One week later,
Grey clouds, black attires, light drizzling rain, thousands of wooden yaks each carved in prayers of the dead—a send-off to resting.
The sea was quiet, no movement as it should be. All barefooted, grounds of pebbles and rocks. A funeral for the fallen comrades of each race.
The Valekoris Kingdom, The Elven Tribe of Sinoc, The Dragon Tribe of Reds—each took their bows, all of them lit their flames on the arrows.
Each priest from each race of Human, Elven, and Dragon came in union and began speaking the old tongue language.
The Language of Truce.
"May the Valkyries welcome you, and lead you through the great battlefield. May they sing your names with love and fury, so that we may hear it rise from the depths of Everest Haven ... and know that you've taken your rightful place at the table of Warsongs. For great men and women have fallen. A warrior. An archer. A veteran. A mage. A brother. A sister. A father. A mother. A friend."
As the King of Valekoris Kingdom, Raoul Kain stepped forward. Milan, the Elven Queen, stepped forward. Giang and Xilang, the King and Queen of the Dragon Tribe, stepped forward.
As the four of them raised their bows up high, each of the nuns and priestesses gave them their arrow etched with a cloth of oil.
They took position, reaching for the fire laid in front of them as it crackled and flowed with life.
They took aim, waiting for the correct signal as the thousands of yaks moved together on the sea of darkness.
In unison, they released the arrow. The flaming arrow flew up in the air and descended down like a heavenly phoenix.
As followed with the rest of the attendees, each raised their arrows and shot up in the air.
Thousands and thousands of flaming arrows descended down like phoenixes and struck all the yaks.
As the yaks burned to flame, Milan's arrow personally struck at her daughter's grand yak. Lytharis was laid to rest and burned along with the fallen.
Many shed their tears; others left early. It took time as the flame disappeared behind the misty fog, dimming itself as it was gone.
As everyone began to leave, Milan called out to Diana Ruthwilfer to talk with her in private. A few minutes later, it was just Diana and Milan only. No bodyguards, just two women.
"The boy, Dante, right?" Milan asked.
"He didn't come for my daughter's—"
"Please stop, Your Grace."
Diana held her right hand up to pause her. Clearly, she knew what Milan meant. Dante has the Infinity Mana Foundation in him, which rightfully belonged to Lytharis.
"For once, for all our sakes. It's the wrong timing. We have lost so many lives."
Diana walked past her and gazed at the sea—no movements, no waves. Just dead silence.
"A hundred thousand of our soldiers. Against fifty thousand of those demons with three Sinners."
"We would have really fallen behind if it weren't for—"
"Dante?"
Diana turned to see the head of the Fafner Clan, Iccia, in her black funeral clothing as she, too, came to pay her respects.
"I heard everything. Forgive me that I didn't come to aid."
She bowed for forgiveness. Diana sighed and looked at Milan and Iccia. Clearly, a silence of shame fell for the three women.
"I... I looked into my daughter's memory," said Milan. Diana looked at her. She had decided to let Dante have the Infinity Mana Foundation, as it was part of Lytharis' final death gift to Dante.
"I see," said Diana. "It's gonna be a buzzy month soon." The two of them agreed with what Iccia said.
Rumors will begin—that Dante could be an Alderman, possessed by Kilamahi.
As Diana returned to the Ruthwilfer household, she saw from afar beyond the woods—two fires of smoke were there.
As Diana went to the smoky spot, she saw Dante sitting there with his bandages, cement surrounding his left leg, and thick ointment-patched bandages on his right arm from the burning scar he received a week ago against the demon army.
Diana saw that he was burning two bodies. To the right side was a broken sword. Another had nothing there.
She walked and sat on the ground next to Dante. She could see that he was emotionless, soulless.
She asked herself, how could someone like Dante have this much potential—to be born at the wrong time of a war going on?
She reached out to him and placed a hand on his palm. There was no reaction. She could see his eyes were focused on the burning fires, burning the unknown body Dante was cremating.
"Dante...?"
She spoke up softly.
Dante responded with a soft whisper of emptiness. "Have they sent her off...?"
Clearly, he was talking about Lytharis. Diana gave a light nod with a "hmm" sound.
"Zhurong came as well. She asked me for you. Clearly, I told her that I don't know about your current situation. But there is something else, Dante, my boy..."
Diana told him about Milan—Lytharis' mother—who was willing to let Dante keep the Infinity Mana Foundation, but Dante quickly turned his head to her in raging wrath and said, trying to calm himself:
"I want only news about the funeral. Not mana foundations or any kind of magic..."
Her body was shaking all of a sudden. He was giving off a fearsome and enraged aura. She apologized, and Dante turned his head back to watch the cremating fires.
"Leave me be. I wish to be alone, for once."
Diana understood his and her current situation. She decided to get up and leave. But before leaving, she turned to him over her shoulder and said:
"I know it's not my position," she mumbled loud enough for Dante to hear, "But you're still my boy. I don't care if you have mana or how the goddess Kilamahi was inside you. You're still Dante to me... my boy..."
With that, she left, heading back to the castle of the Ruthwilfer estate.
"She's gone. Come out."
Dante's tone became commanding. Out of Dante's shadow, two shadow beings emerged from the ground, morphing into their form.
The two now-dead Demon Generals of the Seven Deadly Sins—Taouon and Lustia. The two of them knelt on one knee and said:
"My liege..." they said in unison. Dante just sat there with one leg crossed, and the other with his arm rested on his knee.
"The two of you were betrayed by the Demon Race," he said, keeping his tone commanding and deep. "Though I don't care much about it now since the damage has been dealt. I offer you two a choice—follow me, or be sent off."
The two shadows gave their answers simply, saying that they would follow Dante forever.
"Then it's settled. Lustia will watch my back, and you, Taouon, will guard my front."
The shadows bowed to him in loyalty and accepted their role as bodyguards for Dante.
Meanwhile, back in the Demon Realm, thousands of bodies were being cremated by the blast Dante had given.
Malric watched above the hill as he gazed at his people—mourning and sobbing for their loved ones.
Vexira came and stood behind Malric. "Your Majesty, this isn't you. The damage has been done, but that doesn't mean giving up our goal."
She spoke in a soldier-like tone, but Malric did not flinch, only continued to gaze at his people. He tilted his head up a little to see that half the kingdom was turned to a wasteland. A huge, ginormous circle was there.
The one that Dante made.
"How can a human like this Dante person create something so destructive?"
He asked himself, wondering how it came to this. Blaming himself, until another woman came. She was dark-skinned, purple lipstick, older-looking as if she were in her 30s.
Her eyes were gold-yellow, her hair was black with hints of grey shading. Her clothes were a little revealing but looked like a knight in armor.
Around her waist was a sword, covered to protect it from rust. She passed by Vexira without greeting, but just by the pass, Vexira fell to her knees. Her presence was unlike any other.
"You're awake... former leader of the Commandments of Ten, and former bodyguard of my ancestors, the first Demon King..." Malric got up and turned to her gaze.
He knelt on one knee and bowed to her. "Ingrid Von Balmung... the Black Dragon of Order..." She looked down at the current Demon King. But instead of telling him to get up, she brushed him off and walked past him.
She gazed at the current situation of the kingdom. She raised a finger—Malric was now floating mid-air and was sent to her face-to-face, but upside down.
"Who. Did. This?" she asked. Malric looked into her eyes. There was no emotion on her—she just didn't care. She wanted answers only.
"A boy named Dante. Dante Ruthwilfer..."
Said Malric, as he suddenly felt a chill up his spine. Ingrid's presence turned mocking.
"For the Demon to lose to a mere boy? Was he an orc? An elf? A dragon?" she asked.
"He's... a human..."
Malric gave the answer. Clearly, she wasn't buying it. But as Ingrid used her powers to look into Malric's memory, she saw Dante with a large cannon blasting a huge beam at the portal.
A gigantic blast had caused half of the kingdom to fall into chaos. Ingrid was done looking at Malric's mind.
She tossed him aside and smirked, then grinned—later, a demonic laugh, as if in respect. "A mere human to cause this much damage and you chose to retreat? That's your own fault, you imbecile."
With another lift of her finger, Malric felt a thunderous pressure hit him down to the ground. Vexira unsheathed her sword and tried to intervene, but Ingrid, in just a blink of an eye, plundered Vexira to the ground as if she were an insect in her eyes.
"You could've just closed the portal, you could've just used the demon mages to blast that human or cause something—but this was like an insult to my dead king!!!"
She yelled. Her tone was of disgust and rage. As Malric suffered, Malvera tapped her twisted walking stick to the ground.
Ingrid turned her head to Malvera but continued torturing Malric. "Stop this, Lady Ingrid. All of this was Domikhael's fault."
Ingrid stopped her torture of Malric. "Domikhael who now?" she asked in a mocking tone. "Ah yes, that Sinner of Pride. I pity them. Not!"
Malvera sighed and began instructing Ingrid to train Malric further. As for Vexira, she wanted her to go find another woman by the name of Erona—Lustia's twin sister—to become the new Sinner of Lust, as the previous Sinner of Lust had two disciples: Lustia and her sister Erona.
"Hmph, pathetic. A mere human child to bring this much destruction, and to make it worse—three Generals of the Seven Deadly Sins were defeated by him alone."
Ingrid scoffed, until she raised her blade at Vexira's neck. "Though I'm confused as to why you killed your lover Taouon, Sinner of Wrath Vexira...?"
Ingrid was inches away, clearly a motive she sensed. Vexira did not answer but just stayed silent.
"Tch, in my time. Twice the failure is punishment. But don't kill, we become better."
Ingrid scoffed and sheathed her sword away. And so, the demon clan decided to lay low and begin their counterattack one day.
For now, there was much to do now that the former bodyguard of the first demon king, Ingrid Von Balmung, has awakened from her death by a thousand human sacrifices.
Months have passed since the tragedy. With the academy being destroyed and the archmage absent, he had no choice but to pass every last student by default.
Dante's chocolate store and factory took a devastating blow as the sales plummeted to sixty percent as rumors spread about him being of Alderman blood, and a pillar to the Goddess of War, Kilamahi, the Alderman's main goddess.
Diana Ruthwilfer decided to personally take care of Dante's health. She fed him, changed his bandages and cared for him.
Though Dante didn't mind. Diana would sometimes see him staring at the window as she saw scraps of paper on the floor, new inventions and forgery plans. Worrying that it might infect his side on trauma.
Evan Ruthwilfer personally took his son Taka to the east side country to personally train him with instructors that he knew of.
Will Ruthwilfer went to the family library and studied more on the history of the Alderman Clan, wondering if Blake, Dante's mother and Will's concubine, who fled with Dante but was killed by his sister, Avabel.
"Was she an Alderman? Or is it that she doesn't know if she is Alderman..."
Will muttered to himself, lost in thought.
For Avabel Ruthwilfer, she didn't care about her injuries and health warnings. She was enraged, shamed, and humiliated that she was defeated by one demon general while Dante took them all by himself.
She could be seen by many family members as they got a glimpse of her training harder than ever, pushing her limits. As if she was taking it on herself personally.
In the dragon realm, Zhurong decided to cut herself off from the public eye as she underwent the harshest training in her life.
"I'm done being held back, I must become stronger. For Lytharis, and to stand with Dante as his equal."
She kept training. Xilang stopped her and hugged her tight, letting her know that it wasn't her fault.
Giang noticed his wife and daughter and comforted them not as a king, but a father and a husband.
One year has passed since that invasion. At the assembly of the Ruthwilfer estate, the trials begin. All children of become of age 16 of the Ruthwilfer must go out to venture the world with their fake names which they themselves will pick.
They must make a name for themselves by their fake names and must come back alive. Only the top fifty can enter the arena, and the winner who stands victorious in battle shall be the next head of the Ruthwilfer Clan.
The families of each noble in the Ruthwilfer estate paid their goodbyes and farewells to the children.
Dante came out from the castle doors, all packed up and ready. But he noticed the atmosphere. The gazes were all on him.
"Hey that's Dante..."
"The rumored Alderman..."
"I heard that he has ten sets of arms on each side during that goddess transformation."
They spoke under their breath. Ill talk, questioning. Though he was used to it now. They all had loved ones to send off, but for Dante, there was no one to send him off on his safe journey.
"Dante, my boy"
Dante heard a yell from the main gate and looked up to see Diana Ruthwilfer waving at him, with her bodyguard Fina at her side.
He sighed in quiet happiness and walked toward them. The nobles were weirded out to see Diana—an elder and former matriarch of the Ruthwilfer Clan—personally tending to Dante under her watchful eyes.
"Here's some packed food, some ointments, and some weapons."
Too much, woman...
Dante thought but decided to accept it just for the sake of Diana's worried face.
Fina stepped forward and handed Dante a ring.
"This is my lucky ring, kid. Now I'm passing it to you."
She rubbed his black hair.
As Diana signaled Fina with a nod, the bodyguard stepped back, giving them a moment alone.
"Dante, I think I should tell you a secret."
While Diana began to whisper, Evan Ruthwilfer was watching them from a distance, though he couldn't make out what she was saying.
Avabel Ruthwilfer also watched silently. She handed Taka a sword that she had forged herself. Taka looked down at the blade, then bowed to her with solemn respect.
The horn was blown—signaling all Ruthwilfer children to begin their journey. They began to walk out the gate.
Diana gave Dante one last kiss on the forehead and saw him off. Dante, in turn, handed her a small wrapped item in cloth. She looked confused but held onto it.
As he reached the gate and it began to close, Dante turned and shouted one last time—
"I'll be back, Mom!"
Diana blushed, her heart skipping a beat at being called "Mom" by him. Fina chuckled a little, amused by Diana's embarrassed face.
And then, the gate closed.
Dante set off on his journey, with his new fake name.
"So, where to, Narsimha...?"
Kilamahi's voice echoed in his thoughts, arms folded in curiosity to see what lay ahead.
"Hehehe... we're going to the Dwarven Tribe. I wanted to head there first."
Dante pulled out a map and a compass of his own invention.
"Huh? So this thing works based on the wind or the planet's angle?"
Kilamahi wondered.
Dante just chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"If my compass can't tell, I'll just follow the wind."
And with that, Dante ventured toward the Dwarven Kingdom.
Later that night, back in her room, Diana sat in silence beneath the moonlight. Fina entered quietly and asked, "What were you talking to Dante about earlier?"
Diana didn't answer at first. She gazed out the window at the moonlit scenery.
"Fina... how long have you known me?" she finally asked.
Fina replied, "I've served you for ten years as your bodyguard."
Diana slowly unwrapped the purple cloth Dante had given her. Inside was a single pill.
A note was tucked inside:
"Your cure is complete."
She smiled. It was Dante's handwriting.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the pill. Then she walked to her dressing table and activated a hidden spell.
"This is something I want to show you, Fina."
A secret passage revealed itself. The two women descended the hidden stairs. As they reached the bottom, Fina froze—her eyes widened.
A painting stood before them. A man sat atop a pile of corpses. The memory resurfaced. Fina had felt this same dread one year ago, during the invasion.
Diana turned toward her. Her eyes were glowing red.
"What I told Dante... was the truth."
At the same time, Dante entered a rundown bar on the kingdom's outskirts.
"I know you said you were meeting someone—but why here? You're still a minor!"
Kilamahi tried to scold him in thought.
"Just so you know, I was an adult in my past life," Dante replied mentally.
"And second... the person I'm meeting chose this place."
He sat down and ordered a drink.
Moments later, a figure entered the bar, eyes locking onto him. They approached silently.
"Funny you had the guts to come here after everything that's happened."
The figure took a seat.
"Heh. Can't say the same about you."
Dante chuckled… until his presence suddenly shifted—murderous intent seeped through the air. Kilamahi could feel it boil from within him.
"Take off the hood, traitor. Or should I say..."
He muttered in a low, venomous tone:
"Eva Ruthwilfer."
The figure lowered the hood—revealing Eva Ruthwilfer, the former librarian of the Ruthwilfer Estate. She smirked, licking her lips with teasing amusement.
"Hehehe... funny that you figured it out. But how?"
Dante scoffed. He explained everything—from the ballroom raid when he was nine to the academy invasion a year ago.
"Though I couldn't care less why you broke the demon seals..."
Eva burst into laughter as if he'd told a joke.
"Oh yeah? And what about you, Dante Ruthwilf—"
She paused and waved her hand mockingly.
"No... or should I say..."
Meanwhile, back in the secret passage...
Fina stumbled, her heart racing as Diana's red eyes glowed in the darkness.
"For centuries, my clan has taken every right and every wrong. We did great things for this nation," Diana began.
"But the prophecy... the one given by the Goddess of War, Kilamahi—said we would perish by betrayal."
Fina turned to the wall. The painting of the man on a throne of bodies haunted her. The same presence she felt during the invasion—it was identical.
"L-Lady Diana...?" she trembled.
Diana unsheathed an old sword, wrapped in rags but perfectly preserved beneath the dust.
"It is time for him," she whispered.
"For he shall take back what was stolen—our belief, our teachings, our fallen brothers and sisters."
"Our legacy..."
"He will sit back on a throne polished by their pain... wear clothes sewn by the hands of all mothers... and wield the clan's blade, forged by all our brothers."
"Because he will rise..."
And at the same exact moment—back in the bar—Eva finished her sentence.
As Diana's voice echoed in the crypt:
"Dante Alderman."
Eva whispered the same name with a teasing grin.
Dante stared at her, rage beneath the surface. Fina collapsed to her knees in shock.
The stage was set.
Dante now stood at a crossroads—
To forge his own path...
Or follow the road of vengeance.
---
Chapter 30 — End.
─── End of Volume 1 ───