Chapter 154: Nature Of Demons

A few hours after dawn, Elias walked through the streets of Kilmir with his face and hair hidden beneath a dark blue gugel.

The city felt almost lifeless.

The gates remained closed, and the presence of an unknown killer still hiding somewhere within Kilmir had made the people increasingly fearful. Even those who had business outside seemed reluctant to leave their homes, while the streets that were normally filled with merchants and travelers were unusually quiet.

The atmosphere had grown even heavier because the possibility of the rift becoming a hidden dungeon was increasing with every passing moment.

As far as Elias and the public knew, Kilmir did not have a single Lord-ranked awakened who could deal with the rift guardian if the transformation occurred.

Perhaps Berlic was already trying to invite a Lord to deal with the problem, but Elias had no way of knowing whether that was actually happening.

The Kilmir Relief Order had practically become a thing of the past as well, since even they were incapable of doing anything about the rift. The Exalted knights stationed at the camp were still said to belong to that order, but their presence alone was hardly enough to make the citizens feel reassured.

He continued walking until the grand building of the Sun Church finally appeared before him.

As he approached the entrance, the small bell rang as usual, and the guards immediately allowed him inside.

Unlike his previous visits, Elias did not need Deacon Bram to escort him toward Priest Mekah’s room. He already knew the way, and Benjamin had informed him that the old priest had returned to the church after examining the rift.

When Elias had asked how Benjamin knew that, the answer had surprised him.

His butler had apparently employed several citizens throughout Kilmir as spies, and they were the ones providing him with information about the city’s movements.

The Sword Spirit had also refused to accompany Elias because she did not want to risk being seen by anyone else.

Eventually, Elias reached Mekah’s room and raised his hand to knock.

"Come in," the old priest’s voice came from inside.

Elias pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

"May the Sun shine on us," Mekah greeted him with a smile while performing the church’s traditional gesture.

"Your Greatness," Elias replied with a smile of his own before taking the nearest chair.

The old priest narrowed his eyes slightly, and an amused expression appeared across his weathered face.

"Oh?" he let out a surprised noise. "You seem much more confident than before, Sire Elias."

Elias’s smile widened faintly.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Greatness," he replied.

Mekah rubbed his pale beard thoughtfully before asking, "Why have you come here so early in the morning, Sire Elias?"

The smile disappeared from Elias’s face.

"I want to ask you something..." he said, pausing briefly before adding, "something important."

A trace of confusion appeared in the old priest’s eyes, but he soon smiled and gestured for Elias to continue.

"Go ahead. Ask me anything."

Elias hesitated.

He had been wondering whether he should really speak about the matter, especially since he still did not understand what was happening himself. However, after several seconds of thought, he finally exhaled and asked,

"Do you know about demons?"

The instant those words left his mouth, Mekah’s expression changed.

The kindness disappeared from his face, and his eyes became dark and serious.

"Where did you hear that word?" he mumbled.

Elias blinked.

The reaction alone told him more than enough.

’So he knows...’

Mekah stared at him for several moments before asking in a low voice, "Are you one of them?"

Elias’s brows furrowed.

"One of them?" he muttered. "What are you talking about?"

The old priest continued studying him, but after a moment, his expression softened slightly.

"It seems like you are not," Mekah said.

Elias was left speechless.

The priest’s reaction had been far more serious than he had expected, and now he found himself even more curious about demons.

"I wonder where you heard that word, then," Mekah said quietly.

Elias’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"I cannot tell you that," he answered.

Mekah nodded without pressing him.

"I understand..." he said.

Silence settled over the room.

Elias remained seated while Mekah lowered his gaze, seemingly gathering his thoughts. Neither man spoke for a long while, and the quiet atmosphere made the tension between them even more noticeable.

Eventually, Mekah raised his eyes again.

"Demons are beings of the Spirit Realm," he began slowly, "but they are inherently different from other spirit beings."

Elias listened carefully.

"While a spirit being’s behavior depends on the idea it was born from..." Mekah continued, his expression becoming increasingly grim, "demons are destructive, evil, and psychopathic."

He paused, and his eyes hardened.

"All of them."

The old priest’s voice dropped into a solemn whisper.

"Every single one."

Elias’s expression tightened, and he mumbled, "Is that everything you know?"

The priest chuckled and said, "Only Exalted spiritualists are allowed to have the knowledge about demons... and you, Sire Elias, are neither an Exalted nor a spiritualist."

"I must know about them," Elias said somberly.

The priest leaned back in his chair and rubbed his beard before he said, "If you have a spiritual object, then I can tell you everything, but do you?"

Elias blinked at the priest and then imitated taking something out of his pouch while in reality he had taken Third Sage’s Amulet out from the inventory.

He placed the amulet on the table and asked, "Would this work, Your Greatness?"

The priest narrowed his eyes and leaned forward before he picked up the amulet and began to examine it. After some time, a surprised look appeared on his face, and he said to Elias with a small smile on his face, "This will be enough... please wear it and channel your mana into it."

Elias nodded and took the amulet from Mekah.

Then he placed it around his neck and channeled his mana into it.