小婕子的第一次好紧

Chapter 155

The continent was suffering from the "Death Fiends," yet the Orchid Kingdom remained calm.

There were no signs that the Death Fiends would appear there.

Because of this, people from the kingdoms and empires flocked to Orchid Kingdom, believing it to be the safest place.

Late at night, the gates of Orchid Kingdom were tightly shut.

Outside the gates, a crowd of outsiders had gathered.

Thud, thud, thud!

"Please! Open the gates and let us in!"

An outsider knocked on the gate, pleading earnestly.

But a soldier from Orchid Kingdom firmly replied,

"Impossible. We’re already at full capacity."

Orchid Kingdom was a small country, comparable in size to a duchy or a marquisate.

Now, it was overflowing with people seeking refuge.

Due to the Death Fiends, alert people had all sought safety within Orchid Kingdom’s borders.

"We don’t know when the Death Fiends might appear! Please, open the gates!"

“There are no traces of death here; it should remain safe.”

The soldier didn’t budge.

Angered by the soldier’s refusal, some outsiders began forcing their way inside.

"What’s the point of asking permission? Let’s just scale the wall!"

A man’s voice stirred the crowd into action.

Those outside the gate began attempting to climb over in every way possible.

"Stop them from getting in!"

The senior guard shouted.

"But, how are we supposed to stop them?"

"We must hold them back!"

The senior soldier knocked down a ladder with his spear.

"They’re falling!"

“Aahhh!”

People climbing the wall on ladders fell and were severely injured.

This only fueled the outsiders’ anger.

Denied entry, they pushed even harder, fiercely attempting to scale the wall.

A tug-of-war ensued between the soldiers blocking them and the outsiders trying to break through.

The soldiers finally resorted to their last option.

They drew their arrows and aimed them at the outsiders.

"If you try to come up here, prepare to die."

"How can you do this? Isn’t Orchid Kingdom’s motto that of peace?"

“Was it all just pretense?”

"If the continent learns of this, the reputation of Orchid Kingdom will be tarnished."

No fights were ever permitted within Orchid Kingdom.

Even Hatzfelds, known for their love of war, refrained from invading Orchid Kingdom for this very reason.

It was famous for its unwritten rule: enemies met here but simply passed by each other.

This place was as sacred as a sanctuary.

And now, this sacred place was aiming arrows at outsiders.

If this were known, the reputation of Orchid Kingdom would plummet.

"We’re doing our best to protect those inside."

Inside, there was still enough room.

When they said it was at "full capacity," they meant there wasn’t enough food to sustain more people.

They should ideally have enough supplies to last a month or two, in case anything happened.

But the food supplies of Orchid Kingdom had now reached their limit.

If they allowed more people, they wouldn’t last even three weeks.

To prevent this, they had stopped letting in outsiders.

“These are orders from above. Please understand,” said the senior soldier, shaking his head.

The soldiers aimed their arrows, and the outsiders stopped their resistance.

At that moment—

"Look! Over there!"

A man pointed into the dark behind them.

Dozens of flickering shadows were approaching rapidly.

The outsiders turned pale.

"Th- The Death fiend!"

"Please, save us!"

Chaos erupted outside the walls as people tried to escape the sudden appearance of the Death fiend.

But in front of them was the wall, blocking any path to safety.

People started climbing the wall, thinking it might be better to face the soldiers’ arrows than to be killed by the Death fiend.

The senior soldier on the wall was just as shocked.

"Th-Those are Death fiend?"

"What should we do?" asked a junior soldier, bringing the senior soldier back to his senses.

"Report this immediately! The rest of you, fire flaming arrows at the Death fiend!"

Flaming arrows cut through the darkness, striking the Death fiend dead on.

But the creatures seemed unbothered and continued charging forward.

Thud!

The Death fiend’ swords cut through the flesh of those outside.

"Ugh!"

In the darkness of the night, slaughter unfolded.

One Death Fiend delighted in shredding the body of a woman who had already stopped breathing.

"Kya-ha-ha-ha!"

They were maniacs, barely able to form words as they tore into people like pieces of meat.

It was horrifying.

People sobbed in terror, their minds going blank as a chilling force engulfed them.

Splat!

The body of a Death Fiend melted away.

The disgusting fiend didn’t even realize how he died.

"Where in the world did these Death Fiends come from?"

Below the wall, a man appeared.

“It’s the King of Orchid Nation!”

---

Caspian Orchid furrowed his brows deeply.

This place had the faintest trace of the aura of death.

And yet, Death fiend had appeared.

Several robed figures appeared beside him.

"All Death fiends have been dealt with."

"Find out immediately why they appeared."

Several figures vanished in an instant; they were master poison mages trained in high-level magic.

"What about these people?" one of them asked, referring to the terrified outsiders, numbering well over thousands.

"We’ll need to find more food. Let them inside."

“We’ve gathered all available food from the neighboring areas.”

“How many days can we last with that food?”

“If we accommodate all of them, we’ll be down to three weeks’ worth of supplies.”

"Where is the nearest source of food?"

“R-Rehinar Port of the Fresia Empire."

"Anywhere else?"

"To reach Hatzfeld, we’d have to go by land, which exposes us to the Death fiend. The Lycera Theocracy via sea is safer, but we can\'t guarantee our safety."

"Are there no Death fiends at sea? Monsters sometimes mutate into Death fiends, don’t they?"

"Our experiments show that Death fiends react negatively to water. If we’re to gather supplies, sea routes are the best choice. Rehinar City is just a two-week journey away."

Caspian\'s face showed no sign of relief.

Rehinar was the land of his sworn enemies, where they had killed his beloved Heike.

How could he extend a hand to them? He would rather die.

"Alternatively, you could leave these people behind and get supplies from Lycera," one of his aides suggested.

At this, the outsiders dropped to their knees, pleading.

"Please, don’t abandon us!"

"If we leave, we’re as good as dead."

"Just this once, please show us mercy."

The desperation in their voices softened Caspian\'s resolve.

"Contact Rehinar. Request supplies."

At that moment, three figures suddenly descended from the sky.

It was Kane and his companions.

"That won’t be necessary."

"Who are you?"

"Kane Rehinar," he replied.

"The Blood Demon Young Master!"

A dark, venomous aura began to emanate from Caspian.

He was at the pinnacle of poison magic, known as both the Poison Master and the Lord of Poison.

As one of the Twelve Star Lords, his immense venomous aura shot toward Kane, but it vanished soundlessly in midair.

"So, you came here confident for a reason, didn’t you?"

Caspian’s eyes widened.

Kane had easily neutralized his venomous attack, which was infamous for its lethality.

Anyone who merely breathed around Caspian risked being poisoned.

Yet Kane was unaffected.

"What brings you here?"

"I know the cause of the Death fiends appearance."

"You know something I haven’t discovered? Is that true?"

"Why else would I come here?"

"Are you saying the source is within Orchid Kingdom?"

"Exactly."

Caspian stared directly into Kane’s eyes.

There was no hesitation in his gaze.

"So it’s true."

"I can also handle the food supply issue for you."

"Aren’t we sworn enemies? Why would you offer help? Do you have an ulterior motive?"

Caspian was a skeptical man—some would say cautious.

Once he trusted someone he was fiercely loyal, which was why Heike had been able to gain his favor and betray him behind his back.

"Our enmity is rooted in misunderstanding. Orchid and Rehinar can be good allies."

"A misunderstanding, you say... If you fail to convince me, prepare yourself."

"Of course."

"And about the supplies?"

"I’ll contact Rehinar to arrange it."

"That part, I appreciate."

Thus, Kane and his companions were allowed into the Orchid Kingdom.

The outsiders, too, were only admitted after being fully cleansed of the Oblivion energy.

---

The castle where the Orchid King resided was surprisingly modest, resembling the study of Duke Carl.

Sipping his coffee, Caspian finally spoke.

"So, you’re saying Heike was an agent of the Meyer Family? An executioner?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"And how can you prove it?"

"Have you ever searched Heike’s quarters?"

"I visited frequently after she died. If the source of the Death fiend were there, I would know."

"That’s the terrifying power of the House of the Sun. Even someone of your caliber, a member of the Twelve Star Lords, can be deceived by their influence."

"I still find it hard to believe. How do I know you’re not connected to them? No one should possess such unnatural power, not even the son of the Guardian Lord."

Chrysalis, standing nearby, intervened.

"I vouch for Kane’s words."

Her casual tone, despite her youth, made Caspian frown.

But her next words surprised him greatly.

"Do you trust the word of the Golden Dragon, Chrysalis?"

A golden emblem appeared in the air before him, symbolizing the Golden Dragon Chrysalis—a mark recognized by all across the continent.

"You… you’re really Chrysalis, the Golden Dragon?"

"Isn’t it obvious from the emblem? As a Poison Mage, you should know if a spell is authentic or not."

Chrysalis’s words poked at Caspian’s pride.

"Of course. I’m just astonished to see the Golden Dragon in front of me, and even more, to see her mingling with humans."

"Kane saved me from Death."

Chrysalis calmly recounted her story, explaining how she had been drained of vitality for decades, trapped by the House of the SUn.

She admitted that her own magic was what had filled the continent with the aura of death.

When Caspian heard her full story, his expression grew serious.

"So there’s a source like that here as well."

"Now do you believe me?"

"I’ve been mistaken. My apologies for letting love cloud my judgment. Once this is over, I will formally apologize to Rehinar."