Chapter 448 The unfathomable demon king finally returned to his loyal cemetery
Outside Quemu Fort, the sound of hooves on the dirt road in the forest leading to Maitian Village was like thunder, and two fast horses were galloping like lightning.
Following behind Leiden who was carrying a large shield, Gunter was riding a horse and kept an eye on his surroundings. He always felt that a pair of eyes were looking at him, but he didn't know where the gaze came from.
How strange!
Just as he was still thinking in his mind, the road ahead suddenly opened up, and the sound of hurried horse hooves crossed the forest and broke into an open plain.
It was an endless wheat field.
The emerald green branches and leaves are loaded with tender yellow, swaying in the south wind like waves rising and falling. It looks like a vast ocean from a distance.
It is now June.
In two months at most, the farmers here will be busy, and happily busy.
After all, such an astonishing harvest is rare even in the best years of the Kingdom of Rhodes.
Gaunt was so shocked that he was speechless.
Although he doesn't know how to use magic, he still has some knowledge of the principles of magic.
Even with magic that can accelerate plant growth, it is difficult to make the wheat field grow into this appearance. The greater probability is that the sparse wheat field will be turned into a lush grassland, which will reduce the harvest.
Simply put, supernatural powers can respond to people's wishes, but not always as expected.
Especially complex wishes often deviate from people's original intentions and imaginations...
Only gods can fulfill people's wishes perfectly.
Therefore, generally speaking, such phenomena that cannot be explained even by "supernatural powers" will be called "miracles" by people!
It is worth mentioning that although there are also waves of wheat around the Wheat Field Village, the ones here are obviously more lush.
Even in theory, the land in Wheatfield Village near the Benliu River is much more fertile than that around Quemu Fort.
It seems that the intensity of the miracle is also related to the distance from the "Saint".
Gunter's curiosity about the legendary "Saint Kallen" grew stronger...
Just when Gunter was so surprised that he couldn't speak, a hearty voice suddenly blew from the front along with the noisy wind.
"Quemu Castle is just ahead! We're lucky we arrived before dusk!"
That was Raiden's voice.
The knight carrying the "Shield of the Holy Grail" has a proud smile on his face at this moment.
At this moment, Gunter suddenly remembered that when he passed by Greystone Town a long time ago, he had seen this sunny and confident smile on the faces of many locals.
Before the Green Army got there...
The two ran along the dirt road for a while and finally saw the people hiding behind the wheat field.
The towering windmills slowly turn their blades, and the houses lined up like pebbles by the river, simple yet attractive, making people reluctant to take their eyes off them.
Perhaps because he had seen it before in Wheatfield Village, there was not much surprise on Gunter's face. Instead, there was a sense of relief from the bottom of his heart.
That’s great…
If he had to use one sentence to describe his feelings at the moment, this would probably be the most appropriate one.
Noticing the fascination on Gunter's face, Raiden raised the corners of his mouth with an unconcealable smugness.
In the entire Twilight Province, the people of Quemu Territory were probably the first to have a full meal.
While the power of the gods certainly played a role, as Her Highness the Saint said, what truly enabled them to overcome famine was their yearning for a better life and the unity of their hearts...
At least that's what Her Majesty the Saint's oracle said.
Leiden had long discovered that he didn't really care whether Saint Sis had a son or not.
…
The two men galloped through the village in front of the castle and came to the edge of the moat.
Leiden was the first to dismount and handed the exhausted warhorse to the guard beside him.
And just at this moment, the commotion in the castle suddenly caught his attention.
"What happened?"
Gaunt, frowning, handed the reins to the soldier next to him and took the first step forward.
He smelled the scent of chaos.
There was also a nasty smell of rat and a faint hint of blood...
The soldier swallowed and glanced quickly at Reiden beside him. Seeing the latter nod solemnly, he quickly answered.
"Yes, it's the Ratmen... A group of Ratmen assassins broke into our castle and tried to assassinate Her Highness the Saint!"
Leiden felt his heart suddenly stop, and hurriedly grabbed the soldier's shoulders and shouted loudly.
"Rat assassins?! How is this possible? How did they get in here? And what are you doing letting them sneak into the castle?"
The panicked face completely lost its previous composure, as if the sky had fallen.
Apparently, even the shoulders of a Holy Grail Knight can't bear the weight...
Faced with the spit that was flying in his face, the soldier felt ashamed and embarrassed, and wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
"I...my subordinates have performed their duties poorly. Please punish me, sir!"
Gaunt walked up to Redden, placed his broad hand on his shoulder, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Don't make it difficult for him. Even for dwarves who have been dealing with ratmen for years, it's difficult to completely catch these omnipresent little gadgets... Where's Her Highness the Saint? Is she okay?"
The soldier nodded hurriedly and spoke quickly.
"She's fine, she's not injured!"
When he said this, a hint of admiration appeared on the soldier's ashamed face.
Without waiting for Leiden to ask, he spoke with shining eyes like a devout believer.
"Those rat-men assassins picked the wrong opponent! They took advantage of Her Highness the Saint communicating with the Son of God and quietly sneaked up to the tower's corridor. Just as they were about to attack, the armored soldiers on the corridor rushed forward as if alive and chopped them into pieces! The Lord Son of God is in the sky, he has indeed been watching us, watching our Her Highness the Saint!"
An expression of surprise appeared on Gunter's face, while Redden beside him breathed a sigh of relief.
Saint Sis above...
No matter who saved Her Highness the Saint, at least she's okay.
Although he could not imagine how fierce the battle was, just by looking at the movements in the castle and the bodies carried to the courtyard, he knew that it was definitely not an ordinary battle.
Thinking that Princess Karen was just an ordinary person who had not awakened any extraordinary powers, he couldn't help but worry about her.
At this moment, the guard on duty suddenly noticed the greatswordsman standing next to Knight Commander Raiden, and then, as if remembering something, he spoke to him.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you...Gunter Steingrabe?"
Although it was a very complicated surname, he still tried hard to remember it because it was an oracle commanded by Her Highness the Saint.
Gaunt turned his gaze to the soldier holding the halberd in one hand and nodded.
"It's me, what's going on?"
The soldier immediately stood up straight and said.
"Her Highness the Saint has instructed that a swordsman carrying a greatsword will arrive here in the evening with Knight Commander Raiden. If that gentleman's name is Günter Steingrabe, please bring him to me... if the time is convenient."
The surprise on Gunter's face turned into surprise.
He glanced at Leiden beside him, then looked at the soldier and nodded.
"...It's not inconvenient at all. Take me there."
Rather, he came for this very reason.
The soldier handed the halberd to his comrade beside him and said immediately.
"Please follow me!"
…
Following the footsteps of the Salvation Army soldiers, Gaunt passed through the castle courtyard filled with the corpses of ratmen and came to the corridor between the main tower and the secondary tower of the castle.
The blood on the ground has not yet dried.
The saint in a plain white dress was standing next to the blood-stained armor, with her hands clasped in front of her chest, praying silently.
Gaunt did not disturb her, but just stood quietly at the door waiting, and took a look at the girl with a peaceful and beautiful face.
She was two years older than his adopted son, Ullion, and her temperament was much more mature.
That simple holiness made him think of an old friend, from when they were in Greystone Town, Yurien's hometown.
That girl's fate was much more miserable than hers.
Just as Gaunt was lamenting the fickleness of fate and destiny, the girl named Karen loosened her hands that were clasped in front of her chest and raised her drooping brows.
A gentle smile appeared on her face, just like the one in the statue of the Virgin Mary hanging in the church, which made people involuntarily let go of the anger in their hearts and cherish the tranquility and peace in the air.
"You're here."
Gant nodded, looked around, and then spoke with interest.
"You knew I was coming?"
Kallen nodded slightly and spoke in a gentle tone.
"The oracle has told me that you will set out at dawn this morning and arrive at my castle with my knights at sunset... He has commanded me to wait for you here."
When she said this, she paused for a moment and continued in a calm voice.
"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kallen. I come from the northern border of the Kingdom of Rhodes. I am a nun serving the gods... Because I was saved by the gods during my journey, I decided to follow their guidance and came here under their guidance."
Gunter had heard these stories more than once in the past month.
In contrast, he was more interested in the "oracle" she mentioned at the beginning.
"Did He tell me what I was here for?"
Looking at that interested face, Kallen smiled and nodded slightly.
"He said you came to persuade me to send troops, hoping that we could bring order to our compatriots who are suffering."
The interested smile gradually faded, Gaunt's pupils shrank in an instant, and his resolute face gradually revealed an expression of disbelief, as if he had witnessed a miracle with his own eyes.
All the confusion was answered at this moment.
He finally knew where the gazes that had appeared out of nowhere along the way came from!
That didn't come from anyone...
But it comes from Saint Sith himself!
"What else did He say?"
Gaunt took a step forward and asked in an urgent voice, as if he had grabbed a straw floating on the river.
He wished he could rush forward and pull the high and mighty God down to the ground, so that He could open His eyes and look at His suffering people!
Unfortunately, although gods exist, they are not what mortals or extraordinary people imagine.
He was never a specific “person.”
But "everyone" on this land.
For example, right now, His name is of course Saint Sith, but if all those who believe in Him die, He can change to the terrifying name of Urgos and lead all the insatiable souls to play a death game where no one can escape...
Looking into those rock-hard eyes, Kallen repeated the oracle left by Mr. Colin—or rather, Lord Flame King—in a gentle voice.
“He said we must unite to put out this fire that is consuming everyone.”
Gaunt whispered.
"Is this the oracle of the Son of God?"
"That's my decision too."
After a pause, she looked at Gunter sincerely and spoke in a serious tone.
"Please lend me your sword for the suffering people of this land."
There is no need to hesitate at all——
That's why he came here!
Perhaps, today's meeting is also the guidance of fate...
Facing this ordinary yet noble soul, Gaunt knelt silently on one knee and swore the fourth oath in an unprecedentedly serious voice.
"I am willing to use the sword in my hand to cut through all the thorns for you!"
Exactly the same...
Kallen, who had heard these words in the oracle, showed a peaceful and relieved smile on her face.
Her "Lord God" might actually be a god...
…
A distant cemetery.
A deep blue butterfly silently passed through the thick rock wall and landed in the deserted royal court.
It seemed like it took a long time to fly here, and its wings, as thin as a cicada's wing, did not attract the attention of any monster.
Arakdo, who was crawling under the throne, was yawning, and snoring sounds came from his fat body.
At this moment, the familiar breath suddenly made him shiver, and the hairs on his body stood up.
Giant, giant dragon?!
He was crawling on the ground and suddenly jumped up as if he had been electrocuted. He looked carefully with his compound eyes and realized that what he saw was not a giant dragon, but a smelly lizard that had stolen his favor!
Tuff?!
etc--
That is to say!
Looking up, he saw the handsome face on the throne. Arakdo was so excited that he almost cried. The eight legs that had just stood up were instantly broken to the ground.
"Master Demon! You, you're finally home! Arakdo missed you so much!"
Praise the Demon Lord Bayali!
Thank you for bringing the Demon King back to his loyal cemetery. The moon of the Shadow Weaver clan has finally risen, haha!
Hearing the disgusting sound, Tafu couldn't help but shiver and crawled behind Luo Yan's calf.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier that you had such a convenient way to travel? Why bother taking a carriage?"
And that damn airship!
Hearing Tafu's mumbling complaints, Luo Yan, who had just sat down on the granite throne, laughed and spoke slowly.
"A carriage is not for travelling."
"What's that for?"
“To leave my footprints.”
“……?”
Unlike Taf who talked a lot of nonsense, Sarah didn't say anything. She stood respectfully aside and fulfilled her duties as the Demon King's guard.
By the way.
Luo Yan had just discovered that the "Butterfly of All Things" could not only take him away.
Anyone who has a physical connection with him, such as holding his hand, can fly with him to distant places.
Of course, the consumption of magic power would also increase. As his dear student Ilana had studied, supernatural powers also obeyed certain conservation laws.
Looking at the big spider crawling back and forth under the throne, as if it wanted to pounce on him and rub his trouser legs, Luo Yan remembered that he had not seen his beloved mount for more than a year, so he smiled and said.
"Arakdo, sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Wow, wow, wow! Lord Demon King!" Thinking of those difficult days when he couldn't take advantage of the power of others, the loyal Arakdo burst into tears.
Luo Yan laughed heartily, said a few words to comfort the big guy, and promised to take him with him next time he went on a long trip.
certainly--
The premise is to go to hell.
The noise in the audience hall pierced the snot bubble hanging on the tip of Yousi's nose. The little devil hanging upside down on the brass candlestick woke up suddenly and let out a cry of surprise.
"Ohhhh the Demon Lord is back!"
Leaving behind a long tail, she was like an arrow shot from a bow, and dived into the cave outside the audience hall.
Looking at the rude guy, Sarah frowned slightly.
However, thinking that the other party was a little devil with a brain only the size of a fist, and that the Demon King did not care about the free and undisciplined nature of these little guys, his frown relaxed again.
Not long after, the lightning-fast sound was heard again.
What followed was a voice even more corny and sweet than Arakdo's.
"Lord Demon King——!"
Luo Yan could guess it was Xixi without even looking.
In the entire cemetery, she is the only loyal and faithful minister, unlike those opportunists who jump into their cars halfway.
When all the demons were imagining their own unfathomable backgrounds, only the dear Queen Sissi, after seeing her own trump card, still pretended to steady herself on Arakdo's back, and after the battle, she took herself into the grove without anyone noticing to restore her magic power.
He still remembered that it happened not long after he arrived at the maze.
With only the strength of the adamantium level, she unfortunately encountered the "Mad Talker" who was bewitched by the "Strange Mist" Novel. At that time, Sissi was only at the silver level.
Of course, now that I am a diamond, I no longer need emergency help from the Nightmare Land.
And the lovely Sissi, with her loyalty, surpassed the previous queen of the "Land of Nightmares" and became the first platinum-level little devil in this maze!
Generally speaking, little devils in the countryside cannot reach such a high level, and they don’t need such a high level at all.
With her wings spread out, Xixi flew over in circles, like an elf in a mushroom bush. She braked gracefully and landed on Luo Yan's right leg, bringing her knees together like a lady.
Maybe it’s because the little demons in Nightmare Land all live a wealthy life.
The "king of children" in the nightmare land finally had enough money to buy a beautiful new dress, and this time he finally changed into a piece of clothing he had never seen before.
"My Lord Demon King, do you know how much I miss you?" Sissi drew circles lightly with her index finger and turned to look at that handsome face, her wine-red eyes filled with resentment.
Luo Yan smiled and said.
"Haha, it's been a while! By the way, thank you so much for what happened before! Thanks to the food you sent, the corruption of the Great Cemetery has seeped into the Duskwood!"
"It is my honor to be able to help you."
After receiving the praise, Sissi showed an unconcealable joy on her face. Her legs swayed back and forth, and her bright red lips couldn't help but rise slightly.
Although she didn't know where the Duskwood was and had no interest in anything outside the cemetery, being able to help the Demon King was enough to make her extremely happy.
Luo Yan smiled and nodded, then continued.
"I've seen all your contributions, and I will give you the rewards you deserve. By the way, have you been doing well while I've been away?"
"We're doing fine. There haven't been many adventurers lately, and the humans out there seem to be busy with other things. And my people have found more fun pranks than stealing pumpkins."
"Oh? What is it?"
“It’s winemaking.”
Looking at the Demon King who seemed a little puzzled, Sissi chuckled and said, "When they think about the people in the Holy City drinking their footbath water all day long and never getting tired of it, and jumping for joy when stepping on grapes... Haha, they are really a bunch of energetic idiots. But they are having fun, and it saves me a lot of trouble."
Luo Yan also laughed out loud when he heard this, although his laughter was a little awkward.
He didn't remember whether he had drunk it before, so he just pretended that he had never drunk this kind of drink.
Seeing the smile on the face of the Demon King, Sissi also curled the corners of her lips, although the smile soon turned into a resentful expression.
"Anyway, thanks to your wise governance, we are all doing well. It's just that when you're not at home, sometimes I feel a little... lonely?"
"Oh, by the way, I heard that the engagement in the Demon City doesn't exist? So, you haven't actually decided who your Demon King's wife will be... Ah, please don't misunderstand me. I'm only concerned about your majesty. I have no intention of overstepping my bounds. I'm just curious."
The little devil's left brain and right brain seem to be fighting forever.
It was difficult for a normal person to follow their jumping thoughts, and even the Demon King was having a hard time at this moment.
Perhaps sensing the embarrassment in the devil's laughter, the loyal cat stepped forward and rescued the devil with a respectful and uncompromising voice.
"... Your Highness Sissi, please step down from the Demon King's knee. That's not the place for a mere vassal."
That’s right, get rid of this disgusting bat!
Arakdo nodded excitedly, rarely standing on the same side with the stinky cat.
There is no doubt that the Demon King's knees belong to pets!
Finally noticing Sarah standing beside her, Sissi turned her gaze away from the Demon King's face, and a hint of surprise suddenly flashed in her eyes.
"Have you broken through to gold?"
"I guess so... I'm almost at platinum." Sarah said in a flat tone, as if she was talking about a trivial matter, but she added an extra half sentence at the end.
"Oh? You're growing quite fast... Not bad, not bad. It looks like the respected Demon King will soon have another demon general under his wing."
Sissi's beautiful eyes narrowed lazily, but a dangerous aura flickered in her wine-red pupils.
This silly cat...
It seems that it should not be underestimated.
In fact, she never considered Sarah a competitor, because it was obvious that the Demon King just treated this furry guy as a pet and was not worth mentioning.
In terms of nobility, elegance and propriety, although she is not as good as the devil in the Magic City, she is not inferior to a wild cat of unknown origin.
Coincidentally, Sarah never considered her an opponent and spoke calmly.
"I am merely a guard helping the Demon King. Please don't take it too seriously, Queen of Nightmare Land."
Just as their eyes sparked in the air, a slightly sarcastic voice floated from not far away.
"Don't you have anything else to do besides causing trouble to our respected Majesty?"
It was Thanos who appeared behind the stone pillar.
That gloomy face showed half disgust for the little devil and half fear of the devil.
If Sissi is the most loyal minister of the Great Necropolis, then this guy is the number one traitor.
The respected Demon King still holds the upper hand over him.
And it's not just a handle.
Compared to the last time I saw him, the Demon King seems to have become even stronger.
If Thanos's speculation was correct, the Demon King who defeated Elder Zakro with one move must have been at least a Grandmaster, or even a Demigod!
What is above Demigod?!
Thanos simply couldn't imagine how awesome the respected Demon King must be...
In addition to the Shadow Demon General, the clones of "Blood Blade Demon General" Grak, "Thor Demon General" Blanxia, and "Cold Iron Demon General" Valgur also came to this audience hall one after another.
Including Tyrael Moonblade, the leader of the Grey Wind Tribe, Immovable of the Earth and Stone Soul, Zhuangzhuang, the Mole Man of the Iron Fang Tribe, and so on.
The originally spacious hall suddenly became crowded.
Seeing that their "world of two" was broken, Sissi felt too embarrassed to stay on His Majesty's knees. She quickly returned to the bottom of the stairs and stood respectfully with her hands hanging down like the other demon generals.
Blancia glanced at her jealously, secretly cursing her as a shameless little bat, but she didn't show jealousy on her face. Instead, she cast an admiring gaze towards the throne.
"Your Majesty, it's been a long time since we last met... Your strength has improved again! Please allow me, on behalf of the demons and devils of Despair City, to extend my highest congratulations and respect to you—"
"I appreciate your kindness, Ms. Blancia. As for the polite words, let's leave them for later. I have more important things to do right now."
Luo Yan nodded majestically, returned to the role of the devil, and restrained his joking expression.
Everyone looked stern.
Including Sissi, who had been chatting and laughing with him before, now put on serious expressions, waiting for his orders.
Their intuition told them that His Majesty's return this time was not just to see his vassals, but he had an important task to assign to them.
Not just a mission—
There are still opportunities!
Unlike the previous Demon King Reggie Dragun, the Demon King in front of them would never treat his younger brothers badly.
It is precisely because they know this that those stern eyes are shining with anticipation.
In order to live up to their expectations, Luo Yan continued speaking in a majestic voice.
"The threat of Chaos is looming on the ground beneath our feet."
"It's not just the Duchy of Campbell, or even the Kingdom of Ryan or the empire behind them that will be dragged into this. It will also include us and the hell behind us."
"This is not alarmist."
"In the past year, I have traveled across most of the empire's territory and witnessed with my own eyes that this behemoth is dying bit by bit. Our hell is not at peace either."
"To prevent ourselves from being swept up in the aftermath of this chaos, and for the eternal prosperity of our homeland, we cannot limit ourselves to the maze beneath our feet, but must also take precautions for our future."
"And I came back this time to do just that."
Looking at his subordinates who were looking up at him, Luo Yan announced in a clear and affirmative voice.
"I will grant you the seeds to embrace greater power and unleash the potential within your soul."
"certainly--"
"Whether this seed can eventually germinate, and how far it will grow after germination, depends on your own loyalty and determination!"
(End of this chapter)
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