Chapter 98: Ancarin (1/2)

“Azure…” I had some vague recollection of such a city during my brief stint as a human. It was the city closest to Chaik Village that possesses a warrior academy.

“If it’s Azure, I know how to get there. We’ll have to pass through several cities on the way. Without a carriage, it will take us an entire month of walking to get there.” She answered while simultaneously instructing the slave girls to look after the crippled girl.

“Master, you wish to travel to Azure?”

“That’s right, there’s someone I have to find in Azure.” If it’s just finding someone, there shouldn’t be a need for me to hide my motives. Besides expecting someone like me who couldn’t tell north from south to navigate on his own…it would be a miracle if I even had the map turned the right way up.

“Locating a person might be slightly difficult…” the pregnant girl furrowed her brows as she pondered for a second. “May I know if this person has any special characteristics?”

“Characteristics huh.” I thought about it for while: if that wallet was stolen in Azure, that means that she had traveled to Azure, as for the reason why…wasn’t the academy that Sares studied in called Azure Warrior Academy?

So she ended up following Sares…she still chose him in the end…in that case, there’s no need for me to be a third wheel…

No, no matter what the result is, I must verify it with my own two eyes. I finally found my way back to the Western Human Realm. No matter what the cost, I must find Nicole!

I decisively put a lid on any further discussion and said: “The only reason she might be in Azure is to study in Azure’s warrior academy.”

“If she’s a student, that makes our search range significantly smaller but the academy has a pretty strict policy about visitors, usually strangers wouldn’t be allowed in.” The pregnant girl gave her analysis once more, showing off an intelligence which I would’ve never connected to the girl who just moments ago seemed to be on the verge of mental collapse.

“If Master is looking for a student in the warrior academy, it might be a little troublesome, we’ll have to wait outside and pray we run into her…”

“What’s with the sudden change in attitude? I remember you were deathly afraid of me when we first met.” I had to admit this girl’s adaptability sure was something…

“This is all to repay Master’s benevolence. Besides in the short time we’ve known each other, Master doesn’t seem to be as scary as the devils I’ve heard out.” She gave a confident smile and said: “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Ancarin, an apprentice mage.”

“…Mo Ke.” For some reason, it felt as if the initiative had always been on Ancarin’s side whenever I had a conversation with this pregnant girl.

“Master Mo Ke, if you wish to visit Azure, I suggest you refrain from traveling alone. After all, your identity is kind of…” Her friendly banter came to an abrupt halt at the mention of my identity as she paused for moment, seemingly deep in thought. “…sensitive.”

“…I guess you’re right, my appearance is kind of a dead giveaway.” I said while staring at my red tinted hands. My appearance was that of a two-star head imp but instead of the usual burly physique of one, I had a leaner physique that had the elegant slenderness of a forest elf.

If it wasn’t for my red skin and horn, I could have passed for a normal human, an unusually thin and bald human. However, it was exactly this ‘if’ that prevented me from hiding my devil identity!

Oh, right…my horn had just been sliced off, leaving a 3mm stump at where it stood. With a hood, I should be able to cover that up entirely.

“If you wear a hooded robe, your identity shouldn’t be easily discernible, in fact it would almost make you seem like an elf. Of course, the skin is still a problem, so you’ll have to wear a mask and probably gloves as well.” She continued on with her teasing that sounded like a compliment but yet was strangely wounding as well.

She then blurted out a sentence that struck deeply into my wounds: “ A beautiful devil like you shouldn’t be that common in hell right?”

“I’m a guy…” The words sounded almost like they had been squeezed through my clenched teeth.

“Ah…you…” Her perky self immediately quietened down as her face turned a deathly shade of white, as if something had just scared the living daylights out of her. Whether it was her or the other slaves, all of them had the same terrified look as they screamed and huddled together.

“What’s going on with you all?” Everything was fine a second ago, how did it turn into this so suddenly?

Truth be told, over 20 beautiful teenage girls huddling together in terror was a pretty interesting sight as well, especially given their rather enticing outfits. A few of them even had holes in certain strategic positions.

The only person who wasn’t terrified was the blonde girl laying on the floor. Was she really that brave or had she simply lost all interest in this broken jar known as her life? Either way, she had an uncaring look on her face.

“Hey, am I really that scary?” As I said this, I walked towards what looked like a mirror inlaid into the wall and gave myself a lookover. Come to think of it, this was the first time I’ve used a mirror ever since I’ve become a devil. What greeted me wasn’t the usual ugly mug of a devil but was instead an enchanting albeit hairless face.

Even without the hair, I had nothing but praises for my peerless face…but why does it look so feminine…before this, I had always assumed I was a man through and through except…for the lack of a pee pee…

“You…won’t do anything to us…will you…” The one who spoke up first was as expected, Ancarin. Noticing me stare at the mirror for a long time, she finally gathered up the courage to approach my back and question me, her perkiness and intelligence seemingly gone with the wind.

Even though she didn’t mention it explicitly, I roughly knew what she meant by “do”. I sighed and said in a helpless tone: “Is it a must that I do all that to you guys?”