Chapter 3

Grandpa died.

It was just a few days after he said it would be a few days.

Even though he had scolded Edel with great energy, I thought he would live much longer, but one morning, I realized he wasn't breathing.

Picked up and raised by grandpa, he had no relatives to begin with.

Edel was left all alone.

However, there was something grandpa told him before he died.

"Actually, Edel, the place where you and I live is not a world where people like us should live."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"This is the Demon World. The world where humans live is a different one."

"What's the difference between demons and humans?"

"Humans are not as unique as demons. Most of us look the same, like you and me. But demons come in all sorts of appearances and personalities."

"…? I think grandpa and I are quite different. Grandpa doesn't have any hair."

"I had a full head of hair when I was young!"

Indeed, compared to differences like having animal-like features, three eyes, or blue skin, the presence or absence of hair might be a minor thing.

"When I die, you will go to the human world. With this letter."

"Letter?"

"It's addressed to an acquaintance of mine. I doubt anyone in the human world doesn't know his name, so you should be able to find him easily."

"Wow, grandpa, you know a celebrity."

So, while mourning grandpa's death, Edel intended to head to the human world with this letter.

Following grandpa's instructions, he cremated the body until it turned to ashes.

If left as bones, it would turn into an undead.

He scattered half of the ashes near where the house used to stand and decided to take the other half with him.

"Originally, I thought about taking the house… but maybe I'll leave it here."

If he stored it in a space created by time-space magic, he could carry it easily.

That way, he could always return to the house where he and grandpa had lived.

But if the place changed, it wouldn't feel the same.

"If I move it, I won't be able to return to the same spot again. Yeah, I'll leave the house. Instead, I'll put a strong barrier around it and hide it… there, that's good."

Thus, Edel bid farewell to his home and set out for the human world.

"Um, it should be around here…"

Relying on the magical compass given by grandpa, he traveled for about a week.

Edel arrived in an area scattered with strange rocks.

In this region, where the terrain frequently changes, a regular map would be useless.

That's why he used a compass. According to grandpa, a regular compass has a needle that points to directions.

On the other hand, this magical compass displayed floating numbers.

These numbers represented the current coordinates, and if you knew the destination's coordinates, you could use these numbers as a guide to reach it.

"Ah, is that it!"

Edel finally found it.

A mysterious staircase stretching endlessly into the crimson sky.

Since it cut off a few hundred meters above the ground, Edel kicked off the ground and leaped to it.

"Here we go."

He landed safely on the staircase.

Despite floating in the air, it was surprisingly sturdy.

Of course, this wasn't a staircase that would lead you to heaven if you climbed it.

As he ran up the stairs, the surroundings gradually grew darker, and the air became cooler.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he found himself in a cave.

No, it wasn't just a cave.

"…A dungeon."

Filled with dangerous monsters and numerous traps, this was a dungeon.

But this particular dungeon, with its entrance in the sky of the Demon World, was the only way to travel from the Demon World to the human world.

"Grandpa said I can definitely get through it now."

It was said to be quite difficult.

Given that this dungeon prevented the residents of the Demon World from invading the human world, that made sense.

Grandpa had also mentioned that he had come through this dungeon when he first arrived in the Demon World.

"Alright, let's go with determination."