"The Inspection Bureau… Patran…! Just you wait!"
Limp, limp.
Kaya used one of his wings as a makeshift leg to slowly move forward. With each step, sticky blood dripped from his wounds.
His left arm and the area below his right knee—these were the parts Kaya had to sacrifice to survive.
Patran was incredibly strong.
He knew he was powerful from their long-standing grudge, but he seemed even stronger than before.
'Damn death penalty…!'
Moreover, the Inspection Bureau's secret art, "discipline," provides a powerful buff to agents the moment it is activated.
And if they use magic tools with properties like slaying demons or exorcism?
Any demon would end up in the same state as Kaya.
This was why Kaya and the other demons were desperately trying to resurrect the Demon King, no, the Great Demon King, who was an even more ancient being.
Only such a being could counter the continuous advancements of humans.
'The problem is that I've ended up in this miserable state.'
Kaya gritted his teeth.
His subordinates had almost all perished trying to protect him.
The few that remained had left, attempting to divert the Inspection Bureau's attention, leaving him alone.
But Kaya believed there was no way for them to survive.
'The fact that they already knew about the vault, and that they immediately collapsed the mansion to prevent my escape… it's clear they were far more prepared than I had thought.'
These were all misunderstandings, but Kaya firmly believed them.
'Escape from their eyes? No, it's nearly impossible. Plus, my body is in the worst condition. That leaves only one option…'
Kaya's eyes gleamed with a blue light as he stopped walking.
'To catch us off guard!'
The Inspection Bureau must be thinking that he was still caught in their trap.
In that case, Kaya intended to turn the situation around and launch an offensive.
They would never expect him to counterattack in his current state.
'You have no idea what we've done to the totem.'
Kaya and his organization were no fools; they would never leave the vital totem for the revival ritual unguarded.
Each totem had a unique scent imprinted on it.
A scent that only Kaya could detect, no matter where it was!
It was designed to be undetectable and irremovable unless the object was physically sealed.
'How could I not find a scent that I myself have emitted?'
Kaya's true name was Scent.
He could use the unique scent he emitted for tracking, poisoning his enemies, and various other purposes.
'Each totem is filled with demonic energy. If I devour them, I could not only fully recover but also unlock new seals.'
Of course, it was absolutely forbidden to touch the totems without the organization's permission.
Doing so could get him beheaded by the organization's pursuit squad.
But Kaya had no other choice.
Wasn't he already facing death?
Not knowing when the messengers might arrive, he had to do everything he could.
'If I bring back Patran's head, the organization might even credit my efforts.'
The moment he organized his thoughts, Kaya changed the direction of his steps.
He intended to head straight for the source of the totem's scent.
'Patran! I'll show you that this isn't over yet!'
Flames burned fiercely in Kaya's pupils as he set off.
***
"You're quite impressive. Truly, I wonder why it is that I'm only now meeting a talent like you!"
"Master, since you have such great insight, wouldn't you have been looking for someone like me?"
"Isn't that right? Hahaha!"
Watching Augustine and Elric lavishly praise each other, Sean shook his head.
After the incident at Viscount Garot's mansion the night before, Elric's group quickly left the scene and, as if nothing had happened, boarded a carriage heading back north.
"Still, it feels great. Not only did we completely wipe out those demons, but we also gave the Inspection Bureau a solid blow. Just thinking about their twisted faces makes me feel so satisfied!"
"I agree, hyung-nim. Haha! I laughed so much my stomach still hurts!"
Like Augustine, Gility was busy grinning from ear to ear.
In his youth, Gility had been relentlessly pursued by the Inspection Bureau, a memory that still made his skin crawl. Even though he became a guest of the Nerester family, there were still agents tailing him, stirring his anger more than once. He would never forget today for the rest of his life.
"I must have done something good in my past life for such fortune to come my way in my late years! I just adore our disciple!"
Gility's eyes were filled with affection as he looked at Elric.
Feeling uncomfortable, Elric subtly moved his seat closer to the door.
"Hm? What are you talking about? You keep forgetting, you're number 2! Elric belongs to the Night's Chronicle!"
At that moment, Augustine interrupted Gility's gaze.
"I've changed my mind. Elric should be the successor of my school."
"What kind of nonsense is that! That's not what we agreed on!"
"Well, circumstances change, don't they? But out of respect for our long-standing camaraderie, I won't stop you from taking the second seat."
"Who says you get to decide!"
"I do?"
"No way! Absolutely not! Elric is the treasure of the Night's Chronicle! I won't give him to anyone!"
"I feel the same way."
"You're out of your mind!"
Just as Augustine and Gility, who prided themselves on their deep brotherly bond, began to show signs of splitting over their disciple.
Sean cautiously asked Elric, "Shouldn't we stop them?"
"Leave them be. They'll settle down eventually. It's not the first time this has happened."
Sean was left dumbfounded.
'So this happens often?'
The Augustine he knew from the family was always a bit mischievous but also a dignified elder who was hard to approach. Gility, with his strong eccentric temperament, was difficult to talk to unless it was his father speaking.
But now, both of them were utterly captivated by Elric, to the point of bickering childishly over who was closer to him.
The image he had of these figures was utterly shattered.
Still, he felt good about it.
It meant that Elric's worth, which he had known all along, was finally being recognized.
No one could dislike seeing their friend succeed.
'…Even if he still acts annoyingly arrogant.'
Watching Elric cheerfully hum while rummaging through his subspace pouch, Sean asked, "So, what are you going to do with all that money?"
"What do you think? I'm going to rebuild my family."
The answer came as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Sean's eyes widened slightly.
"You're going to restore your family?"
"It's time to start preparing. Once this journey is over, I'm planning to visit my hometown. The house there is too old and needs renovating, and I need to reclaim the territories we sold off. Rebuilding a family doesn't come cheap, you know, Mr. Rich Boy."
Sean glanced at Heize.
"…"
Heize's lips were pressed tightly together, but her eyes were wide with shock. She seemed even more taken aback by Elric's sudden declaration than Sean was.
"If this journey goes well, I should be able to recover many of my family's magic spells. If that happens, I can really re-establish the family. Of course, I have to pass the magician certification exam first. There's so much to do."
Sean quietly nodded in agreement.
Given Elric's current skills, it wasn't an impossible feat.
"You'll do well."
"Of course."
Elric grinned and then continued.
"But first, I need to recover everything I can."
"…?"
Sean furrowed his brow slightly.
He had a feeling Elric was up to something without saying a word.
At that moment, Augustine and Gility, who were still bickering, simultaneously turned their gazes outside the window.
Heize, noticing the same thing, moved her hand towards her hammer.
"A… demon?"
The carriage came to a sudden stop.
In front of them stood a demon, exuding a menacing demonic energy and glaring at them.
"What should I do?"
Karl, the coachman, asked, looking at them.
He was equally taken aback.
A demon brazenly walking around in broad daylight was unheard of.
Was it crazy, or just that confident?
Since the Great Demon War, demons had almost been wiped out and had largely disappeared from the continent.
Any that were found were quickly eliminated, so most demons tried to blend in and hide their true identities.
But seeing one out in the open like this was astonishing.
'Did it come here to commit suicide?'
Considering Augustine and Gility were present.
And knowing there were two members of the Melvinger family, renowned demon slayers, made such thoughts understandable.
"I called it. Sis, leave it to me. I'll handle it."
Heize looked at her brother, puzzled by what he meant.
"I told you, I need to gather everything I can. This one's no different."
"…You, are you planning to retrieve the seal?"
"Yes. That guy's probably the head of the ones who were in the mansion."
"You…!"
Heize looked exasperated and was about to shout, but Elric had already hopped out of the carriage.
"Hahaha! As expected of my disciple! Yes, if he's the successor of Night's Chronicle! He should have such guts!"
Augustine slapped his knee and burst into laughter.
Gility pouted his lips.
"I told you, he's my disciple."
"You fool! Can't you see? Such bravado is definitely from Night's Chronicle!"
"You really don't know, do you? My school values intelligence above all, so he's closer to me."
"Night's Chronicle, I say!"
"My school, I say!"
Their argument reignited.
Sean sighed deeply and turned his gaze towards Elric.
***
"So you really came?"
Kaya felt something was off.
'These guys… they're not from the Bureau!'
Despite his appearance, they showed no signs of panic.
There were no guards in sight, which would be expected if they were transporting important items.
All he saw was a high-ranking noble's carriage, as if they were just out for a stroll.
And then there was the young man, Elric, who got off the carriage with a cheerful smile, as if he had been waiting for him.
His instincts screamed that this was a trap!
"Who… are you?"
"Me?"
Elric grinned and pulled something out of his coat, placing it on his face.
"This."
A black mask.
It was so crudely made that it seemed to mock the onlooker.
Snap!
At that moment, Kaya felt something snap in his mind.
"You… you've deceived us!"
Kaya felt the tangled web of confusion in his mind suddenly unravel and everything fall into place.
They had been tricked, both him and the Inspection Bureau!
"Finally figured it out? You're slow."
"…!"
"I have a question. Are all demons like this? I know another demon who's quite similar."
『…You don't mean to say that demon you know well is me, do you?』
[Oh? You caught on. Maybe you're not as dumb as I thought.]
『You bastard...!』
As Elric bantered with Mephisto, Kaya felt his rage completely cloud his vision.
A single human had turned all the efforts and preparations he and his organization had made for so long into a complete mess.
"I'll kill you!"
Bang!
Whoosh—
Kaya kicked off the ground violently, launching himself towards Elric.
『That one's completely lost it.』
[Even better for me. As a Melvinger.]
Crack, crackle!
Elric watched Kaya approach and began to loosen up his body. After the night's battle, his senses were still sharp.
However, he felt some regret.
He hadn't been able to fight with his full strength.
He still didn't know the full extent of his abilities.
[Now I can kill even more demons.]
Elric smirked and activated his incantation.
"[Unlock Armament]."
Whoosh!
As his mana was unleashed, a wave of energy rippled outward.
Swish, swish, swish!
Boom!
Elric struck Kaya while creating a blizzard.