Kael narrowed his eyes at the beautiful demoness sitting across him.
"Lyria..." he muttered, his voice was thoughtful as he pondered about something.
"What about your clan name? Do you have one?"
Lyria hesitated for a moment, her red eyes cautious. "I can’t say that," she finally answered.
Kael scoffed. "Your choice, but I still need to know why you were here and how you ended up in this mess."
"Mind sharing me some details,"Kael gazed at Lyria sharply.
Lyria opened her mouth to answer, but the moment she tried to recall, her whole body shuddered violently. Her pupils shrank, and she gasped as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs.
She clutched her head, fingers tangling in her red hair and pulled out her hair like a madwoman who had finally lost it.
"YOOO! YOOO! What the hell is wrong with you?" Kael asked, watching her sudden panic.
Lyria’s breathing came out ragged as she spoke with a strong quiver.
"I... I can’t remember! Except for my name, I don’t know anything! My memories... They’re locked... or erased..." Her voice cracked, and a sharp pain stabbed through her skull like someone had bashed her head with a club.
She screamed in pain,"AAARGHHH!"
"CALM DOWN! CALM THE HELL DOWN!" Kael snapped, but her screams only grew louder.
"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?!" Lyria shouted back at Kael looking at his eyes wildly.
"I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM!"
Kael almost slipped hearing the screaming and shouted.
"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SCREAMING AS IF IT’S MY FAULT!"
The scream shook Lyria a bit as she calmed down and bit her lipsm
Kael let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples. "This might be a side effect. Just because you survived the ritual doesn’t mean it left you untouched. Your memories might come back in time if you recover properly."
Lyria’s trembling slowed, and she stared at Kael, baffled. "But... what should I do now?"
Kael scratched his head, clearly regretting every decision that led him to this moment. "You can until that and leave as a guest."
Lyria frowned hearing this.
"But I don’t want to freeload. I hate leeching off people."
"Enough!" he snapped. "Then just be my maid!"
"MAID?! WHAT?!" Lyria’s face twisted in horror, her cold demeanor cracking as anger surged through her. "HOW DARE YOU?!"
"Then what? Can you fight?" Kael asked, crossing his arms. "If you can fight, you can be my knight instead."
Lyria tilted her head, her expression suddenly softening into something almost... innocent. "Fight...?" she murmured, trying to remember. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "I... I don’t know if I can fight."
Kael let out a long groan. "Just check your damn stats, you dense idiot!"
"Stats?" Lyria blinked, looking genuinely lost. "What’s that?"
Kael twitched. His patience was hanging by a thread. ’What the fuck is wrong with this woman? Can’t do this, can’t do that—’
"Just check your stat.Think of...like, mutter inside your mind about your stats and power and you will get a screen right before your eyes."
Hearing this Lyria just stared at black air.
"YO..HELLO!"Kael swung his hand and snapped it.
Lydia snapped out of her thoughts and blinked her eyes.
"So, what did you see?"Kael asked eagerly.If she had good stats it might be worth keeping her.
"FUCKKKK!" Kael slammed his hand on the table, standing up so fast the tent nearly shook. He was at his limit. For a brief moment, he seriously considered tossing this woman into the woods and pretending he never met her.
"Is there anyone who can’t see stats.Are you kidding me?"
"I really can’t.."Lyria spoke with a helpless expression.
Lyria flinched at his sudden outburst,"I am not lying.Also fine.."
"Fine! I’ll be your maid! But I refuse to do anything weird like massaging you or all those bad things!" she snapped.
Kael threw his hands in the air. "WHO THE HELL ASKED YOU TO DO THAT?! And for god’s sake, do you even know what a maid does?!"
"Of course, I know!" Lyria huffed, crossing her arms.
"Good. Then it’s settled." Kael turned on his heel and stormed out of the tent, muttering curses under his breath.
The moment he stepped outside, he came to a dead stop. Four figures were lurking near the entrance. They froze the second he caught them.
Barret cleared his throat awkwardly. "My Lord, Sir Ramos was worried about you."
"Yeah... He told us to check," Gare added, rubbing the back of his neck.
Chris smirked. "Grandpa Ramos said you might’ve been eaten alive."
Kael closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled through his nose. He didn’t have the patience for this shit right now.
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. Then, with a sharp glare, he marched straight toward Ramos, who was still lounging against the tree with an infuriating smirk on his face.
"You old bastard," Kael growled, stopping just short of Ramos. "You sent those idiots to spy on me? Do I look like I need a goddamn babysitter?!"
Ramos stretched lazily, rubbing his chin. "Well, boy, after that scream from inside the tent, I figured you’d either be dead or married by now." He let out a low whistle. "That demon lass is quite the looker, eh?"
Kael twitched, barely resisting the urge to throttle him. "Keep talking, old man. I’ll bury you right next to those corpses."
Ramos laughed, waving him off. "Alright, alright. I was just making sure you didn’t get your soul sucked out."
Kael sighed, forcing himself to focus. "Enough bullshit. We need to deal with this mess. First, burn all the corpses. I don’t want anything crawling out of those piles later." His eyes darkened. "And we move to Altross Town immediately after."
The knights straightened, nodding in unison. Barret stepped forward. "What about the survivors?"
Kael thought for a moment before answering. "We take them with us. If they’re too weak, we leave them in the town’s care. If they can fight, they’ll join us."
Ramos cracked his knuckles. "And the demon girl?"
Kael shot him a glare. "She’s coming with us. Don’t question it."
Ramos smirked but didn’t push further. "Alright then. You heard the boss! Get moving, you lazy bastards! Let’s clean this shit up and march for Altross!"
The knights moved swiftly, gathering dry wood and oil. Soon, flames roared through the battlefield, reducing the piles of twisted corpses to ashes. The air reeked of burnt flesh, and a heavy silence settled over the camp.
Kael watched the flames for a moment before turning toward the horizon. Altross Town. Whatever awaited them there, he had a feeling this was just the beginning.