The demon is by my side

Dark Mage's Wrath

Dark Mage Lesado, though topping the most-wanted list, rarely faced trouble from others. This was not just because he was a formidable Seventh Order mage proficient in both offensive magic, such as Flame Magic and Curse Magic, as well as Dark Magic, but also due to his high expertise in Spatial Magic. He commanded a fearsome legion of familiars, including the advanced familiar, the Dark Magic Dragon.

Of course, Lesado couldn't carry hundreds of familiars with him at all times. This included familiars from the Abyss, and now, they had their own territories on the continent, freely roaming within their domains, responding only when summoned by their master. While powerful familiars experienced a more noticeable energy attenuation over distance due to magical laws, they could still handle ordinary opponents even if their energy diminished. More people recognized Lesado's insignia and dared not provoke his familiars easily, as doing so would likely invite nightmarish and furious retaliation.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, Lesado received a distress signal from one of his primary familiars, the Dark Magic Dragon Asar. He almost suspected Asar of playing a joke on him. In the remote swamp, who would be crazy enough to provoke a Dark Magic Dragon and send a distress signal to its master? As the urgency of the plea increased, Lesado had no choice but to believe it. Due to the vast distance, he couldn't rush to the rescue in time, and the most effective solution was to summon Asar to him.

The Dark Magic Dragon's size made summoning within the city inconvenient, so Lesado found a secluded area, leaving the annual Dark Banquet as an excuse. He opened a summoning gate, intending to bring Asar to him. However, much to his surprise, instead of the Dark Magic Dragon, he summoned Asar's pitiful soul!

"You were killed?" Lesado stared in disbelief at the lingering dragon soul.

"My great master, if it weren't for the soul contract between us, your humble servant's soul might have been devoured by her!" The dragon soul cried out in a pitiful manner.

"Who did this?" Lesado's eyes narrowed dangerously. After so many years, someone dared to attack him?

"A girl with purple hair, accompanied by a blue spirit familiar... Your servant doesn't know her..." The dragon soul trembled as it spoke.

Indeed, Lesado erupted in anger, "You were defeated by an unknown girl? A spirit familiar, which poses no threat to you!"

"But, that girl knows Wind Magic, Fire Magic, Lightning Magic, all at least Fourth Order. She also used the Resurrection Dew of Life. My attacks had no effect on her. She casually produced a pile of Third Order magic scrolls, seemingly a scribe... Your servant, couldn't... defeat her..." The dragon soul shrank as it conveyed the information.

"A scribe who worships the Life Goddess Eluna? She's likely skilled in Spatial Magic as well. Even if I go there now, you would have perished. The body of a Dark Magic Dragon is a treasure trove for a scribe. To think she dared to set her sights on me, Lesado, truly living on borrowed time!" Lesado exclaimed. Summoning another familiar, the Fear Demon Phankath, from the Abyss, he drew some of its blood, which burned like lava upon touching the ground. However, Lesado didn't let the demon's blood flow freely. Instead, he used it to draw a magic circle.

Considering the vast distance, instant communication required a Ninth Order or higher teleportation scroll. However, due to the reliance on materials and the compressed size affecting the array, a Ninth Order scroll's effect was only slightly faster than an Eighth Order temporary teleportation array. The latter could utilize fresh materials without restricting the drawing area, allowing the addition of amplification arrays and the use of magical crystals. However, the requirements for material grades were extremely high, demanding advanced demon blood or eighth-grade or higher magical crystals, which were rare on the continent but not scarce for Lesado. For tracking the assailant, an advanced Eighth Order teleportation array, even half a day late, would suffice.

Lesado completed the array, infused it with magic, and activated it. A circular teleportation gate appeared, making the dragon soul excited. Knowing that his master sought revenge, it was a momentous occasion for him. Lesado stepped through the gate.

Using a pre-prepared teleportation scroll, Felice arrived in the village of Hawick in an instant. She handed the village chief a piece of dark dragon scale and said, "Don't worry, the man-eating demon has been dealt with. Here's a scale from it."

The village chief, looking at the palm-sized scale, had no idea that it was the smallest scale on the dark dragon's body. "So, what kind of demon was it?"

"Uh... It looked like a mutated crystal lizard," Felice said, not wanting to reveal that she single-handedly defeated a Dark Magic Dragon. Though its energy was only one percent of normal, she decided it was best not to boast about it.

The village chief was extremely excited, realizing that there would be no more worries about demonic attacks while traveling or hunting in the future. He immediately exclaimed, "Great! Esteemed Miss Mage, I'll reward you! Is 3,000 gold coins too little? I'll add five rubies. Um, this is our village's entire savings. We've suffered quite a bit from this beast's attacks lately..."

In the past, Felice would have undoubtedly accepted the 3,000 gold coins. However, having just plundered the Dark Dragon's lair, a few thousand gold coins and some gemstones seemed insignificant. Seeing the pitiful state of the village, she quickly said, "Never mind, never mind. I'll consider it as helping the villagers. But, Village Chief, I'd like to ask for something."

The village chief didn't expect the young girl to be so generous, not even taking the gold coins. It truly touched him, and he expressed his gratitude, holding Felice's hand. "Thank you so much; this is really too much. What do you want? Just tell me!"

Felice brought Alph to him, saying, "Could you please find two suitable outfits for him?"

"Um, who is this..." The village chief was puzzled. When Alph entered the village alone, how come there were two people now? Given that the area was infested with demonic creatures, how could there still be people around? This young man looked frail, with a pale complexion and no weapons in his hands. He didn't seem like a warrior venturing into the world alone.