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Hatch (3)
Ricky was the first to notice.
Ricky, who was reading and playing with Anna, jumped out of his seat.
“Brother?”
Ricky walked to the window without answering Anna’s call.
A huge ominous feeling was felt over the ridge, which was hardly visible from Apton.
A warning bell was ringing in his mind.
“Everyone will die.”
“What did you say, brother?”
“If we stay, everyone will die.”
What was this feeling of horror?
Ricky had experienced endless malice which humans gave out, but this was the first time he felt such evil.
Goosbumps sprang up all over his body. His fingers trembled. Ricky clasped his trembling hands.
“I don’t understand.”
Anna, who hadn’t awakened her power yet, was a normal girl.
Ricky thought that it was lucky to have such a younger sister. At least, she couldn’t feel this horrible evil.
It was noisy downstairs.
It was just a little late, but they too noticed this ominous feeling.
“Apostle! Saint!”
A priest opened the door and rushed in.
“You need to leave.”
“B-brother?”
“… let’s go, Anna.”
It was only a burden to be here, since the Goddess hadn't recovered now.
Ricky took her hand and followed the priest.
At the same time, the Marquis was furious.
“What the hell?!”
Marquis Bell jumped up in disbelief.
Hasn't it been done yet?
[Daemon] 's case never moved ahead. Although they failed to track them down, there was no sign of danger till now.
So was this planned out?
“Who is outside?!”
“Have you called the Marquis?”
“Tell Sable to come to me.”
The butler who received the order went to call Sable.
After a while, the butler came back.
“I didn’t see the aide.”
“What?”
“It was said that he couldn't be found. It looks like he went out.”
To be out at such a time.
Something like this had never happened before.
Sable would always take permission before going out.
At this time, the knight's commander ran in.
“Marquis. Mirinae forest…”
“I felt it too.”
“What should we do?”
“Gather the troops. I will come directly.”
“Yes sir.”
The ominous feeling in the Mirinae Forest.
It was definitely a demon.
Whether Sable was involved in this or not, the important thing now was that Apton would be in danger.
Marquis Bell got up.
The people approached him and began to put armor on.
When Sears came in.
She entered the office with her daughter in her arms.
“Father. What is happening?”
“Don’t worry.”
“What are you hiding from me?”
“It is fine, be at ease. Rather, where is Jamie?”
“Sleeping in his room.’
“Stay with him.”
With that, Marquis put on his armor and moved out.
Then one of the butlers rushed in.
“What is it?”
“M- Young Master Jamie…!”
“What about Jamie?!”
“Mother! Wuuu!”
When Jamie was mentioned, Sears became scared then grabbed the butler and asked.
Sarah who was next to her began to wail.
The butler, gulping down his fear said.
“I didn’t see the young master.”
“What?!”
“Jamie!”
Sears ran straight to Jamie’s room.
The Marquis took Sarah into his arms and followed her.
People were already in Jamie’s room. And when they saw Marquis and Sears come in, they made way for them.
They found Jamie flying in bed. The sleeping face was exactly like Jamie’s.
The butler said that he disappeared so what was this now?
“Dummy.”
Said the old man standing next to the bed.
He was the magician of the Marquis family.
As he drained down the mana, Jamie's body turned into a log.
Sears fell down, losing strength in her legs.
She remembered Jamie asking about Mirinae forest.
“F-father…”
“What is it?”
“Jamie. Jamie. He seems to be in Mirinae forest.”
“What!?”
Jamie was in Mirinae forest.
And that was a shock to the Marquis.
How did the kid know about the Mirinae Forest?
Did the kid know what danger was lurking inside the forest at all?
“I think your aide told Jamie about the Miriniae forest.”
At the mention of Sable, Marquis’s eyes widened.
Was it a coincidence or a plan?
“My son! What will happen to my son…”
“Don’t worry. Your father will surely bring him back.”
The Marquis hugged his crying daughter and patted her back.
The egg broke.
No, the term broke wasn’t right.
It wasn’t a shell to break, rather it was a thin flesh which surrounded it. Rather, ‘tore it’ was a better expression.
The importance of such expressions didn't need to be done in the current situation.
‘That way, I can forget a little about the fear I am feeling.’
The demon wasn’t out, but the body which came out had vicious energy around it.
Nebro, who was already dead, was also feeling terrified.
[Master. It is a monster which tramples on death. You need to run away. At least 1 second faster than…!]
It was shocking how he thought he was below the demon.
If a high ranking magician was a Lich, then such a thought wouldn’t have even come to mind.
But Jamie understood this.
Demons were such creatures.
A race which despised the weak. And it was engraved in the genes of the demons, a race which intimidates the weak by their presence.
The greater the gap, the more the weak ones would suffer from the fear in their minds and surrender.
‘The problem is, Nebro, who hasn't lost yet, is saying this to a demon which hasn’t appeared yet.’
[Master, Master… please...]
Jamie on the other hand, was able to handle it.
Of course, if this gets out of hand, he would have to borrow the power of ‘Perfect Cell’.
The mana consumption would be severe but unlike then, he was confident of holding himself longer.
And this was why he didn’t like demons.
Because they could harm others by standing still.
“Go back, Nebro.”
[But Master! You might really die!]
“It is fine.”
[Master…!]
Jamie lifted his hand and counter-summoned Nebro.
Allies who were drowning in fear would only hold him back.
And Nebro had already used a large amount of mana. It would be helpful if he went back.
At that moment, an arm popped out of the egg.
Arm bright red as if the body was marinated in blood.
“Are you alone?”
A voice sounded along with the arm.
The voice came from inside the egg.
A hand grabbed the skin on the egg and ripped it open.
The head and body appeared little by little.
Jamie who saw it gulped.
Cold sweat was running down his face. He was already clenching his teeth as he saw the demon fully form.
“Phew..”
The demon removed the sticky layer from it.
“Coming to the earth like this is annoying.”
He looked at Jamie and asked.
“What are your thoughts?”
Instead of eyes, there were two black flames, his nose wasn’t cut out clearly and his ears were pointed and he had a slender body.
His skin seemed rough as if it was made of armor blades and there were V shaped horns on his head.
Jamie knew this.
The more complex the form of a demon, the higher rank it was.
And the demon in front of him.
“… a noble?”
“Oh oh- you seem to know a bit about demons?”
Contrary to the appearance, the demon seemed talkative.
Like humans, but Jamie couldn’t judge this just because he exchanged a few words.
But there was one thing in common.
“It has been so long since I talked with a human. I can eat later.”
Demons ate humans.
The demon opened its mouth.
“My name is Leueta. A baron from the Devildom.”
‘Baron…!’
This indeed was a demon of noble ranking.
He did guess the moment he felt that energy, but Jamie was hoping for his thoughts to be wrong.
Leueta smiled and watched Jamie’s face harden. He smiled, but to Jamie it was nothing short of a vicious smile.
“Don’t be so scared. As long as I have descended here, there is nothing more which can send me back right? If you are scared you’ll lose your mind, so take it easy.”
“Be kind, you trashy thing.”
“Ho, I guess you weren’t scared?”
Jamie had activated Perfect Cell.
With a dazzling light, the memorization had lifted the polluted mind.
“I think I am a little better now.”
“Something good happened?”
Leueta looked shocked, but interested at the same time.
“Can you give that to me?”
“Do you think I’m crazy? To give this to you?”
“Hmm. Then nothing more can be done.”
Thud!!!
Leueta’s bright red magi soared to the sky.
Jamie gulped at the power.
All life in the forest was trying to run away.
A power which seemed to deny all the living things their right to live spread around like mist.
“Let’s see if you can stand it.”
A voice which was happy.
Jamie raised his mana and remembered that this demon was a baron.
“At least, Master class…!”
The power of the lowest ranked ones in the Devildom.
Sable frowned at the demonic power which could be felt from afar.
It was magic which felt unpleasant to be around.
“I don’t understand why this happened.”
If it went according to plan, then the egg should have hatched the next day. That way, even if the Marquis noticed he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
However, the egg hatched sooner than he expected.
“It couldn’t have hatched with just the hearts that the monster took, right?”
Sable shook his head.
Thinking about reasons made him more confused.
The demon hatched, and there was nothing he could change.
The schedule was pushed forward.
“This is better.”
The Marquis was slowly realizing that Sable had a role to play.
And this was the last string, with this he must be convinced that Sable was the enemy.
Before that, the demon, which was in the final stage, hatched.
And there was no one in Apton who could stop it.
At that time, red pillars soared from the Miriniae forest.
Sable’s eyes shone at the magi.
‘Master class. The demon which hatched was a noble?’
There was one thing that the monster seems to have misunderstood.
The demon egg wouldn’t come out as a kid.
But it was a ceremony for bringing a full fledged demon onto the earth.
‘Normal cases should be a demon knight class not a noble.’
Sable compared the power he felt from the red mist.
‘This is worse.’
If so, then the Baron which was the lowest of the 5 nobles ranking had descended.
And if a demon with Master class has appeared, then the entire Apton will be weak in front of it.
All the obstacles were in place.
Sable drew his sword.
Now was the time to do what he had to do.
“Apostle and Saint.”
The kids.
By now, they should have felt the power and were probably trembling.
His eyes gleamed.
Today Pyro will lose a lot.
So in the end, the Goddess wouldn’t even be able to grant her power to her followers.
“The balance will be broken.”
One of the 12 will disappear today.
The flow of the world which would lean towards his master would start.
“Eternal Peace.”
Sable took the ring off his finger and threw it to the floor.
The sealed off holy power exploded around him.
“Engrave it on the tip of the sword.”
The first of the Seven Knights of Zenith.