My name is Yame.
I am a member of the demon race.
I’ve lived for quite a long time, too. I’m not exactly thrilled about being called a veteran... but I do want people to think I’m impressive.
Maybe that’s why it happened.
I went and challenged someone who was a little—just a little—stronger than me to a fight.
I lost.
I got beaten to an absolute pulp.
I was killed about seven times.
The only reason I was still alive was thanks to my Immortality. I would come back to life even if I was killed; it was my very own Authority. If I made full use of this Authority, the final victory would eventually be mine. After all, my opponents were bound to grow old. If I just waited them out, I was guaranteed to win!
Hehehe. I was the invincible Lady Yame, after all!
"I shall command my children to kill you whenever they see your face! And my children shall pass that command to their children in turn! Perish, demon!"
......
T-Tough talk like that won't work on me. I wasn't the least bit rattled by those words.
But, well, you know how it is. I was feeling a bit tired, so I figured I’d just go to sleep for a while. Yes, that seemed like a plan. I’d sleep until they forgot all about me. I’d have myself a nice, long nap. Maybe for a hundred years or so.
When I finally woke up, I was in a completely unfamiliar place.
Wait, what? Why?
Why was there a beach right in front of me? Where was I? Was this even the same place? This definitely wasn't where I’d laid down to sleep, right?
F-For now, I needed to get my bearings. Also, I was starving. It would be great if there was a town nearby.
Oh, right—money. My fortune, which I’d hidden before I went to sleep. If I recalled correctly, it was under a rock in the direction of the sunset from where I was sleeping...
Where was the rock?
Wait, were there always this many trees here? There weren't, were there?
Hold on. Did that mean my fortune was gone? Which meant I had no money? If that was the case, I wouldn't be able to buy anything to eat even if I did find a town.
I-I hoped I could find someone I knew... though unfortunately, only faces I didn’t want to see came to mind. Better to just forget them.
W-Well, while I was looking for a town, I’d just have to search for my hidden fortune as well. Yes, that was a solid plan.
Regardless, I was so hungry I could hardly stand it. It was strange for me to be this famished, though. I was a big eater, sure, but I was supposed to be able to go for days without a meal. Had something happened to my body?
Even when I brought out my wings, I couldn't fly properly. Or rather, I could get into the air, but I’d drop right back to the ground immediately.
A-Anyway, at this rate, I’d be too hungry to move. If that happened, I’d just starve to death. I’d be resurrected eventually, of course, but that didn’t mean the pain of dying went away. It literally hurt enough to die.
And just because I died didn’t mean my stomach would be full when I came back. I’d be a little better off than I was right before death, but I’d still be on the verge of starving. In other words, I would just starve to death over and over again. I really wanted to avoid that. I’d prefer to avoid that at all costs.
While I could still move, I had to find something to eat. And drinking water... yes, that would be good to have too.
Alright. While looking for a town, I would search for my hidden fortune, as well as things to eat and drink.
There was no town.
I couldn't find my hidden fortune, either.
But I did manage to find something to eat: small, red berries. They didn’t taste good. They were incredibly sour, and some were even astringent. But they were edible, even if there weren't many of them.
I found drinking water, too. There was a river, and the water I scooped up from the upstream section was drinkable. Downstream was a no-go; it was salty.
And through all this, I discovered a very important fact.
The place I was in was an island.
I knew this because I’d walked along the coast for about ten days, only to end up right back where I started. I’d initially rejoiced when I found signs of another person, but then I realized the footprints were my own.
Ahahaha...
...I can’t swim, you know!
A-A-A-Anyway. Um, what was I going to do?
There was nothing resembling a port or a ship on the coast, so it didn’t seem like anyone lived here. As for the sea... no ships passed by. I didn’t see any of the Sea Race who lived in the depths, either.
I was all alone.
..............................
I-I wouldn't give up! I wouldn't be discouraged! I was going to live!
Dying was out of the question. Because I’d just be resurrected, the suffering would just continue forever. I had to avoid that at all costs!
For now—better late than never—I decided to check my belongings.
First, my clothes. Since I was a demon, I formed them from my own magic power, so they stayed perfectly clean. I was happy to at least have my favorite outfit.
Next, a single branch covered in those small red berries that I’d picked up while walking. This was precious food.
Then, half of a large nut shell I’d found. I could use it as a cup. By the way, I did find the tree where those large nuts grew, but they were way too high to reach. Throwing stones at them didn't work, either. Those nuts probably tasted terrible anyway. I wasn't frustrated at all.
That was the extent of my belongings.
...
Phew. Stay calm. I had to stay calm. It was too early to despair.
I looked closer. Various things washed up on the beach. Most of it was just driftwood, but among the debris, there might be something useful... There!
A strange-shaped fruit! And it smelled delicious!
Hehehe. As expected, I was a genius. The heavens were clearly watching over me!
Oh, there was another one over there! And here too! I wondered why I hadn't noticed these when I was walking along the coast before.
For now, this solved my food problem! After that, if I built a base near the river, the water situation would be fine too!
Fuhahahahaha! I was going to survive!
I ate the strange-shaped fruit and my stomach did not take it well.
Urgh... the smell was the only good thing about it.
It was agonizing enough to die. Actually, I really did die about twice.
Strange-shaped Fruit: "I mean, maybe you shouldn't put things in your mouth that have been floating in the ocean at room temperature..." Another World: "But in another world, there's always a chance! A chance!" Yame: "There was no chance." (With the distant eyes of one who has attained enlightenment)