1 February 2048
Since your team has started expedition to explore and learn the wider world, there are usually two types of expedition. One is when you're exploring the wild to collect ingredients you need for the poison experiment. You also gather supplies if you came across some edible plants or animals.
Then the other type's purpose is when you're truly exploring the world. You would go to villages, observing demons closer by living along them. You wear a mask to cover your face and a long robes that entirely hid your figure to the toes. You also apply some spice to dominate your smell. It was said in the tablet that demon could spot human by their signature 'smell' even if you can't figure out what kind of smell it is when you're not sweating.
The expedition goes further as the time goes and eventually your current expedition will be hold to observing Capital. Yes, The Capital where the most intelligent demons live, nobles residing and so does The Queen and her army. This expedition is the most difficult you ever had and you have to carry it flawlessly.
Your team split up to two. Vincent, Zazie, Barbara and Cislo are going down to the streets and study the structures, traffics, and searching for any blind spot or path where they can't be seen by the guard. For realizing Norman's plan without disturbance, you are all need to remember the city by heart so you all can manage it well. While they are blending in the crowds, you and Norman will search for further information regarding one demon who was belong to the nobles. Norman found his name on a history book on your previous expedition on one village near the capital.
Lord Geelan, hundreds of years ago his bloodline was part of the nobles until their ruled land was suffering through the worst starvation during that period. Lord Geelan was said to be very fond of his demons and asked for a help from The Queen. However, her help wasn't enough so he stole two months worth of livestocks from an exclusive barn and distributed it to the whole district. He then got caught and The Queen gave him punishment to be thrown into banishment. She let his entire clan and his right hands or his most loyal followers regenerated into wild demons at West Forest.
What's interesting is, there's a rumor someone from his loyal followers who were also regenerated was spotted in one remote village. It was said that maybe Lord Geelan and his demon followers somehow able to get his hand on one of the freed human in the forest and got back their humanoid form. There was also a saying that they planned to take revenge to The Queen because of the unfair punishment. The gossip has been going for a month on every villages you went. Those villagers are that scared they even close their store earlier before the sun set.
"If this is true, and just if, we can make a deal with him, maybe we can get his clan as our ace card," said Norman.
The Lord and his demons are the perfect puzzle piece to Norman's mega plan, a demon power combined with human's brain. With their help, Norman can make sure no one on the your side will get hurt. Not even a scratch, if things go smooth as a silk. So you are searching for further information since the library in capital, supposedly, have many more useful books rather than the ones you read on the village.
While the two of you are going to your separate ways, you found some books which has connection to the banished Lord. The words in these books is different from your mother tongue since it was obviously written in demon language. To your advantage, Norman has learnt it during his days in Lambda by listening their everyday conversation. You don't really understand how is it possible, but he managed to do it somehow without anyone to teach him. People who was born genius is on totally different level, you guess and then he taught it to you so you can make out at least the gist of the sentences.
"Hello there."
You flinch when someone with a baritone voice, which clearly isn't Norman, is greeting you from your front. Behind your mask, you mentally slap yourself to not keep your cool before answer to a much taller demon across your seat.
"Hello," you answers quitely.
The demon wear a mask with three holes and wears a clean green robes down from his shoulder to his feet. His hair is let loose above his shoulders. There's history book in his hand.
"I'm sorry if I scared you. I just wonder, where do you come from? It looks like you were from outside the city," asked him.
You start to sweat and it's not because of the heat. "Yes ... I am."
He notices the unease in your tone and quickly apologize once again. "Oh, I apologize. Actually I'm curious because of the books you picked. There's barely any demon interested in history these days. I'm surprised even more someone your age is picking such heavy topics.
"My name is Alvie, I am a scholar and specially in history. May I take a seat?" He place a hand over his chest. This demon is really well mannered, the average ones in The Capital too, actually.
You actually don't want any demon be near you but you're not sure if you can't forbid him to. After all, in their eyes you maybe considered 'young' because of your much smaller figure. If being a rude young demon would get you an unwanted attention from other visitors, you better have only this one demon's attention.
"What are you reading?" asked him again.
You answered in a low voice, "Betrayal of ... Geelan's clan."
His hand movement to flip his book has stopped. "That is a really heavy topic."
"Yes, it is." You don't know what to answer.
"Why are you reading about it? Everyone is afraid of the clan and with the rumors going around."
"Because ..."
You stumbled upon your tongue, should you say you merely curious because of the topic? Acting as a child who questioning anything and no one care to answer?
You then look at the demon and you see his pensive eyes. An idea comes out.
He said that he was a scholar and mastering history, right?
"... All these thick books have the most complete record of history. Some are supposed to have more details than the other but—"
You rest your sleeve-covered hand at the top of the books. "—they are all have the exact description, from some same information, same sentences, same dictions and punctuations. It is repeated in all these books."
You're saying the truth. It's weird that all the books you have read are basically repeating the same sentences. That's also a reason why you and Norman couldn't find anything for the last two hours and Norman decided to search upstairs so the progress maybe a hopefully faster.
The demon doesn't answer a thing. You quoted from the text book, " 'The Lord stole livestocks from The Queen's barn and punished to be abandoned in the wild. His entire clan was regenerating into wild demon and his follower never showed up ever again, assumedly dead.'
"What do you think, Sir Alvie?" you asked him.
When he answered, his tone is not as nice as before. "Why you're curious? Most children are usually take the context raw."
You clench your hand behind the long sleeves. "Because, don't you think it's unfair for Lord Geelan's side?"
"How so?"
"A lord who got caught corrupting taxes until their fortune could feed their next seven generations and caused starvation to their own district is confined in jail for an ineffective year, may be some but still ineffective. But here, a lord who stole to help those who were starved to their death was exiled so he regenerated. Isn't abandonment is the cruelest type of punishment exist?"
You talked while staring right at his eyes the entire time. You said, "You thought it was also unfair, isn't it? You seems so excited, sir."
His mouth dragged up from side to side. You are now becoming his full interest. Something is doesn't sit right in the history books and you'll dig it through him.
He exclaimed, "I never thought finally there would be a demon who think the way you do."
This scholar knows something outside the books, your gut tells you.
He gestures you to come closer and you lean your upper body.
"You want to know the truth?"
You nod enthusiastically.
"Half of the description in these books are lies."
He told you the 'truth'.
The truth is, Lord Geelan never stole anything from The Queen's barn but he received help from wrong demons.
During that time, there was a girl who was really popular because her blood. They said she didn't need to eat any human to maintain her humanoid form no matter what she ate and she was also intelligent enough in par with those who got their hands on the most premium quality goods. Not only that, a demon who drank her blood also could maintain their form just like her.
However, The Queen and the nobles thought her and her followers as threats and labeled the girl 'The Evil Blooded Girl'. They then swayed the demons to think that drinking her blood is the same as drinking venom and they would be cursed too.
Lord Geelan also detest the girl at first. His thought changed when he saw the girl came to his territorial and helped his folks from starvation, at that time he realized the girl was not dangerous as what had been told. He asked for her help in secret but of course he couldn't hide that huge results on his territory forever. He got caught by The Queen and that's the real reason he and his entire clan and loyal followers were sent to be wild.
As for the girl, her clan and followers also confined then executed.
You are no longer have sweat below your bangs because you're scared of the demon. No, you're more eager to his explanation.
Especially about the girl. "Evil blooded girl who can maintain her form without eating human ... How could she?"
He shakes his head. "No one knows for sure. I assume she was one of abnormality who was only born even harder than 1 among 2 billion births."
If a demon like her is alive, they could messed up the plan Norman has thoroughly formed. Luckily you don't have to stress over it any more, their group has been wiped out for good.
You wondered, "But Sir, where do you learn about this? Isn't this topic should be strictly confidential?"
The demon gropes a pocket inside his robe and shows you some paper. Those are paintings.
"That's my late father with his Lord."
There's a picture of a demon you never seen before. Even so, you have seen the demon beside him multiple times before.
He is exactly look a like the picture of Lord Geelan you found on the books.
"I was originally from Lord Geelan's territory and my father was his loyal servant until he had gone missing in order to search the Lord and his clan on the West Forest," said Alvie.
That confirms your doubt whether Lord Geelan's abandonment is actually located. Almost all of the information in those books are deflected, all to keep the secrecy of this Evil Blooded Girl.
The Queen is so afraid of her. Why? You asked yourself.
She could've use this girl as a replacement for human farms, and sure, you still think the farm system is far from convenient. Or if demons are really want to eat human meat, they wouldn't use a huge investment to improve your intelligence with an costly premium farms. The girl could easily be every demon's savior so why?
Then you realize something.
A Queen is a ruler, isn't she? She is feared, respected, and adored by her subjects. When an abnormal girl appears to be the new savior, The Queen could be forgotten and not needed anymore.
She thought the girl as a threat.
You're totally drawn in your thoughts then suddenly Norman called you, "Y/N!"
Ah, that is your escape port.
"That's my brother. I have to go now, thank you for the information Sir Alvie. I assure you my lips will always remain silent for the topic. It's nice to meet you." You stand from your seat and carefully climb down from the chair.
"Yes, it's nice to meet a bright child like you too. I hope I can meet you again sometime."
Of course you will try to meet the demon again. You'll come again tomorrow and asked him to spill more information.
"I hope so," you said. You then walk over to Norman and you two leave the library to your hiding.
〰️
Luck is obviously on your side. You are going to the library the next day and find Alvie is sitting at the same spot from the previous day. He thought his feeling had told him he would meet you again soon, but didn't expect it would be this soon.
You told Norman you found something interesting yesterday, or rather, someone. For this reason, Norman is joining you in today's discussion.
"My father was a soldier and belong to a squadron but because his skill was, a bit lacking, he mostly worked on watch duty."
The land of Lord Geelan is named Evighet and located far into the west from The Capital. It is not a popular territory but fairly large than average. Demons there are mostly farmer and The Lord was known to be generous and wise, just as what the book have told.
Alvie point his finger on a spot in Evighet's map he found in the books. "Evighet is not that greatly developed but we have nice inns and bars there. Here was the soldier's favorite bar, on a perfect spot near the center of town and not too far from the castle. The place always has at least one soldier in it."
He adds, "They were guarding."
"Guarding what from what?"
"A secret passage."
You and Norman frown.
"I don't know about it for sure either ...."
He just heard it slipped from his father's lips once. If the abandoned lord hadn't completely lost his mind yet, he must be waited for his surviving loyal supporters at the end of the tunnel under the bar. A few number of people including Alvie's father were going to the there one night. They never come back and never seen around the bar ever again.
"Have you seen it, Sir? The secret passage?" asked Norman.
Alvie shakes his head. "The bar was closed right a night after they had lost and has been closing for some time until opening again a few years ago. If you ask the owner, the old gag will say that there's no one ever gone missing in his bar. Nobody knows about they are going there except for their respective family."
"You knew this from your father?"
His tone is getting sullen. "Yeah ... He left a message, saying he probably couldn't come back from a honorable duty. He told me to read his notes in his study that he had made to help my study because he know—knew I wanted to be a scholar."
You slightly raise your eyebrows behind your mask. You just spotted a new expression from a demon beside blood-lust or the disgusting hunger at the humans. This left you wonder whether demon is also capable of feeling emotions like human. Are the intelligence and physique not the only ones they have got?
As Norman thinks he has got enough of Lord Geelan's information, he asked another topic that has occupied his restless night. "About the Evil Blooded Girl, what else do you know? Is it not possible to find anything about her in the books?"
"It's impossible," answered Alvie without skipping a second.
"As the story about her has been kept in secret for over centuries, now the story is almost becoming a myth. Only a very few people knew about her and they mostly are keeping their mouth shut for their own and their family's sake."
The girl was like an ordinary demon girl. She born from both parents who have an intelligence and depended into human's meat to maintain their form. She was no royalty or nobility and she had grown in the countryside. Later, as the time goes she and the demons around her noticed that she didn't need to eat human for living. The news spread through the village and she made a name for herself. Then she started to share her blood to those who was in need. After her village was safe, she moved into another village to give more help and ended up at Evighet.
No one ever heard about her anymore ever since the mass execution. The demons, who didn't know the fact and brainwashed by The Queen and the nobles, scared of the topic of her and never talked about her and her supporters anymore. Time passed and she has long been forgotten.
〰️
"That demon was really helpful," you said.
Another day comes to an end. You and your teams have assembled in a cottage outside the town about twenty minutes walk. For safety measures, you and your team decided to not rent any inn because even the most secluded inn in the capital is too crowded for your liking.
This cottage is no longer used for there're a lot broken parts like a hole at the roof and broken door. But the place is enough to cover the seven of you. Besides, the size is actually large because demon is usually taller and bigger than human.
You drop the gun and sword you held the entire day and stretch your shoulders a little. You groan a bit when you roll a pivot-join between your shoulders and your hands. It's not a pleasure massage but it helps you relax to the best you can afford at the time.
"We are really lucky to have you met him by coincident," said Norman.
"You said he spoke sadly about his father? Ha! I tell ya, he might crying if his father was actually eaten by his so mighty lord."
"True, it will be so funny to see them eating their own kind. What a show!"
You can't find anything funny but disturbed by their words. One word is enough to cut them off. "Guys!"
The room fall into silence as they are looking to your annoyed expression.
"Joking about a relative being eaten is ... not that funny." As you speak, your voice becomes lower until your last word is sounded like a grunt.
Cislo and Barbara doesn't dare to meet your eyes afterwards and Vincent has to pretend a cough so the awkward intensity can be cracked.
He said, "They were actually right ... for some reasons. According to what we have collected, a wild demon is classified as one because they lost their ability to logic and comprehend their surroundings. Their main interest is to eat to make a living. They bite anything they could smell as food and compete against each other over a territory. That's likely the reason why those demons were never coming back."
"And that's something we can't let aside," added Norman.
He pull his robe off. "We don't know what will happen if a wild demon eat the one with intelligence. If it works as if it's with human, most likely Lord Geeland, his clan, and his followers are currently in humanoid form. We might talk to him in that circumstances."
"But—boss...." You tongue almost slipped to call Norman's real name. "Are you 100% sure his words are trustworthy? He sounded sincere and honest but he could've made it up. There's no book could support him."
"Then I ask you, do you think he is trustworthy?" Norman turns back your question.
Your mouth sealed shut.
"You do, that's why you bring me to him today."
"I have a feeling he might be a great use ... but I still doubt it."
"Then I guess you're more into 'sure' this time."
Norman picks the map that was drawn by the rest of the team. It's already covering 2/3 of the city. They can finish this at the end of the week.
"There's only one way to prove if he is lying. We should check it by ourselves," said Norman.
Your team have a massive change of plan that night.
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Hello there!
I hope you enjoy this update as well, I'm sorry for the wait.
I actually wondering about one thing.
Do you readers will be okay if I include some sexual element to the story or not? I know have put a mature warning first to prepare for the worst occasion possible for the plot but if you think sexual scenes are not that important or out of place for this story, I won't go into details or completely remove them.
Those are not something really necessary though, only to emphasize a few points about the relationships between the character or to spice some chapters up 😂
At this rate, a relaxing, fluffy chapter is what this story need after these hectic serious chapters for the Lambda arc.
Please take a note: I'll only write the sexual theme AFTER another time-skip so they will be much mature than the original manga or anime.
And yeah, the reunion will take place really soon.
I guess that's it for this chapter. I'll wait for your answer~
See you next chapter ~