「I'm glad you found such a generous boss who treats you to such good food.」 「He is. The training is far beyond sparta, though!」 Alvar was telling his big sister about what happened during today's training, what happened to the Night sibling as he watched his big sister smacking her lips in delight after eating the sausage. 「Well, that's delicious. Thank you as always, Alvar.」 「It's not a big deal!」 「… Thank you, but this going to make me fat.」 Alvar Auril wore a wry smile as he noticed his sister worrying about her waistline. Since she tends to be reclusive, she didn’t get many opportunities for exercise… 「How about we go for a walk before the dawn?」 「Alright then I'll head out for a bit before that!」 「You're quite busy, aren't you? Take care and have a safe trip!」 Alvar Auril departed again while being sent off by his big sister who muttered "Thank you". He walked quickly, made his way to a corner of the old town, heading down an even more deserted alley. In front of a shabby, run-down house, a young demon child in tattered clothes was jumping up and down, waving their hand enthusiastically. 「Heya! I'm coming again today!」 After a brief greeting, he entered the house and handed over a bundle of meat, saying, ‘Here’s a souvenir.' Just like the one for his sister, it was cooked and ready to be eaten immediately. 「Wow, it looks delicious!! Mom, big bro brought us a souvenir!」 「Sorry as always, Alvar-san. And thank you very much.」 The mother of the young demon, who appeared a bit on the thinner side, lowered her head apologetically. 「It's not a big deal, just a little gift for my adorable lil bro!」 Alvar Auril ruffled the head of his younger companion with a smile on his face, messing up his hair playfully. ――The Demon Race of the Demon Kingdom was not wealthy to begin with. Having a peerage did guarantee a minimum income. However, the stipend for peerage such as squire or knight was akin to a drop in the bucket. To make a living, one would need to rise in rank, and to rise in rank, one needs achievements. And to achieve achievements, one needs power. What strength is? Spearcraft, armor, and magical power―― But those were things that were normally inherited from parents or relatives. Then what would happen if that inheritance was gone due to some sort of factor? Alvar Auril's expression strained while he was looking at the pair of parent and child who ate the meat brought by him. It couldn't be helped. The Demon Kingdom who gave preferential treatment to the strong basically didn't care about the weak. There was a system such as condolence payments for the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers, but they were only temporary, and after that, the burden was left to the family's own efforts. If the family was wealthy, there would be no issue, but for poor families, especially those with low-ranking pedigree, the condolence payments were small, and the surviving relatives often fall into even worse situations. Furthermore, the majority of demons look down on the weak. They believed that the weak were at fault, and that if one was dissatisfied with their situation, they should simply become stronger. No one was willing to extend a helping hand to those who are poor and feeble.―― That may be true to some extent, but Alvar Auril's belief was that children and young people were a different matter altogether. It’s understandable if a demon who has lived for decades remains weak due to neglecting their training. However, everyone starts off weak. Without some form of support, it was impossible to grow in the first place. 「Big bro, I… Want to make a pact with a devil?」 Yes, just like the kid before him. After finishing his meal, his lil bro spoke with a serious face. And the fastest way to 『Become stronger』―― Was by making a pact with a devil. If one was fortunate enough to form a pact with a devil whose powers didn't directly affect combat, one could gradually develop strength in their everyday life. As long as their magical power rose, one could push aside other warriors to join the battlefield or work as a healer who used a transpose curse, which could help to rise in peerage. The problem, however, was the fact that the travel expenses to the Dark Portal weren't exactly free either. For a family struggling to make ends meet, even that amount was a heavy burden. However, even though Alvar Auril was a viscount, he could barely manage the expense. Alvar Auril took a glance at his lil bro, whose horns were still small and height barely reached his waist, the kid had a serious look on his face. 「I think that will have to wait a while longer till you start growing a bit more.」 「But His Highness from Reiju clan got to go into the portal when he was 5 years old…」 「Well, I think His Highness…」 「Is an exception of exceptions」 That was what Alvar Auril wanted to tell his lil bro as he looked at the latter with a wry smile on his face. But he then realized that the kid might sulk if he said those words… 「You see, His Highness is already this tall for his age.」 The lil bro's eyes opened wide in shock upon seeing the height indicated by Alvar Auril's hand. 「Yes. That's why there's no problem for His Highness to go.」 He then carved a line on the pillar of the house. 「I'll take you to the Dark Portal once you have grown this tall!」 「Really!? How long is it gonna take me to grow that much!?」 Alvar Auril showed his fingers, spreading them to indicate, "About this much," as his lil bro eagerly pressed his back against the pillar. 「U~h… I want to grow faster…」 「That's why you have to eat a lot of meat. I'll bring meat again tomorrow.」 「… Thank you, big bro!」 Alvar Auril rustled the hair of the lil bro who was clinging on to him. The kid's mother who saw that scene from behind was crying and then bowing at Alvar Auril. …Not all demons were strong. Some of them were not well-suited to make a pact with a devil, while others were simply ill suited to become a warrior. When the husband of the mother died on the battlefield, cutting off the family’s income, there were few decent job opportunities, and they were left with no choice but to fall into poverty. Certainly, in front of the lower races, it would be beneath the dignity of demons to die from starvation, so even the bare minimum pay ensures their survival… However, that also means they were simply kept alive, just enough to avoid death by hunger, but nothing more. The demon race belonged to the noble class, but precisely because of that, it was difficult for them to earn a living outside the battlefield. There were plenty of beastfolk and night elves who were easier to manage as servants, and agriculture requires land to begin with. Though he could also make a living with magic like a typical demon, that was challenging. The Reiju clan's transpose curse could be repelled by stronger opponents, meaning one needs a certain level of magical power to become a healer. While it might be possible for those with weaker magical power to treat night elves or beastfolk, those with stronger magical power could handle both tasks. Given the limited number of healer positions available, there was no reason to go out of the way to hire weak healers. Even if they turn to other forms of magic, the number of magic types that guarantee a stable livelihood and high demand―― Was limited. With earth magic suited for construction from the Corvut clan or ice magic for preserving food from the Vernas clan, they could likely make a living without exceptionally strong magical power, but… In the first place, demons who inherit two lineage magics were exceedingly rare. The very fact that one could form marital ties beyond their clan indicates a certain level of horizontal connections. Otherwise, they had no choice but to marry someone close to them, and the children born from such unions would only inherit one lineage magic. As a side note, Alvar Auril could use his maternal lineage magic in addition to the transpose curse, but since it was akin to a charm, namely 【Imbue thread with power to protect】, it was only useful for his mother and sister to make some pocket money. In any case, the privileged class grew stronger as they were favored―― While the underprivileged were scorned and grew weaker, that was the reality in the Demon Kingdom. 「See you again tomorrow!」 After waving his hand to his younger brother-figure, Alvar Auril headed to the next house. In his pocket were more small bundles he had prepared. There was still unfortunate younger siblings in need of his help Those who made a pact with a devil of battle but struggle to advance due to a lack of connections, unable to step onto the battlefield. Those like his sister, born with a handicap and unable to achieve success. Those whose family’s main breadwinner was killed in battle shortly after having a child―― （――They're by no means 『Weak』, just lack the opportunity.） Alvar Auril spoke to himself while holding the bundle in his arm tightly. （as long as there're given a chance, as long as they received a little help――） They would surely start getting 『Stronger』. However, the current Demon Kingdom wouldn't allow that. For a viscount like Alvar Auril, what he could do for them was limited. He needed more power. A certain level of peerage was needed for him to have an influence to make such change. （I… Have to become stronger.） Alvar Auril renewed his resolution as he walked along the dark path. My first CN project, why waifu though? Well, coz the main heroine's job is buying soy sauce till the end of act 1 Harem, Hero, Demon King, Seven Deadly Sin, Seven Virtue, Sacred Beast, Sword and Magic, Dystopian Future, DESTINY PROJECT HAD IT REALIZED!, Dungeon, Dragon, 72 Demons, Reincarnations ===TN: Those Who Can't Wait For more Jil-kun's, I've Uploaded Advance chapters in Fox<–HERE and in (cheaper 10/$10) with a paywall of course=== More and Cheaper(10/$10) Advance Chapter : (~’.’)~Support Me With Ko-Fi~(‘.’~)