Chapter 21: An unanswered quest
It's been three weeks since the incident of the Deathmaker in the Vermax Empire. Emperor Argilac wanted his daughter to experience the direct feelings and training when it comes to demon hunting.
He ordered the capture of thousands of demons for her training, creating an arena strictly for the princess's preparation. Princess Lily has been training since then, fighting against demons with her battle suit. This has been her stopping point for a week since the training began.
She has been fighting against demons with her battle suit on, but this time she didn't wear any armor, only wielding her sword as she slaughtered over a hundred demons without hesitation.
The door to the secret arena slowly opened as Captain Rudeus and Lord Rivers made their way in, followed by the second prince of the Vermax Empire, who had been assigned to watch his sister.
They all entered the battle scene to find tens of dead demons littering the battlefield in a bizarre manner. The bodies reeked with demonic auras, carrying an excessive chaotic pressure.
Standing atop a single-marked demon's dead body was the princess.
"Oh? She killed a single-marked demon on her own? It seems my little sister has evolved," the second prince remarked with a smile on his face as Princess Lily slowly turned toward them.
"Lord Rivers? Captain Rudeus and big brother, huh? What are you all doing here at once?" Princess Lily asked with a confused expression, wiping her bloody fists as she approached them.
"Greetings, Princess Lily. I was sent here by His Majesty, the emperor, to check on your progress. I didn't expect you to kill the single-marked demon this early," Lord Rivers said with a smile.
"Come on, Lord Rivers, as a high noble like yourself, you shouldn't underestimate the growth of huntsmen. We are warriors bred to crush demons, so growth is essential," Princess Lily responded.
"I already know that, Princess, but it seems your bright white aura has thickened. I'm glad to see it, but there is something strange about you," Lord Rivers observed calmly.
"Something strange about the princess? What might that be, Lord Rivers?" Captain Rudeus asked with a warm sigh. Though protocol required him to speak carefully with Lord Rivers, Captain Rudeus, as a noble, wasn't treated with discrimination.
"Although she is trying to hide it, the princess has awakened a skill on her own. It seems creating this arena for her truly paid off," Lord Rivers replied as Princess Lily grinned.
"So you noticed, huh, Lord Rivers?" Princess Lily said.
"There are things that cannot go unnoticed by me. I was once a huntsman, after all, but I retired from service. I was a platoon general, partnered with your platoon general, Butcher Hagan," Lord Rivers said. "I retired to serve the emperor personally at his right hand. So, tell me, what is your newly awakened skill, Princess Lily?"
"Well, my skills are called Spatial Awareness and Cleave," Princess Lily answered.
"Oh? You awakened two skills? I'm shocked to hear that. With just a week of continuous demon fighting, you awakened two skills on your own. How impressive," Lord Rivers remarked.
[Spatial Awareness Skill: By honing her senses during battle, Princess Lily awakened the Spatial Awareness skill.]
Abilities: Sixth and Seventh Sense Awakening, Perfect Reflexes, Spatial Detection and Deflection, Aura Detection, Demonic Ki Detection, Magical Detection, and Killing Intent Detection.
[Cleave Skill: Through her mastery of blade technique, Princess Lily created the Perfect Cut, thus awakening the Cleave skill, granting her the ability to slice through obstacles twice her strength and height.]
"What impressive skills you have there, Princess. I'll report this to His Majesty, the emperor, who will be pleased," Lord Rivers said as he turned to leave.
"Congratulations, sister. Your big brother is proud of you," the second prince said with a smile as he followed Lord Rivers out of the arena.
"Princess Lily, you truly surprised me with your growth. Obtaining even one skill is rare, let alone awakening two skills within a week. You're a prodigy, especially with your white core," Captain Rudeus added.
"Captain, you once said you didn't have a skill, right? I believe you're lying," Princess Lily said, making Captain Rudeus widen his eyes in shock. He smiled brightly.
"You think so?" Captain Rudeus asked gently.
"Yes. My Spatial Awareness skill detects things beyond understanding, like skills and magic. You have a skill, but you don't want to use it. I have no reason to ask why," Princess Lily said.
"You're right, Princess. I do have a skill, but I choose not to reveal it. The last time I used it, I lost all my huntsmen during a mission. I don't want to lose anyone again," Captain Rudeus said with a smile as Princess Lily looked at the demons she had slain.
"Captain, any news from the emperor?" Princess Lily asked.
"Yes, your request to investigate the femon fruits has been granted. Emperor Argilac and his council agreed, but it will be a secret mission. We'll go undercover to eliminate those behind the demon fruits' trade," Captain Rudeus replied.
"Really? That's good to hear. It seems my father is growing more reasonable. He would have typically declined such a request," Princess Lily noted as she sheathed her blade.
"I don't think that's entirely true. From what I heard, he was about to reject your request until someone changed his mind," Captain Rudeus added.
"That man? Are you talking about the first prince?" Princess Lily asked.
"Yes. He's a man whose name can't be easily spoken. I believe he swayed your father, the strongest huntsman in the Vermax Empire after Prince Adrian," Captain Rudeus replied.
"My eldest brother... has he returned?" Princess Lily asked.
"Not yet, Princess. If the emperor's first son and Vermax's strongest fighter returns, there will be a grand celebration across the empire," Captain Rudeus said.
"Ha-ha... my eldest brother was called the monster of the Vermax Empire even before my uncle, Prince Adrian, was considered the strongest huntsman," Princess Lily said.
"Indeed... I'll select the new recruits and a few huntsmen for the undercover mission against the organization behind the demon fruits," Captain Rudeus said.
"Very well, Captain. I'll return to what I was doing."
"Activate section C and release the demons," Princess Lily commanded, releasing her aura. Humans awaken their auras at age thirteen, with more power and will as the aura thickens. Princess Lily stared at the demons emerging from section C as she calmly unsheathed her sword.
"I'm here to train my senses and techniques further," Princess Lily declared, charging forward and slaughtering the approaching demons without hesitation.
"You demons are nothing but prey," Princess Lily said.
She beheaded three demons, spreading her aura as she fought without mercy, standing on their corpses.
Captain Rudeus watched, smiling, as he observed her growth. Princess Lily was advancing rapidly, much like her brother, the first prince of the Vermax Empire—the monster of Vermax.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the west is controlled by empires, the north is mostly controlled by high clans: the Baylor Clan, the House Castle, and the Baylor Clan. There are only six known high clans of the north.
Bodies were seen scattered in a bar, all drenched in their own pools of blood!
Inside a closed restaurant filled with dead bodies, a being could be seen drinking two bottles of tequila with his legs on the table. Only the butler was spared, shivering in fear.
"I came here to look for the organization responsible for the creation of the demon fruits, and it seems I made some good progress. Not only did I get the name... I also got a few names to top it off."
"They didn't die a wasted death," the voice of the Deathmaker was heard as he grinned evilly and drank from his bottle of tequila. He is the only assassin sent by the Assassin Guild to investigate this matter.
Lord Benjin Castle has his reasons for releasing such a monster on the hunt!
The Deathmaker drank the full contents of the tequila, then slowly rose from his seat. He looked around and tossed a few silver coins, paying for the wine of the dead bodies he created.
"Thanks for the bottles, and the change is for these dead guys. You can bury them if you want or sell their body parts; they are worthless folks who have devoured the demon fruits already. They have no value."
The Deathmaker said this as he made his way out of the bar. Lord Benjin Castle wanted Rey Castle to be one of the clan's commanding princes, but Rey declined since he only wanted to become an assassin.
He didn't want to be tied down with duty—a man with the free will to do anything he wishes!
The Deathmaker has a kill count of ten thousand. He sighed and vanished from the ground, landing on a rooftop using his Wind Stellar skill—he controls the wind.
"The Dark Mage Association, known as Withsterak... the main head of this organization remains unknown, as he has no history or identity. I believe he is the one in charge of creating the demon fruits."
"But there has been a lot of demon hunting lately. Does this mean they are paying huntsmen and assassins to hunt down demons so they could use their brains to create the demon fruits, huh?" the Deathmaker asked.
He held a demon fruit that he took from one of the men he killed on his way here!
"Father has given me permission to kill all those responsible for these demon fruits. Humans do not need demon fruits to become stronger; devouring these pestilent fruits means giving up on your humanity."
"Although I have no reason to get involved in this matter, my curiosity urges me to do so. Withsterak... I will hunt you all down," the Deathmaker said as he calmly sat down on the rooftop.
You could feel the intensity in the air as he released his pitch-black aura.