Chapter 104 - 36: [Natural Talent]

Chapter 104: Chapter 36: [Natural Talent]

"The Underground City I used to live in was breached by another Demon Race Monarch, and our Monarch was killed. The other weak members of the Demon Race and I were supposed to be taken as slaves by the conquerors, but I managed to escape."

She seemed rather self-conscious about the scar on her face. After revealing her identity as a member of the Demon Race, she immediately stuck the gauze back on.

"How should I address you, my beautiful and brilliant lady?" Samael noticed this. Adjusting his phrasing, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"Gwy... Gwyneth Helder." Gwyneth, bearing the scaled scar, touched the bandaged spot on her face. Blushing slightly, she offered a soft smile.

CLANG. For some reason, Talia slammed heavily into Samael’s shoulder armor again.

"I was just trying to encourage her," Samael thought, trying to convey his meaning with his eyes. Unfortunately, he didn’t actually have any.

Talia, however, did have eyes—a bright, steel-gray pair. With them, she clearly articulated a long, pointed sentence: "I also know a lot about many different fields, so why don’t you praise me?" This surprised Samael; he hadn’t expected her eyes to actually speak to him.

"Very well, Miss Hald and Mr. Yevir. I don’t see any issues here." Samael pinched a fallen leaf in his hand and rested his arm on the window frame, gazing at the Imperial Foundry on the distant horizon. "Also, you mentioned earlier that your leader was kidnapped by Musa?"

"Yes, Old Duke is being held captive by Musa’s men." Yaki’s face remained expressionless, but his fingers resting on the windowsill slowly curled into a fist, gripping the edge tightly. "They’re guarding him with two kerosene blowtorches from the Eastern Desert. It makes a rescue extremely difficult."

"Kerosene blowtorches... Rest assured, leave it to us." Samael pressed his Hand Armor onto Yaki’s shoulder.

Yaki shivered slightly, startled by the freezing surface of the armor, and hesitated for a moment.

"I’ve been meaning to ask you this whole time, Mr. Samael," Yaki said, staring at the icy Hand Armor on his shoulder. "Are you a member of the Demon Race from Rondolan? Or... something else?"

"I am not of the Demon Race, but neither am I human, Elf, or Dwarf," Samael replied. He calmly raised both hands and gripped the sides of his helmet.

Talia suddenly reached out and pressed down on his arm to stop him, but he shook his head and gently patted the back of her hand.

He frankly removed his Nether Copper Helmet, revealing the empty void inside the armor.

"I am a ghost," his hollow voice echoed within the emptiness of the Nether Copper Armor. "Awakened from the Divine Era Ruins, from a distant, unknown place."

Gwyneth gasped.

Yaki’s narrow eyes widened.

Samael placed the helmet back onto his neck, carefully securing the clasps.

"Talia Ronov is my friend, and also the first companion I met in this world. I wish to assist her, to build an Underground City alongside her." He raised his hand gently.

The back of his hand touched the back of Talia’s Hand Armor. Her wrist twitched slightly, and plainly, naturally, their fingers intertwined.

"Of course, for now, we should focus on the matter with Musa." Samael returned to the topic at hand. "Your wagon camp is in the outskirts outside the town. You came into town today to run errands, I presume?"

"Yes, Musa temporarily permitted us to come into town to trade because one of our wagon wheels broke. We need to sell our goods to buy materials for the repairs," Yaki said, snapping back to reality. "We can’t delay for too long. We probably need to head back immediately."

"Where is the camp located?"

"On the edge of the wheat fields east of town." Yaki pointed into the distance from the window. "Do you see that abandoned old barn by the edge of the fields? We’re just north of it."

"Excellent. Will you be able to leave the camp again?" Samael asked.

"We can, but... not until evening at the earliest," Gwyneth replied. "At that time, we can make an excuse that we need to come into town to buy food for dinner."

"That is enough." Samael nodded his helmet. "Please keep this a secret and do not tell any other members of your camp. Hurry back now, so as not to arouse Musa’s suspicions. We will meet again this evening to make some arrangements. Tonight, we will deal with Musa."

The two nodded, turned around, and left the inn.

With a soft CLICK, the inn’s wooden door closed. A brief silence fell over the room.

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?" Samael asked.

"Yes, they would be excellent builders for the Underground City." Talia stood beside him, and together, they gazed out at the distant, rolling wheat fields. "Many powerful members of the Demon Race value raw physical strength, much like beasts. But my father was different. He believed that everyone has their own unique strength—perhaps knowledge, perhaps intellect, perhaps experience, or perhaps talent."

Samael nodded.

"Let’s go." He beckoned, patting the purse full of Gold Coins at his waist. "We need to go buy a few things and make some preparations in advance. Those items are heavy; I won’t be able to handle them alone."

The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the bustling streets.

***

At the edge of the wheat fields in the eastern part of town, within the Exile wagon camp.

The sounds of loud SLURPING and CHOMPING echoed throughout the camp. Musa smacked his lips as he sat by the fire in the center, grabbing a large handful of Demonization materials from the wagon beside him.

He took a deep breath. His throat, covered in crimson scales, suddenly began to glow. A faint firelight shone through his skin, rendering his scales and flesh semi-transparent. It looked as though a ball of flame was moving up his throat, and then—

WHOOSH!