Chapter 21

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the trees as the sky bled into deep oranges and purples. It was six o'clock, and while none of them had trouble seeing in the dark, fighting demons at night wasn't exactly ideal.

"Goddess, I thought it'd be easy to find this thing!" Lennix groaned, letting out an exasperated sigh as his shoulders slumped.

Derek, walking a few steps ahead, held up a finger. "Well, I never said the portal would be easy to find," he pointed out. "Some are, sure—out in the open, practically begging to be closed. But others?" He shook his head. "Some are tucked away in the most inconvenient places imaginable. And since a named and horned demon came through this one, you can bet it's the latter. They're smarter than their unnamed counterparts, as you both saw firsthand."

The black knight tilted his head slightly. "You seem to know a lot about demons and portals."

Derek shrugged. "My mother taught me a lot about them."

Lennix perked up at that. "Oh? Who's your mother? Some ex-Demon Hunter?"

Derek scratched the back of his head, thinking. *Damn, these two ask a lot of questions. I'll say yes, but I need to mix in some extra truth to keep it convincing.* Crossing his arms, he answered, "I think she was, though she's not really around much. I don't know a whole lot about her."

Lennix and the black knight nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, makes sense," the black knight said. "Most of us don't get to see our families much—if we even have them at all, with how dangerous this job is."

At that, Lennix turned to the black knight. "What about you? You got a family?"

The black knight glanced at him, then shrugged. "Nope. Tried to start one. Didn't work out with her, though."

Derek let out a short chuckle. "Yeah, makes sense."

The black knight turned his head toward him. "What do you mean, makes sense?"

Lennix clapped a hand on his armored shoulder with mock sympathy. "Man, I say this in the nicest way possible, but you just don't seem like a ladies' man."

The black knight sighed. "I mean… true, but ouch."

Derek turned to face them, motioning toward the path back. "Alright, fun's over. We should probably head back to the village and pick up the search tomorrow. Last thing we need is getting jumped by demons at night—some of them are real sneaky."

"You won't hear any complaints from me. I'm fine with not fighting for the day," Lennix said, stretching his arms above his head before letting them drop with a sigh of relief.

The black knight turned to him, raising a brow beneath his helmet. "What's this? Lennix Star finally getting some character development?"

Lennix let out a dry chuckle. "Real funny, mate," he said as he reached back to rub his lower spine. "But after having my spine snapped in half, I'm not exactly eager to jump into another fight."

The black knight gave a slow nod. "I feel you." He placed a hand over his chest plate. "I almost got penetrated today too. Though... wouldn't have been the first time."

Derek barely held back a snort. "You had to have worded it like that on purpose."

The black knight chuckled. "Of course. Ha ha, funny joke. But in all seriousness, I have been stabbed before. It sucked, so I'd really rather not go through that again." With that, he turned and started walking back toward the village.

Lennix blinked, then quickly followed after him. "Wait—you actually got stabbed? Like, fully stabbed?"

"Yeah," the black knight said, his voice casual. "But the monster missed my organs, so it wasn't fatal."

Derek trailed behind them, his gaze flicking toward the trees as they walked. *I don't think they suspect anything. Good.* A smirk tugged at his lips.

Of course he knew where the portal was. How could he not? He was The Reluctant Deity—the most magically inclined of all 'The Strongest.' Finding a portal pulsating with demonic energy was a trivial task for him. He could have closed it the moment they arrived.

But he hadn't.

Instead, he had deliberately led Lennix and the black knight in circles, keeping them away from it. Because if he closed the portal, he had no reason to stay with the group. He was supposed to be a wanderer—his backstory wouldn't hold up if he lingered without purpose.

So, to spend more time with them, to indulge himself in the way only he could, he left the portal open.

He knew it could lead to more deaths.

But honestly?

He didn't care.

It's a good way to get back at her.