Chapter 54: Less Talk, More Action
Cynthia’s question about the Blood Crown’s history left the Blood Demon fumbling, its usual confidence shaken.
[It’s… not impossible,] it admitted after a long pause.
[Has this happened before?]
Cynthia glanced at the demon wolves’ corpses, their red-thorned fur glinting unnaturally.
[What happened to berserk Blood Crown holders?]
[It… happened,] the Blood Demon mumbled, its voice quieter, almost hesitant.
[Most nearby creatures mutated, lost sanity, went mad. It only stopped when the holder’s body was destroyed.]
Silence fell between them.
The parallels were eerie—wasteland demon wolves, normally passive unless provoked, now aggressive with unnatural thorns.
Like a bomb in human hands, Cynthia thought.
[Exactly,] the Blood Demon agreed.
She turned to the boss, tone sharp.
“How far to the capital?”
“Past the wasteland… a day, maybe more.”
“No more delays. Speed up.”
Cynthia considered flying with her black wings but glanced at Ina’s fragile human form and reconsidered.
Too risky.
She leaped back into the carriage.
“Leave the wolves. Move!”
“Right!”
The boss snapped to action, rallying his crew.
Ina, watching, gave Cynthia a strange look.
“Why’re you staring?”
“Who’s the boss here?” Ina teased, eyeing the boss and Cynthia.
Cynthia’s eye twitched.
“He is.”
Admit I’m the sucker who paid 70,000 Nar? Never.
Ina shrugged, too lazy to dig deeper.
The money was hers—details didn’t matter.
“Brother, a caravan’s coming!”
“Perfect! Business is slow—let’s hit it!”
“Stop ‘em!”
The bandit leader grinned, but a dust cloud choked his bravado.
“They ignored us!”
“Tch, just three carriages. Slim pickings.”
“Let’s go back—waste of time.”
“Brother, something’s wrong!”
“What now?”
“Demon wolves!”
“They’re just passing—”
“Agh!”
Screams cut through as the wolves attacked.
By evening, the caravan left the wasteland, reaching lush greenery near a stream.
The boss suggested camping for the night.
Cynthia wanted to push to the capital, but Ina shut her down.
“Night travel’s dangerous, and the horses aren’t slaves! They can’t run forever!”
Cynthia didn’t get the “slave” bit but saw her point.
Sitting in the carriage was tiring enough—horses had it worse.
She relented, closing her eyes to rest, unease gnawing at her.
What’s happening in the capital?
BOOM!
A deafening blast shattered the night, jolting everyone awake.
“What was that?!”
Cynthia sprang up, scanning the dark.
Black smoke rose from nearby woods.
“Explosion?” the boss muttered, weapon drawn.
“There’s a village that way…”
“Someone’s kitchen blow up?” a crewmember joked.
“No,” Ina said, shaking her head.
“Magic fluctuations. That was a spell or crystal.”
“She’s right,” Cynthia added, eyes glinting.
“The power… it’s magic-based.”
Her nose twitched, catching a scent.
Blood. Thick, heavy.
“We should leave,” the boss urged.
“No need to get involved.”
“I agree…” Cynthia started, then paused.
“But you take Ina to the capital. I’m checking the explosion.”
“What exploded with that much blood aura?”
The blood thorns confirmed the Blood Crown’s leaking power, likely worsened by the Blood Demon’s suppression.
Cynthia’s urgency pushed the caravan forward, but the explosion—laced with magic and blood—demanded her attention.
Ina, unaware of her own Saintly secret, stayed oblivious to the growing danger.
The capital, the Crown, and Luofengte’s shadow loomed closer, now joined by a mysterious blast in the night.