Vlad and Thomas stepped into the ruined mansion and found Sera and Noctura lying exhausted on the blood-streaked floor.
Look who's here.
The male silhouette already seated on the floor tilted its head.
If it isn't me. Well, bye.
The newly arrived male silhouette gave a lazy wave and vanished, leaving its counterpart alone once more.
Now then, what happens next?
"You two okay?" Vlad asked, hurrying over.
"Clearly not." Thomas said, gesturing at the blood pooled around them. "Maybe you should heal them."
"Right. I'm on it." Vlad knelt beside the women and froze when his eyes landed on Sera.
Her clothes had been torn in several suggestive places during the fight, revealing smooth skin, the curve of her chest, and her toned thighs. He stared for a long moment, his face flushing faintly.
"Any day now." Thomas prompted dryly.
"Right!" Vlad startled, snapping back to reality.
He used High Heal on both women, closing wounds and easing their fatigue. Once they could stand, the group climbed through a gaping hole in the mansion's roof to survey the destruction below.
Sera's breath caught. "I can't believe this…"
"It looks worse than I imagined." Thomas added quietly.
Vlad stood in silence.
The once-proud city of Grimveil was now little more than rubble. Not a single survivor could be seen, heard, or even sensed.
Noctura's legs gave out at the sight. She dropped to her knees, her hands covering her tear-streaked face as she finally grieved.
Vlad knelt in front of her. Gently, he took her trembling hands and looked into her eyes.
"I'm sorry you had to endure something like this… twice," he said, his voice steady yet soothing. "I know it won't erase what you've lost, but I promise you—I will kill the Demon King. No human should ever suffer what you have. And no one ever will again. I swear it."
To Noctura, it wasn't just a promise. It was a truth that was yet to manifest. For the first time since her uncle's death, she felt a flicker of real hope.
She leaned forward, resting her head against Vlad's chest. He wrapped his arms around her without hesitation, holding her protectively.
If it's him… If it's the Hero—no, Vlad, then maybe it's okay to have hope again. "I'll place my trust in you, Vlad." she whispered, a small, genuine smile breaking through her tears.
"Thank you for believing in me, Noctura." he replied softly, smiling with quiet warmth. It was a smile born from successfully comforting someone in pain. That was all he could do at this moment.
Sera watched the scene with a tight knot in her chest. She hid her unease well—except from Thomas, who silently patted her back in quiet comfort.
Later, Noctura gathered every piece of her uncle she could find. With the help of her new allies, she buried him in the heart of the city, right where the shattered statue of the first Assassin Head once stood.
With nothing left to hold her there, she joined the party on their mission. They returned back to the pickup truck—that was still in great condition despite all the chaos thanks to Vlad's Holy Barrier spell.
Sera quietly took the back seat with Thomas, leaving Noctura in the passenger seat beside Vlad. Vlad noticed a subtle shift in her mood but chose not to get into it at the moment.
Wait... the male silhouettevoiced, having realized something. Now that I think about it, I'm going to be seating in the cargo area once they recruit someone else. Well, it is what it is. Itsighed with resignation. Then again, I could just shrink down and seat inside the cup holders.
As the pickup truck pulled away, Noctura gazed out the window, whispering her final goodbyes to her second home and the people who had given her a second life.
Shortly after leaving Grimveil, the dashboard monitor chimed. Vlad accepted the call.
[Good afternoon, Vlad.]
"Priest Ignis. Greetings."
[There has been an urgent change of plans.]
"Did something happen?" Vlad asked, concern sharpening his tone.
[I recently encountered a demon—]
"What?! Where?! When?! How?!" Vlad blurted, startled.
[Calm down. As you can see from me still being alive, the situation has been handled... Sort of.]
"Do you mind explaining?" he asked.
[One of my agents found it first, but that's no longer important.] Ignis paused. [A demon in the form of a teenage girl appeared in the Sacred Church looking—]
"Sacred Church?!" he cut in, his body tense and worry in his tone.
[Relax. We have verified that Saint Cecilia is alive and well. She also doesn't seem to be under any spell's affects.] Ignis assured.
Vlad let out a sigh of relief, his body finally relaxing once more. "Thank you. And forgive my interruptions."
[It's no problem. I understand your concerns.]
"Thank you."
[That said, it seems as though one of her personal servants has disappeared. We don't know how long she's been missing, but after further investigation, we found out that her entire family is gone as well.]
"Could it be that the demon did it?"
[We suspect as much. Perhaps it took her to find information such as when and where to find the Saint, or possibly even you. But that theory is unlikely—given the fact that the demon had only spent a short amount of time in Divinia, before leaving once more.]
"Is it possible that the demon may have hid its presence?"
[Unlikely. The presence it released—when it was still here, oozed out unrestricted. It's as if the demon didn't care about being noticed or not. That's how I was able to instantly tell that it had appeared.]
"I see." Vlad nodded. "This is very troubling."
[Indeed. For now, we can only continue our investigation until we uncover more information.]
"Alright, I understand."
[Anyways, as I was saying before, the demon claims that it has switched sides and wishes to help you defeat the Demon King. It even says it can assist you with infiltrating his castle.]
To think, we were just there not long ago. Sera thought with a slight worrisome expression. If it had chosen to attack, and I wasn't there to help, then the civilians, the staff as well as my students, all of them would've been in danger.
If it is indeed a demon, then why does it want to kill The Demon King? Could this be a trap? Then again, I'm sure a priest of The Sacred Church would've caught on to this and acted accordingly if that were the case. Thomas thought in silence. Still though, why? And why now of all times? Given the recent information we know about what the demons have been up to, it can't just be coincidence.
Is he asking us to work with a demon?! After all the suffering they've caused us! Does he really expect us to do something like that?! Noctura wondered, fist clenching the kunai inside her chest pocket.
A demon that switched side? I doubt that something like that is possible, but I can't completely dismiss the idea as well. Just as there is a majority of people who don't commit sins, there are still a few who do. Perhaps this demon is an outlier? Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Regardless, there's only one way to find out.
After a moment of contemplating, Vlad finally spoke.
"I see… Can we trust her?"
[Never trust a demon, Vlad, no matter the situation. For now, just use it to gain entry into The Demon King's castle, then eliminate it once the job is done.]
That makes sense. "Alright, I understand. Where do we find the demon?"
[It's already on its way to meet you. It mentioned heading towards the Holy Lake.]
"Holy Lake? That's not far from here. We can reach it in a day if we push it."
[Excellent. I expect great results.]
"I won't disappoint you."
[I'll call you again for an update.]
"Understood."
The call ended.
"If it's going to the Holy Lake, then it's probably after the holy water." Thomas mused.
"Can a demon even touch holy water?" Noctura asked.
"They're usually weak to it." Sera replied, still staring out the window.
Much like how humans were weak to demonic energy, demons were weak to holy energy.
Vlad shrugged. "Maybe it has another reason to go there. Something that could help us reach the Demon King's castle."
"You don't actually believe that the demon is on our side, do you?" Thomas questioned.
"Even if it's trying to trick us," Vlad started. "If it can get us inside the Demon King's castle, then I don't care about any of that. I'll just kill it along with its master."
"I'm right there with you." Noctura voiced.
"For now, let's focus on meeting this demon." Vlad added.
"Alright then," Thomas said, "We'll find out more when we get there."
"Buckle up." Vlad suggested.
Sera snorted. "We just fought a spider demon half to death. You think a car crash could finish us?"
Vlad chuckled, slightly dejected. "Fair point."
"Cut him some slack, will you?" Thomas whispered. "You and I both know he's far too oblivious to realize what he did—if it can even be considered a bad thing."
"Hmph." Sera responded with a small pout, a hint of embarrassment creeping in at how easily Thomas had seen through her feelings for Vlad.
Still, guilt tugged at her. She couldn't ignore how harshly she had reacted to the way Vlad treated Noctura. After all, he had only been trying to comfort her.
The pickup truck swerved onto a new road and accelerated toward the Holy Lake, located deep inside a dark cave at the base of an unremarkable mountain hidden within a dense forest.
Why is everything located in a dark cave? Why not on top of a mountain? Or simply inside a forest of some kind? Whatever, I'll just change it if it looks boring. The male silhouetteshrugged, not wanting to argue anymore.
Using his Holy Detection spell, Vlad easily located the site. They parked near the cave entrance and ventured inside on foot. They traveled through a tunnel.
Glowing yellow moss lit the walls and ceiling with an ethereal glow. Vlad led the way, Noctura and Sera in the middle, and Thomas guarding the rear.
Then, the tunnel shook.
"What was that?" Noctura asked, glancing around.
"An earthquake?" Vlad suggested.
"No earthquakes have ever been recorded near here." Noctura said.
"Wait," Vlad raised a hand. "I sense dark mana."
"A demon?" Sera asked.
"Most likely the one Priest Ignis mentioned." Thomas replied.
"Stay alert. There's probably trouble ahead."
They pressed deeper. The tremors grew stronger and more frequent the deeper they went, until they eventually reached a massive door with glowing runes carved along its edges.
Massive door? Glowing runes? It's the same as before! Fine, I'll do it myself. The entrance is now an oval shape—that splits in a zigzag line in the middle like a cracked egg, to open a path.
I know that the design has no ties with what's inside, but at least it's much more interesting than a giant door with glowing runes on it. Oh, I guess it also has glowing runes in it, but who cares about that.
Sounds of violent combat echoed from the other side of the partially opened door.
"On my mark," Vlad said.
The others nodded.
"Now."
They burst through the door, weapons and spells ready—only to freeze in stunned silence.
A man with light brown hair stood casually nearby, extending his hand with a tired but friendly smile.
"Hello. You must be the Hero. I'm Rowan."
Vlad shook his hand, still processing the scene. "I'm Vlad."
"That's… quite the calm reaction to meeting the Hero." Thomas noted.
Rowan gave a wry laugh and pointed toward a golden shimmering lake, where a teenage looking girl was locked in fierce combat with a massive, thrashing squid.
"These past few days have been… quite eventful. Very little surprises me anymore."
"Should we help?" Vlad asked, already stepping forward.
"There's no need to trouble youreselves," Rowan said, waving him off. "That demon can handle itself. Trust me."
"Even if you say that—" Vlad insisted.
Sera folded her arms. "If he says it's fine, then let the demon handle it."
"But—"
"Don't forget, that's a demon." Noctura added quietly.
Rowan patted Vlad's shoulder. "Just watch. You'll see what I mean." I can't believe I'm actually talking to the Hero himself. Runa is never going to believe this. he thought in excitement.
That's right. Remember, Vlad, she may look human, but she's still a demon in the end. I almost let my Hero instincts take over for a sec.
The group settled onto carefully placed stones near the water's edge. Rowan offered a bowl of pastries and juice boxes.
"Snacks?"
They accepted, still watching the fierce battle unfold.
"How did you end up here?" Thomas asked.
"And why?" Vlad added.
Rowan sighed. "It's a long story…"
As he began recounting the chaotic chain of events that had brought them to the Holy Lake, the demon girl continued her desperate fight against the giant squid—seemingly at a disadvantage, yet refusing to yield.
In the shadows, two silhouettes faced each other.
You know the drill. The female silhouette said.
Yeah, yeah. Later. The male silhouette responded.
With a casual wave, the male silhouette vanished.