Idle Tycoon System-Chapter 42: The Demons

Although the demons could not kill him inside his shop, they definitely made the experience terrifying.

A demon with butterfly wings tapped politely on his window.

"Excuse me, new neighbour! Might we inquire about your business hours?"

Polite demons? Am I hearing this right? Or did I already go crazy?

Noah’s carefully planned introduction to a new world, the one where he cautiously explored, maybe met a few scattered survivors, and gradually built his mansion in the apocalypse, crumbled like a house of cards in a hurricane.

Instead, he stood in the centre of what appeared to be the demon kingdom’s busiest marketplace, surrounded by hundreds of supernatural beings who seemed more excited than murderous.

Damn it system. You could have placed me in some abandoned neighbourhood in the demon kingdom. You decide to place me in the middle of their busiest marketplace!

[Host. Don’t be rude, the relocations are completely randomised.]

At least they’re not trying to eat me...Yet.

A small demon child—if such things existed—pressed tiny hands against his door and peered up with enormous purple eyes.

"Papa, why does the strange creature look so scared?"

"Son. It’s not a strange creature, he is called a human."

Noah took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and prepared to face his new reality.

Okay, Noah. You’ve seen them before, it’s not your first time. You can handle a demon customer service.

Probably.

Maybe.

Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?

The crowd pressed closer, their chatter filling the air with a symphony of curiosity and excitement. Noah’s quiet, isolated post-apocalyptic fantasy had become the exact opposite—he was the star attraction in the demon equivalent of Times Square.

Have some courage, Noah. You’ve faced worse.

Have I though? Have I really?

Gathering what remained of his dignity, Noah approached the door. His hand trembled slightly as it reached for the handle.

Just breathe. Open the door. Don’t die. Simple plan.

The door swung open.

Immediate silence fell over the crowd like a blanket dropped from the sky.

Hundreds of eyes, glowing red, deep purple and gold, fixed on his face with laser-like intensity.

Well. This is happening.

"Um. Hello, everyone."

The crowd erupted.

"HE SPEAKS! "

"THE HUMAN ONE CAN SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE!"

"MAMA, IT’S NOT JUST A DECORATION!"

Decoration? Really? Wait. The language I just spoke, the words that came out of my mouth...they weren’t English.

System, what in the world is going on? How am I speaking a different language?

[Host, the system translates your words to the species you are talking to. Otherwise, how would you be able to sell in the shop.]

’I see.’

Noah raised his hands for quiet, surprised when the gesture actually worked. The demons fell silent with remarkable discipline.

"Could someone tell me where I am exactly?"

A tall demon with elegant, curved horns and deep crimson skin stepped forward. Her face was distinctly humanoid despite the demonic elements.

She is beautiful, even in an otherworldly way.

"You’re in Sin City Plaza, human. Heart of the Abyssal Kingdom."

Abyssal Kingdom. That sounds ominous.

"And which continent would that be on?"

The demoness tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face. "Continent? We’re on Valeria, of course. More accurately, in the western territories, beyond the Thornwall Mountains."

Valeria. The continent. Not the guild captain.

Noah’s mind raced through geography lessons he’d learned from talking to his customers in Esta. The Western territories were the lands beyond the mountain range—the demon-controlled regions that bordered the human kingdoms.

I’m in the...same world. Just on the other side of the conflict.

"So we’re still on the same continent as the Kingdom of Durenholde?"

"Durenholde?" A younger demon with small bat wings perked up. "You mean the human lands? Sure, they’re just across the mountains. Maybe a week’s journey on foot. Quite fast if you take the carriage, perhaps a day or a bit shorter."

A week. No...I’m twenty-four hours away from Esta.

Relief and panic mixed in Noah’s chest. He was close enough to potentially return, far enough to be in completely foreign territory that no human would possibly visit.

"Are you from the Human Kingdom of Durenholde?" The horned demoness studied him with obvious curiosity.

"I’m... not from there."

Noah immediately denied the connection.

I don’t want to be eaten alive. I know you have problems with the people of Esta. Why the hell would I say I’m from there?

Lola’s red eyes shone with amusement.

"Interesting. You seem to wear their style of clothing, and have their general... human-ness."

Shit. The people of Esta think I wear strange clothes, and the demons think I wear Esta’s clothes.

The crowd murmured among themselves.

Noah’s palms began sweating as dozens of eyes were fixed on him.

"I’m from... farther away." He gestured vaguely eastward. "Much farther."

It’s technically true. Another world counts as far away.

"Fascinating."

Lola circled him slowly.

Her tail, tipped with what looked like an arrowhead, swished hypnotically behind her.

"So... what do you sell? I see bread and a drink?"

Noah’s jaw tightened. The logical part of his brain screamed to make a profit, but his conscience had other ideas.

I can’t arm the enemy. What if my bread helps them win the war? What if Alissa, Elara, Valeira, Kip...Grix gets hurt because I made their soldiers stronger?

"Just regular food," he lied smoothly. "Nothing special."

Sorry, capitalism. Loyalty wins this round.

Lola’s amber eyes narrowed fractionally. Her supernatural senses clearly detected deception, but she didn’t press immediately.

"Regular food that appeared suddenly in the middle of our plaza?"

Shit. This damn transportation of the shop always gets me into trouble. It’s impossible to act like a normal shopkeeper.

The demoness tilted her head, studying him like a puzzle missing crucial pieces. Around them, the plaza had mostly emptied, but several demons lingered within earshot.

"Hm...How... quaint."

She knows I’m full of crap.

Lola’s expression shifted suddenly, concern replacing suspicion. "Speaking of food, we’ve had supply difficulties lately. Attacks on our trade routes."

Attacks? This could be useful. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"Attacks by who?"

"The extremists, of course!" Lola’s tail lashed with obvious frustration. "Who else?"

Extremists? What extremists?

"Wait, what extremists?"

"You... don’t know about the extremists?"

Oh no. Did I just reveal something terrible about myself?

"Should I?"

A collective intake of breath rippled through the nearby demons. One elderly demon with twisted horns muttered something that sounded like a prayer.

"The Crimson Talon extremists. Banished from our kingdom a few years ago for preaching demon supremacy and racial purity." Her voice hardened. "They’ve been raiding both demon and human territories ever since."

Banished demons attacking both sides? That... doesn’t match the intelligence from Esta.

"They believe demons are the superior race," she continued. "That all other species should be enslaved or eliminated.

Wait...Esta thinks that all demons are attacking them. But it’s just this extremist group?

Noah’s worldview tilted sideways. The propaganda from Esta painted all demons as unified enemies. But looking at the concerned faces around him, shoppers worried about supply shortages, he began to doubt everything he’d been told.

"These extremists," he said carefully, "they’re the ones attacking human settlements?"

"Among others." Lola’s expression darkened.

"They raid our outlying villages, too. Equal opportunity terrorists."

The demons are victims, too. This was never mentioned in Esta.

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