CHAPTER 37: HOLLOWEND

Dante followed the river for another few miles until spotting a stone bridge in the distance. He headed toward it as Raoul appeared from the Domain, the Death Knight Goblin fell in beside him just as he questioned. ’’Here to protect me?’’

’’Yes,’’ the undead answered.

’’Fine, do what you like.’’

Following this, the two approached the bridge only for his senses to go wild as enemies closed in on them from the left, confusing him, as that was the river. Dante turned to block a shoddy spear thrust from a humanoid frog man. Raoul moved in and sliced the creature in half as he scanned it.

[Frogspawn Warrior - C Rank]

When Dante saw this, he didn’t know what they were and shrugged. ’’They’re annoying, let’s kill them if they appear.’’

The duo continued, and once they stepped onto the old bridge, covered in vines and other life as the forest closed in on them. He walked across only to have arrows fly by his head. Dante’s gaze snapped in the frog’s direction as he began casting Death Blasts into the crowd.

Red explosions lit up the forest, sending the Frogspawn flying all over the place. Raoul killed the surviving beasts as he basked in the feeling of earning tons of experience as his feet touched the other side. The journey south went smoothly, thanks to not running into any more humans over the next week.

Dante had used the Death Birds to scout out the area, but stopped when it was costing too much mana and made him tired. He stopped doing that by sending Mary and the Wendigos in front until the Death Wraith reappeared, a big smile on her face. ’’There’s a village a few kilometers away, full of humans and harvest,’’ she revealed.

’’Good. If Bella doesn’t know, we’ll kidnap a villager to get answers,’’ he said, summoning the Death Mistress, who had proven invaluable on their journey.

The blonde Elf cooked, cleaned, and ensured Dante had all he needed to navigate the dangerous Dark Forest, only to fuss over him once he returned to the Domain, making Mary jealous as she was chased off when her teasing became too much. When Bella saw him, a bright smile appeared.

’’Hello Dante,’’ she greeted. ’’How can I help?’’

’’Mary, can you describe the village you saw?’’ he asked.

The Death Wraith moved toward Bella and whispered into the Elf’s ear, causing her to go wide-eyed as she gave him the answer. ’’It’s called Hollowend, it’s more of a hunting village with strong hunters.’’

’’How do you know that?!’’ Mary exclaimed.

Dante laughed as Bella replied. ’’I’ve travelled all over Nemaroth, trading and visiting most settlements.’’

’’Alright, let’s get moving, and you two get back into the Domain. Strong monsters prowl this area,’’ he suggested.

The two women vanished, leaving him, Gilbert, Raoul, and Henry. They fell in behind Dante as he started walking toward Hollowend.’’

By the time Dante reached the road that led to the village, it was night, but he didn’t want to return to the Domain. He decided to set up camp because he wanted to feel the fresh air while sleeping. Once that was done, Bella appeared, holding a bundle of covers, causing him to ask. ’’What are you doing?’’

’’Making sure you’re comfortable,’’ she chirped, smiling. ’’I can’t leave the bed in the treehouse, it’s too soft, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ensure you’re fine.’’

Dante didn’t know what to say and smiled at her, shocking the Elf before she rushed into the tent. Henry appeared beside him, and the Black Knight chuckled. ’’Seems like you have a way with women, my lord. Our Mary can’t stop talking about you.’’

’’Oh god,’’ he muttered, remembering the times she snuck into his bed.

Her father chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. ’’Well, just take care of her, my lord. She’s been through a lot in her young life.’’

Dante slapped his hand away, growling at the Black Knight. ’’Take that thought out of your head! I already told her that I don’t want a relationship yet; she knows the reason why.’’

Henry backed off and held up his hands. ’’Sorry, lord, I was only jesting with you.’’

’’I know,’’ he waved the Death Knight away. ’’I’m just tired thanks to that fight with the Forest People, damn things threw fruit at me.’’

The two laughed after that as Gilbert started a fire and Raoul was dragging back a boar to chop up for him. He watched the Goblin carve it up before handing him a juicy piece of meat, suggesting. ’’Here you go, now eat and rest. You’ve been trudging through the underbrush all day.’’

Dante narrowed his eyes, took the meat, and began cooking it as he mocked the Death Knight. ’’Yes, mother, I will get to bed early.’’

’’I’m being serious!’’ Raoul replied. ’’If you’re tired, the humans may get the edge over you, and we can’t have that happening.’’

’’You’re right,’’ he admitted. ’’I’ll eat then get some sleep.’’

After settling into the clearing, Dante patiently waited for the monster meat to roast over the crackling fire, its savory aroma filling the air. Once it was perfectly cooked, he tore into the tender, smoky flesh, savoring each bite, sipping on tart fruit juice he had pilfered from a merchant’s stash in Dreadport.

The juice’s sweet tang went well with the rich meat. From his vantage point in the secluded clearing, surrounded by towering pines and tangled undergrowth, he caught sight of black smoke curling into the sky on the distant horizon, reminding him of the slaughter he unleashed.

When Dante finished eating, he stood up just as Bella stepped out of the tent, smiling. ’’It’s all set up for you. Now get some rest, we’ll be reaching Hollowend tomorrow afternoon, so you need all the energy possible to destroy it.’’

’’I was about to go get some sleep now,’’ he replied, yawning. ’’Just needed something to eat before settling down.’’

’’Okay, I’m going back to the Domain, it’s cold out here,’’ the Elf giggled and vanished through the portal.

Dante slipped into the camp under the guard of the Death Knights, who stood sentinel through the night. Once inside, he collapsed onto a plush bed of cushions Bella had prepared. Wrapping himself in a blanket, he fell asleep within minutes despite the eerie howls and strange calls echoing through the dense forest.

The next morning, he awoke refreshed, a mischievous glint in his eye, ready to unleash chaos on the Darkmoore Kingdom. After a moment, he stepped out of the tent, the crisp morning breeze brushing against his skin, prompting him to wrap a thick cloak around himself before putting everything away.

Some time later, Dante was done packing his stuff away in the storage ring, making things easier for himself. He continued through the forest for hours until noticing the trees were thinning out, only to step out, and that’s when he spotted his destination.

’’There it is,’’ he muttered just as his excitement skyrocketed. ’’Now it’s time to piss off the Darkmoore King.’’

Dante quickly spotted the lack of guards this village had, making the upcoming slaughter even better as he summoned the Wendigos, Death Wolves, and Bears before ordering them to circle the settlement to wait for his order to attack. While doing this, Mary appeared beside him, her spectral form blending among the underbrush.

’’Why are you destroying these villages?’’ she curiously questioned.

’’I want to anger the king, add more bodies to the Death Camp while leveling up along the way,’’ Dante responded. ’’This way, the survivors will spread the word about a Necromancer attacking, forcing them to send even more warriors, which I can turn into powerful undead.’’

’’So to collect an army and annoy the Darkmoore leader?’’

’’Exactly that,’’ he said, getting ready to approach the village.

Bella fell in line as she mumbled. ’’Can I help you with the guards?’’

Dante glanced at the blonde and nodded. ’’Yes, just stay next to me, these humans are sneaky.’’

’’I’m a Death Mistress, Dante,’’ she retorted, an evil smile crossing her lips. ’’I can feel your mana flowing through my veins.’’

’’Use some of your new magic to clear those at the entrance,’’ Dante said, pointing at the four men who appeared on the road. ’’I think they’ll try to rob us, let’s wait and see.’’

The beautiful Elf gave him a nod. ’’Once the fools make their move, I’ll attack,’’ she replied.

Following that, the two continued down the road, only for a chubby man who looked to be in his fifties to step forward, a stern expression appeared on his face as he spoke. ’’What brings a young couple to our village? We don’t get many visitors nowadays, especially since that Necromancer was spotted in the north.’’

’’We escaped Dreadport,’’ Bella suddenly said, putting on a fake innocent expression. ’’It was horrifying, the Necromancer created Zombies and these horrible things the guard commander called a Ghoul?’’