans can even form an Alliance with the Demon Race.” That was my thought.

Karlia supported my cause, and so she diligently taught me more about what she knew.

It was a fun and exciting moment in my life.

Since Karlia was paid in several kinds of items—like Magic tools or rare gems, I never had any shortage of resources for my experiments.

I developed technologies for Demons, using Miasma as a base.

I went into further research, all amid my pleasurable times with the Succubus.

Unfortunately, fate couldn’t allow such moments to last.

Everything comes to an end sooner or later. It was the same for our relationship.

***********************

“I was careless!” Karlia spoke to me with dismay on her face.

I had never seen her so worried or flustered. The confident and sultry grin of the seductress was nowhere to be seen.

“They’re coming! The Demon Lords are coming here!”

Her words landed as a bombshell.

Demon Lords were at the very top of the hierarchy—with the exception of the Demon King.

What were they looking for with someone like Karlia?

“One of my customers figured out your existence thanks to his extremely high sensory abilities. He works as a direct subordinate of Kahn—a Demon Lord.”

I remembered the Demon she was referring to.

His name was Kyron, and he had been especially rough on Karlia.

He was one of the only few people I detested to see going into her room.

Perhaps I had been too fixated on my anger that he noticed negative emotions being directed at him.

“He’s a Demon General at the front lines. He must have somehow sensed your unique trait. It’s bad, Lewis!”

Apparently, by the time Karlia was speaking, we were already being encompassed.

The Demons would most likely kill me—or use me as some form of bargaining chip.

Either way, the end that awaited me wasn’t a good one.

“C-can we talk to them? Maybe if we showed them what I have been developing, then—”

“NO!”

“B-but if we—”

“You don’t know them as I do, Lewis! They will kill you!”

That sent shivers down my body. I was forced to accept the ugly truth.

The Demons were still enemies of humans. It would be the same if a Demon was caught in human territory.

They would most likely be killed.

I had been too naive.

“S-so, what now? What do we do?” I was ready to do as Karlia asked.

She was far wiser and more experienced than I was with Demons, after all.

“We flee. That is the only way!”

“B-but, you can’t survive outside the Demon World for long. How will you—?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure that out once we leave. Besides, with your inventions, I can at least survive for a few months. If you develop a solution before those months are over, then we won’t need to worry.”

I was sure Karlia didn’t mean to put any pressure on me, but she simply wanted to let me know our only viable means of survival.

She was doing this out of consideration for me.

I bit my lip upon realizing she was right, as always.

I was already Thirty-two years old, but Karlia was far older and more experienced. The only way out was for me to trust her judgment.

************************

We escaped as fast as we could.

Karlia carried me and lunged into the darkened sky as we moved at an immensely fast pace.

She could have gone faster, but if she did, I would die.

Unlike a powerful Succubus like her, I was simply a regular Inept human.

As a result… our enemies eventually caught up with us.

They surrounded us with their large forces. I trembled at every moment, feeling the gathering of powerful people that could kill me many times over.

But, I soon realized that my fear was unwarranted. And that was because of one hard truth.

Karlia was overwhelmingly powerful!

She singlehandedly defeated all the Demons that surrounded us.

Even though she hated violence and was not very skilled in the art of combat, she decimated her opponents with ease—all while protecting me.

All the years of her stockpiling abilities had made her into a monster above the realm of Demons.

The only limiting factor was her consideration of me.

“Lewis… it pains me to say this, but… you’re in the way.”

She was holding back, suffering recoils and counters, thanks to me being with her.

“Escape without me. I’ll catch up soon.”

I bit my lip powerlessly upon hearing those words.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it was the most efficient method. After all, I was weak.

Never had I wished to be capable of using Magic in my whole life.

“Go now!”

And so, I ran off, skittering away like a powerless rat.

The enemies that tried to assault me were all blown away by Karlia’s power, and she was able to successfully guarantee my escape.

I went further and further away from her. Looking back would only slow me down.

It would be terrible if I wasn’t fast enough to escape on my own.

Then—just as I reached a good distance from the battle that raged on—I climbed a high mountain and used a specially enchanted pair of binoculars to see the ongoing battle.

This item could see a distance of at least a mile.

If I had Magic, I would probably be able to see even more. Since I didn’t, my limit was only the minimum distance.

Still, it was enough for me to get a good grasp of the fight.

Karlia was easily dominating everyone.

She was outnumbered, hundreds of thousands to one, yet she defeated all of them.

That was the strength of the Succubus I had spent two years with.