Chapter 301: Lifting the Siege

A Witch Demon vanished from this world without a sound, leaving not a single trace behind. No one cared whether he lived or died, not even that cruel and merciless Demon Lord.

Perhaps in the future, some Adventurer Squad would stumble upon the Witch Demon's lair, find his legacy, and maybe even discover his now-empty Life Box. But none of that would have anything to do with the Witch Demon himself, or the being that had taken him away.

Only in the distant Delusional Land did a Human Lord and his companions still worry about an attack that would now never come.

But compared to some nebulous plot that might unfold at any time, a more pressing matter needed to be addressed. Ron and the golden dragon went forward to release Farama from her bonds, while Delaford and Mazarino set Rurik down.

The Dwarf, having narrowly escaped death after a great disaster, was the first to wake. But the moment he opened his eyes and saw Ron, he quickly squeezed them shut again, muttering delirious things like, "It's not my fault," and, "This is a nightmare." It really wasn't his fault, though, so Ron had no reason to blame him.

His attention was entirely focused on the Last Queen, who was slowly coming to.

"I... Where am I?" The queen slowly opened her eyes, gazing around in confusion before her eyes landed on Ron. "Ron? When did you get back? And where is this?"

"You don't remember anything?" Ron asked, looking at her. "I thought a being like you didn't need to sleep."

"Normally, I don't," Farama said, pushing herself up from the ground to stand. "But as you know, my body is still incomplete, so..."

Farama trailed off. Standing on her own two feet, she stared in confusion at her hands, which were now reattached to her body. She looked at Ron, bewildered. "Wait, I... you brought them all back? And attached them to me?"

"How did you do it?"

"I didn't do it. Your eternal master did," Ron said, nodding slightly toward the ground beside them. "You should be able to easily perceive the traces she left behind."

"Yes, the aura of Purgatory..." Farama quickly confirmed Ron's statement, but this did nothing to clear up her confusion. "So, what exactly happened?"

"I only remember that night, Rurik and the others were shouting about bandits. I was about to flee—I mean, go out and help, when a group of strangers shone something in my face." Farama touched her cheek. Although there was no visible residue, she quickly came to a conclusion. "The energy of the Abyss... Did they come for me?"

At the mention of the demons of the Abyss, Farama's entire body trembled—mostly with anger, partly with fear, and with a faint, subtle emotion that might have been... excitement?

"After all these years, my body is whole again!" Farama clenched her fists. "Ron, tell me where those demons went! I'm going to make them pay for all the suffering I've endured!"

"You're not going to get that chance. Gracia has already taken care of the hardest part. Aside from a horde of Undead Creatures for you to vent your anger on, I'm afraid you'll be hard-pressed to find any demons here."

"It's already over?" Farama raised an eyebrow in surprise, her expression growing even more confused. "But why? Why am I still here? According to my contract, She should have taken me to Purgatory..."

"That's because there's a being among the Undead Creatures that requires you to deal with it—don't look at me, that's what Gracia said," Ron said, patting her on the shoulder. "Did you have a Death Knight under your command before? Or did it complete its transformation after you died?"

"A Death Knight? If I could command such a powerful creature back then, I wouldn't have ended up in such a state," Farama said, understanding neither Gracia's intentions nor Ron's question. "If you're talking about Knights, I did knight quite a few, but almost all of them turned traitor."

"At the knighting ceremony, they swore fealty to me, not the Abyss!" Speaking of this, the Last Queen's emotions became uncontrollable again. "Especially that order's commander, Charlie! I trusted him so much back then. I even introduced him to Purgatory and procured a Purgatory Saddle for him!"

"He could have fought on in his young, strong body forever if he'd wanted to—but in the end, he betrayed me!"

'A Purgatory Saddle?'

Ron and Delaford exchanged a glance, both utterly astonished. No wonder the Devil Duke had said this was a job for Farama.

"If that's the case," Ron sighed, "I suppose he might have had his reasons."

"Reasons?" Farama laughed mockingly. "He had no reasons! He couldn't wait to kill me off so he could go kneel and lick the boots of his demon lover from the Abyss! Too bad for him he couldn't get the job done!"

"Wait, the Death Knight you're talking about, it couldn't be—"

"Well, you'd better see for yourself."

On the way back to New Green Swamp Town, with the help of the golden dragon and Mazarino, their speed increased significantly. In just a few moments, Ron, lying on the broad back of the golden dragon, saw the town below... or what was left of it.

"Meteor Burst," the Traveling Mage recognized the Arcane Magic capable of creating such a devastating scene, clicking his tongue in amazement. "My Lord, where did you find such a powerhouse?"

"Look at that terrifying range and control! Goddess above, that Mage is definitely one of the strongest on your plane—or did she bring her entire Mage Tower with her?"

"I didn't see a Mage Tower, but I did see a Mage Sword," Delaford, who was being carried through the air by the Traveling Mage, retorted with a pout. "But did you see that Elf fighting the Death Knight? The Grand Mage you're gushing about is in a melee!"

To the Goblin Hunter's surprise, upon seeing Jilannis fighting the Death Knight to a standstill with her masterful Swordsmanship and endless stream of Arcane Magic, Mazarino didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. Instead, his eyes burned with even greater fervor.

"That armor!" As expected of a widely-traveled man, the Traveling Mage immediately pinpointed the Elf Grand Mage's greatest asset. "My Lord, you've also studied Enchantment. You must be able to see how extraordinary that armor is!"

"Self-Casting, inherent protections... Heavens, this Elf has almost perfectly solved all the problems a Mage might face in close quarters!"

The Traveling Mage hurriedly dove toward the ground, dragging the screaming goblin with him. "Your Excellency, allow me to lend you a hand! I have so many questions for you!"