Rainer appeared confused.
'Demon? Where?' He wondered, looking around.
Then he paused.
'Wait! It's me isn't it?'
He grimaced, recalling how his eyes must look at the moment. At that thought, he let out a low, drawn-out groan of frustration.
'This is a problem.'
His transmigration healing gimmick was something that happened every time he got transmigrated. It was a mechanism meant to restore his new body and make it functional.
However, it only happened once, at inception.
Unfortunately, his eyes always glowed this way whenever it happened... It wasn't uncommon to transmigrate and have the natives who saw him during this brief period thinking he was some creep or divine lord.
He let out an annoyed huff.
Suddenly, he noticed a boy with a tear-streaked face half running toward him, holding a silver coin.
'Oh! He's kinda cute!' He keenly noted.
However, when he examined the boy's guilt-wracked and regretful expression, Rainer had a bad feeling. A feeling which was soon justified.
"Oi! What are you—"
The boy knelt before him and pressed the silver coin between Rainer's lips. He then proceeded to push him back into the pit as he cried.
"Oh! Great ferryman! Forgive me for not paying my friend's passage into the underworld earlier! Please accept this lowly one's hard-earned payment!"
"Fack the ferryman!" Rainer cursed, fighting back.
There was a brief, almost comedic struggle before Rainer grasped the boy's face and shoved him aside. Then, with the last of his strength, he lifted himself up onto the ground and laid on his back, panting heavily.
"Wha—hah–What the hell were you doing?!"
Rainer's throat seemed to have healed and his words came out clearer. He wasn't quite sure if the swallowed coin aided with that, but he felt it was a boon either way.
His eyes, previously a bright amber now returned to a plain brown as the patterns darkened. However, the golden aura his body exuded lingered, albeit slightly less perceptible.
The boy drew himself up on all fours and looked at him with watery eyes.
"F–friend? Is–is that you?"
Rainer was about to reply when he felt a presence silently approach him. As soon as he turned, he found that the lethal tip of a spear had kissed his throat.
He glanced up to discover a young soldier standing above him. He had death in his dark eyes as the brilliance of the moon behind him cast a menacing silhouette out of his figure.
Rainer gulped, feeling blood trickle down his neck. Then he let out a sad, wry smile and looked at him.
"Listen. I know what this looks like, but I mean no harm. I'm friendly!" He attempted a bigger smile but it only came out awkwardly.
Seeing the soldier remain quiet, he stopped smiling and looked at him more sincerely.
"Do you gamble, friend. If so, I'd ask that you take a bet on me. There's a good chance you won't regret it!"
The youth hesitated, head tilting slightly as he squinted, appearing to be in thought. He gazed into Rainer's now-human eyes as a faint tremble traveled through the spear, but then, slowly, he withdrew it.
"There we go!" Rainer's lips curled up into a grateful smile. "You did a great thing here, remember that!"
Rainer smacked his lips and glanced around, but then his eyes returned to him.
"So erm, do you have something I could eat? Meat preferably. I'm a bit famished and a metal coin wouldn't cut it."
The youth grimaced and took a cautious step back.
"And I meant normal food, not human flesh." Rainer promptly clarified.
Hearing this, the youth brought out hard bread from his pouch and approached him. He then handed it over, albeit tentatively.
"Thank you!" Rainer muttered, snatching it off him and biting off a good portion.
He ate quickly, desperately even, as the youth and slave boy exchanged glances. An odd silence settled upon the area, one intermittently disturbed by Rainer's chewing noises.
When he was done, he let out a contented sigh and cleared his throat.
"So—where am I?"
At that question, the boy looked up at the young soldier with apprehension in his eyes. As if deferring to his decision on how to answer.
Rainer glanced between them, then his eyes settled on the youth.
"Hm?" He nudged. "You can tell me. I'm friendly remember?"
With a grudging expression, the youth gave a vague reply.
"The Roman Empire."
At this, Rainer's eyes gleamed and a slow, wide grin grew on his face.
"Perfect."
–––
Cormac arrived at the camp, stumbling through the wooden gate and palisade walls. Within were rows of white tents in orderly columns.
He looked around and saw armored soldiers in green tunics, putting out their cooking fires as they prepared to sleep.
"The slave!" Cormac yelled through heavy pants. "A daemon has possessed Lord Praefect's slave! Kotys is fighting it alone! I need reinforcements!"
"What!"
"A daemon?!"
"Where are the centurions? We should go, now!"
The soldiers yelled, clamoring to gather their weapons in anticipation of orders.
"Settle down!" A thunderous voice silenced the din, and a muscular soldier with a green-crested gallic helmet approached. It was an officer garbed in a worn lorica segmentata. He exuded a wild aura of dominance as he walked.
He soon stopped before Cormac and grasped firmly onto his shoulder.
Cormac shrank under the weight of his intense scrutinizing gaze, even though he was just as large as him.
"Optio Commius—"
"Is what you say true?" Commius interjected. "Did the slave really come back as a daemon?"
Cormac nodded, and the officer's face turned ugly. Then he looked around and yelled.
"Notify Decurio Sabazios, now!"
"Optio! The 2nd cavalry commander and his men just returned from a scouting mission!"
A soldier hurriedly reported, and Commius turned to him with a snarl.
"That is why I want him!"
–––
"Rome, eh? Who reigns now anyway?" Rainer curiously inquired, shifting into a more comfortable position.
"...Emperor Trajan?" Kotys informed with an odd expression, perplexed as to why this being would ask such a known question.
Rainer's eyes gleamed in understanding. "Ah! Trajan! That paranoid lad! So it's this era. I see now." He noted, gazing distantly into the sky with a smile.
"W-what are you?" Kotys questioned and Rainer snapped out of his reverie.
Rainer glanced up at him with an odd expression.
"I am not too familiar with the culture here. But I would prefer we introduce ourselves first... The name's Rainer." He offered with a smile.
"Rainer?"
It was the slave boy who spoke this time, confused with a subtle fury rising in his eyes.
"Yes. Rainer Manslayer."
Rainer said before turning back to Kotys.
"What about you, friend. What are you called?"
Kotys blinked back, apparently not expecting to be asked for his name. But he reluctantly answered anyway, thinking since the strange being had given his, it was alright to reciprocate.
"I am Kotys, son of Medokos, of the Thracian clan Sitalcian."
"Very formal" Rainer noted, looking pleased. "As expected from a clan of rulers."
Kotys looked deeply stunned but Rainer had already turned to the boy.
"What about you?"
The boy broke out of his thoughts and glanced at him with hesitation. But then he let out a sigh and muttered.
"Ho-Hoplite was the name our—my master gave me. But everyone either calls me Hops or Hopper. As it pleases them. It was never concrete."
"!?"
Rainer gazed at him with slightly widened eyes for a moment, and then he laughed.
"Hops, eh? Haha! I love that name! You can be my friend too!"
Hoplite was taken aback, and his face brightened subconsciously.
"Your... friend?"
Rainer nodded. "Yup! From your words, it seems like you knew the prior tenant of this body. But unfortunately, he's gone, and I'm here to stay."
"What are you then?"
It was Kotys who spoke this time, reiterating his question.
Rainer glanced up at him and grew thoughtful. Suddenly, he nodded to himself and revealed a grin.
"A patron of Rome! I'm guessing you are a Roman auxiliary milite. If so, be at ease! We remain friends!"
At this moment, the ground trembled under hoofbeats like wardrums as the neighing of horses reverberated in the distance.
Rainer glanced aside to see a turma, a squadron of thirty or so horsemen with torches that painted the night red, headed straight for him.
"Here comes the cavalry." He muttered to himself.
Kotys looked from the approaching turma and down at Rainer.
He bit his lips in contemplation for a brief moment and said.
"I think you should run. Whatever you are..."
Rainer seemed perplexed.
"Why? Are they not soldiers of Rome?"
Kotys' brow furrowed slightly at this question.
"They are, but—I do not think the officers would harbor a daemon."
Rainer looked up at him with a mischievous smile.
"It's a good thing I am not a demon, then."
Rainer turned toward the approaching riders with a small smirk.
'Given who I am, my experiences with Rome in other universes, and my vast combat experience. Rome should be thrilled to have me.'
He thought and looked away, back up to the sky.
'I just have to make sure I don't change the future too much by releasing advanced knowledge.'