Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1297: On the Way back

”Why are you following me?” Monique asked into the empty hallway. She had exited the arena and was on her way back up to the VIP seats when she noticed that she had a tail. The moment Monique wanted to take action, a cloaked figure rushed at her from a crossing she just passed.

A claw covered in magic emerged from the cloak, aiming for Moniqueʼs chest. With a quick step, Monique made a half turn to the side, evading the attack. As she moved, her body was covered by her relic-rated armor set. Finishing her turn, her gauntleted fist was rammed into the torso of the attacker.

She felt the satisfying crunch of bones through the armor as the attacker was launched into the wall. From what she had seen, the attackerʼs speed and force were actually comparable to a lv.70 warrior, which was far above the average level they expected in Perrerian.

Not giving the figure a moment to collect themselves, Monique was already on them just after they crashed into the wall, sinking her other fist squarely into their sternum. Ripping away the cloak, her eyes scanned the other for weapons.

To her surprise, the Chosen of Athena found that her attacker was a demon kin. It was male with three small horns growing on his forehead, while his skin had a violet hue. Intrigued, she lifted him up by the neck and slammed him against a fresh section of wall, so it wouldnʼt crumble away.

“Why did you attack me?” she asked coldly, her voice a little echoey from the Olympian helmet she wore. The demon coughed full of pain, but instead of talking, he tried attacking again. His right claws sped forward, and his arm elongated to reach her, but the attack was easily caught by Monique. She sighed.

“Letʼs try this again. Why did you attack me?” she repeated her question after breaking both his shoulders and arms, for safety reasons. The manʼs horizontal pupils constricted as he focused on her and spoke.

“Come closer...” he whispered, barely audible. Monique loathed dealing with such theatrics but she did move in a little closer. The moment she did, and fist shot out from the torso of the demon and crushed itself on her cuirass. She barely felt the impact of the attacks, as the demon cried in pain once again.

“Looks like you are not interested in civilized conversations, but Iʼm not much of a torturer...”

After musing over it for a moment, she knocked out the demon properly. She would bring this up with Jane and the lord. Either the lord would lend them some torturers, or Azotain would have to do. Dragging the bloody demon by his ripped clothing, she left a crimson stain on her way back to the VIP stands.
...

Shortly after the fight, a cloaked figure accompanied by a few armored guards was suddenly led to the VIP stands. Lord Clutcher rose from his seat, welcoming the visitor with open arm. The man in question lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing a young, slim face with pale skin and light brunette hair.

“Lady Jane, I wish to introduce you to Emissary Alton, a Herald of the Emperor,” Lord Clutcher introduced the newcomer, who had completely stripped off the cloak, revealing precious jewelry and expensive garments.

“On behalf of the emperor, I wish to unofficially receive you as guests of a foreign nation in our great empire,” he greeted her ceremoniously. Next, he pulled two scrolls from the leather bag at his side, presenting them to her.

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“This scroll will guarantee your identity as a personal guest of the emperor, allowing you and your company free travel in our lands. This is his majestyʼs invitation for a private meeting and your official reception at the imperial capital.”

Jane was shocked by the sudden revelation. They had come here to simply knit some connection with the local lord and bump up their food supply , she had not expected to be suddenly invited to the court of a fantasy emperor.

As someone who had not traveled to a system world, this came as a bigger shock than to someone like Jonah, who had met kings and nobles during his time on the war world. However, she wasnʼt distracted for long, and her calculative mind kicked in quickly.

Why? Was the deal with the demon cave really big enough to show up on the emperorʼs radar? She glanced in the arena, where they were currently busy getting Archellon out of the arena. Was this a test? Had they offered this invitation only after seeing proof of their strength?

“On that note, where is the victor of the duel? I wished to congratulate her myself,” Alton said, looking around. This pretty much answered Janeʼs question. She had been suspicious of something, but Clutcher and the others were not telling them. Were they looking for a powerful ally, more so than a business partner?

“Now that you mention it, hasnʼt it been a little too long? Monique should have returned by now,” Jane answered, not necessarily worried about where she could have gone, just confused by her lateness. It was hard to imagine Monique being held up by something.

“I wouldnʼt worry too much. Maybe she just took a moment to fix herself up and use the latrine before returning, “ Clutcher suggested with a polite laugh. It was this moment that they noticed a quiet jingling of metal armor coming to a halt. The lack of the sound they subconsciously ignored drew their attention.

A dull thump made everyone turn their heads behind. In the hallway behind the VIP stands stood a warrior in full armor. Blood was dripping from their gauntlets onto the ragged heap they had been dragging behind them, judging by the stain reaching far down the corridor.

“Who-!?” most people and the guard exclaimed. The guards were ready to pull their arms, and the dungeon busters present showed signs of life, but they were all cut short by Jane jumping from her seat. “Monique, what happened? Who is that?”

Only now, did Monique unequip her helmet, revealing her face as he blonde locks fell down on her back. Shaking her head a little to loosen her hair.

“This little demon attacked on my way back from the fight -” she tried to explain what happened, but was interrupted by people exclaiming “Demon?!” in shock and disbelieve.

“You defeated not just a titan but even a demon! Smashing!” the herald exclaimed, when the guards started poking around at the unconscious bundle, Monique had discarded on the carpet. The person in question scooted a little closer to Jane to talk in whispers.

“They didnʼt talk with a beating, and Iʼm no torturer, so I thought I would come by and get Azotain for a moment... or we could leave it to the lord...although my confidence isnʼt that high, based on their reaction,” she informed the merchant.

“Iʼm sorry to eavesdrop, but please rest assured. Our torturers are greatly motivated and highly skilled when it comes to demons,” Alton approached the two.

“Who are you?” Monique asked suspiciously, having missed during his introduction. Alton gave her a deep bow.

“Iʼm Alton Free, Emissary of his majesty the Emperor. It is a great honor to meet such a powerful and beautiful warrioress,” he introduced himself and used the chance to flatter her.

“Aha. So, would anyone care to explain to me why a demon attacked me in the middle of the day?” she asked, seeing the chance to make them spill the tea.

“The emperor will-” Lord Clutcher started his sentence but Monique raised her hand to make him stop.

“I caught it. If you want to interrogate it, I want to know what is going on now and not in a month or however long it would take to get to your capital and meet the emperor, after traveling however much of your continent and facing who knows how many assassination attempts, ” she said rigorously.

“It will only need one day. We can use the Imperial Gate System,” Alton threw in.

“ Imperial Gate System?”