"Phew~ That was a tough fight." Benimaru said it with a sigh of relief.
For outsiders, it might look like Benimaru was almost toe to toe with Ahat, but only he knew he was able to get those advantages because Ahat didn't know anything about his powers or how he fought. So, making an opening for him, he escaped quickly.
Benimaru first raised Ahat's vigilance against him to as high a level as possible, to have all the distractions in his mind disappear. When he achieved that, he used [ Illusion Bind ] to make Ahat think he was still fighting him. Benimaru knew this type of spell wouldn't work much on Ahat, but the small amount of time it would was enough to let Benimaru escape.
He wasn't also afraid of Ahat chasing him because the cloak he was wearing would clear any kind of trace, be it mana or physical. This was a pricey item in the shop, but he felt it suited best for the organization he created. Also, the mask was a set piece for this item, so when he wears them together, a set effect activates, which increases the base power by twenty percent.
'If it weren't for these items, I wouldn't have that high of a chance against him.' Benimaru contemplated this fight. 'My overall combat strength should be average 8th or 9th Fleshcrafter or maybe even less. But that indicates one thing, Ahat isn't a normal 9th Stage Fleshcrafter. Huh~ I am still weak against the top guys.'
Benimaru arrived before his base entrance while still in his own sea of thoughts. Just as he arrived, he was met with Ragnar.
This time, Ragnar didn't go into his battle stance, as the person before had almost the same clothing as Ravenna and Fiain. And he was proved right that the person before him was of no harm when he took off his mask.
"My Lord, welcome back." Ragnar bowed, and the soldiers behind him imitated him.
"You did a great job guarding the base." After praising Ragnar, Benimaru asked with a serious look on his face. "Where are Ravenna and others?"
"Inside Miss Ravenna's Alchemy House." Ragnar said before leading Benimaru in that direction.
On the way, Ragnar spoke with a low voice. "Lord, I hope you do not get mad because that lady's condition is too bad. I think Miss Ravenna would have a hard time even keeping her alive."
Benimaru didn't speak; he just silently walked with him. After they came closer to the Alchemy House, Benimaru spoke with a mournful tone. "I know, Ragnar. That's why I told Ravenna to take them here, so that this friend of mine can have his final moment with his mother peacefully."
"I see, my lord." Ragnar nodded his head, expecting Benimaru to understand anything, just as he usually does.
Click
Benimaru opened the door without knocking or announcing his entry. Just as they entered the door, they were met with the sight of Ravenna closing the eyes of a husky, old woman. He wanted to say something, but he stopped as he watched the old woman wither into dust in a matter of seconds, vanishing from the world.
"Mo- mother…." Belal wept softly, seeing his mother completely disappear from the world, not even letting him bury her.
At that moment, he felt a hand land on his shoulder, and looking back, he saw it was Benimaru.
"Boss." Belal couldn't hold himself back anymore and jumped into Benimaru's arms, hugging him tightly. "Boss, she left…she left me entirely. If only she told me about it earlier..if only."
Caressing his back, Benimaru said softly. "Hey, it isn't anyone's fault. Your mother wanted to see you smile and work hard. She forced herself to stay alive for your sake and for you to follow the correct path. And I know she did see them before leaving this world."
Belal didn't reply to his words; instead, he cried on his shoulder, taking in everything. Benimaru stood strongly, supporting Belal and hugging him back.
In that moment, he felt a feeling that he had forgotten long ago: a fatherly affection and responsibility. He might look younger than Belal in appearance, but inside he was a forty-year-old man who had seen and experienced much of the world. To him, Belal was just a child that needed parental care, which he could never deny.
Ten to twelve minutes later, Belal finally calmed himself down. He let go of Benimaru and wiped his tears.
Benimaru watched carefully, seeing if there was still sadness in his face. But, fortunately, there was none, only a rosy face from the tears and rubbing his eyes.
"Are you feeling alright now?" Benimaru asked, to be completely sure.
"Yes," Belal replied with a calm expression.
Benimaru became a bit surprised to see him like that; he felt something had changed inside Belal. What kind of change happened? Unfortunately, Benimaru didn't know.
However, Benimaru didn't think too much about it, as he was glad that Belal was okay. Finally, Benimaru asked a question that was bugging him. "Belal, what do you want to do now?"
"I…" Belal stuttered a little before saying. "I do know."
Benimaru patted his shoulder, seeing him getting disheartened. "You can stay at my place till you find the answer. Make yourself feel at home."
"Thank you, Boss." Belal said, expressing his gratitude.
Benimaru nodded his head with a smile, but he still didn't leave, because he had one more thing to ask. "Don't you want to know why I hide my identity?"
"No, humans and demons…what matters anyway? They are both the same. One can be the vilest being as possible and can be a kind man too." Belal said, staring into Benimaru's eyes.
"Glad to hear that." Benimaru nodded his head and turned around to leave the place, but before leaving, he said something to Bailey and Tanaka. "I hope you two also do not mind us demons."
Ravenna and Fiain left with Benimaru, preparing to head toward the city as they couldn't have their shop closed or it might breed suspicion.
Ragnar arrived before Belal and spoke to him respectfully. "Come, follow me. I will lead you to your rooms."
Ragnar has seen how close Belal was to Benimaru and the care in Benimaru's eyes. So, he had to be extremely careful in what he said now.
"Thank you…." Belal got stuck, not knowing what the name of the person before him was.
"It is Ragnar, second general of Lord Benimaru." Ragnar helped Belal overcome his awkwardness.
"Thank you, Ragnar. I am Belal, by the way. And these two are my teammates. She is Bailey, and he is Tanaka." After giving his own side's introduction, Belal said to him, "Please lead the way."
Nodding his head, Ragnar led them to the vacant rooms at the castle that were unused. Along the way, Belal and his team saw where Benimaru's base was. Demons of various kinds—mostly common ones in the most southern part of the Evergreen Region—could be seen roaming around, sitting leisurely, eating raw meat, training, or sleeping on the ground.
They all gave Belal's trio a curious look, because they were walking behind their most respected general's back. But they lost interest quickly and went back to work.
Bailey couldn't help but ask, seeing the demons all around her. "Brother, will we be okay?"
Tanaka was also sharing the same concern as her. They trusted Belal despite being a demon because he was closer to them; they had spent a lot of time together, and the kindness Bianka showed was enough for them to fully trust in Belal. But their disgust and worry for demons had yet to fade from their minds.
"We will. These little guys do not look like someone who would hurt us." Just as Belal said that they were met with a meatscraper toying with a small lizard while eating its body slowly.
"Uhhh…" Belal was left speechless; he was just defending demons when he was met with this scene.
At that moment, Ragnar stepped forward to defend them. "Friends. Do not think too much about them. This is the nature of low-ranking demons. They have a low IQ, so you can't blame them. It is a totally different case for high-ranking demons like me, the Lord, and the two girls. We hate eating raw meat and meat in general from an animal that is still alive."
"Oh, brother Ragnar. Can you tell me what high ranking demons are?" Belal was confused, as he had never heard this term. He had lived in a rural area his entire life.
Ragnar became a bit surprised hearing Belal call him brother, but he decided to go along with it as there was no harm to it and he liked Belal for some reason, maybe because of the innocent smile he always has on his face. "Brother Belal, right? To help you categorize this easily, the high-ranking demons are basically those that can take on their human form and have high wisdom, closer to humans. Just like…you."
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