A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 20: My ongoing headache. (Part 2)

Two days passed on the ship as we made our way to the city of Citlia and more were to come. It would be the first Demon city we would pass through. Being the main trade hub for both the river and inland supplies, it was the perfect place to gather information before heading towards their capital and where we'd face the Demon Lord. Honestly I still rather we didn't. Aside from the occasion mutterings and the demons hating on the humans, they were pretty normal, relatively speaking of course.

I lounged on the railing of the ship looking out to the water. The river was incredibly wide and I could even see several large fish swimming beneath the surface. The temptation to pull out the fishing rods was high.

"Bored?" Ronalt asked me from behind.

I turned around to face him, still leaning on the rail, "A little. Not much to do here compared to being in town."

Ronalt huffed with a stiff smile, "I don't know how you do it."

"What do you mean?"

He looked around to make sure no one else was listening, "Being surrounded by all these demons. Don't you feel the least bit wary?"

"Hmmm." The truth was no. It might have been because I'd actually had plenty of contact with them all my life and aside from my initial surprise, it felt natural walking beside them. "I wouldn't say I'm wary, I just find it interesting mostly."

He laughed, "Then you're like Ardent." I frowned involuntarily, I wasn't that interested. Ronalt noticed and chuckled, "Apologies, Ardent is a special case. Still... I thought you at least would be under some strain."

"Me?"

He nodded, "You're from a far off town. Most in your situation have a very skewed perspective. As for the others, Earnest's home I cannot judge, Marley was raised by the church to accept all, Ardent is Ardent, Taylor... I'm not sure about her but from her raising in the Empire she's taking it in stride, as for Lara, the girl is too kind to be bothered by them."

"And you as the prince and Knight Captain are having trouble adjusting," I smirked. "Though honestly you're doing quite well. I haven't seen you slip."

"That's because I have been trained well. Internally however I am at times quite perplexed." I understood where he was coming from. Where we humans had our own differences, demons were all about their differences. Their actual culture wasn't too far from ours but the simple sight was enough to cause disdain in most.

"And why are you telling me this?" I asked genuinely. It wasn't like Ronalt to speak like this so easily. "Not that I mind of course."

"I needed to get it off my chest and you are easy to talk to," he smiled sincerely. It was hard to look at him in the eye.

"No problem," I replied while holding back my awkwardness. "So how does everything compare to the capital?"

He replied in an analysing tone, "Culture wise they are our equal if not more so. Their amenities are below our standards for similar sized areas however their unique characteristics make for a powerful workforce. Public safety however is lacking. From my investigations and our experiences it is quite difficult to move from town to town without a caravan or transport."

I didn't expect such a clear response and nodded impressed. While he had complained about being stiff around the demons before, he was still doing his job earnestly and taking notes. Despite him not being in line for the throne I believed he'd make a good King.