The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 171 Brother

"The disfavored lady is visiting a castle of the Demon Lord," Lancelot said with some hesitation, "I'm not sure if a being as powerful as you would be welcome if you went directly there."

"What is this Demon Lord's attitude toward the disfavored?" the man asked calmly, looking at the other.

"Very respectful."

"Then I should have no problem."

"I need your promise," Lancelot struggled to overcome the fear in his heart and said firmly, "Promise that you will not do anything harmful to that Demon Lord, or to that town."

Everyone was astonished by Lancelot's courage, but the nameless man merely narrowed his eyes, looking at the knight before him and his companions, and then a smile appeared on his face.

"I'm someone who doesn't like trouble unless someone provokes me first," he said with a look that was almost nostalgic as he looked at these comrades who had fought side by side, "Shall we get going then?"

"Thank you for your understanding," Lancelot breathed a sigh of relief and took out the amulet bearing the emblem of Twin Bridges Town. But then he remembered something and said somewhat awkwardly to the man, "Wait a moment, just give me a minute."

"What's up?" the scarred man looked at him curiously, the Flame Demon showing far more patience than ordinary demons would.

"Collecting the war spoils," Lancelot said with an awkward smile, pulling out the Great Sword Glacier, he swiftly pried the cage from the wagon, and using the dimensional scaling ability of the Dimensional Bag, he stowed the entire metal cage inside.

"These are all made of mithril," the dwarf explained, "Great crafting material. Do you need a new weapon or armor?"

"I once had a companion like that too," the nameless man pointed to the skeleton skull that Bruto was holding in his arms, the latter being what Lancelot had just handed to him, still unconscious. "They are much more tenacious than they appear, not so easy to die."

"I hope so," Bruto sighed, "This fellow just went crazy all of a sudden, charging at that Abyssal Demon Refiner as if it saw an old enemy."

By now, Lancelot had packed away the cage made of mithril. As for the weapons that the mercenaries had been carrying, they decayed rapidly with the death of the demon, no longer holding any value for collection. He didn't plan on searching through each corpse for their wallets either — who knows what other trouble might come if they stayed any longer.

"Everyone grab onto me," he said, holding the amulet Tijana had given him, then everyone extended their hands to grab his arm or belt.

The nameless man also reached out his hand, merely resting it on his shoulder. Although there was no discomfort, Lancelot still felt the heat within the other, like a volcano.

"Well, my true form is a Barlow Flame Demon after all," the scarred man said with a light smile as if he read Lancelot's mind.

Lancelot focused his mind, and in an almost inaudible voice, he whispered the name of the Succubus Lord to the emblem of Twin Bridges Town.

"Tijana, Tijana, Tijana..."

The magic held within the emblem was triggered by his whisper. In an instant, Lancelot felt weightless as the surrounding scenes dissolved into countless points of light and then reformed into a new landscape, the sensation of weight returning to his body. Explore more stories at empire

He found himself standing in the Throne Hall within Tigana's Castle, where the Succubus Lord and her six-armed Serpent Demon Generals were still studying the surrounding situation on the sand table. Lancelot glanced at it and saw only a few minor changes.

"Ah, Lancelot, you.." Tijana had sensed the fluctuation of Teleportation Magic in advance, but her expression suddenly changed, focusing intently on the nameless man standing aside, and she asked in a cold tone, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"You can call me Nameless," the man riddled with scars said with interest, looking at the Succubus Lord before him without any concern for the hostility she exhibited. "I heard about you from the disgraced one; I am here to find her."

"Nameless?" Tijana looked even more surprised, but another equally surprised voice rang out from the side:

"General?"

Lancelot turned his head to see that it was Iados who had spoken. The usually silent and reticent ram-headed demon seemed to recognize Nameless, his face full of reverent awe.

"I remember you, Iados," Nameless smiled. "I am pleased to find that you are still alive."

Iados suddenly straightened his usually hunched back, his right fist striking his left chest heavily, which Lancelot guessed was some special form of salute.

"Iados, is this the General you've always talked about?" Tijana asked the ram-headed demon, who, clearly trying to suppress his excitement, nodded. Her gaze swept over the scars on Nameless's body, and she began hesitantly, "I've also heard your name mentioned by the disgraced lady, but weren't you..."

"A lot has happened."

Nameless offered no further explanation, and Tijana did not seem intent on questioning further. Instead, she turned to another unfamiliar face and asked:

"So you are the target of our rescue mission then?"

Although Elothysia was a Holy Warrior, most of her life had been spent as a demon, so she did not show much hostility. Instead, she had been curiously observing Tijana.

"That would be me," she nodded with neither humility nor arrogance. "I have long heard of your fame, the Pearl of the Stygian Riverbank, the great Lady Tigana."

"All parts of you appear intact, it seems my mercenaries have completed their commission well," Tijana said to the Holy Warrior without particular warmth. "Come with me, the disgraced one anxiously awaits you. Lancelot, you and the others head back first; I will come find you later."

"As you command, my lady," Lancelot bowed to Tijana, pretending not to see the joking faces his companions were making.

The Succubus Lord gave him a deep look, the smile on her lips betraying her feelings upon seeing the Human Knight. After giving a few instructions to her generals, she led Nameless and Elothysia down a corridor behind the Throne Hall.

Moments later, Lancelot and his party also returned to their home at Hagrid Manor. Surprisingly, although it was still early evening, little Isabella was already doing chores.

"Ah! Brother Lancelot, are you back?" The vampire looked very weak but sounded exceptionally happy.

"Hmm... huh? What did you just call me?"

Isabella's face turned a deep shade of red as she stammered:

"Sorry, sorry, Sir, I mean, I..."

"That's just not fair," Bruto grumbled. "You used to call me uncle all the time..."

"Who told you to grow such a big beard," said Lancelot with a chuckle. "But the sun hasn't set yet; why have you come out now?"

"Sir Zalovitch said I must learn to adapt to sunlight," Isabella's voice became even softer. "If... if I want to go on adventures with Brother Lancelot."