Chapter 93: Divination
The sky of the demon realm remained gray, as chaotic winds swept through the wasteland, sculpting the exposed rocks into black spikes that angled sharply toward the sky. Among the cluster of spikes stood a black palace—more accurately described as a fortress with a lava moat, the glow of the molten rock reflecting on the palace walls.
Redder than the firelight was the blood flowing through the palace along with the smoke of battle. The fight was nearing its conclusion, as steel-armored demon warriors wielded cleavers, decapitating one after another, preparing to pile the heads in a throne-like structure to please the Blood God.
The architect of this victory and its greatest beneficiary, Demon King Marus, hefted a heavy horned helmet, drops of black blood dripping from beneath it in a steady line behind him. He walked to the balcony and looked down at the uniform black and red below.
He sighed, “I miss King Kima’s garden palace. Undoubtedly he was incompetent in many ways, but his presence brought a touch of color to the monotony of the demon realm.”
Marus was tall and brawny, wearing dark gray iron armor adorned with ridges, draped in dragon skin on his shoulders. Strands of grayish-white hair peeked out from beneath his faceplate, which vibrated slightly as he spoke.
Hovering above his helmet was a circle of pitch-black crown, lacking two “teeth.”
He raised the horned helmet in his hand, its center embedded with a fragment of the “Demon King Crown,” exuding a faint black mist. Marus addressed the helmet:
“There are far too many Demon Kings like you in the demon realm, too lacking in novelty. From this angle, Kima was able to offer at least a little surprise.”
As he finished speaking, Marus extended his index finger and touched the embedded crown fragment, upon which innumerable whispers arose around him, promising him power and greatness.
“This is what I rightfully deserve.”
He seemed indifferent to the promises, flicking his finger, causing the “Demon King Crown fragment” to detach and fly to the crown atop his head, filling one of the gaps, leaving only one tooth missing.
A voice came from behind him: “Congratulations, my king! You’re bound for greatness.”
“That’s a given; there’s nothing to congratulate.” Marus turned his head, his voice echoing throughout the palace.
A black-haired, humanoid demon dragon with long horns and a robust figure stood before him. Beside her, an elderly human man trembled, propped up by a staff that he clutched tightly; without it, he would have collapsed to the ground.
In front of the towering Demon King, the old man appeared as small as a shivering lapdog.
The old man stammered, “C-congratulations, the one true king.”
The demon dragon replied, “He tried to escape but was caught.”
“Great Marus.” The old man could no longer hold his staff, falling to his knees. “Please spare my life, considering my cooperation in deceiving the human sanctum.”
The demon dragon scoffed, “You’re merely one among dozens of deceived pawns. The Demon King doesn’t even know your name; what good does your plea do?”
Marus spoke up, the faceplate vibrating: “Morrians, I’ve heard my subordinates mention your name.”
The old man looked up in disbelief at Marus; no one had ever introduced him to the Demon King before.
“Rise.” Demon King Marus commanded. “As a human, you’ve done quite well. The idea of utilizing deep hypnosis to conceal the sanctum’s intentions was yours, very well done. I should reward you accordingly.”
Yet, the old man showed no sign of relaxation, fixating on the sword blazing at Marus’s waist.
“Tell me—what do you want?” Demon King Marus asked. “Return to the human realm, wealth, or a demonic promotion? I can grant them all, though I won’t assure you it will be safe to ascend.”
“I… I want to return to the human realm.”
“Foolish, more foolish than a slug.” The demon dragon said. “You, a human who’s been demonized, what good would it do to return? Surely you wish to warn the Order; you should be burned.”
“True, but the human realm will mirror the demon realm in just a few years.” Demon King Marus waved his hand. “Fine, you can return to the human realm. Take as much wealth from the treasury as you want; if you can’t carry it all, you may borrow two pack beasts.”
The demon dragon said, “Your Majesty, but—”
“It doesn’t matter; let them know.” Demon King Marus replied. “As long as we can gather Kima’s extraordinary materials, once the last fragment falls, we’ll be clear.”
The demon dragon scolded the old man, “Slug, you can leave now.”
The old man repeatedly thanked, “Thank you, thank you.”
He hurriedly got up and walked away, turning back after a few steps to deeply bow to Marus.
The demon dragon lowered her head and said, “I really didn’t expect you to remember his name.”
“All subordinates who fulfill their duties deserve to have their names remembered.” Marus pointed to the demon warriors piling up heads below. He was simply an ordinary one among many of Marus’s soldiers. “Take this head and add it to Ramori’s pile, put it at the top; his pile has always been very neat.”
With that, he tossed the horned helmet to the demon dragon.
“Yes, my king.”
The demon dragon received the helmet and stepped back.
Demon King Marus stood on the balcony, gazing at the black and red below, a shadow casting over half of his face.
…
…
The setting sun was blood-red, its rays illuminating Kima’s profile, accentuating her fair, translucent skin. She gently parted her lips and asked:
“What? Gregory wants me to immediately divine the location of the Demon King’s extraordinary materials?”
George, holding a bucket helmet, stood in front of her, with a long-legged elf standing under a tree in the distance, Frostleaf seemingly glancing over occasionally.
“Yes.” George replied, “The situation has changed. We believe the dark elves have found a way to transport the Demon King’s extraordinary materials to the sea without being detected by divine spells.”
Kima immediately revealed the truth: “They must be able to evade the spells of high elves.”
“That can be said.” George responded, “The most pressing issue is that the beastmen are far stronger than anyone expected. Reports indicate that some castles in the northern part of the Duchy of Kason have been breached, and it has become a no-man’s land.”
The northern part of the duchy, while not the most prosperous, was also not completely devoid of inhabitants. A no-man’s land suggests there were almost no humans surviving there.
At this juncture, George wore a worried expression; he could not imagine how ordinary people would survive without knights to protect them from the ravages of the beastmen. Nor could he dare to consider the fate of the local residents.
Kima glanced at a stronghold standing near the mountains in the distance, with a sea of tents outside and numerous flags fluttering in the air. The duke of the country was already commanding the knights, trying to resolve the beastman issue once and for all.
“Things are tough these days; disaster is everywhere.”
George stated: “I know our adversaries are formidable. Some have tried to directly divine the location of the Demon King’s extraordinary materials and meet their demise in the process, which is why I brought you this.”
As he spoke, George took out a necklace from his bag, unfolding it to reveal a gleaming, leaf-shaped piece set in gold and green, swaying in the air.
Kima leaned closer, sniffed its scent, and found it somewhat familiar.
“Whose is it?”
“The elf maid was generous.” George replied, “I offered her payment, but she refused.”
The scent unmistakably belonged to Eve Frostleaf; it was unclear what reason she had used to persuade the elf maid.
Kima’s face split into a delighted smile as she picked up the shiny necklace, saying, “It’s so beautiful!”
As she spoke, she caught sight of Eve Frostleaf in the distance, slightly turning her head. Had she not seen the ends of her silver hair swaying, she might have missed her entirely.
Kima’s lips curled up in satisfaction.
“I’ll stay by your side.” George donned the bucket helmet, adjusting its angle and gripping his sword with both hands, “Though I may not be of much help.”
“That’s fine. Just seeing you nearby brings me peace,” Kima said in a normal tone, knowing that Eve Frostleaf, with her elongated ears, would certainly hear her. “Why don’t you go speak to Frostleaf and see if she can join us?”
Kima was in high spirits, saying this purely for the fun of provoking someone, especially the elf who always wore a cold expression.
“Is it necessary?”
“What if a whole bunch of dark elves are close by?” Kima said. “Perhaps with just one divination, they could initiate a counter-divination and expose my location, fighting me from a distance, and then a swarm of dark elves would come swarming in.”
“That makes sense.” George mused with his chin resting on his hand, pointing to the distant stronghold, “How about we head to the city immediately? Though it might be a long way, we could reach it by dawn, and it would be safer in the city.”
“Can you convince the duke to have more than half of the extraordinary beings in the entire city circle around the room I’ll be divining in?”
“Impossible.” George replied, “For us, the Demon King’s extraordinary materials are critical, but for the knights, it’s merely a small concern. The more pressing issue is the beastmen and the legendary Mother of All Beasts.”
“Then it’s better to stay here.” Kima pointed to a hill on the plain, “Good visibility, no places to hide. The city is different; there are winding alleys all over, perfect for sneaking. If suspicious individuals congregate, they could easily sink a ship. Just think about how that certain demon king met his end?”
Perhaps it was because she realized that she truly was not Demon King Kima. Kima now felt indifferent regarding the insults hurled at the Demon King; it might also be that everyone’s mocking had dulled their sensitivity over time.
“Fair point.”
George turned around, walking towards Eve Frostleaf.
Kima watched them converse from a distance—George speaking while Eve Frostleaf maintained her cold demeanor—and couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle. After laughing, she began to kindle a fire, murmuring under her breath.
Before long, George came back leading a celestial warhorse, along with Kima’s chestnut mare. He said, “Eve Frostleaf doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today and refused to come with us. Should we let the soldiers join too?”
“Wait.” Kima stood up and called, “Little Li! Little Li!”
“Meow~~.”
An orange cat dashed out from the grass, leaping into Kima’s arms. She shivered, and her chest jiggled slightly.
“Little Li is such a good girl.” Kima said, vigorously ruffling the cat’s fur, “With autumn molting, there’s so much cat hair. Alright, you can go now.”
“Meow.” Li Anxi the cat rubbed against Kima’s chest, hoping she would pet her head.
Kima touched Li Anxi’s head, and the cat happily jumped out of her arms.
Kima tossed the fur she had gathered into the fire, and the cat hair burned, emitting wisps of green smoke and the smell of charred feathers.
George gripped his two-handed sword tightly, asking, “Directly divine?”
“Of course not; I’m just divining whether there are dangers nearby.” Kima stared at the vaguely shaped green smoke, saying, “Generally, it’s safe.”
George asked, “But what about a low probability of danger?”
“Not that; there’s no guarantee with divination.” Kima replied, “The divination result aligns well with empirical reasoning. We are now in the heart of the Duchy of Kason; this is a safe zone. As for the low probability of danger, I think it stems from these unstable factors.”
After saying this, Kima pointed to a small group of knights riding along the dirt road not far away. The knights sat atop tall horses, with infantry carrying spears and axes trailing behind.
“…There might be a few dimwitted knights who think I’m practicing evil sorcery and charge over shouting in the name of the lake goddess to stop me.”
“In that case, let’s set off.”
Kima happily leaped onto her horse with ease, riding alongside George towards the small hill, leaving behind the soldiers who were setting up camp.
For the first two or three minutes, the two rode in silence.
This guy can’t even flirt; we haven’t met for more than half a month, and he won’t say a word? Guess he’s completely reliant on the girls making the first move…
Kima took the initiative to strike up a conversation: “George, do you know Jenna is serving in the military?”
“I know; I saw a letter from her saying it’s to prevent the green tide from the north and that she might be going to support the southern kingdom or something.”
“Your news is outdated.” Kima retorted, “A major city in the southern kingdom has been destroyed again. I scouted the green tide; it can no longer be called a green tide but rather a green tsunami. I suspect the battle for the establishment of the empire, the one Sigma fought at Obsidian, faced a green tide less severe than this one.”
George tightened the reins: “What?”
Just as Kima was about to reveal her secret contingency plan for Jenna, a chilling autumn wind blew in from behind, adding a touch of cold to the already chilly autumn.
The next second, Kima realized it wasn’t just any autumn wind, as such winds did not come with the sound of hooves. She looked back and couldn’t help but smile as she spotted Eve Frostleaf riding a silver steed, fully armored and displaying a decorative silver bow at her waist.
Kima cheerfully remarked, “Frostleaf, you came! That’s just wonderful.”
Eve Frostleaf, expressionless, replied, “A certain friend’s request was transparently conveyed in their words. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.”
George furrowed his brow slightly.
Kima turned to George and boldly declared, “Dear, you’re so good to me!”
Just as her words fell, the autumn wind turned even colder.
Kima was certain that if she were to splash water on Eve Frostleaf’s face right now, it would undoubtedly freeze.
“Back to the previous topic.” George said, “Kima, I have a request. Consider this my second favor owed to you. Since you can traverse freely and call for help from a distance, could you assist Jenna during the decisive battle and bring me along too?”
Kima’s smile faltered slightly. Sensing her change in demeanor, the perceptive Eve Frostleaf noticed and the autumn breeze lost some of its chill.
“Of course, that’s fine.” Kima paused and could not resist saying, “I was just about to tell you that I’ve already done so.”
“Good, thank you, Kima.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t know if it’s just my imagination,” George inquired, “but I have this feeling that both of you seem a little down today.”
“No!”
“No!”
The two women lied in unison.
12:30, and there’s one more to come.
