Chapter 173 – Chapter 34: Gathering #3
“Fe-li-ci-a!”
As soon as they boarded the Black Flame Dragon which had settled at the 12th base, they encountered Silvan’s excited face. Silvan showed a remarkable speed, even by In-gong’s standards, as he hugged Felicia and turned her round and round.
“Felicia! Your dear Oppa is here! Won’t you kiss me on the cheek? Two or three times will be good!”
“Ah, come on!”
Felicia tried to push Silvan away, but it didn’t work. Felicia, who was blushing from embarrassment, suddenly made a complicated expression before turning and kissing Silvan’s cheek.
It was a brief one. That was it, but the effect was amazing.
“Heok? F-Felicia really kissed me!”
Silvan was embarrassed, despite asking for the kiss, and didn’t know what to do. Felicia grinned at his overwhelmed appearance and kissed Silvan’s cheek again.
“Okay, are you satisfied now?”
Silvan blinked in shock at Felicia’s question. It wasn’t the normal flow which occurred around Silvan and Felicia.
“A-are you sick? Is this a gift for the new year?”
Silvan asked with sincere worry, and Felicia just laughed.
“It’s not like that. It’s just that sometimes, I think it’s good to do this.”
Despite everything, she only had one brother. Moreover, it must never be said again, but she had been worried. Felicia never forgot about Silvan. When she thought about what had happened on that day, she could kiss his cheeks a few more times.
“Please stay healthy in the future. That is the best gift for me.”
“F-Felicia.”
Silvan was moved to tears, and Felicia smiled as she touched his cheeks. Then Anastasia, who had been staring at the two of them, let out a long sigh.
“This is embarrassing to watch. You two, there are other people on the ship…”
Anastasia’s cheeks were red from embarrassment. As Felicia became aware that she and Silvan were not alone, she hurriedly pushed him aside. This time, Silvan released Felicia instead of holding onto her tightly.
“Anastasia noonim.”
“Silvan.”
As Silvan and Anastasia exchanged greetings, Felicia spread her fan and covered her face.
“Well, the ‘two people’ have changed now, with Silvan still being one of them.”
She muttered in a small voice, but there was no one listening. In-gong laughed at the festive atmosphere and approached Silvan.
“It is good to see you, Hyung. Is your body okay?”
“Thanks to you, it was very good.”
Silvan was still wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. It wasn’t for sealing the fairy like before, but for camouflage. If he stopped wearing it suddenly, people would be suspicious. The existence of the fairy itself had been a secret. As he shook hands with In-gong, Silvan wriggled his eyebrows up and down.
“Hmm, the atmosphere with Anastasia noonim isn’t bad.”
“Yes.”
It was definitely a much better atmosphere than at Baikal’s tea party. Anastasia had been angry at the transfer of Felicia and Silvan, making her quite hostile toward Shutra.
“Shutra is truly amazing.”
Silvan mumbled before dragging In-gong into a hug. It seemed like Silvan quite liked showing affection.
“Silvan, I’m sorry to say this as soon as you arrived, but can we head back straight away?”
Anastasia asked Sepira, who was standing behind Silvan and shaking her head with embarrassment.
“Noonim, it is difficult no matter how I look at it. My crew needs some time to rest. We can depart in a few hours. This is better for safe piloting.”
Originally, Silvan would’ve entered Anastasia’s faction with Felicia. Therefore, his relationship with Anastasia was quite good.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
Anastasia backed down without any stubbornness. Waiting a couple of hours wouldn’t make a huge difference. It was at this moment that there was a voice in In-gong’s head.
‘Shutra, can I share information with Anastasia noonim? It is news about our other brothers and sisters.’
In-gong coughed with a surprised expression. He heard a voice in his head, indicating it was message magic.
‘Silvan hyung, have you learnt message magic?’
Due to fear of the fairy running wild, Silvan had lived by building a wall around magic, not using it at all. So, he was someone who couldn’t even use basic magic. Yet he had just used message magic. It had only been two months, so it was indeed amazing.
‘Huhu… Shutra, it is natural. Now, I am a magic swordsman… a magic swordsman from the heavens.’
His face was so handsome that he gave off a charming atmosphere despite his words. In-gong coughed again and barely managed to control his expression, focusing his mind on answering the first question.
Sharing simple information with Anastasia…
That wasn’t a bad thing to do. At first glance, Silvan seemed like the kind to not think about anything, but ultimately, he was still a prince of the Demon King’s Palace. If he hadn’t intended to share information with Anastasia, he wouldn’t have said anything in the first place.
‘I think it should be fine. I believe that Hyung will filter any important information.’
‘Thank you for believing in me.’
Silvan thanked In-gong with his eyes before looking at Felicia and Anastasia. He had been looking at In-gong silently for a long time, so both Felicia and Anastasia wondered what Silvan would say. Silvan shrugged and said in a pleasant tone,
“This time, I came to pick up the three of you because I got a return order.”
“Silvan as well?”
Anastasia asked with a frown. It was the first time she had heard of this. Anastasia, In-gong, and Felicia were to return to the Demon King’s Palace to report on the rebellion in Curtis. In other words, there was a reason to receive a return command.
However, why had Silvan received a separate return command? Felicia thought it was strange as well. The separate commands weren’t just for moving the party to the Demon King’s Palace. Silvan’s eyes shone with satisfaction from their reactions.
“It isn’t just me. Chris and Caitlin received the command to return.”
“The two of them as well?”
“Yes, the two of them.”
Silvan responded lightly to Felicia’s question before looking at Anastasia, who narrowed her eyes. Then she opened her mouth after some slight hesitation,
“Silvan, was Baikal orabeoni also asked to return to the Demon King’s Palace?”
Six of the nine royal children had been ordered to return. With the exception of Victor, who had a definite reason to remain in Curtis, it was natural to ask if Baikal and Zephyr would return as well. However, Anastasia couldn’t hide the expectations in her voice. Silvan shrugged and replied,
“Noonim, I’m sorry, but I know that Baikal hyung-nim doesn’t have a return order. There is a rumour that Baikal hyung-nim and Zephyr hyung-nim will soon receive a relocation order.”
“Relocation?”
“It seems like they don’t have to go that far. If they had to move to a distant place, then it would be better to go through the Demon King’s Palace.”
The Demon King’s Palace was connected to all the major parts of the Demon World through the transportation formations. If they were moving to a place other than the north, it would be much faster and more efficient to pass through the Demon King’s Palace.
“Uhh… doesn’t the flow seem similar to the last time?”
Felicia frowned and asked. It was similar to the court gathering where all the children of the demon king had gathered together. In-gong had a similar idea. Anastasia nodded as well.
“Maybe… they are trying to position all the children of the demon in the north. That would explain why a return order hasn’t been issued to Baikal orabeoni.”
It would be faster to move from the north to somewhere else within the north, rather than going through the Demon King’s Palace. Felicia bit her lip and turned toward Anastasia.
“Unni, are you talking about the Aegis Gate?”
“If all the children of the demon king were being sent to one place, it would be there.”
Anastasia’s voice and expression became overcast. At that moment…
“Master, what is the Aegis Gate?”
Green Wind appeared in reality and asked In-gong. Felicia had already become accustomed to Green Wind’s intrusions, but Silvan and Anastasia weren’t. Silvan stared at Green Wind with curiosity, while Anastasia replied in an elegant voice,
“It is the absolute line of defense in the north of the Demon World.”
“Absolute line of defense?”
Green Wind looked back at In-gong. Instead of answering, In-gong turned Green Wind back in Anastasia’s direction. He was going to leave the explanation to Anastasia. Anastasia smiled like she liked Green Wind and added,
“The Demon World is incredibly huge. Due to that, the area that we call the north is quite vast.”
Baikal and Zephyr were active in the north, and Enger Plains, which could be called Green Wind’s hometown, also belonged to the north.
“Silvan, can you show me a map?”
“Of course.”
The crew members immediately responded to Silvan’s command to bring a large map. It was a map of the Demon World.
“The Aegis Gate is the northernmost area of the north. It is the region with the most battles.”
Anastasia pointed to the very top of the map. Felicia subsequently said,
“Green Wind, the limit line near the area where Unni is pointing is special. The strength of the barbarians and creatures there is superior, and their numbers are enormous. Aegis Gate is the name of the fortress which was built to stop the enemies in the north.”
Aegis Gate was an absolute line of defense. Anastasia opened her mouth again and said briefly,
“500,000.”
“500,000?”
Green Wind’s eyes widened. Then Anastasia responded,
“That is the number of barbarians who passed away during the Great Invasion 12 years ago. Abamama… at that time, the demon king headed to the north himself.”
The scale was completely different from the west and the east. Green Wind had spent almost all her life at Enger Plains, so she was shocked at the number.
Felicia added,
“The attacks of the creatures couldn’t be ignored. Apart from the barbarians, the creatures also caused a considerable headache. There are some incredibly strong or huge monsters which can be considered an army on their own.”
It was the same in Knight Saga. If other regions were in normal mode, the vicinity of the Aegis Gate was hell mode.
“Master, do we have to go to such a place?”
Green Wind asked in a voice which was filled with concern. She disliked the thought of In-gong being in danger. In-gong stroked Green Wind’s head and said,
“The Demon King’s Palace pays careful attention to the Aegis Gate. Isn’t it called the absolute line of defense? It is as the name suggests. It is a place where the captains are often present.”
One of the reasons why the Demon King’s Palace couldn’t dispatch the five army captains everywhere was the presence of the Aegis Gate. The four commanders, except for Reinhardt who served as the demon king’s guard, usually served at the Aegis Gate for a quarter of the year.
“Ohh, I wonder if there are signs of an invasion?”
“I don’t know.”
Silvan stroked Felicia’s head with an expression of regret. Once again, Felicia showed no signs of pushing him off. Anastasia folded her arms and said,
“Even if there isn’t a big invasion, it is a place where big and small battles never end. The group attacking all over the Demon World may be aiming for the Aegis Gate this time.”
The Death Knight and the War Knight… In-gong agreed that the possibility was high. However, at that very moment, Green Wind blocked In-gong’s mouth with her hand.
“Master, don’t say it. Master’s words have a strong effect, so you definitely shouldn’t mention it.”
In-gong couldn’t help laughing at her desperate voice. Felicia shrugged and responded,
“Yes. Isn’t that quite plausible?”
The heavy atmosphere lightened to a certain extent. Then Anastasia let out a large sigh and said,
“I have received one piece of information.”
“Unni?”
Anastasia leaned back against a wall before replying lightly,
“There is a rumour that Altesia, the saintess of the Erebos Church, will soon be in the north.”
“The saintess of the Erebos Church?”
Erebos, god of the night and darkness, was the god of the most powerful religion in the Demon World. Silvan patted Felicia’s head again.
“Felicia, don’t worry. Oppa thinks that Felicia is much more beautiful than the saintess.”
“Oh, come on! That isn’t the point!”
Felicia pushed Silvan’s hand away and said to Anastasia,
“If the Dark Saintess is moving, then the Knights of Erebos are also moving. Is something really happening in the north?”
It really seemed to be true. Anastasia replied with a frown,
“For now, it seems to be a sick visit. They are moving around with making any noise and are visiting several places.”
There were believers of the Erebos religion everywhere in the Demon World. They couldn’t ignore the possibility that the visit to the north was simply to console those who were ill.
“Orc, what do you think?”
After hearing Felicia and Anastasia’s conversation, Green Wind suddenly directed a question to Carack. Carack’s eyes widened at the sudden question while Anastasia cocked her head. Felicia saw Anastasia’s reaction and quickly opened her mouth,
“It is worth listening to Carack’s opinion.”
Anastasia made a strange sound. Felicia was familiar with Carack, since she had been together with him for a long time. However, Anastasia felt uncomfortable at the fact that he was an aide as well as an orc. Despite this, Felicia’s intervention sparked curiosity, rather than displeasure, in Anastasia.
As Felicia sighed in relief, Carack pondered for a moment before saying,
“Hrmm, I can only think about Prince’s position. So, for now, I don’t think Prince should be worried about the situation in the north.”
“Then?”
It was a fairly fresh opinion, so all eyes focused on him. Carack shrugged and replied,
“We are returning to the Demon King’s Palace. There will also be a court gathering. I am more worried about what will happen there.”
There had never been a court gathering which passed quietly. The previous court gathering, which had been the quietest one, was an unexpected event with the visit of the 3rd and 4th queens.
“Yes. Indeed, Carack, your words are correct.”
Felicia smiled and nodded, and for some reason, Anastasia agreed.
“Indeed, Disturbance Shutra is famous. It is the new specialty of the Demon King’s Palace. Hrm, I am full of expectations now.”
Until now, she had been watching from a distance. There was a slight difference between then and now.
“Well, we will all know once we return to the Demon King’s Palace.”
In-gong ended the conversation easily, and everyone nodded. In particular, Silvan clapped and exclaimed in a loud voice as he looked up at the sails of the Black Flame Dragon.
“Now, lift up the anchor and spread the sails! It is time to move to the Demon King’s Palace!”
He shouted nicely, but the Black Flame Dragon didn’t move. In the silence, Sepira muttered in a small and embarrassed voice,
“Your Highness, the departure time is in two hours.”
Silvan had set it himself. After a moment of silence, Anastasia smiled, while everyone else burst out laughing.
&
The sunshine was dazzling. After escaping from the caves which were a buffer zone between the Human World and Demon World, the youth smiled as he saw sunlight for the first time in a week.
The young man wasn’t handsome. Rather, he was more on the plain side. However, there was something about him which caught one’s eye. It was a type of charisma he had been born with.
He had blackish brown hair and sky-blue eyes. His face was one which showed his youth. Maybe it was more appropriate to call him a boy, instead of a young man. He wore armour made of dragon scales and held a sword filled with divine power. Accompanying him, there was also a beautiful young girl and a middle-aged man with complicated expressions on their faces. Fatigue, relief, fear, and curiosity about the unknown were displayed openly on their faces.
The Saintess Beatrice and Mercenary King Carlov…
They were heroes of the Human World and experts in their respective fields. The young man looked back to the front, then he took a deep breath and smiled.
“Now, is it the Demon World from here on out?”
Warrior Locke—
The Drakon Kechatulla who had been raised by Guardian Queian…
He had reached the Demon World.
