Chapter Text
In the middle of the forest, there was a big mansion owned by a tall man who welcomed anyone who needed help, whether they are humans or other beings, he always gave them a place to stay as long as they didn't disturb the peace he created. That man's name is Hiyori Tomoe and he always had a demon by his side.
The other residents had no idea why a demon would be so loyal to a human, especially when that demon was always related to disasters. Even among demons, if someone were to hear the name "Ibara", they would know to stay away. Ibara would do everything to protect his master, even if he got himself hurt in the process, there were a lot of people who wanted to kill Hiyori but the redhead would not allow them to succeed.
And speaking of the demon, he was currently searching for his master. Ibara was helping one of the residents and just a few minutes were enough for Hiyori to disappear, needless to say, the demon was worried about the green head.
The first place he checked was the kitchen. Ibara was the one who cooked for Hiyori and he always made sure the green head would eat healthy food, once he had managed to escape the demon's sight and sneaked out to the kitchen to eat desserts. After that Ibara would always make sure to check the kitchen if he was looking for the young human.
Unfortunately for him there were no signs of his master, instead he witnessed a very strange sight. A red haired demon with blue eyes was clearly bothering another demon with grey hair. Ibara sighed, he remembered when Niki, the grey haired demon, had brought Rinne with him, it was obvious the older of the duo would cause trouble but Hiyori still accepted him. Their bricking had nothing to do with him, as long as it didn't turn into trouble he didn't care what they were up to.
Next stop was the garden, Hiyori loved flowers and he could usually be found attending to all the plants. Sometimes Ibara wondered what the green head could be thinking, every time he looked at the flowers he got easily distracted and lost in his thoughts. The demon had to be careful, if Hiyori showed a single drop of fear or weakness, another demon could take advantage of that and there was no guarantee Ibara would always be there to protect him.
And there he was. Hiyori was looking at some roses as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. For Ibara it was difficult to understand why his master liked flowers so much, no matter how much care you put in them, they always die in the end so why bother. It was most likely a human thing, Ibara still had a lot to learn about humans.
“Your highness, could you please at least warn me when you decided to come here by yourself? I might not be able to arrive in time if another demon, or even a human, tries to attack you.” The red haired demon scolded the young adult, but as usual, it didn’t have any effect. “With all due respect, you shouldn’t rely on me so much. Should I remind you I’m only doing this for my benefit?”
“I am aware, Ibara.” The green head finally stopped looking at the flowers and turned his attention to the demon. “You worry too much, before you came around I had to defend myself and I’m still alive am I not?”
Ibara shook his head. Every time they had this argument the princess said he could take care of himself, and while the demon knew better than underestimate someone, whether they are human or demon, he knew Hiyori couldn’t defend himself if a group of demons came to kill him.
“Do not blame me if one day you find yourself in a situation with no way out.” Without wanting for an answer the demon returned to the mansion. He could watch his master from the window of his room.
As soon as he took a step inside the mansion he called a few snakes, they would keep an eye on the other residents. Ibara took one of the snakes with him; he would be able to talk with all snakes as long as he had one with him. It was a little trick he taught himself.
The all snakes had origins in two particular snakes the demon had got attached to and thanks to magic, what one snake knew, all the others knew. Ibara always found the little reptiles interesting and beautiful, and unlike others, they were loyal to him. A strange feature considering snakes were seen as creatures who do not hesitate to backstab even their closest friend.
The snake wrapped its body around Ibara’s neck without much strength so it wouldn’t leave a mark, not like Ibara would care anyway, but the little reptiles loved the demon and respected him.
Ibara grabbed a chair and placed it near the window. This was going to be a long day...