You'd really think after going through all that shit with the crazed spirits trapping these guys, their ancestors giving up their very hearts to feed their descendants, the fog by itself a great mystery; that escaping it would be an end to this. Obviously, it wasn't gonna end so soon.
Most demons only managed to look humanoid but their horns and various other factors would probably be easy to differentiate but this guy was definitely a human and yet I sensed demonic energy off him. I'd know most demons circulate demonic energy as a common but then this old guy seemed to have reached the highest level in it.
"Ohoho, so you are the Demonling (just a young demon) who released these sinners. It was prophesized that someone would come to rescue them and it seems the time has come. I would love to sit by and wait and also chat more with you but time is of the essence, there's a lot to be done."
As soon as he said that, he vanished from my sight. I didn't even get to arm up or even release my envelope energy. All I could hear was Riot and the werewolves howling after which I instantly fainted with a thwack to my neck.
I don't know what happened to me after that but I slept for a very very very long time. I hope Mertiana and the vampires were safe and had escaped. Riot will probably take good care of her even without me there.
Author's note: With this we won't be seeing Dracht's Pov for sometime.
The dutchy of Helis was quite the humble land. People doing farming, herding their livestock, making dairy products seemed to have been their main source of income. I tried some cheese from them and it was absolutely repulsive at first but then slowly the taste improved and it tasted almost like chocolate which was considered a delicacy in my time. The seeds required to even grow the type were a rarity. It left a real sweet aftertaste inside my mouth and melted off like butter, quite the weird cheese. It seemed similar to something I knew but I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet.
The duke of Helis, 'Max Helis'. A man who seemed timid and cowardly at first sight but made quite the arrival for us. As soon as we were teleported over to the dutchy (I fuckin hate teleportation magic) they welcomed us in, gave us food and a carriage also courtesy of the academy I'd assume.
He quickly made us go on our path to our destination which was the border of the dutchy itself. Normally one would think that considering the dutchy of Helis, borders both the holy nation and the elven country of Turorias, that the dutchy would be heavily guarded and fortified but it was the exact opposite. The people were all enjoying their daily lives and the duke himself didn't seem afraid at all. On the way from my lodging at Narayal, and to the academy where I had to report my attendance for this supposedly final trial and then when I had to wait for the teleportation sequence to begin and all the way to now where I'm about to begin my journey towards the border, I've heard some nasty rumours about children being kidnapped at this border. Civil unrest between the holy kingdom and the elven kingdom as well as Ospel regarding these matters. We will probably have to figure out the cause of these rumours and get the kid we were supposed to find and escort back to the academy.
I might be reading into it a bit much but something smelt fishy and we were a long way from the sea (get it, fishy, sea).
We all fashioned the official academy teacher uniform, blue and black with regal gold linings (its getting too fucking irritating to think up a costume for every character).
Luckily, I had experience with being a coachman so I offered to do so instead of getting someone else. Tethis decided to sit on the carriage which was weird but there's been weirder stuff. He majored in "staff arts" which was pretty rare instead of a specialization. He wielded a cudgel which was just a staff with a very heavy part similar to a hammer attached at one end but it was more circular and around the staff itself. He seemed to have a Collapsar bag (dimensional storage) of his own which I'd assume had more weapons and other stuff. He kept a lookout on the surroundings and the back as well so I guess he's putting himself to use. He was unusually silent than he was back at the academy.
Saika and Trias Barion decided to sit inside the carriage like normal people though I'd guess they'd gossip but that's just my own noblewomen stereotype. Saika also had her own collapsar bag but I've not seen her use her weapon yet. I didn't notice her much at the academy either so no information on her.
Trias had her title as a swordmaster so I assumed her major was sword-wielding but she had a huge fuckin blade which was probably the size of a tall human based on what you'd consider tall. As tall as a cupboard or an adolescent tree. It's one edge was a solid blade like edge while the other had multiple edges made like teeth and seemed more like a saw. I can't even imagine the amount of blood that weapon would see. She still seemed to have gotten a hang of her holy energy because I could feel it from a distance as well.
Yuru on the other hand seemed to be quite the nice to talk to. He seemed to have applied for energy circulation and physical body care as his major of teaching. Which meant he had control over both the internal as well as the external. Unlike most people I've met he's quite humble and had to have his basic energy circulation under insane control. I'd say out of all those here, his energy seemed to be the most in circulation. I'd like to learn from him as well.
My current energy core was probably at the 3rd level of Blood energy which was to say I'd probably be able to create basic constructs from blood but I'd still need an external blood supply. I've not managed to grow at all since I fought Luciela at Pancratia. Every time I try to do a Zweit Serve to circulate my energy, something seems to be blocking me. I can't really put a finger on it but it's getting very irritating. The longer it takes to build my energy, the longer it'd take to complete my revenge and also find a way to save Joyle. She sat beside me looking around. Unlike most kids, she seemed quite reserved and unenergetic. I had no practice dealing with kids but I had to make an effort. I decided to stop the carriage for a break. We'd been travelling for 6 hours or so and it was almost mid-day.
Since she had powers, I'd need to understand the scope of Joyle's powers and teach her how to control it. As the bearer of the Insignia of Greed, from what I've seen, her energy didn't all that special. Any normal energy circulation would probably do the job for her and I could teach her my own circulation method but I'd have to first stabilize my own circulation first.
I didn't have a problem in my previous life like this but that could be because I had a gifted body then. Now this is a normal body and I'd have to know what was wrong. Since we did need to eat now, I decided to pull out the bread we had but there was nothing else we'd specifically bought other than a few spices. I bought along Yuru and Joyle along and told Tethis to stay and guard the carriage along with Saika and Trias.