Hilde and Rionna just finished their discussion and were on their way back to the guild. Rionna regularly communed with the goddess of her church. Since they had a hero candidate acquainted with the guild, she relayed some things with Hilde. Their concerns usually involved what Vena was able to see from Kiryuu. Recently, the status card anomaly was being brought up.

The two saw Raful approaching them in haste.

“You two,” Raful said as he stopped in front of them. He only took a moment to catch his breath. “Vena just told me a while ago. The blacksmith that was recommended to Kiryuu was—”

“Dessa,” Rionna already had a guess. She furrowed her brow and sighed. “I should have realized. I’m sorry. Let’s go.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Hilde asked as the three of them headed towards Dessa’s shop.

“Dessa has been busy with her smithing, correct?”

“Yeah, she’s had a lot of orders recently,” although Hilde also knew people also dropped by because of how alluring Dessa is. “A lot of people know how well she can make enchanted weapons.”

“That’s right,” Rionna confirmed. “That means it has been a long while since she had consumed mana.”

“I see,” Raful nodded. “If Kiryuu has been strange in Vena’s eyes, then Dessa might see something different too.”

“Indeed. That woman can visualize mana flow down to the minute details like quality and affinity. If she sees him—”

‘Kiryuu…’

Vena could only remember seeing his form being pinned against the wall before blacking out. She could not tell how long it has been. She saw it all, somewhat. Though should couldn’t see normally, her eyes still allowed her to perceive some things. She saw Kiryuu as his strange chained aura and Dessa as a pink one. She saw how he tried to resist in vain. Dessa’s aura was wrapping around him. There were cracks forming on his head and some threads started to leak into Dessa’s body.

“Nn… No… No!” Dessa tried to back away but Kiryuu grabbed her wrists. Just a while ago she was immersed in delving into his memories. Suddenly she started to pull away but he kept her close.

“Stop! I can’t… no more!” She struggled and tried to break free. His eyes were devoid of color, unblinking, but locked onto her. He had a voracious grin on his lips.

She was finally able to break free only to fall backwards. She couldn’t muster up the strength to stand up and tried to crawl away from him in desperation. She couldn’t understand what went wrong either. His mana was so intoxicating and those memories ensnared her curiosity.

All of a sudden, he started to drain her mana as she was taking his in. She devoured mana. She has to process that mana first into something her body would accept it. Suddenly there was an overflow of his mana and the processing was unable to keep up. Not only that but he was also draining her mana as well. This was the first time this had happened to her.

She managed to get away for a bit, stopping the mana transfer momentarily. She tried to push herself off the floor but her arms were shaking.

“Kya!” Something gripped her ankle and dragged her back. She didn’t need to look to know what or who it was. Her nails dug into the floor but it was useless. She felt his weight on her back and his breath on her neck.

“No more…” Coming into contact with his body made her lose what remaining strength she had. She thought for sure that she was going to die, either from being drained of her own life force or overdosing on his.

[Holy Wave!]

Upon their arrival, Rionna immediately took initiative. Because of her experience and her role as a priestess, she was fairly sensitive to miasma, even if it was subtle. The miasma that veiled on Dessa’s shop was made to obstruct with the senses and attention of anyone around it. It makes the presence of the area weak and people are most likely to ignore anything inside the miasma. She immediately cancelled out a large portion of the area.

With the vision obstruction gone, they could clearly see that there were four people on the floor. Three of them were not moving. One of them was holding the other by the hair.

“Hilde, wait!” Raful was going towards Vena and Shino when Hilde zoomed past him. He turned to Rionna who had already prepared a spell.

[Tranquility!]

However, Hilde was able to avoid the calming spell by kicking off the floor and jumping towards the wall. She then kicked off that wall to close the gap between her and Kiryuu. Her knee connected with his chin and he was sent tumbling back. Hilde immediately pinned him down and gripped his throat tightly with both hands. Gasping for air, he instinctively grabbed her wrists and tried to pry her off. In response, Hilde shook his hands off and punched him twice before taking out her dagger. She managed to get a couple of stabs to his chest before someone tackled her from behind. She struggled to get away only to realize that it was Vena holding her down.

“Hilde… stop, please…” Vena cried as she clung onto Hilde. Even though she just recovered, she gave it her all to stop Hilde.

“Vena, you’re…”

[Tranquility!]

A woman in an elegant blue royal garb entered one of the prison cells. It had one occupant, a succubus demon lord with anti-magic shackles on her wrists. She was chained to the floor and had a sort of blindfold that was able to nullify any abilities that used vision and sight.

“Asmodeus,” the woman called out to her and took off her blindfold. There was no issue as she was able to cancel it out with her own abilities.

“Queen Aislin,” Asmodeus looked up at the woman and laughed weakly. “It’s been a while.”

“Certainly,” the queen nodded. “You’ve caused quite a stir, haven’t you?”

“Maybe. Unless that was all part of your plan…”

An ornate blue blade manifested in Aislin’s hands and cut through the air. After a few seconds, the shackles that kept Asmodeus in place fell onto the floor in pieces.

“Nonsense,” the queen said as she banished the sword into nothingness. “I might be a schemer but not that good of one. All I wanted was to have you two meet…”

Dessa rubbed her wrist. She looked down on the floor in silence before looking up at Aislin. “I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you.”

After diving into Kiryuu’s head, Dessa found herself in an empty circular room. There was a small table in the middle, with a large open book. On the farthest side was a chained door. She found it peculiar. She saw snippets and fragments of his memories. This room was a little less livelier than she expected.

Pouting, she walked up to the book and opened it. As soon as she did, various pages started flying out and all over the room. That was when she saw them. Each page had a memory embedded in them and she ended up frantically trying to focus on a page. They kept flying all over the place so she caught one page at random. What she saw sent a chill down her spine. Her excitement spiked up and she tossed that page aside only to catch another. Her legs trembled with what she saw and she tossed that page aside too and tried to catch another. It was then that the pages flew back into the book and closed.

“Wait! I want more!” She hurriedly opened the book. A hand suddenly reached out from in it and grabbed her neck. The book started to transform into a familiar figure.

“A-ah…” Dessa lost strength in her legs and fell down on her knees. “You’re…”

“How rude,” he said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him.

“Who are you?!” She wondered if she was mistaken. They certainly looked the same. Even the mana quality was similar but this person was more refined and more in control.

“Asking me such a thing after waking me up, you really have bad manners, don’t you?” He let her go and crossed his arms as he sat on the table. “I have to thank you though. If it weren’t for you, it would have taken me longer to wake up on my own.”

He turned towards the chained door. “Someone is trying to keep me here, it seems.”

She, too, turned towards the door. She used her eyes to analyze it. It was then she understood that it was a seal. An immensely powerful one at that. Whoever made that seal intended for it to be indestructible. It was almost as if it was made to seal a—

“Whatever,” he sighed and snapped his fingers. Dessa saw an unbelievable amount of mana compress onto the door before it was unleashed. The chains exploded and shattered into fine powder.

He got off the table and walked over to her. Instinctively, she leaned back and tried to back away. Her vision started to become hazy and soon she blacked out. When she had come to, she was already experiencing the mana transfer anomaly between her and Kiryuu.

She told all of this to Aislin but for some reason, she was unable to mention anything about the sealed door and how the man broke it with ease. When she did try her hardest to do so, she felt a hot sensation on her neck and a marking around her neck glowed. It was a subjugation mark. It meant that she had been turned into the familiar of whoever placed that on her. It was an impressive feat, given her status as a demon lord.

“This is…” She touched the area on her neck where the markings were. Her cheeks started to redden.

“Hiyah!” Aislin chopped Dessa squarely on the head. It seemed to be very much out of character but those that knew her are fully aware that this was her real personality.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Dessa cried out as she held her head.

“Why are you blushing like a maiden?!”

“I… can’t say,” Dessa said and looked away. When she saw the man break the seal, the quality and quantity of she witness was something she can never forget. Her reaction further caused misunderstanding. Aislin started pulling on Dessa’s cheeks.

She was never interested in things like world domination or absolute power. She was the kind of person that focuses on her craft and things related to it. That is, of course, manipulation of mana and infusing them on weapons and items to create an enchanted weapon or tool. It was a skill that takes years to acquire, even more so to perfect. She was not content with just that. She wanted to go further.

It was why she was also known as the weakest demon lord in terms of raw power. However, her abilities as a craftswoman was top notch. She was also very capable in terms of utilizing enhancing and debilitating abilities.

After the war ended, she was one of the first that accepted the offer by the heroes. An offer to reform and be a part of society. That’s how she got to where she was, a known blacksmith and artisan.

“It’s not like I had no fault in this matter anyway,” Aislin sighed and shook her head after she had her fill. Dessa’s cheeks were even redder now. She did aim to get the two to meet up but things went awry. The incident caused a stir and much work needed to be done as damage control. She also had to meet with the representatives of the church in order to pass judgment.

Some of the elder priests vied for execution. This was futile, of course, as demon lords eventually revive when the cycle begins. Hence, it was easier to keep an eye on the current living demon lords than killing them and hunting for them when they revive.

Some wanted the church to take full custody of Dessa. It was quickly rejected, however, and Aislin made sure to take note those that are on that side of the vote. They need to be dealt with later. Eventually, a decision has come to pass.

They agreed on a way that made it easier for both the church and the higher ups to keep an eye on Dessa. Dessa had no complaints, although she was worried about the other people involved in the matter. After all, she was the one that had assaulted Kiryuu in the first place. It ended up involving several other people.

She later found out about Hilde’s assault and was genuinely worried. Aislin had assured that Kiryuu would be able to recover, though she expressed that it seemed like a miracle. Healing magic can only do so much. The extent of Kiryuu’s injuries made it seem hopeless. Somehow he clung onto life, refusing to go beyond death’s door.

In the end, the matter had to be hushed up in some way. People would panic if they heard that a demon lord attacked one of the hero candidates. Instead, they made it seem that the incident was an infiltration from the demon lord and that Kiryuu found out and thwarted her plans. Instead of fearing an enemy, they would convince the public to cheer for an ally.

Hilde slowly awoke from a spell-induced sleep. Rionna hit her with Tranquility. It was only supposed to be a calming spell but Rionna is capable of increasing a spell’s output and effects because of her outstanding abilities. Since Vena held Hilde down, it gave Rionna a clear shot. Vena was knocked out as well but they weren’t in any danger.

Hilde noticed that Vena was by her bed and was sleeping soundly. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and immediately reached out and embraced Vena. This startled the elf awake but she smiled and patted Hilde on the head.

“Vena, I…”

“There, there,” she hushed her and gently stroke her hair. “I’m here. It’s alright.”

Hilde broke into tears. It took a while before she calmed down. After that, she asked Vena what happened. It was clear that Hilde was feeling dreadful. Vena told her all about Shino asking for permission. There was a bit of awkwardness regarding that part. Soon, they got to the part where they realized who the blacksmith Karlann recommended was and how they rushed to Dessa’s shop immediately. As Vena recalled her experience during that time, Hilde had a grim expression as she realized what she had done. Her fists clenched. Her shoulders felt heavy. She would even understand if Vena would hate her right now.

Vena, who knew of Hilde’s circumstances, held her close again and continued to stroke her hair.

“Is he… is he…?” Hilde stuttered.

“He’s alive. Rionna did her best to treat him as soon as she was able.”

“I’d… like to see him,” she wanted to apologize yet she was also afraid. He seemed to have let her past actions slide. This time, however, she had gone too far. She knew she had to take responsibility for it but she was afraid what would be demanded of her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you walk?”

“Mhm.”

Sinking.

That’s what he felt. The last thing he saw was Dessa looking down on him before he blacked out. He felt as if he were submerged in something cold but he couldn’t see or hear anything.

Slowly, something came to view. A small round room. He could see Dessa and another man. He couldn’t see the man’s face, his vision was too dim. The man reached out to Dessa, who collapsed onto the floor. A glowing wispy material slowly came out of Dessa’s chest. The man gripped it tightly, causing it to explode brightly.

“Tch,” Kiryuu heard the man click his tongue. “Still risky, huh? I guess I need to lay low still.”

The man crushed the wispy material between his hands until it compressed into a glowing orb. Then, the man turned towards Kiryuu’s direction. It startled Kiryuu. He thought he was just seeing visions and not as if he were actually there.

“Thanks for letting her in here, kid. A token of my gratitude,” the man casually threw the orb at him. It exploded and immediately enveloped him in a bright light.

“Yeah, do your best to get it under control, alright?” Were the last words he heard before the scenery changed.

[Ability Obtained: Conqueror]

He was holding on to Dessa, who seemed to be in ecstacy. He still felt like he was in a daze. It felt like a dream still. She started to struggle from him but he held her close. His chest was burning. He did not know why but right now he desired Dessa more than anything.

Dessa managed to break free from him and started to crawl away. He dragged her back by her ankle and got on top of her. Getting in contact with her body only made him crave her more. He grabbed her by the hair and nuzzled her neck.

All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain on his chin and was blown back a bit. The next thing he knew, Hilde was crushing his windpipe. Desperate, he held onto her wrists but felt a couple of heavy blows and his vision blacked out. He felt several sharp pains in his chest but after a while, something warm enveloped his body. He completely lost consciousness for the second time.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed. His body felt heavy and that something was wrapped around his torso. Bandages, he figured. He opened his eyes and saw himself in an unknown room. He tried to get up but there was something on his chest. Rather, there was someone laying their head on his chest.

“Shino,” he said and patted her head.

“Hm? Master?” Shino slowly stirred awake. She realized who was patting her head and immediately threw herself at him. “Master! You’re alive…”

Shino was helped up by Raful at the time. She saw what happened and how bloody the scene ended up as. She was relieved that he was able to make it.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted their little moment. The door opened and Vena came in, along with Hilde. Shino got off of Kiryuu and went in between him and Hilde. She was already prepared to fight. Vena quickly placed herself between Shino and Hilde.

“What are you doing here?” Shino addressed Hilde coldly.

“I…” Unlike her usual self, she was quite meek this time. Kiryuu noticed that.

“Shino,” he placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “Can you let me talk to her for a bit?”

“I understand.”

“Alone.”

“I… yes.”

Reluctantly, Shino exited the room. She glared at Hilde one more time for good measure. Vena walked up to Kiryuu and embraced him tightly.

“Thank you,” Vena kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear before she pulled away and proceeded to exited the room. She smiled and nodded to Hilde before leaving the two alone and closing the door.

Shino was waiting outside.

“Is it really alright?” Shino asked.

“Yes,” Vena wanted nothing more but to embrace Kiryuu right now. She was relieved that he survived. But she also knew that Hilde needed someone at the time. She had to make due with Shino staying with Kiryuu and her with Hilde.

“Mwu, after this is my turn,” she said confidently. Shino smiled softly at that.

Their attention shifted to some people that had walked up to them. Both of them had tensed up. It was Raful, being accompanied by none other than Dessa.

“Relax, you two,” Raful tried to pacify the two of them to the best of his ability.. “It’s fine. She can’t do anything right now.”

The two eased up a bit. Shino was still wary of Dessa but seeing as Vena calmed down, she tried to do so as well. It was probably because the incident was still fresh from their memories that they instinctively switched into battle mode.

“Hilde is inside?” Raful inquired. He blamed himself partially for not being able to stop Hilde at the time. He certainly didn’t expect to witness such a scene. That small moment allowed Hilde to slip by him.

“Yes.” Vena nodded. Hilde has been giving off a gloomy aura ever since she woke up. It was a bit because of her guilt but it was mainly because of fear. Vena had never seen Hilde in such a state. She believed that Kiryuu might be able to help her. He might not be able to alleviate her fears but he could at least ease her guilt. She did not see a single speck of anger from Kiryuu at the time.

“I see. It might take a while so let’s get something to eat first,” Raful offered. The lines under his eyes showed that he was exhausted.

“I must ask,” Shino interrupted. She can understand that both Hilde and Dessa have their circumstances. Vena told her about Hilde and Rionna told her about Dessa. The two did their best to calm her down. Shino, however, simply wanted to have someone to blame and vent her frustrations at. After all, it was the first time that the thought of losing her master felt unbearable.

“What is she doing here?”