The Demon King… Never Far Away…

“Knock knock knock, knock knock knock.” Short and strong knocks echoed at the door.

“Who is it?” Hmm… it seems like a servant. Arianne’s mind was in chaos. Being disturbed was never very pleasant.

“Miss, I am the servant. The clothes you asked me to deliver yesterday have arrived.” Along with the knock, the servant called out.

The visitor was the same servant Arianne had commissioned yesterday.

Arianne had asked the servant to prepare her original set of clothes. She had arranged this the night before.

Arianne planned to leave the town before dawn, without letting Ken notice.

Arianne was determined to leave the town before Ken woke up.

The reason was simple.

She was, after all, on the run.

And the root of her flight—the Demon King—was very, very close.

It could even be said to be only a forest away.

Once the effects of the sleeping drug wore off, if the Demon King awakened, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After all, it was the Demon King.

Even a simple tracking magical device could reveal her location.

Therefore, she needed to find a device that could block magical tracking and hide herself in a place where the Demon King could never find her.

Ken was a prodigy who appeared only once in a hundred years.

He could grasp the principles of Arcane Fury in a very short time—a talent that was almost impossible to imagine.

Arianne had also been considered a genius in the past.

But it had taken her a year of grueling training to barely master the control of Arcane Fury.

If she remembered correctly, she fully mastered the Arcane Fury at the age of seventeen.

Through endless days and nights of intense practice, like a madman, she pushed herself to reach the Holy-level mastery.

Ken, at this rate, in less than three years, would be able to reach the level she had before her death.

He had told her that he wanted to improve his gunsmanship, which was why he had followed her.

Arianne could not allow her flight to become a burden to him.

She had to leave.

To ensure he could grow stronger under guidance, she had already written a recommendation letter to her alma mater, a Magic Martial Academy—Hergenworth.

“Before I die?” Ah… it seemed so. Arianne thought with some sadness.

“Um… alright, please wait a moment…” She rubbed her sleepy eyes and answered in a daze.

“Mm… wah.” She stretched and yawned. She felt almost fully awake now.

It was winter. The cold after the snow was terrifying.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself up from the warm, comfortable bed and sat on the edge.

She picked up her boots. Since she had no slippers, she used them as makeshift footwear.

With a creak, the door opened, and the servant appeared.

His dark green hair was neat. He wore a sharp servant uniform, and his face was fair.

Looking closely, he was actually quite handsome.

“What am I thinking!” Arianne thought in confusion.

She took the neatly folded clothes and thanked him.

“Thank you for coming in this cold weather to deliver my clothes.”

“You’re welcome. It’s my duty.” The servant replied politely, with a sly smile on his face.

Did she imagine it? Arianne thought. That smile didn’t seem right…

“Since there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” The servant said politely and closed the wooden door.

Once the servant left, Arianne was alone.

After all, the guest was a lady. It was best not to disturb her.

And she was still wearing a nightgown… quite careless.

Arianne secretly thought, this must have troubled him.

She had asked the servant to bring the clothes at dawn. It was winter, so asking someone to get up that early was indeed troublesome.

Unbeknownst to her, the servant had already been awake due to habit.

Despite the cold, the surprising thing was that the clothes were dry.

Not only that, someone had mended the cuts left by the robbers. Arianne felt grateful.

She put on the familiar clothes and folded the new clothes into the storage box.

She felt everything was ready.

After checking the letter, she found no issues with grammar or handwriting.

She placed the remaining gold coins on top of the letter. They were meant for Ken’s travel expenses.

It was more than enough.

She looked around the room. Her spear was standing in the corner.

Take it?… Hmm… never mind, she thought, leave it as a gift.

Arianne pricked her hand with a dagger. She used her blood to unlock the spear’s usage rights and placed it near the desk.

Then she felt at ease and left.

She walked down to the hall.

The winter night was biting cold.

Because it was early, the inn was mostly empty.

Only a few men who had gambled all night remained.

Others were either asleep at tables or had left.

Arianne walked to the counter and looked at the innkeeper.

She was lazily leaning on the table as usual.

But when she noticed Arianne enter, she suddenly stood up.

It was clear this was years of professional training.

“Please give me 20 dry breads. I’m going on a journey.” Arianne said politely.

“Miss, are you traveling again? Why not wait for your companion?” The innkeeper asked with some puzzlement.

She remembered that Arianne had come with someone before.

Now it seemed different.

“…No, I’m going alone. Please notify him to come to my room. I’ve left a note. I’ll leave first and meet him later.” Arianne replied.

She tried to be as polite as possible.

The innkeeper was still somewhat puzzled but decided not to interfere.

“Alright, miss. I will notify him.” The innkeeper said.

She used a small linen backpack and packed the bread for Arianne.

Arianne slung it over her shoulder.

“Thank you for packing my clothes and this bag. I really appreciate it.” Arianne said.

Then she quickly walked out of the inn.

She followed the street slowly toward the city gate.

The city gate looked like a giant.

Because of the snow, the black stone gate was covered and now appeared pure white.

It had a unique charm.

The sky was slightly bright.

Leicester City looked like a baby’s cradle—quiet and peaceful.

On the wide street, only Arianne walked alone.

There was no sign of the previous day’s Ice Festival festivities.

Perhaps she was uneasy with the environment or the cold.

She quickened her pace.

The massive gate grew closer. Arianne could even see the patterns on the bricks.

The snow had melted slightly, absorbing heat, which made the cold even sharper.

The cold wind cut across her cheeks like a sword.

Arianne shivered but did not stop.

The new journey—or rather, her escape—was about to begin.

Soon, she reached the city gate.

It seemed too early.

The gate was tightly shut. She could not pass immediately.

She looked around. Guards were stationed nearby.

She planned to ask them.

She knocked politely.

“Is anyone there? Could you open the city gate? I want to leave the city.” Arianne said.

With a click, the gate opened.

A large half-orc man appeared.

He was tall and strong, almost like he could crush the gate.

Fortunately, the gate was sturdy.

He squeezed out.

He had a tiger-like muscular build.

He was nearly human in appearance.

After all, Leicester had many half-orcs.

“I say, little girl. Why are you out so early in the cold? You don’t need to leave this early for a walk. And it’s still dark. It’s not safe, you know?” The half-orc said, slightly puzzled.

Few people tried to leave this early.

“Uncle, I have urgent matters! Please let me through!” Arianne said.

“Uncle… I’m only 25!” The half-orc thought indignantly.

“Ah… fine. Go ahead then.” He said.

He moved aside to open the gate.

As the chains turned, the gate slowly opened.

Outside was a pure white world.

A few evergreen plants stood out, preventing snow blindness.

It was beautiful, but the cold was harsh.

“I don’t know what’s with people recently. Someone else came to ask me to open the gate earlier too.” The half-orc murmured.

Arianne ignored him.

“Thank you!”

She sprinted out of the city gate.

Finally, she was out.

Her destination was the royal city.

Her second brother, Simon, was a creator of magical devices.

If she could get him to make a magic-blocking device, she could be safe.

Then she could live somewhere Lilith couldn’t find her.

Arianne thought of her two brothers with some discomfort.

She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on the past.

She had to focus on her path forward.

Unaware of her surroundings, Arianne did not notice the anomaly behind her.

A black six-pointed star rune appeared, emitting black smoke.

Even a knowledgeable mage would know this.

The black smoke was not ordinary—it was the magic of ancient runes.

In the world, fewer than a hundred people could comprehend this.

Most were ancient, immortal mages.

Or… the Demon King.

Buzz! The rune triggered an alarm.

Arianne reacted slowly.

She turned her head.

The black rune emitted terrifying black mist.

It was not mere smoke.

It was the magic unique to the ancient rune.

Within the circle stood a black-haired, black-clad girl.

Her face was breathtakingly beautiful.

Run! No matter how slow, Arianne knew who it was.

It was Lilith—the one she feared the most.

“Hu hu hu.” After running for a long time, Arianne felt her lungs burning.

But she could not stop.

Behind her was a Reaper.

Occasionally, she looked back.

Lilith was not chasing her, but walking slowly toward her.

Still, she could not catch up while Arianne ran.

Buzz! A loud noise startled Arianne.

She looked back and found Lilith almost within reach.

Her face held the smile of a cat toying with a mouse.

Even exhausted, Arianne ran faster.

Lilith walked calmly, watching her panic.

This repeated several times.

Arianne grew slower and began to feel dizzy.

Thud! She tripped over a tree root, exhausted.

She could not stand immediately.

She felt blood in her throat.

It tasted strangely sweet.

Lilith seemed bored.

She appeared beside Arianne.

They stared at each other in silence.

Suddenly, Lilith raised her hands.

She grabbed Arianne by the neck.

She lifted her as easily as holding a kitten.

Arianne had no leverage.

Lilith held her hands above her head.

Arianne struggled.

Her hands tried to pry open a little space.

But Lilith’s grip was like iron.

Her mouth gasped for air, but it was not enough.

Gradually, Arianne grew dizzy.

Tears welled in her eyes.

A clear fluid formed at the corner of her mouth.

Using all her strength, she shouted,

“Someone… save… me…!”

But lacking oxygen, her voice was distorted.

At the brink of passing out, Lilith suddenly threw her.

She hit the wall hard.

It was clearly a teleport to another place.

It felt like the dungeons of the Demon Castle.

The impact reopened her wounds.

Blood soaked her clothes.

Arianne’s face turned purple.

She knelt on the ground, gasping for air.