From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 101: The Inhabitants of the Shadows...

Nox slowly made his way through Mireveil’s muddy swamplands.

The three Peques walked several meters ahead of him.

They hopped between roots, fallen logs, and dark puddles as though they knew every corner of the swamp.

The demon simply followed them.

"You three really know where you’re going."

"Aude."

One of them replied proudly.

Nox smiled.

Little by little, the landscape began to change.

The twisted trees gave way to much taller ones.

Their leaves were no longer green.

They had turned a deep shade of orange.

Thousands of leaves covered the treetops so densely that barely any light could pass through.

The forest grew darker until everything was swallowed by shadows.

Even the mud changed.

It became thicker...

And darker.

The silence turned unsettling.

Only the occasional insects and the sound of their own footsteps broke the stillness.

Then, all of a sudden...

The three Peques stopped at the exact same time.

Their little ears perked up as they looked around.

Then they began making anxious little noises.

"Aude..."

"Aude..."

"Aude..."

One frantically pointed toward the trees.

Another pointed toward the bushes.

The third tugged on Nox’s pants, trying to pull him backward.

The demon frowned.

"What’s wrong?"

There was no answer.

The Peques hurriedly covered themselves in mud.

They rolled across the ground.

Then disappeared behind nearby bushes.

Completely motionless.

Nox raised an eyebrow.

’They’re that scared?’

He looked in every direction.

There were no signs of anything unusual.

No monsters.

No people.

No movement whatsoever.

’Even my Danger Sense isn’t...’

He stood perfectly still.

He couldn’t feel anything at all.

Then...

He decided not to lower his guard.

Darkness spread across his face.

The Mask of the Marauder appeared.

One of his Demonic Dual Knives materialized in his left hand.

Ashbringer appeared in his right.

"Come out."

He called out loudly.

"If you’re planning to attack..."

He slowly turned in place.

"...then face me."

◇◆◇

That was when it happened.

A faint tingling crawled across the back of his neck.

It disappeared.

Returned.

Then vanished again.

’My Danger Sense...?’

It was strange.

It kept activating...

Then shutting off immediately.

As if it couldn’t decide whether danger truly existed.

Nox tensed every muscle.

Something wasn’t right.

Then...

He heard a sound.

"Crrrk..."

It came from a bush.

Then another.

"Crrrk..."

This one came from a tree.

Then another.

From every direction.

Nox had barely managed to raise his head when time seemed to freeze.

Four figures suspended in the air.

One in front.

Two at his sides.

And another behind him.

All poised to strike at once.

’Now.’

His Danger Sense exploded.

Time seemed to slow.

Not because it had actually stopped...

But because his body reacted instantly.

[Grand Hunter’s Agility.]

[Wind Legs.]

A violent burst of wind sent mud and leaves flying.

Nox vanished.

The first figure barely had time to react.

Slash.

The Demonic Dual Knife carved across its chest.

Demonic flames immediately spread from the wound.

The creature screamed.

The second one was struck directly by Ashbringer.

The ash bullet pierced its shoulder, and the impact hurled it into a nearby tree.

The remaining two figures descended simultaneously.

But Nox was already gone.

Darkness wrapped around him once more as he disappeared into the shadows.

All four creatures froze in confusion.

◇◆◇

Nox reappeared behind one of the massive tree trunks.

He watched carefully.

The creature wounded by the dagger writhed in agony.

The demonic burns continued spreading.

The other tried to stand.

It barely managed two steps before staggering.

It clutched its head.

It looked completely disoriented.

’Ashbringer’s bullets...’

He remembered the rifle’s description.

’They disrupted its senses.’

He smiled.

’It works even better than I expected.’

Then the other two figures disappeared.

Simply...

Sank into the shadows.

’Huh?’

Nox frowned.

’That...’

It felt far too familiar.

The two figures immediately reappeared beside their companions.

One supported the creature suffering from the burns.

The other caught the one still struggling with dizziness.

Nox chose not to attack again.

He wanted to understand what was happening.

Then...

He stepped out before them once more.

So close...

That he stood face-to-face with the creature he’d shot.

That was when he finally saw it.

"..."

It wasn’t its face.

It was...

A mask.

Black.

Long.

Made of bone.

Almost identical to the Mask of the Marauder he was wearing.

The creature’s eyes widened completely.

"...?"

The two remained frozen for a brief second.

Then...

The creature stumbled backward in terror.

It vanished into the shadows once again.

The others did exactly the same.

Before leaving, one of them lifted the companion who was still burning.

All four disappeared together.

Only silence remained.

◇◆◇

Nox stood motionless for several seconds.

Then he slowly dismissed Ashbringer.

The dagger.

And finally...

The mask.

’They were wearing masks just like mine?’

He looked toward the place where they had disappeared.

’Does that mean...?’

He immediately remembered the item’s name.

[Mask of the Marauder.]

’Were they... Marauders?’

He couldn’t think of any other explanation.

Those creatures could also travel through shadows.

They also wore masks carved from bone.

And they had seemed just as shocked as he was when they saw his mask.

’Interesting.’

A slow smile spread across his face.

◇◆◇

The bushes began to rustle.

Three tiny blue heads slowly emerged.

The Peques.

All three carefully scanned the surroundings.

Once they confirmed the danger had passed, they cautiously stepped out of hiding.

"Aude..."

Nox raised a hand.

"You can come out now."

The little creatures immediately ran over to him.

One of them even inspected his legs, as though making sure he was still in one piece.

Nox laughed.

"I’m fine."

The three immediately began talking over one another.

Clearly still shaken.

Nox couldn’t understand a single word.

But he smiled anyway.

"Easy."

He gently patted each of them on the head.

"I think we’re heading in the right direction."

The Peques tilted their heads.

They didn’t understand.

Nox looked once more toward the dark forest.

Toward the place where those mysterious figures had vanished.

’If they really were Marauders...’

A smile slowly returned to his face.

’Then this swamp holds far more secrets than I ever imagined.’

For the first time...

He felt genuinely eager to discover who those mysterious beings were.

The ones who wore the exact same mask as him.