I Can Sense Demonic Energy
The next day — Friday.
Leon and Aria headed out early that morning. The sky was still a solid sheet of black, without so much as a glimpse of the sun, and the heavy rain showed no sign of letting up.
Shaaaaa—
"At this rate, it's going to pour all weekend."
"Looks that way."
They pulled the hoods of their robes down tight. The robes had a decent waterproofing enchantment woven in, so at least they wouldn't get soaked. Together they pushed through the wind and rain toward the outskirts of Elaim.
Even from a distance, the Dragon Claw Inn already felt crowded. Fine, powerful horses stood lined up in rows, and mercenaries — properly geared this time, not just carrying a single main weapon like the day before — moved in and out of the building.
"—Little brother!"
Whump!
"…!"
Something heavy latched onto Leon's back. A woman's scent flooded his nose as her hair brushed against his cheek.
"Morning~?"
Hera clung to him like a cicada and whispered into his ear. She was wearing a dark hood of her own — the kind assassins favored — apparently doubling as a rain cover.
"…Could you get off me first?"
"Heh."
A Master-rank martial artist, no question. He hadn't sensed her presence at all until she already had him. Leon gritted his teeth and swore he'd get stronger just out of sheer spite.
"…"
Aria shot Hera a pointed look, then dipped her head in a curt greeting. Hera let out a little hum.
"Hmm. So this one's coming too?"
"Of course. Aria's skills are solid. She'll be a real help."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"I just knew she'd show up. I could tell the moment I saw her — she's cut from the same cloth as us. Well… maybe a little different?"
"…"
Aria's face stayed blank, but Leon could read the irritation underneath. He didn't blame her. Some random lunatic had just declared they were alike and started acting familiar.
"Aria, just ignore her."
"I already am, Master."
"Huuuh~?"
"Commander."
Riel arrived just in time and called out to Hera.
"Preparations are complete."
"Are they now?"
Just as she'd said. In the barren alley in front of the inn, horses stood ready with their reins secured, and twenty-five squad members in poncho rain gear waited in formation. Their eyes were sharp and their presence fierce. Yesterday's conversation with Hera must have put them in high spirits — the discipline was tight.
"All right. Let's go."
Hera grabbed Leon and Aria and pulled them along.
"How long do you think it'll take?"
Leon swung into the saddle with practiced ease and asked Riel. The stirrups were a little slick from the rain, but the horse's coat itself was dry and soft.
"If we ride without stopping, we should arrive around evening."
"That's pretty fast."
Even Leon could tell these were quality mounts — good enough to serve as warhorses. Still, the trip from Elaim to Pribil normally took two full days. Driving horses through weather like this should have slowed them down even more. Shaving that much time off didn't make sense at first glance.
Aria scanned the area around the saddle and answered for him.
"Artifacts. Physical reinforcement, speed enhancement, waterproofing, anti-slip, cold resistance… all of them upper-grade. These must have cost a fortune."
"Yeah?"
Leon took a closer look at the saddle. Dozens of high-quality magic stones were set along the underside in a neat row.
"Whoa. They really did spend some money. Is this even okay?"
He hadn't paid a single coin of the commission fee, after all.
"Haha. You save money so you can spend it at times like this. What's the point of hoarding it?"
In truth, each horse ran well into the hundreds of gold coins. Hera laughed as if it were nothing — but one look at Fenril sitting behind them with a deathly pale face suggested it wasn't quite that simple.
"Well, it's not my money anyway."
That guy's problems weren't his concern. All's well that ends well. Leon cleanly ignored Fenril's pitiful stare and took up the reins.
"Move out!"
Rumble— Crack! Boom!
The sky roared with the fury of the gods. The rain hammered down so hard it felt like they were riding underwater. The weather only grew worse on the road to Pribil. The ground turned to sludge, visibility blurred to nothing, and the air bit cold — yet the horses showed no sign of being affected. They raced across the open plains as if the storm didn't exist, never tiring, holding peak condition and speed the entire way. If anything, they were moving twice as fast as normal. The artifacts more than earned their price.
That said, the artifacts only cared for the horses — not the riders on their backs. But Leon, Hera, Riel, and Fenril were all Expert-rank martial artists or higher, and every remaining squad member was at least a User capable of handling mana — mid-tier or above, at that. They had more than enough toughness to endure twelve hours of rough, foul weather. Aria, as a combat mage who specialized in body-reinforcement magic, had no trouble either.
And so they rode without a single stop, reaching Pribil as evening drew near.
"The walls up ahead are Pribil!"
Kra-koom! Rumble!
Riel's clear voice cut through the wind and rain to reach the party.
"…"
Leon had already narrowed his eyes, studying what lay ahead. Maybe he'd just gotten used to Elaim's scale, but this place looked closer to a large village than a proper city. The walls were low and thin — more like a fence than fortifications. Even an ordinary civilian could climb over them if they put their mind to it, never mind a martial artist. A handful of taller structures — watchtowers, a clock tower — poked up here and there; the rest was a tight cluster of two-story rooftops. The whole city looked dark and gloomy, and it wasn't just the weather.
"Hmm~."
Hera made a long, thoughtful sound as she studied the city as well. Leon caught a brief glint in her eyes.
Clop, clop, clop—
The party reached the gates in short order.
"Empty, just like I figured."
Like the walls themselves, the gate had no sentries or guards of any kind. It was simply locked tight.
"We can just open it and go in."
Riel said it without hesitation.
BOOM!
Of course, "open" meant smash through. A slash of Riel's blue-green sword aura split the double doors — wide enough for a carriage — cleanly in half.
"Nice and clean."
Leon chuckled and rode inside.
The atmosphere in the city wasn't just dark — it was bleak, downright eerie. Every door and window was shut tight. Blinds and shutters sealed them so thoroughly that not a single thread of light escaped. The whole district lay deathly still; nothing could be heard but the rain and the thunder. Naturally, there wasn't a soul on the streets.
"Hsssss."
Leon drew a deep breath until his chest swelled full. The smell of death, terror, and despair filled his lungs. It felt like walking into a mass grave.
"Master."
Aria guided her horse up beside his and spoke in a low voice.
"It's very faint, but I can sense demonic energy."
"What? Where?"
"From the entire city. And it's not ordinary demonic energy, either — it's a slightly altered kind. The sort demons use when they refine magic."
Her blue eyes, already scanning their surroundings, glowed an even deeper blue. Leon didn't bother asking how she knew that. After they'd taken down Burrow, Bergopf had given them two things: one was a Demonic Soul Pill. The other was an object containing the magical knowledge of Mazias, the Devil of Magic. Leon knew Aria had named that cube the Manmarok and was studying it on her own. Information like this was well within reach.
Even for a genius like Aria, she was researching alone, and the contents were so vast and obscure that she'd only scratched the surface so far. But even that surface knowledge was formidable. When it came to Demon Realm magic, few people alive knew more than she did.
"Anything else you can tell?"
"Not yet. I'll keep looking."
"Yeah. Do that. Thanks."
"Hehe."
Aria beamed at the praise.
Clop, clop—
Rumble— Crack-boom!
Demonic energy?
Leon's brow furrowed slightly. So the Gonghyeol Group had ties to demons. That was news to him. The Gonghyeol Group, the Demon Realm, magic…
"Hmm…"
Something itched at the back of his mind — the feeling that a connection was just out of reach.
"Sis, anything jump out at you?"
"Beats me~."
Even whispering, even with a thin soundproof barrier of mana, there was no fooling a Master-rank martial artist's hearing at this distance. Leon assumed she'd overheard everything and asked her opinion as a matter of course.
"Do we really need to strain our brains over it?"
As she spoke, she gave the short sword at her hip a couple of casual taps. The meaning was clear: catch them, and they'd learn whatever they needed.
Leon laughed.
"That's actually pretty wise."
Maybe not a brilliant question, but definitely a brilliant answer.
"Still, there's seriously not a single person in sight."
Leon grumbled, frustration creeping in. By now the party had ridden from the gates along the main road all the way to the city center, where a plaza and a towering clock tower stood. The desolate scene hadn't changed once. Thirty mounted martial artists roaming the streets, and not one curious soul had poked their head out.
"Should we start making some noise?"
Whether they wanted to find lodging or start asking questions, they needed to meet someone. But everyone was locked inside their houses like the dead, not so much as an eyeball showing.
"If we head to the town hall, there might be someone there."
Riel pointed ahead calmly, cutting him off. Following her fingertip, Leon spotted a stone building about the size of a large three-story house — the town hall, or city hall as some called it. The curtains there were drawn tight as well, leaving it dark and still.
"Who'd bother showing up for work in a situation like this?"
"There is someone inside. I can sense them."
The party cut quickly across the plaza and arrived at the front of the town hall. The main doors were locked shut, of course. Leon didn't hesitate — he kicked them in.
Bang!
The iron door knocker twisted, and the double doors flew open wide.
"…"
The first-floor hall beyond was completely empty — a dim space with nothing but dust drifting through the air.
"W-w-who goes there?!"
A voice thick with terror burst from above.
"?"
Men appeared wearing light armor and each carrying a spear. They blocked the staircase connecting the first and second floors and leveled their weapons. But—
"Drop your weapons and s-surrender!"
"W-we will not permit any further entry!"
Their faces were white as sheets, their bodies trembling like aspen leaves. It was almost pitiful — like cornered rats baring their teeth at a cat.
"What are these guys? So this is where everyone was hiding. Hey, you lot!"
Leon waved cheerfully and strode toward them.
Thud. Thud.
"H-hyaaah!"
"Stay back! Stay back!"
"C-come any closer and I'll stab you! I'll stab you good with this!"
The men recoiled in terror and tumbled backward in a heap.
"…"
Leon pulled out a cigarette and lit it.