SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 17: Cornered Prey.

The snow crunched under her feet with each step. The thick fog turned the forest into a labyrinth, a trap that wouldn’t let you out of it.

However, Clarinda had a good sense of direction.

Besides, she hadn’t gone too deep into the forest, so she had nothing to fear.

When two figures appeared through the fog, the maid knew she had arrived successfully.

The woman continued walking until she reached them.

The young master and Sebastian were waiting for her.

Lloyd’s appearance was curious: he was covered in cloaks, his face wrapped in scarves, and even so he continued trembling.

It was quite comical to see.

"Well, I suppose you already did your job," Sebastian commented.

"That’s right, I don’t think that idiot suspects anything."

"Good, then now it’s my turn. Clarinda, take care of the young master and accompany him to the mansion, it’s very cold out here and he could get sick," the butler commented. "Don’t worry, young master, I’ll take care of following Roberto."

"As you command."

Sebastian then disappeared in the blink of an eye, which surprised Clarinda little; she knew how impressive that old man could be.

"Well, young master, let’s go back."

Lloyd didn’t respond, it was surely difficult to do so under so many scarves.

With a clumsy movement, the boy started walking. It was funny; if Clarinda knew what a penguin was, Lloyd would surely have reminded her of one.

The forest was left behind, the mansion was near.

Still, they were taking quite a while to return due to Lloyd’s slow pace.

While walking, Clarinda remembered what had happened before: Lloyd’s plan.

He had deduced that the only way to sell items so quickly and without raising suspicions, was for someone to contact the black market.

It was very likely that Roberto had a contact with them, or that the black market itself had investigated him, then proposed a deal.

The fact that there were rumors of suspicious people in the city only proved that theory.

However, Clarinda was skeptical.

How had the dark society reached such a remote place? How did it benefit them? It wasn’t a place with many resources.

Still, Roberto himself had revealed it in the last conversation.

He had been so stupid to reveal that information, but doing business with the black market was already stupid in itself.

Still, the young master’s perceptiveness was surprising.

His whole life he was a simple "living dead"; however, that near-death experience seemed to have changed him.

Had he always been so intelligent?

Well, he was someone sickly without good health, but he spent most of his life reading; in fact, he learned to read at a very early age, perhaps he had always been a genius.

She had never paid him much attention, perhaps if she had observed him more closely, she would have noticed something.

It was then that she realized something.

How did he know it was her?

That was a much more important question.

Clarinda never left clues to her acts; even Sebastian seemed not to notice it.

However, how did he find out?

Well, perhaps having lost his pendant made him search everywhere.

Though, she didn’t remember that pendant.

It was also true that she had a notebook where she wrote down important things for fear of forgetting them.

She never had a good memory.

Perhaps she completely forgot she had it, and that’s why he found it there.

Though there was something that scared her more: what if he framed her?

It was possible.

Perhaps he had noticed something strange, and tricked Sebastian into making her confess.

If so, Lloyd was much more terrifying than she had thought.

"We’re here," a voice sounded, muffled among garments. "I’ll go up to my room."

The woman only nodded, still lost in her thoughts.

However, seeing that small and chubby figure climb the stairs with difficulty, her worries evaporated.

It was impossible for that child to be that calculating.

A small smile formed on her face.

He was intelligent, yes, but he was still a kid.

***

A pale light illuminated the room, giving it an unsettling aura. The light cast elongated shadows on the floor, shadows that seemed to become distorted to show impossible and horrifying figures.

As if it were a spotlight, that light bathed a large lump that protruded above the sheets.

The ominous atmosphere broke a little before that scene. It was a large lump, a large accumulation of coats and cloaks that seemed to wrap something.

Apparently, whoever was wearing those garments was too tired to take them off, and decided to sleep with them on.

Now, that bundled ball was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger that awaited it.

The darkness vibrated, as if it were a liquid that had been disturbed. And from the shadows, a silhouette rose.

No sound was emitted, the silence wasn’t broken; but the figure approached, closer and closer.

Each step made it more inevitable, more ominous; and when it was close enough... Its knife fell, upon the defenseless lump.