The death of the elder was a bit brutal. Who wouldn't die after catching multiple cannonballs? He might be able to handle one cannonball to block but multiple cannonballs? Good luck surviving that without being turned to meat paste.

Of course, as someone who makes sure the enemy is dead already, I went back to the village, waited for the flames to die down before going back inside, and head straight to where the cannonballs landed. When I arrived at where he was standing before, the only thing left behind from his body is a severed hand and feet while the rest of his body is crushed to paste. All I can say is that he only has a little bit left from his body.

I checked my quest tab and saw that all of the quest objectives are crossed out. However, there is still some part of the village I haven't explored. The house is out of the question already and I already double-checked whether there are any survivors or not. Also, there is only one more building that has yet to be explored yet and is still intact from the explosion. That would be the residence of the current elder.

After checking around the intact buildings, the only point of interest left in the house of the elder that I left to investigate last. His house was much more developed compared to the other elves. Not only his house has concrete and metal infrastructure, but it also seems like it has been renovated to suit the needs of the current elder. There are many traces that suggest this was just a pure wooden house in the past.

Inside the house, I saw some things that are usually found to be dropped from demon enemies and some bosses too. To be precise, it was the broken materials that demons usually drop. This time, it is currently inside the house of the elder.

There are some curious things too but they are not worth investigating. However, I spotted one item that triggered the hidden sequence of the quest. The moment I grab the little book situated along with the broken materials, the quest tab blinked and a new objective appeared and was labeled "Hidden"

-obtain the diary of the demon elf elder to trigger the hidden sequence.

The moment it appeared, it also crossed itself out which means this is an optional objective but if it was hidden, there is something that is quite an important detail that I might have missed if I didn't obtain it. Either a bit of information or a new series of questions might pop up in the process. Heck, there might be an optional quest that will occur that is also an optional thing to complete. There are just so many possibilities.

This was a diary of the demon elder so maybe there are some things that I might have missed if I didn't investigate this place. I opened the diary and started reading the entries.

...

"DAY 70

We have already conquered the elf village and managed to convert half of the town's populace into demon followers. Once the remaining elves are captured, the plan to resurrect the demon princess would be a success."

"DAY 74

The previous elder was very good at hiding his tracks and has been able to erase every single piece of evidence that the people who escaped with him are in the forest. I already asked some experienced elves who have been converted as a demon followers to scout the whole forest but 4 days have passed and no other traces I can take."

"DAY 80

It looks like I have to give up on the notion to find the other villagers who escaped. They are under the protection of that elder and I can't easily defeat him. Not only that but there are also some elves that have been able to resist the power of the demon blood. I have to throw them into the pit of the hungry demon elves who failed to synchronize to the demon blood. I doubt they will be able to survive down there. That way, even if they didn't get to accept the blood, they are now good enough to awaken the demon princess."

"Day 84

The demon hearts has finally materialized. I already got to solidify 10 of them. Once they are fully developed, they can now do the rampage to the forest and convert everything into a place demons can be compatible. That way, the success to wake up the demon princess would increase to 100 percent. I can't fail this now!"

...

That was the last entry of the diary. I checked the remaining blank pages of the diary if there is anything left for me to digest but aside from a string of numbers and letters, it seems there is nothing left for me to know other than what I just read just now. But then, something came up after I closed the diary.

...

Optional Quest

[The Way Back Home: Demon Princess]

Objective: Locate the Demon Princess

Info: After defeating the elder who was actually a demon, his diary contained "demon princess" in his notes. It seems the numbers and notes on his diary are the coordinates of where the demon princess was located.

Reward: None

Note: This quest is purely optional and rejecting or accepting this quest won't affect the main quest's outcome. In short, if you are lazy as f*ck and tend to just skip the story, then don't bother accepting this. It is just a waste of time.

...

The note seems to be so angry against the story skippers in many games huh. I can understand the guy behind it but there are just some parts in some games that the cutscenes and story are just not on your taste or just too much of cringe for you to watch. Skipping might be optional but it is also necessary at certain times.

However, as someone who likes to get deeper into the lore, why not check this thing out? I am more curious about who is this demon princess. After all, this individual was never mentioned at all in the entire storyline of the demons and the other races. It was like the demon princess was deleted from the main sequence after a certain chain of events which resulted in her data being erased.

As a guy who likes to delve deeper, I can't miss this chance.

"ACCEPT!"

The quest appeared on my quest tab and a quest marker appeared on my digital map, allowing me to know in which area was the place the demon princess was held.

"Huh? Isn't this the abandoned ruins near the village of the elf folks?" I realized after the map pointed out the coordinates properly since I don't have a single idea how to read one, seeing it marked out on the map made it easier.

The ruins are one of the confusing labyrinths in the game. I heard from one of the players who documented every single walkthrough on how to pass through the labyrinth. I still remember them since he also made a video walkthrough on it. However, one thing happened after he cracked the last puzzle of the labyrinth. What was waiting for him underground was... Nothing. There was nothing underground but just a normal room that didn't appear to have any secret boss or anything that is good to be a point of interest to investigate. I still remember how frustrated and angry he was after all of the puzzles and stuff he had to solve just to arrive in a place where there was nothing in it.

However, this quest particularly pointed to this place as the place where the demon princess was located. So that means the player in the past timeline should have met the demon princess if he solved the puzzle and also have this quest with him. I can only grin at his misfortune and wasted effort and laugh at my own luck.

"Thank you for sharing the walkthrough in the past timeline bro, now your effort has now a usage and not just some useless one."

I went out of the house and survey the area one last time. After making sure nothing is left for me to investigate, I summoned Leona and we departed towards the ruins.

...

The nameless ruins, one of the places where the mystery was revolving and curiosity will have to be at its finest to make sure the whole place will be solved and to access the bottom of the ruins. My eyes have been closed for a very long time and I have no idea how long has it been since I was like this. However, one thing is for sure. If someone managed to find me on this endless hide and seek, I will have to eventually awaken.

If, if only...

CREAK...

For the first time in my life in these ruins, this must be the first time I will be able to witness the light. That day is also the day I have opened my eyes once again.