Reincarnated As A Dragon Vol. 2: The Evil Lurking (Old)

Chapter 1: Disturbance

When a demon dies, they turn into black smoke that disperses into thin air that will slowly spread around the world. This ash is somewhat magical, as it moves semi-consciously. It's not limited by the slow speed of diffusion, as it focuses on being able to spread in all directions. If you release helium gas in the air, it would take weeks or maybe months to spread through the atmosphere, but for this demonic smoke, it only takes a few
But in a week, it will disappear and transform into the gas around it.

This is a trait that demons are born with. It is obtained because of a great chemist and magician demon who injected the change in genes so that others could smell the death of that demon, preventing assassination inside the country. The more powerful the demon, the more powerful the smell of a single molecule is. Because of this, powerful demons that died outside of Rushya will be sensed.

Firaun is considered a powerful demon by normal standards as he is the nation's most reliable spy, but in the upper caste and authorities of demonkind, he would be the low of the spectrum. And that is why it took so long for enough smoke molecules to reach a certain demon's abode; long enough that the molecules were hours away from being assimilated into clean air.

This demon is one of the most outstanding scientists the demon race can currently give.

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I sense... something. A disturbance. Something that isn't what we thought was going to happen. It isn't any kind of sense. It's more of an intuitive or instinctive sense. 

Something's not right. And I intend to find what it is.

The first thing I did was check around the laboratory for any mishaps, but everything was operating like normal. I checked my coworkers' well-being, and they said that they were all fine. But something is still lingering in the air.

The air... Oh! The air!

I quickly prepared every experiment I learnt or invented. I started from the most urgent kind to the minor ones. 

"Hmmm... the poison gas reaction is not reacting... I guess that's good... How about the others-"

All of them didn't have alarming results, except for one vial. The demon's death observer, we call it.

Someone's been killed? Who is it?

I took a whiff, but then something came over me as I dropped to my knees at the smell and my view started to blur. When I was back to normal, I took an audible deep breath and checked that the vial was still in my hand. 

It's a high-ranked demon! I need to report this! I need to know what happened.

Before leaving to give the results to the higher-ups, I took a few tools of my own that can be useful. 

It only took half a minute for me to run to my senior's office. Long story short, she said that she doesn't know what to do with it and that I should go to the king's stronghold to report this instead since the death of a high-ranked demon could be a national concern. Fortunately, we work in a lab in the vicinity of the stronghold.

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"Identify yourself and state your business!" A guard said, blocking the door while trying to intimidate me with his aura. Everything about him is normal other than he has six eyes. Three on the left of his nose and three on the right.

"My name is Lara and I came here to report something urgent from the lab. I'm the lead chemist there," I replied swiftly.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in as you don't have a rank high enough to," He said. 

This damn country and its meritocracy! I angrily thought.

But he continued, "But I can call someone to escort the report if it's urgent enough. Tell me what happened."

I pulled out the closed vial as he raised an eyebrow. When I opened the vial, we both started to slump a little but he managed to keep standing while I went on my knees.

"Firaun..." I heard him mumble.

Isn't that this country's greatest spy?!

The guard then pulled up a crystal and whispered into it. In a few seconds, a person came out. He looks like a man, but his skin is all grey and his eyes are fully amethyst purple. His hair is a shining silver. He is wearing a white kimono-like buttoned shirt with dark grey cloud patterns.

I was shocked for a few seconds. His eyes are stunning and greatly calming as the fatigue I got from smelling the solution wore off fully. What is this... Aura? It's not even magical! It's like he calms everything around him...

"Good afternoon, madam. I'm so happy to see that the lab has given us news, may I check what that vial is in your hand?" He softly asked. I was so relaxed that I barely thought about it as I calmly gave him the vial.

He only took a look, not even smelling it, but he came to the same conclusion as the guard. "Oh? Is this Firaun's ash? How unfortunate. He must've been really careless and overconfident. He is prone to underestimating people."

That confirmed it for me. A high-caste demon has died in another country.

"Zhero, we need to tell our king about this. It's ok to abandon your post for a few minutes. This is urgent," he said to the guard before turning to me. "I thank you, young lady. I'll make sure this goes to your records." 

Only when he closed the door did I fully come back to myself as I became my tense self again. I took a look at my other hand, the one that wasn't holding the vial. It did it! My device did work!

For the past few weeks, I've been developing an invention that combines both the mystery of magic and the prowess of technology. Inserting this special white earplug would allow me to listen in to the microphone that's sticking on a person I mentally told it to target and stuck on, which was the guard I just met named Zhero.

Now that I can listen in on top-secret matters, I can accurately gain information about the world outside.

As I started to walk back to the lab, I heard a sentence in my left ear, where I put the earplug.

"(Zhero, I did expect that Firaun will die in one of his missions, but I've never thought it would be in a place like Altidore.)" The voice was identical to the amethyst-eyed person I met.

"(Can't say I disagree. That country doesn't have much knowledge nor the ability to go against us demons. It must've taken someone very powerful for their standards to defeat him.)" Said the guard.

"(Yes, but we didn't send him to a place that has a history of anyone powerful visiting it.)"

"(This is very peculiar, but for now, we must inform o-r -a--st-y -bo--")

The voices suddenly started to get distorted before tuning out completely.

But I've heard enough. I slowly started smiling. What can be happening out there? Are the gears of the world changing? Will something different happen after all?