Chapter 18 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Demonic Realm, the Karnas Mountains.

This was the northmost area in the Demonic Realm, and it was covered by a blizzard all year long. If not for the fact that the current season in the Demonic Realm was a hot summer, the blizzard there would have simply frozen all living things.

As such… everything that lived on the Karnas Mountains was undead with the gift of second life.

“Your Highness, I think that visiting the person directly… is unwise.”

As soon as Joshua stepped out of the portal that Zenarth had created, he heard the advice from his brave Lifeward.

Zenarth’s race was second only to the Chaos Demons in the Demonic Realm, and there was rarely anything that would strike fear in him. Yet, the lord of the Karnas Mountains was someone whom Zenarth feared, an existence that he needed to pay respect to.

“I have met the duke a few times. He is an easygoing person,” Joshua said.

“Easygoing…”

Zenarth used to obey every single one of Joshua’s orders in the past, but this time, Zenarth could not bring himself to believe Joshua’s “easygoing” evaluation of the duke.

The Demonic Realm was divided between one King, four dukes, and seven lords. The king in reference was the Lord of the Demonic Realm, Nordlein, who was Joshua’s father. He was the existence at the pinnacle of the Demonic Realm, the absolute ruler. Beneath Nordlein were four dukes who governed the four realms of the Demonic Realm.

The person Joshua was about to visit was one of the four dukes who was known as the Duke of Bones… Zenarth had only heard a little of the duke’s past.

The four dukes of the Demonic Realm were synonymous with peril, and aside from Nordlein himself, they could simply kill anyone who entered their domain on a whim.

“Judging someone based on rumors and appearances… Isn’t that the same as those despicable humans?”

Joshua’s retort had Zenarth at a loss for words.

He then remembered the little girl he had met in the prison before. After their encounter, Zenarth hid in the shadows and turned the flames of his body into a will-o’-wisp-like beacon to lead the little girl into the portal.

Before she entered the portal, the little girl smiled and waved at the beacon. That somehow tugged at Zenarth’s heartstrings. He could not understand what kind of feeling it was, but it was… unforgettable. That scene was something that he found harder to forget than the last foe he burned into cinders.

5

Seeing Zenarth’s silence, Joshua did not continue to make it difficult for his faithful subordinate.

Joshua then looked at Ciri who had followed him.

The crystal on Ciri’s neck caused an inordinate amount of fear to her. To avoid getting separated during teleportation and having her head blown clean off her body, she held Joshua’s hand as they entered the portal.

“I feel like wolves and bears are staring at me in this forest.”

Ciri stepped on the thick layer of snow on the ground as she released Joshua’s hand. She pulled out her staff while she looked at the surrounding dark forest.

The moment she stepped into the snow-covered forest, Ciri felt a very familiar feeling… the feeling of being stared at by someone or something with malicious intent.

“There aren’t any harmless creatures like wolves or bears here. The one staring at you is probably a Lifestealer or a Mindflayer. If you are unlucky, you might run into a Death Knight.”

2

Joshua ran through the prince’s memories, and the area was basically the heart of the Duke of Bones’ domain. The undead beings there would definitely not be weak undead fodder like skeleton warriors.

The moment an ordinary person entered the place, the surrounding undead would swarm to the location within mere seconds and consume their victim until nothing was left, not even their souls.