Chapter 79: A Small Promise

Chris and Lilith stepped out of the tent, only to find Kelvin sprawled unconscious on the ground.

"Kelvin!" Aelonen was kneeling beside him, shaking his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

A few moments later, Kelvin began to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion, seemingly trying to figure out what had happened. However, the moment his gaze landed on Lilith’s angry face, his expression changed, and he began trembling in fear.

"Little brother, you better have a very good explanation for why you entered like that, or I swear you will regret it."

Kelvin trembled even more before quickly pointing at Chris.

"General Howard told me to find Chris and bring him to his tent! I swear I was looking everywhere for him. I didn’t expect to... to see you two like that..."

"Where is the general?" Chris raised an eyebrow, deciding not to get involved in whatever trouble Kelvin had gotten himself into.

"He is waiting for you in his tent with General Aldric. I can take you there!" Kelvin quickly scrambled to his feet and started rushing in a direction. "This way!"

Seeing how terrified he was of Lilith, Chris could only shake his head before following him. He reached back, took Lilith by the hand, and gently pulled her along.

"Come with me."

Soon, they approached a large tent in the distance. Kelvin stopped in front of it and pointed toward the entrance.

"Here. The generals are inside."

"Alright." Chris nodded and walked toward the entrance, still holding Lilith’s hand.

"But, Big Brother Chris, they specifically said only you could come!" Kelvin widened his eyes, clearly worried about what might happen if Lilith entered as well.

"Don’t worry about it." Chris shook his head. "I have a feeling I know what they want to talk about."

Without waiting for another protest, he entered the tent with Lilith.

Inside, General Howard and Aldric were sitting across from each other at a table, discussing something with serious expressions. The moment they noticed Chris approaching, both men stood up to greet him.

"Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but we need to discuss something as soon as possible," Howard said, his gaze moving between Chris and Lilith. "This..."

Chris already had a good idea of what he wanted to say, so he interrupted him before he could continue.

"She knows a lot about demons, possibly more than both of you. There is no need to keep anything secret from her."

Both Howard and Aldric widened their eyes before turning toward Lilith.

"Is that true, princess?" Howard asked.

Lilith nodded. "I know about the demons, but I don’t know what you want to discuss."

Howard exchanged a brief glance with Aldric before nodding.

"Good, good. Please, both of you, have a seat."

Chris and Lilith took the seats across from the two men. Once everyone was settled, Aldric turned toward Chris.

"After we discovered those demons in the dungeon and I returned home, I started digging through old records, hoping to find anything about them."

Chris nodded, having expected something like that.

"At first, I couldn’t find anything. I tried looking deeper and deeper, going through records that hadn’t been touched in centuries. Eventually, I managed to find something about a war against these demons in the past."

He pulled out an old book and opened it, placing it on the table so the others could see its worn pages.

"Here, it says that a species suddenly appeared in our world from nowhere. They were described as demons, an incredibly evil and wicked race that sought nothing but to destroy everything in their path."

Everyone nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"It also says they possessed a special kind of energy capable of corrupting other living beings and making them serve their race. Apparently, this corruption was incredibly difficult to detect. They used it to infiltrate numerous countries and destroy them from within."

Howard’s eyes widened.

"Such a thing is possible? Are you certain?"

Aldric shook his head. "I don’t know how accurate these records are, but that’s what I managed to find."

Chris nodded. "What the old man says is correct. I can confirm that information." He glanced at Aldric. "Continue."

Aldric nodded before looking back at the book.

"It also says that demons can absorb the life energy of other beings to strengthen themselves, and there seems to be no limit to how much they can absorb. If they were allowed to capture and consume the energy of other races, they could continue growing stronger without end."

Howard let out a quiet gasp, clearly troubled by the implications. Chris and Lilith, however, showed little reaction. Neither of them was surprised by that information.

"At the end, it mentions a great war in which humans joined forces with other races to fight against the demons. They eventually won, but the demons weren’t completely destroyed." Aldric’s expression grew more serious as he turned another page. "Most of them were sealed inside dungeons, and nobody knows how long those restrictions will last."

Howard remained silent for a moment, thinking over what he had just heard.

"What other races? Aren’t there only humans and beasts in this world?"

Aldric shook his head. "I don’t know. The records don’t mention them."

"There are indeed other races besides humans, but that’s not important for now. Does the book say anything else?" Chris asked.

"Unfortunately, this is all I’ve managed to find." Aldric closed the book and looked toward Howard. "I came here to warn my friend to remain vigilant and investigate the nobles in his country."

"Investigate?" Howard turned toward him.

"Because it seems those demons can control humans, as I mentioned earlier. They used that ability to infiltrate and destroy countries from within. You need to investigate the dealings of the nobles in your country and look for anything suspicious. We can’t afford to overlook even the smallest possibility."

Howard nodded, taking his words seriously.

"I will do my best."

Aldric seemed satisfied with his answer.

"I’ve already started an investigation throughout my own country. We need to make sure that if there are any traitors among us, they are found before they can cause any damage."

Chris watched the two men discussing their plans before suddenly chuckling.

Both generals turned toward him, their expressions filled with confusion.

"What’s so funny?" Aldric asked.

"What’s funny, old man, is that you had so much time and so many clues to work with, yet you only managed to find so little."

"What do you know, brat?!" Aldric’s expression darkened. "I spent countless hours investigating this matter, but I couldn’t find anything else! It’s as though someone deliberately erased all the information and history we had about that period. I searched through everything I could find, but most of the records simply weren’t there!"

Chris nodded, no longer laughing.

"I understand what you’re saying, and you’re right. Most likely, someone tampered with the information. It’s actually a miracle you managed to find anything at all."

Aldric frowned, looking at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Here is what you need to know..."

Chris began explaining what he had learned about the Fallen and the Acolytes, including how they operated and the roles they played. The Fallen were the warriors who directly served the demons, while the Acolytes were corrupted humans who lived among ordinary people, secretly working to weaken and overthrow nations from within.

He also explained how the demons used them to spread their influence, making it difficult for anyone to realize what was happening until it was already too late.

By the time he finished, both generals had serious expressions on their faces. The information confirmed many of Aldric’s suspicions while revealing just how much more complicated the situation really was.

"So we can’t even find these Acolytes?" Aldric asked, rubbing his forehead. "How are we supposed to fight them, then?"

"There is a way." Chris suddenly pointed toward Lilith. "She can find them." He didn’t say anything about the demon artifact, but the information that Lilith could find the demons should be enough.

Both men turned toward her in shock.

"Is that true, princess?" Howard asked.

Lilith glanced at Chris with an annoyed expression for a moment before turning toward the generals.

"Yes. I can sense them and find them."

Howard’s eyes lit up.

"Excellent! I won’t ask you to explain how you do it, but if you can really find them, that makes things considerably easier."

Aldric slapped his thigh in excitement.

"Good! Good! I was starting to get worried!"

Chris waited for their excitement to settle before speaking again.

"So, here is the plan. Lilith will work with General Howard to find and eradicate the Acolytes in Narta. Once that is done, she will help Aldric with the same task in Dunestia."

He turned toward Lilith. "Does that work for you?"

She remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I can work with that."

"Excellent." Chris stood up and stretched his arms. "Then I wish you all a happy hunt."

"Where are you going?" Lilith asked, looking up at him.

"Me? I have my own hunt to take care of."

With that, he turned around and slowly walked toward the entrance.

"Wait!"

Lilith quickly stood up and followed him out of the tent, leaving the two generals looking at each other.

Outside, Chris stopped when he heard her approaching footsteps. Turning around, he found her standing a short distance away, looking at him with an expression that was difficult to read.

"Yes?"

"Are you really leaving already?" she asked.

Chris nodded. "I have to. There are still things I need to take care of, and we’ve already lost quite a bit of time."

Lilith lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back at him.

"So you’re just going to leave me here?"

Chris couldn’t help but smile at her reaction.

"Don’t look at me like that. We already agreed that you would help them with their investigation. Besides, we will see each other again soon."

"When?"

"I should be there for the competition."

"That’s still a while away."

"I know, but there’s nothing I can do about it." He stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her head. "Until then, please stay safe, my little princess."

Her cheeks immediately turned red, and she looked away for a moment, trying to hide her reaction.

"Can you promise me?" she asked, looking back at him.

Chris paused. He could tell that she wasn’t simply asking him to promise he would attend the competition. After everything they had been through together, she wanted to know that he would actually come back to see her.

He smiled and nodded.

"Alright. I promise."

Lilith finally smiled, looking much more satisfied with his answer.

"Good."

For a brief moment, neither of them moved. She seemed to want to say something else, but eventually decided against it. Instead, she stepped closer and gave him a quick hug before letting go.

"Then I’ll see you at the competition."

"Of course."

She turned around and headed back toward the tent, though she glanced over her shoulder once before disappearing inside.

Chris watched her leave with a small smile before turning in the opposite direction. It was time to find Aelonen and get moving.

It didn’t take long to find him. He was standing with Kelvin and the others, chatting with his new friends.

"Aelonen, we’re leaving," Chris announced as he approached.

"Eh? Big Brother Chris, we’re leaving already?"

Chris nodded. "I need to drop you off at home before heading my own way. We’ve already lost a lot of time."

"Okay." Aelonen nodded, though he looked a little reluctant to leave. Turning toward Kelvin, he smiled. "My friend, we’ll meet again in the future!"

Kelvin nodded and patted his shoulder.

"I hope you’ll come for the competition, my friend."

Aelonen smiled.

"I’ll be sure to be there. Hopefully, my sister will come too."

Kelvin then turned toward Chris, his expression becoming slightly awkward.

"This... Big Brother Chris... does that make you my brother-in-law now?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? He’s my brother-in-law!" Aelonen widened his eyes and looked at Kelvin in confusion.

Kelvin’s expression became even more awkward as he glanced between the two of them.

"But... he and my sister..."

Chris shook his head and patted Kelvin’s shoulder.

"Don’t overthink it. Your sister and I are just friends, at least for now."

Kelvin caught the underlying meaning and nodded. He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but decided not to ask any further.

"Then I wish you both a safe journey. It was a pleasure meeting you, Big Brother Chris."

Chris smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine."

He extended his Beast Pouch.

"Azreon!"

*ROAR!*

Azreon flew out of the pouch before rapidly enlarging. Within moments, he stood before them at the same size he had used before his last evolution.

Chris had already instructed him to maintain this size whenever he was outside the Beast Pouch. He wanted to keep a low profile while traveling through the Wilds and avoid attracting unnecessary attention from potential enemies. There was no reason to reveal Azreon’s full size unless it became necessary.

Grabbing Aelonen, Chris jumped onto the dragon’s back.

"Eh? Where is the saddle, Big Brother Chris?"

Chris slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about that."

"It must be because Azreon grew bigger," Aelonen deduced. He had noticed Azreon’s growth after they entered the dungeon, but still had no idea that the dragon had undergone another evolution afterward. What he was seeing now wasn’t even his full size.

"Yes." Chris nodded. "I’ll need to find another saddle."

"Well, he’s big enough that we don’t really need one." Aelonen shook his head. "And if you still want one, we can make it for you in Ael’Zoria. We elves are quite good at crafting weapons and equipment."

Chris nodded. "I’ll take you up on that offer, then."

Aelonen patted his chest confidently.

"Just leave it to me, Big Brother Chris. I promise you’ll be satisfied!"

Chris smiled before turning toward the dragon.

"Let’s go, Azreon."

*ROAR!*

Azreon spread his wings and launched himself into the sky with great speed. The people gathered below raised their hands and waved as the two disappeared into the distance.