Chapter 350: Demon King Rumors: Karol, Beatrice, and Iris (P1)

"So, this is really Geizan?" Beatrice asked, stopping in her tracks to observe the vast landscape opening up before them.

"That’s right, Lady Beatrice. We’ve crossed the border," Iris replied calmly, adjusting the strap of her mercenary gear over her shoulder.

"You can just call me Beatrice when we’re alone, but from this moment on, we’re supposed to be passing as a simple group of adventurers," the young infernal corrected her.

"But I can’t call you Beatrice out there either," Karol chimed in, leaning on her wooden staff with a pragmatic smile.

"We’ve evaded the human patrols so far using alternate routes, but you still have to hide your real name, even with that new fake appearance of pink hair and hazel eyes that the relic gives you. And since I honestly don’t remember what fake name you used back in Kallistia, I’ll just call you Clare."

"Clare?" Beatrice blinked, testing the sound of her new temporary identity. She tucked a strand of her now-pink hair behind her ear, still feeling strange without her characteristic dark tones.

"Yep. No elf guard is going to complain about seeing your hazel eyes, so they’ll let you right through the main gate without any trouble. Isn’t that right, Iris?" the mage asked, looking for confirmation from their local guide.

"Huh? Yes, you might be right. Besides, it sounds like a fairly common name and easy enough to remember so we don’t make any mistakes under pressure," the mercenary nodded.

"Alright, call me whatever you want," Beatrice sighed, giving in to her infiltration companions’ logic. "So, you’ll be..."

"I’ll use the name Beth," Karol replied immediately, tapping the dirt gently with her staff. "It’s for the best if we use very different names from the ones we used while operating in the city of Kallistia, just in case."

"Alright..." Beatrice looked toward the horizon, where elven structures were beginning to take shape in the distance. "A few months ago, I would have thought it completely impossible that I, a demon, would be walking freely through the sacred territory of the elves."

"And I never in my life thought I’d end up teaming up with a human mage and a demon from Kowarre. Let alone turn out to be a half-spirit myself," Iris added with a small nostalgic smile, taking in just how much her world had changed since she tried to assassinate the king of that castle.

"Hahaha. Alright, enough sentimentality, Iris, Clare. We have a very important job to do for our king, so let’s head to that city," Karol said, taking charge and stepping to the front of the small team.

But before advancing any further down the dirt path, the young mage stopped and reached into her robes. She pulled out a spherical relic that, at first glance, worked like a typical magical inventory, but this specific version had a very different feature.

"Alright, get in, get in already," Karol ordered, channeling a bit of her mana into the artifact.

A small, dark, but stable spatial rift opened in the air in front of them. The two imposing giant wolves they had swiftly ridden all the way to the nation of Geizan obeyed the order without hesitation, walking calmly until they disappeared inside the dimensional tear.

"You really managed to fit living beings of that size in there," Iris commented in a tone of deep amazement, watching the rift close cleanly.

"It’s astonishing. The blacksmiths and artisans you have working in the nation of Kowarre seem to be truly exceptional people."

While minor relics that stored inanimate objects and weapons were fairly common among wealthy adventurers in the human nations, it was not at all common for them to store such a large amount of mass. The space inside those standard artifacts was usually very limited, in addition to being a dark, oxygen-less void that was completely uninhabitable for any living creature.

But Runa and Mika had devised a new, complex version of those dimensional relics. Their invention not only allowed them to store far more items, but it also featured the airflow and necessary comforts so that magical monsters, like Ryan’s giant wolves, could comfortably survive and rest inside for a couple of days without suffering any harm.

"And what is the name of this city we’re heading to?" Beatrice asked in a curious tone, focusing her gaze on the tall walls of white stone and wood rising in the distance.

"The place you can see in the distance is called Del Lagos," Iris replied, taking on her role as guide. "It’s one of the most important border cities in the nation of Geizan, and strategically, it’s the best place for us to infiltrate. A massive number of adventurers and merchants pass through its gates every day, so it’ll be easy to lose ourselves in the crowd."

"I see. I came to Geizan many years ago, but the place I visited back then was called Armana Manor. Though I was just accompanying my former master, and I never really knew the purpose of that trip," Karol recalled in a distant tone.

"Armana Manor is a very exclusive place located in the city of Aevraury. I’ve been there a couple of times myself," Iris commented as they resumed their walk toward the towering gates of Del Lagos.

"Huh, it seems you really know a lot about the geography and the cities of the elven nation," Beatrice commented, genuinely impressed by the young woman’s experience.

"That’s right. After all, I’ve carried out several dangerous jobs in this area as a mercenary in the past. But... speaking of the past, there’s something I’ve been really curious about for days now," Iris said, coming to a sudden halt.

The half-spirit turned to face Beatrice directly, looking at her with great intensity.

"What is it?" the infernal asked, growing slightly defensive under the sudden scrutiny.

"You see... I’m really curious to know if you are the demon from the rumors."

Beatrice frowned, confused by the vague question.

"What rumors exactly are you referring to?" she asked with uncertainty, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Karol to see if the mage knew anything about it. But Karol simply made an exaggerated gesture with her hands and shrugged, making it clear she had no idea what the hell young Iris was talking about.