"Attention! Monsters incoming!"

  Nark shouted, interrupting the various discussions aboard the wagon.

  "I see them! Over there! Southeast!"

  Fiora specified, standing up and pointing the index finger of her right hand at what looked like ogres.

  Are those ogres? They’ve got moss on their backs? And there are smaller creatures nearby armed with bows and arrows…goblins? Seems like it—though they look much more feral than the ones from our world.

  Ogres were of the same family as orcs. They were taller than two meters and had green skin, but lacked the pig-like features of their cousins. It wasn’t uncommon for the two races to band together and be considered the same by academies, but to say that ogres and orcs were the same species was objectively wrong. It was like saying that plains trolls and mountain trolls were the same. A greater mistake could not have been made, especially when facing such monsters.

  "Master, what do we do?"

  Asked Almodea, moving closer to her father. Internally, she sighed in annoyance—having to pretend to be insecure when she wasn’t was irritating. By now, she was used to calling him “Master” and had fully immersed herself in the role.

  "It's not for me to decide."

  He answered her, turning towards Fiora.

  “You're the boss. Alcina and I will give you full support.”

  Is Dad giving Fiora the lead? He probably wants to avoid internal conflicts...I think so.

  "Thank you, Amon! May I ask you and Alcina to clear the way for the group that's converging to the right?"

  Fiora drew her rapier and pointed it at the monsters, which were splitting into two groups: one heading toward them, to prevent the wagon from escaping, and one to the left, to encircle them in a pincer attack. They were unusually intelligent, perhaps thanks to the goblins. It was said goblins were skilled hunters, yet remained at the bottom of the food chain, so they would have been used as a secondary food source in times of low supplies.

  "Okay, no problem. Alcina! Wait for my directions, okay?"

  The young demoness nodded, ready to have fun. Amon, for his part, stepped off from the chariot and began walking toward the monsters.

  I wonder if they’re strong… I doubt it, but better check.

  “Those who advance will meet fear and death—understand?”

  The knight thundered, drawing one of his swords from the back of his armor.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Arrrrgh!"

  An ogre roared, raising its club to strike him. It was big and sturdy—enough to terrify any normal human—but to Amon it was just…

  Pathetic.

  He moved as fast as lightning and struck it in the belly, cutting the ogre in half.

  "I expected them to be weak, but not this weak..."

  He commented, surprised by the unexpected weakness of his opponent. He hadn't expected to cut an ogre in half without even trying.

  "Amon! Watch out!"

  Fiora's voice was heard, followed by a Thud. Another ogre had approached Amon and struck him from behind. However, the armor had absorbed the blow, resulting in nothing.

  "You're disappointing..."

  A second later, the Ogre's head rolled to the ground.

  The knight began swinging his sword, that was over six feet long, slaying anyone within range. Every now and then he glanced toward Fiora's group, to make sure they weren't in danger: their deaths were solely to his advantage, financially speaking at least, but he wanted to avoid causing casualties he'd later have to explain. If they died, it would be a stain on his resume as an adventurer.

  "Battle Art: Ability Acceleration!"

  Nark advanced on some goblins at high speed and instantly killed them with his two sabers. This was achieved by activating his Battle Art. However, the boy left himself open to a ranged counterattack. Some goblins noticed and fired arrows at him, but...

  "Insurmountable Fortress!"

  Roman shouted, leaping into the fray and raising his mighty shield to parry the arrows. Unlike Nark, he had used a defensive Battle Art, not an offensive one.

  "Thanks, Roman! I owe you a favor!"

  "No need, buddy!"

  "Stay focused! More are coming!"

  Nark and Roman would have gotten lost in conversation, but Fiora quickly brought them back to reality, then launched herself toward a group of goblins and ogres fleeing toward some trees. They had immediately realized they were at a serious disadvantage.

  "Danse des lames!"

  The woman screamed, moving at a crazy speed, it almost seemed like she was teleporting from how fast she was.

  "Let this be a lesson to you!"

  She declared, wiping the blood from her rapier after practically slicing her opponents to pieces. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice a goblin hidden in a bush, ready to pounce. Luckily for her, a fireball intercepted the little green creature, roasting it.

  "Thank you, little sister!"

  "Not at all!"

  The older sister thanked the younger one and charged into other monsters nearby, supported by Nark and Roman.

  "They are a well-organized group..."

  Amon muttered as he slaughtered the monsters before him.

  Roman defends his teammates' blind spots, Nark uses his abilities to eliminate multiple enemies, while Annie provides ranged support with spells. Fiora, on the other hand, is an expert duelist who acts as a wild card, able to defeat hordes of enemies or single targets with ease. They're not as powerful as my allies, but certainly have good skills.

  Even the monsters seemed to realize they had chosen opponents too strong for them, and began to flee in disarray. Almodeus laughed at this, then pointed his sword at the fugitives.

  "Alcina, it's your turn. Grant them the blessing of death!”!"

  Upon hearing the order, Almodea jumped in front of her father and raised the staff she held in her right hand, conveniently covered by a glove to hide the inhuman, demonic blush.

  "Of course, master! Chain Scarlet Lightning!"

  A beam of red light shot out from the staff, striking the fleeing monsters one after another, killing them in a single chain attack.

  "How did I do?"

  The demoness turned to her father with a pleased expression. She had studied some advanced magic and was now eager to learn the results of her studies.

  "Great job, apprentice. You were excellent!"

  “Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!”

  As Almodea celebrated her success, Almodeus turned to Fiora and noticed that she and the rest of the group were still fighting near the entrance to the forest.

  "All that's missing is a handful of fleeing goblins, nothing dangerous..."

  Wait, I sense something. They're not running away...

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  This is the last one...

  Fiora let out a deep sigh, pulling her foil from the skull of a dead goblin.

  "You did great, Annie! Great job!"

  She smiled at her sister, who came over to her, skipping happily.

  “Thanks! I love fireballs!”

  "Let's go back to the wagon, we have to..."

  Fiora suddenly fell silent.

  I hear something! We're being watched!

  "Ahhhhhhh!"

  A bang was heard, followed by a strong shockwave and Roman's screams. Fiora looked up and saw her companion being hurled into the air by a large stone club.

  "Annie, stay behind me!"

  She stood in front of her sister and raised her foil toward the thing emerging from the forest. It was huge, so big that it could move the trees just by valking.

  Probably the leader of the monsters we just slew: a plains troll! Its green skin and the fangs protruding from its mouth leave no doubt about it!

  "Annie, ready to throw Fire Ball! Okay?"

  She looked at her trembling little sister behind her, but gave her a serious look to reassure her. Annie needed to be strong, or they would never be able to defeat a monster of that caliber. Trolls possessed such powerful regenerative abilities that they could be considered immortal.

  Of all the Dark Jade monsters, they were the most feared. Their only weakness was fire or acid. Unfortunately, electricity, poison, and other effects had limited use on trolls. The same thing goes for cutting or thrusting weapons.

  Aside from dragons, trolls probably had the highest base stats of all the races in the overworld.

  "Fiora! I'll take care of it!"

  Nark roared, lunging at the troll with his two swords, but the monster easily take care of him with a single swing of the club. The boy's unconscious body was hurled away. He was alive, but out of action.

  "Nark! Damn moron!"

  Damn it! We were reckless! Even with four men, this would be a tough fight, but with Roman and Nark out of the picture, it's nearly impossible now!

  "Raaggh!"

  The troll targeted the two sisters, ready to strike.

  I can use the Parade Battle Art, combined with the Contre-Attaque Art to repel the blow and counterattack with the Lumière-Parade Combination Art. This is as long as the troll's physical strength isn't eight times my own or more.

  "Annie! Run!"

  The little girl reluctantly obeyed, while Fiora prepared to block the blow.

  "Raaggh!"

  Come on, you bastard! Attack me and leave the others alone!

  "I won't let myself down! No one will hurt my family again! Battle Art: Parade!"

  A purple aura surrounded Fiora as she parried the blow with her foil. The ground beneath her feet cracked under the troll's immense strength. It was a sight to admire.

  "I must...Resist!"

  She began to move backwards. Her sore muscles were getting even heavier.

  It's...Too much! I can't take it! Annie...Sariphi...Forgive me!

  Her tactic was failing.

  "Raaggh!"

  The troll broke through Parade's defenses, kicking Fiora and throwing her violently against a tree. He broke her a leg and some ribs, but her armor allowed her to survive.

  I failed, as always... Damn, it hurts!

  "I-I have to...Get up..."

  I can't do it, the blood is blurring my vision, I feel faint...

  Fiora cursed her weakness. One blow had been enough to knock her down. A single, miserable blow...

  "Tsk...Getting eaten by a troll! I hope you gorge yourself on my flesh and choke to death..."

  She watched the monster raise its club, ready to finish her off. Even though she was dying, Fiora smiled. Her sacrifice had bought Nark and Roman enough time to escape, or so she hoped.

  Why does it always end like this? Why am I always the one who has to risk dying? Is it because I'm the leader?

  Among adventurers it was said that everyone knows how to give orders, but only true leaders know how to sacrifice themselves for others.

  "Dark Bind!"

  "Rahhhhg?!"

  What?

  Fiora opened her eyes. Black tentacles had sprouted from the monster's shadow and were trapping him. Not even a mountain of muscle like the troll seemed capable of freeing himself from that grip.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  What kind of spell it is?! I don't think it's level 3 or lower...Could it be level 5? Absurd!

  "Hey! Is everything okay, Fiora?"

  She turned the head and opened her eyes in shock. The beauty before her was completely out of place in that circumstance.

  Alcina? How did she get here? I haven't even heard her moving closer...

  "Good. I am good..."

  She tried to laugh, but coughed up blood, staining her boots. It was likely that the broken ribs had punctured one of her lungs.

  "...But I was better.”

  She turned to Alcina, who smiled at her and leaned down towards.

  I envy her calm, as if there weren't a troll ten feet away. He's paralyzed, true, but there's no telling how long this state of immobility will last.

  "Heal!"

  As soon as Alcina said the words, Fiora felt her wounds heal and the blood stop flowing from the cuts, which slowly closed under the influence of the spell. Heal was a level 3 spell, but even with that, The effects it was having on Fiora were too great to be a single healing spell. Could Alcina have cast others without the vocal component? Or was it due to a magical item?

  "Don't worry, everything will be fine! The Master will take care of this monster without any difficulty! Here! I'll give you a hand up!"

  Alcina held out a hand and helped Fiora to raise her feet. The magic had healed her, but Fiora's legs were still weak, so she leaned on the taller girl. She was surprised by the other girl's physical strength. Alcina She was skinny as a stick, without any muscle definition or even mass, yet she was easily holding up a woman like Fiora, who was fully armored.

  I didn't realize how skinny she was, she looks like skin and bones. The only place she has any flesh is... oh god! What am I thinking!

  Fiora had to summon all her strength not to look at Alcina's chest, which was just inches from her face, given the difference in their heights. The sorceress was thin, except for her ample breasts, which rivaled those of the most beautiful women in the Empire.

  "Y-You say?"

  Fiora tried to answer, trying to start a conversation to distract herself from those two large protuberances that were just below her eyes.

  "I don't doubt Amon's strength, but that troll is a whole different story than the ogres and goblins."

  Alcina just smiled at her words.

  Her smile is too beautiful, with her usual almost childlike confidence. I don't know how old she is, but her beauty surpasses that of any woman I've ever met...

  "I know! Let's enjoy the show, shall we?"

  Show? Her confidence borders on madness! If I weren't hurt, I'd have made a scathing quip, but "pour l'amour du ciel” if I find her contempt for danger attractive.

  "A show? Of course...Why not?"

  She commented, watching Amon advance toward the troll, still pinned down by the tentacles. The knight's black armor gleamed in the setting sun. Very heroic.

  I wonder what his real face looks like? I don't know why, but only now did I start wondering...

  Fiora reasoned, before being moved by Alcina, who was holding her up without any problems.

  "Ready? Master is about to start the show!"

  Alcina seems very confident in Amon's victory…It's almost contagious.

  "Yes...Let's see, come on! Now you've made me curious!"

  She turned to Amon, who raised his black sword and cut the troll in half with disarming ease.

  “But…It’s impossible!”

  Fiora opened her mouth in shock. She'd sensed Amon was strong, but couldn’t believed him to be that strong. Defeating a basilisk with one blow was one thing, but a troll? It was hard even for Diamond-rank adventurers, considered the pinnacle of humanity.

  "See? That was easy!"

  "The last word has not been said yet...."

  Fiora replied, pointing to the troll. The beast's wound began to boil and its skin regenerated, bringing the fight back to the beginning, the only difference now was that the monster was free, and furious from the pain Amon had inflicted him.

  "Raaaaaaaagh!"

  With a roar, the troll raised his club and attempted to strike Amon, but he parried with the sword, without any difficulty.

  "Unbelievable! He's using only physical strength?! With no abilities that diminish the troll's or increase his own?!"

  "My Master is great, isn't he?"

  "I have no doubts! I immediately understood he was strong, but I never imagined he would be at such a level..."

  Fiora was visibly surprised. The display of strength she was witnessing was something no human could have achieved.

  Amon is amazing! Is he even human? He's holding his own against a 10-foot troll with no problem, but...

  "Unfortunately, this fight isn't just about strength, Alcina. The troll's regenerative ability gives him a significant advantage, and Annie is too scared to use her fire magic effectively..."

  "Oh, I know! That's why I'm here, I'm just waiting for the signal..."

  "Signal? What signal?"

  She asked, turning to Amon, still confused by the other's sentence.

  “Ehhh?!”

  To her utter surprise, in the short time she'd been distracted from the knight, the troll had been reduced to a mass of limbs and parts, currently regenerating. She could see the still-functioning internal organs stitching themselves back together.

  "Now, Alcina! Let's get rid of this troll..."

  The knight thundered, turning his back on his opponent, as if the troll wasn’t even there. No one would ever behave like that.

  "I'm ready, Master!"

  Alcina smiled and pointed her right index finger at the mass of flesh, with her usual amused expression on her face. She, too, was behaving in a completely unnatural manner compared to a normal adventurer.

  "Dark Flame!"

  Dark Flame? It's a 5th-level spell and one of the most powerful of its kind! If Annie is a prodigy, this girl is a monster...a tremendously attractive monster.

  Fiora mentally scolded herself for that last part, then watched as the dark flames conjured from nowhere reached the troll, still regenerating from the fight with Amon. The flames denied the monster's healing factor and ended his life amidst excruciating screams and pain.

  I never imagined I'd feel sympathy for a troll... Alcina is a monster... A beautiful, childish monster. Whait...Am I still thinking about this?!??!!? I really need to rest a bit.

  "How nice! It looks like a hamburger!"

  The sorceress commented, watching droolingly as the troll burned. She seemed genuinely interested in eating it.

  Now I understand why Nark hits on her every five seconds. She's tall, strong, beautiful, friendly, and cheerful...Sariphi would have adored her, even if her type of woman was more stoic and quieter, with more muscles than brain. How we used to tease her for her tastes.

  She was lost in her lost sister's memories, when a voice brought her back to reality.

  "Fiora, are you and your group okay?"

  "Yes, Amon. Thank you for everything! Without you and Alcina, we would be dead..."

  She bowed slightly. She owed this man, and his beautiful apprentice, their life. She secretly hoped he wouldn't be disappointed by her group's poor performance; it would be a blow to the heart.

  "I'm glad. May I make a suggestion?"

  The knight replied, his voice almost bored.

  "Certainly..."

  She raised her head, anxiously awaiting the answer. Fiora feared a reprimand for risking ruining the mission.

  "I recommend we set a camp here, the sun's setting now. Even if we arrive tomorrow morning, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

  She watched the sunset and began to think; they did indeed have plenty of time. The three deliveries had to be made within eight days. The first two had taken five; one more or less wouldn't have changed anything.

  "Yes! That's a good idea...Leave the four of us to set up camp! You and Alcina can get some rest, you deserve it!"

  Amon nodded, then turned his back on the woman and began walking away.

  "Amon..."

  Fiora called him, almost instinctively. She felt extremely guilty for having to let him resolve the situation. Even though they were teammates, she felt like she'd done something wrong.

  "I want you to know that my group and I are indebted to you and Alcina. If you need a favor in the future, just ask us..."

  I wish I could do more. My wounded pride forces me to do everything I can and beyond to repay our savior. Even if, in the end, he only did what he was paid to do...

  "Thank you, Fiora... I was just doing my duty. We're allies now, aren't we? If you need us for future missions, contact us..."

  Did he make himself available to us? I'm pleased about that, it means he wasn't disappointed by our performance.

  "It will be done! It would be a pleasure for us to continue traveling with you..."

  Amon nodded and returned to the wagon, informing the others of Fiora's decision.

  Fiora sighed and looked up at the sky, which was slowly darkening to make way for the night.

  Why do I feel so useless?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The construction of the camp was completed in record time.

  Everyone gathered around the fire to eat: some were laughing and joking like Alcina and Fiora, some were eating in silence like Amon and Roman, and some were already asleep like Annie. Nark watched Alcina with his usual love-struck expression, but remained silent, knowing that Fiora wouldn't hesitate to silence him, with words or with her fists.

  After we finished eating, the group chatter began. At first, it was just silly jokes or stories from the past, but soon the conversation took a more interesting turn:

  "The Black Terror Forest?"

  Almodea's voice distracted Almodeus from the fire. He turned to his daughter, who was listening to Fiora, still intent on speaking.

  "Yes! It's a small grove said to be inhabited by terrifying monsters. Have you ever heard of them?"

  "No.…"

  Almodeus watched the discussion between the two and smiled, pleased with how his daughter was settling in.

  She's made a friend, good... However, it should be obvious by now that we're not from the area. We don't have a basic understanding of the local legends, much less their customs and traditions. We need to address this problem.

  Eager to learn more, he decided to join the conversation.

  "Sorry for our ignorance, Fiora. Unfortunately, I've never been a fan of legends, and so I haven't passed many of them on to my apprentice."

  This way, it'll seem more like my fault. The goal is to get Fiora to bond with Almodea; the two certainly get along very well. The more Fiora trusts her, the more information we can get.

  "Don't worry, Amon! It's not your fault. The Black Terror Forest is just an Imperial legend that has recently resurfaced after some adventurers disappeared there."

  A faded legend recently resurfaced? Strange, something smells off here...

  Almodeus's eyes widened under his helmet, considering his next moves. Something didn't add up. Could it have something to do with their arrival? Or was it all a coincidence?

  "Where is this forest located?"

  "Near the city of Arel, it is not far from the border between the Empire and the Kingdom, as well as the closest civilized area to the cursed land of Mort..."

  "Cursed land?"

  Almodea preceded her father with her question, extremely curious.

  "Exactly! The Plains of Mort are used by the Empire and the Kingdom as a battlefield for annual skirmishes, along with the Plains of Vit. The first is a border area that neither faction cares about because, due to the large number of deaths caused by the wars, the land has begun to spontaneously generate zombies and low-level undead. This is why the city of Arel is full of adventurers and has one of the largest Guilds. Someone will have to eliminate those undead if they get too close to the villages, and who better than mercenaries paid to do the dirty work?"

  "Returning to the Black Terror Forest, could you tell us more, Fiora?"

  The woman paused for a moment, as if trying to take all the information and fit it into a single sentence.

  "I don't know much, I've never been a fan of legends... But I can tell you that, recently, many adventurers have disappeared in that forest. And we're not talking about mere Copper or Iron rank ones, but even Gold and Emerald rank ones!"

  Interesting. So it's clear there are one or more monsters in that forest. Powerful creatures for this world standards, maybe I could pay them a visit...Making them submit should be easy.

  Almodeus reasoned, before going back to listening to Fiora.

  "Do you know what makes it all the more disturbing? The fact that, unlike in the past, the adventurers' corpses are being found in nearby towns and villages, with creepy smiles plastered on their faces..."

  The knight opened his eyes in surprise, all hidden by his helmet.

  Did She say smiles on their face? It reminds me of someone…

  "What does public opinion think?"

  "Unfortunately, I don't know. From what I've gathered from barroom gossip, some people blame the Four Jesters..."

  The Four Jesters? Who the hell are they? Please don't tell me they're just four clowns who decided to have a fancy name.

  "The Four Jesters? Who are they?"

  Almodea asked, as curious as her father.

  "They're also a legend. It's said they're a sort of association of demons, in service of the demonic rulers. I don't know if you are aware, but behind the mountains that separates the Theocracy of Reia from the rest of the continent lies the Demonic World and the Bashad Federation..."

  Other countries? I need to know more!

  "You've found us unprepared once again, Fiora. I don't know about the Master, but..."

  Almodeus nodded, pleased with how Almodea was acting. Everything was going as planned.

  "Don't worry, Alcina. There's no need to apologize! Anyway, beyond the mountais lies the Bashad Federation, a union of all the human kingdoms in that area, perpetually at war with the Demon Kingdom, or should I say Kingdoms, plural..."

  "What do you mean?"

  Fiora shook her head and drank from her mug.

  I hope she's not getting too drunk...

  "You should know that the Demon Kingdom is divided into three, with essentially two rulers: the Demon Lord and the Demon King. Then there are the 12 Archdemons, so called because they are said to be beings of very great power! They are an independent group, each ruling their own territories as they see fit. I can't tell you anything else; both the identity of the Demon Lord and the Demon King are kept secret. I couldn't even tell you if they are male or female. Information in the Empire is scarce; it's not exactly the most reliable of the nations, you know?"

  Amon nodded. So far, he'd only heard negative things about that state and was starting to lose interest in Nexia.

  Wrong or not, I'll have to do some research back at the Fear Tower. This Demonic Realm could become a problem in the future. For now, I'd say to ignore it; it would be foolish to wage war against powerful opponents without knowing anything about them. Victory is certain, but the number of casualties we might suffer isn't.

  He had to know more. Lack of information was the first step toward total destruction.

  "Fiora, sorry to butt in, but why are the Four Jesters thought to be responsible for the disappearances in the Forest of Terror?"

  "No problem, Amon! After all, it's natural not to know much about demons.I don't know either, but I've heard that they're considered the culprits because they have a colorful style of action. They're brutal and are capable of killing powerful adventurers or even torturing them! They're beings drawn to chaos! It's said that they once almost awakened a very dangerous entity just for fun, though there's no certainty. In my opinion- these are just camp stories..."

  Almodeus nodded, then sighed in frustration. He kept thinking about that irritating acquaintance of his and the stupid laughter which always accompanied him.

  I need to know more. I'll give Sergio orders to gather information. But for today, I can consider myself satisfied. There's only one village left, a few hours away. Almodea and I first adventure is almost over, but we've accomplished much more than I thought, and yet...I have no idea how much longer we'll be able to stay hidden.

  He took the spoon and held it to the opening of his helmet. He didn't need to eat, but it would have been suspicious not to do so.

  Acting is fun…But it's still so damn hard!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The city of Arel was fortified, as it was located near several forests, including the Dark Jade Forest, notorious for the various monsters that attacked nearby villages. Besides serving as an outpost for battles against the Ashen Kingdom, the citadel was also an excellent starting point for adventurers. As one of the few fortified towns, the nobles buried their families in the main cemetery, which boasted over 7,000 graves. The city's mayor made a profit from this; maintaining a cemetery in half-decent condition cost him very little, while he earned a lot of money from the Empire's nobles. The only real expense was the guards, but he usually recycled them by stealing them from the city patrol. This diminished the city's security, but with the corruption rampant in the Empire, it didn't really matter.

  A man descended into what appeared to be an underground library, located beneath the central mausoleum of the city of Arel. He approached one of the volumes open on a table, the "Book of Life," and reread the same page for the hundredth time, to ensure the spell he intended to cast was correct.

  "We're almost there..."

  He muttered, looking at two masks that were absorbing negative energy using a spell. One of the two masks depicts a smiling face, while the other an angry one.

  With this energy, I will be able to meet the requirements to use one of the strongest spells in the Book of Life and summon...

  "Hey! Desmy! How are youuuuuu?"

  The man, knew that female voice well. He sighed in boredom and rubbed his eyes exhaustedly.

  If she wasn't so powerful and useful to my plans, I would have already killed this crazy woman!

  "What do you want, Camille? Can't you see I'm busy?"

  He complained, not hiding the irritated tone in his words. The blue-haired woman behind him noticed it, but simply laughed in his face, then threw a couple of severed heads at his feet, with a sneer still lingering on her face.

  "I know you're busy, Desmy. But I wanted to tell you that I did what you asked! I killed a hundred people and their negative energy is being absorbed by your vials!"

  "And was there any need to waste my time telling me that?"

  "No, obviously not..."

  The girl mocked him, shrugging her black cloaked shoulders.

  "But...You know Desmi, I've been asking around and it seems the Theocracy is sending a large force right here in the Nexia Empire ..."

  At those words, the man opened his eyes and gasped. A drop of sweat, mixed with terror, rolled down his right cheek. The Theocracy wanted them dead. They were fugitive members of the Scriptures of Discord.

  "What? N-No...You don't think they know about my plan, do you?"

  The girl, much calmer and more carefree, shrugged and simply laughed.

  "I have no idea! However, I am sure that if our former leaders send élite soldiers, it means that there is something big cooking, eh eh!"

  She laughs and it pisses me off! So much so that I want to tear out my black hair!

  After escaping the Theocracy, Desmond had become the leader of a secret cult. His goal was known only to himself. He had been cautious. How had the Theocracy, specifically the Twelfth Cardinal, discovered his plan? How much did they know? Did they know what monster he wanted to summon?

  -These were the questions that were plaguing his mind.

  "Don't you understand the gravity of the situation?! I don't have enough energy to launch my plan yet!"

  "Relax, Desmy! I'm here, the illustrious Camille! I'll defend you until you've done everything, okay?"

  This girl is an idiot!

  Despite being his ally, Desmond knew Camille was only helping him for fun. Beneath that smile lay a depraved monster who loved to demonstrate her strength over the weak. She was, after all, the Theocracy's expert torturer.

  "You don't understand! If they find us, I'll never be able to summon who I want! I think it would be better to call your sister Catherine, or Esdeath, as she calls herself now, and... "

  He stopped suddenly. One of Camille's daggers was suddenly at his neck, and he could feel its cold blade on his skin. He was frightened.

  When she got this close?! She's this close to slitting my throat! Shit! She's so close I can see her sadistic, perverted eyes!

  "Ah-Ah-Ah! Don't mention my big sister's name! You know very well that I don't like when someone mention people who are stronger than me!"

  "Y-Yes, however...You should know that with her we would have a slight chance against an Elite Theocracy team!"

  The man stammered. Camille pulled the dagger away from Desmond's neck and began walking toward the mausoleum exit, visibly irritated by the truth in the man's words. Her sister Catherine, or Esdeath, as she called herself now, remained one of the strongest humans known. She was said to be the most powerful of the Bashad Federation, second only to the "Martial Goddess," the strongest known human, who served the Northern Empire, also known as the Holy Empire of Lumes.

  "We don't need her, period!"

  With that, the woman disappeared up the stairs, leaving Desmond alone.

  "What a troubled and troublesome woman..."

  The man snorted, returning to his work. He didn't have a moment to waste.

  Only one mask remaining. I will find it, and he will come to me!