Looking at Ariel in front of her, clutching her Magic Staff with a face full of joy, Suna couldn’t see any trace of the kind of scoundrel her teacher had described— someone who would sacrifice lives like trash, a heretic who worshipped Disaster.
She seemed more like a passionate senior just two years older than herself.
A bit silly…
But Suna still had to be cautious. After all, Ariel was sent by the Demon Faction. And that demon—how could it possibly be involved with the Disaster Faith? What kind of existence was it?
“I believe you really are a Seventh-Rank Mage now,” Suna said, hands on her hips, interrupting Ariel’s self-indulgent moment after reclaiming her Magic Staff.
“Then, can you explain why your Magic Staff was severed by a demon?”
“What?”
Ariel froze. This little Second Tier Adventurer actually cared about such details? That was something she never expected.
Was she trying to get Ariel to admit how pathetically she was knocked to her knees by a demon? No way!
“Ahem, is that the way you talk to a senior Seventh-Rank Mage?” Ariel decided to put pressure on Suna from her position as the elder and forbid her from asking any more questions.
But Suna wasn’t buying it.
“If you won’t say, then I’m leaving.”
“Wait!”
Alright, Plan B. Ariel immediately set her sharp mind in motion and launched into a story.
“That was a bleak day, the falling leaves bringing news that a brutal and hideous demon was rampaging near Deya City. And, as a paragon of justice, I would never stand idly by. I rushed here and battled the demon for three hundred rounds!
I have to admit it was pretty strong— it lasted that long against me. But in the end, I finished it off in one move, the ‘Rupture of the Cosmos,’ smashing it into pieces within this very fog!”
As she spoke, Ariel flipped her hair and casually pointed at a nearby crater.
Hmph, I made that.
“Although my Magic Staff was damaged in the fight, as long as it brings peace to Deya City, losing one Exquisite Magic Wand is no big deal!”
“Oh—so that crater was made by you?” Suna seemed to understand something and gave Ariel a thumbs-up.
“Of course! What, you wanna learn? I’ll teach you.”
Ariel proudly puffed out her fairly ample chest, only to be met with Suna’s demon-like whisper, sounding utterly hopeless like an Italian forced to watch the entire process of making a pineapple pizza:
“I see. No wonder that demon sealed you here. You’re quite something, daring enough to blow up its lair.”
Now Suna had basically pieced together Ariel’s background. She had crossed a demon that even Truth itself was involved with, which was why she was trapped in the fog.
“What… did you say?”
Shock filled Ariel’s usually bright eyes. Her lips parted and froze in place.
Wait, you know that Blood Demon?!
And you just casually named the very demon that dared to argue with Lord of the City like it was nothing?
This little mage couldn’t possibly be an agent of that demon, right?!
Indeed, it wasn’t just knowing it. Suna had personally witnessed how that demon desecrated the Life Goddess and forced back a powerful demon whose mere presence was lethal.
This kind of existence was far beyond what a Seventh-Rank Mage could defeat, so it made more sense that the demon shattered Ariel rather than the other way around.
But that demon was surprisingly kind. Even after the fog was blasted apart like this, it hadn’t killed Ariel outright.
Truth must have pleaded for her.
With a loud “thud,” Ariel knelt down without hesitation, grabbing the corner of Suna’s clothes and begging:
“Please don’t tell it that I talked behind its back. If it finds out, I’ll really die…”
Already on her knees?!
What terrifying thing had that demon done to Ariel that just hearing its name could make this Seventh-Rank Mage kneel before her?
Suna felt a bit awkward but forced herself to reply:
“Fine, but my condition is you tell me everything about your background in detail.”
“Steam it?”
“Really.”
Deya City, central district.
Tia, who hadn’t slept all night, was walking down the street with dark circles under her eyes.
She had just finished briefing the Lord of the City and a group of nobles on the upcoming Divine Selection Ceremony in three days, stressing that no accidents were allowed.
She bought a newspaper from a vendor along the road, and naturally, the Divine Selection Ceremony was the headline news.
It seemed the News Agency was quite invested in the event.
After she spoke to them last night about starting the publicity for the ceremony, they had stayed up all night revising the headline.
After all, the Saintess was crucial to the city’s development—everyone, from adults to children, would be paying attention.
“Huh? This article is…” Tia’s eyes caught a breaking news story just below the headline.
“Watchtower Fort, uprising? Rebellion?!”
The news briefly recorded the chaos that had engulfed Watchtower Fort, fifty kilometers from Deya City, throughout the night.
Wait, I just came back from there—it was fine then.
Tia felt a pang of despair. She hoped this wouldn’t affect the Divine Selection Ceremony in three days.
Who the hell was stirring trouble behind the scenes?
And Truth should be okay, right? After all, the Hermit was still with her.
“Oh, right, I still have to go find the Hermit to ask for help with the Divine Selection Ceremony,” Tia hurriedly headed down to her underground chamber.
Not long after, a voice echoed in Truth’s mind, waking her from a brief nap.
“Boss, we’re lost deep in the fog. Can you guide us out?” Reg’s anxious voice sounded.
They had brought the dragon egg deep into the fog and once again found themselves lost in its labyrinthine nature.
At the military camp, Truth stretched in her chair.
She’d been dizzy last night, so she had gone back to her tent to rest.
Lost again?
Looks like the fog is almost restored. Time to move on to the next phase.
Truth sent them coordinates for an exit and then looked up, only to find the tent filled with demon hunters.
“Eh?”
Why are all of you staying here instead of hunting demons out there?
Led by Kavil, several heavily armed demon hunters stood guard in Truth’s tent.
Kavil, clad in silver-white heavy armor, sat in a chair across from her, holding a heavy-looking longsword.
“Good morning, Miss Truth.”
Last night, Kavil had frantically searched for Truth all over Watchtower Fort, almost putting down the rebellion single-handedly, only to find Truth sleeping peacefully in her tent.
Unexpectedly, the Saintess was well-behaved and hadn’t wandered off.
So they decided to stay here and ignore the rebellion, placing the camp under martial law.
After all, the Saintess’s safety was the top priority.
“Nowhere is truly safe,” Kavil said earnestly.
“I suggest you stay here in the camp.
I’ll have the demon hunters take turns protecting your safety.”
Outside the tent, Rachel watched Truth with a complicated expression.
Is she really a demon?
Surely the Life Goddess wouldn’t let a demon become the Saintess.
Maybe she’s just using some trick to scare me.
Last night, Rachel had yelled at Kavil for a long time about “Truth being a demon,” but Kavil locked her in confinement for the whole night.
That gave Rachel time to cool down and conclude that Truth was just playing a little trick to get back at her.
Still, Rachel wondered if perhaps the Life Goddess had made a mistake.
She couldn’t relax yet.
She had to watch carefully.
If she was a demon, she would surely slip up.
Rachel was determined to find ironclad evidence.
“I—I will protect the Saintess’s safety!”
No sooner had Kavil finished speaking than Rachel strode into the tent, determined to take initiative.