Free Web NovelChapter 202: Infiltration into Eibach?
Ophelia did not hesitate to change her expression at the mention of Ryan accompanying her.
Annoyance was completely evident on her face. Left behind was any trace of the casual chat they had been maintaining just a moment ago in the tower. Her brow furrowed, displaying a clear dissatisfaction with the idea of bringing him along by her side on this sudden journey.
She raised her hands in sheer annoyance.
She waved her fingers in the empty air, almost as if she wanted to shoo the very idea out of her head immediately.
"Listen to me Ryan, these matters are not your problem. Anything outside of our alliance is for me to resolve on my own, do you understand?"
Her tone was harsh and direct. She wasn’t asking a question; she was establishing a clear boundary regarding what they would do next.
Ryan thought about it for a brief moment. free𝑤ebnovel.com
He kept his gaze fixed firmly on her, remaining in complete silence while he evaluated the answer the demon queen had just given him.
"You might be right." He responded, taking a short pause before adding. "But we are going to be allies, I do not think it is wrong for me to try to help you." Ryan said, looking at Ophelia directly.
His green eyes did not part from hers for a single second. He remained standing in front of the woman, waiting to see exactly how she would react to his offer to go together.
But at the same time, while waiting for her response, he began to think about it.
’If I went with her, I would have the opportunity to fight against Abyssals; even though I have already gotten an idea of the power they possess, I highly doubt they are all the exact same.’
He remembered the sentinels who received him back at Ophelia’s castle; even though he fought against one of them, he knew perfectly well that that Abyssal did not fight with all his strength because he was unarmed.
And right when he was finally going to fight in earnest, they decided to put a stop to the fight. Besides, there were also the two prisoners that Ophelia had killed down in the basement earlier.
They were probably strong as well, but he didn’t have the time to see what they were truly capable of. After all, he had only seen them chained up and wounded, and of course, they weren’t going to be able to do much against a demon king anyway.
The curiosity to face Abyssal-rank demons face-to-face was quite large.
But Ophelia shook her hands in denial, pulling Ryan right out of his thoughts.
The woman’s rapid movement cleanly cut off any image of combat that the boy was forming inside his head.
"No, regardless of whether you want to help me or not, you are far too important for my plans, and I want you to remain completely hidden." She crossed her arms and, after a heavy sigh, added.
"At least until the right moment arrives, I mean... until we finish off Demon King Rigal." Then, Ophelia brought her hand to her chin, as if deep in thought.
She then returned her gaze to Ryan and added.
"But you cannot stay here, nor can you return just yet, so I will give you a portal that connects directly to a human city. At dawn, go to the hill; you will meet up with Ivis there to return to your village." She said with a highly serious tone.
Her words left absolutely no room for doubt. Then, as if concluding any further petition Ryan could have made, she added.
"By that time, I should have already finished taking care of the matters in Geizan."
It was a final decision. Ryan remained reflecting on it for a moment. But he did not argue or insist any further on the subject. He crossed his arms, silently accepting the refusal. Even though he truly just wanted an excuse to be able to test his power in a real battle before the overarching conflict with the demon king.
Clenching his fists and feeling the sheer force of his own blows against those demons would have served him very well. Facing off against Demon King Rigal would not be a simple game, and a real warm-up in the middle of that meeting would have done his body a lot of good.
He also understood that Ophelia was plotting things alongside a human, and she didn’t want any external demons interfering in her plans due to sheer carelessness.
One single mistake, a simple glance from someone in the wrong place, could reveal that the Queen of Morrisen was associating with a human. She would probably be investigated with even more insistence by the demonic factions. That would completely ruin the element of surprise they had planned together.
Then, Ryan fixed his green eyes back on Ophelia.
"And what city will you be sending me to?" He asked with genuine curiosity.
Since he wasn’t going to fight, he needed to know exactly where he was being sent to spend the night.
Ophelia responded immediately with a calm tone.
"Friah Village, you must know it; it is a city near the sea in the nation of Eibach. That place has a very high hill, it is the ideal spot for you and Ivis to meet up again."
Ryan nodded his head, completely agreeing with what she was proposing.
Even if he didn’t know the place, that would not be a major problem.
But there was just one thing; at least, Ryan thought that Ophelia was completely ignoring a highly important detail.
He began to look down at his own clothes.
He was wearing his dark trench coat. The exact same clothes with which he had been marked as a fugitive. Someone dressed in such a manner in a human town would draw attention immediately, provoking the exact same stares and questions they were supposed to be avoiding.
And Ophelia, upon realizing his shift in attitude, spoke to him in a calm manner.
"Are you worried they will discover you? I have already taken care of that." She responded with tranquility, emanating sheer confidence.
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
But before Ophelia could respond any further, a voice echoed right behind him.
"You will have to manage with this."
The voice was freezing cold, originating very close to his back, in a spot that barely a second ago had been completely empty.
Ryan spun around abruptly, spotting a brown, leather-like bag. It was flying straight toward his face. The object had been thrown with considerable force, cutting through the air right at him.
He snatched it right out of the air.
His hand clamped shut in a rapid motion around the leather material right before it could smack his face. He squeezed the bag firmly between his fingers.
’At what exact moment did she arrive here?’ He thought to himself, looking at the silhouette of the darkness dragoness. Janina.
He hadn’t heard her footsteps on the stone, nor the slightest rustle of her clothing against the wind. She had simply appeared out of thin air, standing a few steps away, watching him in complete silence.
