"Say... Darling, what's your name?" Leon asked with a smile.
"I-I-I-I am... Darling?" The lady asked with a red face as blood started coming out of her nose.
"Umm... I think you have a nosebleed. Here wipe it." Leon spoke as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her.
"T-Thank you... Sir." The lady spoke as she started wiping her nose with one hand.
"Should I let go of this hand, so you can do-" Before Leon could've completed his sentence, she turned her hand and grabbed his hand even tighter.
"No... No need, sir. I can easily do it with this hand alone." She replied with a smile as she completely wiped off the blood.
'I need to keep my seducing intensity low or she will die from nosebleeds.' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
"So... What's your name?" He asked.
"O-Orina... But, you can call me anything." She replied with a smile.
"So, Orina... Do you get out of this Inn or do you just stay inside all the time?" He asked with a neutral expression.
"No, No... Ladies under twenty-five aren't allowed to go out of the houses without their husbands." She replied immediately as she started rubbing her fingers against Leon's hand.
'I have this feeling that, I have to ask her questions fast or I will be the one who will end up getting harassed.' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
"So... Who makes this rule? Your king?" Leon asked with a smile.
"Umm Yeah, but if seen closely... all the laws of our kingdom are truly made by the church and Mother Marie. The king just announces them for us." Orina explained.
'Obviously... It's the demonic church that's controlling this kingdom, the king is just for show.' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
"Why is there so much strictness in your kingdom anyway? I came in and they were checking everyone. Did something happened in the past?" Leon asked with a smile.
"That..." Orina started speaking but stopped as she started thinking something.
'First rule of seduction... Never give them the time to think.' Leon thought as he immediately raised her hand and kissed it.
*Chuuu*
"You have really beautiful hands... You know." Leon spoke with a smile.
As soon as he kissed her hand, Orina's face turned red once again.
"M-M-My hands are beautiful!??" She asked with a smile.
"They are... So, you were telling me why is there so much strictness in your kingdom." Leon spoke with a neutral expression.
"I-I can tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone... Can you promise me that?" Orina asked with a serious expression.
"Yeah, sure... It will be just our little secret." Leon replied with a smile as he kissed her hand again.
"Aaahhhh~ you are so cute~ okay, so listen... You see five years ago there was this nun in the church, she pretended that she was an orphan and got adopted by the church but the church found her real identity."
"What was her real identity?"
"They said she was a spy sent by another kingdom to destroy our kingdom. Then they tortured her and found out that there are many more spies living in our kingdom as normal people.
That's when mother Marie decided to increase the security of our kingdom. She called the huge army of guards and now they help us in protecting the kingdom. They check everyone and ask questions so no spy can enter inside our kingdom." Orina explained.
"What happened to the spies that were caught?" Leon asked.
"They were stripped off their clothes and the king made them walk throughout the whole kingdom in order to set example for any spy who is still hiding. You know I saw one of them and he was shouting...'You are all working for demons and you will die a horrible death, run for your lifes', I think he was mentally unstable or something.
The guards killed him immediately." Orina spoke with a neutral expression.
"I see... So, if someone wants to work in the church what qualities do they need?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.
"I don't think anyone can work in church... They do a through inspection on your past and choose-" Suddenly Leon grabbed her head and kissed her on the lips.
*Chuuuuuuuuuu*
"Mnmmmm~" He sucked on her lips without any stops.
'The presence has returned but only one of them. I had to shut her up, if she kept talking the spy would've known that I was asking questions about the kingdom.' Leon thought in his mind as he sucked harder on her lips and continued for the next one minute.
After one minute, he slowly let go of her lips and noticed that Orina's head is spinning from the loss of oxygen.
"Are you alright, darling?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.
"N-N-N-"
"No?"
"N-Never better." Orina replied as a wide smile appeared over her face.
"Well, I don't really feel like eating anymore. How about you eat it for me?" Leon spoke with a smile as he walked out of the kitchen.
"Tasty..." Orina spoke as she continued to lick her lips in a trance.
...
Leon walked back upstairs and noticed that the spy didn't follow him this time.
He slowly entered inside Vesper's room, while checking if the spy is still behind him or not.
"Vesp- What did you do?" But as soon as he entered inside, his eyes widened in shock and confusion.
Vesper was sitting on the bed with a smile on her face, flipping her hourglass up and down.
In front of her stood a girl in her twenties, she wore a nun'd dress but her black veil was lying on the ground and blood was coming out of her head.
She had a very hateful and angry expression on her face.
"Master... Look what I caught. Someone who was trying to spy on us." Vesper spoke with a smile as she placed the hourglass on the table and rubbed her fingers together and suddenly the blood coming out of the spy's head increased.
"Now, Now... Calm down with the magic. We can't kill our precious guest." Leon spoke as he closed the gate and walked upto her.
The nun looked young in her twenties and she had blue eyes with brown hairs.
"What's your name?" Leon asked with a smile.
"Fuck you..." The nun replied with a very angry and irritated expression as she looked at Leon.
"Isn't she a tough one? No matter what I asked her, she only said those two words everytime. I was thinking of giving her a death so merciless even the souls in purgatory will feel sympathy for her.
But, then I thought why not interrogate her first and that's when you came into the room master." Vesper explained.
"You shouldn't be so rough with ladies like her, Vesper. She is one of the god's messenger or demon's..." Leon spoke with a smile as he immediately used his skill on her.
[Name: Runa A. Sunrig]
[Class: Assassin]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 52]
[HP: 60000/60000]
[MP: 120000/120000]
[Description: Runa was the third daughter of a five star nobel family, but due to her father's treason against the kingdom, they were all kicked out and left alone to die.
Runa lost her mother and sister to hunger and her father committed suicide. She was left alone and while stealing food from a merchant's wagon, the guards captured her and she was ready to be sold to a slave firm.
But as her luck turned out the merchant was coming to the Vergas Empire and Mother Marie paid full price to the merchant in order to take her into the church. Although she gained her loyalty by making her believe that she is not a slave and a respected nun of the Church, there is a demonic seed planted deep into her mind that will explode and kill her if she tried to open any of mother Marie's secrets.]
"Give me ten more minutes with her master. She will be speaking like a parrot. I will give her so much pain that-" Before Vesper could've completed speaking, Leon interrupted her.
"Her name is Runa..." As soon as Leon said this, Runa's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh my... Her eyes talk more than her mouth." Vesper spoke with a smile as he she looked at her.
"Runa A. Sunrig... The daughter of a five star nobel family, am I right darling?" Leon asked with a smile as he looked at Runa.
"How do you-"
"Your family was kicked out of the kingdom because of the treason your father committed. Your mother and little sister died because of hunger and your father committed suicide.
You were captured by a merchant and..." As Leon kept speaking, the stubborn look on Runa's face completely vanished and a completely confused and scared one took over.
"That's when the church declared you as a full fledged nun and you are here right now because mother Marie ordered you to come here and spy on us.
You also have a spy partner but I guess she now knows that you got captured by Vesper and she went back to report this incident to mother Marie, right?
That's why I can't feel her presence anymore. You are a spy yet I know more about you than you should know about me. How many times did she tried to commit suicide by cutting of her own tongue and chocking on it?" Leon asked with a neutral expression as he turned to Vesper.
"Too many times, master. She doesn't care about her life even one bit. I had to bind her upper and lower jaw with blood binders to stop her and even then she tried to choke on her own drool." Vesper spoke with a neutral expression.
"Well, I think-" Before Leon could've completed his sentence, loud screeching noises came from outside the Inn.
*SCREEEAAAAACHHHHH*
"Hmm...?" Vesper immediately walked upto the window and noticed that it was none other than Mother Marie herself on her chariot.
"What?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"The one named Mother Marie is here, Master." Vesper replied with a smile.
"Isn't that fascinating. Let's see what she has to say about you. Vesper lock her tongue, I don't want her speaking in front of her dear mother Marie." Leon ordered with a smile as he touched Runa's face and walked out of the room at once.
"Yes, master." Vesper replied as she flipped her hourglass and rubbed her fingers together.
As soon as she did this, Runa's mouth was closed shut.
....
*Click*
Two guards opened the Inn's door and mother Marie entered inside with a neutral expression on her face.
As soon as she entered inside, she noticed the Inn keeper and her daughter greeting her while bowing down in front of her.
"M-Mother. I greet you."
"Mother, I greet you."
"Stay blessed. Where are the guests?" Mother Marie asked with a neutral expression as she looked at the Inn keeper.
"Second floor, first room." The lady replied instantly.
"Good." Mother Marie replied as she immediately started walking upstairs.
She slowly raised her neck to look up and noticed that Leon was looking down on her from above with a neutral expression on his face.
"Are you the butler of Miss Vesper Von Valris? Barry Allen?" Mother Marie asked with a smile as she looked at Leon.
"I am Madam." Leon replied with a neutral expression as he nodded.
"I need to talk to your mistress, convey the message."
"She is already waiting you for you-"
*Click*
Suddenly Vesper walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"I am Vesper Von Valris and If I am right, you might be the Head Nun of the church, mother Marie." Vesper spoke with a smile as she looked at Marie.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Just call me Marie." Mother Marie spoke as she raised her hand for a handshake.
"I am sorry, but I don't like handshakes." Vesper replied with a neutral expression.
'I choose the right one to come with me this time.' Leon thought as a smile appeared over his face.
"Ah... It's understandable. You are the lady of a noble house, I won't question your habits. Should we go inside your room?" Mother Marie spoke with a smile as she lowered her hand.
"Sure but I must warn you... there is an un-invited guest inside my room." Vesper replied with a smile as she immediately turned the hourglass in her hand upside down and suddenly the room's door opened up.
*Click*
Runa walked out of the room, her body working against her will as she walked upto Vesper and stopped.
Her eyes immediately lowered in shame, in front of mother Marie.
"She was spying on me and got caught. Then I tried to interrogate her a bit-" Before Vesper could've completed her sentence, Marie cut in between.
"Did she say something?" She asked with a curious expression.
"That's the strange thing about it... She is rather tough and willing to die instead of revealing anything about who sent her." Vesper replied with a neutral expression.
"She is wearing a Nun's dress code but when we asked her if she is from the church, she didn't reply." Leon spoke with a neutral expression as he looked at Marie.
"Do you know her, Marie? Because if she is one of you-" Vesper started speaking with a smile but before she could've completed her sentence, Marie interrupted again.
"Never seen her before. You should kill her or I will for disturbing the stay of my guests." Mother Marie replied with a neutral expression.
As soon as these words came out of her mouth, Runa immediately looked at her with wide eyes.
'A compromised asset is a dead asset. I had this possibility in mind that she will not acknowledge her at all, but I also thought that she would ask to take her back to the church for more interrogation.
Right now it appears, she wants to eliminate the loose end immediately.' Leon thought as a smile appeared over his face.
"We will kill her, but I will torture her first. She dared to attack the lady of Jackson household. We will be taking her back to and-"
*Cough-Cough*
Before Leon could've completed his sentence, Runa started coughing silently as her mouth was sealed by the technique.
"What the-!?" Vesper spoke as her eyes widened in confusion.
*THUD*
Suddenly Runa fell down to the floor and her whole body started shaking violently, blood started coming out of her mouth and suddenly she stopped moving.
Leon walked upto her and slowly placed two fingers in front of her nose.
"She is dead." He spoke with a serious expression.
"But... How?" Vesper asked with an utterly confused expression.
'The demonic seed in her mind must've exploded, she wanted to confirm her death in front of her eyes. That's why she came here. Haa... She is one hell of a bitch.' Leon thought with a neutral expression as he walked away from Runa's corpse.
"Looks like she committed suicide. Must've been the orders from her master or something. May God bless her soul and she find peace." Marie replied with a neutral expression.
"That's not possible she can't committ suicide, my technique-"
"She died by committing suicide, ma'am." Leon replied with a neutral expression as she cut Vesper mid-sentence.
As soon as Vesper heard this, she immediately went silent.
"The butler is right. You should listen to him." Mother Marie replied with a neutral expression as she pointed towards Leon.
"Ma'am... You should take rest now. I will take care of the body." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
"No, No, No... Please, you don't have to do it. You are my guests, it's my responsibility to take care of you... Guards." Mother Marie spoke in a loud voice as she called out the guards.
Two guards immediately rushed upstairs and picked up the body at once.
"I will get some guards to stand outside the Inn as a safety measure and I promise you, this will not happen again.
As an apology for this, here I will give you this." Mother Marie spoke as she gave a small card to Vesper.
"I also don't like it when people hand me things, butler." Vesper spoke with a neutral expression as she looked at Leon.
"Yes... Ma'am." Leon replied with a neutral expression as he took the card from Marie.
As Leon looked at the card he noticed that it was green in colour and completely blank from both sides.
"What's this? A green card?" Vesper asked with a confused expression.
"Yes, it's called a green pass. If you showed it to the guards, you will be allowed inside without any questions and you will be able to stay in the kingdom as long as you want without spending a single penny. I owe you this much after such a disgraceful incident." Mother Marie replied with a neutral expression.
"Oh that's a good card then." Leon spoke with a smile.
"Indeed you will get the best service once you show this card to any guard. I apologise for the inconvenience once again, madam." Marie replied with a smile as she looked at Vesper.
"Apologies accepted, Marie. You can also come to the Jackson household anytime and you will be more than welcomed." Vesper replied with a smile.
"Oh, I will be more than happy to come but right now we are just so busy with the arrangements of the Deremein's Festival that I can barely leave the church." Marie replied with a neutral expression.
"I have readed about that festival in a book, it's celebrated because on that day the Elf king Deremein Slayed a very strong demon who had enslaved a whole kingdom under him and used to torture them in order to generate negative emotions, so he can get stronger.
I can't seem to remember the name of that stupid fucking demon..." Leon spoke as he pretended to be confused.
'...I know his name, I just want to hear it from her mouth.'
"Rup-Er Trolin." Marie replied as she stared at Leon with an almost angry gaze.
"Yeah that was the name." Leon replied with a smile.
"They say that demonic powers peak at midnight during that day." Vesper replied with a smile.
"You should stay and celebrate the festival with us... I promise you it will be very interesting. Just four more days to go." Marie replied with a neutral expression.
-x-X-x-
Leon and Vesper are now sitting inside the room, completely silent.
"Master... There is no way she could've died from suicide in that state, every single muscle in her body was-"
"I know... It wasn't suicide. The demonic seed that Marie planted in her mind exploded when she confirmed that Runa hasn't spoken anything yet." Leon replied with a neutral expression as he stared into the room's mirror with a serious expression.
"I knew something wasn't right. It was not possible to commit suicide under my technique." Vesper spoke with an irritated expression.
"What are you thinking master?"
"There is a chance that Marie is trying to summon back that Rup-Er Trolin demon. The patterns are similar, a Kingdom being controlled by demons and people living in fear.
She is just a minion who is trying to summon back her master from the depths of hell and she will succeed if not stopped." Leon replied with a neutral expression as he stood up from the chair.
"Ah... I understand now, so you want to stop her from summoning that demon, save the humans living in this kingdom and become their hero, right?
That's a very good plan." Vesper spoke with a smile as she looked at Leon.
"That's not the plan... Let's go, we are leaving." Leon spoke with a smile as he immediately walked out of the room.
"As you command, Master. But shouldn't you take some rest? It's been three days since you last slept." Vesper spoke as she immediately stood up from the bed and started walking behind Leon.
"I can go on for a week without any sleep, let's go." Leon replied as he walked down the stairs and noticed that the Inn keeper was roaming near the Inn's exit.
"S-Sir... M-Madam... a-are you heading out for a night walk?" The Inn keeper asked with a scared expression.
"Yeah sure." Leon replied as he started walking towards the door.
"P-Please sir... Listen to me, no one is allowed to go out after nine. These are very strict orders from the church and our king." The Inn keeper explained.
"What?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Is there something wrong outside?" Vesper asked with a neutral expression.
"I-I don't know. I never went outside after nine, but I can tell you this... If you go out, you won't be able to come back." The Inn keeper replied with a sad expression.
"What the-" Leon walked upto one of the window that was near the gate and noticed that it was completely covered in vapours and nothing was clearly visible outside.
"It's summer right now... Right?" Leon asked a he looked at the Inn keeper.
"I-It is, Sir. "
"Then why is there so much fog outside?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"The outside is not safe for travel right now." Suddenly another sound came from behind.
Leon immediately turned around and noticed that Orina is standing there with a neutral expression on her face.
"Orina... What are you doing here? Go back inside-"
"Mother they need to know this or they will go out anyways and I can't see this happening to someone else." Orina spoke with a serious expression.
Leon immediately walked upto Orina and grabbed her hands tightly.
"What is going on outside?" He asked with a serious expression.
"There are things outside..." Orina replied with a scared expression.
"What things?"
"We don't know anything about them. They roam the Kingdom after dark and if we stay inside the house, we will be safe. God and church protects us from them." She spoke with a neutral expression.
"Demons..." Vesper spoke with a smile as she looked at Leon.
"What?"
"Come with me." Vesper spoke as she looked at Leon.
Both of them walked upto the window, away from the Inn keeper and her daughter.
"Master... The demon guards. They protect the kingdom in day and hunt at night." Vesper spoke with a smile.
"What?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Yes... I was thinking of this since the moment I saw those demons, they are Rodons. Rodons are very stubborn demons and they don't work under anyone, but they are gambling addicts.
The deal between them and the church must be something like,'Protect the kingdom in day and hunt at night', that's why they are doing this." Vesper explained.
"The church is telling people to stay inside but the Rodons are allowed to kill those who are found outside after nine.
They are gambling their chances to find someone after dark." Leon spoke with a neutral expression.
"Since everyone believes that the church is protecting their houses, they never question them." Vesper replied with a neutral expression.
"Well then... want to go on a demon hunt?" Leon asked with a smile as he pulled out the Nyxter from his inventory.
"Oh my... Are you asking me for a date, master?" Vesper asked with a shy smile.
"Very well then, we are going out." Leon spoke as he immediately walked upto the gate.
"S-Sir... Please don't-" Before the Inn keeper could've completed her sentence, Leon opened the gates.
*Click*
As soon as he opened the gates, cold air entered inside and everything outside was covered in white fog.
"All the best, Sir." Orina spoke with an emotional smile as she looked at Leon.
Both of them stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
*THUD*
...
*SNIFFFFFFFFFF*
"You smell that?"
"Oh I do smell it. Looks like the dinner tonight will be a feast."
"Who dares to come out at this hour?"
"I smell two near the Inn."
"The guests of Mother Marie."
"Should we kill them?"
"We can leave the lady and kill that butler..."
"You are right, Whoever kills him with the final blow gets to eat his head."
"Let's go."
....
Leon and Vesper walked towards the Kingdom's exit,
"It's cold out here." Vesper spoke with a smile as she looked around.
"How did they ever managed to create such cold fog in-" Before Leon could've completed his sentence, he felt a presence in front of him.
"Master..."
"I know, I sensed them too. There are more than thirty and all are coming from different directions."
-x-X-x-
The crossroads were choked by a fog so thick it felt like cold, damp velvet pressing against the skin. Visibility was practically zero to naked eyes, yet the heavy, suffocating air carried the unmistakable stench of rotting meat and wet copper.
They were surrounded.
From every dark alleyway and obscured corner, faint rustles and rhythmic, heavy breathing echoed through the mist.
To the naked eye, the crossroads were empty. But Leon's eyes gleamed with a faint, predatory light as his pupils were thin slits.
Through the veil of his passive skill, the fog peeled away like cheap parchment. He could see them clearly, dozens of hunched, towering silhouettes forming a perfect, suffocating ring around them.
"Master... Don't you think there are a little too many?" Vesper asked. Despite the grim numbers, a playful, borderline eager smile danced on her lips.
With a swift, practiced flick of her wrist, she closed her umbrella. The fabric collapsed seamlessly, the mechanism shifting with a sharp metallic click as it transformed into a deadly, razor-thin blade that caught the faint moonlight.
"No..." Leon spoke softly, his own smile mirroring hers. His hand gripped the hilt of his weapon, pulling it from its scabbard with a crisp sound.
*swish*
The dark, polished steel of Nyxter tasted the night air.
"You are brave, aren't you? Unsheathing your sword with no fear in your eyes and even smiling?" A voice boomed from the mist, heavy and grating. The fog parted reluctantly as a towering figure stepped into the faint glow of the crossroads' dying streetlamp.
His upper half was deceptively human, muscular, scarred, and imposing... but his lower body was similar to a massive lizardman, covered in thick, obsidian scales that scraped against the cobblestones.
Rising from his spine was a row of jagged, blood-red spikes that seemed to pulse with a faint, malicious energy.
Leon's gaze locked onto the demon.
[Name: Vagalis]
[Class: Rodon]
[Race: Demon]
[Level: 75]
[HP: 170,000 / 170,000]
[MP: 80,000 / 80,000]
[Description: Vagalis is the leader of the Rodons in the Vergas Empire. He is currently bound by a demonic contract with Mother Marie. If the contract is broken for any reason, the disobedient party will be executed immediately.
While Vagalis possesses immense physical strength, he is highly vulnerable to magical attacks. However, his body has been conditioned over decades to withstand and endure extreme magical trauma.]
Leon chuckled, the sound cutting through the tense silence. "Protecting a kingdom in daylight and hunting the same people at night?"
Vagalis grinned, revealing rows of serrated teeth. "Well... We have to eat. It's not like we can survive on air alone. I was actually thinking of leaving that woman behind you alive for... later. But since you already know so much about us... killing you both is the only way now."
As if on cue, the shadows came alive.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."
"MORE FOOOOOOOD...."
"HEHEHEHEHE.... I WILL EAT HERRRR."
"DELICIOUS MEATTTTTTT...."
The hidden Rodons erupted into a chorus of manic, distorted laughter that rattled the windows of the nearby houses. The sound came from all directions, a cacophony of hunger and malice designed to break a man's sanity.
But Leon didn't flinch.
"Pftt..." A small chuckle escaped his lips, cutting through the demons' roaring laughter.
Vagalis' smile soured, his reptile tail slamming against the ground.
"Hmm...? You think we are funny or something? Or do you think this is all some kind of bad dream that you're desperate to wake up from?"
"I am sorry," Leon said, his shoulders shaking as his chuckle grew louder, deeper, and entirely unhinged. "I just can't hold it back anymore... Hahahaha!"
The laughter echoed off the cobblestones. The sheer absurdity of a human laughing in the face of a demon, shattered Vagalis' patience. His expression hardened into pure rage.
Reaching behind his back, he gripped the longest, sharpest spike protruding from his spine.
*Tip*
With a sickening tear of flesh and a spray of dark blood, he ripped the bone-blade free, pointing the dripping, jagged tip directly at Leon's forehead.
"I always knew humans were stupid, but I am just seeing it firsthand. Whatever. Just die for-"
Vagalis choked on his words.
Leon looked up. The manic laughter had vanished, replaced by an abyssal stillness. His eyes were entirely dark, devoid of light, reflection, or humanity.
Looking into them felt like staring into an endless, crushing void. A sudden, visceral wave of discomfort washed over Vagalis, freezing the blood in his veins, even though he was a demon he was still feeling overwhelming fear.
"Last Rise, First Form..." Leon's voice was a low, resonant whisper.
He moved Nyxter. The blade traced a slow, deliberate circular pattern through the damp air. It left behind a mesmerizing cascade of silver afterimages, carving a perfect ring of light into the darkness.
The world seemed to slow down. The laughter died instantly. Every Rodon in the fog froze, their eyes wide, completely ensnared by the hypnotic flow of the blade. Even Vesper, standing right behind him, fell into a deep trance. Her breath hitched, her body entirely exposed, her mind entirely captivated by the dance of her master's blade.
As the sword completed its loop, the silver afterimages fused. To Vagalis, it no longer looked like a sword—it looked as if a brilliant, full moon had suddenly descended from the heavens to shine right in front of his eyes.
"...Full Moon Rise."
Leon brought the sword down in a flawless, vertical arc.
*Swish.*
There was no resistance. The edge of the blade cleaved through the air and Vagalis' thick, scaled neck as if it were a hot knife passing through soft butter.
"W-What?" Vagalis mumbled, his vision tilting rapidly as he stared at Leon's cold, unbothered expression.
*THUD-THUD.*
Their leader's head bounced once against the cobblestones before rolling into the gutter, his massive body collapsing forward into a pool of thick, dark green fluid.
The sheer kinetic force of the strike exploded outward. A violent gust of wind erupted from the point of impact, tearing through the crossroads and violently blowing back the heavy fog for blocks.
Suddenly, the shroud was gone. Revealed in the dim light were dozens of Rodons, completely exposed. They stood paralyzed, their faces twisted into expressions of absolute horror and disbelief as they stared at the headless corpse of their apex leader.
"Anyone else who wants to try their luck?" Leon asked. A psychotic, dangerous smile spread across his face as he flicked his wrist, sending a line of green blood splashing off Nyxter's edge onto the stones.
*SWISH*
Without a single word, the shadows blurred. The remaining Rodons scrambled backward into the dark alleys, fleeing so fast they left nothing but the whistling wind behind them.
'When a man comes with an army, just kill the man. The army will get frightened on their own,' Leon thought, his smile softening into a satisfied smirk. He slid Nyxter back into its sheath with a clean click and turned to look at Vesper.
Vesper hadn't moved an inch, but her state was entirely altered. She was staring at him with a flushed, heavy-lidded, almost lustful expression. Her fingernails were dug so deeply into her own palms that they were leaving sharp indents, and her teeth tightly bit down on her lower lip, pressing hard enough to draw blood.
Leon blinked, his psychotic aura completely evaporating into genuine bewilderment.
"What's wrong?"
"Master..." Vesper breathed out, her voice trembling slightly as a tight, breathless smile formed on her lips. "Why couldn't you be born two hundred years ago?"
Leon rolled his eyes slightly, turning his back to her. "Not now, Vesper. Let's go."
"Y-Yes, Master," she replied quickly, shaking off the residual trance. She tapped the handle of her weapon twice. The thin blade seamlessly collapsed and widened, reverting back into an elegant, ordinary umbrella.
Stepping over the dissolving remains of the Rodon leader, the two figures walked side by side through the cleared crossroads, heading directly toward the massive entrance gates of the Kingdom.
-x-X-x-
Leon and Vesper walked out of the Vergas Empire's gate and noticed that the gate outpost was completely empty.
"Looks like they ran away from the kingdom." Vesper spoke with a neutral expression.
"They are scared and confused. That's problem of creatures who work on other's command. Once you kill their commander, they don't have anyone to take commands from." Leon replied with a smile as he placed two fingers from both hands into his mouth and whistled loudly.
*PHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*
"What are you doing, Master?" Vesper asked with a confused expression.
"Oh yeah... Your work is finished for now. I will call you later." Leon spoke as he used his skill.
As soon as he used the skill, Vesper dissapeared immediately.
"Wait... Where the hell is that imp? I sent him to scout the forest exit and didn't see him after that." Leon thought with a confused expression and suddenly a window popped up in front of him.
[Note: User can recall the summons using {Summoner's Pocket} even if they aren't in sight.]
'Wait... The system can hear me? And isn't that a super powerful skill if I can recall them from any distance? I can just send them on errands and call them back when I please.' Leon thought with a neutral expression as he tried it out immediately.
"Summon back the imp." Leon ordered.
[Calculating distance from the host...]
[Calculations Completed. Imp will be summoned back in 9:59.]
'Ah... So it calculates the distance between me and the summon then teleports it back in the time that it would take the summon to come back to me. Oh well, still a good skill for direct teleportation.' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
*SWISH*
Suddenly a very swift blow of air hitted Leon's face as he noticed that Dusk was standing right next to him and on her back was Kurai, her eyes closed and she was holding onto Dusk's fur tightly.
"Master..." Dusk spoke as he immediately bowed down to Leon.
"Let's go home, Dusk." Leon spoke as he immediately picked up a stick from the ground and used his skill on it.
Stick glowed golden for a split second before returning back to it's original state.
"Home..." Leon spoke in a low voice as he placed the stick on the ground.
*Thud*
The stick immediately fell down to the ground and pointed towards the north.
Leon picked up the stick and jumped onto Dusk's back.
"Let's go." He ordered with a neutral expression as he grabbed Dusk's fur.
"Yes master." Dusk replied as his fur started glowing blue and he dissapeared instantly, leaving a blue trail of light behind him.
...
Inside the Demonic Church, Top floor...
Inside Mother Marie's room, she is using a black stick with small spikes to comb her long hairs, while sitting in front of a big mirror.
"Who is my good girl?" A deep, malicious and inhuman voice resounded from the mirror.
"I am master's good girl." Mother Marie replied with a smile.
"Tell me what happened with the new guests?" The voice asked.
"They are normal but powerful... The lady caught one of my best spy and tried to interrogate her."
"What did you do?"
"I went there immediately and confirmed if she had spoken anything yet or not. She didn't utter a single word, I can tell from her expressions."
"Then what did you do?"
"Killed her on the spot." Mother Marie replied with a smile as she looked at the stick and noticed not even a single strand of her hair has broken off.
"They didn't suspected anything about her clothes?" The voice asked in a confused tone.
"They did... I just blamed it on some other Kingdom's church. I think they will leave the kingdom tomorrow. Should I do something master?" Mother Marie asked with a smile.
"No, No... I don't want any problems for the next four days. Once the-"
*KNOCK-KNOCK*
Suddenly, a loud knock was heard on the door.
"Who dares to visit me at this hour? When I am spending time with my master." Mother Marie asked with an angry expression as she immediately stood up and covered the mirror with a red velvet cloth.
She then walked upto the gate and opened it.
*Click*
"Who-!?" Suddenly her eyes widened in shock as she noticed a Rodon standing on the gate.
"What the fuck are you doing here so late at night? And why are you inside my church? Where is Vagalis? I want to talk to him right now." Mother Marie spoke as she looked at the Rodon with an angry expression.
"Here..." The Rodon spoke as he pulled out a bag from behind.
"What's that?" She asked with a confused expression.
The Rodon immediately turned the bag upside down and Vagalis' head rolled out of it.
*THUD*
Marie stared at the head with a serious expression as her eyes widened in shock immediately.
"W-What happened?" She asked as she looked at the Rodon.
"Come inside... Both of you." The voice resounded from inside the room.
"Come..." Mother Marie spoke as she called the Rodon inside and closed the door behind him.
*Thud*
Mother Marie immediately walked upto the mirror and removed the red velvet cloth, only to reveal a pure dark smoke and two red eyes shining brightly in between the smoke.
"Sir..." The Rodon immediately bowed down.
"Who did it?" The voice asked.
"Her guest." The Rodon replied with a neutral expression.
"The lady of the Jackson household?" Mother Marie asked with a serious expression.
"Fuck the lady... Her butler was even stronger than her. No... He was stronger than all of us combined.
His sword moved in a way that he could've killed all of us in that one moment and we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves.
He beheaded our leader in such a clean way that even our leader didn't saw it coming. If that's how strong a human can-"
"Shut up... You are all just incompatible of anything. You fucking idiots. Everything will remain the same for the next four days, you will become their leader and protect this kingdom just like before.
You can hunt openly after four days as confirmed in the deal." The voice shouted in an angry tone.
"A-A-As you command, Sir."
-x-X-x-
Two moons shinden brightly in the sky and stars covered the whole sky creating a majestic view of the night.
Cold air is flowing smoothly throughout the grass fields.
...
*STEP-STEP-STEP-STEP-STEP-STEP-STEP*
As Dusk ran through the open grounds, Leon sat on his back with his eyes closed, sleeping peacefully. Kurai is laying back against Leon's stomach and she is also in a deep sleep.
'Hmm....? Master is asleep and it's forest in front. I should slow down for now. Too many turns can interfere with master's sleep.' Dusk thought as he immediately slowed down.
He slowly entered inside the forest and continued running slowly and smoothly.
...
As dusk moved forward, he noticed that not even a single monster was crossing paths with him.
'This is odd... My senses have either gone blank or something is not right. Why can't a sense a single monster nearby?
Something is not right here... Is this the Gorgon Forest? The last time I was here, it was filled with humans and monsters, what's happening here? Should wake up master? Or should I just increase my speed?' Dusk thought with a confused expression as he continued running.
And suddenly, Dusk decreased his speed as he saw a black human shaped silhouette standing in between two large trees.
'Is that a human? Why can't I feel any living presence coming from him? It's not an undead, there is also no rotting smell or anything like that.
What the hell is that thing?' Dusk thought with a serious expression as all of his senses started to go wild and the fear of unknown took over him, his steps halted completely.
"Master..." Dusk spoke in a low voice.
"I see it. Don't worry, your fear woke me up immediately." Leon spoke with a smile as he looked at the strange shadow and used his skill on it.
[Name: Rock Statue]
[Description: A statue made out of rock.]
"A statue in the middle of the forest? Who placed a statue here?" Leon asked as he slowly let go of kurai and laid her down flat on Dusk's back.
*Hup*
He then jumped down from his back and started walking towards the statue.
*Shhh*
Suddenly Leon's eyes widened in caution as he summoned Nyxter from his inventory and unsheathed it.
He took a step back and took a defensive stance.
"What happened master?" Dusk asked with a serious expression as he looked at Leon.
"That's not a fucking statue... I just saw it's finger move." Leon spoke with a serious expression as he used the skill once again.
[Name: Rock Statue]
[Description: A statue made out of Rock]
'What the fuck is that? Is it hiding it's real status from the system? But how?' Leon thought with a serious expression.
"Awww... Did I got caught anyway?" The statue spoke as it started moving towards Leon.
"Yes." Leon asked with a serious expression as he got ready to attack as soon as the statue entered his attacking range.
"Are you the one named Leon Luster?" The statue asked as the light fell over it and it's true form was revealed.
It was the statue of a lady in her 30's. She wore the clothes of a worker and holded a pickaxe in her left hand that was also made up of stone.
"I am." Leon replied with a calm expression as he looked at her but his kind was anything but calm.
"You don't have to be on such heavy guard... I am just made out of stone and you can destroy me with a small blow of your sword.
But, how about we talk before we sort to violence?" The statue spoke with a smile.
"I am listening." Leon spoke with a serious expression as he kept up his guard.
"Oh... You are really listening?" She asked with a confused expression.
"What?" Leo asked with a neutral expression.
"I thought you are going to destroy the statue and then say some arrogance filled dialogue like,'I don't talk to rocks or statues.' or something like that." She replied with a confused expression.
"If you don't start talking soon, I will do just that." Leon replied with a serious expression.
"Fine, Fine... let me introduce myself formally first. My name is Gorgonia De Struct, once I was known as the Mistress of Silent Death as well.
Now, you introduce yourself." She replied.
'Gorgonia? Gorgon? Wait... I have heard that term before. Back on earth I used to read this novel about three Gorgon sisters, I don't remember the name of the first sister but the second was Euryale and the third sister was the most famous, Medusa.
I thought gorgons can turn living beings into stone if they looked into their eyes but I never heard that they can also control them afterwards, but this is not earth and there is a lot of magic here. So, anything is possible.' Leon thought with a neutral expression as he slowly lowered his blade.
"This is not your real body... You can turn humans into stone statues and control them as your puppets afterwards, is that correct?" He asked with a neutral expression.
"Oh my, my, aren't you very intelligent? Did you read about me somewhere?" She asked with a smile.
"Let's just say that I did."
"That is correct, but the thing is I also steal their memories when I turn them into stone statues. That's how I got to know about you.
I collected information from different minds and noticed that you aren't some normal human. You are spotted at the Royal Castle, you are seen at the noble street many times and many other places, but most of the times you are seen around this forest that is near your kingdom.
You know, I got really curious and sent some of my precious minions to search the place and they found a dungeon there... A big deep vertical dungeon. I suppose that belongs to you, right?"
"It does."
"Haha... Very Good. I like humans like you, no fear and full of confidence. Well... I won't waste your time much and here is my offer.
Give me a safe sanctuary in your dungeon... I will fill It up with my soldiers and in return, you can become my right hand. My most loyal general. We will rule this whole world." She spoke with a smile.
"Yeah, Okay..."