CHAPTER 115

The entire army was moving busily in response to the order to block all the routes leading to the "Night's Quarter."

Squad 4 leader, Templ, belatedly realized that there was an unfamiliar face among the fighters following him and tilted his head in curiosity.

"I've never seen that face before."

At first glance, the person might appear to be an ordinary human. However, the sturdy build, snow-white skin, and the tangled, mane-like curly hair were all unmistakable traits of the Sand Lion Tribe.

The Sand Lion Tribe had a relatively small population, so even if Templ didn't know this individual's name, he would usually have some level of familiarity with most of them.

Sensing Templ's suspicion, the beastman straightened his back and shouted loudly.

"I-I'm Ric-el! I was just ordered to come this way... Did I perhaps make a mistake?"

"Are you a new recruit?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Hmm? I didn't receive any orders about a new recruit… Well, everyone's so busy, I guess it's just sloppy work all around."

Though his manner of speaking and posture were unusually stiff and clumsy for a fighter, Templ brushed it off, assuming it was simply the nerves of a new recruit who had just completed military training and been thrown straight into action.

'Wasn't I just like that around this time too?'

That thought made Templ feel a little sympathetic.

The new recruit was probably still confused about how the unit operated and unfamiliar with the rules of being a fighter. And with everyone so busy, no one had time to help him adjust.

Templ wanted to assist, but he worried that stepping in might stir unwanted gossip, so he felt a bit guilty for not doing more.

"Well, keep up the good work. Everything probably feels difficult and unfamiliar right now, but you'll get the hang of it soon."

"Th-thank you, sir!"

After patting the young Sand Lion recruit named Ric-el a couple of times on the shoulder, Templ led his troops to the designated location.

The young recruit silently watched Templ's retreating figure. Templ could feel the recruit's gaze on him, but he interpreted it as admiration for a superior looking out for him and smiled lightly.

But...

『...To think they'd fall for such a pathetic performance. Is this really okay for the beastmen tribe?』

[They probably never imagined someone would infiltrate this far.]

The demon king and god circling around the young recruit stared at Templ, all sharing a look of disbelief.

Just like Sean and the others always pointed out, Elric was terrible at acting. This time was no different.

Anyone could tell his mannerisms were suspicious, yet Templ didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

The God of Camellias chuckled dryly and added a few words.

[Besides, the Sand Lion Tribe is one of the most distinctive tribes in Fury. His scent is exactly like that of the Sand Lions, so there's no way they'd think he was human.]

Beastmen typically relied on their other senses, like their nose and ears, rather than their eyes when judging others.

Since Elric had managed to imitate even a basic form of polymorph, perfectly mimicking the scent of the Sand Lion Tribe, none of the beastmen, including Templ, considered Elric to be human.

They just assumed he was another fighter from a different unit, mixed in with the group as they hurried to their posts.

[This is all thanks to my masterful planning, wouldn't you say? Mephi, if you're just going to keep nitpicking uselessly, why don't you go and sulk in a corner?]

Thanks to this, Elric blended in effortlessly among the beastmen and steadily began to approach the Night's Quarter.

With his mind's eye fully open.

***

The closer Elric got to the Night's Quarter, the more he could see dozens of threads swirling together and dispersing again like tangled yarn, following the thick storm clouds in the sky.

This meant that a large-scale magic event or phenomenon was occurring in the area.

Elric believed this to be a marker pointing to the location of General Winter.

Crunch! Crunch!

With each step, his feet sank deep into the snow-covered plains created by the blizzard. However, by using magic properly, it didn't drain too much of his stamina.

'Still…'

As Elric moved, a thought crossed his mind, and he glanced at the back of his hand.

'This Seal hasn't reacted at all since then, hmm!'

The Seal of Original Sin, which stretched from his wrist to his forearm in the shape of a wolf, had shown no change since the time he devoured the demon from Prime Minister Norus.

Despite acquiring the Seal of Winter Wind and absorbing a significant amount of demonic energy, the Seal of Original Sin had remained completely unresponsive.

'I guess the only way to trigger something is to approach a demonic beast again.'

But if it was already this difficult in the First Spring, how on earth was he supposed to approach areas like the Second Spring, where even more fearsome creatures roamed?

'If there was even the slightest reaction, I might be able to glean some kind of hint from it.'

Elric could never forget the sensation he experienced when he first "connected" with the Seal of Original Sin.

A feeling of elation, as if his soul had been lifted out of his body.

Especially when he had grasped at what seemed like empty air, only to feel an abundance of threads naturally gathering at his fingertips, making him wonder if he'd somehow tapped into a mana stream.

Had he not panicked at that moment and tried something different, he might have unleashed power close to omnipotence.

Such was the sheer magnitude of the power the Seal of Original Sin held.

This was why Elric coveted it so much.

He felt that if he could fully grasp its power, he could reach the level he desired even faster.

『Hm? What is it?』

The issue was that the person who held such immense power often came across as rather clueless.

[Sigh! It's nothing.]

『...Feels like you were thinking something unpleasant.』

Mephisto frowned deeply, feeling irritated by Elric's expression, but since he couldn't read Elric's mind, all he could do was make a rough guess.

'He's really supposed to be a Demon King, right?'

Given how far Mephisto's behavior had been from anything charismatic, it wasn't unreasonable for Elric to entertain such doubts, even if only briefly.

『Annoying. You Melvingers, from the past to the present, have never had a single redeeming quality...』

While Mephisto grumbled on, Elric half-ignored his complaints.

[It seems we've arrived nearby.]

The God of Camellias squinted and gazed up at the sky as if sensing something.

The sky, already difficult to see due to the fierce blizzard and the thick forest, was slowly turning pitch black.

Elric recognized this phenomenon from the Night's Quarter, a region he had seen before in the territory of General Winter.

Moreover, the magical threads were visibly tangled and extending in that direction. The blizzard and the cold waves were also originating from there.

'That's the place.'

Right then, Templ was giving orders to his subordinates.

"From now on, we'll defend this area. Not even a rat should be able to slip through! But entry into this space is strictly forbidden!"

It seemed they were trying to prevent intruders from reaching General Winter.

At the moment when the fighters were preoccupied with forming ranks and their attention drifted away from Elric, he swiftly activated Soul Speech Magic.

"[Possess]. And [Become Stealthy]."

Whoosh!

The cold wind, which blew at just the right moment, acted like a curtain, concealing his form.

At the same time, his presence was completely erased, allowing him to begin moving without detection.

"[Rise up]."

In order to avoid leaving any footprints, Elric spread his mana field widely over the snowy plains and swiftly ran across it.

Each step required him to pull at the magical threads and entangle them, manifesting a mana field with every movement. This task demanded immense concentration and effort.

Yet, Elric showed no signs of struggling with it.

[As expected of a Melvinger, his talent is insane.]

The God of Camellias, well aware of how taxing and mentally draining such a task was, had an exasperated expression.

After quickly moving through the snow, Elric arrived at his destination.

Whoosh!

A fierce blizzard raged, and the cold wind was so frigid that merely standing there felt like it could tear the flesh from his bones. And there—

Clang! Clang!

In the middle of the snowy plain, General Winter was tightly bound in a metal restraint.

'What in the world?'

Chains extended from the restraint, trailing down to the ground, anchoring the General Winter. 

No matter how hard General Winter struggled to break free, the chains didn't loosen. Instead, they clanged loudly against each other, making an even more raucous noise with every attempt.

How long had General Winter been trapped there?

Judging by how worn the chains appeared, it seemed like he had been bound for an incredibly long time.

The sight left Elric deeply shocked.

Screeech!

At that moment, General Winter noticed Elric and let out a grotesque howl.

Even when clashing fiercely with Tiger King Yul in the territory of General Winter, General Winter hadn't let out a single cry like this.

Now, all that seemed to remain of her was pure malice.

[Surprised, aren't you? Well, it's only natural. For anyone unfamiliar, this sight would be shocking.]

Unlike Elric, the God of Camellias gazed at General Winter as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

A cold sneer lingered on the God of Camellias' lips.

It was a sign of her anger toward something that had once been part of her, but had now split off, becoming a being that brought only disaster and misfortune, stealing away precious things.

『Hahaha! To think they would bind the curse left by the Demon God so tightly like that. It's impressive in its own way!』

Mephisto burst out laughing, curling one corner of his mouth as he glanced at the God of Camellias.

『So, this is the reason why you suddenly fell into slumber 40 years ago, huh?』

[That's right.]

『I thought as much. These chains, they smell far too much like flowers. You crafted them from divine power, didn't you?』

Through Mephisto and the God of Camellias' conversation, Elric pieced together why General Winter had ended up like this.

"When my grandfather came here 40 years ago... he must have done this."

[That's right.]

The God of Camellias nodded calmly.

[At that time, General Winter was raging again, so Usdun bound her like this. However, because General Winter was so large, we couldn't destroy her and had to settle for this temporary seal….]

She looked up and down at General Winter, who was still struggling frantically before them.

[It seems the seal worked better than expected. Or perhaps someone else has reinforced it.]

From the mention of "reinforced," Elric realized that Blood Wolf King had likely intervened.

He could sense the Blessing of the Tail in the chains, something he had noticed during the attacks on the cities of Fury.

'It seems like he kept General Winter bound here for his own purposes… Well, that just makes my task easier.'

Elric felt a sense of relief.

With General Winter already bound, it would be much easier to imprison him within the Ice Crystal.

After all, his biggest concern had been how to capture a being that not even Tiger King Yul had been able to defeat in his prime.

Even though his grandfather had weakened General Winter during their encounter 40 years ago, Elric had still been unsure how to deal with a disaster-level opponent.

But now, thanks to the opportunity Blood Wolf King had created, he was simply grateful.

If Blood Wolf King knew about this, he'd be furious.

Elric swiftly pulled out the Ice Crystal from his pocket.

Screeech! Screeech!

At first, General Winter furrowed her brow in confusion, unsure of what Elric was holding. But then, realizing its ominous nature, she let out an even louder, more frantic scream.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The cold wind emanating from General Winter grew even more intense.

"[Absorb]…!"

Just as Elric was about to spread his mana field and activate Soul Speech Magic, it happened.

Boom!

"Tch! Of course. It was too easy…!"

Elric clicked his tongue and quickly retreated as the space around General Winter began to crack, and a massive magic circle appeared.

It was a summoning circle. Someone was trying to appear, clearly with the intent to protect General Winter.

Moreover, the Magical Amulet hanging around Elric's neck started vibrating violently, as if it had sensed something.

Elric didn't miss the ominous energy, the demonic aura, swirling from the summoning circle.

And this wasn't just any demon. It was clear from the intensity that it was a high-ranking demon!

However, that wasn't what surprised Elric.

While most people would panic at the mere idea of a demon appearing, Elric was focused on something entirely different.

The demonic energy's temperament.

It was familiar.

『Could it be?』

Mephisto noticed it too, his eyes widening in shock.

Elric, on the other hand, chuckled and glanced at Mephisto.

"Looks like we've caught a big fish we weren't expecting, huh, Mephi?"

『Those bastards have extended their reach even to a place like this…!』

"You needed that, didn't you? It's not just a totem, but an actual demon. And from the looks of it, it's top-tier. How about I serve it up for you on a silver platter? Deal?"

As Mephisto's face twisted in frustration, the summoning circle shattered into pieces, revealing the demon.

Zzzzzt!

Amidst the swirling demonic energy, a thick aura of madness was palpable.

It was none other than Azazel of Insanire, a demon from the ranks of Gregory. 

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