As they neared the castle where the slave buyer was informed to be, Subaru joined the carriage where Broken was seated, intending to discuss their plan for infiltrating the castle.
Broken activated his Hawk’s Eye skill to scout the castle from a distance. The castle sat on higher ground, making it easier to observe. It was a strange, eerie place with a courtyard littered with tombstones, resembling a graveyard. The castle itself looked dilapidated, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
He shared his observations with the others, explaining the suspicious nature of their destination.
“Ck!” Elowen clicked her tongue in frustration upon hearing the description. “What kind of devil lives in a place like that? There must be someone occupying it, holding the slaves there, right?”
Subaru looked a bit uneasy and addressed the group. “For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that whoever’s inside that castle isn’t just some ordinary demon, heh. What if there’s a Named Demon in there?”
“Named Demon?” Elowen repeated
“Hey, Marlene, what do you think?” Subaru turned to her.
“A Named Demon?” Marlene repeated, pausing thoughtfully. “Even if there *is* a Named Demon inside, I doubt they’d be ranked in the 50s. But if it’s someone ranked in the 60s or 70s, that’s still a possibility. And, well, 60s or 70s… we might still be able to handle them.”
“Marlene, are you sure?” Subaru asked, the worry clear in his voice. “Didn’t you say even those in the 60s could be dangerous? And we’re not exactly at full strength.”
“That’s true,” Marlene admitted. “But we’re assuming there’s even a Named Demon at all. What if it’s just a regular demon? We won’t know until we’re inside.”
“But Marlene…” Subaru continued, “you should have some knowledge of the Named Demons in this region, right? Can’t you confirm if one might be here?”
Marlene paused again. “I’m aware of a few Named Demons in this area, but they’re spread across a large territory. The chances of running into one of them here are pretty slim.”
Subaru then turned to Broken. “Broken, what do you think?”
Broken had actually faced a Named Demon before. He had done so alongside Princess Alora, but that was a Named Demon ranked 64, and even then, the demon wasn’t at full strength. The demon had been restricted by the very Trial Domain he had created.
If Duke Flauros, the Named Demon ranked 64, had been at full power-especially in Hell- Broken wasn’t sure how he would have defeated him.
Despite being ranked 64, Duke Flauros possessed magic tricks that were incredibly troublesome, particularly with his Shadow Element abilities. This made him exceptionally slippery and difficult to kill, able to dodge almost any attack with ease. Even wide-area damage spells weren’t guaranteed to bring him down.
The situation would have been even more precarious if the battle had taken place in an open area where the demon could easily teleport or flee, leaving his opponent confused. Duke Flauros was indeed a Named Demon with high magical capabilities, but his killing style was more akin to that of an assassin.
But… if they encountered another Named Demon while they were in Hell, who knew how powerful it might be? The potential danger was immense.
Still, retreating before even engaging wasn’t something Broken favored. Was he the type to fight without much calculation? Maybe, but in his mind, the answer was always to counter strength with even greater strength.
But did they really have the power to face another Named Demon, especially one ranked in the 60s or worse, in the 50s?
“Assuming our opponent is a Named Demon before we even confirm it seems like overthinking, don’t you think?” Elowen finally spoke up.
“I agree…” Subaru replied. “Even though we, as players, can come back to life after dying, we’ll revive in the same place. That means we won’t be able to escape or return to Yunatea easily if things go wrong…” He turned to Marlene again. “Marlene?”
Marlene responded, “I get the concern, but we won’t know until we face what’s inside. We have to be prepared for anything, but that doesn’t mean we should assume the worst. If it’s a Named Demon, we’ll deal with it. If not, then we’ve saved ourselves some stress.”
Marlene fell silent for a moment, then spoke up. “My beasts can’t scout inside the castle from this distance-it’s too far. The only way is for us to enter the castle grounds. Once we’re in the open courtyard, I can send my beasts to check the interior.”
“But,” she continued, “by then, it might already be too late because we’ll have crossed into their territory.”
She then looked around, waiting for a response, and finally turned to Broken. “Broken? Your call?”
“Why me? Your side has more people; your fate is more important here than mine alone.” “I want to know what you would do in a situation like this.” Marlene pressed. Broken paused for a moment when he heard the question, even though deep down, he already knew the answer. And it bothered him a little because he knew he really wanted to go in!
His intense curiosity and drive to explore were pushing him to enter, to find out what awaited him in there—whether it was a monster, a demon, a raid boss, or even a Named Demon!
But should he really just go in without considering the risks?
If Broken went in alone, he could probably escape easily. He had a set of skills that could support him in doing so. But this time, he wasn’t alone. There were members of the Shadow Wolves with him, and two NPCs who might lose their lives because of his actions.
And now, Marlene was asking him to make a decision?
“I know what I want to do. But I’m not sure if it’s the right thing for everyone else,” he
replied.
“And what is that?”
“I said I’m not sure if this is good for everyone. I can’t guarantee that. And honestly, I think this might be a stupid decision.”
“That’s the fun part!” Marlene responded. “You’ve gotten this far, haven’t you? And all those things you’ve achieved-they came from decisions you yourself thought were stupid.”
Damn, is she complimenting me or insulting me?
“I want to go. Face whatever challenge is in there and bring home our reward,” he finally said. Subaru could only sigh at that. “I guess letting you two make the decision was a mistake.” “You knew the risks when you decided to come with us, Subaru.” Marlene said.
“Yes, but our friends don’t have the kind of strength you two have to pull off something this crazy,” Subaru complained.
Broken then turned to Elowen and Mira. “Are you coming with us?”
“Yes!” the two girls answered in unison.
The decision had been made, and they were ready to face whatever awaited them. But that
didn’t mean they were going in unprepared. Marlene’s team was well-accustomed to working together, and Marlene herself, as a Divine Champion, undoubtedly had hidden powers she
hadn’t yet revealed.
The caravan of carriages began to approach their destination, which was oddly devoid of any fences or boundaries. It looked like a vast open field perched on a slightly elevated hill. The carriages had to take a winding path to reach the area, which was dotted with tombstones
scattered across the landscape.
Is this a graveyard or what?
***
“Hahaha…” A woman’s booming laughter filled the chamber. It was Duke Gremory, the ruler
of this domain, observing her guests through the magic circle floating before her.
“This is truly the easiest bait I’ve ever set. I can’t believe they’re this foolish.”
[Duke Gremory – Vampiric Duchess Demon Lv. 258]
[Named Demon – Rank 56]
“And it turns out,” she said, licking her lips, “my target here isn’t quite as weak as you’d
expect for someone at that level. Hm…”
“What kind of delicacies are coming to meet me this time? Could it be a jackpot?” she continued excitedly. “No way… two Divine Champions arriving together? This can’t be real. If I can claim their Blessing, wouldn’t that push my rank even higher?”
For a moment, the throne room was engulfed in a tense silence. Then, the woman’s voice erupted once more, commanding, “Prepare the finest welcome for our guests! Anyone who
dares enter my domain is mine!”
***
Author’s Note:
As you can see, each of my chapters tends to have a higher word count compared to most other NovelFull authors, averaging around 1250-1500 words.
Yes! My priority is you! Do you prefer shorter chapters or these longer ones? Let me know
what you think!