Chapter 117 - 44: There’s Actually a Demon??

Chapter 117: Chapter 44: There’s Actually a Demon??

Even now, Lilia’s memory of that upheaval remained fresh.

At the time, she was in the estate she shared with Lucian in the Ovis Capital, receiving news of the defensive line’s complete collapse from her panic-stricken subordinates. She hadn’t been too flustered, assuming it was simply the trigger for some special plotline. While instructing the maids to pack up and prepare for evacuation, she sent a message to Lucian, who was away on business.

But before she could even leave the estate, the invader had already broken in.

He bore a passing resemblance to Caius—sharing the same black hair and black eyes—but his aura was worlds apart. The man felt like an unsheathed blade, cold and sharp. Aside from the half-brier mask on his face, the most striking things about him were the eerie, blazing flames in his hollow eye sockets and his charred left hand.

At the time, Lilia didn’t know what he had been through and assumed they were merely scars left behind from fighting on the battlefield. But thinking about it now... that eerie, frigid aura, seemingly welling up from the depths of the abyss, was exactly identical to the chaos and strangeness represented by the word "Demon."

Furthermore, when Lilia first arrived in Navia, she had heard from the farmers and slaves that due to the hostile relationship between the two nations, forces from the Lien Kingdom would frequently come to harass the nearby areas. However, the Lien Kingdom’s movements had significantly died down in recent years, supposedly due to an ongoing civil war.

Hearing this, Lilia merely assumed that Prince Reid and Prince Theodore were fighting for the throne, so she didn’t look further into it.

But thinking about it now... the one who instigated the civil unrest might very well have been Caius! In the previous playthrough, he had seized power with lightning speed and subsequently declared war on Ovis.

She thought, "Could it be that this time, without my influence, he decided to occupy Light first instead of immediately attacking Ovis after successfully coming into power? That guy... is he a madman? What exactly is he trying to do?"

Now that she knew the Demon attack was not an accident but deliberately orchestrated, it was impossible for Lilia to stand by and do nothing. The lesson from the last time was still vivid in her mind—he had ruined everything when she was just one step away from her Happy Ending, turning it into a Bad Ending instead.

Logically speaking, since Lilia didn’t know him this time, he shouldn’t jump out halfway to become an obstacle again. But with the Permanent Labels in play, nothing was certain.

Lilia would not allow such a ticking time bomb to remain buried near her. She disliked leaving things to chance, far preferring to keep everything under her own control. Since she had discovered him first this time... she would nip his ambitions in the bud.

As for Viscount Belmont, per Lilia’s request, he relayed the news to the Lord of Siterind County that very night.

Upon receiving the message, the other party scoffed.

It was a universally acknowledged consensus across all nations that Demons had practically vanished. Even if one occasionally appeared, it would be a High-level entity that had survived the Great Cataclysm back then. How could it possibly be as Viscount Belmont claimed in his letter—that a group of Low-level Demons was marching toward his Siterind County in an organized and disciplined manner? Demons weren’t human armies; since when were they organized and disciplined? It was absolutely laughable.

During their assembly, when the Lord of Sitrind showed the letter to the other Nobles, everyone couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Some even speculated that Navia had gone so mad from poverty that Belmont had concocted this scheme just to extort money from them.

Driven by a desire to watch a good show and a touch of condescending superiority, Siterind County dispatched a Mage. He took a carriage to Navia to meet Belmont and Lilia.

Lilia could tell at a glance that the Mage didn’t believe their claims. With his eyes practically fixed on the ceiling in an arrogant posture, he looked even more obnoxious than Viscount Belmont had been when they first met. Too lazy to waste her breath on this kind of person, Lilia directly took him up the Valgipps Mountain Range.

He had arrived in a timely manner, and the Demons’ marching speed wasn’t particularly fast. Thus, the long, pitch-black line stretching across the land was still clearly visible. Like an ugly scar exuding a foul stench, it pierced straight into the Mage’s field of vision.

Seeing this scene, the Mage nearly let out a sharp shriek.

"The situation is exactly as you see it, Mr. Eli," Lilia said, looking at him. "Once a sufficient number of Demons gather, this pitch-black Demonic Qi will appear. It is one of the most prominent signs of a Demon manifestation."

"Exactly, Mr. Eli," Viscount Belmont chimed in from beside Lilia. "We have already issued a warning to your father. Since he sent you to investigate the situation, Sitrind must have already taken corresponding countermeasures, right?"

His tone was solemn, as if he were genuinely putting himself in the shoes of his soon-to-be-disaster-stricken neighbor. "The destructive power of Demons cannot be underestimated. However, as far as I know, Sitrind also has quite a few Mages and Knights. I believe that with Mr. Frost’s brilliance and martial prowess, he will certainly be able to lead Sitrind through this crisis."

The Mage was utterly speechless.

At this moment, listening to Belmont’s concerned words, he even felt a bit guilty. He couldn’t exactly tell the Viscount to his face that his father hadn’t taken the warning letter seriously at all, had mocked Belmont relentlessly during the assembly, and hadn’t even considered organizing manpower to set up a defensive line!

Belmont knew exactly what he was thinking with just one look. Looking at this Mage who was so stifled he had lost his voice, Belmont felt as if he were seeing his old neighbor.

At this moment, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction in his heart. Earlier, when Lilia had offered to bring this guy up to see the situation, he had thought it was unnecessary. But looking at it now... it was simply the most brilliant decision!

"Um..." The Mage remained silent for a long while before finally speaking up. "Mr. Belmont..."

Before he could figure out how to phrase his words, Belmont said with utmost understanding, "I understand, Mr. Eli. Anyone would be at a loss when suddenly faced with such a situation.

"Since we are neighbors, there is no reason for Navia to just watch Sitrind suffer.

"If you have any difficulties, please don’t hesitate to tell us! We promise we will do everything in our power to help you fend off the Demons!"

Belmont spoke with absolute certainty, stopping just short of patting his chest in a solemn vow.

Eli was deeply moved. "Thank you, Mr. Belmont!"

He was almost on the verge of tears. Not only because of Navia’s humanitarian aid, but also for the massive amount of money Sitrind was about to lose...

That afternoon, Lilia assembled her forces and set off for Sitrind alongside Eli Frost.

Belmont dearly wanted to see in person what kind of amusing expression his old neighbor would make after learning the truth of the matter. Unfortunately, he was too weak; he knew no Magic, nor was he a Knight. Thus, he could only regretfully stay behind to guard their home base.