Chapter 115: They Did It...
The dark forest felt completely different on the journey back.
Nox walked at the front alongside Yuri, leaving the Marauders’ territory behind.
Before departing, he had kept his promise.
One by one, he healed every Marauder he had injured during the battle with the Phoenix’s flames.
The creatures watched him with obvious distrust.
But none of them attacked him again.
When he finished, several of them even bowed their heads slightly before retreating into the depths of the cave.
It was a small gesture.
But it was enough.
Maybe this alliance really could work.
The moment they crossed the boundary between the cave and the dark forest once again, something began to vibrate inside Nox’s coat.
"...Hm?"
He reached inside.
The gemstone the King of the Marauders had given him emitted a faint, multicolored glow.
He held it up in front of him.
And then...
The gem shone brilliantly.
It wasn’t a harsh light.
It didn’t blind them.
It was warm and steady, like a tiny beacon resting between his fingers.
Within seconds, the absolute darkness of the forest vanished.
The enormous tree trunks became perfectly illuminated.
The orange leaves regained their vibrant color.
The mud reflected tiny flashes of countless different hues.
Even the tops of the trees were clearly visible.
Yuri’s eyes widened.
"...No way."
She slowly turned in place.
"This..."
She stared at the gemstone.
"...this lights up everything."
Even Nox looked surprised.
"I thought it would just work like a lantern."
"It’s worth far more than that!"
The woman looked up at the trees.
"Do you know how many hunters died because they couldn’t see inside this forest?"
Nox remained silent.
"A stone like this would’ve saved countless lives."
The demon looked down at the gem again.
"...Those guys were really good at keeping their secrets."
Yuri laughed softly.
"I can’t believe they actually gave it to you."
Nox smiled.
"I guess the King really does care about this alliance."
They continued walking.
Now the path was perfectly visible.
After several minutes of silence, Nox spoke again.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Did anyone from your village ever make it all the way to the cave where the Marauders live?"
Yuri immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her expression grew more serious.
"The few who tried never came back."
She looked toward the darkness that still stretched beyond the gemstone’s light.
"No one ever truly knew where they lived."
Nox smiled.
"Then..."
He raised the stone slightly.
"...you can consider yourself the first human to ever enter their home."
Yuri blinked.
"What?"
"You went inside."
Nox pointed behind them.
"You met their King, saw their city, and spoke with them."
His smile widened.
"And you lived to tell the tale."
The woman stood frozen for a few seconds.
Then a huge smile spread across her face.
"...You’re right."
She let out a small laugh.
"You’re right!"
She playfully punched him on the shoulder.
"Thank you!"
Nox shrugged.
"I didn’t really do much."
"Of course you did."
Yuri shook her head energetically.
"I never would’ve made it there without you."
Nox looked at her for a few moments.
"Honestly..."
He scratched the back of his head.
"...I was surprised you followed me."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because it was dangerous."
"Extremely."
Nox nodded.
"And yet you still came."
Yuri laughed softly.
"I was curious."
Then she looked him straight in the eyes.
"And I also wanted to watch you fight and protect your butt."
Nox smiled.
"That was pretty thoughtful."
"I know."
She answered naturally.
Then she added,
"...although I still want to have children with you."
Nox had been expecting something like that.
"...Of course."
But he didn’t even have time to respond.
Because Yuri suddenly threw herself at him.
"Then let’s take advantage of the opportunity!"
She tackled him straight into the mud.
Nox landed flat on his back.
"What the hell?!"
Yuri ended up on top of him.
Both of them were completely covered in mud, while she grinned from ear to ear.
"Come on!"
She leaned in dangerously close.
"You’re finally going to get me pregnant!"
Nox’s eyes widened.
"Seriously?! Again?!"
"Yes!"
She even opened her mouth as if she intended to bite his neck.
The Marauder Mask automatically appeared over Nox’s face.
Shadows wrapped around his body.
Then he vanished.
Yuri bit nothing but air.
"...Huh?"
The demon reappeared several meters away, brushing mud off his coat.
"Definitely..."
He tried wiping one of his sleeves clean.
"...this wasn’t the right moment."
Yuri remained kneeling in the mud, staring at him in confusion.
"Are you playing with me?"
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"No."
"Then why?"
She tilted her head.
"Is this some kind of demon mating ritual?"
Nox nearly choked.
"Of course not!"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure!"
Yuri remained thoughtful for a few seconds.
Then she slowly nodded.
"...I understand."
She stood up and brushed some of the mud off herself.
"Sorry."
Nox blinked.
"Huh?"
"I got carried away."
The woman smiled awkwardly.
"I’ve just never met anyone as strong as you."
Nox finally laughed.
"It’s fine."
Then he pointed down the path.
"But we’d better head back."
Yuri nodded.
"Yeah."
The two resumed walking.
This time without any new mating attempts.
At least for the next ten minutes.
◇◆◇
Meanwhile...
At the edge of the Dark Forest.
The three Peques were still waiting.
The little blue creatures sat on a cluster of roots.
Swinging their legs impatiently.
A few meters away, the old man was sound asleep while standing upright, quietly snoring.
The man with the axe continued talking to him.
"...And I still don’t understand what Yuri sees in that guy."
Silence.
"He doesn’t even have muscles."
Another silence.
"He just does everything with weird magic."
The old man kept snoring.
"Are you even listening?"
Nothing.
The man sighed.
"Useless old man..."
Just then...
A brilliant light appeared between the trees.
The Peques were the first to react.
They immediately jumped to their feet.
"AUDE!"
"AUDE!"
"AUDE!"
They rushed toward the light.
The man with the axe turned his head.
"...What the hell?"
He tried to wake the old man.
"Hey!"
He gave him a light smack on the shoulder.
"Wake up!"
The old man opened one eye.
"...Are they back already?"
"I don’t know."
Then the figures emerged.
Nox walked calmly through the trees.
Yuri was beside him.
Together they carried the glowing gemstone that illuminated the entire forest.
The shadows had practically disappeared.
It looked as though the sun itself had descended into the woods.
The Peques began jumping around Nox, overjoyed.
The man with the axe’s eyes widened.
"...No way."
He stared at the gemstone.
Then at Yuri.
And finally at the demon.
The old man smiled the moment he saw them.
"It seems..."
He stretched lazily.
"...you actually did it."
Nox raised the stone.
"We have an alliance."
Yuri nodded proudly.
"The Marauders accepted."
The man with the axe froze.
"...What?"
"They won’t hunt us anymore."
Yuri continued.
"And we won’t hunt them either."
The old man burst into laughter.
"I never thought I’d live to see something like this."
The Peques continued surrounding Nox.
They touched the glowing gem, jumped happily, and hummed that strange little song that only they seemed to understand.