Dao Ba Nan let out a cold laugh but said nothing.
Guang Tou stared at the campfire, his eyes growing glazed as he started muttering under his breath.
“I used to be a farmer.”
“I farmed honestly, never did anything wrong.”
“I worked hard all year, and when I finally harvested the grain, I couldn’t even bring myself to eat a single bite.”
Dao Ba Nan glanced at him. Guang Tou had mentioned this before, but never in detail.
“Then that Vampire Lord showed up, led his men into my house, and took every last grain.”
“He didn’t leave a single kernel. I told him it was food for my whole family, so they whipped me.”
Guang Tou laughed, his face a mask of utter despair.
“My wife and my son, who had just turned 5, starved to death right there in our home.”
“I watched them take their last breaths, and there was nothing I could do.”
“I went to see the Lord to demand an explanation. I wanted to know what right he had.”
“But he wouldn’t even see me. He just had his thugs break my leg and threw me out into the snow in the middle of winter to die.”
Guang Tou pointed at his right leg. “If the Night Demon Society hadn’t found me and given me food, I’d have lost this leg for sure.”
“No, I’d probably be dead in some ditch by now, with no one to even bury me.”
Dao Ba Nan listened, then snorted. He pulled a piece of hard black bread from his coat and took a forceful bite.
“That’s nothing,” he said while chewing. “I used to be a mercenary, risking my life for those noble bosses.”
“Living on the edge of a knife…”
Guang Tou looked at him.
Dao Ba Nan pointed at the long scar on his face. “See this?”
“I took a big job, escorting a shipment of valuable goods. We ran into bandits on the road. I fought like hell, killed them all, and saved the cargo.”
“I came back covered in wounds to report.”
“That bastard boss, to save himself the commission, sold me out to another gang of bandits.”
“He told them my route in advance.”
“I was surrounded by over a dozen men. I barely escaped with my life, and I got this scar on my face.”
“After that, I learned one thing.”
Dao Ba Nan lowered his head slightly, his eyes empty, mechanically chewing on the black bread.
“Those human nobles are all beasts—they devour people and don’t even spit out the bones.”
“Human society is beyond saving.”
“Whoever has money and power can step on the poor as they please. The kingdom, the empire… it’s the same everywhere.”
“A filthy nation like this, a filthy world—might as well let the Demon King descend and destroy it all.”
Just then.
From the shadows of the Abandoned Logging Camp, a clear voice suddenly rang out.
“Oh? That’s an interesting wish.”
The voice wasn’t loud, but in the dead silence of the night, it was crystal clear.
Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan jolted, their alarm bells ringing.
They sprang to their feet instantly, grabbing the weapons beside them.
Guang Tou tightened his grip on his dagger, and Dao Ba Nan drew his short sword.
They stood back to back, staring tensely in the direction of the voice.
“Who’s there!” Guang Tou shouted, his voice carrying obvious panic.
Dao Ba Nan fixed his gaze on the pitch-black shadows.
Light footsteps came from the darkness.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A small figure slowly emerged from the dark.
The firelight illuminated the figure.
Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan froze.
Walking out was a little girl wearing a black Gothic dress trimmed with lace ruffles.
She looked about 10 years old, with pale white hair that fell to her waist.
What sent chills down their spines were her eyes.
A pair of blood-red eyes reflected the dancing flames, glowing bright red in the night, exuding an indescribable eeriness and terror.
Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan exchanged a glance, their tense nerves relaxing slightly.
“A kid?” Guang Tou frowned, sizing Dorothy up.
Dao Ba Nan lowered his short sword a little, closed his eyes, and chuckled. “Little girl, it’s so late. Why aren’t you home?”
“Where are your parents? Aren’t you afraid of being carried off by wolves out here in the wilderness?”
Guang Tou spat to the side. “Coming out in the middle of the night to scare your elders.”
“Get lost and go home. We’re not in the mood to play with brats today.”
Dorothy stood still, saying nothing.
She just watched the two men quietly, her blood-red eyes devoid of any emotion.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, lifting the disguise on Dorothy’s head.
Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan’s laughter stopped abruptly.
Their eyes went wide, locked onto the sides of Dorothy’s head.
On top of Dorothy’s head, there were clearly a pair of black demon horns curving backward!
And in that instant, those horns released an incredibly terrifying demonic pressure.
It made Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan feel as if they were facing a colossal beast. Cold sweat drenched their backs.
That was definitely not something a human could possess.
A d-demon?!
In the Kingdom of Aizela, even a 3-year-old knew that was the mark of a demon!
Guang Tou’s pupils contracted.
Dao Ba Nan’s face turned deathly pale.
They were members of the Night Demon Society, chanting about worshipping the Demon King and longing for demon rule.
But they had never actually seen a demon.
Now a living demon stood right before them.
This terrifying pressure!
After they had given up on the world.
For the first time.
They felt a fear they’d long forgotten.
In that moment, Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan realized they hadn’t truly given up on the world or on life.
They still had hope.
And that hope was what gave them this fear.
“Run!” Dao Ba Nan reacted fast, shouting and turning to flee the logging camp.
Guang Tou came to his senses and scrambled after him, wishing he had an extra pair of legs.
Dorothy stood there without any intention of chasing.
She just watched their retreating backs, a cold smirk curling at the corner of her lips.
She tilted her head slightly, her tone seeming to be talking to herself, or maybe to the two fleeing men.
“Worship the Demon King but fear the Demon King—that’s your so-called faith?”
“How naive.”
Dorothy’s voice drifted in the night wind.
“Don’t you want the Demon King to save this world?”
Dorothy raised her right hand. “Fortunately, I’m in a good mood today, so I might as well cleanse those filthy things.”
The moment she finished speaking.
A deep purple flame suddenly burst from Dorothy’s palm.
The flame gave off no heat, but instead exuded a bone-chilling cold that made the soul tremble.
She casually flicked her hand.
The deep purple flame instantly split into two streams of light, chasing after the fleeing Guang Tou and Dao Ba Nan at an unbelievable speed.