Rebellious Grey: The Demon Girl Rises from Slavery
In the city of Granveld, where human greed turns flesh into currency, demons are born already condemned. Gurei—thirteen years old, horned, hungry, and utterly alone—has known nothing but the stinking gutters of the Ash Bottom slum. When a bounty hunter's iron grip drags her from the rain-soaked streets into the slave market's cold machinery, she is stripped of her name, her rags, and what little freedom she had left, reduced to nothing more than "property" to be priced and sold.
But something b
Rebellious Grey: The Demon Girl Rises from Slavery - Blood-stained Shackles
Outside the chapel, a covered wagon was waiting.
Its bed was draped in a thick canvas, dark and cramped within.
The Kenpei shoved Gurei in the back.
"Get in."
Gurei was forced into the wagon bed.
Still bound behind her back, she was thrown down onto the cold boards.
"Hey, where are the shackles? Rope alone won't hold her if she thrashes."
"Yeah, they're here. Look, these."
The other Kenpei produced heavy iron shackles.
Clank.
The cold bite of metal sank into Gurei's wrists.
The rope was cut away. In its place, the shackles snapped shut.
The iron rings pressed against bone.
(Cold.)
Gurei thought.
(The same as the collar.)
(Cold iron, made to bind me.)
(I belong nowhere.)
(Not to the world of humans, nor to the world of demons.)
(I am nothing but a thing.)
"Right, we're off. Through the mountain pass, straight to Grandveld."
The Kenpei climbed onto the driver's bench.
The horse whinnied.
The wagon lurched into motion.
——
The covered wagon rolled along the cobblestones of the port city of Norn.
Gurei lay on the wagon bed.
Her shackled hands rested on her chest.
(Where are they taking me now?)
(Grandveld.)
(The slave-trade city.)
(The same city where I've fought to the death for three years.)
(Am I being sent back to the arena?)
(Or the mines?)
(Or sold to some noble?)
Gurei closed her eyes.
The sway of the wagon resonated through her body.
The clatter of hooves on cobblestone.
The creak of the wheels.
The clamor of the city, distant in her ears.
"Hey, look at that. The demon brat's sitting nice and quiet."
A Kenpei's voice dropped down from above.
"Yeah, the Holy Knights must've roughed her up good."
"She assaulted the Hero, didn't she? What a piece of work."
"A demon's a demon, all right. You show 'em kindness and they pay you back with spite. Just like an animal."
The Kenpei's laughter rang out.
Gurei kept her eyes closed and said nothing.
(Laugh.)
(Laugh while you still can.)
(You won't be laughing for much longer.)
Deep in Gurei's chest, a dark flame burned on, silent and steady.
——
The wagon soon reached the edge of the city.
The cobblestone road gave way to dirt.
The houses grew sparse, the trees more numerous.
The smell of the sea faded, bit by bit.
In its place, the scent of earth and grass crept into her nostrils.
"Right, we're heading into the mountain pass soon. You two, keep watch in the back."
"Yeah, leave it to us."
Two Kenpei climbed into the wagon bed.
They sat down on either side of Gurei.
"Hey, feed. What'd you go and do to the Hero?"
One of them peered into Gurei's face.
Gurei said nothing.
"Don't just sit there. Answer me."
The Kenpei slapped her across the cheek.
A flat, dry crack.
Gurei's head snapped to the side.
(It doesn't hurt.)
Gurei thought.
(Pain like this isn't pain.)
(I've tasted it countless times in the arena.)
(The claws of beasts, the points of swords, the sting of whips.)
(Compared to that, this doesn't even count as pain.)
"Hey, are you listening? You're a demon—you think you can ignore a human's question?"
The Kenpei grabbed Gurei's horn.
Shook it violently.
Gurei's head jerked back and forth.
"These horns are a real nuisance. Proof you're a demon. Aren't you ashamed?"
"They don't have shame, or anything like it. Demons are beasts."
The other Kenpei said it with a laugh.
"Oh, a beast, is she? Then words won't get through to a beast."
The Kenpei gripped Gurei's horn even harder.
"Hey, beast. What'd you do to the Hero? Answer me."
Gurei slowly opened her mouth.
"...I taught him the sword."
Her voice was low.
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"I taught him the sword. That boy. I taught that boy the sword."
Gurei's voice did not tremble.
"Ha! Taught him the sword? A demon brat, teaching the Hero? Don't make me laugh!"
The Kenpei roared with laughter.
"A filthy demon like you, teaching the Hero the sword? That's presumptuous beyond belief!"
"Hey, did you hear that? She thinks she's the Hero's master!"
"Hilarious. A demon, of all things, with the gall to say something so brazen."
The Kenpei's laughter filled the wagon bed.
Gurei said nothing.
(Laugh.)
(Laugh while you still can.)
"Hey, feed. Do you even know what you've done?"
The Kenpei grabbed Gurei's hair.
Her gray hair was yanked back, rough and cruel.
"You hurt the Hero. The most revered person on this whole continent, and you hurt him. Do you have any idea how heavy that crime is?"
Gurei said nothing.
"You're being sent to Grandveld now. No trial—they'll decide your sentence there. The mines, the arena, or somewhere even worse. Either way, your life ends here."
The Kenpei peered into Gurei's face.
"Too bad, feed. You got chosen as the Hero's guard, and look how that turned out. A demon who got too big for her britches—that's where your luck ran out."
Gurei stared into the Kenpei's eyes.
Dark purple eyes, devoid of any highlight.
The Kenpei flinched for a moment.
"...What's with those eyes? Stop it. Don't look at me like that."
The Kenpei kicked Gurei in the stomach.
A dull thud.
Gurei's body folded inward.
(It hurts.)
Gurei thought.
(But this pain—I can still bear it.)
(Compared to the pain I've endured until now.)
(This is still just the beginning.)
"Hey, bring the water. I'm gonna douse this beast."
The Kenpei picked up a waterskin.
"Here, this'll wake you up, feed."
The Kenpei opened the waterskin.
Cold water splashed hard into Gurei's face.
Splash.
Water in her eyes. In her nose. In her mouth.
Gurei coughed.
"There, how's that? Feels good, doesn't it? A bath suits a demon brat just fine."
The Kenpei laughed uproariously.
Gurei, still coughing, glared at them.
Wet gray hair clung to her face.
Water ran down the collar and dripped onto her chest.
(Cold.)
(This cold is the same as the collar's cold.)
(A cold meant to bind me.)
(A cold meant to humiliate me.)
Deep in Gurei's chest, the dark flame grew a little larger.
——
The wagon entered the mountain pass.
The road was narrow and winding.
The sound of hooves kicking stones.
The sound of wheels riding up onto rock.
The wagon bed shook violently.
Gurei, still shackled, was tossed about on the floor.
"Hey, this mountain road's a rough ride. I'm gonna be sick."
"Deal with it. Half a day and we'll be through."
"Half a day? I have to put up with this shaking for half a day?"
"What choice do we have? This is the only road there is."
The Kenpei bickered among themselves.
Gurei closed her eyes.
(Half a day more.)
(Half a day more with these men.)
(Can I endure it?)
(Can I endure this humiliation?)
Gurei looked at her wrists.
Shackles.
Cold iron rings.
(There's no way to remove these shackles.)
(The Kenpei have the key.)
(I'll be carried to Grandveld just like this.)
(And then sentenced.)
(The mines, the arena, or somewhere even worse.)
The arena flashed through Gurei's mind.
The smell of blood. The roar of the crowd. The corpses.
(Am I going back there?)
(To that stage of killing.)
(Am I to become a beast again?)
Gurei bit her lip.
She tasted blood.
"Hey, feed. What're you thinking about?"
The Kenpei kicked Gurei in the stomach again.
Thud.
Gurei's body was pressed against the floor.
"Nothing at all, huh. Well, beasts don't think, do they?"
The Kenpei laughed.
Gurei said nothing.
(I am thinking.)
(I'm thinking about how to kill you.)
(I'm thinking about how to silence that laughter of yours.)
(I'm thinking about how to take those hands, those legs, those lives.)
Deep in Gurei's chest, the dark flame burned even brighter.
——
The wagon lurched hard.
"Hey, what was that shake just now?"
"Rocks falling. This mountain road's always like this."
"Tch, what a pain. Hey, feed. You stay put. You know what happens if you struggle?"
The Kenpei peered into Gurei's face.
"You know what happens if you struggle? I'll snap that skinny neck of yours."
The Kenpei flicked Gurei's collar with a finger.
A small, tinny sound.
Gurei said nothing.
"Hey, answer me, feed."
The Kenpei kicked Gurei in the stomach.
Thud.
Gurei's body folded inward again.
(It hurts.)
(But I can still bear it.)
(Still bear it.)
Gurei gritted her teeth.
A low growl escaped from between them.
"Hey, did you hear that? That growl just now. A beast after all."
"Yeah, demon brats really are beasts. Can't even speak human language properly."
The Kenpei laughed uproariously.
Gurei lay face-down on the floor and said nothing.
(Laugh.)
(Laugh while you still can.)
(That laughter of yours will turn to screams soon enough.)
Deep in Gurei's chest, the dark flame blazed up.
——
The wagon reached a steep slope in the mountain pass.
The horse whinnied.
The wheels rode up onto rock.
The wagon bed tilted sharply.
"Hey, watch it. If we fall off here, it won't be funny."
"I know. You keep a proper watch in the back."
"Yeah, leave it to me. I'll keep a close eye on this feed—"
That was when it happened.
Gurei moved.
She swung both arms, chained by the shackles, upward with all her strength.
The iron rings tangled around the Kenpei's arm.
"Wha—!?"
The Kenpei let out a cry of surprise.
Gurei threw her full weight backward.
The Kenpei's arm, chained to the shackles, was yanked along.
"Whoa!?"
The Kenpei lost his balance.
Gurei twisted the man's arm and pulled him down.
Thud.
The Kenpei crashed onto the wagon bed.
Gurei swiftly snatched the longsword from the man's hip.
Drew it from its sheath.
The silver blade glinted in the dim wagon bed.
"You little feed—!"
The Kenpei tried to rise.
Gurei didn't hesitate.
She drove the longsword into the Kenpei's throat.
Schluk.
The sound of severing flesh.
Blood sprayed.
"Gh, ah...!"
The Kenpei collapsed, clutching his throat.
Blood spread across the wagon bed.
"Hey, what's going on!? What happened!?"
A voice came from the driver's bench.
Gurei turned.
The other Kenpei was peering in from the entrance of the wagon bed.
"You—what are you—"
Gurei swept the longsword sideways.
Shhk.
The Kenpei's face was slashed open.
"Gyaaaaaah!?"
The Kenpei screamed and fell backward.
Gurei leaped out of the wagon bed.
Still shackled, longsword gripped tight, she landed on the ground.
"Damn you, you demon brat—!"
The Kenpei whose face had been slashed drew his sword.
"How dare you cut my face—!"
The Kenpei lunged at Gurei.
Gurei dropped low.
The Kenpei's blade grazed her hair.
(Slow.)
Gurei thought.
(This man's sword is slow.)
(Compared to the beasts and gladiators I've fought in the arena.)
(This man might as well be standing still.)
Gurei dove into the Kenpei's guard.
She drove the longsword into his belly.
Schluk.
"Gah, hah...!"
Blood spilled from the Kenpei's mouth.
Gurei twisted the longsword and pulled it free.
Blood gushed out.
The Kenpei pitched forward.
He didn't move.
"H-hey, wait, wait, please—!"
The Kenpei on the driver's bench cried out in a trembling voice.
Gurei slowly approached the man.
Blood dripped from the longsword.
Drip. Drip.
"S-stop. Don't come closer. Don't come any closer!"
The Kenpei had lost control of his legs.
He sat on the ground, scrambling backward.
"I-I've got the Holy Knights behind me! The Holy Knights have my back! If you kill me, you won't get away with it!"
The Kenpei shouted desperately.
Gurei did not stop walking.
"Are you listening!? The Holy Knights! The strongest knight order on this continent! If you kill me—if you kill me, they'll hunt you across the whole continent!"
The Kenpei shouted even louder.
Gurei stood before him.
"...The Holy Knights have your back?"
Gurei's voice was cold.
"Th-that's right! The Holy Knights are behind me! A demon brat like you has no business laying a hand on me!"
The Kenpei babbled desperately.
Gurei leveled the longsword at his throat.
"It doesn't matter who's backing you."
Gurei's voice was quiet.
"Whoever's backing you, it makes no difference to me. You trampled me. You humiliated me. You called me feed. That's enough."
Gurei thrust the long
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.