Chapter 24 - Louise's Identity

The next day.

Duke Gerald followed Louise's advice and burned every corpse in the Ester Village. They also burned the houses, and soon there was a thick smoke visible even in the capital. The Duke tried his best to contain the news. But Gerald could not control some loose tongues. So, the report still spread in the neighboring villages.

The story about the Ester Village became a famous tale of horror in the capital. Some even added their versions to make it more thrilling. The king himself could not help himself but sigh.

-----

The Mystical Forest.

Nangri, the wolf pack leader, was seen eating the meat of their previously hunted deer from the deep of the forest. His packs were also having a feast as they laughed to celebrate. They were in the middle of a celebration when they heard someone speak in an eerie voice that would send a chill to anyone who would listen to it.

"Seems like your having a good meal, hehe."

The group stopped and turned towards the voice. Nangri raised his vigilance and stared at the shadow where the voice came earlier. It was a deep night in the Mystical Forest, but the light coming from the moon illuminated the surroundings.

Then they saw a figure walk out from behind the tree.

It was an ugly-looking monster with big long curved horns on each side. Its fangs were visible when it smiled at them. Its head was like a demon, but its body resembled a lion though its color was black. The monster's eyes were red, and the look that it gave them was a predator who found its prey.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Nangri asked.

He readied himself in case this demon attacked.

The monster laughed and observed the pack.

"What a stupid beast. Who am I, you asked? This one is named Forneus."

It walked a few steps towards them in a slow manner. Each stride had an eerie sound to it. "As for what I want..."

It trailed off and smiled at them and licked its lip.

"FOOD! HAHAHA!"

It pounced on them and maniacally started its attack.

***

A man stood in the middle of a luxurious garden. A golden mask covered half of his face, only showing his lips which held a faint smile. He had long black hair tied on his back and was wearing a simple designed white robe. He started to walk around leisurely while playing with a diamond in his hand. He kept tossing it as if it were some random toy. Then he suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?"

A hazy form materialized out of thin air. Then a man with the ear of an animal appeared before him. He was bending his right knee while placing his right hand on his chest.

"Your imperial majesty, we just received reports from the outside. There were demons' attacks in different places. A recent report was a massacre of a village in the Dusk kingdom."

The man stopped tossing out the diamond and suddenly crushed it in his hand. It then turned into dust, and he let the air blow it from his palm.

He spoke in a casual tone.

"That's troublesome then."

"Your majesty, the council was in an uproar. Those old geezers were blaming the first seat for not being able to capture the demons."

The man lightly chuckled.

"Mamon, why don't you tell them to send themselves instead? That way, they can be useful instead of complaining."

"Those demons were no ordinary ones; they were ancient demons sealed for thousands of years. Even now, I still cannot believe that the ninth seat became muddleheaded and released them."

"Then, what should we do now, your highness?" the beast called Mamon asked.

"Nothing. For those people who do nothing but complain, tell them that I would gladly send them to capture those monsters."

Then he rubbed his chin and added.

"They should be thankful that Louise volunteered herself to do it because even I could not order her around. Tsk! That stubborn girl."

"Do you want me to send a message to the first seat?"

The man shook his head.

"You don't have to; she will return once she gets bored."

Then he casually added.

"She will give me another headache if she returns here. You know how notorious she was."

Mamon commented and agreed with the man's evaluation.

"Well, the first seat is quite a character."

The man laughed.

"She is of royal birth, so she can do what she wants. Isn't it the reason why she rejected the throne?"

The beast-man gave a respectful bow and disappeared from the garden.

The masked man was silent for a while, then murmured.

"I'm wondering what my dear sister Louise is doing right now?"

----

The Mystical Forest.

Nangri ran with all his might while enduring the wounds on his body. That demon was ferocious. He attacked his packs and ripped their bodies, and ate them in front of his eyes.

"RUN! RUN! RUN! HAHAHA, RUN ALL YOUR MIGHT!"

He heard that eerie voice again as if he was right by his side. Nangri felt that he was losing his strength. He fell to the ground while slowly catching his breath.

"Tired? Hehe."

He saw the demon slowly walk towards him. His every step was torture to him as it made his heartbeat rise.

It licked its bloodied claw while looking at the weakened wolf leader.

Then it jumped on air. Nangri closed his eyes and awaited his death. But instead of claws ripping him apart, he instead heard a melodious female voice.

"Found you."