Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Demons' Festival (1)
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I huddled my body against the unbearable cold, wrapping my arms around my shoulders and hunching my back.
It felt like chill was pooling inside me. No matter how much I curled up or tried to conserve body heat, my body kept shivering.
But the real cause was 'heat'...
I exhaled a hot breath and slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry from the heat radiating off my body.
I was lying on my side, curled up as small as possible.
It took a while before my surroundings finally came into focus.
A thick red blanket and a large bed. A small wooden table, walls adorned with ornate gold decorations, an antique dresser...
Realizing I was on a bed in an unfamiliar room, I pushed myself upright. I was still in my pajamas, barefoot.
My mind was foggy from the fever, so it took time to grasp the situation.
I had definitely been walking atop the city walls, talking with that massive wolf.
The wolf had told me to run, my father had called my name, and I...
I gripped the blanket tightly. Dizziness washed over me.
Something thick like a vine had grabbed me, and I'd lost consciousness. A cold, unfamiliar woman's voice had said I'd never return.
Those words were so horrifying and painful that they echoed relentlessly in my ears.
Prion was supposed to be impenetrable to Demons. Why had this happened?
I shook off the fear and tried to think calmly.
The dream that had led me to the walls was suspicious too.
Since leaving home, I hadn't dreamed of Selena once. My last memory of her had turned into a nightmare.
Yet in the dream, Selena had been her usual kind, lively self, guiding me as a sponsor.
I'd taken her hand without a shred of doubt...
Something that could never happen in reality.
I recalled my father's voice calling me.
Just thinking about how worried he must be hurt my heart.
It had been my birthday. A joyful, happy birthday that made me forget my fever...
I have to go back.
I clutched my forehead and drew in a hot breath.
I needed to pull myself together somehow and return to Prion, to home.
To do that, I first had to figure out where I was and my current condition. Only then could I find a way out.
I took a shallow breath and surveyed my surroundings.
A spacious bedroom with a large bed, luxurious nightstand, and dresser. It looked like something out of nobility, elegant but neglected, dust gathering everywhere.
The door to the living room was wide open.
And from earlier, that foul smell...
It had started stinging my nose once the fever eased a bit.
I cautiously swung my feet to the floor to inspect the room.
The moment I glanced into the living room, I reflexively clamped my hand over my mouth.
I gasped, inhaling a lungful of the acrid stench of blood, and stumbled, stepping on the bedsheet.
In the center of the living room lay someone, butchered horrifically.
Only by seeing the stubble-bearded face could I barely recognize him as once having been 'human.'
It was that gruesome and horrific.
His limbs weren't attached to his body, nor were his organs. Blood was splattered everywhere in unnatural patterns.
Not the work of a human—a beast, Magical Beast... or Demon.
A total stranger, but I couldn't help pitying his death.
Hand over my mouth, I took deep breaths, trying to calm my pounding heart.
I looked away, scanning for other exits from the room.
Stepping carefully to avoid the bloodstains, I headed to the far side of the living room, where three large windows stood side by side.
That man had clearly fought desperately until the end. Bloodstains he left were everywhere in the living room.
I tried to avoid the marks of his death, but the red handprints soaking the window latch were unavoidable.
Gripping the sticky bloodstain, I lifted the window.
Clunk.
As expected, it wouldn't budge.
I sighed deeply and peered outside.
This seemed to be the second floor.
Below stretched a wide garden carpeted in grass.
Under the midday sun, unkempt shrubs grew wildly in spots untouched by human hands.
Signs of battle everywhere—stone statues shattered pathetically, the fountain's water turned red.
Beyond the high wall encircling the garden lay nothing but forest.
How far had I been dragged?
Clutching my anxiety, I desperately searched for anything familiar.
Just endless forest, no matter where I looked.
Even if I escaped this mansion by some luck, without recognizing the surroundings, I'd get lost immediately.
I moved to another window. Blood now smeared my hands and clothes, but I no longer cared.
The window fogged up instantly from my hot breath as I pressed close.
"Found it..."
Tears nearly welled up.
At the edge of the endless forest, I spotted a city encircled by white walls.
Prion.
Tiny as my fingertip, but unmistakably there. And close enough to be in my line of sight.
I'd have to cross the forest... but somehow, I could make it back.
No, I had to.
I murmured it over and over, staring at the small city.
But I couldn't escape through the window.
Using magic was difficult too. Right now, I could barely control my mana; casting spells was nearly impossible.
I could use Visible Mana to lift or move objects, but not shatter or break the window.
The power to wield mana was proportional to my stamina or strength.
Magic amplified that ratio, but Luwen's Southern Kingdom spells didn't mesh with mine, so I couldn't boost efficiency properly.
I turned back to the door, staring at it.
The only exit.
There had to be the Demon who brought me here outside...
Why keep me alive instead of killing me? There must be a reason.
If they'd thrown me in here for that reason, maybe I could use it to create an escape opportunity.
Listening intently for sounds outside, I crept toward the door cautiously.
I sensed movement in the hallway and froze, then proceeded when it quieted.
Expecting it locked, I still grasped the handle gingerly.
Very slowly, quietly. Just in case, it might be open...
As I applied pressure and turned the knob gradually.
Clunk.
The door swung outward.
I hadn't been pulled out only because my body instinctively staggered back.
A white hem appeared right before my eyes.
"Where do you think you're going, little one?"
I slowly looked up, meeting the eyes of the tall man gazing down at me.
My heart literally froze.
The man had a pale, white face with a faint smile.
His black hair hung long, covering his shoulders and back. Tall and somewhat lean, he wore a plain white coat that reached his knees.
No weapons, and he smiled at me, but the single thought in my mind upon eye contact was clear.
I'm going to die now.
The man reeked of death and blood from every pore. Intense enough that me dying in the next instant wouldn't be surprising.
His appearance was just a creepy-looking person, but inside lurked the murderous intent of a terrifying Demon.
I felt it vividly. My skin screamed warnings, every hair standing on end.
Cough...
I startled and covered my mouth.
But the coughs that started wouldn't stop. They came one after another as I clutched my aching chest.
No matter how I tried to flee or endure, my body wouldn't cooperate.
My vision shook as I braced against the floor. My pallid hands trembled violently.
"Tsk..."
The man clicked his tongue softly and took a step toward me, slumped on the floor.
Strength drained from my body; it wouldn't move as I wished. Even struggling was impossible.
"You've somehow managed to stay alive until now, huh."
The man's cold hand seized my head, tilting it back. His other hand clamped over my mouth.
"...Urk!"
I tried to resist, but couldn't overcome the immense strength.
Something fishy flowed into my mouth.
I realized what it was from the wound and black bloodstains on his palm.
I bent over to spit it out. Drinking a Demon's blood? My stomach churned.
But no matter how I tried, nothing came up.
Then I noticed the coughing had stopped.
"...Ah."
The heart-wrenching pain across my body had vanished too.
My mouth still tasted fishy and unpleasant, but somehow my vision was clearing.
The fever clouding my mind was fading.
"Looking better. Most would drop dead on the spot."
The man chuckled, looking down at me.
I bit my lip hard and staggered to my feet. This wasn't the time to despair.
I already knew I was different from others. I knew that...
But I didn't want to accept being close to Demons.
I glared up at the man.
I was certain now he wouldn't kill me.
"Liberic, was it?"
The man eyed me with interest, circling me slowly like inspecting a new animal.
"You've probably realized, but I have no intention of killing you right now. Or eating you, for that matter."
"But," the man grinned, stroking his chin.
"I'll warn you ahead: my temper's not great. If I get annoyed, I might change my mind."
A chill ran through me at the thick killing intent in his red eyes.
He even seemed to be waiting for that moment. The moment he'd tear me apart.
"What matters now is important, so I'm exercising maximum patience. Don't test me too much."
As he sauntered, he casually nudged a scattered corpse part with his foot, annoyed.
No pity, mercy, or sympathy in the gesture.
Standing on the distorted face of the middle-aged man, he spoke.
"One more piece of advice: this mansion's crawling with savage ones. Dumb brutes who'd swallow a kid like you without a second thought."
My body stiffened.
This one had a purpose keeping me alive, but others wouldn't. It was a warning.
"This room has a barrier of sorts, so they can't sense you.
So... you get it? Step one foot out, and they'll come devour you."
I glanced at the wide-open door.
The dark hallway stretched both ways, veiled by a thin mana curtain.
That barrier kept the outside Demons from detecting me.
"Then... why keep me alive?"
The man grinned creepily.
"You're a 'vessel'."
"A vessel...?"
"Good, preparations should be ready by now. Let's go."
Before I could even ask what that meant, he seized my arm with crushing force.