As I savored the delicious barbecue, still reeling from Ein’s staggering efficiency, Acht approached me with a massive cup in hand.
"Yo, Kaito. You drinking?"
"Yes, it’s excellent."
"Hahaha! Drinking good booze while staring at a view like this—there ain’t no luxury better than that!"
Acht let out a boisterous laugh, and I nodded back without a second thought.
The setting sun sparkled against the gently flowing river, providing a sharp contrast to the vibrant green of the trees. It was the kind of magnificent scenery that could only be described as "great nature," and it filled me with a pleasant sense of liberation.
"Still, things must be tough for you. I heard the gist of it from Chrome-sama. You came from that same other world as the Hero, right?"
"Yes, more or less."
"I’m not a scholar like Boss Zex, so I’ll be honest, the whole 'other world' thing doesn't really click for me. But being suddenly tossed into a place where you don't know left from right? That’s gotta be a real pain in the ass."
"It certainly is. I feel like I'm doing nothing but being surprised lately."
Acht had a real "big brother" vibe to him. He spoke with genuine concern, even as he knocked back his drink.
Perhaps because I’d had so few opportunities to talk with other men since arriving in this world, I found myself feeling a bit sentimental as I looked around.
Creatures belonging to races I’d never even imagined back on Earth were savoring the feast. Seeing a sight like this made it sink in all over again: I really was in another world.
"...Well, I get it. That feeling of always being surprised. Noin mentioned earlier that she was the newest member, but I’m on the younger side among this crowd, too. When I first started hanging around, I was constantly in a state of shock."
"Is that so?"
"I mean, I’ve still lived for over a thousand years, so I guess I’m an old-timer to you, huh? Hahaha!"
Watching Acht laugh and drink, a question occurred to me.
Kuro had introduced everyone here as her "family," but they all seemed to belong to completely different races. They clearly weren't siblings or blood relatives. Zex had called himself a Lich, while Acht was an Ogre. I wondered what their actual connection was.
"Speaking of which, Kuro introduced everyone as her family, but you all seem to be from different races. Is that... normal in the Demon Realm?"
"Ah, no, it’s not that. How should I put it... You know how there are all kinds of different races in the Demon Realm, right?"
"Yes."
"Some are like Humankind, where parents give birth to children. Then there are Unique Species, born without parents when enough Magic Power gathers in one place. Normally, people of the Fairy Race or Ogre Race—like Sis Raz and me—stick with their own kind. And Unique Species like Chrome-sama or Big Sis Ein are almost always lone wolves. That’s why a group like ours is pretty rare."
That made sense. It was easy to understand why people would congregate with their own kind. But that meant Kuro’s "family"—the group currently enjoying this barbecue—was an unusual gathering even by the standards of the Demon Realm.
Why was that? I was curious, but I hesitated, wondering if it was a topic an outsider like me shouldn't pry into.
As if sensing my hesitation, Acht sat down on the ground instead of his chair. He looked out at the horizon with a distant, nostalgic gaze.
"...Tell you what, as a little something to go with the booze, you want to hear a boring old story?"
"I'd like that."
"Like I said, I’m an Ogre—a Demon with a proper race name. But in my case, I was what’s called a 'Special Individual'."
"A Special Individual?"
"Yeah. Once in a blue moon, someone like me is born. Normally, an Ogre has green or red skin and a single horn. Having blue skin and two horns, like I do... that makes me an anomaly."
It sounded a bit like being an albino, or something similar. Regardless, it meant Acht didn't look like a standard Ogre.
"Being called 'special' might sound nice, but in the end, 'special' is just another word for 'abnormal.' The looks I got from my own kind weren't the ones you give a comrade. Pity, fear, contempt... it was all just aggravating."
"..."
"I was stronger than the other Ogres, and I didn't have the kind of personality that could just play along and fit in. I became an outcast in the tribe, and it didn't take long before I just walked away from the village."
Special meant abnormal. I could understand that logic. It was likely the same for humans. Of course, some people might manage to harmonize with their surroundings despite their differences, but Acht couldn't. He had been isolated and chose to live alone.
"I did a lot of stupid things after that. If I got annoyed, I'd pick a fight and go on a rampage. I lived however I wanted. Eventually, I found a partner who was just like me. He was from the Black Wolf Race, but he'd been born with silver fur. Just like me, he'd been treated as an outcast."
"..."
"The two of us wandered all over, lashing out at everything to vent our frustrations. Luckily, we were both pretty strong, so we had our fun for a while... but no matter where we went, nothing changed. People still looked at us the same way. Well, I guess that’s obvious now. We were biting anyone and everyone like wounded beasts. It’s only natural we were treated like a nuisance."
Acht gave a self-deprecating smirk, as if mocking his younger self. His expression seemed to ask how he could have been so blind to the obvious, and while it looked lonely, I didn't see any regret.
"Everyone looked at us like we were trash. We’d get pissed, go on a rampage, get isolated, and then get pissed all over again. We repeated that idiocy for a long, long time... until eventually, I just got tired of it. I got sick of the repetition, so I tried to change things by doing something even stupider. I messed up big time and barely escaped to some ruins with my partner, clinging to life."
"..."
"While we were nursing our wounds, I started thinking. What did we actually want to do? What was it we were looking for? I couldn't find an answer. The more I thought, the colder and heavier my heart felt... it was like the heat was just draining out of my body. It’s funny, right? We had these huge bodies, but our hearts were just those of spoiled brats. We were just throwing tantrums because things didn't go our way. It took me over a hundred years to realize that. I’m a real idiot."
I didn't know how to respond. A wall named "abnormality" had been placed in front of him from birth, and he had spent his life trying to outrun it, only to hit a dead end. It was easy to summarize in words, but a simple summary couldn't possibly capture the depth of what Acht and his friend had endured.
"...That was when we met Chrome-sama. To be honest, it was a first for me. One look at her and my instincts—not my head, but my soul—just snapped. I braced myself for death. The gap between us was so overwhelming that I knew I couldn't win, couldn't even resist. I couldn't even find the words to speak. I just thought, 'Ah, this is it. This High-ranking Demon who just appeared out of nowhere is Death itself'."
"..."
"Part of me thought it was a fitting end for a pair of fools like us. But that’s not what happened. Chrome-sama looked at us, pulled out a spread of food from who-knows-where, and gave us a smile like a little kid. She said, 'Meeting here must be fate, so why don't we eat together?'"
"That sounds like her... though it's certainly unexpected."
"Hahaha! Right? It’s hilarious! I mean, think about it. Chrome-sama is a High-ranking Demon with power we can't even fathom. And yet, she talked to us like we were just some friends she'd bumped into by chance."
I could easily picture Acht and his partner standing there in a daze while Kuro did something so characteristic of her. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"...It was the first time in my life. No pity, no contempt, no hostility. Just a gaze full of pure kindness and a smile with no hidden agenda. Before I knew it, both my partner and I were eating that meal and crying our eyes out. It was so warm—her smile was so warm, it felt like she was embracing my frozen heart."
"..."
"After that, we naturally started following her. Chrome-sama never once looked down on us for being weaker; she treated us as equals. When something good happened to us, she was as happy as if it had happened to her. When someone made fun of us, she got genuinely angry on our behalf. Every bit of it made me so happy I didn't know what to do with myself."
Acht spoke with a truly joyful expression as he looked over at Kuro, who was currently chatting with Ein.
"I don't know the full story for everyone, but it seems the others all had their own reasons for meeting her. But the one thing we all have in common is that we’ve all fallen for Chrome-sama, heart and soul."
"..."
"Both my partner and I have sworn absolute loyalty to her. If Chrome-sama told us to die, we’d slit our own throats and be happy to do it."
Acht paused for a moment to drain the rest of his cup, then flashed me a grin.
"Chrome-sama is a High-ranking Demon with terrifying power. But she doesn't look down on anyone. Big Sis Ein, Boss Zest, Sis Raz, Noin... and of course, me and my partner... we all consider Chrome-sama our one and only Master. But she has never once called us her subordinates, or her servants, or even her kin. She just naturally calls us 'family.' She’s never given us a single order. Everything she asks of us is a 'favor' or a 'request.' She treats us, even though we just followed her on our own, as her equals from the bottom of her heart. I mean, Big Sis Ein only acts like a maid because she wants to."
It was true. Kuro had called them her family. Now that I thought about it, she’d asked an acquaintance for the invitation, requested Ein’s help, and asked the others to find the food. She hadn't issued a single command.
That was the ultimate proof that she viewed them as family, not as pieces in a hierarchy.
"The reason we all gathered around Chrome-sama is simple. She has more power than anyone, but she’s also kinder than anyone. We’ve simply fallen for her. Her wishes are our wishes, and her smile is the greatest reward we could ever ask for. And since she calls us her family, that’s what we are, no matter what race we belong to."
"That’s... really wonderful. A bond like that."
"Hey now, don't think you’re an outsider here, Kaito."
"...Eh?"
"If you’re Chrome-sama’s friend, then you’re a friend to us, too. So drop the stiff politeness. You can just call me Acht."
"...I see. Yeah. I understand, Acht."
"Hah! That’s the spirit! Now, let’s have another round!"
Looking at Acht’s straightforward, honest smile—which reminded me so much of Kuro’s—I finally realized the true source of the security I felt when I was with her.
Kuro truly considered me her friend. It didn't matter that I was an otherworlder or that I was in a strange situation. She looked at me as an equal, a person named Kaito Miyama. That was why I felt so at ease talking to her, and why it was so much fun even when she was dragging me along on her whims.
With that thought in mind, I clinked my cup against those of my new blue-skinned friend.
Dear Mother, Father—I’ve made friends in this other world. They might look different from one another, but they certainly—were a family.