Chapter 31: The Sensation Was Heavy And Chilly

Keren’s voice echoed, so I went to the alley.

And what I saw there was her, already having single-handedly dealt with the thugs.

“Thank you for your help. If it hadn’t been for you, things would have been dangerous.”

“Who was in danger…?”

“Shh, I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

As I pondered whether Arsep’s feelings towards me were similar to mine, Keren pressed a finger over my skull mask’s mouth.

I quickly realized my mistake.

I had spoken up unintentionally because of the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Even though I hadn’t said much and hadn’t done anything particularly suspicious, speaking up now after staying silent all this time was a blunder.

Leaving Arsep and Flua behind to rush here alone had been a hasty choice.

I should reflect on that.

“Anyway, as the benefactor who saved my life, I’ll share something special with you.”

Keren smiled as she took my hand again.

However, she began to say things that I couldn’t quite understand.

“What is it?”

Since I’d already spoken up, hiding any further seemed pointless, so I asked boldly.

Indeed, communicating directly felt better than having someone else speak on my behalf.

“The item she’s searching for is no longer in this city. Someone already made the first move a long time ago.”

The item she’s searching for is no longer in this city.

Someone already took it a long time ago.

Understanding the meaning of these words wasn’t difficult.

Here, “she” must be referring to Arsep, and the item must be what she was trying to obtain from that closed shop.

However, there was something I couldn’t understand on my own.

“Someone made the first move? Who?”

The person who took the item that Arsep was looking for.

There were no hints, so I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how much I thought about it alone.

“Finding that out is your task, benefactor. This is as much as I can tell you.”

“I see.”

“Yes, telling everything would be unfair. This is merely a token of gratitude for saving my life.”

“Understood. Well, that aside…”

When I tried to ask Keren again, she didn’t seem interested in revealing any more.

Looking into her eyes, it was clear that no matter how hard I pressed, she wouldn’t disclose anything else.

Although I didn’t understand the whole situation and didn’t wish to harm the one who helped me, there was one thing I couldn’t let slide.

“…What exactly are you?”

‘What is Keren’s true identity?’

She certainly possessed magical energy similar to that of my father, the high-ranking demon Berard, but I doubted she was simply a noble lady demon.

The way she provided me with information and the impression that she already knew about my identity suggested otherwise.

“That, too, I can’t reveal yet. But when the time comes, you’ll know.”

“…Why does it feel like you’re keeping the most important things from me?”

“It’s not polite to reveal important matters too early, is it? Consider this merely a pointer as a thank-you for saving my life.”

Keren glanced behind me, said it was time for her to leave, let go of my hand, and disappeared into the alley.

For the record, this was a dead-end alley.

Naturally, she passed through the blocked wall as if it were nothing and vanished to some place unknown.

I tried to sense her presence, but it was completely gone.

***

“What’s going on?”

Keren probably disappeared because Arsep was approaching.

If she had seen me with Keren, she would undoubtedly have lost her temper like she had at the mansion, so she made her escape.

It was actually convenient for me.

“It’s nothing.”

“…Then why are three demons lying unconscious before you?”

“It’s nothing.”

Arsep, more soft-hearted than she appeared, held grudges when she got upset.

In that sense, Keren’s quick departure was actually helpful.

Of course, I needed to think carefully about what she had left behind.

The item she’s looking for is no longer in this city, and someone already took it long ago.

What that truly means is something I’ll only understand tomorrow.

***

The morning sun rose.

Outside the window, the red sky greeted me, accompanied by the stifling wind of the Demon Realm.

‘It’s finally morning.’

As soon as the sun was up, Arsep immediately got out of bed.

Although there were still about two hours until the store opened, she woke up early, filled with excitement that the long-awaited task was finally nearing completion.

The reason for her excitement would soon be revealed.

Finding out that the item was in this city had taken considerable time and effort.

It all began before she met him, when she noticed a strange phenomenon in her body and sought a way to resolve it by retracing her past.

When she woke up, she had barely any magic power left, and worse yet, it didn’t recover.

She foresaw that if things continued, her magic would eventually be depleted.

So, she sought a solution.

While the power she currently possessed couldn’t solve this problem, if she had enough magic, it would be easy to resolve.

However, the fact that she had almost no magic left and couldn’t recover any hindered her greatly.

Even a top-class chef needs ingredients and tools to create a masterpiece.

Without the right materials or proper tools, there’s nothing they can cook.

That was her current situation.

‘Not anymore.’

Finally, she saw the fruits of her patience.

‘Even if it’s just a mere sliver of my former strength, I’ll be able to regain my past power.’

Arsep worked hard.

She sought a way to restore her dwindling magic.

And if she could absorb the magic stored in the enchanted artifacts she had used in the past, she could temporarily restore her magic.

While she might not be able to cast spells freely, at least she wouldn’t have to rely on him to support her after every spell.

The two wings on her back would finally cease to be mere ornamental burdens.

“Rise and shine!”

Excited, Arsep eagerly woke him up.

Flua also woke up, yawning as she sat beside him.

“Isn’t it a bit early to get up now?”

“Not at all! Today is a special day!”

Though the shop hadn’t opened yet, a heavy, chilling sensation filled the air.

“What’s so special about today?”

Arsep took a carriage from the mansion even before the store opened.

Of course, the two of them were curious about what was in the store that had her so excited, but she didn’t tell them.

She wanted to surprise them.

“You’ll understand soon enough!”

She no longer had to endure the humiliation of being treated as a weak demon, weaker than even a slime.

She would soon soar through the skies without borrowing a dragon’s power.

This city housed the staff she had once wielded in her days as the Demon King.

Once she got her hands on that staff, she wouldn’t be a mere weakling, barely stronger than a slime, anymore!

But then.

“What are you talking about…?”

“It’s sold out. Another customer came and bought that old staff three months ago.”

Hearing the indifferent response from the shopkeeper, Arsep froze in place like a statue.

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

We rode the carriage back to the mansion.

The saying “hope kills” felt more true than ever.

Just as Keren had said the day before, the item Arsep sought was no longer in the store.

Someone had already purchased it three months ago.

So, even after going to the store, she couldn’t obtain the item she desired.

“This… this can’t be… This can’t be happening…”

In the end, Arsep sobbed so hard beside Flua that she couldn’t even speak coherently.

Her tears soaked Flua’s skirt completely.

Flua comforted her, gently patting her on the back.

Now, it was hard to tell who the real child was.

“Someone bought it already, so there’s nothing we can do. And that was three months ago.”

I wasn’t particularly surprised, having already heard the story from Keren, but seeing Arsep cry like that didn’t feel good.

Yet, there wasn’t much I could do.

***

After returning to the mansion last night, I searched for Keren, but the maids only replied that she hadn’t returned yet.

Even as the night deepened, the answer remained the same.

“But… isn’t it too much…? It’s my staff…”

“You left it unattended for over centuries. By now, it’s probably changed hands countless times.”

“How is it possible that someone bought it the same day I finally located it?”

I wanted to hear more details from Keren, but I couldn’t.

I tried looking for her again in the morning, but they said she still hadn’t returned.

“By now, she should have come back, right?”

Since the maids didn’t know, it would be faster to ask Berard directly.

I returned to the mansion and immediately inquired about Keren’s whereabouts.

As the master of the city and a high-ranking demon, Berard would at least have more to say than “I don’t know.”

“My lord is looking for his daughter.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s searching for the woman who kept pestering my lord.”

‘Of course, I didn’t expect this kind of answer.’

Somehow, upon returning to the mansion and asking around for Keren, not only Berard but everyone in the mansion seemed to know nothing about her.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I have no daughter. I’m still young, and I don’t need an heir.”

Not only did they not know her whereabouts—they didn’t even recognize the existence of a demon named Keren.

Even though just yesterday, she had been Berard’s daughter in this city.