The Demon King's First General
Chapter 130: Proposal

Chapter 130: Proposal

In the northern land of the Plain of Fantasies, in the vicinity of the Heartfall Kingdom, there was a myth about a certain existence that guided travelers and mercenaries towards their paths, especially at night. Those who lost their way inside the woods would find themselves following a strange light. Then, the moment they woke up from this trance, they were already out of the forest, and the light was gone. This happened not just to a few; almost everyone living in that place told this tale on every occasion.

Others had said that it was a deity sending them safe and sound, while some believed that it was a spirit or a certain creature living in the forest. Until this current time, no one knew what it really was. Even prophets and the famous Celestial Seer couldn’t unravel this strange phenomenon.

. . . . .

’Someone is tailing us,’ Kizeler stated out of nowhere.

This made the young patriarch uneasy; however, the demon alongside him just chuckled and paid no attention to it. The hanging ball of light above was about to set, but the two of them were still walking inside a thick forest that acted as the boundary between the Kingdom of Frostbloom and Heartfall. It took them a day less than Zeno’s nap time to arrive at their current location.

"I know," Zeno replied after a few seconds.

Then he looked up and stared into the sun while continuing his steps. Meanwhile, Kizeler covered his eyes with his palm and made a sigh after seeing the demon’s reaction.

"The last time someone stalked us and you looked up, a dragon descended the very next second, and now you’re doing the same thing again," he uttered, shaking his head.

’Hmmnn, so now he can feel presence even with this distance. Interesting!’ Zeno thought and spoke the next second.

"Don’t worry about it; the fact that you’re still alive right now is a guarantee that the person stalking us meant no harm," he said.

Kizeler couldn’t help but knit his brows; he failed to understand what the demon was trying to convey.

"She won’t attack you unless you do something foolish," Zeno stated, and Kizeler’s eyes widened in surprise.

"She?" He exclaimed.

His thoughts were immediately filled with guesses as to who was following them.

’Is it the princess?’ He wondered but soon shook his head.

"No, that would be impossible," he murmured.

Zeno just glanced at the human and grinned. Even he was wondering what the reason was behind that person’s action, though he didn’t want to confront her at this moment.

’Well, that’s not my problem for now,’ he thought.

. . . . .

At the same time in a certain town near the heart of the empire. Two women clad in a beige-colored robe were traversing down the busy street leading to the empire’s capital. Both of their heads were covered, not to attract any unwanted attention.

"Mistress, I think you should return. I’ll fetch you the moment I arrive at the capital and can open a portal," a blue-haired woman suggested without glancing at the woman beside herself.

"That won’t do, Aichelle. Our identities would be revealed the moment we stepped inside that place; if not for that reason, I would entrust this entire mission to you and Lux," the woman with cyan-blue eyes answered with the lowest tone possible.

"Come to think of it, has Lux not returned yet?" She added as she halted her steps.

Aichelle stopped in her tracks as well before turning around to face Cinn. Then she shook her head and lowered her gaze.

"He said that he would be gone for three days, but yesterday was already the third. I tried locating his presence, but I couldn’t find him," she replied, uneasiness present on her face.

Upon seeing her reaction, Cinn stepped a little closer and raised her servant’s chin. The next second, she smiled and spoke a few lines to erase Aichelle’s worry.

"Don’t worry about him too much; he’s not that weak, remember?" Cinn said.

"R-Right!" Aichelle answered as if she were hypnotized by her mistress’ captivating smile.

"Then, let’s continue! I know he’ll catch up soon," Cinn conveyed before resuming her steps.

She looked around her and noticed that the town was quite lively; people laughing with each other, merchants yelling everywhere, and even the mercenaries squabbling in a few corners captured her attention. This was not her first time in a human town, yet she was still puzzled by their interactions.

’The demon’s customs... are nothing compared to this,’ she thought as she remembered how they, the demons, tried to overpower each other, seek power, and gain the Demon King’s approval.

"They were nothing but weaklings, yet their smiles are irreplaceable. How do I wish I could wear that kind of smile?" She uttered, then she looked at the cane she was holding with her right hand.

"No, I will be able to, after this," she said while clenching her fist before focusing her sight on the path ahead of her.

A few seconds passed, and she felt a strong gaze staring at her; however, she couldn’t pinpoint its exact direction. Despite this, she remained calm while trying to figure out where the presence was coming from.

Then she took a moment to glance at her servant, who was walking a few steps behind.

"Is there something wrong, Mistress?" Aichelle asked upon seeing her master’s sudden action.

"Nothing," Cinn denied, and she chose to hide it from her as she understood that the gaze was a kind of signal, especially sent for her due to the fact that Aichelle didn’t feel a thing.

’Controlling their presence to the point that I’m the only one who noticed it—that’s not a simple thing anyone can do,’ she thought.

Her grip on the cane was getting tighter with every step she took. She waited for the existence behind that presence to attack, yet nothing happened, and then, after a few more minutes, the gaze she felt disappeared without a trace.

"What was that?" Cinn uttered as soon as she stopped walking.

"Mistress? Are you fine?" Aichelle asked once again upon hearing her remark.

However, the moment Cinn turned around, cracks appeared in the air before everything crumbled into fragments of reality that soon vanished and were replaced by never-ending darkness. The humans were gone; even Aichelle was nowhere to be found, and her entire surroundings became silent.

’Illusion?’ Cinn contemplated.

Then a pair of bright orange eyes with a cross pattern appeared right in front of her.

"Who are you?" Cinn asked as she channeled her energy on the cane, making it show its transluscent blade.

"Cinn," a voice called out.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" The vampire repeated upon hearing her name.

Then the pair of eyes blinked once, and the sharp voice reverberated again.

"Cinn, daughter of the late Demon King! My identity is not important at this moment, but I have a proposal, and this will be to your liking," it said.

Cinn furrowed her brows and stared at the bright orange eyes with confusion.

"Do something for me, and in exchange, I will help you achieve your goal of opening the gate of the underworld," the voice stated with a chuckle.

"Even without the keys, I can open it for you," the voice added.

Cinn thought for a moment. The unknown existence’s proposal was quite tempting, even though she didn’t know if the voice was telling her the truth.

"Forgive my rudeness for rejecting your offer, but I don’t trust someone who couldn’t even state his name," Cinn answered, mocking the existence behind the pair of eyes.

However, all that she got was nothing but a short laugh.

"Listen here, young lad," the voice said, then continued. "I can’t tell you my name at this moment, but we will soon meet, and by then, I’ll introduce who I really am."

"So do me a favor," the voice added as the eyes stared at the confused Cinn.

"Kill Uoiea Embercrown," it ordered.

Aside from Cinn’s heartbeat, nothing could be heard in the place. The silence continued for a while as the vampire felt dumbstruck by what the voice wanted her to do.

"Simple, is it? Kill her, and I will open the gate for you," the voice repeated.

"I can even give you what you truly desire; it will all depend on your result," it added, and laughter followed.

’What... I truly desire?’ These words echoed inside Cinn’s thought.

Then, with a burning gaze, she pointed the Transluscent Inferno into the pair of eyes and spoke with an arrogant tone.

"Do you really mean it?" She asked.

Laughter followed again, but Cinn ignored the irritating noise. She kept staring at the eyes; however, as the laughter didn’t stop, she clicked her tongue and waved her sword sideways, sending a ripple of flames towards the pair of eyes.

"Hmnn, you should work on that temper of yours," the voice frowned as soon as it extinguished the incoming blue flames.

"Of course! I mean it! One soul is not that hard after all," it paused, then glared at Cinn.

"The choice is yours," it continued, and everything returned to the way it was.

The people’s chattering entered the vampire’s ear as well as a very familiar voice. "Mistress! Mistress!"

"Aichelle?" Cinn uttered.

With a worried expression, Aichelle caressed her mistress’ face and spoke.

"Mistress, you suddenly stopped moving, and no matter how many times I called you, you didn’t respond. What happened?" She asked.

However, Cinn didn’t hear a thing; she was busy recalling the scene from earlier in her mind. Then she took Aichelle’s hand away from her face and turned around.

With large strides, she traversed the path towards the empire’s heart.

"Uoiea Embercrown," she said with a strong resolve.

. . . . .