When Theo asked the question, Jack halted in his steps, and his shoulders seemed to tense.
His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Nyx and Theo, who were just behind him.
A frown briefly crossed Nyx's delicate features. Now that she thought about it, the only thing Jack had told them was that he had met Nox in Snowhelm and that they'd had quite the adventure together.
He had claimed that they were close friends and nothing more. He never said where he came from or what he did.
Because of how instrumental he had been in their escape—and not wanting to appear rude—most of the students, including Bridget, had avoided this topic like a plague.
However, now that he seemed to show so much knowledge about the demons, their curiosity was piqued once more.
"Well, I'm obviously from the Human Continent, as you can see," Jack said, continuing forward.
"We know that," came Nyx's cold, indifferent voice from the back.
"My home is a bit complicated," he said, not finding her tone offensive in the slightest. "Even if I mention it, I'm certain you'll be confused."
"I come from a small place close to the Imperial Kingdom... You can't really say we're part of the Empire, but we live nearby. It's the only kingdom I can use to describe where I'm from."
Theo fell into deep thought. He was very knowledgeable and knew most of the kingdoms in the Human Domain. He had often traveled with his father, Boris Fanum, to visit the other Adventurer Guild branches.
He had even visited Imperia before.
It was an island kingdom said to be the strongest in the Human Domain, housing several Expert-ranked existences in their military alone.
Their emperor was said to be the strongest human alive since Arthur Ainsworth's disappearance.
A frown appeared on Theo's face. 'Could it be a settlement I don't know about?'
"Imperia… if I remember correctly, the Vermilion Kingdom doesn't have any bad blood with them. Were you sent by them to help us?" Nyx asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
Imperia was strong—it was a known fact. If they had truly sent Jack to help, maybe they'd have an easier time dealing with the invasion.
Jack chuckled and replied, "I wasn't sent by them."
Those words shattered the small hope in Nyx's heart.
Every single day, she wondered how her grandfather, mother, and the rest of the people in the barony were faring against the attacks.
She wondered about Nox.
Would he ever return?
It was a foolish hope—she knew that. Months had passed, and the kingdom had only gotten worse. The demons grew bolder, becoming more powerful.
'Stupid bastard… If you're alive, then come back already. Why do you always have to disappear when I need you most?'
Nyx sniffed and stopped the tear that almost slid down her cheek. She couldn't afford to let anyone see her crying.
She came from a confident, powerful, and prideful warrior race. She wouldn't show any sign of weakness.
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her dagger. Her steps quickened.
Meanwhile, Theo narrowed his eyes.
He didn't like how vague Jack was being, but now wasn't the time to pick fights. They had a mission.
"We'll be out in five minutes at this pace," Jack muttered ahead, his grip on his odachi tightening.
'Are you going to tell them that you're currently hiding from your father?' a voice suddenly echoed in Jack's mind.
Jack's face twisted into a sneer. 'Of course not, smartass. Don't you know that'll raise even more questions?'
Some time later, they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Everyone, be careful from here on. Demons are everywhere," Jack warned with a serious voice.
Meanwhile, Above Ground…
The two gargoyle-like demons remained frozen mid-motion.
Thick ice, pulsing with sinister blue light, had crept all the way up their shoulders. Their weapons had shattered, their limbs wouldn't budge, and their fear was so strong you could practically smell it in the air.
Nox stepped forward casually. His expression was unreadable, but the glint in his eyes was enough to make grown monsters shiver.
"What happened to this kingdom in the last two months—and who is the one in charge of this invasion?" he asked calmly.
"We… We don't know," the second demon, who appeared more frightening, stuttered.
"We're just low-level demons that recently arrived. All we were told to do was capture any human roaming around."
A frown appeared on Nox's face. He didn't need a lie detection skill to know they were telling the truth.
He had been to the Demonic Dimension, after all, and knew that lower demons like these were treated as disposable trash.
They probably thought it wasn't important for them to know—as long as they got the job done, he deduced. But there was still one piece of information he wanted.
He had a hunch they'd know this much, since they came from that direction.
"How many of you are stationed at the bridge?"
The first demon growled. "As if I'd—!"
The ice suddenly jumped to his neck, forming a jagged spike right beneath his chin.
"I don't need both of you to talk," Nox said. "Keep testing me."
The second demon didn't hesitate.
"Th-The bridge is under General Vom! He's a high demon—Ranked Level 95! There are… at least two hundred troops stationed there, with more arriving by the hour! Please—I've told you everything!"
Nox stared into his eyes for a moment, then waved his hand.
The demon's head twisted backward with a sickening crunch as a spike of ice burst through his throat.
"You lived too long," Nox muttered.
The other demon began to scream in rage, but his voice was quickly cut off as Glacier's End materialized beside him, floating in the air like a divine judgment blade. With one precise motion, it sliced through the demon's frozen neck cleanly.
Without a moment of hesitation, Nox sent a mental link to his two pets.
"Regroup with me in front of the bridge—"
Even before he could finish the sentence, Drake's voice sounded in his head.
"Master, we found a survivor—and from the look of things… they hold valuable information."