Chapter 78: Something To Worry About...

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Somewhere in the eastern parts of Darknar forest, laid a massive barren patch of land that was void of life, both plants and animals avoided the space. Although birds would occasionally fly through the air, no monster would normally be found anywhere close to this place. There were several of these types of places in this section of the forest and although it wasn't perfect, it was still considered a safe zone.

Covering an area of around 1200 meter radius, was cracked rocky earth that emanated a low level of heat that was hardly felt however, it was enough to keep a person relatively warm during the winter but got even hotter in summer. As the snowflakes fell on this patch of cracked land they slowly evaporated due to the constant heat the ground emitted

While this was a safe zone, it also came with its form of danger, especially in the summer. It was indeed lucky for the group stationed here that the season was currently winter. At present, four petite figures could be seen seated around a campfire although, with the heat from the ground, there was no real reason for the campfire, they simply did it based on their daily habit.

They sat relatively closer to one another practically shoulder to shoulder as one of them waved their arms weirdly in the air as they operated a floating crystal mirror. The mirror showed a scene from the Darknar forest, it was a scene showing a group of gray Trolls and goblin riders, marching east towards the demon king's castle.

The group sat around a campfire consisted of all female demi-humans, two of which had pale red skin tones and a pair of black horns protruding from the top of their heads. The other two had relatively normal skin tones but they both had thin long tails that extended from below their waist.

They also had curved goat-like horns protruding from the side of their heads. The two ogresses had a pair of red and white crossbows by their sides while one of the lesser demons had a pair of short swords on their waist and the other, had no visible weapons.

The female lesser demon with the short sword sat in-between the three as she manipulated the crystal mirror in front of her. They kept tabs on the troll army for a while as they progressed slowly down the forest trail. Things had been quite busy in the forest over the last week or so, not only had they not notice the Death of the Ancient Rykir, but they've been unable to keep up with the drastic changes that had occurred during this short period.

Not to mention that blast of Negative energy that almost killed them. If they weren't geared with items that resisted negative effects due to them having to cut through the western parts of the Darknar forest - the undead king's territory, to return home. They would've died that day.

There was also the fact that they had sensed a disturbance in the forest earlier today, however, whatever it was had been able to hide from them a little too well. There was something big going on right now and they needed to get in front of it.

"Oi Ava, what exactly are those trolls doing? Last time I checked, shouldn't they be based in the west?" One of the female ogresses asked the lesser demon operating the mirror.

She had long curly red hair, the same colored eyes, and her features could be considered pretty but her appearance had a wild side to it. She had a red crossbow by her side and wore leather armor with few metals lining it.

The ogress next to her had very short black hair, blue eyes, and a calmer appearance, although it really couldn't be considered as gentle. She also wore leather armor lines with orichalcum and a white crossbow laid by her side. She also spoke to the lesser demon called Ava.

"Fiala's right, even if they were expanding due to the disappearance of the Rykir, they still shouldn't be this far out east."

"Yes, you're right Lilou, but it doesn't look like they're here to expand their territory it looks more like they're searching for something. Those two leading the groups seem to be a new breed of gray Trolls, did you see the bottle the one with the sword pulled out several times now? I think they're using that to track something."

The girl known as Ava answered them as she tried to make sense of the situation. She had slightly greenish-black, hair that had been tied in a bun and also green eyes. Her skin was a little tanned but it still retained its original color.

"What could they be tracking?" Asked the last lesser demon in the group. "She had long dark brown hair that went all the way to her waist and was quite a beauty. Her blue eyes sparkled like the sea and she wore a long raven black mages robe

"I have no idea Mia, I also haven't seen that type of bottle before." Mia nodded her head and the group went back to watching the crystal screen.

After watching the trolls move around for a few hours, something finally happened. They were attacked by a few unknown assailants. The event to follow was a little strange and as a result, the trolls had been forced to split up without their consent.

"What the— who the hell are they?"

"How would I know!"

"This is getting out of hand shouldn't we call the boss."

"I would if I could, the boss left to report the Ancient Rykir's death to the family, I'm not even sure when she'll be back." Said Ava, however...

"Speak my name and I'll magically appear."

A slightly rambunctious voice suddenly came from behind the four girls who had been so focused on the crystal monitor, that they hadn't noticed a female figure silently approach them and stretched her head in between the girls to take a look at what had them so distracted.

"Oh hey, boss... BOSS!"

"Wow, reduce your volume."

The girls shrieked from being startled and the cloaked lady placed her fingers in her ears cutely as she tried to protect her hearing from that high-pitched scream.

"Why are you so surprised, I told y'all I'll be back today didn't I?"

"..."

"Well... yeah but, a lot happened after you left and we completely lost track of time."

"A lot huh, like what? oh and by the way what are you watching." Saying that she removed her hood and long silk-like black hair fell gracefully down her amble chest. She had a charming beauty that could not be described by words alone. However, her eyes were dull and lackluster that she tends to keep them closed.

It was unknown if she was partially blind or not, but blindness could normally be cured by a common tier 1 healing Spell so that was not likely the case. She also didn't have any problems moving and they were sure she had a way to see. Whether that was with her eyes or a higher-tiered magic sense was still unknown, even to them.

Ava was the first to compose herself, she was already used to the antics of her half-sister so she quickly brought back everyone's attention to the matter at hand. She cleared her throat then spoke clearly, "Well sis, a couple of days ago we spotted some trolls traveling across the forest subjugating weak demi-humans settlement. They headed southeast but did not return after leaving our assigned monitoring range, and now, just a few hours ago, there was more."

"More trolls?"

"Yes, a lot more of them, and this time, they were accompanied by goblin riders, they also headed Southeast, however, not in the exact direction as the last. This time they're headed straight for the demon King's Castle, but it looks like they're searching for something."

"And what could that be?"

"Not sure but right now they've encountered some unidentified figures."

"Ooh... interesting lemme see lemme see."

She rushed forward and stood behind Ava as she rested her chest on her head, she stared at the screen with her eyes still closed but they soon slightly as something caught her attention.

The crystal screen displayed one of the larger gray trolls with a sword as his attempt to kill several small creatures fail due to the interference of an ogre chieftain.

"A freeman, what's a freeman doing here?"

"Freeman? Does that mean the others were freemen as well?"

"Most likely."

The crystal screen proceeded to display the fight between the ogre and the trolls. It was a surprise for them the see a troll being cautious in front of an opponent and devising a plan. However, what they saw from the ogre was even more impressive.

Not only did he stand his ground against so many trolls and goblins. There were. times he looked like he had the advantage. "That looks like a magic weapon, do you know what rank it is, boss?"

"Umm, I guess, it should be ranked between Famed and Relic."

"That high, that's almost an artifact, should a mere freeman be allowed to wield such a thing?" Asked Ava.

"No, they should not... I guess I'll have to make another trip back to Sky city." Nora the leader of this group of scouts made her conclusion. Like the other families, each scouting group they sent to the Darknar region must have a demon noble leading the group. It didn't matter if they were purebloods or not, but they were given responsibilities and privileges that could not be entrusted to commoners.

Nora velcerm Balmyster was pureblood, a demon noble, and while not the strongest of the candidates in her family, her style and specialty were more suited for this task and she had gladly accepted the assignment, simply because she would get to spend more time with her adorable half-sister.

"So what do we do while we wait for you to return. Isn't dangerous to leave things the way it is now ."

"Well, we are originally just here to observe and only interfere if necessary, so there's no need to be too concerned about that, I wouldn't want anything to happen to my precious little sis here," Nora said as she pinched Ava's cheeks and played with them.

She turned her head to face the girls with a charming smile on her face as she tried to reassure them that there they were fine until she returned.

"All you need to do is keep an eye on the situation, as long as you don't stray too far from the safe zones each day. You'll all be fine. As I said, there's nothing to worry abo—"

However...

Her smile soon froze, the words she was about to say were immediately stuck in her throat as her closed eyes widened and she stared in disbelief at the scene that unfolded before her eyes.

For some reason, Ava's head was in the air having been separated from her body. Blood gushed out of her neck and splattered everywhere. Her body twitched slightly but soon fell lifelessly on the ground and her head soon followed. Her eyes still open from the sudden decapitation.

Mia screams in horror and dismay, while Lilou and Fiala immediately reached for their crossbows. No monsters would dare enter a safe zone so this was done by an enemy.

Lilou and Fiala readied their bows and took a defensive stance around Mia and Nora. They were also distressed by the sudden decapitation of their friend but now was not the time to worry about it. They were clearly under attack and needed to defend themselves.

"Well would you look at that, there was something to worry about after all. hehe~"

The voice came from behind Nora where a figure clad in black and dressed casually, had mysteriously appeared amid a sudden fog that made Nora's brain go numb even more. Lilou and Fiala immediately aimed their crossbows at that location but to their surprise, the figure was gone.