The Demon King's First General
Chapter 75: Dolls

Chapter 75: Dolls

Far from the center of the Frostbloom Kingdom, near the outskirts of a village that was still covered with snow, a woman came running with just a loose white robe as her protection from the cold. Her every step was so nimble that she left no footprints in the thick pile of snow.

She was in a constant run for hours, yet there was not a single indication of fatigue from her.

Then, as she reached a certain distance from the small village, she took a second to glance at the tiny buildings before laying her eyes on the farthest house in the opposite direction of it.

Without wasting time, she headed into the entrance and strolled inside the area. It was still dark, but at any second, the sun would eventually rise into the sky.

Some of the houses had lights on, indicating that a few people were already awake, but they refrained from going outside due to the chilling temperature.

The woman went into the house she laid her eyes on, but as soon as she noticed that there was no one inside, tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Where are they?" She uttered, doing her utmost to prevent the droplets of water from falling on her cheeks.

Afterward, she inspected the house, and she even tried to open the door, but it was locked. Then she walked to the back of it, and as soon as she saw two gravestones protruding from the snow, she lost all of her strength to stand and fell on her knees.

"It can’t be," she murmured.

The tears that she staved off a few moments ago ran down like a waterfall. She stayed like that for a couple minutes when she heard footsteps coming from behind her, which put her wailing to a halt. She wanted to hide, but she couldn’t find the strength to stand up.

Nevertheless, she still prepared herself to throw an attack at any point in time if the approaching party meant any harm. However, contrary to her expectations, what she heard was an older voice she was familiar with.

"Ruq? Is that you?" Asked an old man.

The woman looked back as soon as she realized who the owner of the voice was.

"G-gramps?" She stuttered while assessing the situation.

"Ruq, y-you’re alive," the old man said as he stepped closer to her.

Without further ado, Ruq’oyah stood up and ran in the old man’s direction. As she came within his reach, like a child yearning for attention, she threw her arms around him and hugged him while her tears drifted in silence on her face.

"I have returned," she said.

And the old man gave her a few taps on the back.

"After all those years, I’m glad you’re safe," he said with a smile that blossomed from his wrinkled lips, while teardrops started to fall as soon as he closed his eyes.

. . . . .

Inside a secluded place filled with several shelves of books, a woman was sitting in the farthest corner of the room while staring at the snowflakes drizzling outside through a transparent window. She had a piece of paper in her hand, and tears were flowing down her cheeks when she heard light footsteps coming closer to her.

The room had chandeliers hanging above the ceiling, yet darkness still enveloped the closed area.

Seconds later, a man clad in silver armor appeared at the woman’s side as soon as the sound of the footsteps diminished.

"Princess! We must escape now!" The knight exclaimed, his words demanding urgency.

"I can’t leave my family, knowing those people will come after them once I vanish in here," the woman replied without averting her gaze from the outside scenery.

Then, with her fragile hands, she wiped her tears and looked at the knight.

"How’s Mother?" She asked.

"She’s still suffering from the strange sickness," the knight replied without blinking his eyes.

"And what about Father and my brother?" She answered with another question.

"The prince already went out this afternoon to seek help from the emperor, while your Father ordered me to bring you to a safer place," the knight explained.

"I don’t want to leave, and I can’t either," the woman whispered, but it was loud enough to convey her message to the knight.

Silence enveloped the room for seconds until another sound of footsteps came inside, walking closer in their direction. The already-cold temperature turned even colder.

Then two people glanced at the silhouette emerging from the shadow of the shelves. The knight bowed as soon as he noticed who it was, while the princess stood up and gulped a mouthful of saliva.

"Arctic, you’re back!" She exclaimed upon seeing the woman, who had the same pale blue color as her hair.

She let out a smile, but the traces of tears on her face betrayed her.

"Yes, and what the hell happened in here while I was gone?" Arctic asked with a tone that could match the freezing atmosphere.

"Aside from the few knights guarding the gates, the castle is completely empty. Butlers and maids are all gone," she added as she crossed her arms, demanding an answer.

"They were killed on the day after you left." The fake smile from the woman’s face vanished as she replied.

She directed her eyes somewhere in the room to avert them from her sister’s cold stares.

"What?" Arctic couldn’t help but exclaim upon hearing the other woman’s statement.

After all, she found no traces of battle anywhere inside the castle, and for those people to be killed like that was nearly impossible from her perspective.

’How come?’ She thought.

Then her sister lifted her arm and handed her the piece of paper she had been holding since earlier, before she answered with such a lonesome voice.

"They were turned into dolls," she said while recalling what happened on that certain day.

. . . . .

Fields covered with snow and people dressed in thick clothing were the common things that could be seen under the heavens in the region of Frostbloom Kingdom.

The citizens were busy doing their everyday chores; even soldiers and mercenaries were honing their skills despite the cold climate. They weren’t bothered by the countless snowflakes falling from above.

It was a normal day for them and for the knights who were stationed at the Frostbloom castle grounds. However, little did they know, the peace they were experiencing would tend to vanish the moment the woman hugging a doll stepped on the premises of the castle.

The knights were stunned upon seeing the her beauty, but as they did their job to ask for her reason why she wanted to enter the place, the terror began to unfold.

"Pardon us, but can you please show your letter of appointment?" One of the knights uttered.

The woman smiled and gave the big doll she was holding a hug before she answered.

"But I only have this," she said while pouting her lips.

The knights started to laugh as soon as they heard her reason. Seeing her cute state made their hearts melt, but they had a job to do, and they were apprehensive that the king would punish them for letting her in.

"Look, young miss, we’re not playing here. Without an appointment or any kind of invitation, you can’t enter the castle," another knight explained.

"Hmnn, I see." The woman nodded and smiled at them, which made their’ hearts flutter once more.

However, the moment the curl on her lips vanished, all the knights present in the area turned into ugly-looking dolls. It happened in such an instant that no one understood the real reason behind the strange phenomenon.

"You have so many friends now, Mr. Fluffy. Let’s go and find more," the woman said, smiling again as she caressed the head of the doll.

The next second, like she intended to do, she proceeded to walk towards the castle’s main entrance, and the dolls lying around stood up before marching at her back.

Then, as soon as she entered the castle, knights lining up in the corridor looked at her, but as they heard no commotion coming from the outside, they just let her be with the dolls, following behind.

However, after noticing that the clothing of the dolls was similar to theirs, two knights stepped forward and blocked the woman’s path, while the nearest one at the exit went out to check on the knights stationed at the gates.

"Please forgive our sudden obstruction, but may I know your purpose for coming here?" The knight asked.

"Oh, Isn’t it obvious?" the woman answered before rolling her eyes.

"I’m here to see the Frostbloom family; can you please bring me to them?" She added.

The knights glanced at each other as soon as they heard the woman’s reason. Afterward, they unsheathed their swords and pointed them at her, while the knight who went out to check on their comrades in the gates returned, running with a troubled expression.

"They are missing," he yelled.

As soon as the rest of the knights heard their companion. They released their energies and lunged at the figure in front of them.

However, the woman took a step forward, and the same thing that transpired a few moments ago happened once more. The knights, along with their weapons, turned into an arm-length version of themselves. Dolls wearing vicious smiles that were scary enough to make a child cry scattered across the floor. Seconds later, they came into life and started to walk towards the woman.

"Having these so many little knights makes my heart flutter," she said as she glanced at the several dozens of dolls lined up behind her.

. . . . .