The Demon King's First General
Chapter 45: Back In The Festival

Chapter 45: Back In The Festival

"How did you know that name?" Zeno asked.

Then he removed his scythe’s blade from Cinn’s neck.

"Give me a reason why I should spare her," he added.

The man thought for a moment before answering. He knew that the demon before him could kill him in a single flick if his answer didn’t match his expectations.

That was how he remembered their general; he didn’t give a second thought to killing those he found troublesome to deal with. There was one time that he annihilated a whole race due to the fact that they woke him up from his nap.

"I’m at a loss of words, but you once saved me back then. Despite my appearance, I’m at least a thousand years old. But that’s not important right now; I know what the Lord did to you..." he paused.

After he sensed that the ground started to shake and the atmosphere became heavy. All of this was because the silver-haired demon was reacting to his words.

"I’m sorry, what the Lord did was unforgivable, but it’s not the young lady’s fault. She’s innocent, General," he explained, hoping that the demon would understand him.

Zeno retracted the scythe and crossed his arms. He was wondering if he would spare Cinhard’s daughter like the man had suggested.

Then he glanced at the woman lying in front of him. He stared at her body for several seconds, and that was the moment he realized that she was stark naked.

He smirked and let his eyes feast for another second before he turned around to face Aichelle.

"Is it possible for you to open a portal leading to the heart of the human empire?" He asked.

Zeno’s sudden question surprised the maid, and it took a few moments before she answered.

"I-I can’t; I can only open a portal to the place for which I know the coordinates," she said.

"Then send me back to Shieldscape City," Zeno ordered.

Aichelle nodded and opened a portal back to the Herish Kingdom’s capital in front of Zeno. She didn’t know what was going on, but she obeyed the demon without any further question, as long as Cinn was safe. She would be happy to accept orders.

The man sighed in relief as the suffocating presence vanished in the air.

"Thank you, General Arthur," he uttered, bowing to show his sincerity towards the silver-haired demon.

"I go by the name Zeno, by the way," he said after he glanced at the man.

Afterward, he stepped inside the portal, however, he halted and then looked at Aichelle one more time.

"Near the boundary of the Forest of Nightmares and the Mountain Range of Phantasms, there’s a cave. I hid something there. Do tell her when she wakes up," Zeno articulated, then vanished as he walked through the bluish curtain of darkness.

Aichelle didn’t reply instead she dashed towards Cinn as soon as the unknown demon disappeared. She pulled out a piece of cloth from a portal and covered her mistress’ body.

Then she looked at the man with the scar.

"I don’t know how to repay your kindness, but thank you for saving us," she expressed her gratitude as she bowed in the man’s direction.

"There’s no need to thank me; I just did what I could do," the man replied, looking at Cinn.

"Please protect the Lord’s daughter; she will lead us in the near future," he said.

’But our plan is a little different,’ Aichelle thought.

Then she shook her head and answered.

"Y-yes, I will! But I’m curious about the demon earlier; why do you keep calling him general?" She asked, her eyes staring at the man, waiting for answers.

"I wouldn’t pry into his life if I were you," the demon replied.

"But for you to better understand, he was the Demon King’s sole general from a thousand years ago," he added.

Aichelle’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as soon as she heard the man’s words.

"Then his hatred for the Lord—something happened back then, I presume," she replied.

"Indeed, just don’t mess with him, and he won’t do you any harm," the man said.

After that, an explosion occurred, which attracted the attention of all the demons in the vicinity.

"You must go now. They are here; those lizards don’t know when to back down," the man added, and he pulled out the sword hanging on his waist.

. . . . .

A few hours earlier, in Shieldscape City, Kreigster stormed into the room where the representatives of the Bluelion Kingdom were assigned. Lexel was chasing him to be the peacemaker if a fight started.

"Hey! I realized it just now. Why did you save that man?" The crown prince asked as soon as he saw Seth lying on a couch with a book on his face.

The grand mage didn’t respond to his question, so Kreigster walked towards him to grab the book and let the magician explain.

However, a few seconds before his hand touched the object, it vanished along with the man, who then appeared leaning his back on the room’s wall.

"I did it to save the crown prince from any trouble regarding that person," the mage said while not averting his eyes from the contents of the book.

"Did you belittle me just now?" Kreigster replied.

Then he turned around to face the grand mage, but he disappeared once more, and he heard his voice coming from the couch.

"Who knows? If I didn’t send him away, maybe the empire would be electing a new heir for the throne by now," the mage answered while still looking at the book.

Kreigster lost his control, and he performed a turn around kick, aiming for the grand mage’s head. However, the mage didn’t bother to look at the crown prince before a brilliant light enveloped Kreigster, and then he vanished in that instant.

"W-where is he?" Lexel asked upon seeing that Kreigster disappeared in front of her.

"He’s fine, Princess. He will be here before the sun rises," Seth explained before he closed the book and looked into Lexel’s concerned eyes.

Then he smiled and stood up from his seat.

"That man—I can’t figure out how strong he is. I had no choice back then; the prince would definitely die if I didn’t intervene," he said.

His statement was enough to bring anxiety to those who would hear it, yet the princess still managed to admire the man inside her mind.

’To think that even the grand mage speaks highly of him. His character sure is amazing,’ she thought.

. . . . .

Zeno walked out of the portal Aichelle had made. It was connected in a dark alley where no one was passing by. It was now past midnight, yet too many people were still partying at the place.

"A festival, indeed!" Zeno exclaimed as he walked through the crowd.

Not far from him, he noticed a man dancing in the middle of the street. He was wearing a white coat and pants. From his attire, anyone could clearly say that he was from a great family.

Then he also sensed several individuals hiding in the shadows of the city.

"Now, what are they up to? I hope it’s pleasing enough to entertain me," he uttered, smiling.

However, despite his expectations, nothing happened. He waited for another minute, but those people didn’t even move from their position. It looked like they were watching the man dance in the street.

"This is frustrating; I thought they came for me," Zeno said while shaking his head.

After that, he continued to watch the man’s performance. The music was loud and fast, but his body was moving in a way to match the rhythm. Then, as soon as he and the music stopped. Daggers were hurled at him from all directions. He got struck, and blood started to stain his clothes.

The people screamed in panic while others moved out of the place, yet the man stood still in his position.

He didn’t pay any attention to them. Instead, he closed his eyes and bowed to give the remaining audience his ending remark. He even made himself smile after a woman asked him if he was okay.

"Small things," he answered.

Then the daggers were pulled out of his body and fell on the pavement. Afterward, he took off his coat and tore off his shirt. And the people clapped as they saw him with no wounds at all.

They thought the daggers were part of his performance, but they were not. The man and Zeno were the only ones who knew the entire truth. However, the silver-haired demon lost interest as soon as the figures hiding in the shadows fled from the scene.

"Bunch of useless beings," he uttered before leaving the area.

He thought for a moment about where to go, then remembered a specific location and decided to walk toward that place.

After a few moments of strolling in the city, he arrived at the front of the shop with two gargoyle statues.

Despite the hour, the building still had the signage "open," yet no turn-on lights could be spotted inside the shop. Zeno pushed the door and came in. He stood behind it and waited there for a moment.

Soon enough, the warlock appeared from what looked like a counter.

"I am pleased for your return. Feel free to take a look at my merchandise; I’ll give you a huge discount for whatever you desire." The old man greeted him with a smile.

Zeno grinned to return the man’s greeting before he spoke with an aloof tone.

"Did you give me the glove knowing that I would encounter the Demon King’s daughter?" He asked, curious.

Though he was sure that Cinn couldn’t hurt him, the glove became a huge help for him in his battle. After all, it was made of materials that even the blue flames couldn’t burn in an instant.

The warlock smiled as he heard Zeno’s question. He even let out a short laugh before answering.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," he replied, but upon seeing that the demon before him didn’t buy his statement, he spoke once again.

"I gave it to you not because of her, though I knew that you two would meet anytime soon," he said, then he walked closer to Zeno and stopped a few inches away from him.

Afterward, he pointed at the demon’s chest with his forefinger, which had a long-grown nail.

"The world will soon fall into chaos, and when that time comes, deities will descend, and you who remained neutral for so long will finally choose sides," he declared before he vanished in front of Zeno.

The things inside the shop disappeared, and the place turned into a rundown building with a destroyed ceiling and cracks on its floor.

. . . . .