608 Inside the Door in the Depths of the Dungeon, The Imprint and the Thing Sealed Within (2/2)

”STOP!”

The imprint noticed Mark, but it was already late. He already saw what was inside.

At the center of the chamber, a flaming red orb was suspended in the air. It was a bit larger than a basketball. The demonic aura that they were feeling was all coming from this thing.

Aside from the flaming orb, nine pillars were surrounding it filled with magical runes. It seemed to be the central sealing formation that kept that thing in this place.

At this point, the imprint of Diwata Luwalhati appeared in front of Mark, blocking his way.

”Step back!”

The glare from her eyes was too piercing that it felt quite painful.

Even so, Mark just shrugged as he turned around and nonchalantly walked back to the door. His business here was already done. All he wanted to know was what was the thing being kept here. Now that his curiosity was already filled, it was time for him to leave.

That gesture from him, however, surprised the imprint. After he saw what that thing sealed in the chamber was, his interest vanished all of a sudden. Was there really no other reason for him to come to this place but to fill his curiosity?

But then, Mark stopped in front of Diwata Danaya and Hieromano.

”I'm not welcome here, so I'll go back. I already saw what's in there, and it's enough for me.”

Mark said those words and vanished into a surge of black mist that flew back to the upper floors of the dungeons. He did not even give the two a chance to reply as he left.

It was not like the two had any reason to stop him. This situation, after all, was a problem that they needed to find a solution on their own. It was for the sake of everyone here in the stone fortress.

***

Mark arrived back at the entrance of the dungeon. It was quite a pity that he had no chance to hear the true story about the legend. Although he already had a vague idea, hearing it straight from the source was a different kind of experience.

However, even if he wanted to hear it, Mark doubted that that imprint would speak while he was around. She was extremely prejudiced towards Demons, after all.

Nevertheless, he was sure about one thing. The part of the legend mentioning the Demon being banished was nothing but a lie. It was dead, and what remained of its body was sealed within the depths of the Stone Fortress.

It was that flaming orb.

And without a doubt, it was the reason why the Demons suddenly started attacking this place.

With those thoughts in mind, Mark started to walk away from the entrance. But then, he shrugged his shoulders as he waved his hand with a chopping movement.

SNAP!

The sound of a hand hitting a bone was heard, and a figure that lost balance appeared beside Mark out of nowhere. It all unfolded in the eyes of the guards hidden outside the dungeon. And of course, despite being trained soldiers, they were surprised by this event.

Mark then looked at the slim-bodied man that fell beside him. He had two short horns on his forehead, dark skin, and black hair. It was, without a doubt, a Demon.

”You guys can hear me, right?” Mark suddenly spoke, facing the guards that were supposed to be hidden. ”Imprison this guy and tell your King that some Demons already snuck inside the fortress when he comes out.”

After saying that, Mark bent down on the unconscious Demon and took the pair of daggers strapped on his waist before leaving. The Duendes that appeared to apprehend the Demon looked at Mark's back, both amazed and looking strange.

After all, not only Mark captured an intruder without effort but also stole the Demon's weapons without care.

If the unconscious person was not a Demon and there were no witnesses, it would be hard to pinpoint who was the real criminal here.

***

But then, an uproar within the Stone Fortress started.

Several Demons were found either unconscious or dead within the premises of the fortress. The guards of the fortress were alerted to this fact. They immediately went to capture the unconscious Demons and cleaned up the remains of the dead ones.

Even so, the fortress being infiltrated by this number of Demons alarmed everyone that came to know about it while yapping rumors about the mysterious person that captured them all. No one knew it, after all, aside from the guards that were present outside the dungeon.

***

Morning soon came with the uproar not calming down. Warriors of the races could be seen running here and there searching for any suspicious individuals. Demons were already captured, and everyone knew that they managed to infiltrate the fortress. Without a doubt, they needed to bolster their security.

Mark's group did not care about this, anyway. They were currently busy doing their last-minute preparations before they left.

And of course, Mark was visited by Diwata Danaya and the King. They came to personally thank Mark for apprehending the intruders. They had no idea that the Demons had already snuck into the fortress this early. It seems like they started to prepare countermeasures for this.

Unfortunately, the two did not mention anything about what happened in the depths of the dungeon. It seemed that they were strictly forbidden to say anything about it outside.

Concerning that, Mark did not ask anything either. He only told that his group would be leaving soon, and their daughter would be coming with them.

Of course, Hieromano did not like it. However, there was no point in shackling his daughter either, and could only consent to it with a heavy heart. But of course, they would not let her go without receiving sermons about safety and stuff.

In the end, Felenia had to meet her parents before departing and returned looking tired. It seemed like the usually good wife also had her bad side towards her strict parents.

That morning, the people of the Stone Fortress bid farewell as the Black Dragon flew away with Mark's group on its back.