Chapter 54: Demonic Artifact (4) - Finishing the Mission

Chapter 54: Demonic Artifact (4) - Finishing the Mission The attributes Damian had gained from absorbing the serpent lady in the ruins were game-changers. He was much stronger now, and fighting low-ranked demons was almost effortless. Lindy had been worried before—afraid that even the weaker demons might be too much for her assistant. That was why she hadn’t wanted to use the necklace to draw attention from the demon they were hunting. But after seeing Damian tear through enemies—using nothing but raw physical strength—her mind eased. During the fight, she called out, "I didn’t know you were this strong. What are you hiding?" Damian was punching and kicking through demons like a madman, most of them dying from a single blow. "What do you mean?" he asked, right before grabbing a massive rock and hurling it—crushing four demons at once. "You’re a new recruit, yet you’re stronger and know more than most recruits. What’s your secret?" Lindy pressed. She had already been shocked at his knowledge of the demon language—something rare enough—but his strength in combat was another matter entirely. That was unheard of. "I’m not that strong. These demons are just weak," Damian said. "Focus on the fight. One mistake could get us killed." Lindy didn’t push further. She could tell he wasn’t in the mood to share his secrets—and this wasn’t the time to press him either. Their focus stayed on the fight. As the waves of demons kept coming, Damian started to tire. Lindy, on the other hand, looked fine—expected, since she was far stronger than him. Eventually, the attacks stopped. The forest went quiet. The number of demons had its limit. But the one they were searching for still hadn’t appeared. Catching his breath, Damian scanned the trees. His imagination began to play tricks on him—shapes in the shadows, creatures lurking just out of sight. The real demon could appear at any moment. Then Lindy broke the silence. "The demon is coming," she said. "I can feel its power. It’s an A-rank. Hide, and let me deal with it." Damian obeyed. He ducked behind a thick tree. It wasn’t enough to truly hide—if the demon wanted him, it would find him—but at least he was out of the way of the main fight. And he knew one thing for certain: the demon’s attention would go straight to Lindy, because she was holding the necklace. The demon appeared—and it wasn’t what Damian or Lindy expected. It looked like an old man, short and skinny. At first glance, no one would have guessed it was a demon at all. That was how flawless its disguise was. As soon as it arrived, the demon began suppressing its aura. Lindy couldn’t sense a thing, even while standing right in front of it. That could only mean one thing: it was stronger than she had anticipated. "Well, what do we have here?" the old man said. "Did you lure me with the necklace?" Lindy stood ready to fight, though a knot of worry formed deep down now that she was facing it in person. "Yes, I did," she said. "So, what now? Are you going to fight me for it?" The demon chuckled. "I wasn’t here for the necklace. I had other business in the region. Pure coincidence." "Do you really think I’ll buy that?" Lindy shot back. "And do you really think I couldn’t walk through that mansion’s defenses and take the necklace from that pitiful family?" the demon sneered. "Look, I can see you’re a capable hunter. If we fight, both of us lose. So let’s avoid that." It was an S-rank demon. Lindy had the power to stand against one, but that didn’t guarantee victory—or survival. Both of them would bleed. It wasn’t worth the risk. An S-rank wasn’t reckless or stupid. "But if you walk away, the necklace will remain in this rogue state, and the family that hired me won’t accept that," Lindy said. "I know, sweetheart. But don’t worry—I’m leaving now and won’t return. Tell the family you killed me. Makes no difference to me." Damian was watching everything from afar. The demon knew he was there. In fact, the demon even called him out. "Come out and speak with me." The demon called, but Damian didn’t move. Lindy noticed the demon’s irritation and said, "Come here. Everything is fine." Damian obeyed. He slowly walked toward them. Once he was close to the demon, he realized something. That demon looked familiar. That’s when his mind clicked. "I saw this demon in Leo’s café during one of the meetings!" Damian thought. The demon also recognized him, but said nothing. All the demons connected to Leo knew Damian was inside the academy on a mission. "I’ll take my leave," the demon said, his gaze on Lindy, "forget that you saw me here." "Maybe that’s why he’s willing to let us go so easily? He doesn’t want to interfere with my mission," Damian thought. That, or the demon had its own business in the region. Was it really a coincidence Damian found him there, or was there something more to it? Either way, the demon only glanced at him for a moment before turning away, vanishing into the forest. It moved so fast that the necklace returned to normal in less than a minute—which meant the demon was already far from it. Lindy finally relaxed. "That was too close. The demon was much stronger than I expected. Honestly, I think it might even be stronger than me." Damian believed her. The demons he had seen at Leo’s meeting were all like that—powerful, each one a chief of its own region. They weren’t the kind of demons hunters usually fought. Most high-ranking demons never even showed themselves. They stayed in the shadows, pulling the strings. "Do you think the demon was telling the truth?" Damian asked. "That he wasn’t here for the necklace, but for something else?" "I mean, what can we do about it? If we fought, the chances of us losing were way too high. We’ll have to take his word for it and hope it’s true." "Yeah. Agreed." "Let’s return and give them the good news." Damian glanced at the demon corpses scattered across the ground. So many wasted... he clenched his fists, wishing he could absorb them all. As they passed by a thick oak, he casually raked his Beast Claws across its bark, marking the spot for later. Back at the mansion, Lindy handed the necklace to the young heir. "It’s done," she said. "Now, about the money?" For the first time, the man smiled. "Of course. Give me a moment." A notification buzzed on Lindy’s phone seconds later. The transfer was complete—and the amount was nothing short of impressive. "Well then," she said, pocketing the device, "we’ll be on our way." Mission over, money secured. That was all she needed. But Damian’s mind was elsewhere. "Maybe we can stay one more night?" he suggested. "Rest up before heading back. You know things won’t be great at the academy once we return. I’d just... like to enjoy one more peaceful night." Lindy hesitated, but his words struck a chord. She could already imagine the storm waiting for them back at the academy. "You have a point," she admitted. "Our lives will be a living hell once we’re back. One more night won’t hurt." Damian exhaled, hiding his grin. Perfect. The young heir was delighted by their decision to stay another night. "I’ll prepare a dinner you won’t forget," he said eagerly. "Please, enjoy everything my mansion has to offer—the pools, the saunas, anything you wish." It was like a different man stood before them. The constant shadow of fear that had weighed on him—the dread of a demon storming his home for the necklace—was gone. With that threat lifted, he seemed years younger, even cheerful. Damian and Lindy took full advantage of their free day. The pools were a highlight; after days of fighting and trekking through oppressive heat, the cool water was a welcome relief. They floated in quiet for a while, basking in the calm. Eventually, Lindy glanced at him, her curiosity finally spilling out. "You really aren’t going to tell me, are you?" she asked. "How a new recruit can fight like that. You’re... too mysterious, Damian." Damian leaned back against the pool’s edge, droplets of water sliding down his face as he smirked faintly. "I’d rather not tell you," he said. "Let’s keep it that way. We both have secrets, right?" Lindy studied him for a moment, narrowing her eyes as if trying to read him. Then she sighed, half-amused, half-frustrated. "Fine. But one day, I’ll find out." * The young heir kept his promise. The dinner was marvelous, with a massive variety of foods to choose from. Damian did his best to make Lindy drink wine, hoping it would make her sleep like a rock through the night. She drank it, though he had no idea if it would actually work. Once everyone was asleep—or at least most of the people in the mansion—he slipped away.Leaving the mansion behind, he headed into the forest, straight to the place where they had fought the demon waves.