NOVPUBAntanas eagerly leaned forward, resting his hands on the back of the seat in front of him, and whispered into the ear of the Ice Witch.
"..."
The Ice Witch choked up, her eyes starting to glaze over.
It seemed Antanas’s words had ignited some terrifying speculations in her mind again.
What should she do if the enemy had the face of someone she once knew?
"Did I say something wrong?"
Antanas touched his head, not understanding why his attempt to comfort the Ice Witch had sent shivers down her spine, when it should not have induced fear at all.
"Keep quiet for a bit, Antanas..."
Pranay looked back at Antanas, reminding him.
The more obsessive a creature is, the more extreme they’ll become once their obsession shatters. Not everyone can be like Talia, who could let go so easily, abandoning the dream of restoring her kingdom that she had persistently cherished for over a hundred years because of her life in Ichrite, deciding to give up on her country without a second thought.
The Ice Witch was clearly the type to cling fiercely to her beliefs.
Because of Loren’s death, her heart began to melt like an iceberg.
But if she saw Loren resurrected, it’s possible her heart wouldn’t just refreeze; the chill of the iceberg may never thaw again.
Of course, she might also fall into evil, utterly convinced she stood no chance against Loren.
A long time passed.
The vehicle slowly crossed a low stone arch bridge, the river water beneath still crystal clear but lacking the usual leisurely laughter of the townspeople.
Driving through the streets guarded by the Imperial Army, Pranay slowed down according to the directions signalled by the soldiers, and gradually the outline of the train station on the other side of the city came into view.
The border station of Granville City was teeming with armed Imperial soldiers, temporary bulletproof walls and magic energy barriers set up at the entrance, with soldiers directing the traffic.
"Right, in the Cerryti Empire, is it possible... Could I possibly see my mother?"
Hyperion spoke in a timid voice, breaking the silence in the car.
They wouldn’t be able to talk after getting out.
Earlier, through communications with the Poseen Kingdom, she found out from Tata that Miss Aitio mentioned Isatia might have gone to search for an ancient potion of latent potential at the ancient ruins of the Cerryti Empire, which is why she had disappeared for so many years.
So if that was true, at their destination, the Cerryti Empire, could Isatia be there?
The thought was too surreal for her.
For over a decade, night and day, she had imagined what kind of Demon Race her mother Isatia might be, how she would treat her upon meeting, and now that she was moment away from a slim chance of meeting Isatia, fear crept in again. She feared not being good enough, feared her mother’s indifference, and most of all, feared never seeing her mother at all.
"That’s right, I can’t wait for the moment I meet Teacher Dayi!"
Antanas clenched his fist in excitement.
Realizing that he had said the wrong thing earlier and made the atmosphere a bit awkward, Antanas decided to liven things up again.
As a fellow enthusiast of gossip, Antanas always felt that something was missing from the lively Ichrite group.
Pranay was too steady, Sinola was too serene, and neither was very enthusiastic about gossip. The Ice Witch was even stiffer, like a block of ice, rarely ever offering a smile.
But Isatia was different, she hated study but loved to play, always waking up the moment she was called out for fun!
"Hey, if Lanci also took Talia into the Cerryti Empire, then with the four of us and Isatia, wouldn’t that mean the Old Demon World gang is almost all back together?"
Sinola lightly touched her lips, murmuring in surprise.
According to her brother’s guess, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that Lanci was in the Cerryti Empire.
Then Talia, as his bodyguard, would definitely be in the Cerryti Empire too.
"Indeed."
The Ice Witch nodded from the front row.
She had already adjusted her mood.
Although the feelings among the Demon Race were not that affectionate, after so many years apart, there was still some sentiment.
"I always feel like Yabo is here too if he’s still alive."
Pranay gripped the steering wheel, frowning as she muttered to herself.
"Yabo?"
Hyperion hummed in confusion.
"He’s the surviving general of the Demon Race, his name always changes, and because he works in intelligence at the rear, no one knows his true name, but we all call him Yabo."
Sinola patiently explained to Hyperion on the side.
Back then, the Ice Witch belonged to the Anti-War Faction, the two princesses were part of the Refusal Faction, three of them were Conservative in the Imperial Prison, and another one was from the Surrender Party.
Among the demons in the car, only Hyperion was unfamiliar with the last surviving general of the Demon King’s Army.
"Yabo sure knows how to have fun," said Antanas cheerfully, leaning back in his chair and clapping his hands as if reminiscing about those times at the Demon King’s Castle. ""
"...So he’s just bullying the weak for fun?" Hyperion said after being speechless for a while. ""
Pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, letting the opponent think they’re guaranteed to win, and then turning the tables on them—if it’s unintentional or forced by circumstances, that can be somewhat understood. But if it’s deliberate, then Hyperion doesn’t approve. ""
The words "bullying the weak" made Sinola’s heart skip a beat.
Actually, she was the queen of bullying the weak among the Demon Race.
She had been inadvertently slandered by Hyperion. ""
"No, he`s not bullying the weak; he doesn’t care about the strength of his opponents," said Antanas, lifting his index finger and looking earnestly at Hyperion. ""
"..."
Hyperion was at a loss for words again.
She felt that General Yabo was most likely no longer alive.
The powerful ones, dare to swing their swords at even stronger adversaries.
And General Yabo, he truly had such courage. ""
"If Yabo were still alive, out of kinship, he might help us. He`s considered the strongest among the surviving members of the Great Demon Clan," said the Snow Witch, sitting in the front row. ""
In the current situation, where there is a shortage of Eighth-order strength, Yabo, as a support-type Bishop Level power, could be regarded as among the strongest allies.
Unfortunately, Yabo might not even be on the South Continent; he could still be adventuring in some unknown place on the Northern Continent. ""
"No worries, I’ve made a pact with Lanci to fight the ultimate battle in the history of the Blood Clan’s Shadow World. If we go together, it might make you, teachers, a little stronger," said Hyperion, patting the shoulder of her teacher in the front row. ""
Although the enhancement from the Shadow World is very small for them, who are at Eighth-order, a single level up is still significant for those at high-order. ""
"You plan on taking us to the Shadow World?" asked Antanas in surprise.
Actually, as Long-lived Species, they were not very willing to enhance themselves through the Shadow World. Demon Race members with long lifespans preferred to practice diligently, which they found much better than risking their lives in the Shadow World, unless they were in a hurry to become stronger.
Of course, that excludes exceptions like Lanci and his ’baby bus’; they would gladly take advantage of a free ride in the Shadow World. ""
"Let’s go together and check out the Old Demon World," nodded Hyperion.
The centennial Ninth-order Shadow World had come and gone, and there wouldn’t be another for the next century or two. The rest of the Shadow Worlds would now only lock at Eighth-order.
If they took a few members of the Great Demon Clan with them, they might end up replacing some of the Demon Race generals in the historical projections of the Shadow World with the likes of Antanas. ""
"Awesome! Long live, Hugh!" cheered Antanas.
Playing Shadow World with big old Lanci, she had nothing to fear—just mix in and that was it! ""
"I’ll show you my Siegler, she’s utterly adorable," Hyperion whispered to Antanas and Sinola.
She had a profound understanding of that joy that couldn’t be shared with others, in the previous Shadow World.
This time it would be different; she was going to the Shadow World with her friends and family.
The back of the carriage suddenly became lively, with them chatting one after another, and the vehicle was getting closer and closer to Granville City’s station. ""
Then they would spend a few days traveling by vehicle to Brilda, the Imperial Capital located in Botswana Province, where, in the Empire, most city-states had a Void Gate leading to the Shadow World. ""
"..."
Pranay’s scalp was already tingling, but he was striving to stay still and drive attentively.
He had heard from Lanci that last time in the Shadow World’s Dark Solar Eclipse Demon Realm, Lanci and Hyperion had encountered a historical projection named Siegler.
No matter how Pranay heard the story of Siegler, it always sounded like a young version of the Bishop of Hegemony, with myriad connections to the bond with Lanci.
In the ancient book of the Demon Clan he had read in his early years in the Demon World, there were indeed legends of dreams interweaving with reality, and the Goddess of Destiny was precisely the deity with such powers.
The next Shadow World would probably be very dangerous, not just in the ordinary sense.
May they survive all the tribulations; when sisters are together, enmities dissolve with a single smile.
