Chapter 111
The journey unfolded right after a quick maintenance check.
With few injuries to delay us, I could tell something was off just by the way he was moving.
Seeing him repeatedly calling out “Plauros” and moving with some special intent made it clear that he was up to no good. If we weren’t careful, a new demon could emerge.
“Let’s head out first.”
Though our destination was the same, we decided to set off separately, just like last time.
Be it the Knights or Lemegaton, they were opposing factions after all.
Thanks to Andras, we were momentarily refraining from crossing any lines, but had he not been a demon, we might have clashed already.
“Just in case, don’t pull any funny business. If you do, I’ll be sure to execute you first before any demon gets a chance.”
“Hmph, don’t worry. We have no intentions of doing that this time. In fact, we’re a bit more wary of you. Who knows, you might hit us from behind during combat…”
“What? What do you think of us Knights? I trust them more than a whore who sold herself to a demon by giving up her mage tower.”
“…What?”
No kidding, I felt as if we might clash at any second…
“Enough. Let’s move out.”
Fearing the tension would escalate to an actual fight, I hurriedly got my Knights moving.
Thus, the short journey began.
Our formations were really simple.
The Knights were in the lead, our party was in the center, while Lemegaton took the rear.
It wasn’t because we feared monster attacks or anything… It was just that everyone gathered here was high-level enough to handle pretty much any monster without a hitch.
The real reason was simply that… we didn’t want to see each other’s faces. As seen just moments ago, we were on the brink of fighting.
So we walked a couple of hundred meters apart, on paper at least.
And “on paper” meant we could skirt around that rule a little.
“How long till we reach our destination?”
“Well, I heard that if we push ourselves, it should take about two days…”
While I was walking across the plain, chatting casually with my party, I suddenly noticed Sephir and Niki approaching from behind. Surprised, I asked them,
“What? Didn’t you guys decide to walk from the back?”
“Yeah, but it felt inefficient after thinking about it,” said Sephir.
“Since our destination is the same and there’s no real danger, why walk so far apart? We’d just end up delaying our joining in during battle.”
“Well, that’s a fair point…”
I made an awkward face for a moment. Truthfully, moving together felt uncomfortable, and I feared it might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings if the Knights saw us.
What if they mistook us for allies?
“Don’t worry, I get the concerns you have. When the Knights come, we’ll just keep our distance for a bit.”
But that thought only lasted briefly, as I soon found it alright.
Besides, I had questions I wanted to ask them, and Sephir seemed to have something she wanted to say, too.
“Alright.”
Thus, two new faces joined our party temporarily.
Although the journey would only last two days, it certainly wasn’t an easy one.
No, if anything, it was quite a struggle since we were chasing down a fleeing individual.
To conserve our energy, we had to invest every moment we weren’t eating or sleeping into walking.
As such, we didn’t have much time for chit-chat, but at least I could grasp a few curiosities.
And the first thing I noticed was Niki’s change in attitude.
The one who usually growled at me was suddenly quite silent.
“…What?”
“…What, why are you looking?”
Even when our eyes occasionally met, she quickly diverted her gaze.
I couldn’t help but be perplexed.
‘What’s going on…?’
Did something change about her that night when I handed over the holy water? I mean, she did almost confess her feelings and start crying then, so it’s understandable she’d feel embarrassed.
Unfortunately, that was as far as my thoughts could go before other questions flooded my mind.
As I traversed the cracked ground, I posed questions to Sephir.
“By the way, that guy Andras mentioned someone called ‘Amon’…?”
Sephir was unusually quiet.
“Who is this Amon? Is he the king of the faction you mentioned?”
Contrary to my expectation of her withholding information, Sephir answered sincerely.
“Yes, you’re right on the mark. He’s the king who rules the western region of the Demon Realm.”
Seventh-ranked, Lord of Fire, Amon. Sephir continued to elaborate.
“He’s particularly violent and powerful among the demons. The lands he oversees are ablaze, as he is a demon closely affiliated with fire.”
“So that’s why you said you didn’t want to be part of that faction.”
A sudden curiosity hit me—where on earth did she acquire such information?
But I didn’t bother asking. I figured she wouldn’t divulge her sources anyway.
Either way, that was one curiosity resolved.
The other was about her. Odelia had clearly referred to her as the ‘Mage Tower Master’.
‘I figured she’d be strong, but…’
I never imagined she would be the Mage Tower Master.
The Mage Tower was a significant structure found in magic nations outside the Empire. It’s where countless mages gather, develop, and grow.
Sephir was its leader. Well, it makes sense that someone of her caliber wouldn’t just lock themselves in the world of darkness.
“Curious about my story, are you?”
Did she read my mind? She opened her mouth first.
“Surprisingly, I was debating whether to ask seeing as it seems like a touchy subject.”
“Well… it’s a story everyone worth knowing already knows. And I can only imagine the Knight Commander will put his own spin on it when I return…”
That was a fair point. Stories are often tinted by the speaker’s perspective—she was no exception.
“Well, it’s not a particularly special story.”
She said she hails from a magic nation, and she was the novice Mage Tower Master of the White Mage Tower.
Young and one of the promising geniuses.
Thanks to this, she attracted a lot of public attention, but soon, she and numerous mages from the tower suddenly disappeared.
This caused quite the upheaval at the White Mage Tower, gaining much public curiosity for a time.
As time passed and she became more of a forgotten figure… she suddenly reappeared as a key figure in Lemegaton.
“That’s about it. Just that, I appeared suddenly as a criminal, so I’ve been catching some flak…”
It was indeed an ordinary story. I might’ve felt differently had I not already known she belonged to Lemegaton.
However, there was one thing that puzzled me.
Why had she abandoned a secure position to join a group like Lemegaton?
It seemed like an uncomfortable life filled with constant chases from soldiers.
Curious about it, I asked her, and she replied,
“Well… one day, I heard a proposal and thought, wouldn’t it be more advantageous to join Lemegaton?”
“Advantageous in what way?”
She took a moment to catch her breath.
Then she spoke,
“The chance of survival.”
That was a rather profound statement.
Hearing that, I nodded vaguely.
It seemed she was one for the end-of-the-world theories.
I wished to continue the conversation, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.
Bang…! Boom…!
Suddenly, a clash echoed up ahead.
No need to ponder, Andras, the one who fled, had finally appeared.
We immediately ran forward to assess the situation.
As we neared the source of the commotion, the first thing we saw was a burning tree.
Despite being charred black, the flames that clung to its exterior were those of an unquenchable, peculiar fire.
Andras was frantically digging up the ground nearby.
As if yearning to reunite with a long-lost beloved.
“Aha! There you are. My beloved! My fiancée!”
However, it seemed he hadn’t completely dug everything up yet. We barely managed to catch up to him.
Of course, the Knight Commander wasn’t just standing there watching either.
As soon as he spotted him, the Knights desperately tried to stop him.
They swung weapons at Andras, aiming for his body.
But the problem was, he ignored such attacks and kept digging instead.
As a result, while Andras suffered more wounds, the hole he was digging only grew deeper.
And that wasn’t all.
“Cough, what is this heat!”
“Fireballs are rising from the ground!”
With every scoop of dirt, flames shot up from the ground.
As if his magic resonated with the earth itself.
Seeing this, we rushed to intervene.
But it seemed we were already too late.
Before long, the space hidden beneath the ground appeared.
A flat stone floor engraved with peculiar designs, an altar.
“…Arise.”
As soon as the altar emerged, he sprinkled his blood upon it.
The blood he had shed through injuries rapidly absorbed into the ground. Like it was famished for magical energy, the altar gleamed with light as it devoured the magic in the blood.
“Arise and dance with me once more; let’s rekindle our romance. My beloved, together with the will of Amon, let’s set this world ablaze.”
“We have to stop this!” Sephir shouted, feeling the urgency. But it was already too late.
The summoning of the altar was remarkably swift. Soon, another demon would emerge through the portal.
Wuuuuumm!
The beloved Andras sought so fervently.
The demon Plauros… appeared, a female resembling a leopard.
Her body, barely covered by rags, and golden hair reminiscent of Andras, with one distinct difference from humans… beast-like claws.
Before despair could set in, I was first hit by confusion.
‘Wait a minute… beloved?’
But why on earth was she also female?
Andras was a female demon too, so it seemed odd that Plauros was of the same kind.
For a fleeting moment, unbidden thoughts arose within me.
That concept soon solidified into certainty.
“Ahhhh! Finally, we meet, Plauros!”
“It’s been such a long time, Andras…”
As soon as they laid eyes on each other, they embraced with overwhelming joy. The two demons’ ample chests squished together. Well… an embrace, that much was fine.
But then came the next part.
“Let’s kiss, Andras. Though the circumstances aren’t ideal, we must share a token of our reunion, right?”
“Ah, of course. Let’s make it stick until the whole world melts away.”
*Sluuurp, Sluuuurp…*
In the midst of a frantic situation, the squelching sound of saliva echoed throughout.
Transparent threads stretched thin and then collided, repeating the cycle.
Watching the surrounding party, their expressions soured momentarily.
“Ugh…”
“Eww…”
But that didn’t affect me as I gazed at this surprisingly thrilling spectacle.
“Oh…”