CHAPTER 428: A BUNCH OF DIFFICULT WOMEN (1/2)
A Demoness refers to a female who worships and serves a Devil. Normally, such a privilege is only available to Devils that are Eight-star and above. However, the real way of defining a Demoness is a female who has attained the power of a Devil, and only Devil Overlords are able to bestow such a power on their supplicants.
When a Demoness is bestowed powers by her Devil master, she awakens a number of abilities that are tied to her bloodlines and the Devil she worships.
Some Demoness gain the ability to summon Devils while some gain the ability to shapeshift. Then there are also those who gain the ability to harvest souls. The number of abilities available to awaken are countless, but the one thing in common is that every Demoness is adept at hiding themselves. Unless a Demon Hunter has been specially trained in this field, even they wouldn’t be able to differentiate a normal human from a Demoness.
—- From |Demoness’s Hammer|
My plan was to have a tour around the outskirts of the city, however that was quickly disrupted when a Dark Elven messenger came looking for us. Upon opening that missive, Paliseth immediately recognised the urgency of the matter.
“Your holiness, I’m afraid Paliseth is unable to accompany you for the time being.”
Ever since opening that letter, Paliseth’s expression could only be described by one word: black. Even as she apologized for her departure, I could faintly detect a hint of anger in her voice.
“What’s the matter?”
“Have a look, your holiness.” She didn’t answer me directly but instead handed over the missive.
Upon looking at the letter in question, my eyes glazed over… it was completely written in the encrypted language of the Dark Elves… and I had no idea how to read it…
The corners of my mouth twitched slightly as I handed the letter back to Paliseth. “Maybe you should read it to me instead…”
“…”
At that point, she must have realised the problem as well. “There’s been a sighting of a Minotaur’s Labyrinth roughly 50km south of our city, and it’s currently inhabited by a horde of Minotaurs.”
Simply put, the report mentioned that the Minotaurs in that labyrinth were suddenly acting up. In just a single night alone, they destroyed three sentry posts belonging to the Shadowhunter Clan.
Had it not been for one of the sentries risking his or her life to bring this message back to a nearby military base, those minotaurs might already be knocking on the gates of Shadowhunter City.
Fun fact: Minotaurs were said to have come from a union between a female human and a cow-type magical beast. Also, that female’s husband was said to be a king of a country.
Hearing Paliseth recount the events in the south, our resident proud knight, Zurnalin immediately made herself known to us. This proud warrior really was a mystery to me. In front me, she was your typical crazed idol-chaser. In front of everyone else, including Paliseth, she was a walking ice block.
“Matriarch, I humbly request to take part in this battle.”
“Hmm… it is true that only the Blood Drake Riders can guarantee a victory against the mighty Minotaurs.” Paliseth nodded her head without a second thought. “Bring the hybrid Blood Drakes as well, we can use this battle as a test of their strength.
With Paliseth’s approval secured, Zurnalin turned around and bowed her head apologetically towards me. “My apologies, your holiness, Zurnalin has a duty to fulfill and can’t accompany you any further.”
“It’s alright, you do you. I still have Jezsere to keep me company.” Finally presented with the chance to rid myself of this crazy lady, my smile couldn’t have been any brighter as I wished her well. “Be careful during the battle, your safety is important as well.”
Naturally, that was just routine courtesy on my part, though I really was happy about sending her off. However, who would have thought that a simple statement would actually bring her to tears.
“His holiness actually cares about me…” She passionately pulled me into an embrace and even tried to kiss me. “I just knew his holiness cared about me… this is great… Your holiness, please allow Zurnalin to leave your side temporarily. Once the southern battle is over, Zurnalin will immediately come back to fulfill her natural obligations!”
Maybe you shouldn’t come back at all…
I hurriedly pushed her away, barely avoiding her luscious lips in the process. She wasn’t all too happy about that but I did not have much choice. “About that… Zurnalin… I hate to break it to you but it’s impossible for the two of us…”
“Why? Does his holiness dislike Zurnalin?” The moment she heard me reject her, her tears flowed even more. “Zurnalin has always maintained a pure body. She has never had any intimate contact with another man…”