When Guang and Lux returned, they found Hikari already asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, they decided that they would leave her to sleep while the two of them and David takes turn keeping watch.

Initially David had offered to take the first shift, but after getting refused by Lux, he took the opportunity to take a rest. He felt like Lux didn’t seem to trust him yet, but after Hikari’s speech and actions earlier, he was fairly confident that Lux wouldn’t actually do anything while he was asleep.

The last thing he saw before he entered the world of dreams was the wilderness around him, lightened up slightly by their small camp fire.

He woke up from the sound of something walking by his ear. It was only an insect. Having the urge to return to sleep, he looked at his watch. It was still ticking, and it seemed like three hours had already passed.

David looked around and saw that Lux, who was still keeping watch, sitting on a large boulder. He called out, “Lux, was it? Take a rest, its my turn to keep watch now.”

Lux looked back at him. She hesitated a bit, before quietly complying by leaving the boulder, and taking up the space David was on. She leaned back onto the tree and closed her eyes.

David looked at her for a while. Although he tried to analyse her a few days prior, this was a different case. She was a beautiful young woman similar to Helaine. She was the type of woman that can easily bewitch any men with a ease. The overall feeling she gave off was rather mature and slightly mysterious. She was the type of cool beauty you would find people looking up to, but often too scared to approach. Helaine used to be like that too before David had convinced her to brighten up and let herself be more approachable.

As his mind drifted back to Helaine, his worries began once more. Why was the demon there? Why did he grab Helaine away? How did he find out about their relationship? Where are they now? Is she alright? Piles of questions surfaced in his mind.

“David, walk slightly further away from them,” Lucifer’s voice resonated in his head. David had gotten used to this sudden intrusion of his thoughts, Lucifer seemed to do this a lot.

David took several steps away from where the exorcists were sleeping and asked, “What is it?”

“There’s several things. One, I can still feel the general direction that the demon and your girl is in, Two..”

“You can feel them? Which way?” David asked desperately, he had assumed that Lucifer had no idea, but since he could then all the more reason to rush to Helaine’s rescue.

“Two, I wouldn’t recommend you to find her yet. Well although you could probably go there rather quickly using several enhancing spells, your secrets would be exposed to the exorcists. And since they seem to be willing to help, use them. Travel along the road, they are in that direction after all.

And lastly, before you go find Helaine. I just want you to know something.”

“What is it? Spit it out?”

“She’s a succubus.”

“… I’m sorry?”

“Your friend Helaine is a succubus.”

“What? You must lying. There is no way Helly would be involved in this insane mess from the start. There’s no way she’s a succubus.”

“Have I ever lied to you so far?”

David could not think of a rebuttal. Indeed it was as Lucifer has said, he had never been lied to. But was that possible? Helly’s a succubus? The Helly that was head over heels for him? The Helly that means more to him than anything else in the world? The same Helly he was trying to save?

“David, I’m not trying to drive you insane or anything. I need you to know what you’re getting into. If you truly want to, there’s a method of returning back and leaving this place behind.

It’s not too difficult. Trust me and let me take over your body for a while. You have the ability to open a portal to return home, but you lack the necessary skill and focus right now.”

“Telling me that right now. Are you trying to convince me to turn back and return?”

“No, I’m just giving you the option.”

“I’m not returning. At the very least I want to save Helly, then I want some answers from her. But before then, I’m not returning.”

“I guessed that’s what you’d say. So for the time being, close your eyes and try to feel the mana flowing around your body. Let it circulate and not move in an erratic manner. Then slowly manipulate the mana around you to do the same. Since you’re here with exorcists, it’s more or less the only way you can train your magic without exposing yourself.”

David complied and did as Lucifer suggested. His mind was still all over the place. Hearing that Helaine was a succubus. That wasn’t something he could even imagine. Sweet beautiful Helaine. He will rescue her. And only then will he find out the truth directly from her.

He felt the mana moving around his body rather erratically. It moved around without a direction, like a torrent of energy without any purpose. He tried to probe through his entire body for mana, but he only felt it on the outer layer, the closer to the middle of his body, the less mana there seemed to be. He treated it as a normal occurrence and imagined the torrent of mana in his body circulating around his body like blood does.

It wasn’t easy.

Focusing his mana and shaping it to cast spells came rather naturally to him, particularly fire and ice spells. But manipulating raw mana and making it circulate around him body was far more difficult than he imagined. Every time he tried to focus on even a small amount of mana in a specific spot of his body, they just seemed to move away instead of circulating like he wished.

No, this wasn’t the time for it. He should think of a way to get to and save Helaine. No, first he has to find her. Lucifer had said follow the path and that he could sense her general location. Where does the road lead to? How long did he have?

Ugh, but he can’t do anything right now, or was there something he could do? “Lucifer, have you manage to think of where that demon might have taken Helly? There’s limited places around here right?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve even been in this area. I’m still trying to figure out whose territory is it. Even in this world, us Demon Princes of the Seven Sins don’t rule over anything. We hold authority over most of this dimension, while the rest is under the authority of the demon nobles.”

“Demon nobles.”

“The more traditional of the demons. Well, the demon nobles that chose to end the demonic civil war that waged between the original demon nobles and us. They are most well known for having the methods of their summons recorded down in the Ars Goetia.”

“Ars Goetia? As in the Lesser Key of Solomon?”

“The Ars Goetia is the original grimoire, while the Lesser Key of Solomon is merely replica of it. But yes. Those demons as well as their descendants. I’ll continue to ponder about our whereabouts, focus on survival and gaining the exorcists trust. In this land, they may become some of the most valuable allies you can get.

You better stop talking, the exorcist girl stirs. She seems to have started to awaken from her slumber.”

David turned around to look at who Lucifer was talking about. It seemed like Hikari was going to wake up soon with her rubbing her eyes.

Lucifer had told him to not think too much about Helaine. But that wasn’t possible. He was determined to find and save her at all cost. That was the most important thing right now. He wasn’t about to let anything deter him from that.

1. N/a