Luke arched his eyebrows, not understanding. "What are you talking about?"
Although the half-wolf was curious about Yoelona's request that no one talk about demons, he accepted it because she was the camp leader, but he couldn't just ignore the sudden topic about a possible war.
"Luke, there's a reason we agreed to leave Oukiwa and come this far away with Yoelona, and it wasn't just because I understand you were happy with the Strogueher..."
Before Meredith could continue, the creaking of wood could be heard.
"You will never be the type to obey orders, right?" Yoelona asked, after hearing the subject about the demons getting started and leaving the room which she was in.
Leaning on a wall, with her arms crossed, Alexis spoke up:
"The only child present has already gone to sleep, and we all managed to have a great time... Now it's time to tell him everything, Yoelona."
The black woman with the braided hair sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Almost twenty years ago, I was still living in the Melki Empire."
...
The Skoll Continent is divided by two great nations, whose names are: Melki Empire and Broteforge Empire. Since these two countries follow the same system of government, the imperialist, which focuses on as much land domination as possible, it is natural to deduce that a war would happen sooner or later. However, separating the Skoll continent in half and consequently the two empires, there is a mountain range with dozens of kilometers high, which prevented this confrontation for a long time.
The Dungeons and the Adventurers also contributed to a more united continent, showing that the two nations could help each other. Interchangers between the two empires were not something common to see, but it was also not something anyone had ever seen.
For these reasons, Luke was startled when Yoelona revealed that not only are there many demons united in the Melki Empire but also that there are monsters like Goblins, Kobolds, and Wyverns living on the surface. With the presence of so many demons in one spot, it was evident that this would happen. In addition, Yoelona talked about the 'Devil Project' in the farthest city on the continent, whose goal is to feed a strange and giant type of monster. For everyone present at the fort, this was like a horror story come true.
In reality, everything Yoelona told seemed impossible to be true, because if it really happened, Luke wouldn't know what would happen to the world.
Now, Luke understood why the Sakan Religion grew so fast, as were the Chaos Followers. The demons sought to dominate the Broteforge Empire by any means necessary, and one of the methods was through the beliefs of their own people.
The half-wolf didn't even want to imagine what the demons' plans were after that. With the Flak Kingdom at war, there was nowhere to run, and since Ayumi and Nathalia are from a Noble Family, the demons would certainly not spare them. Still a little stunned, Luke shook his head and scratched his ear. Everyone was waiting for an answer from him because, until that moment, he had only been listening to Yoelona talk about everything.
A few days ago, Luke had made a promise to himself that he would kill everyone who could threaten the people he loves, and whether they were demons or not, to Luke it didn't make a difference.
"I'm sorry Yoelona, but I can't stay here and hide like you want me to. I'm not as strong as a S-Class, a Secular or a Sensory Mage, but there are people I need to protect and whether I want to or not, Oukiwa has always been my home."
"I'll go with you." Matthew spoke to Luke as he stood up. "I have long left a burden on your shoulders, and now I feel it is my duty to help you."
"Zack is going too!" The big red-haired man exclaimed as he stood up as well.
The half-wolf looked at John and Ynosuke for an answer from them too. The two immediately nodded with a smile of excitement.
Then, Luke looked at Meredith. "You are like a brother to me. From now on, I'll go anywhere you go. "
"I'll still be here. I'm not as strong as I used to be in my time as an imperial guard, and I could only defeat Alexis because I used a poison gas... My place is not on the battlefield." Yoelona spoke, a little embarrassed.
Alexis approached Yoelona and touched her shoulder. "Then, we'll do everything we can to make sure the battle doesn't get to you."
On the next day, they all packed their bags and got ready to leave the fort. The goal? The Cardinal Kingdom again. Luke needed a way to talk to Ayumi and let her know that everything was in place because the Makator given to Alexis was not working due to an unexpected distance limit. In addition, they needed to let Pontiff know everything that could happen.
While the remaining gang packed their bags into the wagon that belonged to the horses of Carlos, the archer, Luke approached Yoelona. "We're ready to go, but first I have to thank you for getting most of them out of Oukiwa... You must already know that they burned down our old shed and Matthew was almost killed. You kept everyone from getting caught in the fire and I can't tell you what could have happened... Thank you, Master."
This really made the woman feel less guilty for splitting up the gang, as much as her intentions were the best possible when she pulled the young men out of the musty shed in the harbor.
"Thank you for the words... I really regret running away from you..." She replied.
After that, Luke hugged Yoelona. "Take care."
Returning the gesture of affection, she spoke: "Don't die, please."
Afterward, everyone climbed into the wagon and started heading toward the Cardinal Kingdom. Matthew and Luke were in the coachman's seat, and the others were sharing space with the luggage.
If Luke was traveling alone, the trip to the Cardinal Kingdom from where they were might last ten days with a fast horse like Atom and if he hardly took any breaks. However, the half-wolf was not thinking of leaving his friends so far away from him once again.
Alexis didn't seem willing to make the trip alone either, and Luke soon noticed that she had bonded with the old gang of thieves. The half-dragon was smiling, funny, beautiful, and powerful, making everyone feel safer. With the passing of the days, everyone felt Alexis had always been part of the gang, though she had an immaculate sense of justice, which did not match the past of the former gang of thieves.
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