DMC: Being a demon hunter in Japan is not easy

Desmon mounted Kurox and continued on his way. He stopped in a field on the outskirts of a city to rest and try to review the dictionary, but after several minutes, he gave up and fell asleep with the book on his face.

When he woke up, he noticed it was already 11 am. Knowing he still had time and some money, he decided to go to the nearby city and have breakfast.

As he rode on Kurox, Desmon felt a strange sensation passing by a mountain, but since he didn't know what it was, he ignored it and moved on.

His mind started to cloud at times, as if he was changing his mind about heading to the city, but he attributed it to being tired from not sleeping comfortably on the plane and dismissed it. After several minutes, that feeling disappeared.

Once inside the city, he noticed something very peculiar.

"There are really a lot of specters here." He said to himself as he drove through the streets. Being half-demon, his eyes could perceive things that ordinary people couldn't see, like ghosts or specters. These were common, existing as restless souls, but he had never seen so many in one place; it was as if the city were cursed.

"Some cities are strange.'' Desmon thought, and ignored the matter.

Since these problems didn't affect him and the beings were not demons, he had no reason to do anything about it. Nevertheless, on his way, he stopped at a nearby park where he could see several children playing. Among them was a grotesque specter holding several balloons.

The children couldn't see it, but the specter could see them. Judging by its behavior, it was easy to guess that it was a child before dying.

"Hey, don't you know that kids should only play with their kind?" Desmon said this in a mocking tone, to which the specter stared intently, realizing someone could see it. Meanwhile, the children simply watched the strange guy speaking in another language.

However, the specter did not ignore him and lunged towards him.

"You're not of interest to me.''

Desmon pointed his hand at the specter, bending two fingers and keeping two straight, as if trying to form a weapon. The specter screamed in rage, but to its misfortune, when it was a short distance away from its victim...

"Bang!"

A small amount of demonic energy shot from his fingers, instantly destroying the specter. He discovered that he could imbue Kurox with demonic energy, but when he tried to do the same with Alastor, he failed.

It would have been easy if he could make Alastor disappear and reappear when needed, but luck was not on his side with that.

However, he found out he could do it with certain parts of his body. The amount was minimal, not even enough to harm a demon, but when he tested it on a specter, it was enough to send it to the afterlife.

"At least it can be useful to deal with those things, even if it's not my job." Desmon thought, and continued on his way, stopping at a café to have breakfast.

With the few dollars he exchanged for yen, Desmon set out to have breakfast with whatever money he had. He could go days without eating, but after spending months in that town waiting for demons, he had grown accustomed to having three meals a day and getting around 10 hours of sleep.

Before stopping, he entered an alley with Kurox, and after dismounting, the bike vanished. It would be strange if other people saw him doing this; claiming to be a magician with many tricks wouldn't make sense. That's why Morrison also advised him not to draw too much attention.

Inside the café, he was lucky that the cashier understood another language, so he ordered some chocolate donuts and a lucuma milkshake with his limited money. It was all he could afford.

While looking for a seat, he noticed other occupied tables. Ignoring all the specters that had gathered there, Desmon sat at an empty table and decided to kill time on his cellphone. After a few minutes, he looked up and saw someone standing next to him, dressed as a typical waiter, even though this place didn't have that type of uniform. After all, customers were supposed to pick up their own orders.

"Perhaps you applied for a job here and got rejected?" Desmon didn't hesitate to mock it. At that moment, the specter realized it was being seen and let out a deafening scream, summoning other specters to converge on Desmon.

Frustrated with the annoyance, Desmon gathered some demonic energy in the tips of his fingers and snapped them. As all the specters came within inches of him, they vanished in an instant, obliterated by the wave of demonic energy.

The entire café emptied, except for two tables: one where Desmon was seated and another where a girl sat. For some strange reason, the girl was staring directly at the demon hunter, as if she had seen everything that happened. But that was impossible, as humans didn't have that ability, or did they?

After enjoying his breakfast, Desmon left the establishment and headed to a nearby alley to summon Kurox and continue his journey. However, the girl from the café followed him and started speaking.

"(Excuse me, how did you do that?)" The person asking this was Yotsuya Miko.

She was wearing a light blue shirt and a black skirt, with striking black hair and golden eyes. Some might say she had a resemblance to a Yamato Nadeshiko. Desmon found her cute, though she was smaller than him. Looking around, he didn't notice anyone taller than himself.

If he had made more effort to learn the language, he could easily have a conversation with her right now, but unfortunately, he didn't understand anything she said.

"I'm not from here, so I don't understand your language." His honesty had always been one of his defining traits.

After saying this, he decided to simply ignore the girl, but to his surprise, it wouldn't be a one-sided conversation.

"I can understand you..." Miko said hesitantly. Her English wasn't the best, but it was good enough to say a few phrases and sentences.

"That's a surprise, but changing the subject, what do you need from me?" Desmon was happy to find someone else who spoke his language, but it was still strange to be spoken to out of the blue. He didn't have the best appearance.

Miko hesitated for a moment before asking this stranger about what he really did at the café.

It was the first time she had seen someone dispel several specters in less than a second. If she could do something similar, her days could return to being peaceful without the fear of being bothered by specters and having to ignore them.

"I want to ask you how you did t.." Before she could continue speaking, Miko stopped abruptly. Her face changed to a neutral expression, something she had grown used to over time.

"Is something wrong?" Desmon sensed that the girl wanted to tell him something, but she suddenly stopped.

"I see, you're scared of this big guy, aren't you?" He spoke in a teasing tone.

Desmon remembered seeing this girl at the café and, while trying to put the pieces together and observing the large specter on her back, he managed to piece together all the information.

"It's rude to interrupt other people's conversations." Desmon gathered a small amount of demonic energy, using his hand like a large sword and slicing the specter in two. It was as if a hot knife went through butter. A clean cut.

Witnessing this, Miko's face went through various changes: surprise, happiness, disbelief, doubt, and back to happiness.

"How did you do that?"

"It's hard to explain, but to be honest, it's impossible for you." Unless Miko was half-demon, doing something similar would be impossible.

Miko resigned herself to this response; she knew from the start that doing something like that would be impossible, but a small part of her had hoped that she could learn to do it.

"But you just need to ignore those things, and they will leave you alone. After all, this place strangely seems to be filled with them, and people live with it normally, or that's what I saw."

"Wait, it's not normal?"

Miko had already given up and thought about pretending not to see the specters, but when she heard that the situation in the city was abnormal, she had a glimmer of hope.

"It is. Normally, specters exist, but they are usually found in cemeteries and abandoned places. Sometimes, you may see a few wandering on the streets, but they are rare to encounter."

Throughout his life, Desmon had only seen less than five specters before coming to this city; even the previous city lacked them.

"So, this city is cursed?"

"I have no idea, but if that's the case, destroying the curse should be enough."

Demons are experts at that, and Desmon has also killed several who used such forms to harm humans.

"Could you do that?"

Hearing the guy in front of her casually mentioning that destroying the curse would be enough, sparked hope in Miko.

"I know it's late, but let me introduce myself. I'm Yotsuya Miko."

"Desmon, demon hunter at your service. Although I do various jobs." He said with a cheerful tone, feeling that this would bring him some fun, and as he still has to meet his client later in the evening, he has several hours free.

Perhaps, in the past, Miko would have questioned this, but after seeing so many things and witnessing the abilities of this guy, she had no doubts about his words.

"Then, can you destroy the curse of this city?" She asked excitedly.

"I can do it." Desmon responded confidently, as for him, there is no impossible thing to do, except maybe learning a new language.

"I suppose you don't work for free, right?"

"That's right, but since it caught my interest, I'll make it cheap for you. Just lunch." Not having money, he would have to skip lunch to meet his client in the evening, but if there was a chance to eat for free, he wouldn't miss it.

"Is that all?"

"The most annoying part would be finding the exact location, but the rest is a piece of cake. Besides, I doubt you'd be willing to pay a huge sum for it."

Miko quickly nodded her head; it was a very good deal, and she wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it.

With the deal made between them, the only thing left was to figure out where this curse could be found, although saying it is easier than doing it.

"Do you have any idea where we might find this or any information about it? If I were to search the whole city, it would take days just to get a clue."

Miko pondered for a moment. She had no idea, but she might know someone who does. Experience and wisdom come with age.

"I think I know someone. Moreover, she's just a few blocks away from here."

"That works for me." Desmon replied as always.

Without the need to summon Kurox, Desmon and Miko began walking towards the commercial area.

...

"With that, we at least have a place to go." Desmon said as he devoured the food Miko bought for him.

During the visit to the commercial area, Miko got lucky, as the Madrina mentioned an ancient legend about a certain mountain where an ancestor secluded themselves. However, as more than 200 years had passed and there weren't many details, it had simply become another Japanese folklore legend in the city.

The Madrina was curious about why Miko was seeking that information, but when she observed Desmon, she realized he was not an ordinary person. The aura around him was strange, dark, but not quite. A contradiction. However, since she didn't sense any ill intentions, she didn't inquire further.

The world is a vast place, and people can be more than they appear to be. Furthermore, in that legend, it was mentioned that her ancestors fought not against specters but against something worse. But that information was lost over time.

With that clue, Desmon remembered being intrigued by a particular mountain on the outskirts of the city. But first, they decided to have lunch.

Keeping his promise, Miko invited him to lunch at a nearby restaurant.

And that brings us to the current situation.

Miko had planned to buy some things, but the money went towards saving the city. Or at least, that's what she thought.

Once they both finished lunch, they left the restaurant and headed towards a bus stop.

"By the way, what are we doing at this place?"

Desmon simply followed Miko, not expecting her to lead him to a bus stop.

"We'll wait for the bus that will take us to the outskirts of the city, and then we'll walk." Miko said, wanting to guide the way as an expert in the area. Although she always felt scared in such situations, curiosity overcame her fear this time.

"I was planning to go alone, but if you want to join, I don't mind. Besides, we won't be taking the bus."

Upon hearing this, Miko noticed a motorcycle appearing when Desmon extended his arm.

"How did you do that?"

"Things you learn when you've been doing this for a while." Although he had just learned it a couple of hours ago.

Desmon got on Kurox, followed by Miko. She didn't think much about it.

"Hold on tight." He said with good humor.

"Wait...."

Before she could finish speaking, Miko clung to Desmon as if her life depended on it, and in fact, it did, as he accelerated with demonic energy, starting with a burst that would have made other racers envious.

After a while, they reached a large mountain, and unlike the previous ones, Desmon felt a rejection towards this place, as if it didn't welcome him, which didn't happen with Miko.

With a big smile, Desmon used Kurox to move around the mountain, almost as if it were an all-terrain vehicle, as even the trees were destroyed when they collided with it.

Miko was the most affected by this, leaving her reason aside, at least for today.

At the top, they both got off and started walking on foot.

Following the force that wanted to reject him, Desmon went in that direction, and after about five minutes, they stopped at a rock formation, revealing a somewhat hidden cave, as the path they took was a kind of labyrinth. Even if tourists came to this place, they would never find the cave.

"So, this is the place where something is cursing the city?"

"At first, I said it without thinking, but it seems I was right." He said proudly.

Miko trusted his words, and fortunately, Desmon was right.

"Then it's time to end this.'' Desmon said confidently.

But when he tried to enter, some sort of barrier prevented him, as if rejecting his demon nature.

Miko held back her laughter. Desmon feeling like a fool after saying that and then looking like an idiot.

Even so, she wanted to try, and she passed through the entrance of the cave without a problem.

"This is..."

"I have no idea, but if I've learned something, it's that when something blocks your path, all you need to do is destroy it."

A barrier specialized in blocking access to demons. Even demons would have to fight for hours to try to destroy it, only to find that their efforts were in vain, and the barrier would only grow stronger over the years.

It was a shame that such a barrier was destroyed with one kick from Desmon.

A small tremor shook the place, but after a few seconds, it stopped.

"Are you sure that was okay?"

"I have no idea." Desmon was honest; he thought it would take him more than one attempt, but the barrier was destroyed on the first impact.

-They don't make barriers like they used to. He mocked himself internally.

Unbeknownst to them, inside the cave, the figure of an old woman opened her eyes. She was awakened from her long slumber to fulfill her mission, to protect the seal at all costs.

Without further ado, they both entered the cave, walking through a long, dark tunnel. Miko used her cellphone to light the way, although Desmon found it unnecessary as his eyes could see perfectly in the darkness.

After passing through the tunnel, they were greeted by a huge room, circular in shape. In the middle of the room stood a statue surrounded by chains and papers, like a seal to prevent whatever was there from being released.

As soon as they stepped into the room, various torches illuminated the large space. Both of them noticed the striking statue in the center of the room and walked towards it.

"So, this thing is what's cursing the city?" Miko felt curious, sensing a strange aura emanating from the statue.

"All we need to do is destroy it to find out." With that, he would finish his job.

As Desmon was about to destroy it, a large blue flame struck right where they were standing.

"That was close." He said with good humor.

The figure of Desmon carrying Miko in the air was visible, and just one second before the massive flame hit, Desmon lifted her and jumped to dodge it.

"What was that?!" Miko asked in surprise.

"Let's ask her."

As Desmon landed, both of them noticed the elderly woman standing several distance in front of them. She wore a white robe, but her figure was translucent, showing that she was just a remnant of what she once was.

"Should we have knocked before entering, or maybe brought cookies?" Desmon couldn't resist mocking. Unlike the magic used by demons, this elderly woman used something unfamiliar to him.

"(I won't allow you to destroy the seal)" The elderly woman said.

-I guess I should have paid more attention to that dictionary. Desmon lamented for not being able to understand the language.

"Miko, translation?"

"She said she won't allow us to destroy the seal."

"I see. So this old lady is like the guardian of this place. Well, in the end, the result will be the same."

No matter if she was an old lady or the grandmother of the devil, Desmon would deal with her.

"By the way, can you put me down?"

Throughout this time, Miko had been in Desmon's arms. For him, the sensation of Miko's body was the best, and since she didn't complain, he just kept enjoying it.

He might be a demon hunter, but his human side was 17 years old. It's obvious that he felt attracted to the opposite sex.

"I don't mind fighting like this." He said with a teasing tone.

Miko responded with a pout while looking somewhat annoyed.

"I guess it will be a bit dangerous."

Desmon put Miko down and indicated that she should step back. The elderly woman summoned several Shikigamis that spread throughout the area. These humanoid-shaped papers had different writings on them.

"(Your biggest mistake was trying to destroy this seal)" The elderly woman declared.

After saying this, the Shikigamis glowed. A horde of 40 wolves, 10 cyclopes, 30 crows, and 20 humanoid soldiers who were mages of various elements appeared. An army led by an ancient exorcist.

Onmyōdō magic could use different seals to have a large army at hand. It was also the minimum requirement to become an exorcist – those who once fought demons in ancient Japan.

"There's nothing worse than uninvited guests." Desmon said, his expression unchanged when facing an army of supernatural beings. These creatures emitted the same sensation as the specters; in short, they were incomparable to a demon army.

"Just to be cautious." Desmon leaped back to where Miko stood. "Kurox."

Kurox responded to the call, materializing. Additionally, Desmon unsheathed Alastor, stabbing it into the ground next to Miko.

"Extra security measures."

Miko didn't understand why he did that, but when she saw the other monsters observing her, she understood that they could attack her. However, being surrounded by Devil Arms, their attacks would be meaningless.

"Thanks. Sorry for the trouble."

If she hadn't come, Desmon would have taken care of them without worrying about anyone else, but he could handle it even with his eyes closed.

"I'll take care of them now. I'll be right back."

He said this and started moving toward the army of monsters.

"(ATTACK!!)"

Following the order, the entire army mobilized. The mages took the rear and started with long-range spells, while the crows and wolves took the front, attacking together, and the cyclopes were left to guard the mages.

It was a formation that would make anyone retreat, but unfortunately for them, Desmon was not just anyone.

''Let's dance."

Desmon imbued his hands and feet with demonic energy.

The wolves aimed for his vital points, but they were easily destroyed upon contact with Desmon's body; his fists were faster than the wolves.

Desmon started moving as if breakdancing, using his hands as a base while his legs delivered kicks in various forms, destroying the wolves and crows that approached. His movements were fluid, and his limbs destroyed the monsters with a simple touch.

Having fun, he continued to destroy the Shikigamis in this manner, even evading the attacks of the mages with style.

Feeling overwhelmed, the wolves and crows attacked all at once. He couldn't destroy them all with a single move, a grave mistake.

Desmon put his hands on the ground and started spinning as if he were the blades of a blender; his hands were the motor while his legs were the blades. He completely destroyed everyone who attacked him.

Before they realized it, the elderly woman lost her frontline.

At first, the elderly woman thought that overwhelming Desmon with sheer numbers would work, but that didn't yield any results. If she had helped, maybe things would have been different, but she was saving her remaining energy for her secret weapon.

Still, she summoned some flames that sought to impact Desmon, but he simply destroyed them with his hands. It seemed unreal. For a great exorcist in her years of life, this was embarrassing.

"Don't take it personally, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I'll end this."

Desmon advanced toward the cyclopes. They tried to hit him with their fists, but they were destroyed by the force of Desmon's blows.

The mages continued their attacks, but no matter how much effort they put into them, it was child's play for Desmon.

"Now it's my turn."

After finishing off the last of the cyclopes, Desmon pointed his hands toward the mages, mimicking the shape of pistols.

The elderly woman anticipated what was coming and threw herself to the ground.

"Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!"

The mages were indiscriminately shot down by Desmon. Not having guns was not a problem when dealing with specters or monsters.

With ease, Desmon took care of the army, as if it was just another day in the field.

The elderly woman got up to try to use her magic to attack him, but before she could do so, she was hit by a wave of close-range demon energy shots, and she fell to the ground.

To Desmon's surprise, the elderly woman withstood that point-blank attack, but now she was on the ground.

"I see you're quite tough, but I don't like dealing with old ladies, so behave while I take care of this."

Desmon started heading towards the statue; a strike with demon energy should be enough to handle it.

The elderly woman considered the pros and cons of using her secret weapon. She was sure she could handle the boy, but her mind couldn't control it in its current state, and it might go out of control, attacking the city, or, in the worst-case scenario, breaking the seal.

But as she saw Desmon about to destroy the seal, she remembered the reason her companions had given their lives hundreds of years ago during that invasion, as well as the terrified expressions of the people. If that thing were released and joined with its other half, hell would return to Japan, and, in the worst-case scenario, it could spread to the whole world. And this time, the legendary knight Sparda wouldn't be there to help them.

"(For the memory of my friends, family, and all the victims that thing brought to the country, I won't let you release it, no matter if I have to give my life for it.)"

The elderly woman took out a black Shikigami, and the written kanji on it were grotesque, as if it contained an abomination.

Desmon stopped when he saw the elderly woman; he was curious about what she would do.

"¡¡Stop!!"

But before the elderly woman could finish her chant, Miko's voice caught their attention.

Miko walked up to the elderly woman. Desmon didn't understand why she was doing this, but he remained vigilant in case the elderly woman tried to do something to her.

"(I think there's a misunderstanding, or at least that's what I think from the words she said). Desmon-san, please don't destroy that statue."

As Miko was his employer, Desmon stepped away from the statue and approached them.

The elderly woman calmed down when she saw the 17-year-old monster step away from the statua.

At that moment, Miko felt admiration for the incredible way Desmon destroyed the Shikigamis, but after hearing the elderly woman's words, she understood that they were the ones in the wrong. They were the invaders who interrupted and tried to release whatever was contained in that statue, and they didn't even make sure that the statue was the cause of the city's situation.

"(Excuse me, but I think there's a misunderstanding)"

Desmon only watched the two of them talking in Japanese, but as he didn't understand anything, he took out his cellphone and passed the time.

They continued talking until the elderly woman stood up.

Miko understood that the seal kept the other half of a demon that had nearly destroyed the country hundreds of years ago. Releasing it would bring calamity to the city. But luckily, they stopped just in time.

"Desmon-san, we were mistaken." Miko explained the true nature of the statue to him.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy it? I could take it as a charitable job." As he said this teasingly, the elderly woman became annoyed. She couldn't understand him, but his mocking tone indicated that this boy didn't understand the true danger that thing represented.

"(Are you an idiot for not fearing death?)"

The elderly woman began insulting him, but Desmon only heard different words that he didn't understand.

"(He doesn't understand Japanese, so he won't be able to understand you.)"

Miko offered to translate, even though she might not fully understand some words.

"(I see. If that's the case and helps this idiot understand me.)"

In the old woman's hand, a seal appeared with Kanji characters representing oral communication.

"Hey, kid, put this on your forehead." The old woman tossed the seal at him.

"She says to put it on your forehead; it will help you understand her." Miko assisted as a translator.

Desmon caught it and placed it on his forehead without hesitation, doubting that anything could affect him.

After a few seconds, the seal vanished from his forehead.

"Now, do you understand me?" The old woman asked, slightly annoyed.

"This is a pleasant surprise; I can understand you." Desmon replied.

"That's good." the old woman said with a big smile. "So, you little **** ***** **** **** ****."

Miko was astonished by the plethora of insults the old woman hurled at Desmon; she certainly had an extensive repertoire.

Desmon, on the other hand, found the situation amusing. He was more surprised that he could now comprehend her than by the insults.

After a few minutes of calming down, the old woman felt better.

"So, can I destroy that thing?" Desmon asked.

"I'll kill you"" She replied.

"Calm down, he's joking; there's no need to go that far." Miko had to exert herself to prevent the two from fighting again.

The old woman just sighed to compose herself.

"As a foreigner, you may not know this, but inside that statue lies half of a powerful demon that almost destroyed Japan centuries ago. Even with the help of other exorcists, we couldn't stop it. It was a miracle that during our final attack, we found the demon greatly weakened, so we took advantage and sealed it into two halves. Its power resides here, while its body is in another city. If one of the parts is set free, it will seek its other half, and if both reunite, hell will be unleashed again." The old woman clenched her fists as she spoke, having lost her family during that time, all killed by demons.

"I'm a demon hunter, so I don't have a problem with it, but I don't have much time right now. Perhaps I'll come back another time." Desmon said mockingly.

"A demon that hunts other demons, how amusing." The old woman remarked.

Miko lost count of how many times she had been surprised today. However, the idea of Desmon being a demon wasn't so far-fetched after witnessing him decimate that entire army.

"Times change, Granny." It's not like Desmon wanted to be born as a half-demon.

The old woman ignored that and continued with her words.

"If you didn't come to destroy the seal, then why did you come?" She asked.

"It's simple, this city is plagued by specters for some reason, so I thought it must be cursed, and destroying that curse would be enough." Desmon said disinterestedly.

The old woman pondered for a moment. "In fact, you're right; that seal also attracts the specters."

"WHAT?"

Miko gave up on solving her problem, but upon hearing that the statue was the reason her life was difficult, she couldn't remain silent.

"With the great power sealed in this place, a barrier was placed around the city to deter any demon from coming near. That's because of the vast amount of energy emitted by the specters."

Miko fell to her knees upon hearing this. There was no escape; it was either specters that would bother without causing harm or demons that would mercilessly kill anyone.

"I suppose there's no other choice. If I had to choose, specters are less dangerous than those things..." She said resignedly.

"By the way, girl, you came to this place to get rid of the specters, right?" The old woman asked.

Miko simply nodded, feeling disheartened.

"If you hadn't stopped us, things might have turned into hell. So, as a token of gratitude, I'll give you this." The old woman conjured a bracelet and handed it to Miko.

Miko put it on quickly but felt no immediate change.

"It's a bracelet that attracts good luck. It will also help you cope with your emotions better. Good luck." The old woman said with a joyful expression.

Miko gave up; she hadn't achieved anything today, but at least the bracelet was pretty.

-Throughout all my years as an exorcist, I've only seen one aura as great as yours. Could she be... No, it's impossible. After all, I saw my son die in front of me. The old woman dismissed the idea, but unbeknownst to her, perhaps that idea wasn't so far-fetched.

"Well, if that's all, we'll take our leave. By the way, how long does that seal you gave me last?" Desmon inquired.

"Until the moment of your death." The old woman replied indifferently.

"That works for me." Desmon responded with good humor. Not every day can you learn to speak a language in less than 5 minutes.

Once Desmon and Miko left, the old woman started repairing the barrier. It would take her a long time, but for some reason, seeing that girl put her in a good mood.

She hummed a lullaby as she worked. Perhaps if she had known that Miko knew that melody, things might have taken a different turn.

This would have repercussions much later, on an occasion where all of Japan would be in danger.

...

After a long ride on Kurox, Desmon stopped for Miko to get off. They arrived at the same café where they had met that morning.

It was already 6 in the evening, and the sun was starting to set.

"I must say it was a pleasant experience." Desmon remarked.

"I'm not sure what to think, but I guess I learned a lot." Replied Miko.

Though today wasn't productive in achieving her goals, Miko's mind expanded more than she could have imagined. Maybe she could tell the Madrina about it.

"Desmon-san, I thank you for today." Miko gave a slight bow since, without him, she would have been burned by the old woman's attack.

"Don't mention it. Besides, I was the one who benefited the most from this." Desmon said.

After exchanging a few more words, Desmon bid farewell and continued on his way.

Miko also began to walk home while looking at her bracelet.

...

Desmon checked his phone; there was a new message indicating the address of the restaurant where his employer would be waiting at 7.

He had an hour left for a journey of about 3 hours.

"I have no other choice."

He imbued Kurox with demonic energy to accelerate. With that, he should be able to arrive on time, barring any inconvenience.

Several police patrols chased him through the city, but he managed to escape in the end.

"I should remember not to exceed the speed limit in cities since I don't have money to pay a fine."

Having said that, he continued his journey toward the city of Chiba.