A few minutes before Elias strikes the barrier…
In the house of the village chief, two people remained in a dimly lit room. Catnys was still seated on my lap, wriggling in embarrassment and anger.
It’s been a lot of time since she was stuck with me after all.
“They will come! Let me go! I have to help my people!” Catnys yelled, her voice filled with urgency.
My arms held her firmly in place, one hand resting on her waist and the other on her shoulder. “You smell very good, Catnys. Did you take a bath, or is that just your natural perfume?” I asked curiously, trying to ease the tension.
“E…Enough!” This time, Catnys put all her strength into breaking free, but as a mage, she wasn’t physically strong. I easily kept her in my grip.
“I can save your people—at least the children, the women, and the elders,” I said.
Catnys stopped struggling and looked at me, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and suspicion. “How?”
I smiled, appreciating her beauty and the depth of her care for her people. Yes, I would definitely make her mine.
“I’ll explain it when the time comes, but there is something you need to understand, Catnys,” I said, my tone serious.
“What is it?” she asked.
“There will be death on your side, a lot of it. Radakel is here, his knights, and the Heroes too. They are here to wipe your village off the map, and Radakel won’t stop until every one of you is dead,” I said.
“I know…” Catnys nodded, biting her lip in determination.
“All your warriors will become mere meat shields to protect the children and the weak. They will need to draw all the attention, or else those hiding will be killed,” I said.
“You don’t need to say it. We were prepared to die from the very beginning,” Catnys replied sternly.
Looking at Catnys’ gloomy face, I felt a surge of curiosity. These demons intrigued me far more than the humans of the Empire ever had. I found myself appreciating them more than the foolish humans who blindly cheered for the Heroes.
If I had the choice between saving the Demons or these Humans knights who were protecting us, I would definitely choose the Demons in my current position. Just to see what kind of smile of relief this beautiful demon would make.
“Your people have spirit,” I said softly. “More spirit than the humans who follow Radakel.”
Catnys’ eyes flickered with a mixture of emotions, but she remained silent. I tightened my grip slightly, leaning closer. “I will do what I can to help, but you must trust me.”
She hesitated, then nodded slowly. “I will trust you. But if you betray us…”
“I won’t,” I promised. “You will become mine so I won’t do anything to make you sad, Catnys.” I added with a smile.
Catnys looked at me, dumbfounded by my words. It was clear that they had a profound effect on her.
She couldn’t see my face clearly, but she could see my smile. “W…who are you?” she asked, truly confused.
“I will tell you once you become mine,” I replied, and without waiting for her reaction, I kissed her lips.
“Hm!” It was a quick kiss, but it was enough to shock Catnys to the core. This woman had clearly never kissed anyone before.
“Now, before I let you go, I want you to do something for me,” I said. Seeing that Catnys didn’t say anything, I continued.
“You are a great mage, Catnys. You are the one who tricked all the humans passing by the village by disguising all your people as humans. What I want is simple. Disguise me, but as a demon.”
Catnys’ eyes widened in shock.
“Also, erase or at least conceal my mana signature.”
In my true awakened form, my mana signature was distinct, but I didn’t want to use it here. It was my trump card, after all. So, I wanted a different appearance and a different mana signature.
“Why?” she asked, but I knew she had already guessed the answer.
“Because I’m going to fight with you, of course,” I said, hugging her tighter and grinning. “I’m not going to let my woman fight alone.”
Catnys was taken aback, but soon she averted her gaze, her cheeks tinged with a hint of red.
“Can you do it?” I asked.
Catnys took a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. “I can.”
As expected of one of my women.
“But it wouldn’t last long.”
“It will be enough,” I smiled.
-BADOOOOM!
Suddenly the ground below us rumbled along the walls.
Catnys opened her eyes wide, her gaze upward.
“T..they are here! They are attacking my barrier!” She stood up as I freed my arms.
I frowned a little.
Radakel arrived sooner than expected.
“It won’t be long before they reach the village. I want you to do what I asked you to do on me and one last thing.”
Catnys looked at me as I smiled.
°°°°°
“Everyone, get back! Mages, stay behind us at a safe distance and cover us!” Jagon commanded with a strong voice.
He was clad in black armor, meticulously maintained, and held a sharp sword that gleamed in his hand. “All the others will stay with me! We will take on the Empire’s new dogs ourselves and show them who the real heroes are!” Jagon added with a smirk, eyeing the heroes waiting for the barrier to disappear. One hero, in particular, with a toothed sword, glared murderously at him.
“YEAAAAAH!!!” The other demons, also wearing light armor and holding weapons, cheered at Jagon’s words.
“Jagon.” Suddenly, one of them approached. He was the most robust-looking demon among them.
Jagon smiled, recognizing his old friend, who was all geared up for the fight. “Surag,” he said, shaking his hand firmly.
Surag smiled back, gripping Jagon’s arm. “Everything is set. We did as you asked and put all the children, elders, and women in the barn. But is that really okay? If we fall, it’s over for them.”
The plan had always been to hold back the enemies to let the others escape, so Surag was confused by the sudden change.
Jagon shook his head. “Do you believe in Lady Catnys or not?”
“Of course I believe her! We all do. So why are we taking such risks with our families?” Surag replied, his concern evident.
“Then don’t worry; everything will be fine,” Jagon said confidently.
He chose not to mention Nathan’s presence or what had transpired. Revealing that a human, who had been with Radakel, was now supposedly helping them would only cause unnecessary panic. Jagon himself didn’t fully trust Nathan, but he trusted Catnys, who had a skill to detect lies. If she believed in Nathan, it meant his claims about saving them were true and that he wasn’t siding with Radakel.
“Stay strong, Surag. We fight not just for survival, but for our future,” Jagon said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Surag nodded. “For our future.”
“Jagon! T…The barrier!!” One of the demons called out Jagon in panic.
Jagon looked up and saw the light from Elias’ sword starting erasing Catnys’ barrier finally.