Looking at the girl in front of me with a frown, I didn't say anything but simply gave her a look of silent judgment. You see, I consider myself someone who doesn't judge people based on appearance, race, color, or habits, but I also know that there's no smoke without fire.
If there's a whole faction dedicated to eradicating devils, then there must be a reason—no matter how fanatical, stupid, or downright ignorant its members might be.
I mean, if there are none of those traits in any faction, how do they function? There must be someone to do the grunt work, make sacrifices, and essentially be disposable. If everyone in a faction is smart, that faction will either be the most dominant or the quickest to collapse—no third option.
"Well, looks like I have things to do and information to gather, so I won't be able to continue our entertaining conversation," I told her with a straight face before turning and starting to drag the two unconscious magicians with me.
"Hey, you can't take them! I have to deliver them to my king for interrogation," Kuisha said, her voice adamant, and I was starting to get annoyed by her.
"I'm starting to lose my patience here, so let me put this in the nicest way possible: leave now before I lose my temper and kill you where you stand." I said, releasing my magic and mixing it with my natural energy and killing intent, making the atmosphere around us turn gloomy and dark. The trees began to shake, the grass grew rapidly, the earth trembled, and cracks started to form. I had to stop quickly, though, as my shack began to crumble under the pressure.
I waved my hand and let my magic restore the surroundings before heading back to the shack with the two unconscious men in tow.
I didn't pay any more attention to the devil because I noticed a teleportation circle forming underneath her—she was leaving.
Now, if anyone was wondering why I reacted that way, it was simply because I was annoyed with her. Something I quickly discovered during our conversation was that, no matter how irritated she became, she still exuded a sense of superiority that rubbed me the wrong way. I still didn't know if it was a trait all devils possessed, but if I had to guess, I would say yes. It wasn't really their fault either; their magic seemed to influence them this way, and I didn't like that—not one bit.
At first, I found it amusing, but that amusement quickly faded. We were not going to find common ground in that setting, and I wanted to learn more about the societal structure of the supernatural world before having to talk with her or her 'king.' And who better to extract information from than the two delusional magicians? The best part about these kinds of people is that they often know much more than they realize or comprehend.
So, I began my work and, with a quick Legilimency spell, used my Grimoire to filter out but still save all unnecessary information, leaving only the important details.
Well, as it turned out, the hero faction was just a group of fanatics led by other fanatics wielding powerful sacred gears. Still, this faction operated within the chaotic, ragtag organization known as the Chaos Brigade, which they believe shares almost the same motives and goals with them—aside from helping their boss fight her enemy. Hehehe, the part about sharing the same motive made me laugh.
I suspected they were all being manipulated by a big bad boss behind the scenes because that's usually how this kind of thing goes—even the Dragon God, who they believed to be the leader of this organization.
What led me to this speculation was what they knew about her: aloof, uninterested, naive, yet stupidly powerful. This just makes me think there's a high chance of a boss preparing something big—either to kill her or usurp her power—because that's usually how stories featuring behind-the-scenes villains unfold. Still, this is all speculation, and I don't have enough information yet.
I'm glad my younger self was a geek; the stories he read provided me some insights. Ahh, who am I kidding? They didn't really give me insights; they only instilled in me a sense of urgency to become strong enough that whatever this organization is planning wouldn't affect me. And I'm quite sure it will.
Oh, I almost forgot about the enemy of their boss, the other Dragon God that lives in what they call the dimensional gap—the strongest being in the world. They call him the "Great Red," the Dragon God of Dreams. I haven't met him, but I'm sure it's going to be enlightening when I do.
After I finished extracting the information I believed would be helpful from them, I tossed them aside. At first, I was going to kill them, but then I thought they could be useful for the deal I was planning with the devils. I was certain they would arrive shortly, allowing me to get what I needed for the next step.
I sensed two people approaching—I thought there would be more. One was the girl devil, Kuisha, and the other who instantly grabbed my attention.
I could tell He was a devil, yet his magical capacity was so low that it seemed only sufficient for the teleportation spell he used to arrive here. That wasn't what intrigued me about him, though; it was his ability to manipulate his life energy, which was infused with the concept of fighting spirit?— I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
I don't know if this is a common thing in this world, but it's definitely new and interesting to me. So, I quickly went to the door and opened it. I wanted to see who this devil was.
He was a tall young man with dark hair and violet-colored eyes, very muscular too, evident from his tight sports/training outfit. Do they not have baggy outfits here?
As I examined him, he was examining me. I noticed a look of recognition in his eyes, as if he had just discovered something that clarified his thoughts.
"Hello there, young sage. I am Sairaorg Bael, the heir of the noble clan of Bael. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said in a spirited voice, extending his hand for a handshake. I wasn't surprised that he figured it out, though.
"Harry Potter, nice to meet you," I replied in a bored tone, wanting to see if that would elicit a reaction from him. It didn't—he just kept his hand extended until I shook it.
"Heh, I think we're going to get along just fine," I finally said, shaking his hand, my voice tinged with genuine amusement.
"I think so too. I didn't know that the sage whom everyone in the supernatural world has been searching for—for years now was a kid living here in my territory," he replied, slipping in new information that shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. I knew Gaia had hidden my location and veiled my existence from prying eyes; I just somehow didn't think it was important enough, which should tell you just how foolish I'd been.
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, everything touched by nature and natural energy is Gaia's domain. I care not for more than that," I told him with a straight face. I continued, "I'm more surprised there's a devil like you than you are about me. And I mean this in the nicest way possible: there's something seriously wrong with you."
This made Kuisha's frown deepen and her irritation reach a new level, while it made Sairaorg laugh hard. I didn't know what he found funny about this situation.
"I don't know what you find amusing about your predicament, but now that I've observed you closely, I can say with certainty that your birth was not meant to be. Your lack of magical capacity as a magical creature should have been your first clue. But I can also see why you wouldn't care about that now—you've found a new path to power for yourself—your body is freakishly strong, after all," I said in a serious tone. Even though this was only the second time I'd met a devil, I could still tell they were magical in nature.
Oh, don't get me wrong; I don't have a clue about how they came to be or how they were created. But judging by the way nature views their existence, I can simply deduce that they were created in a way that heavily involved magic, thus making their nature that of a new kind of magical creature confirmed in my eyes, which also explains why nature labeled them unnecessary.
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I hate the holiday season...
Enjoy. -_-