Seeing that Ethan had already put on his clothes, magic was surging on his body, and when he was about to go to Sean's villa to check, Veronica raised her strength out of concern, and warned, "Be careful."
"Don't worry, I can't bear you."
Ethan put clothes on Veronica and kissed Veronica lightly on the cheek.
Then, magical power surged, and Ethan's figure disappeared into the room.
Ethan's figure appeared at Sean's villa.
The surroundings of the villa were silent, devoid of any human presence.
To Ethan's senses, there was not even a hint of life within the villa, not even a tiny insect.
"Something's definitely wrong."
Ethan chuckled, undeterred, and headed towards the villa's main hall.
Soon, Ethan reached the hall, but he didn't see any of the naked female Heroes hung from the ceiling that Veronica had spoken of.
There was no trace of anyone having been there.
"How curious. Let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve."
Being a Rank S Hero with the lineage of the Divine Dragon Blood, Ethan's abilities were far superior to an average person.
So, even knowing something was amiss, he remained relaxed.
Things often took unexpected turns.
After a thorough search, Ethan found no clues.
Every potential hint seemed wiped clean, except for a thin layer of ash covering the floor.
"Seems like a dead end."
Disappointed, Ethan prepared to leave the villa when a faint plea for help reached his ears.
"Help me!"
"Hero, please save me. Baal will serve you if you do!"
"Save... me..."
The cry grew fainter.
Ethan turned around, spotting nothing.
"Who's there?"
Ethan called out, trying to determine the direction of the voice.
But it was futile. The voice was ethereal, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.
It felt as if it came from nowhere, certainly not from within the villa.
"Save me..."
The plea echoed again.
Ethan furrowed his brows, expanding his senses, and finally noticed a faint glimmer.
To be precise, it was a small crack.
Stuck in that narrow gap was a fairy, no bigger than a thumb.
Its clothes were torn and tattered, barely covering its graceful body and delicate chest.
Yet, that wasn't what drew Ethan's attention.
There was something peculiar about this Little Fairy.
"Who are you?"
Ethan's voice echoed near the crack's boundary.
Hearing the voice, the Little Fairy began to struggle frantically, her eyes filled with longing as she kept calling out, "Hero, please save me. I will tell you everything truthfully!"
"Remember what you said."
Ethan didn't sense any danger from the Little Fairy.
He immediately used his spiritual power, manifesting it as a giant hand, and pulled the Little Fairy out of the crack.
As she emerged, the crack swiftly vanished.
"Oh, that was so terrifying! I thought I was done for."
Once out, the Little Fairy gave her chest a relieved pat, hovering in mid-air and started fixing her disheveled appearance.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Ethan reminded, arms crossed, gazing at the floating Little Fairy.
"Huh?" The Little Fairy instinctively responded.
Upon seeing Ethan, she immediately bowed in mid-air, gratefully saying, "Thank you so much, Hero! My name is Baal. From now on, you are Baal's master!"
"Baal, that's not what I was asking about."
Ethan shook his head.
This Little Fairy was not only peculiar but also seemed a bit dense.
"So, Hero, what do you want to ask?"
The Little Fairy inquired right away.
"That crack wasn't any ordinary one; it existed on the boundary between consciousness and matter. I've heard rumors that the realm of consciousness is the domain of the gods?"
"Also, you're quite unusual."
"You possess the appearance of a fairy, but you're incredibly tiny. Perhaps there are some fairies as minuscule as you, but that black mist surrounding you is quite conspicuous."
Ethan voiced his suspicions.
Baal hovered, pondering for several minutes before organizing her response:
"Master, what you've heard isn't entirely accurate. The world of consciousness isn't exclusively for gods; certain unique individuals or creatures can access it. As for the crack, I was wandering around in the consciousness world when I heard some sort of ritual taking place. Curiosity drew me in, and before I knew it, I was sucked towards it and got stuck."
"As for me?"
"You find me peculiar because I am a Shadow Fairy!"
Baal declared this with evident pride.
"A Shadow Fairy?"
Ethan softly echoed the title, as if recollecting something.
This was knowledge inherited from the Divine Dragon Bloodline, something ordinary people couldn't know of.
Shadow Fairy, was not just any fairy, but an incredibly ancient race.
They could even be traced back to the era when the Divine Dragon existed.
However, compared to the Divine Dragon, the combat prowess of a Shadow Fairy was alarmingly weak.
A single mature Divine Dragon could annihilate the entire Shadow Fairy race.
But no species would ever do so.
This was because Shadow Fairies could bypass various illusions and even traverse different dimensions.
Such capabilities were immensely valuable.
Hence, Ethan was elated, unable to contain his admiration as he exclaimed, "You're actually a Shadow Fairy!"
"You know about us?"
Baal looked equally surprised.
"Haha," Ethan laughed, "There's still much you don't know about, isn't there? By the way, you mentioned you were drawn to a ritualistic sound. What ritual was that?"
"I'm not sure."
Baal shook her head. Seeing Ethan's disappointed expression, she quickly added, "While I don't know what they were worshiping, I did see the totem they used for the ritual."
"What totem?"
Ethan perked up with interest.
"It's this one."
Baal hovered in mid-air, the black mist around her dissipating.
Under her control, it formed an odd pattern resembling the skull of a wild boar with two horns.
"What's this emblem?" Ethan inquired curiously.
"I don't know," Baal shook her head, "But whatever those people were worshiping, it surely wasn't benevolent. It might even be some sealed demon."
"Sounds plausible," Ethan nodded, not dismissing her speculation.
"Come with me," Ethan beckoned to Baal, gesturing to his shoulder.
Understanding his cue, Baal swiftly flew over and perched on Ethan's shoulder.
Together, they exited Sean's mansion, which oddly seemed devoid of any other inhabitants.
Outside, the scene was bustling.
Merchants called out incessantly, peddling their wares.
A few audacious women, scantily clad, approached pedestrians with inviting gestures.
Ethan was one such target but he easily sidestepped their advances.
"You're truly powerful, Master!" Baal genuinely admired after witnessing the scene.
Ethan looked puzzled, "What does that have to do with being powerful?"
"In our clan, only the mightiest Shadow Fairies have their own followers and admirers," Baal earnestly explained.
Ethan just chuckled without responding.
"Am I considered powerful now?" he pondered silently, coming to a conclusion, "Perhaps I am. Yet above Rank S Heroes, there are the rumored deities – they are the real powerhouses. A mere flick from them could end me."
"Confidence is good, but arrogance is dangerous," Ethan cautioned himself.
Before long, Ethan, with Baal in tow, returned to the room where he'd left Veronica.
Inside, she seemed unaware of his arrival.
She lay on the bed, unclothed, with a thin blanket barely covering her upper torso and midriff.
Her long, shapely legs and voluptuous curves were entirely exposed to Ethan's view.
"Such a beauty," he remarked internally.
Ethan let out a sigh, choosing not to wake Veronica. After all, she had been quite worn out when he had left her earlier.
Time flew, and evening soon approached.
Ethan incessantly questioned Baal, hoping to extract information about the divine realm, given her lineage from an ancient clan.
Regrettably, Baal's knowledge was quite limited.
Although she was a Shadow Fairy, by her own admission, she was still in her youthful phase, despite having been alive for nearly fifty years.
"It seems I might have to seek information about the divine realm from the Elder's Council," Ethan mused.
Though he felt a pang of disappointment at Baal's lack of knowledge, he didn't let it get to him.
Baal consoled, "Master, don't worry. I'm sure you'll become the most formidable Hero in the world."
Just then, there was a stir from the bed. Veronica murmured in her sleep, then slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Ethan seated by a table in the room, her face lit up with joy. "Ethan, you're back! How did it go? Did you find anything?"
"And who's this little creature?" Veronica's gaze shifted to Baal, who floated near Ethan's chest, her curiosity evident.
"This is Baal, a Little Fairy," Ethan briefly introduced Baal, then delved into the main topic.
"I visited Sean's mansion but didn't come across the grim scene you described. There wasn't a single female Hero's body in sight, just a layer of ash on the floor. Everything else appeared pristine."
"I wasn't lying," Veronica quickly clarified.
Ethan shook his head, replying, "I'm not accusing you of falsehoods. I'm merely stating a fact. Our enemies seem far craftier than we anticipated. However, our efforts weren't entirely fruitless. Look at this."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m