Land of the Blood Demons (1)
Crunch.
The dry remnants crumbled beneath her feet. Sienna swallowed hard as she looked at the headless corpse of Bukvan.
“It’s been years since we lost contact with Bukvan.”
She spoke, nervously fiddling with her lips.
“He helped me a lot before the Raven’s Nest was properly established. Without his help, I might never have escaped the Lower Streets.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you remember the first day we met? You told me you were a friend of Bukvan’s.”
”…Did I?”
Dalen shrugged with a hint of exaggeration. Sienna chuckled softly and nodded.
“I knew it was a lie. You’re someone who knows a lot of unusual things. This is actually the first time we’ve met, isn’t it?”
Not exactly. Dalen almost said, but kept his mouth shut.
If you counted the times he’d seen her through a monitor, he’d seen her more than enough.
The Second Blood Demon War began with the vampire attack that killed Bukvan.
There had been several attempts to prevent the attack and stop the war, even trying to kidnap or kill him beforehand to prevent the incident altogether.
‘No need to bring that up.’
Dalen knew Sienna well.
She was a woman who didn’t easily open her heart to others, but once she considered someone a friend, she never turned her back on them.
Her guarded nature was likely shaped by surviving alone in the treacherous Lower Streets as a child.
Yet, paradoxically, surviving in such a place also taught her that achieving anything alone was nearly impossible.
From her perspective, both Dalen and Bukvan were friends worth risking her life for.
With one friend dead after a fight, the depth of her sorrow was beyond words.
No matter how justified by war, not all pain can be excused.
That’s why Sienna’s next words caught Dalen completely off guard.
“Bukvan was a traitor.”
“A traitor…?”
“I’m not talking about him hiding his identity. Having a connection to the Twilight Knights isn’t a bad thing, is it? But rather…”
She paused, choosing her words carefully, then continued in a low voice.
“Dalen, the High Council of the Pantheon has recognized the Blood Spirit as one of the main deities.”
”…You mean the Blood Spirit I know?”
“Yes. The god of vampires. The evil god followed by all necromancers.”
The Blood Spirit had joined the Pantheon.
With that single sentence, the incomplete puzzle in his mind finally came together.
The Blood Spirit was the name of the avatar controlled by the evil god ‘Temomron,’ the master of vampires and necromancers.
Publicly, it was merely considered a god worshipped by vampires, with its ties to necromancers and evil gods known only to a few.
Sienna was one of those few, and the Blood Spirit’s inclusion in the Pantheon allowed her to deduce who was behind it all.
“We once swore to save the powerless together…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the headless corpse.
Sienna’s declaration of Bukvan as a traitor likely stemmed from witnessing him summon two of the Pantheon’s main deities into his body.
If he could summon the Pantheon’s deities, he surely knew the truth about the Blood Spirit’s inclusion and the forces behind the Pantheon.
Sienna stood there for a moment, then tilted her head back and spoke.
“Let’s go back. The attack isn’t over yet.”
“Are you alright?”
“What if I’m not? We need to save the shop first, don’t we?”
She forced a smile, lifting the corners of her mouth. Dalen quietly followed her as she strode forward.
In the distance, the battle surrounding the fortress walls was reaching its climax.
Bukvan’s reckless domain expansion had shattered the Empire’s command, leaving only tens of thousands of fanatics charging at the walls, chanting the names of the gods.
Their desperate struggle, devoid of strategy or leadership, fell like leaves before the transcendent powers.
As the Empire’s forces crumbled, black feathers and blue lightning began to swirl simultaneously.
It was time to end another war.
A week had passed since the Empire’s massive invasion came to an end.
The result of the four-day siege was a devastating defeat for the Empire.
A hundred thousand troops returned empty-handed, unable to breach any of the seven walls of the Labyrinth City.
However, the city alliance centered around the Labyrinth City wasn’t without damage.
Bang! Boom…
Amidst the rubble, workers sorted through fallen walls for usable bricks.
“Hey! Be careful, the ground’s unstable there!”
“Boss, the chimney’s design is unique. We’ll need to replace the entire column to fix it.”
“Below! The stones are rolling!”
Rumble!
The noise of hammers and heavy materials mixed with the shouts of workers.
The main street of the Bronze District, battered by countless bombardments over four days, was undergoing restoration.
Dalen watched the demolition of the ruins before turning away.
He passed an inn with a makeshift tent for a roof and avoided the site where the ground was being filled, heading towards the bustling street.
Despite the lingering scars of war, the streets were crowded, and Dalen’s steps naturally led him to a three-story tavern along the main road.
The building had two floors for the tavern and an office on the top floor. The sign, seemingly freshly painted, read:
[Raven’s Nest]
Blending into the crowd, the lively chatter surrounded him.
“I’m telling you! Swords and spears rained down from the sky!”
“This guy’s drunk. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable, right?”
“I had a drink with Lucas yesterday, and he went even further. He claimed a dwarf was flying around on a dragon, firing cannons from the west wall he was guarding!”
“Hahaha! Unless he got hit on the head and saw things…”
After a big battle, taverns were always lively.
Most of the patrons were mercenaries boasting of their exploits or claiming to have witnessed unbelievable events.
While most of these tales were exaggerated nonsense, sometimes the truth was stranger than fiction.
Dalen climbed to the second floor and moved naturally towards a hidden door behind the counter.
Creak. Creak.
He passed through the secret door, climbed another set of stairs, and walked down the creaky hallway.
As the familiar scent of tea tickled his nose, he heard voices murmuring from a door at the end of the hall.
‘For a rushed renovation, it’s quite well done.’
Dalen thought as he strode towards the door.
Sienna had insisted they save the shop, but unfortunately, the Raven’s Nest had been destroyed by a cannonball during the siege’s final stages.
Even Bourbon, who usually guarded the shop, was away at the time, protecting the temporary shelter for Lower Street residents at Sienna’s request.
With the shop gone, Sienna couldn’t just stop her information business, so she temporarily bought another tavern to continue operations.
The new tavern was the one they were in now.
Unlike the previous tavern hidden in the back alleys of the Bronze District, the new Nest was a spacious building along the main road.
“Fortunately, the city’s damage isn’t as bad as we thought. The southern district took the hardest hit, but the other districts are relatively intact.”
[So, mining, agriculture, and fishing are unaffected.]
“The trade routes along the Lycanth River are still secure, according to the Merchant Guild Alliance.”
“The districts inside the Silver Wall, including the Knights’ branch… Ah, Dalen!”
As soon as he entered, Lucia waved from the round table. Dalen nodded and found an empty seat.
It had been a while since the entire group had gathered, a week after the siege ended.
Lucia, Farn, Felber, Tommy, and Akasha, with her tail draped over Bjorn’s head.
Alongside them were Lveron, the Mithril Forger, and Volcma, the head of the Gallios Trading Company.
And they weren’t the only ones.
“The tea here is delightful. As expected of Shania Philopon’s prized student.”
“When will the owner of the Nest arrive?”
[It’ll take some time.]
At one side of the round table sat the white-eyed Seer, Aliat.
With her was Everon Raktala, the ever-changing face and representative of the Central Council.
And closest to the entrance, the bartender Bourbon, who didn’t bother hiding his vertically slit pupils.
Originally, this meeting had been planned a week ago, right after the siege, to discuss their future journey.
Somehow, as more participants joined, the gathering had evolved beyond just a journey of companions. It had become a forum to discuss the current state and future of the city alliance.
“Come to think of it, it’s been ages since we’ve met face-to-face like this. A dragon living among humans, unable to forget a love from thousands of years ago. It’s always so romantic, isn’t it?”
“I simply fulfilled the terms of the contract I signed with my name. I am grateful for the hospitality you’ve shown me at your stronghold.”
“The First Roar always lends a hand in times of great need, just like now. It’s mutual support, after all.”
As representatives from various organizations and groups gathered, the exchange of formalities was inevitable.
After a brief welcome for Daelon, the roundtable discussion continued.
“Anyway, it’s true that we need manpower for the restoration work in the southern district. When can we expect the promised support, Tower Master?”
“Not just Elgaia, but most of the magic towers are still in disarray. I’ll inform you as soon as we have the capacity.”
“If it’s demolition work, we can teach your workers the necessary explosive techniques! Just enough so they can’t be used as weapons.”
“By the way, how are things on the knight order’s side? Any clashes with the Empire?”
“So far, the skirmishes haven’t escalated beyond local conflicts, but the commander predicts a major battle soon.”
“If it’s the Guide’s prophecy, it must be true. If needed, the city alliance can provide reinforcements at any time…”
Voices representing each group discussed the aftermath of the Empire’s invasion and their future plans.
The Golden Palace, the Central Council, the Holy Knights, and the Magic Tower Alliance.
Even those who didn’t represent a group were heroes in their own right.
Daelon sipped his steaming tea as he observed the scene.
The end was approaching faster than anticipated. Considering the time left, it was perhaps the most desperate situation yet.
Yet, paradoxically, they had never had such a high chance of success.
Each group was doing its utmost to combat the impending doom, and their party’s strength was formidable enough to face the demon armies.
The only issue was the dark gods, especially Enaxagus, who was undoubtedly aware of all this.
Given their strong defenses, it wouldn’t be surprising if they tried something completely unexpected.
“That’s why we must act swiftly.”
The main topic of this meeting was related to that very issue. The Seer hadn’t forgotten it either.
Once the major points of coordination between the groups were settled, she finished her tea and broached the subject.
“Daelon, I hear you and your party plan to head to the land of the blood fiends east of the Empire.”
“That’s correct.”
“With the Empire declaring a holy war, why on earth would you go there now?”
Because the next transcendent’s remains to be retrieved, the conclusion of the necromancer’s cycle, lies there.