Chapter 693: The Decision
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 693: The Decision
"Every time I finish off a monster, someone jumps out and says that. I’m long since used to it."
Ariel gazed wistfully at the sky, lost in thought.
Perhaps it was because her appearance was too harmless, or maybe her performance was a bit "underwhelming," but whenever she found herself in this situation, someone always questioned her strength.
So what if she fought above her rank?
So what if she hacked a Demon General to death across a major power gap?
So what if she hacked a powerful Demon General to death—one who had been tempered in a hellhole like the Abyss—across an entire major stage of cultivation?
Was that really so far-fetched?
Was it really that suspicious?
Was it really something to be so surprised about?
Adventurers these days... they looked experienced, but in reality, they had no worldliness at all.
Besides, just because they hadn't seen it before didn't mean it didn't exist.
She was just a tiny bit stronger than the average person; what was she supposed to do about that?
"Come to think of it, the only person who has never doubted my strength until now is..."
As she thought, Ariel’s expression suddenly froze.
Immediately, as if she had touched something filthy, she shook her head violently and spat several times in disgust.
Damn it, why did I think of that detestable guy again?
Bad luck. Pure bad luck.
"Alright, whether you believe me or not, just tell me what’s going on for now."
After purging a certain annoying shadow from her mind, Ariel had no desire to entangle herself with these two in a pointless argument over whether she had actually defeated a Demon General.
Some things didn't need proving.
"On my way here, I encountered several instances of the Demon Race hunting down adventurers on a massive scale. Their movements are very strange right now. Why would they expend so much effort for such a lopsided return on investment, coming to a remote place like the Abyss to capture adventurers everywhere? At most, adventurers just pick some herbs, mine some ore, or occasionally kill a few powerful demons to level up. The Demon Race shouldn't be making such a fuss over this. And based on what I’ve seen..."
Ariel glanced at Roya, who was standing nearby. "They seem to only be interested in capturing women?"
The Demon Race was an extremely fractured species; tribal infighting was common. Ariel had experienced this firsthand during her travels.
There had even been cases where a demon tribe, in order to wipe out a rival tribe, set aside their hatred for humans and invited her to help them.
But the current movements of the Demon Race clearly didn't look like a single tribe hunting adventurers.
This was the part she found most baffling. The entire loose-knit Demon Race seemed to have been united overnight by some mysterious force.
They had transformed from a heap of loose sand into a powerful force that any nation on the continent would have to take seriously.
Furthermore, only male adventurers were being hunted and killed; the women were being taken alive. This was clearly not just for revenge, but for some other purpose.
"Since you have the strength to defeat a Demon General, why didn't you just interrogate him?" Dolan asked, his expression still defiant and skeptical. "Do you really need to ask us?"
"Sir, you are being far too rude—"
"Oh?"
Ariel once again stopped Roya, who was bristling at the man's attitude. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that because you want to have a go at me? To see if I actually have the ability?"
"Heh, I’d be happy to—"
"Enough."
Python Bult, standing to the side, clearly carried more authority. He barked at Dolan to shut him up.
"Now is not the time for infighting!"
"Hmph, she started it—"
"Regardless of what this young lady said, that is no reason to fight one of our own. The danger hasn't passed yet," Bult scolded him sternly.
"Heh~"
A cold smile played on the corner of Ariel’s lips.
It seemed that while Mr. Bult sounded fair, he didn't actually believe her either.
But that was fine. It would save her from... even more trouble later.
"Let’s talk business. As for what’s happening here, we aren't entirely sure ourselves. All we know is that the Demon Race is conducting a massive search for female adventurers in the Abyss, and this operation is being personally overseen by the Grand Duke of Bewitchment. That alone shows how much importance they place on this," Bult said.
"The Grand Duke of Bewitchment?"
Ariel blinked, her curiosity piqued. "You mean that centuries-old succubus who is rumored to love women?"
During this time, Ariel had gathered a fair amount of information on the general state of the Demon Race. Naturally, she was most interested in the race that existed mostly in rumors and was rarely seen: the succubi.
It definitely wasn't because that race was rumored to consist entirely of cute girls with big chests, long legs, perky butts, and swaying little tails!
"Yes. There are rumors that this kidnapping incident is related to the Grand Duke of Bewitchment's personal tastes. She apparently put out word that human women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five should voluntarily throw themselves into her embrace, or she will slaughter every human within the borders of the Abyss."
Bult’s feelings were the exact opposite of Ariel’s. When Ariel heard "Grand Duke of Bewitchment," she thought of sexy succubi; when he thought of the Queen of Succubi, he felt only the crushing pressure of a Demon Grand Duke.
"The cruelty of the Grand Duke of Bewitchment is legendary even among the demons. She isn't just cruel to her enemies; her methods with her own kind are savage. Her enchanting appearance is nothing but poison. No one knows how many demons have offended her and ended up being personally skinned by her, stuffed, and added to her collection."
Bult shuddered. Despite his tall, burly frame, he was still terrified, as if he had once faced that horror in person.
"But even so, would the Demon Race really have the leisure to make such a fuss just for her personal whims?"
Ariel grew more confused. Although she had been focusing all her efforts on finding her yet-to-be-discovered true love, she could still pick up on the winds of change regarding the Demon Race and the Empire.
She had planned to gather a bit more intelligence in the Abyss before heading off to help the Imperial defense line.
Even though she hated Muen Campbell, she couldn't just sit idly by and watch the war between the Empire and the Demon Race without doing something.
"That, we have no way of knowing."
Bult shook his head and looked at the group.
"So, what are your plans? Dolan and I intend to leave the Abyss for now. We don't want to get mixed up in this mess. Besides, if we stay here and the Demon Generals return in force, it’ll be trouble."
"Of course we’ll leave with you seniors," Temier said, letting out a sigh of relief and looking at his companion with excitement. "Right, Sister Roya?"
Roya didn't answer. She didn't even notice Temier’s gaze; her worried eyes were fixed on Ariel, who stood on her other side.
"My plans?"
Ariel rubbed her smooth chin, pondering for a moment.
"By the way, how many women have been captured so far?"
"We don't know the exact details, but based on the current intelligence, at least several dozen female adventurers have fallen into the hands of the demons."
"Several dozen..."
Ariel’s eyes flickered.
That number might not seem like much, but the number of adventurers with the courage and backing to explore the Abyss was already small, let alone women. For the Demon Race to capture dozens in such a short time...
It was clear their actions were more than just a game.
Teacher, do you have any ideas? Ariel asked in her mind.
"Right now, I can think of seventeen ways to use the blood of virgins for a sacrificial ritual, fifteen ways to extract the essence of women to strengthen oneself, and nine ways to force women into pregnancy to use newborn human infants to craft curses," Ariel’s teacher replied.
"But as for 'ideas' in the sense you mean... I have none. Because I don't believe any of those methods would actually be of much help to the current Demon Race. With fewer than a hundred women, even an evil cultist would turn their nose up at a sacrifice of that scale."
"True..."
If it were some novice cultist, it might make sense. But this was the Demon Race—the vast, mighty Demon Race that dared to challenge the Empire. If word got out that their "evil plot" involved kidnapping only a few dozen women, they’d probably be kicked out of the "Evil Organizations Club" immediately.
It was too embarrassing.
"So it really is just the Succubus Queen's personal desire?"
"Rather than personal desire... it feels more like they're hiding something," the teacher analyzed. "Perhaps kidnapping women is just a smokescreen. The real objective might be hidden among these women training in the Abyss. They might be looking for something specific among them."
"I see. That would make sense."
The Demon Race's goal... a secret hidden among the women in the Abyss... and the strange movements of the entire race...
This was getting more and more interesting.
It seemed she would have to go see for herself. Whether from her own perspective or the Empire's, she couldn't allow the Demon Race to act so recklessly.
However...
Ariel sighed softly and once again gave her bangs a stylish, dashing flick.
"Sigh. Such irrational behavior really doesn't fit my steady and risk-averse style."