Three days has passed since the battle with Atofe. Everyone has fully recovered and started returning to their original goal: finding the missing people and Rudeus's family members. As for me personally, I want to find the members of the Boreas, especially Eris. So after breakfast, when everyone sat down to discuss matters in the living room, Moore offered this suggestion:
"We can ask the other Demon Kings for help," Moore said while looking at me. "Since Lord Atur is the Hero who defeated Lady Atofe, surely they will heed the order and support the search for the missing people."
"Oh... Is Lady Atofe that prestigious?" I asked.
I mean she's the daughter of Great Demon King Necross so maybe she's a very respected Demon King as well huh?
"It is more accurate to say they fear her," Moore explained.
"Ah, that makes sense."
With that temperament and power, who wouldn't be afraid? If I remember correctly, I heard that Atofe is one of the strongest Demon Kings at this moment. Even Lord Lan Xin doesn't want to fight her.
But wait, I never actually saw Lord Lan Xin actually fight with all of his power before. Is he actually strong or not? Every tale I heard from him is all about defeats by either Legendary Heroes or the Demon God Laplace himself so I'm not sure how strong The Great Blood Demon King really is.
Ah nevermind. He just wants to chill so maybe he doesn't care about fighting anymore so just let it slide then.
"But seeing each Demon King sure is time consuming right?" I asked.
Maybe we should split up or something?
"I can arrange for letters to be sent so information can be transferred as quickly as possible," Moore added. "Additionally, I can also mobilize Lady Atofe's personal guards to join the search."
"Oh, thank you, Sir Moore." I bowed. "You are too thoughtful."
Then I turned to the only person sitting with me, she's a small girl with the appearance like someone around my age, Master Roxy. She seemed to be calculating something with a very serious face. Seeing that, I asked.
"Is there something bothering you, Master Roxy?"
"Ah, no." Roxy shook her head slightly, her face still serious. "It's just that with this support from the Demon Kings, perhaps our business on the Demon Continent isn't much anymore. So I'm thinking about what I should do next."
"Maybe we should go to other places?" I suggested. "The world is big right? Maybe there's somewhere we need to go."
"Mhm. I might go to the Begaritt Continent. Or maybe the Northern Territory of the Central Continent."
At this moment, Moore suddenly spoke up with sincere:
"I think if your goal is to find a few specific people, there might be a better way to do it."
And so, Atofe's Captain of the Imperial Guard gave us a name: The Immortal Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu. She was the leader of the Demon Race during the first and second Human-Demon wars in the past. And both times she was killed by the human side; the first time by the Hero Arus, the second time defeated by the Fighting God Aldebaran. Initially, I thought Kishirika Kishirisu was a title passed down to the leader of the Demon Race or something. But based on Moore's story, it seems to be the same person because the Immortal Demon Empress can revive after each death.
And the last time she revived and died again was during the Laplace War.
Honestly, I feel a bit sorry for this Demon Empress. Living just to be killed over and over again; if it were me, I'd go crazy.
As for why Moore mentioned this name, there was a rather interesting reason.
"In some information I know, Demon Empress Kishirika has the ability to use her Demon Eyes to locate anyone in this world," Moore explained. "I heard rumors somewhere that someone saw she had revived not long ago, so if you can find her, the search will be much easier."
Demon Eyes, huh? For some reason, when talking about magical eyes, I think of those two certain ninja clans. If I were reincarnated into that ninja world, I would probably try to find a Sharingan to attach to my left eye like Kakashi, wouldn't I?
Also, hmm… Talking about eyes, I wonder if there is any healing magic to cure this eye of mine? Although I'm used to being blind in one eye, having both is still better. After all, one eye is only about thirty percent effective compared to having both. Luckily, my senses are good enough and I don't need to use my eyes much in combat, but in normal daily life, there are quite a few inconveniences. Sigh… If I can ask the Demon Empress to give me a Demon Eye then it would be so cool but maybe life isn't that convenient so let's not daydream and back to the current issue.
After hearing Moore's explanation and discussing with the others, Roxy's party decided to go look for Demon Empress Kishirika, of course with the help of Lady Atofe's guards and Lord Lan Xin. Honestly, I feel like we are putting a bounty on that Demon Empress. But let's hope that she won't feel offended.
Everything seems to be settled. So Roxy, Elinalise, and Talhand's party continued their journey towards the north of the Demon Continent, while I would stay behind and wait until there was some information. As for Isolde...
"Naturally, I will stay with you. We are 'husband and wife' already, aren't we?"
"To be blunt, you just want to cross swords with me, don't you?" I glared. "Do you really like beating the shit out of me?"
"Obviously. And besides you, there are other swordsmen too," Isolde admitted. "If you don't mind, I would like to borrow your name to stay at Necross Fortress for a while to study and practice."
Hearing that, I looked over at Atofe, who was standing with her hands on her hips right next to us.
"Is that okay, Lady Atofe?"
"Why not?" Atofe grinned broadly. "If it's this princess girl, I agree to everything even if she isn't your wife! Mua wa ha ha! The special North God Style training hall always welcomes you, Isolde!"
I knew my 'wife' was very good at making others like her, but to the point of making an Immortal Demon King like her this much is truly impressive. Maybe I should learn something from her.
And speaking of learning, perhaps I should also...
"Um… Can I join the training too?"
I was approved, of course.
The reason I made this request is quite simple: I suddenly realized how weak I still was in the recent battle. If not for the support of others, I don't think I could have won against even one of Atofe's Ultimate Four, let alone all four (and the fact that I pay-to-win'd into Atofe's battle like President Kaiba doesn't count).
And don't get me wrong, I still believe I'm quite strong. But strength alone isn't enough; actual combat experience is also important. So I think it would be good if I could become more complete. Just in case I encounter dangerous enemies in the future, I can handle them myself without having to constantly rely on others.
And another, much more important reason is that this morning I just sparred with Isolde for about ten matches. The result was 7-3 in favor of my 'wife'. That result actually made me quite happy, because it seems I'm finally narrowing the gap with her. So I'm worried that if I let Isolde start training alone again, she will leave me far behind once more.
Because Isolde said last night that she would definitely surpass Master Reida and even learn Water magic to aim for the power of the first Water God. Sounds a bit... impossible, but since this is Isolde, I can't say for sure. So the last thing I want to see is being left so far behind by her that I can truly never reach her again.
I promised to surpass her anyway, right? I will definitely do it! Later on, I will become the next Water God and master all five secret arts, just watch! Ken in heaven will be proud of that! It's decided!
However, everyone might find it a bit weird that Isolde and I, two people who want to become Water Gods, are training at a sanctuary of the North God Style like this Necross Fortress. Actually, the answer is quite simple: Water God Style swordsmen need to learn how to deal with many different types of enemies to perfect their skills. That is also why facing the North God Style is the best way for us to become stronger. The original plan for Isolde back in the days is also coming to the North God Style Headquarters in King Dragon's Kingdom anyway.
Not to mention, theoretically, Isolde already understands all five secret arts. What needs to be done is just practice, and if needed, I can totally ask her to teach me.
As for the reasons, that's it. Isolde wants to become the strongest Water God in history, and I want to be stronger than her. So I will temporarily stay at Necross Fortress until I know Eris's location through the Demon Empress (if she is found).
Or if not, when I turn 15, I will return to Asura, which means in the next two years I will devote myself to training to become as strong as possible. Maybe start learning another secret art or something.
But I know what everyone is thinking. What about Vasile? I still have to worry about managing that territory, right? Well, that's true, but with my one-month absence and nothing happening, I realized that what I did in the past has laid enough foundation for it to operate on its own.
Especially with what Lord Lan Xin said, Luciano is doing quite a good job managing it, so it's no problem if I sneak away. Chances are, once I get news about Rudeus's family and the Boreas, I might just hand over the Demon King title to Luciano and run away.
After all, my goal is only to make that place better, not to rule it. I don't want to become a Demon King or anything. No more Demon-Dragon King Lan Atur, just a plain simple Atur is fine, or, Atur Boreas Greyrat, the husband of Eris Boreas Greyrat ehehe.
So that's the summary. After everything was prepared, Roxy, Elinalise, and Talhand's group headed north to continue the search, while Isolde and I stayed at Necross Fortress to train. We promised to maintain contact and reunite after obtaining the necessary information.
Thus, my days at Necross Fortress began.
...