Sword of Salvation-Chapter 58: - Flower of Levia (2)

Celinee and Mariel—who had been quietly listening—received the intense gaze of the village chief. The look seemed to convey all his hopes to them.

"I admit that was the right decision," Roland said. "Sterminatore will help the village chief pay for your services. Tell us how much you want. As long as we can afford it, we will fulfill it. Even if you find nothing, we will still pay."

Personally, Mariel was intrigued by the demon behind this incident. Even if they weren’t paid, even if Celinee declined, he would investigate it himself. Whoever this demon was, it was dangerous. If allowed to grow stronger, this kingdom would meet its end. The demon couldn’t be left unchecked.

"Alright. We understand the situation," Celinee responded after a moment. "We need to rest after a long journey, but Mariel and I will try to help. You don’t need to pay us. Just provide us with a room and food when we return."

"A-Are you serious?" the village chief asked, trying to confirm that what he had just heard was not a joke.

"There’s no need for me to repeat myself; my explanation was clear and not slow," Celinee’s voice was flat. "But yes, we are serious."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I heard Ultores members won’t act without money," Roland commented, ignoring the village chief’s excitement. "But it seems what I heard wasn’t quite right. My team and I are grateful that you are willing to accept our request."

Celinee nodded.

"Village chief," Mariel called before Celinee could stand up and take him away. "There’s something I want to try. Can you take me to see one of the victims?"

Mariel’s question caused all eyes to focus on him. From Celinee’s silence, it seemed the ninja understood what he intended to do.

"What are you planning to do?" Roland asked. "Do you want to see them directly? Or, are you planning to try removing the flower?"

"You’ll find out soon," Mariel answered briefly. His gaze focused on the village chief. "So, Village Chief, you wouldn’t mind fulfilling my request, would you?"

"I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you want to see them, it’s not a problem. You’ll know that what we’ve told you is the truth."

With that, the village chief took them to one of the residents’ homes—only a few dozen steps from his own.

Upon arrival, Mariel found that what the village chief had said was true.

The dark blue flower, like a mix between a rose and a lily, was embedded in the middle of the victim’s chest. Her skin was a dark blue, and roots were protruding from her skin like newly sprouted plants. The victim was still alive, but no one knew how long she would last.

Mariel crouched next to the victim and touched the flower with his right hand.

"I hope you don’t do something reckless, like pulling out the flower," said a man who had crouched across from Mariel. "I won’t let my wife become a demon and lose the chance to live."

Mariel ignored the man’s words and immediately used his spirit power.

A shock spread throughout the room. Even Celinee, who knew Mariel’s abilities, was slightly surprised.

The flower and the roots on the woman’s body quickly withered away until nothing remained. The dark blue skin caused by the flower also disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the woman’s body was as it once was. If there was any difference, it was only her pale skin and slightly thinner body.

"Give her food and drink as soon as she wakes up," Mariel said to the woman’s husband. "If you’re that worried, you can wake her up immediately. But I suggest you wait until she regains consciousness."

Mariel then stood and gave an intense gaze to the village chief. "Village chief," he said, "I know you understand what to do without me explaining. C and I will be waiting in the open field by the lake. To save time, I will heal all the villagers at once."

The village chief snapped out of his shock and joy. He nodded quickly and pulled Roland—who was still stunned by what he had just witnessed—to help him gather the villagers.

The husband—who was hugging his wife and crying with joy—stood up and shook Mariel’s hand to thank him. He also apologized for making false assumptions earlier.

Mariel didn’t say anything. He simply nodded and patted the man’s shoulder before he and Celinee left the house, heading toward the lake. The sooner they handled this issue, the sooner they could go to Roa Island and get some rest.

Almost half an hour later, all the villagers had gathered.

The victims were laid out in rows. Mariel didn’t waste any time and immediately eradicated the flowers embedded in the victims’ bodies. Awe filled the villagers’ faces; it was as if they were witnessing a real miracle. That awe soon turned to joy.

Before the villagers could crowd around Mariel with words of gratitude, Mariel and Celinee were already on a boat given to them by Roland. They didn’t want to linger over matters that could be resolved quickly. Roa Island was no larger than the village; investigating it wouldn’t take long.

Both Mariel and Celinee could run on water. They could have arrived faster that way. However, Roland had a point. If Sterminatore members were still alive, they would need a boat to return. If they were dead, their bodies could be brought back. For that reason, Mariel and Celinee agreed to take the boat.

They compensated for the boat’s slowness with Mariel’s wind element. Although it couldn’t match their running speed, it was at least several times faster.

"If this takes more than two days, will you still accept the village chief’s request?" Mariel suddenly asked—they had about ten more minutes before reaching Roa Island.

If what they had to do took several days, they would likely lose track of Doctor Lergen. Like Merlin, who moved around frequently, Lergen did too. For Celinee, who was determined to hunt down the doctor, this was an opportunity she didn’t want to miss.

That’s why Mariel asked. Would Celinee prioritize her ambition over the village chief’s request? Mariel was curious.

"Of course not," Celinee answered bluntly. "Eliminating Doctor Lergen is more important. Between saving a hundred people or a thousand, clearly, the thousand takes priority. Besides, as Roland and the village chief said, they’ve already asked for help from the capital. They can wait until help arrives."

"What if that help never comes?"

"I would still pursue Doctor Lergen. Nothing is more important than taking down that bastard doctor. The second priority is destroying Rhemea and freeing the Serenity members."

"Your priorities are clear, and I guess that’s not a bad thing."

"Why are you asking? What would you do if you were in my position?"

Mariel wasn’t in Celinee’s position, so there was no point in imagining it. But if he said that, he would come across as a hypocrite. Mariel had asked a hypothetical question, so it was only right for him to answer Celinee’s.

"I would choose to accept the village chief’s request," Mariel finally answered.

"Why?"

"I don’t know if Doctor Lergen would still be in the capital when I arrived. I also couldn’t be sure the villagers would survive if left unattended. Maybe there’s a specific reason the person they sent to the capital hasn’t returned. What if they were killed on the way? Accepting the village chief’s request is the more logical option."

"What if you knew Doctor Lergen would stay there?"

"That would give me even less reason to refuse the village chief’s request. If Doctor Lergen were guaranteed to be in the capital, there’d be no reason for me to rush. Prioritizing what’s right in front of me would be the better course of action."

"You can say that because you’ve never spent months in Doctor Lergen’s lab," Celinee muttered, displeased with Mariel’s answer.

"Ah, that’s true. I’ve never spent months in Doctor Lergen’s lab. But, Celinee, if I were in your position, Doctor Lergen would already be dead."

Celinee opened her mouth to comment but quickly closed it again.

Mariel wanted to smirk but refrained himself. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked, shifting the conversation.

At the same time, Mariel stopped the boat. They were now only a few dozen meters from Roa Island.

Celinee didn’t answer right away. She raised her left hand to form a hand seal, using her detection technique to confirm the presence of a demon on the island.

"No doubt about it," Celinee responded a moment later. "There’s one demon in the middle of the island. It...it’s stronger than any demon I’ve ever seen. Ma-Mariel...this demon is definitely stronger than Sir Lukhiel."

Mariel didn’t hide his surprise. What Celinee said was completely unexpected. A demon stronger than Lukhiel... There were only seven beings who fit that criteria, and they were all Primordial Demons.

"I don’t detect any human presence; it’s just the demon itself. What should we do? Do you think we should head back and inform the villagers?"

Mariel hadn’t expected to face a Primordial Demon this soon. The demon’s presence didn’t make sense. It was too random. Why would a Primordial Demon be there?

Wait, wait, Zagabob was a subordinate of the Primordial Demon Levia. If that’s the case...

"This shouldn’t be surprising," Mariel muttered, causing Celinee to look at him in confusion.

"It’s likely it is Primordial Demon Levia," Mariel revealed. "This probably isn’t a coincidence. The demon is deliberately waiting for us there. Ah...more precisely, I think he’s waiting for me."

"Wait, Mariel, what do you mean by that? Even if it’s Levia, shouldn’t the demon be heading to Neiracia to vent its anger over Zagabob and his army’s death? And why would you think the demon is waiting for you? You weren’t involved in Zagabob’s death. Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to go after Lasyana?"

You’re wrong, Celinee. This has nothing to do with Zagabob. I’m afraid this is because of my careless words to that ice demon....

Mariel couldn’t say that to Celinee. It sounded so foolish. He had only said those words to the ice demon to make him obey quickly—how could he have anticipated those careless words would lead to this? Moreover, how could Levia have known about it?

Shin, Romero, and Gillea witnessed that night’s events. So, in theory, it wasn’t surprising if Levia had also been watching from a distance. But how did she hear those words?

"Mariel?"

Mariel let out a long sigh. "Celinee," he said seriously, "you should stay here. I’ll go there and confirm it myself."

Yes, Mariel felt he had to confirm it in person.

"Are you crazy? You almost died before, and now you want to try your luck with another powerful creature?"

"I lost back then because of carelessness, but this time will be different," Mariel defended himself. "Besides, my main goal is just to confirm it, not to fight. If what we fear is true, I’ll escape immediately. That’s why I’m telling you to stay here. With your water element, you’ll be able to help me easily when I’m escaping."

"Ah, so that’s what you mean? Alright, I understand. I’ll bombard the island with water as soon as you come rushing out. But make sure you can get away."

Mariel nodded and gave a slight smile. "I’m counting on you, Celinee," he said before leaping from the boat and running at high speed toward Roa Island.