Long after, the Emperor of the Norwich Empire let out a cold snort and said, “Is this the terrifying Nightmare Demon you mentioned? Defeated by them in three seconds?”
Cassiu could never have imagined the Nightmare Demon would die so quickly, so when he saw this scene unfold, he froze in place, his mind completely blank.
It was the Emperor’s icy words that snapped him back to reality.
“Uh, Your Majesty, this—this was purely luck! Given their temperament, there’s no way they could have passed this trial. If it wasn’t luck, then surely that Saintess was secretly manipulating something behind the scenes!”
Sweat soaked his forehead and back as he met the Emperor’s cold gaze.
He cleared his throat and spoke quietly, “Your Majesty, rest assured, the Nightmare Demon is just a gatekeeper. Inside, there are far stronger demons. They will surely suffer heavy casualties!”
“Besides, those demons are masters of disguise and deception. One wrong move, and the people around them could already be demons in disguise. How could these rookies possibly tell the difference?”
“The real elite die most inside the fortress!”
Thinking back to the recent encounter his men had suffered in the Sand Fortress, Cassiu’s previous uncertainty instantly turned into confidence.
The Rose Knights might have succeeded through luck countless times, but if they failed once, they would be doomed in the Sand Fortress.
And he didn’t believe they could succeed endlessly!
“Hmph. Let’s hope so.”
The Emperor gave him a cold glance, then withdrew his gaze and looked back at the image reflected in the Eye of Divine Sight.
On the other side, Mars, commander of the Third Army, eyes shining brightly, would have already stood up and applauded the Rose Knights’ performance if the Emperor hadn’t been present.
Nola was much the same. While marveling at the Rose Knights’ prowess, she quietly glanced at Saintess Isavel.
Isavel’s face was calm, as if she had foreseen this scene all along.
Seeing this, Nola couldn’t help but recall what Saintess Selis had told her.
Could it be that the Saintess’s life-or-death training for the Rose Knights was truly effective?
Could the role of the villain be just a disguise?
……
Inside the fortress, after killing the Nightmare Demon, all the Rose Knights emerged from the illusion.
Under Leanna’s orders, they scattered in small squads, but unlike the Golden Dungeon, although dispersed, they could still see each other.
This way, if a squad fell into fierce battle, nearby squads could quickly provide support, making it harder for demons to wipe them out or pick them off one by one.
They had barely taken a few steps into the west gate when a disheveled woman stained with blood rushed out from a dilapidated house.
In her panic, she spotted Leanna’s squad, and the fear in her eyes gradually turned to wild joy.
“You… you are the knights who just entered the fortress to save us?!”
Leanna sized her up and said, “Yes, are you a survivor?”
“Y-yes, yes, I’m a survivor! Take me out of here, please! I don’t want to… I don’t want to see those demons again!”
She seemed to recall a terrifying past; her face, smeared with black grime, turned pale again.
Her extreme fear of demons made her instinctively drop to her knees and plead with these young girls.
“Shh!”
Aelia put her finger to her lips, beckoned her over, and smiled sweetly.
“Don’t rush and don’t be afraid. We will definitely get you out of here! But before that, you need to keep quiet, or you’ll attract more demons.”
“I, I understand, I understand.”
“Come on, we’ll protect you!”
When facing survivors trapped in despair, Aelia seemed like an angel sent from heaven.
Her smile held the gentleness of Saintess Selis.
Just a glance from her could calm the survivor’s frantic heart as if invisible hands were soothing her soul.
“Okay!”
The woman nodded heavily, then hurried toward Aelia.
But in an unnoticed corner, the corner of her mouth curled to reveal a pair of sharp fangs.
“Please, protect me…”
Reaching Aelia’s side, tears wetting her eyes, she was about to press close to Aelia’s chest when a sudden pain stabbed her abdomen.
Looking down, she saw the angelic girl smiling gently, holding a short sword that pierced straight through her stomach.
Blood gushed from the wound, and the intense pain caused her pupils to shrink sharply.
“…W-what are you doing?!”
“Doing what? Killing demons, of course.”
Aelia’s smile grew even sweeter as she pushed the short sword deeper.
“Your disguise is terrible. Your intent to kill us is practically written all over your face.”
“Terrible? I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You came looking for us right after we entered the fortress? Didn’t you suspect we might be demons in disguise? Would a real survivor be as careless as you?”
The woman’s face twitched strangely.
Her pupils trembled as she hoarsely said, “…What are you saying? I don’t, I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay if you don’t understand. If you were a true survivor, how would you look completely fine after I stabbed you here?”
If she were truly a survivor, the stab would have knocked her unconscious.
But this woman was different. She had forced herself to endure the wound, still standing, even thinking about her disguise.
That meant she wasn’t human.
“Damn it!”
Realizing she was fully exposed, the woman cursed under her breath and revealed her true demon form.
But the next second, Leanna’s sword flashed, cleaving her in two.
Seeing her body collapse heavily to the ground, Aelia sneered.
A fake survivor?
Heh, such an outdated trick.
They had lost their Protective Talismans inside the Golden Dungeon and encountered so-called survivors that from then on, they took these “survivors” very seriously.
Whether or not there were any suspicious signs, any survivor who approached them would first take a stab.
If they were real survivors, they would apologize and treat their wounds.
If fake, they would likely expose themselves after taking a stab and be killed immediately.
What if a demon or monster could take a stab without exposing themselves?
No problem. Because when treating their wounds, they added extra something.
If anything felt off, they wouldn’t let them escape.
These methods were thought up by Joina and unanimously approved by Leanna’s squad.
……
On a nearby rooftop, two red-skinned demons lay watching as Leanna’s squad killed the disguised demon.
“Hm? These humans entering the fortress aren’t simple. Both of those guys failed and neither survived.”
“Should we tell the boss?”
The leader, with large frog-like eyes, rolled them around, then nodded firmly.
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