The place itself was honestly not what I expected at all.

Before coming here, I had this image in my head of what a town in the Demon Continent would look like. I figured it would be a lot stranger, a lot more intimidating, or at the very least something that immediately screamed, "You’re definitely not in human territory anymore."

Instead, what I found was... normal.

Surprisingly normal.

Honestly, if somebody had blindfolded me, dragged me here, and then taken the blindfold off without telling me where I was, I probably would’ve assumed I was standing in some random town back on the Human Continent.

People walked up and down the streets as if it were any other day. Merchants stood behind stalls selling various goods. Customers stopped to inspect products, negotiate prices, and chat with vendors. Some people were carrying bags filled with supplies while others simply wandered around minding their own business.

Everything felt ordinary.

Well, mostly ordinary.

The thing was, at first glance, a lot of the people looked human.

Then you’d look a little closer.

One person would have a pair of horns protruding from their head.

Another would have unusually sharp fangs visible whenever they spoke.

Someone else would have strange eyes, a tail, or some other physical feature that immediately reminded you that these weren’t humans.

But outside of those differences, the atmosphere felt almost exactly the same.

The streets were busy.

The shops were open.

People were working.

People were shopping.

People were living their lives.

It was honestly kind of weird.

"What?" Foriel asked after noticing the look on my face. "Did you expect the place to be overrun with demonic monsters or something?"

I scratched the back of my head.

"When you put it like that, it sounds kind of stupid."

"Because it is."

She laughed lightly before gesturing around us.

"This town is inhabited by ordinary people. Most of them are just trying to get through their day like anyone else. They wake up, work, earn money, eat, sleep, and repeat the process tomorrow."

She pointed toward one of the nearby stalls.

"The products might be different. Some of the ingredients, spices, and materials used here aren’t common outside the Demon Continent. But the way people conduct business isn’t all that different from what you’d find elsewhere."

I looked around again.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right.

Maybe I had come here carrying a lot of assumptions without even realizing it.

The words "Demon Continent" sounded intimidating enough that my imagination had basically done all the work for me.

I had expected something completely alien.

Something completely different.

Instead, what I found was a place full of people.

Different people, sure.

But still people.

Honestly, it was kind of amazing when you thought about it.

The Human Continent and the Demon Continent were separated by distance, history, and all kinds of conflicts. Yet despite all of that, people still ended up acting surprisingly similar.

They worked.

They traded.

They socialized.

They worried about their daily lives.

It turned out that no matter where you went, people were still people.

"Now then," Foriel said suddenly. "I think there are some things we should be doing."

"And what exactly would that be?"

She looked at me as if the answer should’ve been obvious.

"Checking out the local goods, obviously."

"Obviously."

"Don’t give me that look."

"I’m not giving you a look."

"You are."

"I’m really not."

"You absolutely are."

I let out a sigh.

"Fine. Continue."

Satisfied with her victory, she nodded.

"As someone who values products from foreign countries, I think it’s important to learn about local cuisine, spices, ingredients, and other specialties. Understanding what people eat and trade tells you a lot about a region."

"That’s actually not a bad point."

"Of course it’s not."

The confidence in her voice was immediate.

I couldn’t even argue with it.

"Well," I said, "I might as well check everything out while I’m here."

"Exactly."

We continued walking through the streets together.

As we moved through town, I noticed something interesting.

Nobody was paying attention to us.

Nobody stared.

Nobody whispered.

Nobody seemed particularly interested.

People occasionally glanced our way, but only for a moment before continuing whatever they had been doing.

It seemed travelers coming through this town wasn’t anything unusual.

The locals were completely used to strangers.

That honestly made things easier.

I preferred blending in rather than attracting attention anyway.

"Do you think it’s surreal?" Foriel asked.

She had moved closer while we were walking.

Standing next to her was still a little awkward.

Mostly because she was taller than me.

Not just slightly taller, either.

Noticeably taller.

Every time we spoke, I found myself looking up at her.

It wasn’t a huge problem.

It just felt strange.

"I do," I admitted.

She smiled.

"Then you haven’t traveled very far into the Demon Continent yet."

"Probably not."

"No, definitely not."

That confidence again.

"I think there are countless places throughout the Demon Continent that remain unexplored by most people," she said. "There are regions that outsiders have never even heard of."

"That many?"

"Oh, absolutely."

She folded her arms behind her head while continuing down the street.

"Merchants like me travel constantly. I’ve crossed deserts, mountains, forests, and territories that most people never get the chance to see. I’ve spent years moving from place to place."

There was a hint of pride in her voice.

Not arrogance.

Just pride.

"The world is a lot bigger than most people realize."

I couldn’t really disagree.

The more I traveled, the more I realized how little I actually knew.

There were entire cultures I hadn’t seen.

Places I hadn’t visited.

Experiences I hadn’t had.

Honestly, it was a little humbling.

And maybe a little enviable too.

Being able to travel everywhere like Foriel did sounded pretty amazing.

Maybe one day I’d get the chance to see more of the world myself.

After all, there was still so much left to discover.

As we continued walking, we eventually came across a building that immediately caught my attention.

Or rather, it was impossible not to notice it.

A brothel.

Several demonesses stood outside wearing revealing clothing that left very little to the imagination.

They smiled at passing customers.

Some chatted casually.

Others leaned against walls while showing off their figures.

The entire place was designed to attract attention.

And honestly?

It was doing a pretty effective job.

I slowly turned toward Foriel.

"You led me here?"

"Hm?"

She looked up at the building.

Then she looked back at me.

A knowing smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Well, isn’t this one of the main reasons you came to explore the Demon Continent?"

"What makes you think that?"

She looked almost offended by the question.

"Because I researched you."

That wasn’t reassuring.

At all.

"I know quite a lot about you."

"That’s somehow even less reassuring."

She ignored the comment.

"I’ve spent a lot of time studying you. Honestly, I probably know more about you than I know about myself."

That was definitely not helping.

Not even a little.

Meanwhile, she seemed completely unaware of how strange that sounded.

"I know you have an interest in all kinds of women," she continued. "So I assumed that part of your reason for coming here involved experiencing the different races and cultures firsthand."

I narrowed my eyes.

"That’s a very polite way of wording that."

She grinned. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"I assumed you came here to get laid with different kinds of women."

There it was.

Actually, no. That phrase wasn’t allowed. Let me rephrase.

The blunt version had finally arrived.

She looked extremely pleased with herself too.

Like she had just solved some complicated mystery.

Unfortunately for her, she was wrong.

"Well, unfortunately, that’s not really why I’m here."

"Oh?"

The smug expression disappeared surprisingly quickly.

"Sorry, then."

I blinked.

That was it?

No teasing?

No argument?

No attempt to convince me otherwise?

She had accepted my answer way more easily than I expected.

"Shall we go somewhere else?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Anywhere specific?"

"Food."

The answer came immediately.

"To be honest, I’m starving."

That earned a laugh from her.

"Fair enough."

Then she gave a small gesture.

"Would you like me to lead the way?"

"Go ahead."

"Of course. Follow me."

She immediately started walking.

I followed behind her.

As we left the brothel behind, I couldn’t help glancing back one last time.

Honestly, visiting a place like that probably would’ve been pretty interesting.

The demonesses certainly weren’t lacking in appeal.

And if I was being realistic, having sex with demon girls wasn’t exactly an idea without merits.

There were probably plenty of advantages to the experience.

Still, now wasn’t the time.

I had things I needed to do.

Things that were more important.

Getting distracted would only slow me down, and I was already trying to move quickly as it was.