The Demon King's First General
Chapter 132: Black Card

Chapter 132: Black Card

Zeno was looking up at the sky with traces of a smile on the corner of his lips. The dice engraved on the chains spun, and the jet-black sword vanished from his right hand.

"That was exhilarating," he said, grinning.

Then he turned around to look at his art. The gamera was lying down on the ground; its eyes were still wide open, yet they were void of life.

The demon stepped forward and was about to touch the turtle-like monster when something made him frown. The corpse began to emit a strange light, and it disappeared from Zeno’s sight.

"I see," he said with a calm tone as he saw a strange black card with a circle containing a white skull as its design cover floating in midair.

Zeno extended his hand to get the object, but it broke like fragile glass the moment he touched it. However, like he already expected that scene, Zeno just smiled and shrugged off the situation before diverting his eyes towards the women who were looking at him in a daze.

"You can move now, I suppose," he stated.

The two young maidens were startled upon hearing the silver-haired man.

"T-Thank y-you," Zia expressed her grattitude with a troubled expression.

She was captivated by the mysterious man in front of them, and even though she didn’t know what exactly happened, she felt strangeness inside of her.

Admiration and curiosity started to bloom from the center of her heart, and she unknowingly introduced herself.

"My name is Nezia Grover, but you can call me Zia. Ahmnn, would you like to accompany us for the rest of the night?" She said, and upon realizing what she did, her cheeks turned red like a tomato while her ears started to feel like they were burning.

"Zia?" The other woman exclaimed upon hearing her friend’s bold question.

"I-I d-didn’t mean it that way! I just wanted..." She paused as she couldn’t find the words to justify her previous action.

Lost in her thoughts, she gulped and lowered her head in shame. She just wanted to know more about the man, but her words were somewhat inappropriate from her perspective.

"Not interested," Zeno answered without a second thought, then began to walk away from them.

Upon hearing the coldness of his voice, Zia looked up to glance at the man, but he was already several distances away from them.

Despite the cold treatment given to her, the woman continued to admire the man in her heart as she stared at his back with interest.

"Alecia..." She uttered.

"What?" The woman at her side replied while looking at her with a curious gaze.

Zia didn’t speak right away; she just smiled before shaking her head.

"Hmnn, nothing," she said, though her thoughts were filled with the man.

’He’s the perfect one,’ he conveyed inside her mind.

Then she stood up and stared in the direction where Zeno was headed.

"It’s just that I’m pretty sure that we’ll meet him again," she declared with a smile.

. . . . .

Meanwhile, Kizeler followed suit upon seeing Zeno walk away. He was still thinking about the weapon that he saw in Zeno’s hand.

Curiosity got into him, and as soon as he approached the demon walking without knowing where he was heading, he started to ask a question.

"It’s my first time seeing you using that weapon; what kind of sword is that?" He said, but the demon didn’t speak and just continued to walk with both of his hands inside his pockets.

Somewhat disappointed upon hearing the demon’s silence, Kizeler still followed up with another question.

"What kind of monster is that?" He asked, but Zeno still kept his silence.

Moments passed, and the two of them just wandered in the forest. The sleepiness that Kizeler felt before started to embrace him once more. However, as he looked at the demon’s back in front of him, he knew that he had not a single ounce of intention to halt his steps.

Given this fact, Kizeler pinched his arm to make him awake for a few more minutes.

’I’m still tired,’ he said to himself.

Then, as if the demon heard his thoughts, he stopped walking and looked back.

"You can rest; I’ll be taking a stroll," Zeno said.

And without waiting for Kizeler’s reply, he leaped into the tree branch and disappeared into the darkness.

It was just a split second, but Kizeler was able to notice the demon’s expression.

It was solemn, and there were traces of anger in his lifeless eyes.

’Now, that’s what I called unusual,’ Kizeler thought as he tried to think of reasons that caused the demon’s sour emotion.

. . . . .

As soon as Zeno left, he went up, standing on a sturdy platform of energy he created. He looked down at the terrain before him. The wind was a lot colder above, and his hair continued to sway.

There was a huge valley several kilometers away from him; this place was called the Collosal Rift, and the Heartfall Kingdom was located inside of it.

If he wanted to, Zeno could arrive there in just a span of hours; however, finding the existence he wanted to meet needed to come first, and searching for that existence was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Where are you, Deity of Kindness-Sherise?" Zeno whispered.

Using Eliana’s legacy to track the deity’s whereabouts was never an option for Zeno. After all, each deity had their own secluded dimensions called ’Septenary of Arcadia’, and doors leading to these places were not visible to the naked eye, especially to demon creatures.

"Is bringing out that sword still not enough? Do I need to unsheathe it for you to appear before me?" Zeno exclaimed before clenching his fist.

His voice was neither soft nor loud, yet it contained authority.

The next second, he pulled the black dice out of his pocket and fidgeted it between his fingers. Zeno waited, yet nothing approached him; no portal opened, and no one showed up.

This made him click his tongue out of disappointment.

"So even the weakest dares to ignore my call," he sighed before canceling out the platform on which he was standing.

Afterward, he returned to where Kizeler was resting. He sat on one of the tree branches, and the moment he cleared his thoughts, the image of the black card with a circle containing a white skull appeared inside his mind.

This sudden piece of memory made him massage the temple of his head.

"I can’t be mistaken, the gamera that I killed and those small traces of energy..." he uttered in silence and covered his face with his hand.

Then he looked into the sky while peeking through the gap between his fingers.

"Those are hers," he said.

. . . . .

The next day, Kizeler and Zeno resumed their journey towards the path leading to the Heartfall Kingdom. Through their effort, despite the demon’s laziness, the two of them managed to arrive at a small village before sunset. The place couldn’t be compared to the previous ones that they went to; no concrete houses could be seen; instead, several nipa huts were there as the villager’s shelter. However simple they were, the people living in the village were so accommodating to the point that they offered free food and lodging to the pair.

This village was the farthest from the Heartfall Kingdom, and it was not a place where mercenaries and travelers chose to stay, so the people couldn’t hide their excitement every time someone would come and visit their village.

"Please make yourself at home," said an elderly man who seemed to be the village chief.

"I didn’t expect to receive such a warm greeting upon stepping onto this place," Kizeler replied.

Then he pulled something out of his pocket and gently grabbed the old man’s hand.

"I couldn’t express how thankful I am, but please take this little token as a gift," Kizeler added as he placed a handful of silver coins on the elderly’s palm.

Kizeler was sitting around a bonfire with the other villagers, while Zeno was lying on a roof made of dried leaves. The demon left him the moment the villagers bombarded them with questions, though Kizeler didn’t mind it at all. Seeing the smiles of the people made him feel somewhat elated.

The foods they gave him were great; there were roasted ducks and several cuts of rabbit meat. As for the drinks, juices made from fresh fruits were served.

"These... T-These are silver coins and five of them," the village chief stammered as he gazed at the shining round objects on his palm.

Living in a remote place, money was never a problem for them, but still, to receive such gifts was enough to put a wide smile on their faces.

"They are all yours," Kizeler stated as he grabbed a piece of roasted duck meat and shoved it into his mouth.

The village was filled with laughter until a little child approached Kizeler.

"Big brother, are you a mercenary?" The young boy asked.

Kizeler looked at him and leaned forward.

"Yes!" He answered, then showed the child his mercenary pendant.

"And a strong one," he added with a smile.

The young boy’s eyes widened as he stared at Kizeler with excitement. Then he held his arm and exclaimed.

"Big brother, will you help me save my friend?" He said.

His statement caught the attention of the other villagers, and silence fell on them. The next second, a woman who seemed to be the boy’s mother pulled him away from Kizeler.

"Please don’t mind him; he’s talking about an imaginary friend," the woman said, putting on a smile as she patted the child’s head.

"Mother! I’m not lying; my friend is real, and she’s—" the boy cried out, but her mother covered his mouth.

"Stop this nonsense!" The mother of the child exclaimed and took her son away.

Seeing the scene unfold before him, Kizeler felt puzzled. He looked into the other villagers; his eyes were asking for details, but all of them evaded his curious gaze.

’I guess this will not be a peaceful stay at all,’ he concluded upon seeing the reactions.

. . . . .