No one ever expected that we will be swept in a large revolution in the Demon Kingdom.
After two weeks of traveling in the sea, we stumbled upon the land of the Demon Continent. We docked on a port and left most of our party members behind to relax, rest, and to guard our ship. So far, from our travel, I was only met with disappointment as we only encountered Aquatic Devils and large fishes.
Upon deciding who will travel the land towards the Demon Kingdom which obviously, Vische and I are the leaders, are Roy and Elen who never left my side.
However, we never knew that there’s a huge power struggle inside their ranks.
A vampire woman, Eno Hellbeing, who we met by chance inside the city told us that they are trying to overthrow the current Councilors that locked up the Demon Lord name Cattleya Scarlet who is the niece of the previous Demon Lord, Baal.
Long story short, this Cattleya has fallen prey to the councilors from the previous administration. With their greed in tow, they didn’t even consider that everything outside this city is crawling with devils.
It’s kind of idiotic if the City that they tried to reign over get destroyed by devils in the end.
“What do you want to do Vische? You know well what I am to do in this situation but I will give you the shot.”
“There’s one more thing I want inquire about. It’s not that our schedule is tight but we might as well do something.”
Vische faces Eno Hellbeing in the meantime with me, Roy, and Elen in tow.
“Eno, I would like to know some matters. This doesn’t concern the Demon Capital but please answer this question of mine.”
“I am no position to decline any call for help or questions. Please ask.”
“We’ve heard rumors that the elf and the dwarve's cold war have come to a conclusion but we still don’t have solid information about it. I would like to know what happened.”
“That…”
From Vische’s question, Eno had an odd pause. I can already judge that this won’t be pleasant, well, at least for them.
“While there’s no direct connection to us regarding what happened between them, it is still a bitter end, a bitter end for the dwarves.”
“What could have happened? I heard that dwarves are excellent craftsman of metal and weapons. Their forged steels are of the highest caliber after the dragon fiber.”
“It’s the Elven Queen, Hinoki Prasiolite. I heard that in a fit of rage, she annihilated their Capital.”
“Rage? An elf? Aren’t they supposed to be a really mellow and peaceful race?”
“Yes…but from witnesses, Queen Hinoki’s peaceful countenance was just a façade. Under the mask that she wears, a boiling rage seeps within.”
“Why would she do something like that?”
“Information stated that her two daughters are missing, a twin. She blamed that dwarves for their disappearance and everything happened in a flash. She conjured Spirit summons that equals of pseudo gods.”
“Is that so? What are your thoughts about this?”
“If it is about her daughters…I am guessing this are about the illegal merchants that sell slaves. They are the only lot who has the face to do such heinous crime.”
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“Even after King Ashfon forbids it…”
It’s not that I am disgusted by the slavery system, in fact, forbidding it is a little less pain for everyone. Still, it’s a little bothering that illegal trade such as that still happens.
Vische contemplated about what Eno said and started staring down with her fingers on her chin. Her contemplating gesture proves that she is weighing the scale of decisions she will make. Unlike me, Vische tends to think everything through.
“Then, with all things considered, we will lend a hand for the sake of peaceful rescaling the Demon Kingdom’s trustworthiness towards the other country.”
With a relieved face, Eno shakes hand with Vische. Naturally, I don’t have any say in this as I allocated the job to Vische despite me, personally feeling a little inclined to decline. It was not a business that could really affect us but Vische doesn’t want this place to collapse.
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Skipping all the trivialities and summarizing everything, the Demon Capital was further divided into many factions but the most prevailing one among them is Eno’s faction that vindicates Cattleya’s rightful ownership of the throne.
We fought, all the while carefully making steps to clear the Council members out of the picture. We tracked down where Cattleya was confined. We learned how they will use Cattleya for their own purposes.
They are supposedly to impregnate her which was foiled. The child that she will bear will then become another rightful heir to the throne. That heir will be the puppet of everyone since they failed to break Cattleya’s iron will.
If everything went according to their plan, they plan to extract Baal’s power from him himself in the Cave of Vortex where he is said to be sealed and transfer it to Cattleya’s heir. If…everything went according to their plan that is.
Our intervention made it impossible as we retrieved Cattleya, overturned their plans and Cattleya ascending again, judge them with capital punishment as suggested by Eno.
What really surprised with all the whole incident is that Cattleya isn’t what I imagined to be. Instead of seeing a hag or some sort, it was a girl a lot shorter than me with crimson hair and well-defined knockers.
I’m not even kidding! Those fun bags look a little odd to her but at the same time, it gives a high sense of immorality.
Having nothing else to do, we immediately left the Demon Capital with a lot of stuffs that we didn’t even asked and before getting involved too much in their political draft, I suggested to Vische, Roy, and Elen to immediately leave in which they agreed in unison.
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After returning to our ship greeted with our companions, we immediately head out back into the sea and started sailing towards the Kingdom of Prosperity to report to Ashfon.
We wanted to set out towards the Elven Kingdom but due to the news of the enraged Elven Queen, we might not want to give her a visit. She solely destroyed a whole kingdom herself in a fit of rage. I really can’t imagine having a proper conversation with her.
Of course, we aren’t even thinking of visiting the destroyed kingdom of the dwarves. I might suggest if for fun but it sounds tiring and taxing.
Beast Kingdom’s thousand islands sound a little intriguing but it’s a really messy place with all the island hopping.
And so, we are now traveling towards the human kingdom. Despite all the detours and shift in the schedule that was made, we at least have some achievement to tell Ashfon so he won’t complain that much.
However…
There’s one thing that draws us somewhere…
No, it is more accurate that something is drawing me to that place, a place that we will inevitably go to.
It’s the center continent…and right now, we are sailing closer to it. An ill wind swept towards our direction that gives me eventual chills. An overwhelming presence that screams corruption, dreadful malice that fills the land to brim that colored it ashen, and a place that everything withers, animals, plants, and even man.
Only dread crept up throughout my body but oddly, it is like I am answering to its assailing beckoning as my eyes look at it longingly. Mix feeling I never experience before like anxiety piles up in my heart but at the same time, excitement blooms ever wonderful.
“Nil, you’ve been staring there for quite some time now. Is there something in your mind? No, there should be something.”
“Vischer? Well, there is…”
“The Center Continent, let’s try it.”
“Huh?”
“I said let’s try it, going to the center continent. You feel like that place is calling out to you for some reason, right?”
“Calling out is not the appropriate term to use but…pulling me to it.”
“I see, then we are nothing much of different from each other. I feel like going there too. Does it sound reckless to you?”
“I bet you are confident of our powers.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I am confident up until now. Nil, you don’t seem to make any significant progress about your own powers. I am starting to wonder if there’s a counterstop to your power.”
“Even if you say that, all I can do is fight with a sword, use some weird pain inducing magic and more trivial things.”
“You yourself know that it doesn’t end there. It is an unexplored side of yours…or maybe…the gap in your personality is what stops it from revealing its true potential.”
“Sounds very dreamy. I bet some bullshit powerups will give rise to the great me.”
“So, what do you say? Venture the danger or not? Sooner or later, this will also be the place where we are going to be thrown too anyway.”
Such question is asked to me.
Before I knew it or so my senses finally regarded their presences, all of our companions are already listening to me and Vische.
With eyes full of vigor and curiosity from my answer, they stare at me.
Are they also being beckon by such morbid place? I don’t know the answer to that unless I ask them, however, I see no reason to seek such answer anymore as I’ll just consider what my desire wanted to do.
I face all of them and with a smile forming on my lips, I said to them in an audible voice.
“Let’s venture the danger and overcome it!”