Chapter 21

[Proofreader – GUN]Chapter 21: The Strongest in the Demon Realm (2)

The mansion of the royal family located in Velias.

Princess Arin, who succeeded in joining forces with reinforcements, was escorted by the imperial knights and crossed the border to come here.

From early evening till dawn, it was truly a day that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Both body and mind were incredibly exhausted.

However, the eyes, weary from fatigue, couldn’t seem to close.

– Knock, knock.

“Come in….”

Responding with a slightly weakened voice, a woman with a tense face gently opened the door.

“Please forgive me… Princess!”

It was Emily, the maid of Cyan.

“Come in quickly. I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly when you were probably resting.”

“Oh, no need to apologize, Princess! I’m truly grateful for your summons!”

Just by looking at her tense shoulders and hunched neck, one could tell how tense she was.

It felt awkward, unlike a few hours ago when she ran desperately, clutching herself.

Princess Arin found herself flustered as well.

“Is there… anything to be thankful for? What did I do…?”

“Ah! It’s an honor to meet with the princess, of course! I probably won’t forget today for the rest of my life!”

“S-so?”

Despite her appearance, Emily seemed simple.

Calling her without a plan was one thing, but figuring out where to start or what to say was truly perplexing.

There were things she wanted to say, but they just wouldn’t come out.

Frustrated, she only bit her innocent lips.

“Um, first, let me apologize. I’m truly sorry for causing you trouble because of my foolishness…”

Turning her head away, she barely managed to open her mouth since she couldn’t bring herself to look into her eyes.

While she was deeply troubled, Emily jumped up and down, waving her hands.

“A-Are you apologizing? It’s not your fault at all, Princess! The ones who should apologize are those rude rascals! Why do they always appear like that on the day the princess visits…!”

“T-that’s not it!”

Unknowingly, the princess shouted with her eyes tightly shut.

Even amidst this, Emily was looking around, wondering if she had done something wrong.

“I, because of me, your master is in trouble… I went over to your side without any consideration, and now your master…”

Although it was only for a short time, I regretted it again and again.

That time, that place, if only she hadn’t gone, at least this situation wouldn’t have occurred…

Because of the incompetence of the princess, someone’s child and someone’s master had faced an accident.

She felt so helpless that she couldn’t raise her head to anyone.

Tears welled up in the princess’s eyes, overwhelmed by emotions.

However, the maid seemed to blink as if she didn’t understand the situation.

“I-I mean, if you’re talking about our young lord, as far as I know, he’s not dead yet?”

Although the body hadn’t been found, with no strength to emerge, how could that young body survive?

Frankly speaking, it was a situation where anyone could see that death was inevitable.

“Do you seriously think your master is still alive?”

“Of course? Our young lord is still alive!”

Princess Arin momentarily doubted her ears.

“There’s no way he’s alive, right? Even if he fell into the water, it was an unreasonable height! The current would have been too strong because of the rain, so isn’t it strange if he’s alive?”

“Ah, our young lord is so stubborn! He’s not the type to die so easily! He might swim, hold onto a branch, or somehow come back alive!”

Princess Arin thought.

Regardless of everything else, she could be sure of one thing.

This maid, right now, was speaking sincerely without any pretense.

Perhaps she was the only one in this world who believed he was alive to that extent…

“In fact, even coming here, I was already tired of hearing it. Everyone was lamenting about how there’s no chance our young lord could be alive, but strangely, I never had that thought! It seemed like he would come back perfectly fine as if nothing happened!”

A strangely convincing feeling.

Sure, she might have spent more time with him than anyone else, but it still seemed difficult to think that way.

But, on the other hand, it showed how much this maid trusted her master.

“You believe in him… your master…”

The princess’s anxious heart seemed to soften a bit.

It was fortunate that there was at least someone who believed that he was alive.

“What kind of person was your master?”

The conversation naturally shifted to Cyan.

Emily, who had been pondering for a moment, seemed uncertain about how to express herself, so she pursed her lips.

“Well… Originally, he was so hopeless that he couldn’t do anything in the family. He was almost invisible even to the servants in the mansion.”

A child who was ignored even by his own servants.

An existence unnoticed among the so-called noble children.

That was Cyan Vert’s original image.

“But, was it about two months ago? He strangely changed from the day of the sword duel with the fourth young lord. It felt like he started revealing the abilities he had hidden all this time from that moment on.”

“Hidden abilities?”

“Yes! Anyway, he became a completely different person from that time! Suddenly declaring he wanted to go to the frontlines, he even received recognition from the duke. I really went along with it without much thought…”

Although it seemed light-hearted at first, her bright smiling face was certainly not lying.

For some reason, she felt like she knew why that indifferent man had taken this maid with him.

“Don’t worry too much, Princess! You’ll see our young lord’s stern face again soon!”

“Yeah, if only that could happen… ”

However, reality was much crueler than wishes, so she couldn’t completely let her guard down.

She could only hope desperately to see his face again, Princess Arin thought with earnestness.

* * *

“Puhh!”

The moment he tasted the sweet taste of the lively, swirling air, all the exhaustion I had been holding in vanished.

“Ptooey!”

Spitting out all the impurities in my mouth, I barely managed to crawl up onto the bank.

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Although the ground was rough and uneven, it couldn’t be anything but the most comfortable bed in the world for me right now.

“Ah… ridiculously exhausting.”

It was fine to bravely plunge into the Blood River, but what came after was much more grueling than I had anticipated.

Despite holding my breath, the foul smell piercing deep into my nose, and the slimy texture of the corpses made me feel nauseous at the slightest touch.

Adding to that were the attacks from the grotesque aquatic monsters that fed on those corpses, turning it into a real frenzy. Sᴇaʀᴄh the N0vᴇlFire(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

That darn dragon, if it had just been caught quietly from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

If I ever come across it again, I’ll tear its wings off first so it can’t escape, then I’ll chew it up from horns to toenails, one by one!

As soon as I realized how futile those thoughts were, a long sigh escaped me.

Ah, I should have just done as I always do from the start, instead of showing off and ending up battered and bruised.

It wasn’t just me who ended up battered and bruised, after all.

At the end of his outstretched right hand, Kaeram, who had taken on a slightly different appearance, was clenched.

Where had the pale crimson blade gone, replaced by a sticky, viscous substance that barely warranted being called a demonic sword.

“Did you die, Kaeram?”

Although she was undoubtedly awake, she said nothing, so I cautiously asked.

[…Don’t make me speak.]

With one heavy word, the relaxed muscles tensed up again.

A voice laden with all the irritation in the world.

If I provoked her further, she would pierce my neck without a word.

I quietly rose and formed a fist-sized droplet of water in my hand.

– Swish

The pure, gentle water, free of impurities, cleansed the foreign substances clinging to Kaeram.

After some cleaning, Kaeram reappeared with the mist.

[Uh, I hate this sticky feeling so much!]

“Just endure it for now; when we return, I’ll make sure you get properly cleaned.”

Kaeram’s fixed gaze still showed a lot of unresolved irritation.

[Huh? Do you still think we’re going back? Do you even know where you are right now?]

“Well, for now, it shouldn’t be the frontline…”

A sky even redder than the frontline’s, uncomfortably warm air tinged with heat, and a chilling cold that stimulated the skin.

It was an awkward space that looked incredibly uncomfortable for humans to live in just by looking at it.

They called it the Demon Realm.

Wow, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been here.

It’s so exhilarating that I could almost go crazy with excitement.

[Are you going to get lost in reverie at a time like this? Wake up!]

Stubborn as ever…

I know it’s not the time for reverie.

Just because I came to the Demon Realm doesn’t mean I intend to live and die here; eventually, I have to go back.

By now, knights must be searching every nook and cranny of the gorge to find me.

They need to find me quickly before I miss the opportunity to return forever.

I turned my head to check the condition of the Blood River.

The quietly undulating waves indicated a significant improvement from earlier.

If I keep climbing up the riverbank like this, I should be able to return without any problems…

I must have come quite a distance.

The distance to the Lemea Valley looks quite daunting.

I’ll have to hurry to be discovered at the right time.

“Grr…”

Suddenly, the sound of a dog barking.

A pack of hellhounds appeared in the direction I turned to.

Just when I needed to recover my energy, how fortunate.

After the wild party at the Blood River, I was quite hungry too.

“Thunk!”

The hellhounds lunged fiercely with their mouths wide open, but their throats fell with a swift swing of my sword.

As usual, I chose a suitable-sized head and put it in my mouth.

[Hey…]

A feeling that had become as familiar as water now.

The pungent smell I first experienced now seemed fragrant.

[Hey, master…]

Am I going to end up seeking blood before water at this rate?

It could be troublesome if I get addicted…

[Watch your back, you idiot!!!]

Startled by the ear-splitting yell, I dropped the head I had been holding.

Surprised, I looked at Kaeram, who was staring at something with a serious expression.

“Oh, why make noise all of a sudden while I was eating…?”

“Look at this! I thought something fun was going to happen~?”

“….!”

Humans naturally have limits to their memory, unable to remember everything they’ve experienced.

However, there are memories, presences, and voices that they can never forget, no matter what happens.

Even in a second life, those memories, that existence, that voice that inevitably resurfaces!

Although I hadn’t confirmed it yet, I knew who owned this cheerful voice.

Slowly turning my head, I followed Kaeram’s gaze to where a man was crouching on a cliff below.

The moment I saw his face, 99% of my guess became 100% certain.

“You’re human, right?”

The man was smiling brightly.

No matter that I’ve come to the Demon Realm, it doesn’t have to be this guy, the first demon I meet, right?

Why is it not someone else, but this demon here?

Demon King Velcarion.

The strongest being of the Demon Realm, with whom I had the worst blood feud in my past life, was now standing before me.

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