The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 639 - 663 Persuasion

Chapter 639 -663 Persuasion

Lancelot finally succeeded in persuading the Six-Arm Serpent Demon with a reason the other party could accept. A silent Arrow Demon standard-bearer was dragged out by Sonam, and the Serpent Demon General ordered it to act as the commander of the scouting mission, using its thirteen squads to ensure the safety of the road ahead of the army. Of course, Lancelot didn’t expect it to be done very meticulously—those squads received only some vague instructions, such as ‘watch out for anything unusual’ and to scout ‘just one or two hours ahead.’

Although Lancelot was quite dissatisfied with this, he had no choice but to accept it, as this was already the limit of what the Demon officers could tolerate, certainly better than nothing at all.

After walking for a while longer, it began to prove that his insistence was worthwhile. Traps that were dismantled (some already triggered with one or two unfortunate bodies) began appearing on both sides of the road—if these traps hadn’t been cleared in advance, not only could the number of casualties have greatly increased, but it would most likely slow down the marching speed, which was exactly what Sonam, and the Flame Demon Generals following behind, could least tolerate.

The march continued for the entire day without stopping, as Demons do not need to eat to sustain life (though they can swallow anything for entertainment), so they certainly wouldn’t consider the needs of a small group of mercenaries. Fortunately, everyone was an experienced Adventurer and had long since mastered the basic skill of eating on the move.

As darkness began to fall, orders to set up camp finally came from the rear. This, of course, was not out of consideration for the mortal mercenaries. Although Tanari and all Fiends from lower planes had excellent dark vision, and Bartez could even see through magically-produced darkness. Therefore, even the Demons had to stop the army at night, vigilantly watching the surrounding darkness, wary of a Devil’s ambush.

Lancelot had been paying close attention to the messages passed back by the scouting squads and was quite surprised that, aside from the traps, the scouting squads hadn’t seen any sign of Demons at all. Lancelot had anticipated some small-scale skirmishes, or even the complete loss of a scouting squad, but now this situation made him even more uneasy—without a doubt, the Devil’s scouts had the opportunity to devour an isolated squad. So what was the reason they didn’t do so? Could it be that the Devil’s Commander was planning some grand conspiracy, and to prevent word from leaking out, they strictly ordered their subordinates not to engage with the enemy?

With such doubts in mind, Lancelot went to find Solheim, but the Six-Arm Serpent Demon had another theory.

“According to the intelligence before departure, there was only that legion that attacked Twin Bridges Town blocking our path. They left more than a thousand corpses outside Twin Bridges Town just a few days ago; now our allied forces outnumber them by twenty to one. Any conspiracy or tricks are futile,” said the Six-Arm Serpent Demon, coiling itself on a huge rock, looking down on Lancelot from above. “Don’t think I’m praising you, human. If it weren’t for you, Twin Bridges Town would have had the capability to bury the entire Devil Legion, and even the Deep Hell Demon Refiner wouldn’t have escaped.”

“I have no doubt about that, but at what cost?” Lancelot shook his head. “Additionally, how long do you think Volcano Fortress can hold out? A week, or a month?”

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“Who knows? But from what I know about that guy Visuvius, as long as there is a wall left standing in Volcano Fortress, he will never give up resistance,” Sonam shrugged. “If that really happens, it’s no big deal. The Demon’s army isn’t going anywhere; without the protection of fortifications, they will either choose to fight us in the open field or have to tuck their tails and run away. I would even prefer the former.”

“Please excuse my bluntness, General, but I think you might be overly optimistic,” said Lancelot with crossed arms, looking up at the Six-Arm Serpent Demon, which resembled a statue of an Evil God. “What if that crippled Demon Legion’s only intent is to delay our arrival at Volcano Fortress?”

“Why would they do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the Volcano Fortress has already fallen, and the Demons are hastily repairing the smashed city walls; maybe the reinforcements from Barto Hell have also set out, heading this way…” Lancelot fearlessly stared into the eyes of the Serpent Demon, “Look at the traps we passed today, their intentions are already very clear. Don’t forget that we’re outside the Nine Hells, death holds no deterrent for Demons—if they need to sacrifice themselves to achieve a higher strategic goal, you know they won’t hesitate for a moment.”

“…I have to admit, you’re really good at persuading people, no wonder Tijana was attracted to you…” A new expression suddenly appeared on the Serpent Demon’s face, “Assuming the Demons really are as you say, wanting to slow us down as much as possible from reaching the Volcano Fortress, then thanks to your suggestion, their arrangements today have failed.”

“But we can’t let our guard down, and since setting traps is pointless, they’ll definitely think of other methods.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know. I’ve fought with quite a few Demons, but I’m not clear about how their armies fight or what common tricks they have.” Lancelot spread his hands, “In that regard, you definitely have more experience, if… you’re willing to talk about it.”

“Just the experience of a loser, when you’ve survived in war long enough, you always walk into some trap; there’s nothing to say.” Lancelot wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a brief moment of embarrassment on the six-armed Serpent Demon’s face, “But I understand what you’re getting at. Tomorrow I will send out more squads, doubling the scouting range. Is that satisfactory, Your Highness?”

“I believe that’s a very wise decision.” Lancelot nodded to Sonam, “Thank you, General, please allow me to take my leave first.”

“Of course.” The six-armed Serpent Demon waved her hand, and after the Human Knight had walked a good distance, she murmured to herself, “Why thank me? Is it because those mortals who are irrelevant to him can die a few days later? A strange fellow indeed… But Tijana might be a bit right, the feeling of being thanked is indeed not bad.”

That night, Lancelot did not meditate and practice Qi Cultivation as usual, but sat cross-legged like an Elf in meditation, while constantly paying attention to his surroundings. However, the night attack he was worried about didn’t happen. The night passed safely, and as soon as the sky began to lighten, the first scouting squad set out to explore the condition of the road ahead.

Just five minutes later, Lancelot heard a sudden cry of alarm, the painful neighing of horses, and someone’s angry curse. Clearly, although the Demons had not launched an attack last night, they certainly hadn’t been idle, and the road today was likely to be a difficult one.