Although he was quite reluctant to part with Erinys, Medusa, Cherry, Bacon, and Sharur, the Half-Elf still went to the Demon Continent using the Bifrost Bridge to meet with an old friend that he hadn’t seen for quite some time.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were from Hestia?” William asked.
“You didn’t ask.” Swiper snorted. “Also, even if you did, what makes you think that I’d have given you an answer?”
The two sat facing each other on the grass, while the Boarkin casually smoked his pipe. Even now, Swiper couldn’t believe that the person he had met in the Deadlands was now the Overlord of the entire Demon Realm.
When Ahriman and Felix came to power, Swiper immediately ordered his Tribe to hide deep in the mountains, so that they wouldn’t be involved in the invasion of the Central Continent.
The Demon Realm was a very big place, so there were plenty of places to hide to escape the compulsory draft that Felix decreed when he became the Heir of Darkness.
It was not only Swiper and his tribe that managed to hide away in the mountains, several other Demon Tribes had gone to great lengths, so that they wouldn’t fight a war that they didn’t want in the first place.
Nisha had tasked several of her agents, as well as the Demons who had pledged loyalty to William, to look for these scattered tribes, and bring them back to the surface for the war that would happen in two years’ time.
The veiled-beauty’s subordinates were quite thorough and they did a very detailed sweep across the land, looking for traces of the Demon Tribes that escaped Felix’s draft.
The Boarkin Tribe that Swiper belonged to was just one of these many Demon Clans that were found. However, when Nisha’s subordinates told them that the Heir of Darkness was no more, and was replaced by a Half-Elf Emperor, they thought that they would finally be able to live their lives peacefully.
Unfortunately, what awaited them was another war, and this time, there would be no place in the world where they could run to and hide from the invaders that were intent on extinguishing all life in the world.
“You already know what is going on, right?” William inquired. “What are your plans?”
Swiper didn’t answer William’s question right away and just blew a cloud of smoke in front of him. Half a minute later, the Boarkin emptied the contents of his pipe before glancing at the Half-Elf with a serious expression on its face.
“I already have a hunch, but I’ll just ask in case,” Swiper said. “Back then in the Deadlands, a giant grabbed Morax and allowed him to escape. Is that the same giant that you are going to fight against in this upcoming war?
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Swiper groaned after confirming his suspicion, he had already seen how powerful that Giant was, and he knew that fighting against it was not the best way to commit suicide.
The Half-Elf remained silent and just stared at the Boarkin whose face had now turned pale from fright. As someone who had seen the Giant, Surtr, firsthand, he could understand what Swiper was feeling right now.
“Fine,” Swiper stated after a few minutes had passed. “At least promise me that you will die before me. I am afraid of dying, you know?”
The Half-Elf smiled before giving the Boarkin a middle finger.
Swiper grunted because the red-headed teenager refused to die before him, which made him have the great urge to look for a place to hide, and somehow survive the end of the world.
Just as he was contemplating these things inside his head, Swiper suddenly remembered something important.
“Actually, there was another tribe that I met while we were looking for a place to hide,” Swiper said. “They are not from the Demon Tribes, but they are as feisty as Demons when it comes to fighting. Guess who I found?””
The Boarkin smiled evilly, making the Half-Elf have the strong urge to slap him.
“Just tell me who it is,” William replied. “I don’t have as much free time as you.”
Swiper scoffed before telling the Half-Elf who he had met on his journey in the Demon Realm to look for a place to hide.
“Lindir,” Swiper. “Do you remember him?”
The Half-Elf faintly recalled the name. But, due to many things that happened in the past, he couldn’t remember every name that he had come across with.
“Who is he again?” William asked. “The things that happened in the Deadlands are like a blur to me at the moment.”
Swiper chuckled because the Half-Elf didn’t recall who Lindir was right away, which made him feel that he had more of an impression than the annoying Lizardfolk because William remembered who he was.
“Lindir was the leader of the Swamptide Shelter back in the Deadlands,” Swiper answered. “He is now the Patriarch of the Lizardfolk that are currently hiding in the marshlands of the Northwest Regions of the Demon Realm.
“I see. I now remember him.” William nodded his head.
Lindir was the Lizardfolk who often hung around with Eldon whenever he had free time. However, his presence wasn’t that big during their time in the Deadlands, and the Lizardfolk’s territory was far from the Glory Shelter, where he, Lilith, and Raizel stayed.
“Do you know the exact location?” William asked. “Might as well drop by and ask him to join the Grand Alliance.”
Swiper smiled because this was what he wanted to have happen in the first place. Since he couldn’t run away from William’s grasp, might as well drag his acquaintance along.
This way, he would not be the only one who would suffer, but both of them would suffer at the same time.
The Half-Elf didn’t know what the Boarkin was thinking, nor did he care.
However, he found it quite amusing how the casual encounter he had with Eldon, Swiper, and Lindir in the Deadlands, would somehow tie them all up together back in Hestia, making him feel that Fate was truly a fickle lady who did things in a roundabout manner.
