It was nighttime.
The sky shimmered with stars while dark clouds languidly drifted across the twinkling firmament. A gentle wind coursed through the meadows where Zelda and Maria walked.
The trimmed grass swayed like an emerald sea, its verdant blades undulating in the breeze. Their hair and clothes fluttered softly in the wind. Nearby, dandelion seeds took flight from the field and wandered through the night air, while weathered rocks lay scattered across the rolling landscape.
This was the Mista Road.
A road surrounded by nothing but a lonely landscape. Not even monsters roamed these lands due to their open nature, the again the mosters in quesion were weak, and vast plains were a bane to them.
Zelda's gaze drifted toward Maria, who seemed to wear a trace of discomfort across her face.
He sighed. How could he forget that ordinary humans did not possess the same stamina as demons? They had been walking for hours now without food or water. For a demon like him, that was hardly an issue, but for a human, it certainly was.
"If you need to rest, then say it, Princess," Zelda remarked. "I won't eat you for it."
The moment she heard his words, Maria quickly took a seat upon one of the more comfortably shaped rocks nearby. Relief immediately washed over her face.
Noticing her expression, Zelda settled down beside her as well.
"Thanks," Maria murmured.
Zelda lowered the tip of his staff toward the ground.
"Overdrive."
A fire sprang to life at once, burning bright and fierce against the darkness of the night.
Maria stared at the dancing flames.
"Isn't this the same spell you used back then?" she asked.
"It is."
"But isn't it just an earth spell?"
"No," Zelda replied. "It's a multipurpose spell—my own original creation."
Before Maria could say anything else, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Her face immediately reddened with embarrassment.
"S-sorry."
Zelda remained silent. With a simple wave of his finger, two nearby rocks rose into the air and floated before them. Their forms shifted and twisted, their very nature transforming until they became a pair of clean wooden bowls, cups and spoons.
"I can make clean water by drawing moisture from the grass using Overdrive," Zelda explained. "Food, however, is another issue. Unless, of course, you wish to eat one of your fellow humans."
"N-no!" she blurted out. "Please, no."
Humans and their so-called selective eating habits. In Zelda's eyes, there should be no such pickiness when survival was at stake.
"So much for being an omnivorous race."
"We may be omnivorous like demons, but there are still limits, o-okay?"
Zelda offered no response. He merely waved a finger once more.
The wooden cups began to fill themselves with water. At the same time, the meadow around them slowly began to die. The grass withered and darkened, death spreading across the land as every trace of moisture was drawn away and gathered into the cups.
"It seems your spell, Overdrive, doesn't necessarily really need an aria. What about incantations?" Maria asked.
"It depends on the situation," Zelda replied. "Normally, I don't need to invoke an aria unless I'm doing something complex. Creating fire, for example, is actually a very complicated process. Longer incantations are usually reserved for curses or when I need to modify a spell for a specific application."
"Amazing," Maria breathed.
Zelda didn't reply. He did not view it as anything particularly remarkable, nor something worthy of such praise.
"Even so, the issue of food remains unsolved. There are no monsters here to hunt and eat. Unless I go looking for them in another area, which would leave you vulnerable." He rubbed his chin. "What a troublesome situation."
He searched for an answer, yet none came to mind. Just as he was about to abandon the thought, an idea suddenly struck him.
With a wave of his finger, a bundle of dead grass rose from the ground. Its form shifted and transformed, becoming steamed rice that gently fell into the two wooden bowls.
"You will have plain rice and water tonight. It is the best I can offer at the moment."
Maria looked down at the bowl of rice before her.
"Well, beggars can't be choosers," she replied. "Though, whose second bowl is this for?"
"For you as well, should you desire another serving. I have also altered the taste of the rice to resemble roasted chicken. It should be manageable."
Maria picked up the wooden spoon, first rinsing it with water since it had been resting on the ground. She scooped up a mouthful and took a cautious bite.
A look of pleasant surprise spread across her face.
"This really tastes like chicken! In fact, it's even better than what the royal chefs make!" Maria exclaimed.
"Enjoy yourself."
As Maria ate, Zelda reached into his inventory and pulled out a human arm, still partially encased in armor.
His face began to change. His jaw widened into a monstrous maw lined with rows of sharp teeth.
He swallowed the entire arm whole.
"You know," Maria said, trying not to stare, "your spell could really help during a food crisis. If you taught it to people, then no kingdom would ever have to suffer from starvation."
"But why should I?" Zelda countered. "Demons do nothing for free. There must always be an incentive—something for us to gain in return."
"Look at it this way. The more humans die, the less food there is for you. The fewer humans die, the more humans there are for you."
Zelda considered Maria's words.
He had to admit that her reasoning was sound. From a practical standpoint, it was an investment with potentially great returns. Even so, if he were to agree, he would have his conditions.
"Fine," Zelda relented. "However, I will only teach an inferior version of the spell—one intended solely for food production and nothing more. Secondly, the number of humans offered to me will be increased to two per day."
Maria nodded without hesitation.
With that, the discussion came to an end. Maria continued eating until both bowls were empty, while Zelda sat quietly, his gaze fixed upon the dancing flames.
Only after Maria had eaten her fill did Zelda finally break the silence.
"Tell me more about this Democratic Ascendancy. And what is this thing called democracy?"
"I don't know much about the Democratic Ascendancy," Maria admitted. "My father usually kept me away from the kingdom's affairs. As for democracy, it's a form of government where people elect their own leaders. Though, there are many different variations of it."
Zelda raised a brow.
"Sounds rather complicated for a demon like me," he remarked. "Among demons, only the voice of the strongest matters. Unless certain circumstances dictate otherwise."
Maria lifted her gaze toward the moon hanging above them.
"I never thought I would one day be travelling alone with a demon. No human would have imagined something like this."
"I am not an ordinary demon."
"How old are you, anyway? Probably very old."
"One million five hundred thousand years old."
Maria's eyes widened.
"That old?!"
"Yes. Though there are a few who are older than me, they are far too rare to matter. Not even the Demon King is old as I am."
"Hey, is the Demon King stronger than you?" Maria asked curiously. "I mean, I heard that the older a demon is, the more powerful they become."
"That is not necessarily true. Such matters vary from case to case," Zelda explained. "The Demon King is indeed stronger than me. However, I possess a few tricks of my own should he ever decide to come after me."
The fire crackled softly between them as Zelda's gaze settled upon the flames.
"I generally avoid fighting other demons. They are far too unpredictable, and our numbers are already few as they are."
Demons were often the victims of other demons. Their kind was plagued by constant infighting, perhaps even more so than humans. However, those matters were best left undiscussed.
With a casual wave of his hand, several rocks rushed together from across the meadow, merging into the shape of a crude bed and pillow. Zelda then invoked Overdrive, altering their composition until the hard stone softened into a pair of comfortable cushions.
Afterward, he removed his cloak and handed it to Maria.
"Use this as a blanket and get some sleep. I'll keep watch."
Maria accepted the cloak and draped it over herself before settling onto the makeshift bed. Within moments, she closed her eyes and prepared for sleep.