A deathly silence filled the air. The guard that was previously laughing at the new group had exploded into meat paste and painted the wall behind him. The other on looking guards, amused by the show, felt a chill down their spines watching the display.
The guard that was currently painting their walls red was a mid level dream knight. He was sent to guard the gate as punishment for his mouthy and disrespectful attitude. Who would have thought he would mouth off to the wrong person out here in the sticks?
Hans, having done his young lady's bidding, took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his still clenched fist. His mood felt lighter after popping such trash to paste, as he scanned the fortress walls for someone 'reliable'.
As he searched, his eyes locked onto a particular demon wearing a badge, indicating his authority. The guard captain. Hans' mood dropped once again.
This lout was here the whole time watching his subordinate ridicule his young miss. Such lack of etiquette and disregard for guests made a vein pop up on the old demons temple.
"You." He pointed to the now trembling captain, his body now radiating an oppressive and dominating aura. The war demon on full display. "Roll your ass down here!"
Hannya jumped at the old demon's domineering attitude. She figured he'd do the job gracefully, displaying his power and superiority. Since when did he become a gangster? Seemingly lowering himself to the outer guards' demeanor.
The other thing that brought Hannya a fright was the speed in which he killed the guardsman. Hannya hadn't seen Hans move at all. From her perspective, he simply appeared in place of the laughing guard, surrounded by blood and flesh.
Such ability made her wonder if just training in Sweet Oasis would be better for her growth. But she quickly denied that thought, Baku was just as strong, if not stronger because of his arts. Arts Hannya's stat build would work perfectly with, especially now with her unique physique.
Baku also possessed something Hannya wanted to get her hands on, something that would help her constantly in the future.
The guard captain, a slightly heavy set night demon, hastily got to his knees and began to barrel roll down the stone steps, through the side door of the gates, and finally to the front of Hans, stopping a foot away with his head touching the bloody dirt below.
"H-he really did roll down..." Lily muttered in the back.
Hearing this, Hannya couldn't help but laugh. Such decisive and swift technique brightened her mood. She didn't care too much about getting ridiculed because she knew the demon would die anyways, wasn't that how she was supposed to handle issues? Such instances should always be thought of in the perspective of the future, however, it didn't mean her feelings were made of steel in the present.
She walked up and patted Hans on the back, since she couldn't reach his shoulder.
"Good work, Butler Hans." Hans nodded, staring down at the captain like he was an ant.
The other guardsmen on the wall were frozen in place watching all of this play out. The actions of their captain had shocked them. Hadn't he given in too easily? If they had banded together, they could have taken the old man down. The captain was cowardly, yes, but he was far stronger than the guard that had been killed.
But the cowardly guard captain did not feel the same way as his subordinates. He was much stronger than his men, so he knew. He knew he kicked an iron wall allowing Norman to mouth off to the nobles in front of him.
The second the old butler moved, he felt it. The sweeping, overwhelming, and oppressive power crashing against him. They were no ordinary liaisons. The butler's strength could possibly rival their fort lord's.
The captain's scalp tingled at the thought.
"H-how may I be of assistance, young lordess." The captain asked in a shaky voice.
The young devil smirked at the demon's submissiveness, it seems he recognizes the difference in power. Though she couldn't sense the specific difference yet, Hannya knew from the novel that Hans, the war demon, was ridiculed by Hellnias nobility as the stillborn devil. A demon with the strength to kill devils but none of the perks or abilities.
It was clear that he was one of the strongest demons in Hellnia.
Hannya squatted down and patted the captain's face like a gangster.
"I wanna see your boss Baku, arrange it for me." Hannya said simply, she'd long since deactivated her elegance. Since it was pointless right now, she might as well swagger in like this.
The captain vigorously nodded. Without another word, he turned and dashed into the gates at lightning speed. After some time a new demon appeared, this one was slightly gaunt, with bags under his eyes and his skin was gray, unlike the obsidian black of the night demons, or the basic red of the charm demons of this fortress.
The demon looked at a piece of paper in his hand, then at Hannya's group waiting. He nodded.
"Welcome, kind nobles…sigh…I am Sawyer, your guide for today…sigh…please follow me to your lodgings." An exhausted voice came from the gray demon.
Seeing the gray demon, Hannya's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
'Oh, he's not dead yet?' Hannya couldn't help but grin menacingly at the demon.
'Then I have more leverage in this conversation than I thought.' Her grin could only widen at the thought of ripping off Baku for everything he's worth.
Sawyer, while leading them inside, witnessed the young devil gazing at him, as if he were a treat, he couldn't help but shiver. Why were devils always so creepy with him?
He knew his gray skin was unique to people, and his features were quite handsome. But did that mean he had to be constantly pursued because of it? Sawyer shook his head, he decided to use his long honed skill 'tactful reminder'.
"Cough…as you all can see, The fort is still functioning at maximum capacity.*glance* The new mountains showing up are just minor issues and will be resolved within the next 5 years.*glance* In fact, my WIFE and I were planning on staying in the outer regions soon. It's so peaceful and harmless now, we thought it a good opportunity to take advantage of the fertile land. It will be hard work,*glance* but since we LOVE EACH OTHER, I think it will be worth the venture."
Hannya squinted her eyes at the strange way Sawyer was talking as he led them through the compact city streets. Currently it seemed like a ghost town, with just a few passerbys walking quickly from one building to the next. She guessed that was understandable, Hans was pretty rude earlier. She looked around casually casting blame on the old butler behind her.
Everything around them was made with convenience and utility. There were no flashy signs, no open areas for simply hanging out, like parks or ponds, just stacks and stacks of buildings with large uniform labels on them.
The style of the buildings were quite peculiar to Hannya, the description in the novel did a poor service in describing the architecture here. But when she saw it, it immediately reminded her of the museums she used to visit on school trips.
The museums explained that in the past, the ancient eastern demons in her old world would live in buildings resembling this. Wooden structures, with sliding doors and tiled or thatched roofs. Many of the buildings looked in such a way as she gazed up at the sloped city, hanging on the side of the mountain.
Hannya remembered one student referring to the ancient demons as 'oni' but the teacher had scolded the student, saying such a term was a slur.
She smiled and shrugged at the thought, who cared about bigots now? She looked around more curiously, eager to take in the new sights in front of her.
Sawyer, seeing Hannya shrug and lose interest, heaved a sigh of relief. City folk really do move on quickly. He glanced at Hans, who gave him an approving nod. It seems his tact was recognized and acknowledged.
He returned the knowing nod and proceeded to the lodgings.
Hans too, saw the focused gaze of the young miss earlier and worried the young shade demon's attractive appearance might have captivated her inexperienced maiden heart. His thin build and long white hair was the type to be described in the prince stories written in the capital.
Though he knew Hannya did not indulge in such literature, he guessed such aesthetics had an effect on young maidens all the same. He was at a loss for how to approach such subjects. He was a war demon and a butler, those topics were outside of his area of expertise.
She was far too young to explore such avenues right now, even for a Luxuria.
But seeing the tactful wording and signalling by the young Sawyer have such an effect on the young lady, bringing her back down to reality, Hans couldn't help but respect such a responsible guide.
'A fellow practitioner, with such mastery as well!'
Hans decided to keep his eye on young Sawyer's future. A talent like that would go far in high society.
A few minutes later they arrived at their temporary lodgings, just outside the fortress castle.
Hans' face was dark at the choice of lodgings, not even within the quarters of the castle!? He looked over at Sawyer with a dangerous look. Had he mistaken his assessment of this kindred spirit?
Sawyer forced an apologetic smile.
"Sigh…apologies for the choice of lodgings, the fortress lord is expecting guests from the capital soon. The lord's estranged clan of Acedia and representatives of clan Superbia have sent a letter of their imminent arrival. On such short notice, the lord did not have time to arrange proper accommodations at this time. I ask for your understanding in all this."
Hans, finally understanding the shade demon's plight, nodded understandingly. They had indeed barged in unannounced. So this was only fair.
Sawyer then gave a charming smile towards Hannya, hoping to appease her as well with his appearance.
Hannya glanced at the smiling demon, wondering why he was smiling like that. Such a fake smile did nothing but fill her with disdain.
'Is he fucking with me?'
Was this one of those backhanded situations where they did actually have space and just wanted to humiliate her prestige by putting her in a back alley hotel?
She wasn't sure, he seemed genuine in his apology and explanation, but what's up with this cringey smile then?
She decided to leave it for now. She waved her hand.
"It's nothing, when can I see the fortress lord?"
Seeing Hannya not bothered by the accommodations, Sawyer sighed in relief. He ignored the warning gaze of Hans and answered the young miss gently.
"The fortress lord should be able to see you in a few more hours, we just have to make the necessary arrangements for your esteemed lordess."
Hannya nodded.
"Very well, Sawyer, I thank you for the guidance."
"Of course, and welcome to the Hazy Mountains, Miss Hannya."
With that, Sawyer gave a small bow and left the room, closing the sliding door with a soft thud.
Hannya looked around the room, it was simplistic in nature, but very cozy looking. There was a small table low to the ground surrounded by cushions in the middle of the room. A bizarre choice of seating in Hannya's opinion. Wouldn't it eventually hurt your back sitting like that?
The walls seemed thin, and the doors were made of a thick paperlike material. Such designs brought back more memories of her middle school trip to the museum. A kid once said humans designed this style of buildings back in the dark ages. She remembered her and her classmates laughing at the kid, while the teacher just shook his head smiling.
Such an opinion sat in the same group as the belief in krampus at that age. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Now that she truly was in a fantasy world, wouldn't krampus really exist too?
She really liked this comfortable place. After all the fighting and traveling, being in such a cozy place to rest let Hannya's mind wander back to the realization she was living in her dream world now. She was so happy about the thought she unconsciously smiled thinking of all the theories and questions she could finally confirm and answer about this world.
Of course, her thoughts drifted back to her man, Vainglory. Now that she was at the Hazy mountains, she could begin phase one of her rescue preparations, and with the awakening of her unique physique, her plan had been modified to become even better.
On top of that, Sawyer still lived, yet another unexpected gain, modifying her plans further.
She giggled cutely, everything was going the way she wanted, better even.
'Soon..'
She knocked on the wooden table lightly, no need for flags here. She then turned to Hans, who was standing to the side, his face solemn and withered.
For some reason he seemed distressed about something. Hannya tilted her head at the butler's haggard appearance. What was his problem?
She turned to look at the three maids, who were preparing drinks and food in the kitchen. They seemed normal, well, sort of. Rose was chopping vegetables rather intensely, Lily was flaying some sort of meat with a small smile that didn't really seem like a smile, and Penelope was juicing what Hannya guessed to be oranges with her bare hands.
Hannya shook her head, she needed to teach that bumpkin hygiene at some point. Medieval people really were savage beasts.
She turned back to Hans.
"Hey, Hans?" She called out.
Hans, startled out of his thoughts, turned to Hannya. "Ah, yes, young miss?"
Hannya grinned. "Who do you think is stronger? You or that guy Sawyer?"
Hans' face darkened, while the commotion in the kitchen stopped. He knew it, the young miss' good mood was due to Sawyer's malicious use of butlery!
He respected his skillful use of 'tactful reminder' on their way here, a responsible action.
But he dared to use a forbidden art like 'smile of appeasement' knowing full well that his young lady's maiden heart was weak to such schemes?
A vein bulge on Hans' forehead.
'SCOUNDREL!'
"Woah what's your deal, can you beat him up or not?" Hannya, seeing the unhinged behavior of Hans, was startled by his building rage at the mention of Sawyer.
'Hmmm, maybe this lodging was a slap to the face?' If that was the case, she'll just have to act accordingly in the meeting later.
Hearing Hannya's question gave Hans' thoughts pause. His building rage transformed to confusion, then realization.
'That's right! Our young miss has a fate mutation!'
His demeanor of a humble and calm butler returned. He was a little embarrassed, it seems he'd misunderstood a few things. Since Hannya had a fate mutation, she most likely knew of the young Sawyers scheming and malevolent nature.
'So her infatuation was just an act! Waiting until the spy in our midst left!'
With a nod of acknowledgment, the old butler answered.
"It seems you're aware of the young shade demon's strength, indeed, his ability is a bit closer to mine than the others. They must have sent him as a deterrent rather than a hospitable guide, your 'observation' is quite astute young miss…."
Hans' face became thoughtful as he gauged their battle in his mind. His words earned a gasp from the charm demons in the kitchen area. They then lowered their heads in shame, they had assumed their young lady had fallen prey to the charms of the shade demon easily.
Was their faith in their lordess so brittle?
Hannya ignored the pitiful looks of the charm demons in the corner. She had no expertise in trauma responses, especially womens.
Such helpful skills were meager and male focused in her old world, she hoped they would heal the good old-fashioned way, woman style. Pushing it down and working overtime. As time goes on, the pain would simply just go away.
Hannya was a staunch believer of such a solution, it worked quite well for her, better even.
Hans continued. "...but if it were one against one….the young Sawyer would fall in 9 out of 10 bouts if my hands were tied, and my chi and mana sealed." The old butler said nonchalantly.
Hannya raised an eyebrow. "9 out of 10?" She questioned.
The old man answered. "The 1 out of 10 would be if he possesses abilities that nullified physical damage and outputted soul damage."
Hannya stared at Hans with incredulity. She asked 9 out of 10 wondering why he was so confident, not why he assumed he might lose once. She knew he was possibly the strongest demon in history, but was he that far ahead?
There were no fight scenes written about Hans in the novel, just mentions of his strength and rumors of his nickname.
He died trying to ascend using an unorthodox method told to him by a malicious nomadic devil. Who later used his soul fragments and blood to make a group of war imps to storm the beastkin realm. The imps alone were quite formidable against the protagonist in that area.
Gula never found out before her own death. She waited unwaveringly for Hans' successful return until the very end. A tragic ending.
She looked over at Hans once more and grinned. If he's really that strong, she had no reason to let him die so pitifully, right? Such a paw-alliance comrade should be cherished.
"Then it seems the talks with Baku will be in our favor then." Hannya pointed to the door where Sawyer left. "Because that guy was Baku's new vice commander."
Hans' eyes gleamed at the words, then he chuckled. He understood his young miss' meaning.
"A small matter, young miss. If that's the case, you can do as you please."