For some reason, Suna felt that time always flew by when she was with Truth.
She had originally wanted to show Truth around the academy, but considering how well-known they’d become lately, she decided against it.
Truth sat quietly in the corner, reading a book about the gods and their acts of creation.
She looked like a beautifully painted portrait, and every time Suna glanced over, she found herself a little entranced.
Until Truth closed the book and commented:
“What a load of nonsense!”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Suna’s stunned expression, Truth walked straight out, letting the dusk light fall on her flawless face. Suna quickly asked:
“Where are you going?”
“Not feeling well. Gonna see Tia for a check-up.”
Truth casually made up an excuse and vanished from the academy.
She’d sensed that the Suhuo estate was getting rowdy and needed to be ready to teleport over at any moment to protect Reg and Suhuo. Otherwise, Suna would start crying again…
“Teacher, I need to head back and pack some stuff. I’ll be staying in the dorms for the next few days.”
As the sky darkened, Suna remembered she still needed to go home—it was, after all, her father’s request.
At the same time, hidden in the shadows, Truth sensed her tracking mark getting closer and closer to the Suhuo estate.
Suna went home?
……
The Suhuo estate was in chaos. Servants fled in all directions as the sounds of battle and screams rang out continuously.
Andersen, clutching a crossbow, crouched behind a half-shattered table and shouted toward Reg in the distance:
“This is the great fun you promised? Going life-and-death with my old client?!”
Reg had said he’d take Andersen out today for something thrilling. Andersen had thought he finally wised up—but instead, they ended up at Miss Suna’s home.
Could it be there’s a secret underground casino for the rich in the estate? That was how Andersen consoled himself as he spent the afternoon there with Reg.
Until his old client, Mr. N, showed up…
And not just any client— this was a Tier-3 demon willing to give them his heart and soul.
Andersen genuinely thought he wouldn’t make it out alive tonight, but he soon noticed Mr. N was seriously injured. Maybe they had a chance.
“Tell me that’s not exciting!”
Reg was fending off the frenzied Norton with several Tier-1 guards, protecting Earl Suhuo behind him.
A true bro is someone you can throw under the bus— especially when a certain little priestess has your back.
Maybe it was the demon’s influence, but Norton was already showing signs of losing his mind.
He had originally planned to strike a cool pose in Suhuo’s office to greet his old boss, but the old man had bolted without a backward glance!
Norton had hurried after him and quickly got entangled in a fight with the estate guards.
Given his serious injuries, Norton couldn’t wipe them all out quickly, so he blocked Suhuo and the others in the main hall, guarding the entrance like a trapper waiting for prey.
Even with heavy injuries, Norton still had about Tier-2 combat strength.
Meanwhile, the estate guards weren’t exactly enthusiastic— how much were they being paid to risk their lives? Better to find an excuse to collapse and stay down.
One by one, the guards fell. Suhuo, pale-faced, shouted:
“Norton, I treated you well all this time— what do you want from me?!”
“Treated me well? You all looked down on me every single day, ordering me around like a dog, making me bow and scrape to everyone I met— and you call that treating me well?!”
At the same time, the whispers of Morgros echoed in Norton’s mind:
“Yes, just like that. Make those arrogant nobles kneel before you. Show them you can rule over them!”
As a dark demon, Morgros found it hard not to tempt Norton.
After all, there was no clause in their contract saying he couldn’t. From the very beginning, Morgros had been leading Norton astray.
Once Norton was completely consumed by desire, Morgros could devour him whole.
This guy was too weak. Staying attached to him was a burden.
Better to take full control of his body and then hijack a noble to escape.
Norton’s aura suddenly shifted— he no longer hid it. Tier-3 demon!
“I’m a Tier-3 now! Who dares make me bow?! Who can make me bow?!”
In an instant, the entire estate fell silent.
Everyone was paralyzed by the oppressive aura of the demon.
Norton wanted to say something classy and refined in that moment— but unfortunately, he wasn’t very well-read…
Since he couldn’t say anything cool— then he’d just kill!
Every swing of Norton’s black claws took down a guard.
Even Reg and Andersen, with their decent combat skills, could only last a few minutes before collapsing.
No way to win…
Seriously, isn’t this too much? Reg clutched the deep gashes on his chest, wincing from the searing pain. I’m only Tier-1— why am I being thrown against a Tier-3 demon?!
Did Truth think fighting across tiers was totally normal? Were ancient people all this insane?
Soon all the estate guards were down. Norton grabbed Suhuo and, taking advantage of the fact that the demon hunters hadn’t arrived yet, decided to fully unleash his pent-up rage and resentment, completely forgetting what he originally came for.
“Norton, your negative emotions are being amplified by the demon! This isn’t the real you!”
“I’ll do whatever I want!”
Norton’s black claws stabbed into Suhuo’s thigh, making the earl collapse to his knees with a scream.
Seeing the high-and-mighty noble brought so low, Norton burst out laughing as darkness crept over his eyes.
From the ground, Andersen whispered to Reg:
“Not good—he’s about to be completely devoured by the demon. We’ve gotta find a way out, now!”
Why do people fear demons? Because everyone knows that demons constantly tempt and corrupt.
Once you’re consumed by endless desire, they’ll devour you completely, erasing you from existence.
That’s why, unless absolutely desperate, no one dares to make a pact with a demon.
Reg, surprisingly, didn’t seem too panicked:
“If you trust me, just lie down and stay put.”
“Huh?”
He’d just received another message from Truth: just do your best to hold off Norton, get yourself beaten badly enough to convincingly play dead, and if the opportunity came up— go in for the kill to grab some bonus experience or something.
So… was this her way of showing concern?
At the gate of the Suhuo estate, Suna, just returning home, ran into her panicked gardener.
She quickly asked what was going on, and the gardener shouted without looking back:
“The head butler’s gone insane! He’s trying to kill everyone in the estate!”
“What?!” Suna’s face went pale. The head butler… Norton?!
Then, another anguished scream echoed from the main hall— Suhuho’s. Ignoring the servants’ attempts to stop her, Suna dashed toward the hall.
That demon had already arrived?! Father… please be okay!
Stepping over the bodies of guards strewn all over the ground, Suna reached the hall’s entrance and looked inside:
“Father!”
The hall was a scene of utter carnage, corpses everywhere.
Suna spotted her father immediately, his elegant formalwear soaked in blood, forced to kneel on the ground, face twisted in pain.
“How did it come to this…”
The next second, Suna felt a sharp pain pierce her abdomen.
Her whole body went limp as she slumped against a stone pillar.
Looking down, she saw a black spike— Norton’s, conjured with demonic power.
Well, well— so the young lady had come home!
Norton looked at Suna like he’d hit the jackpot.
He grabbed Suhuo’s hair and said in an increasingly twisted voice:
“Well now, my dear Earl— look who’s here! It’s our sweet young lady!”
“No, no… Suna, run!” Suhuo screamed in despair.
Why did his daughter have to appear at a time like this?! It was all because of what he’d said this morning— was he really going to drag her down with him in his final moments?!
Suna’s legs gave out as the pain overwhelmed her.
She clutched her stomach and slowly sank to the floor, unable to believe what was happening. Tears of pain streamed down her smooth thighs.
Why was this happening? What had she done to deserve this? She’d never harmed anyone. Didn’t the gods say good deeds bring rewards?
She had never bullied the weak, always donated to orphanages… and yet…
Her father’s despairing cries echoed in her mind. But she had no wand, nothing— she couldn’t do anything.
Why would the gods create such wicked creatures like demons to torment the innocent? Why?
Suna looked around at the injured people Norton had left in his wake.
She even saw two familiar faces— Reg and Andersen. Why were they here?
And they had fought to protect her father until the very end…
“Tonight, I’ll reunite you with your father…” Norton crawled toward Suna in a grotesque posture and grabbed her by the neck.
“Because I’m going to cut off both your heads and hang them at the estate gate for the whole city to see!”
His claws grew longer. Suhuo wanted to charge forward and protect his daughter, but his legs had been pierced and he couldn’t move.
He could only watch helplessly as she was about to be killed.
Is this really how I die? Just like that?
Suna let out a bitter smile. Just this morning, she’d been spending such a pleasant day with Truth…
Just then, she felt a burning sensation on her neck— it was the mark. The mark seemed to react to something…
When the Hunting Mark began to burn, it meant the Hunter was nearby— meant to drive fear into the prey and add a little thrill to the hunt.
At this moment, Truth, in assassin mode, was hiding nearby.
But Suna didn’t understand the mark’s significance.
Was this some kind of sign? What was she supposed to do— call out or something? Well, if she was going to die anyway, might as well try…
She decided to find out what Truth meant by “blessing”— that powerful demon she’d met in the shelter.
She believed there had to be a reason why the mark on her neck was once called a blessing five hundred years ago!
That night, the powerful demon hadn’t spared her for no reason.
It had definitely foreseen her current predicament and wanted her to actively summon it!
After all, when had a demon ever shown mercy? It just wanted to have fun.
The next moment, Suna tilted her neck, exposing Truth’s Hunting Mark.
The demon energy within Norton instantly froze. That mark… it was a Hunter’s mark from a fellow demon!
And its aura— older and far stronger than his! How had this girl provoked a mid-tier demon?!
Fighting through the pain, Suna locked eyes with him and called out firmly:
“Great demon, I know this is your Hunting Mark. I’m sure you’re aware of what’s happening to me. Now, I offer you everything I have in exchange for your descent— help me strike down the evil before me!”
If there’s no way out, then let a demon deal with a demon!
“…Huh?”
A confused voice sounded softly— it was Truth’s. She was invisible, standing right next to Norton, about to slap him into the floor.
Summoning me the demon? Is that even allowed? Truth tilted her head at Suna in disbelief.
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Tftc!