Chapter 12: The Missing Friend and a Tempting Invitation

“Oh, Mao Ning, you’ve been waiting here alone for quite a while, haven’t you?”

A man with brown skin and black hair approached, striking up a conversation.

His muscles, though not overtly exaggerated, were exceptionally solid, like bedrock, with forearms and calves as stout as a bull’s.

A broad rock sword was strapped to his sturdy back, and his fur-woven attire left one shoulder bare.

Though his resolute face was quite handsome, his overall appearance was decidedly wild.

Unlike the girl, he made no attempt to conceal his ID; the name ‘Knight Aaron’ floated clearly above his head.

To bear such a name yet choose to begin as a ‘Barbarian’ could certainly be seen as a peculiar, perhaps even mischievous, sense of humor.

Upon hearing that frivolous, slightly hoarse voice, Mao Ning, known as the ‘Sword Monk,’ whirled around.

Her eyes narrowed instinctively the moment she recognized the newcomer.

“Whoa, the atmosphere here is terrifying… While I’m not the person you’re expecting, there’s no need to be so fiercely intimidating, is there…?”

Sensing the chilling aura that seeped from the slits of her mask, Knight Aaron felt his hair stand on end.

He scratched his head, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.

“After all, the news of you waiting here has already made its rounds on the forums.

Netizens are buzzing with speculation about how many times the tardy individual will be slain by you.

Naturally, a ‘white-out’ — a full-on PK — is the most popular prediction.”

The handsome man feigned a casual shrug, apparently hoping to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

Mao Ning exhaled a long breath, then impatiently turned her back, clearly unwilling to indulge in such a forced display of casualness.

A hint of helplessness crossed Knight Aaron’s face.

With a surprisingly flat tone, he delivered truly alarming news:

“It seems you’re still unaware.

That guy… has been missing for three days now.”

“What—”

For the first time, the typically aloof Mao Ning displayed a look of genuine shock.

Knight Aaron scratched his head, his voice tinged with a troubled weariness as he continued:

“The last person to see him was his family’s Aunt Li.

What’s peculiar is that even though he vanished without a trace, his game pod remained continuously active.

It was only yesterday that they discovered he wasn’t inside, and no one has any idea where he might have gone.”

“How could this be…?”

Mao Ning murmured in stunned disbelief, struggling to accept such a stark reality.

Her slender frame, encased in a long robe and chainmail, trembled almost imperceptibly.

She opened her system interface, her finger hovering over the log-out button, only to be stopped by Knight Aaron.

“Hold on a moment.

I understand your feelings, but the police have already opened a case.

They will thoroughly search every place he might have gone.

We aren’t professionals, after all; it’s best to quietly await the police’s official response.”

Mao Ning’s finger, suspended in mid-air, abruptly stilled.

“You’re right,” she conceded, letting out a long breath as if to compose herself.

“Thank you for specifically coming to inform me of this.

However, I suspect you sought me out for another reason, didn’t you?”

“Actually, I came to ask if you’d join me on a quest.”

Knight Aaron let out a visible sigh of relief, then smoothly transitioned to a different topic.

“Hasn’t the Healing Saintess been abducted recently?

The Church has, of course, issued a corresponding quest.

Adventurers who succeed in returning the Saintess will be granted the right to use a holy relic, the esteemed title of Honorary Holy Knight, and a magnificent suit of armor intricately engraved with holy runes.”

“I’ve heard that a high-ranking Church figure has also infiltrated the Demon King’s Castle, poised to launch a rescue operation.

However, our trust level with the Church isn’t sufficient, and with that guy absent, we have no way of knowing the identity of this important individual.”

“I’ve taken on this mission and intend to find someone to join me.

What do you say? Would you be my teammate?”

Knight Aaron extended the invitation with a casual air, his gaze fixed on the girl before him, filled with expectation.

Mao Ning pondered for a moment.

Still uneasy about the missing Bai Tong, she replied:

“I need to log off and confirm something first, then I’ll decide whether to join you.”

“Furthermore, I’ve never ventured into demon territory, so I can’t simply teleport there.”

“That’s perfectly fine; most of us haven’t been there either,” Knight Aaron replied smoothly.

“We intend to infiltrate demon territory by traveling with a merchant caravan, then journey all the way to the demon capital.

The entire trip should take approximately three days.”

“Three days, you say…? When would we depart?”

Mao Ning’s hand rested on the log-out button as she posed the question.

“Tomorrow morning, I expect.

I still need to contact a few others and finalize some preparations.”

Knight Aaron affirmed.

“Very well.

Until then.”

Mao Ning hastily clicked the log-out button.

With a flash of light, her entire form dissolved into shimmering particles and vanished from sight.

“Until then.”

Knight Aaron waved a hand, a hearty, relaxed smile gracing his features.

***

At precisely eleven o’clock that night, as the Demon King’s Castle fully surrendered to the shroud of darkness, Letitia descended from above, returning to her familiar palace.

She exhaled deeply.

Folding her bone wings, which blazed with spectral fire, she let out a long, contented sigh—a profound sense of relief, as if finally returning home.

“Mmm… I’m rather weary from all the excitement.”

Letitia stretched languidly, her graceful curves on full display, her body still somewhat stiff from the arduous flight she had just completed.

After parting ways with Noah, she and Clennina had journeyed together to a border town.

There, within a hidden lair where the Abyss Church congregated, they successfully captured the enemy’s bishop alive.

The Abyss Church, a veritable blight upon the world, comprised of fanatical zealots wielding the power of the Abyss, represented an evil even more profound than demons who merely devoured souls and lives.

They were enemies not solely of the demon race, but of all living beings across the entire continent.

They would corrupt otherwise normal life into aberrant forms, twisting and polluting the very essence of existence.

Even the Demon King himself accorded such foes with the utmost gravity.

By any measure, the creatures of the Abyss were undeniably wicked and utterly detestable.

Among their ranks, the bishop-level Abyss cultists constituted the most crucial echelon of the Church.

Their authority was second only to the Church’s leaders, and they wielded twisted, potent evil powers.

Clennina had been relentlessly pursuing a large-scale Abyss ritual case.

Her return to report was prompted by the discovery of crucial, definitive clues.

While Clennina possessed a strong chance against an Abyss bishop, preventing their premature escape on their home turf would prove exceedingly difficult.

Thus, she had intended to enlist the most formidable combat power as a safeguard, for an Abyss bishop certainly carried enough weight to warrant the Demon King’s direct intervention.

Yet, she never anticipated that upon her return, she would be greeted by *that* particular scene…

“You’ve had a long journey, Your Majesty the Demon King.”

Astolfo respectfully awaited her, prepared to offer a welcoming respite to the travel-worn Demon King.

As Astolfo removed Letitia’s cloak and assisted her with a simple change of attire, the young Demon King immediately felt a profound sense of rejuvenation, as if all her weariness had been instantly purged.

“Ah… truly delightful.”

Letitia rolled her shoulders, utterly oblivious to the troubled, peculiar expression on Astolfo’s face.

As was her custom, she fully intended to retreat to her chambers, indulge in a luxurious bath, and then drift to sleep under the attentive care of her maid.

Yet, having so freely unleashed her power outside, she had completely forgotten precisely what kind of individual awaited her within the Demon King’s Castle.

“Hee hee~, welcome back, my dearest Master~.

Shall we dine first, or perhaps a bath, or would you prefer to indulge in me first~?”

Unhesitatingly twisting open the chamber door, Noah, clad in a black and white maid outfit, sprang out, greeting the Demon King’s return with a radiant, flower-like smile.