Chapter 5: Journey (2)

“You still haven’t found that girl yet? Still?!”

Mitae was seething with rage, directing it at his assembled peace officers.

“She’s just a mere demon! A hundred peace officers of the empire are looking for her, and you still can’t find her? Does that make any sense to anyone here?”

But no matter how much he shouted, it didn’t make the officers faster or sharpen their sight.

The target was a mage. One who had even opened a dimensional portal to escape. Of course, there were no tracks to follow—no footprints or traces left behind. How could anyone expect them to track down such an opponent?

Even if she was a novice, it would take a stroke of luck for a team of ordinary sword-wielding officers to find her so easily.

“Sir, it’s difficult to track her as the traces are mixed with those of others who escaped from the asylum.”

“Then kill them all. Leave no trace behind, kill everyone!”

If that were the plan, they should have fought with the overseers back at the asylum. The officers barely managed to suppress their bubbling frustration.

“What about the overseers?”

“They’re still struggling to handle the aftermath of the asylum’s collapse.”

“Incompetent fools!”

Mitae roared like a beast.

“She’s a threat comparable to the legends of three hundred years ago. We absolutely cannot let her escape!”

“But, sir… Isn’t she just a demon—”

“Do you still think that after seeing the explosive power of the mana stone?!”

Mitae’s desperation was completely unrestrained in front of the officers. Even those who had served him for a long time had never seen him lose control like this.

“Sir! We have a report of a significant lead!”

“Tell me!”

“There’s a solitary track, quite a distance from the asylum.”

The fact that it was so far away made it all the more convincing. Like a scholar realizing something, Mitae asked confidently.

“Location?”

“Heading towards the mountains. Judging by the direction, there’s likely something there.”

“…Send all our forces. Capture her. We must not let her escape!”

Without hesitation, Mitae gave the command.

“That’s all for the report! Surround that damned mountain and search everywhere! Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

With the command, countless officers mounted their horses, white cloaks billowing as they rode off. The sound of hooves echoed like a heartbeat.

Lera’s heart was already past its breaking point.

She ran blindly, following the map. Directions didn’t matter to her—north, south, east, west. The finely crafted hunter’s map allowed her to navigate easily just by comparing it to the surrounding terrain.

The problem was her own body. She’d lost count of how many times she had tripped and fallen. The food she received from the hunter tasted like dirt, yet her ravaged body devoured it as if it were a delicacy.

With only that meager food and her battered body, she continued climbing the mountain.

Once again, Lera stumbled and fell. She rolled down a small hill, accumulating yet another bruise. Fortunately, at the end of the hill lay a pile of leaves that cushioned her fall.

Coughing up dust, she slowly picked herself up.

I can’t keep falling and getting hurt like this…

Feeling her exhausted body reaching its limit, Lera let out a deep sigh.

But perhaps not all luck had abandoned her.

Right in front of her lay a small river. Staring at it blankly, she crawled over and dipped her hands into the water. She cupped her hands and drank, feeling the cool liquid spread a sense of relief through her body.

Her luck didn’t end there. Down the river, a single apple floated on the current towards her. Dazed, she picked it up and stared at it.

“…Demon King?”

Whispering his name, she took a bite. The sweet, fresh flesh of the apple filled her mouth, soothing both her body and mind.

“I’ll keep going. For my friends, my grandmother, and the people in the asylum…”

She washed her face in the river, lifting her head afterward. The clear water revealed her true appearance—a girl with beauty that shone like the sun, captivating anyone who looked at her. A face that drew one in like a blue hole, impossible to escape.

Not stopping there, Lera submerged herself fully in the river. Her clothes were soaked, but she felt the dirt and grime wash away.

Her body now clean, she inspected herself and realized her wounds were festering. It was like the pain one feels only when someone else points it out—a piercing, unbearable agony shot through her mind.

Yet she didn’t collapse there.

I still have time… my body can still move.

“Lera Jie squeezed the water from her wet clothes lightly and began running once more. Just how far could a human body, especially one as weakened as hers, really go?

When the body that she believed was still running had slowed to a walk, when her mind—pushed to keep going—

began to blur, and when the infection from untreated wounds spread through her body, raising her fever, she finally

succumbed. Exhaustion accumulated, and she found herself collapsing against a tree.

“Haa… haa… haa…” Her breaths were heavy, each one reflecting the limits of her failing body. Every part of her felt foreign, like a doll stitched together from flesh and blood rather than a whole, functioning being.

Lera Jie unfolded the map, tracing her finger along the path. Not much farther now. Just a little more, and she would

reach the hidden facility that the hunter had directed her to. Yet, no matter how much she willed herself forward, her

body would not move. The strength granted by the river water and apple had only provided enough for a brief sprint.

“Demon King… I can’t go on any longer…” she murmured, feeling the fever rising within from her infected wounds.

“Just a little further… just a little more, but… now…”

In the depths of his throne room, the Demon King reached toward a blue flame. Though he could never touch it, if

only he could rise from his throne, he might have been able to reach her. But he was trapped, held captive by the very

essence of his throne, unable to even tend to Lera Jie’s wounds with the godly powers he possessed. For him, the

distance to Lera Jie seemed both tantalizingly close and heartbreakingly out of reach.

Knowing this, the Demon King closed his eyes and leaned back into his throne, his voice a quiet plea. “Realm of demons, I beg of you. Don’t let her fall. One last time… let her find the strength to carry on.”

And then, by chance—pure coincidence, not a deliberate act by the Demon King, a spell from a magician, or a prank of the underworld—a single raindrop fell onto Lera Jie’s nose.

“…No… no…! Ah… aaaah… aaaargh!” she screamed, the pouring rain falling like a benediction over her. The rain would wash away any trace of her path, making pursuit impossible.

Watching the rain, Mitae could not contain his rage. His voice cracked with fury, a voice pushed beyond reason. “Hero! Why? Why do you spare her life?! It was clear just a moment ago! And now, of all times, it rains?!”

The entire enforcement squad halted in stunned silence. Even Mitae couldn’t argue against this twist of fate.

This rainfall was a blessing—a simple accident of nature that shielded the countless demons fleeing across the region.

And among them was Lera Jie. But for her, it was more than just a lucky escape from her pursuers. The chill of the

raindrops cooled her fevered body, and in that moment, she felt the last flicker of her life spark anew.

“Yes, that’s right. I can’t let it end here.”

She forced herself to her feet, staggering forward at first, then finding her balance, strength flowing up from her

thighs to her core. With each step, her body, fueled by new resolve, reclaimed its determination. Rain-soaked and

determined, she began running once again, this time toward the Demon King.

At last, following the map’s path, Lera Jie arrived at a cave. At first, she doubted if this was the hunter’s hidden

sanctuary. But as she ventured deeper, discovering a vast, concealed facility within, her doubts vanished. It was a

place of elegance, precision, and refinement, the likes of which she had never seen.

With a sense of accomplishment, she walked slowly into the heart of the facility. Room by room, she passed kitchens,

wardrobes, servants’ quarters, and even a private chamber seemingly prepared for someone of noble rank. Each step

filled her with confidence, a belief that this was her destination.

Here… the Demon King awaits. He had called her here.

She walked onward, deeper and deeper into the facility’s depths.”

Lerage gently squeezed out the wet clothes and began running once more.

What is the limit of the human body, of a person’s body?

At what point does the body that believed it was running suddenly start walking?

When even the mind that urged the body on grows faint.

When the infection from untreated wounds spreads throughout the body, raising a fever.

Every moment accumulated together, and at some point, Lerage leaned against a tree and sat down.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

The limit of a body that no longer even felt pain.

Her whole body felt like it wasn’t hers anymore, but a puppet made of flesh and veins.
Lerage unfolded the map.

There wasn’t much left. Just a little further, and the hidden facility the hunter had mentioned would be there.

But no matter how much she tried, her body wouldn’t move.

The strength given by the river and the apple had only been enough for a brief sprint.

“Demon King… I can’t go any further…”

Lerage mumbled, feeling the heat rising from the infection inside her body.

“Just a little more… just a little more, and I’ll be there… but now…”

The Demon King reached out toward the blue flame.

Though his hand couldn’t touch it from the throne, if he could rise from it, he would have reached it easily.
But he couldn’t rise.

The throne of consciousness held him captive.

From his throne in another dimension, Lerage was so clearly visible within the blue flames.

He had run endlessly under the hope of the Demon King.

But now, he had reached the limits of those limits and could go no further.

The Demon King wanted to help Lerage more than anyone, but with his divinity, he could not heal a single wound.

Leaning back in his throne, the Demon King closed his eyes.

“Demon Realm, I ask you.”

Do not fall.

For as long as you’ve believed in me and endured, just once more.

Please, once more, lend me your strength.

Then the next moment, something happened that was merely a coincidence.

Neither the Demon King, nor the magician, nor anyone from the Demon Realm was responsible for it.

It was simply a coincidence.

A single drop of rain fell on Lerage’s nose.

“…No…! No…! Ah… Aaaahhh… Aaahhhhhh!”

The rain fell.

The rainwater would wash away any traces of anyone who passed, making it impossible to track them.

Mita, looking at the rainy sky, screamed madly, as if losing her mind.

“Hero, why…! Why are you leaving that thing alive?! Hero, why?! Just a moment ago, the sky was clear, right? Then why, why is it raining now?!”

All the peacekeepers fell silent.

And Mita could no longer argue.

It was one chance to save the many demons fleeing throughout the region.

Naturally, Lerage was among them.

And for Lerage, it wasn’t just about shaking off her pursuers.

As she felt her body cooling under the cold rain, Lerage burned her life’s flame, for the last time, truly the last time.

“Yes, that’s right. It can’t end like this.”

She rose and stumbled as she walked.

Her legs, now finding balance, pushed strength into her thighs.

As balance returned, the strength from her thighs traveled to her abdomen.

Once the strength reached her abdomen, her body again hoped.

Lerage, drenched in rain, ran toward the Demon King once more.

Reaching the marked location on the map, Lerage found a cave.

At first, she doubted whether this was the correct place the hunter had mentioned, but upon discovering the hidden,

immense facility inside the cave, she immediately confirmed it was the right place.

The facility contained an elegance, neatness, and intricacy that Lerage had never seen in her life.

With the sense of achievement that she had reached the promised place, Lerage slowly walked into the facility.

It seemed that the facility had many rooms, as if it had been prepared for an important guest:

A kitchen, a wardrobe, the servants’ rooms, and even a special room for high-ranking visitors.

Each time she saw a new room inside the facility, Lerage’s certainty turned into belief.

The Demon King was here. The Demon King had called her here.

And deep within the facility, the very core of it all…