After getting his hands on the sword, Ben was a lot more excited about his journey. He explored Waas Forest with Bella and covered the entire forest in 2 weeks. They found some interesting things, but none of them were as good as the sword.
Ben also fought a group of Lizardmen last week. Those Lizardmen were the ones who attacked his village in the past. They moved to a small lake near the beach to the north.
Now he can defeat them without using any tools like lacrima bombs. But the Lizardmen are tough and it required a lot of effort for him to defeat them all. Besides, those Lizardmen are getting stronger too, just like him.
He tried to fight them using his new sword, but it didn't work. His swordsmanship is still very bad and he couldn't defeat the Lizardmen. Even though the sword's quality is very high, he wasn't skilled enough to handle it.
So Ben used his usual fighting style against the Lizardmen and successfully defeated them. But he wanted to be able to use his sword perfectly. That's why he started to practice his swordsmanship every day after defeating the Lizardmen.
Ben trained his swordsmanship using the manuals he saved in A.I Chip's database. He's glad that he's collecting many different kinds of books even though he didn't need them at that time. So now he didn't need to worry when he finally needs it.
Currently, Ben and Bella traversed the mountain west of Waas Forest. There are some mountains of varying sizes and heights there. It would take longer to explore every mountain.
"Hmm, I've gone to the mountains south of this mountain range. I just need to explore the middle and north area." Ben said as he looked at the map.
Ben then started to explore the mountain range. He kept using his magic sense and A.I Chip to scan his surroundings. The combination of his magic sense and A.I Chip's scans can cover an area with a 1 km radius.
As he walked and looked around, Ben played with his magic and new sword. Bella followed him and played around with his sword. This way, they'll get used to handling the sword even though it doesn't increase their swordsmanship.
Days passed and they didn't find anything noteworthy. Only some battles with strong and wild magical creatures over the last 8 days. Even now, they encountered a magical creature, but it is different.
"Ho, a demon, what a coincidence." Ben grinned.
They find a demon in a cave located on one of the northern mountains. This demon isn't an Etherious. Ben can determine that with his Devil Slayer Magic. It's aura was different compared to the Etherious he encountered in the past.
"What's a human doing here?" The demon asked as he emerged from the darkness.
The demon had the appearance of a middle-aged human. But he is very big and tall with a height of 3 meters. He also has 3 sharp horns on his head and a pair of sharp, long fangs in his mouth.
"I was just exploring this area when I found this cave. I sensed demonic energy emanating from here, so I came to check it out. I never thought I would find a demon in here though." Ben explained.
"You can sense demonic energy? Are you a Devil Slayer?" The demon asked curiously.
"I am." Ben nodded.
"Oh, how rare. I thought Devil Slayers didn't exist in this age. What kind of Devil Slayer Magic do you use?" The demon asked curiously.
"Why should I tell you that? I don't even know who you are and you are a demon while I'm a Devil Slayer." Ben said with a frown.
"Come on, just because I'm a demon and you're a Devil Slayer doesn't mean that we can't talk, right? Devil Slayer is just a name for humans who can use a demon's magic. It's the same as a Dragon Slayer who learned a dragon's magic." The demon replied.
"Well, you're not wrong. But even if you are a human, I still won't reveal it to someone I just met." Ben said.
"That makes sense. Then how about we discuss casual things? You don't have a problem talking to a demon, right?" The demon asked.
"Haven't we talked for a few minutes now?" Ben asked back.
"Hmm, you're right, it's not a problem then. So allow me to introduce myself. I am Morgbitt, a hermit who had stayed here for, uh...200 years I think, I can't remember it too well now. Anyways, it's been hundreds of years since I live here alone." Morgbitt said.
"I'm Ben. 16 years old and a mage from Fiore. This is-" Ben said before pointing to Bella.
"Bella, cute cat." Bella said smugly.
"Ha ha, you sure are a cute cat. Welcome to my home. I don't have anything here, not even chairs for guests. So how about we go outside where the scenery is better?" Morgbitt suggested.
"Sure, this place is also smelly. When was the last time you cleaned this place?" Ben asked while rubbing his nose that started to get itchy because of the bad smell.
"I never clean it. It's too much of a hassle." Morgbitt admitted.
Ben and Bella have disgusted expressions on their faces before they go outside to get fresh air. Morgbitt now felt bad because of it. But he never had any guests and never expected any. So he never bothered to clean his home just in case he had a guest.
"I think I need to clean my place after this. But that will be a waste of energy though." Morgbitt said with a sad expression.
Morgbitt followed Ben and Bella outside and saw them breathing deeply several times. They really enjoyed the fresh air after leaving the cave.
"You look like people that have just left prison." Morgbitt said.
"We are." Ben replied as Bella nodded in agreement.
Their honesty caused Morgbitt to sweat drop and laugh nervously. The three of them find a place to sit and cook the prey that Ben caught. He didn't sense any malicious intent from Morgbitt, but he was still cautious of this demon.
Ben knew that not all demons were evil, just like humans. One example was Midas who wasn't evil, but he was a battle maniac. It's just that most demons were evil because they're the embodiment of negative emotions.
Ben talked with Morgbitt while he roasted the meat. Morgbitt wasn't from this area, he came from the far north side of the continent. He was traveling with his wife in the past, but she passed away here after becoming ill.
"So you don't want to leave her?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, life is meaningless without her. So I want to stay close to her even though she is gone." Morgbitt said with a solemn expression.
"But living alone for 200 years isn't easy, right?" Ben asked.
"You're right, it's very hard for me to live here alone without anyone. Maybe it would be better if we had a child, but we didn't. I thought of killing myself many times before, but I always stopped because of Audrey's last wish. She wanted me to live, so I won't disappoint her." Morgbitt said.
"She must be proud of you because you kept your promise. Although I'm not sure she's happy seeing you live alone like this for 200 years." Ben said.
"Ha ha, I'm sure she won't be happy because she asked me to find a woman that would take care of me after she died. But as I thought, no one can replace her in my heart." Morgbitt said with a warm smile.
"At least you can find a friend, you know." Ben pointed out.
"I have. It's a giant red eagle. I met him 50 years after Audrey's death. But he died 20 years later and it made me afraid to have another friend. I'm afraid to be left alone again." Morgbitt said.
Ben looked down because deep in his heart, he felt the same way as Morgbitt. He's always afraid that his loved ones will leave him again like his biological family. They become silent after that and just watch the meat roasting.
"It's done. Let's stop discussing heavy topics and just enjoy the food." Ben said.
"Alright." Morgbitt replied.