NOVPUBNigel took out a magic device sealing box made from mechanical cubes from the inner pocket of his coat.
He unsealed it in front of Lanci and Talia.
All that was inside was a scrap of cloth tainted with deep blue flame scorch marks.
"This is what we barely managed to preserve from a victim after a brief scuffle with the Curse Spreader during our search in the Demon World two days ago," Nigel explained.
Although Nigel didn’t harbor much hope and didn’t want to trouble Lanci and Tata, these two individuals capable of lifting curses might be able to discern more clues than he could.
He was fairly certain that Tata was stronger than him and might even possess the terrifying strength to confront the Curse Spreader head-on.
Lanci looked at Talia upon hearing this.
It was indeed right up her alley.
Not only was she of the Demon Race, but she was also of the ancient, native Demon Race. No one understood it better than Talia.
It could only be said that Nigel had inadvertently got it right, finding a Demon King to identify it for him; perhaps this was the bond of the Demon Race.
"Is it the man who cursed Miss Lixancy at the station?"
Talia gently stretched her hand towards the scrap of cloth. Sensing the residual magic power with her eyes closed and brow furrowed, she asked Nigel.
That day, she and Lanci were attacked on the Floating Castle Number airship—the cause being a mysterious man who had cursed the pastry chef Lixancy earlier.
"Yes, it’s the same guy from the video I showed you last time," Nigel nodded.
This was the most crucial clue they, the Senate Execution Squad, had uncovered in the recent days.
Still, it had cost the lives of several of their colleagues.
The adversary was strong.
If it weren’t for the fact that the adversary didn’t want to engage in battle and preferred avoiding their searches, the casualties might have been even more severe.
Even Nigel could feel the terrifying presence of the high-ranking Demon Race in the residual magic power.
"The Curse Spreader, he really isn’t of your Poson lineage, is he?"
The more Talia analyzed the magic power, the more wrong it felt to her.
"No, it’s definitely different," Nigel said firmly, making his conclusion clear.
"..."
Talia pondered in silence.
While waiting for her analysis, Lanci took a sip of his coffee.
"Have you seen such magic power and spells before? Could there be other powerful Demon Tribes that survived the holy war a hundred years ago, aside from the prestigious Great Demon Clan?"
He couldn’t help but look at Talia and posed the question telepathically.
Not all Eighth-order Demons necessarily pass the Great Demon Clan trial and obtain the Force Mark. Without three marks, even Ninth-order Demons cannot become part of the Great Demon Clan.
Furthermore, nobles like Sinola and Pranay, after obtaining one mental and one Force Mark, find it easier to get the third mark directly endowed by elders of other Great Demon Clans, completing the trio of marks needed to become part of the Great Demon Clan.
"I don’t know every Demon Tribe, but I am certain that there wasn’t any powerful Demon Tribe with this type of magic power in our system," Talia responded to Lanci in her mind.
If there truly was such a talented and ancient Demon Tribe, she would definitely know of them.
"This sample of magic power, it feels more like that of beings from the Calamity Servitude," after hesitating for a long while, she finally spoke up.
Both Lanci and Nigel were slightly startled.
Nigel seemed not to have considered this possibility.
While Lanci, even though he had been to the Northern Continent, had only heard of this term sparingly in the South Bank of the Protoss Empire.
The Calamity Servitude was situated at the edge of the world, an extremely unstable region.
Regarding it, there were only a few books in the Protoss Royal Library.
"I’ve read ancient records stating that there’s a lost mainland connected to the Calamity Servitude of the Northern Continent, where there might still exist other Demon Tribes and humans," Talia explained.
Of course, this was before the fall of the Demon Race’s nation, from the words within the royal library’s books, and its truth could not be determined.
Even Eighth-order beings risk their lives in the Calamity Servitude; no one knows where it ends, so normal people generally don’t attempt to traverse it.
"I see," Lanci mused absent-mindedly, not too interested. He didn’t care about the Calamity Servitude at the edge of the world but was more concerned with the possibility raised by Talia—that there might exist another lineage of Demon Race in the world.
Nigel looked puzzledly at Tata, wondering why she knew so much. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
But he wouldn’t ask; he knew too well that there was no need to probe into the details of an ally.
"Meow."
Cat Boss sat on Lanci’s lap, looking back and forth between Tata and Lanci; for the moment, the table was silent.
When they had first sat down on the terrace, the streets of Floral City Pariel were still bathed in sunset.
As time passed, the glow of the sunset faded, and the city was gradually enveloped in the twilight; the sky turned a deep indigo as stars twinkled in the night sky.
"By the way, you’ve been to the Northern Continent, haven’t you?" Talia asked Lanci.
"If the person is a mysterious Demon Tribe member who came from the Northern Continent in recent years, then it’s possible he’s never heard of my name," Lanci muttered.
Because at that time, the legend of Rocky McCarthy in Protoss had not yet begun.
Cat Boss said nothing, only troubled by the resurgence of unpleasant memories.
It remembered that when the two of them were in the Protoss Empire, they didn’t delve too deeply into the secrets of the Calamity Servitude. After all, the Protoss Empire was on the South Bank, and the Calamity Servitude was too far away, situated at the far northern extremity.
However, for a person from the South Continent like Lanci, seeking out such a distant and remote land likely wasn’t of much interest. Even if there were tales set in the lost mainland, Lanci probably wouldn’t be the protagonist anymore.
