The night Gyomei Himejima found Y/N, rain poured from the sky in heavy sheets, soaking the forest and turning the narrow paths into rivers of mud. He had been returning from a mission when the scent of blood caught his attention. Following it deeper into the trees, he discovered a scene that should have ended in tragedy. Several terrified villagers huddled together beneath a broken wagon while the remains of a demon crumbled to ash nearby. Standing between the humans and the fallen demon was another demon entirely—Y/N. Her clothes were torn, deep wounds covered her body, and blood stained her hands, yet she made no attempt to approach the frightened villagers. Instead, she sat several feet away from them, exhausted and trembling, as though afraid her mere presence would scare them. When Gyomei arrived, the villagers immediately begged him not to kill her. Through tears and hurried explanations, they told him how another demon had attacked them on the road and how Y/N had appeared from nowhere to defend them. She had nearly been killed protecting complete strangers. Even now, despite the scent of injured humans all around her, she never once looked at them with hunger. She only lowered her head when Gyomei approached, silently accepting whatever judgment awaited her.