The Broken Halo

A few demons looked at them, but most looked away after sensing their auras. The missing hands drew some attention, but it was not enough to cause a scene. In the demon realm, missing hands were not rare.

Akaza and Sonya chose a table close to the wall.

A thin demon with yellowish skin and no hair approached them with a bored expression.

"What do you want?"

Akaza replied instantly.

"Food."

The demon stared at him.

Sonya covered her face slightly with her remaining hand.

Akaza looked at the demon and continued.

"Meat. Bread. Something strong to drink, but not strong enough to make us stupid."

The demon looked at Sonya.

"And you?"

"The same. Also, information."

The demon’s bored expression became slightly less bored.

"What kind of information?"

Sonya placed a few low-grade hell stones on the table.

"Basic information first. Vashar City. Its location. The kingdom it belongs to. Good healers. Recent rumors."

The demon looked at the hell stones, then at the two of them.

"Food first. Information after more payment."

Akaza raised a brow.

"You’re direct."

"I’m poor and tired of this life."

Akaza chuckled.

"I respect the honesty."

The demon left and returned a few minutes later with roasted meat, black bread, and two cups of dark red drink.

Akaza took one bite of the meat, and his expression improved immediately.

"This is good."

Sonya also took a small bite, then nodded slightly.

"It’s not bad."

"Not bad means good coming from you." Akaza said.

"Don’t get carried away."

Akaza smiled but said nothing.

The two ate quietly for a few minutes while listening to the conversations around them.

At first, most of the things they heard were useless.

A merchant was complaining about road taxes. A hunter was cursing a beast that had destroyed one of his traps. Two demons were arguing about whether the Kharzul Kingdom’s merchants were becoming too greedy. Another demon was telling a story about a woman who stole his purse and broke his nose on the same night.

Akaza leaned slightly toward Sonya and lowered his voice.

"This is not helpful. We’re just listening to a bunch of nonsense."

Sonya replied calmly.

"You talk a lot of nonsense too."

Akaza’s expression darkened.

"No, I don’t."

"That is debatable."

Akaza looked at her with a dark expression, but there was no anger in it. Before he could respond, the thin demon returned to their table.

"More payment."

Sonya placed more hell stones on the table.

The demon took them without hesitation.

"What do you want to know first?"

Sonya replied.

"Where exactly is Vashar City?"

The demon looked at her like the question was strange, but after glancing at the hell stones in his hand, he answered.

"Vashar City is a border trade city under the Darkness Kingdom. It sits on one of the trade routes between the Darkness Kingdom and the Kharzul Kingdom."

Akaza’s eyes flickered with confusion.

"Kharzul Kingdom?"

"A minor kingdom." The demon replied. "They call themselves independent, but everybody knows they are under the Darkness Kingdom. They pay tribute, follow orders when it matters, and survive because the Darkness Kingdom allows them to survive."

Sonya’s expression became thoughtful.

"So Vashar is not part of Kharzul."

"No. It belongs to the Darkness Kingdom. But because of its position, Kharzul merchants, hunters, and minor nobles pass through here often."

Akaza nodded slowly.

"So this place is important because of trade."

"Yes. Goods from both sides pass through here. Beast materials, ores, medicine, slaves, food, weapons, information, and things that are better not said aloud."

The demon paused, then added.

"Vashar is not a grand city, but it is useful. Useful cities attract all sorts of demons."

Sonya glanced around.

That made sense.

Vashar was not magnificent like a main city of a powerful kingdom, but it had the kind of value that came from location.

Akaza asked the next question.

"Does the Shadowgrave Clan have influence here?"

The thin demon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"That’s a strange question."

Akaza’s gaze remained calm.

"A lot of questions are strange. That doesn’t mean they don’t have answers."

The demon looked at him for a few seconds, then shrugged. Though the Shadowgrave Clan was a powerful clan, many demons usually tried to find ways to contact the Shadowgrave Clan.

He assumed that Akaza and Sonya were no different.

"Not openly. This is Darkness Kingdom territory. No main clan moves openly here without reason. But hidden influence? Maybe. Powerful clans always have eyes in trade cities."

Sonya nodded slightly.

That was not a comforting answer, but it was not unexpected either.

"What about healers?" She asked.

The demon glanced at their missing hands.

"You need limb restoration."

Akaza did not bother denying it.

"Can it be done here?"

"Yes."

Akaza and Sonya’s gazes sharpened slightly.

The demon continued.

"There are several healers in Vashar. Most can close wounds, remove poison, set bones, and sew flesh. But if you want limbs restored properly, there is only one name worth knowing."

Sonya asked.

"Who?"

"Master Avarn."

Akaza repeated the name softly.

"Master Avarn."

The demon nodded.

"He is the best healer in Vashar City. If you still have the severed limb and it has not decayed too badly, he can reattach it. If you do not have the limb, he can regrow it, but that costs much more."

Akaza’s eyes brightened slightly.

Sonya remained calmer.

"How much?"

The demon looked at their wrapped stumps.

"For reattachment, a few hundred hell stones depending on the condition of the limb and the injury. For full regrowth, over a thousand. Maybe more if the bloodline is difficult."

Akaza almost cursed.

"Over a thousand hell stones for one hand?"

The demon looked at him calmly.

"Do you want a cheap hand that rots after three days?"

Akaza closed his mouth.

Sonya’s lips curled slightly, but she did not mock him.

"Who is Master Avarn connected to? Who are his backers?" She asked.

The demon glanced at her, then he answered.

"Master Avarn works with the Black Lantern Hall in Vashar City. They are a medicine and merchant hall. Strong, rich, and not the kind of demons ordinary people offend."

The demon placed his hands on the counter and looked at Sonya and Akaza.

"Anything else?"

Sonya was about to speak, but a conversation from a nearby table entered her ears.

"...I’m telling you, beams of light pierced the sky."