CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191: VISITING THE DEMONS

An old residential district lay at the edge of Moonbright city, a row of apartment complexes lined its outskirts. Despite its age, the area was surprisingly well-kept, and even boasted a small guild nearby.

Outside one of the more rundown complexes a black sedan was parked beside the sidewalk. As Lake and Kate stepped out she asked, "Is this the place?"

As she spoke, she carefully observed the building. The walls were cracked, and the paint looked decades old.

"It’s the only place I could afford," Lake replied casually as he scanned the area. "Let’s go."

Kate nodded and followed him into the dilapidated apartment building.

The reception lobby was mostly empty, with only a heavy-set, middle-aged man sitting at the counter. As he noticed the two enter, he gave Kate a brief glance before his eyes settled on Lake. Instantly, his expression jumped from serious to warm as he put on a friendly smile.

"Mr. Egoven, nice to see you again."

"Mhm," Lake nodded briefly. "I’m here to check on them."

"Of course, of course," the man stammered, fumbling with the desk drawers before pulling out a key. "Here’s the room key. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Lake took the key, nodded, and headed up the stairs, Kate following closely.

"You seem friendly with the receptionist," Kate noted.

"Just a casual relationship. When I booked the room, the place didn’t have any tenants, so, in his eyes, I was like a saving grace."

Kate nodded in understanding as she took in the decrepit interior of the apartment building. "I guess a place like this is perfect for hiding demons."

Lake smiled but said nothing.

When the Blackheart family first heard that Lake had left demons in a city apartment, their reactions had been priceless, but as much as he would like to see their reaction again he known leaving the demons in the Blackheart family’s care would be the best decision as they had better resources, qualifications, and strength to manage the demons than he did.

Even with the King’s Pact binding the demons, Lake didn’t entirely trust them enough to leave them to their own devices, and the Blackheart Guild could handle the task.

Reaching the third floor, Lake walked down a narrow corridor and stopped in front of Room 304. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Is it okay to just walk in like this?" Kate asked, glancing around.

"It’s fine. The demons knew we were here the moment we entered the building."

"Huh?" Kate looked puzzled as Lake gave a slight smile.

"The entire building is covered by a hidden formation array. From what I saw, it detects anyone who enters and signals the caster," Lake explained as Kate’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t noticed anything unusual when she’d walked in.

"Did you set it up?" she asked.

"No," Lake shook his head. "It seems our little princess put extra effort into securing her home."

As they continued their conversation, they entered the main room of the apartment, an open space that served as a kitchen, dining area, and living room all at once. A sofa and a TV occupied one corner while the kitchen lined the opposite wall, and a dining table sat comfortably in between.

The room was tidy, and Lake noticed a few pieces of furniture that hadn’t been there the last time he’d visited.

At the dining table sat a somewhat familiar face. Her long black hair was tied in twin tails, and she sat with her legs crossed, chin resting lightly on her hand as she shot Lake an irritated gaze. She looked as he remembered, just without her usual horns, wings, and tail.

"What are you doing here?" Elisabeth asked, her tone annoyed.

Lake only smiled at her attitude.

"Is this the demon girl you mentioned?" Kate asked, drawing Elisabeth’s attention.

"And who is she?" Elisabeth’s sharp eyes flicked over to Kate, who returned the look with equal intensity.

"She’ll be your new caretaker," Lake explained briefly, glancing around. "By the way, where are the other two?"

"Hmph." Elisabeth scoffed before calling out, "Lucille! Gargorosh! Come out!"

After a few rumbling sounds, the bedroom doors opened, and two figures emerged: one small, the other large.

The first was a young boy who looked about twelve, with black hair, red eyes, and a mischievous grin.

"Hehehe, what’s the matter, Princess? Did the big buffoon make a mess—" He stopped in his tracks when he saw Lake, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

"Damn it, Lucille! Stop bad-mouthing me in front of the Princess!" The larger figure entered next, a muscular man in his late twenties with grayish hair and dark skin. He too paused when his eyes landed on Lake, his expression turning wary.

"Lucille, Gargorosh, we have a guest," Elisabeth said flatly.

Judging by their reactions, Lake could tell he wasn’t exactly welcome, but he still smiled.

"Why don’t we all sit down first?" Lake suggested, but no one moved.

Gargorosh continued to stare at Lake with hostility, and Lucille remained frozen, an uneasy grin plastered across his face.

Seeing that no one intended to move, Lake was about to use his King’s Aura, but surprisingly, Elisabeth intervened.

"Both of you, sit."

Obeying their princess, the two reluctantly took their seats, despite the discontent in their expressions.

Lake and Kate also took seats around the dining table, and Lucille was the first to speak.

"My, it’s good to see you again, sir." Lucille rubbed his hands together as he smiled, though it was oddly unsettling given his childlike appearance. "So, what can we demons do for you today?"

"Nothing much. I’m here to let you know about your new accommodations and caretakers," Lake said.

"Caretakers?" Lucille asked, his gaze shifting to Kate. "And you are...?"

"Kate Blackheart. You’ll be under the care of my guild from now on," she replied calmly.

"Is that so?" Lucille nodded slowly, still processing her words. "What exactly is a guild?"

"It’s an organization—similar to the adventurer’s guild in your world, though much more advanced." Lake explained briefly, noting how easily Kate communicated with them.

’Looks like the translation spell’s working.’

Before coming here, Lake had crafted a translation spell, using the soul communication spell he had roughly learned from Elisabeth’s grimoire as the foundation for it. After some slight modifications, he made the spell both easier to cast and require less mana.

"All you really need to know is that her family will be responsible for you during your stay here," Lake concluded, noting the demons had no objections. With their princess’s life in his hands, refusal wasn’t really an option.

Elisabeth sighed, her voice resigned. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Actually, yes." Lake leaned back, watching her closely. "I noticed you had some talent for magic, judging by the formation downstairs."

Elisabeth blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected praise. "You noticed the hidden formation?"

"Of course I did," Lake replied matter-of-factly.

This however, only caused Elisabeth’s discomfort to grow knowing that her spell had been seen through. "So, what exactly do you want?"

"Hmm, before I answer that, why don’t you tell me how much of this you can understand." Lake raised his hand casually, an intricate spell formation appearing above them.

"This...!" Elisabeth jumped up almost immediately upon seeing the formation, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Lucille had a similar reaction, though it was slightly delayed and nowhere near as exaggerated as Elisabeth.

Kate observed the magical formation, unable to fully grasp its significance. However, judging by the demons’ awestruck reactions, she sensed it was something extraordinary. Shifting her gaze from the formation, her eyes fell on Lake, who looked calm and composed, as though this were just another routine display.

After a moment, Lake snapped his fingers, and the formation vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Well? What did you think?" he asked with a smile, watching as Elisabeth stared into space.

Unlike Kate, Elisabeth had a solid foundation in magical theory, built up over years of study in her father’s bunker. Yet, nothing she had ever read or learned came close to the level of perfection in the spell formation she had just seen.

"It was...beautiful." Elisabeth crooned, her eyes bright with awe.

"Princess, what exactly did you see?" Lucille asked with concern. Though he was well versed in magic himself, his understanding couldn’t match hers, and he realized early on that this level of magic was far beyond him.

Elisabeth whispered something to herself, her expression gradually calming. Then, a new resolve filled her eyes.

"I’m willing to do whatever you ask. All I request is that you teach me that spell."

"Princess?!" Gargorosh and Lucille both shot up in alarm. Just what on earth had she seen to have such a reaction?

Ignoring everyone else’s reactions, Lake only smiled, meeting Elisabeth’s determined gaze. "It’s a pleasure to work with you, Your Highness."