Half-step Purgatory

For a long time, Malin always felt that Fate had been quite generous to him. Although he had to face that life-threatening job every day, as long as he had the lovely Leopard Girl cooking delicious food for him daily, and as long as there was meat to eat and cats to stroke, life wasn't too unbearable. Working a bit harder and facing some difficulties on the job weren't really an issue for a man.
Moreover, being able to live two lives meant one shouldn't have too high demands, right, Mr. Different-Kind?
Having said that, and without waiting for an answer, the young man snapped his fingers, and the white flame on his fingertip lit the tobacco in his other hand, then he flicked it towards the non-human entity on the stake.
Welcome to Abield, to witness the last splendor of the steampunk era.
And the madness.

Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

The return journey was uneventful, and could even be described as lackluster when it came to Malin's mood.


Leaving the battlefield, Old Hoffman did pay quite a bit of attention to Malin. He seemed to think that, no matter how capable Malin was, he was still just a child nearing twelve, and having killed so many Chaos in Parol City, even if it was in the fight for survival, should have left him with not a small amount of psychological trauma.


However, he soon discovered that his darling apprentice was a rising star with seemingly no cares in the world, spending the journey playing demon-hunter cards with the girls, chatting, or joining them to bask in the sun on the roof of the carriage.


The kids were huddled together on a blanket, enjoying the warmth of late autumn. Such a heartwarming scene even made Old Hoffman somewhat envious.


But more so, it was his love for his little apprentice.


One hundred and forty: Aftermath (3)