Now, that was perhaps the most interesting part of this entire ordeal from Zelda's perspective.
There were still a few questions he needed answered. More importantly, he needed to make sure Vivian had no leads that pointed back to him.
Whether he had actually eaten her sister or not was irrelevant.
Though, if he were being honest with himself, he was leaning toward the possibility that he had.
Two centuries ago, he had participated in an attack on an elven village in Grisad.
A lot of demons had.
They had taken advantage of the chaos sweeping through the kingdom after news spread that the prince had murdered the king, forcibly married the queen—his own mother—and seized the throne for himself.
It had been rather scandalous news.
Vivian glanced between Maria and Zelda.
"That's enough about me," she said. "I want some answers now. Who are the two of you, and what are you doing in this forest?"
Maria straightened her posture and proudly placed a hand against her chest.
"As I said before, I'm Maria Engracia, the fallen princess of this kingdom." She raised her fist into the air. "And together with Zelda, I am going to reclaim my birthright and restore the monarchy!"
"I heard about the monarchy being overthrown," Vivian said. "Didn't think I'd end up meeting the former princess."
Her eyes drifted toward Zelda.
"But why a demon? There is no way he is helping you for free. No demon does. There has to be something in this for him. What does he gain from all of this?"
And it was that moment he interrupted before Maria could answer.
"That is not for you to know."
He could not allow word of the deal he had made with Maria to spread. If people learned the details, it would only create unnecessary complications for him.
Complications he had no desire to deal with.
"You should be more focused on finding the demon who ate your sister."
"You think I haven't tried?" she asked bitterly. "According to the words of an elven seer, that demon is hiding somewhere within this land."
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.
"If he weren't resistant to divination, she would have been able to tell me exactly where he is and what he looks like."
That could work in my favor.
The thought crossed Zelda's mind as Vivian bent down and picked up her sword.
"Tell me," he suddenly said, "did your sister have a scar on her right cheek?"
Vivian froze.
"H-How do you know that?!"
Zelda remained calm.
"Because I once knew a demon named Clemens. During the Demon King's coronation, he boasted about raiding an elven village alongside several other demons."
The story was, of course, a complete fabrication.
Clemens had never said any such thing.
But he was dead now, and dead demons rarely complained about having crimes pinned on them.
Nor was Vivian likely to discover the truth.
"He bragged about many things," Zelda continued. "But the story he seemed most proud of involved an elf with golden hair streaked with white. He claimed he tortured her for days."
Vivian's breathing began to quicken.
"He said he tore out her eyes first. Then he cut off her limbs piece by piece."
Zelda paused.
"And then he killed her."
By now, Vivian's face had turned red with fury.
Her hands trembled around the hilt of her sword, and there was a wild look growing in her eyes.
Exactly the reaction Zelda had hoped for.
"Where is this Clemens?!" she demanded. "Where is he?!"
"He could be anywhere in this kingdom," Zelda replied. "He is a wandering demon. A low-tier one. Beast-like in appearance. Stitched eyes, green lips, and a dragon's tail."
He shrugged.
"Or he could be somewhere else entirely."
"It doesn't matter where he is!"
Vivian's voice rang through the clearing.
"I will find him!"
The fury in her eyes burned brighter than ever.
Zelda watched silently.
Her attention had been redirected, but he would certainly place both her and the elven seer on the list of threats he would have to deal with in the future.
Still, he could not help but wonder what kind of face Vivian would make when she eventually discovered that she had been speaking face to face with her sister's killer all along.
How would she react in her final moments, he wondered, when he would reveal the truth to her? Would that hatred in her eyes finally give way to despair when he produced the preserved head of her sister and the remains of the unborn fetust from his inventory for her to see?
The thought brought a faint smile to his face.
It would be an interesting expression.
"You had better get going, then," he said.
Vivian pointed her sword at him.
"Even so, I can't let a demon walk free. I know you've devoured countless people, including many elves."
"Perhaps," Zelda replied calmly. "But it is my nature as a demon."
His crimson eyes met hers.
"And remember, you are not strong enough to face me. If you die here, then who will avenge your sister?"
Vivian's grip around her sword loosened.
After a long moment, she lowered the blade.
"I will come for you someday," she said coldly.
Then she turned and walked away, disappearing deeper into the forest without another word.
Once Vivian had vanished from sight, Maria approached Zelda.
"Clemens is dead," she said. "What will you do once she learns the truth?"
"Time will tell."
Maria sighed.
"You really do prove that the words of demons are nothing but deception."
Zelda glanced at her.
"You say that as though I ever claimed otherwise."
Maria folded her arms.
"Can't argue with that. So, what do we do now? Look for monsters here, or go somewhere else?"
"Let's search the area for a day or two," Zelda replied. "If we find nothing of interest, then we'll move on. Most likely to Rodesia or Entonle."
Maria nodded.
"Hopefully, there are still some monsters left after those Wilderbeasts moved in."
"Perhaps," Zelda said. "Though I doubt it."
His eyes drifted toward the dark forest ahead.
"Infestations spread quickly. By the time prey realizes there is a problem, it is often already too late."
Then he noticed Maria's gaze lingering on the carcass of one of the Wilderbeasts Vivian had cleaved apart.
"Can you do necromancy?" she asked.
Zelda raised a brow.
Necromancy was the art of manipulating the dead. Through it, one could control corpses or bones by binding them with an artificial soul, turning them into puppets that moved on their own while remaining completely obedient to their creator. The practice itself came in many forms. Some necromancers could even animate dead flesh without the use of a false soul altogether.
"We could use these dead bodies as foot soldiers, could we not?" Maria continued.
Zelda glanced at the mangled Wilderbeast corpse.
"I can."
Maria's eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Yes. Necromancy is not particularly difficult."
He paused for a moment.
"The problem is that undead are terrible soldiers."
Maria blinked.
"They don't tire," Zelda continued. "They don't feel pain, and they follow orders without complaint. But they are slow, mindless, and require constant maintenance. Unless one invests considerable time and resources into them, they are little more than moving corpses."
His gaze fell once more upon the dead Wilderbeast.
"And these things would make especially poor material. So, I have to say no."
"I see."
Maria nodded.
"Hm?" Zelda muttered suddenly.
"What is it?" Maria asked.
His ears picked up a sound coming from the southwest.
More than a dozen sets of footsteps.
Quadrupedal.
Large and heavy.
And accompanying them were low howls that echoed through the forest.
"Dire wolves."
"What?"
"I hear dire wolves," Zelda said, a faint smile appearing on his face. "It seems we've found our first recruits."
Maria's eyes lit up.
"Then what are we waiting for?" she exclaimed. "Let's go!"
Without another word, the two hurried toward the source of the howls, disappearing once more beneath the shadows of Endomiya's ancient trees.