Chapter 104 Tranquility after the chaos... Realy?
"What was all of this?" Dantalian spoke, looking up at the sky, his hand bathed in Zatryen's blood, dripping incessantly onto the ground. In that moment, time seemed suspended for Dantalian. None of the deaths he had caused ever affected him, not even when he reduced that servant of the Fifteen to ashes while in the realm of the elves.
So why did Zatryen's death feel so strangely pleasurable?
Dantalian's lips curved into a smile of pure joy, his cyan eyes reflecting the skies above as the golden energy gradually diminished, causing the radiant symbol on his hand to disappear. He was followed by an indescribable euphoria that overtook him.
As the blood continued to drip from his hand, he took a deep breath, savoring the newfound serenity enveloping his being. In that brief pause, he allowed himself to acknowledge the emotions that had been suppressed for so long without even knowing.
But amidst the tranquility, a haunting question lingered in the depths of his mind, shrouded in uncertainty. Why did he enjoy this particular death when all others were met with indifference? The answer eluded him, buried under layers of enigmatic thoughts and emotions that had not yet been fully unraveled.
Dantalian let out a relieved sigh, sitting on the ground with a smile on his face, his eyes gleaming with a subtle cyan glow. Folding his legs and resting his hands behind him, he looked at Zaytren's lifeless body. "It was a mistake to trust someone shouldn't have, and look where it got you; you lost your head." Dantalian chuckled lightly, feeling some twinges of pain throughout his body. "Ouch... I'm going to wake up sore tomorrow."
At that moment, a small stone flew past Dantalian's head, followed by the voice of a familiar woman. "Are you just going to stand there, Dantalian?" It was Freytan, her face displaying a small smile of relief.
Dantalian leaned forward, straightening his back and placing one hand on the ground while lifting the other. "Well, you know, I'm injured, so standing is my only option," he replied, looking at Freytan as he noticed the other two approaching.
"What did he tell you for him stay like that?" Fiona asked, passing by Zaytren's body and noticing something missing above his neck.
"Ugh, that's disgusting," Amanda remarked, pretending to gag before continuing, "How dare he pursue something from the master when he's so ugly."
Freytan held Dantalian's hand and pulled him up with a little force, making him land behind her. "Why this? Do you want to dance? Sorry, but I'm not up for it right now, Isis," she said straightforwardly.
Fiona crossed her arms and wore a serious expression. "That's a red flag, and it's better to abstain from fun for a while."
"Ohh..." Amanda finally grasped Fiona's meaning. "Right, no sex, so you don't hurt the master's thing; it's forbidden."
"I have no idea what you two are talking about, and by the way, Dantalian has disappeared again," Freytan said, smiling, as she already knew the reason for his sudden departure.
Freytan thought to herself, 'Worrying about a mere attendant... You're not doing this just because she's pretty, so what could be the real reason?' She took a step forward and appeared in the middle of the two girls, wearing a mischievous smile as she said, "Whoever finds Dantalian first gets to sleep with him tonight. What do you think?" Freytan took another step forward and disappeared from their view.
"Nooo, you can't kill the master's bird; I'll protect him!" After Amanda's shout, her left eye took on the appearance of a fox, while her right eye became that of an owl. "Huh? What's happening?" Amanda blinked a few times until both eyes turned fox-like. "I need to ask the master about this."
"How about doing that later tonight? That is if I don't find him first," Fiona suggested calmly, walking in the opposite direction of Amanda.
' So, you're involved in this, number six, ' Fiona thought, furrowing her brow, displaying a deadly gaze as the ground began to freeze beneath her feet. ' You better prepare your army because you messed with the wrong person. '
Her eyes shone with intensity, and the air around her seemed to grow colder. Each word was spoken with ruthless determination, and her supernatural power manifested in her icy aura. The atmosphere around Fiona transformed, enveloped in an ominous silence, echoing a warning to those who dared to confront her. With a chilling mist rising around her, she disappeared.
Running through the area, Dantalian searched for the location of Dealer using his golden energy-enhanced eyes and ears. As he passed the spot where a massive pile of debris lay, once the theater's stage, he heard a voice coming from within the wreckage. "Help! Help! Help! Can someone please assist me?Please Help! Anyone please help me!"
"Oh, I've found you," Dantalian thought, skidding to a stop, looking directly at the pile of ruins. With a few leaps, he reached the site. "Dealer, are you in there? Are you okay? What happened? Where are all the others?"
"Master Dantalian? Are you there, Master Dantalian? What's going on? Why am I like this?... Wait, did you mention the others? What happened to them? Are they like this too?" Dealer's voice revealed genuine concern for all the other adventurers.
'Looks like she can't hear me clearly...' Dantalian gazed at the heap of debris separating them, realizing Dealer was trapped inside a box. 'I guess the explosions might have left me a bit slow in the head.'
Dantalian placed his hand on the pile of wreckage, infusing it with golden energy. He spoke loudly enough for Dealer to hear, "Wait a moment, we can have a proper conversation." The golden energy began to spread throughout the debris, enveloping everything and forming a small golden sphere. With a quick leap, Dantalian caught the box just before it hit the ground, saving Dealer from a potential fall, and he could hear her let out a small gasp of surprise. "Ahh!"
"Sorry, that's the best I could do quickly," Dantalian said as he gently placed the box on the ground, his hand touching the wood. "Are you okay in there, Dealer?"
"How can I tell? Well, I can't see anything inside, but at least I don't feel any pain... I was unconscious until just a little while ago," Dealer replied, placing her hand on her face, a small flash of memory triggering a terrified expression. "No... I'm useless... I couldn't do anything to protect the master... They all died."
'Got it... So that was the event I missed? That bastard, good thing I killed him,' Dantalian thought, recalling the scene of Zatryen summoning numerous silver eyes, killing all the adventurers before they could react. 'Those bastards knew that the high-ranked adventurers were out...' Dantalian thought not only about himself but also about the other adventurers above Blue Rank in his guild.
'Wait, something's not right... Even if they were Blue Rank, they shouldn't have died so easily, and those small fries infesting the guild shouldn't have been able to defeat them... Only that guy, but he couldn't handle thirteen Blue Ranks.' Dantalian's thoughts came to a halt when he heard Dealer's cries.
"Dealer... Please curl up a bit, I'll get you out of there," Dantalian said as he snapped his fingers, causing the debris to vanish, scattering far away from them. Then, he placed his hand on the wooden surface of the box, using the golden energy to dissolve only the front part of it.
Thus, Dantalian looked at Dealer, who was crouched down with teary eyes, her black hair and red eyes striking. She was dressed in a white ruffled shirt and a tight black leather skirt that reached mid-thigh.
'Wearing the same outfit as before...' Dantalian thought.
Dantalian reached inside, carefully pulling Dealer out of the cramped space. She trembled in his arms, clearly still shaken by the recent events. Dantalian held her close, trying to comfort her, patting her head as he said, "It's okay, I've already killed the one responsible for this... Though I can't bring the others back, at least now they can rest in peace."
'Later, I'll ask more about it; doing it now will only make things worse,' Dantalian thought, feeling his shoulder become damp.
Dealer's tears continued to flow, but she nodded, sighing and sobbing. Dantalian gently wiped her tears away and helped her stand on her own.
"Master Dantalian... I'm sorry... If I were stronger, if I could protect them like you would..." Dantalian, patting Dealer's head, said, "You didn't have to feel like that. It wasn't your duty, you're not to blame for anything. Just remember their faces and their words; I'm sure what they said will be of help to you in this moment."
'What the hell happened?' Dantalian thought, starting to hear the sound of Dealer's breathing calming down. When he looked at her face, he saw that she had fallen asleep. "Huh? How can you sleep in a situation like this?"