Chapter 65

The cityscape stretched below as Gale and Ganth leaped from rooftop to rooftop, their figures melding with the night. They were a silent force, nearly invisible in the shadows, their sharp eyes scanning every corner of the bustling urban expanse.

"Hmm... interesting," Ganth mumbled, squinting at something in the distance.

Gale followed his gaze but found nothing unusual. "What is it?"

Ganth smirked, his tone teasing. "Oh, nothing for you to worry about."

Suspicious, Gale pulled a magic-inscribed paper from his pouch and slapped it onto his back. The paper glowed faintly, activating a spell that granted him X-ray vision. He scanned the area again, determined to find whatever had caught Ganth's attention.

Then he saw it.

His face flushed crimson as he quickly closed his eyes. In one of the apartments, a woman was bathing.

Ganth burst into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over as Gale shot him a deadly glare.

"You pervert!" Gale shouted, slapping Ganth upside the head.

Still chuckling, Ganth raised his hands in mock surrender. "It's not my fault you looked!"

---

The tension eased as they reached a new vantage point atop a towering building. Both men crouched low, their eyes darting in every direction.

After a moment, Gale's expression darkened. "I sense demonic energy... from that building." He pointed toward a brightly lit shopping mall nearby.

"A mall? Seriously?" Ganth asked incredulously.

"It's coming from the basement, most likely," Gale muttered, already heading toward the building.

They landed silently behind the mall and slipped through the back entrance. Gale tossed a small black device to Ganth, and both pressed a button on their gadgets, activating a spell that rendered them invisible.

---

The staircase to the basement was long and dark, descending into a void that seemed to stretch endlessly. Gale and Ganth deactivated their invisibility as they neared the bottom, opting for stealth over magic to avoid detection.

As they reached the basement, the faint hum of a melody greeted them. A young woman in a cleaning uniform was mopping the floor, her soft humming echoing eerily in the enclosed space.

At first glance, everything seemed normal. But then they noticed the two bodies lying lifeless beside her.

"Where's the demon?" Ganth whispered, his voice tense.

"She is the demon," Gale replied grimly.

"Possessed?"

"No," Gale said, his eyes narrowing. "That's her real body."

They moved closer, positioning themselves within striking range.

"Freeze!" Ganth shouted, raising his hand, a swirling orb of magic forming in his palm.

The woman didn't even flinch. She continued humming, her mop gliding across the floor in smooth, deliberate motions.

"Stop, you demon!" Gale barked, his voice sharp.

The word demon seemed to catch her attention. She paused mid-motion, tilting her head slightly. "Demon? I thought I was mimicking a human perfectly. Well, not that it matters. I'll be leaving once I finish cleaning this."

Gale's eyes flicked downward, and his breath caught. The woman wasn't just cleaning the floor—she was meticulously scrubbing away a massive demonic summoning circle etched into the stone.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Why is a demon cleaning a summoning circle... meant for demons?"

Without looking up, the woman replied, "We have our reasons. For now, it's to protect you humans. Unlike me, the demons that would emerge from this circle would kill you on sight."

Ganth's jaw tightened. "And why should we believe you're any different?"

She chuckled softly. "Believe what you like. I wouldn't mind even if you called me garbage."

Her indifferent tone grated on Gale. "Don't you think it's arrogant to disregard how we feel?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

The woman paused, her grip tightening on the mop. "It's not about arrogance," she said quietly. "It's about perspective. I've been through a stage in my life where I was garbage—trampled over, discarded, forgotten. It was a trivial existence." Her voice softened as a faint smile tugged at her lips. "But my liege gave my life meaning. Her embrace pulled me from the depths and showed me what it means to truly live. That's why..." She resumed mopping, her movements deliberate. "I do what I can to honor her teachings. She taught me that life—any life—deserves protection."

Her words hung in the air, leaving Ganth momentarily stunned.

But Gale was unmoved. Fury simmered in his eyes as he charged his magic. "No. Demons are human-eating monsters. They don't understand what life is."

The woman glanced up, her expression calm but tinged with pity. "What are you talking about? It's been centuries since we last consumed flesh. All thanks to my liege's kindness."

Gale's magic flared brighter, his anger boiling over. "You're lying."

"I have no reason to lie," she replied, her tone unwavering. "But if you must fight me, then so be it. I'll defend myself—but not at the cost of abandoning my duty."

She raised her mop like a staff, her presence suddenly shifting. Despite the simplicity of her stance, a powerful aura radiated from her, sharp and unyielding.

Gale tightened his grip.