SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 33: Conrad’s Fort.

It was a dark night.

Sinuous shadows slithered sinisterly, while the air whispered through the trees.

It wasn’t a welcoming atmosphere, nor should it be.

Conrad’s fort wasn’t a particularly pleasant place, and at night it became much less welcoming; the screams and laments of those locked inside would make even the bravest’s hair stand on end.

However, that night the fort was much more gloomy than usual, but not because of screams or wails of pain, but because of their absence.

An empty silence had invaded the fort, while the walls were bathed in trembling shadows.

The stench of death was evident, as if a great massacre had taken place; however, there was no trace of the crime’s work, or was there?

Blood.

Red stains painted the cold rock, like some twisted type of art; but that made the situation much more chilling. Where had the bodies gone?

It was as if death itself had descended and sentenced the blasphemous sinners who were in the old walls of the fortification.

If anything is scarier than death, it’s silence; the most absolute darkness where fears take shape and tangibility to snatch your soul away.

Sköll felt cold sweat descend down her neck; that place didn’t generate confidence. But it wasn’t her instinct telling her, but the fact that there was nothing to feel.

It was as if her instincts had gone numb, which was even worse than being alert.

Her beast-woman senses, however, did seem to work, at least smell and sight; it was impossible to find a disturbance in the silence that wasn’t her own breathing.

"How will we act, leader?" a voice then said.

The girl felt as if her heart jumped out of her mouth, she had to stifle a scream between her hands, then look furiously at Gueri.

"Idiot! You scared me," the girl said, with a hand on her chest.

She had to breathe deeply to regain calm.

"I know, the whole group is scared, that’s why we need your guidance, leader."

Gueri knew that depending on Sköll wasn’t right; she was a child, barely fifteen years old; however, he still remembered the determination with which Sköll declared she would free her people.

They were the same eyes as Freya’s, and Gueri would believe in them.

Besides, Sköll being distracted was good.

Barely two months had passed since the attack, and it certainly wouldn’t be good for them to spend too much time lamenting their family’s possible death.

If Sköll decided to use that pain as a positive impulse to save her people, he wouldn’t stop her.

Moreover, her attitude also cheered up the rest of the pack. Sköll and Hati had always been like little sisters to the village warriors, after all.

"Alright, then we’ll act according to the plan: we’ll each infiltrate the fortress to search for our people," she said with determination.

Gueri smiled; that was exactly the attitude that had moved him two months ago. It was impressive; even some warriors looked fearful about entering, but she decided to continue, without letting fear control her.

However, he also had to fix something.

"By the way, since you’re the chief, perhaps you should take care of a more important mission, don’t you think?" the man asked, fearing she’d get angry.

Sköll crossed her arms while sighing.

"Don’t bother trying to deceive me, I’ve already heard your little plan," she said, showing clear displeasure. "It’s fine, I’ll stay watching outside, but it won’t be a habit, agreed?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Gueri was stupefied by Sköll’s attitude; normally, she would have thrown a tantrum to accompany them.

However, in those two months Sköll had matured, and that’s why she knew it was better to listen to them.

She didn’t want Gueri’s performance to drop from being worried about her.

She knew that before getting stronger, she had to know her limits; she was sure grandpa would have said something like that.

"Thank you very much, Sköll-sama, you are clearly full of wisdom," the beast-man thanked.

"Hmp, of course I am!" she said with a proud smile.

Gueri couldn’t help but smile; the usual Sköll hadn’t been lost.

The pack departed at that very moment. The plan was simple: enter the fort and search for their people; if they found any guards, kill them.

Sköll, however, didn’t enter the castle, but stayed outside, watching the surroundings.

After all, there was another reason Gueri didn’t want Sköll to enter the castle: he knew the atrocities that occurred in the fortification’s dungeons. He didn’t want Sköll to witness that.

"Tsk, this is boring," the little wolf said, while running around the fort.

It was then that she could smell it, perceive a new fragrance: there was someone nearby.

Sköll’s pace became slower, she began to walk on tiptoes to avoid making noise.

She began to approach where the smell led her.

That’s when she saw him: a boy, who would be around her age.

His hair was black as the darkest night, and he wore sophisticated clothes of high quality.

Sköll’s brow furrowed.

What was a child doing here? An image came to her head, turning her stomach.

Surely that boy was a rich and spoiled kid who liked to mistreat other slaves.

The idea that that child could have bothered her people enraged Sköll, making her hair stand on end.

She was going to hit him very hard.

The girl approached on tiptoes, preparing for a surprise attack, taking advantage that he had his back turned.

The young man was on a tree branch, observing the sky.

"What beautiful stars there are tonight... Mmm, now I think I understand the mission," the young man said, while with a jump he landed on the ground.

Sköll didn’t pay much attention to his words; as soon as he was within her reach, she lunged at him.

Sköll threw herself at that boy, like a golden flash.

Her fist shot out, piercing through the air, seeking his neck to bring him down.

However, the boy’s reaction was immediate, turning quickly, while, with that same turn, he deflected her blow downward.

A second hand ascended, open, impacting her jaw with surgical precision.

That blow made Sköll’s vision blur, until she completely lost sight.

Everything turned black.