Frilian: The Adventure of the Hero

Chapter 88 Aura on the Throne (4/5 Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Poisoning water sources.

The worst-case scenario has occurred.

Downstream from this stream lies the main city of the Earl's Territory, which is also one of the most important water sources for the entire Earl's Territory. Dozens of villages of varying sizes are scattered along its course.

Xia En glanced back at the poor child who was still struggling and growling.

Once the curse spreads throughout the entire earldom, the consequences will be unimaginable.

No wonder we couldn't find a trace no matter how we investigated. It turns out that while the other side outwardly requested peace talks, they were secretly resorting to even more despicable tactics.

but.

Xia En's brows furrowed; he had a sense of unease.

This tactical approach, combining overt and covert maneuvers, is clearly not in line with [Aura's] style.

He turned to look at Frilian, who was also looking at him. The two did not exchange any words, but they already understood what the other was trying to say: things had become complicated.

Fortunately.

The soldier the Countess left behind before she departed played a crucial role at this time.

"I have already sent a message by carrier pigeon to the nearest outpost. They will immediately notify all nearby villages to thoroughly investigate water sources and temporarily adopt a centralized water collection method to reduce the villagers' panic. At the same time, I must rush back to the main city to report the situation here to the Earl and request the support of the [monks]."

"Adventurers, I'm afraid I can no longer assist you."

The soldiers' arrangements were fine; they were the best they could do at the moment.

After seeing the other party off.

Looking at the "cursed" child in front of him, Xia En was gripped by an unprecedented fear.

He clearly remembered that when Charles activated that magic spell, he injected some [black, twisted asphalt] into it. Since this evil thing could infect humans with curses, why didn't he, who was summoned from the magic circle, develop a [curse]?

Is it a matter of the number of contacts?

Or something else—a different problem?

After returning from the [Treasure Vault], by the campfire, he knew very well what the question Frillian hadn't finished asking meant.

Do immortal humans exist in this world?

He didn't know the answer.

Or rather, he was even a little afraid of knowing the answer.

In the depths of the dark forest, a faint blue flame suddenly appeared.

The firelight flickered and danced on a slender fingertip covered by a black velvet glove.

The owner of the fingertips leisurely twirled her fingers, and with her movements, the pale blue flames gradually illuminated her face.

It was a beautiful yet insane face.

A pair of thick, upward-curving pale yellow horns, fluffy, medium-length pinkish-purple hair, and neatly styled bangs hanging down. "Roar~~~"

Her hair was slightly curled inward at the front, with the sides falling naturally. She looked very well-behaved and cute, but her blue-purple eyes, with slightly upturned corners, were full of arrogance and disdain.

He is one of the legendary Demon King's strongest warriors, the Seven Sages of Collapse.

[Guillotine] Awula.

Aura was reclining on a large throne, one hand supporting his head, the other playing with the blue flame, his raised leg swaying slightly.

"Hooray~~ You mean those cowards hiding in the barrier agreed?" Her tone was full of excitement.

Beneath the high throne knelt a figure dressed in blue noble attire, none other than the demon [Liuguna] whom Shane had once seen in the forest outside the city.

Upon hearing Aura's question, Luguna did not look up directly at Aura. He bowed slightly, his attitude extremely humble and respectful. "Yes, sir, the other party has agreed to our request to meet and seems to be willing to have a proper talk."

"Oh."

Upon hearing Luguna's reply, the girl on the throne let out a short, low laugh.

"Whether it was a direct assault or a sneak attack, they fought back fiercely before. What's going on now?"

"After just a few months of feigning weakness, plus a few minor tricks, they changed their minds in just one day. Wasn't their previous resistance laughable?"

As she spoke, Aura turned her head and gave a small compliment to a shadowy figure beside the throne.

"【Glaosam】, your strategy is indeed effective. You truly deserve to be called the 'smartest' among us, hahaha~~"

There appeared to be a hidden figure in the shadows, but the person was wearing a gray hood, which covered them up so completely that nothing could be seen from a distance.

The shadow did not respond to Aura's praise.

Aura didn't seem to care whether the other party responded or not. She stood up on her own, raised her arm, and threw the flame from her fingertips forward.

In an instant, the ball of eerie blue flame split into several pieces and neatly fell into the hands of the puppets standing on either side.

Swah—

The dark forest brightened up a bit.

It can be clearly seen that behind the puppet holding the torch, there is an endless, densely packed group of headless soldiers.

It was Aura's most prized subordinate, the Undead Legion.

Aura curled into a cruel smile as she slowly descended the steps made of bones. As she walked, she stroked the suits of armor that passed by, as if caressing roadside flowers—these were the new puppets that Luguna had recently beheaded for her.

She liked it very much.

"Humans are indeed an extremely fragile species. Just a little bit of venom can turn hundreds or even thousands of people into puppets of the demon race. How interesting."

"Not bad, Luguna, your record satisfies me."

Liuguna nodded.

"As you wish, sir. When shall we enter the city?"

"Of course, the sooner the better."

"I absolutely love the [Count Granat's Mansion]! Look, it's such a beautiful palace, perfect as my toy house."

Aula's eyes looked beyond the mountains and forests towards the brightly lit city below the cliffs.

"I await news of your victory, Luguna. Take this city for me, and all humans and demons who pass through here will know of my, Aura's, exploits."

"Yes, sir."

Thud—

A silent, cracking sound came from behind Aura, and Luguna had vanished from the spot.

At the same time, the figure behind the shadow of the throne of Aura began to slowly melt away and disappear into the night.

"Aren't you going to stay and watch this grand performance?" Aura asked, trying to persuade them to stay.

The figure neither responded nor stopped moving.

"Forget it, there's no point in watching with a boring guy like you. I still prefer [Solidile], she would be so excited if she were here."

No one responded to her.

Behind Aura, there was nothing but emptiness; apart from the puppet soldiers, there was no other presence.

Her slender fingers gently stroked her cheek as she looked down at the city, her eyes gleaming with cruelty and madness.

"These are truly blissful days. There are no demons, the war is over. Right now, you're probably all thinking the same thing—"

"Ha, humans are really as easy to raise as livestock."