Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game-Chapter 111: Flauros

The journey began immediately after a quick maintenance.

There was no reason to delay since the number of injured was minimal, and seeing how Andras was moving, something felt off.

With his constant calls for Polauros and his peculiar actions, it seemed like he was up to something. If things went wrong, a new demon could emerge.

“We’ll head out first.”

Though the destination was the same, we decided to leave separately as we had before. The knights and Lemeton were two opposing factions, after all.

Despite the temporary truce due to Andras, if the demon wasn’t involved, they might have clashed with each other.

“I’m just saying this in case: Don’t do anything foolish. If you do, I’ll execute all of you, demons or not.”

“Hmph, don’t worry. We have no intention of doing anything like that. Actually, we’re more concerned about you. Who knows, maybe we’ll be the ones attacked from behind during the fight...”

“What? What do you think of the knights? I trust them more than some coward who sold their tower to a demon and became a whore for them.”

“...What?”

At this point, it seemed like we might actually clash...

“Enough, let’s go.”

It seemed like it was about to escalate, so I hastily sent the knights on their way.

Thus, the short journey began.

The factions were organized very simply.

The knights led the way, our group was in the middle, and Lemeton took the rear.

It wasn’t for preparing for monster attacks or anything like that.

Most of the people gathered here were high-level enough to handle most monsters without any issues.

The reason was simply...

We didn’t want to see each other’s faces. As seen earlier, it seemed like a fight could break out at any moment.

So, we kept a nominal distance of a few hundred meters.

And the word “nominal” meant that it didn’t have to be strictly adhered to.

“How long will it take to reach the destination?”

“Well, I’ve heard that if we hurry, it’ll take about two days...”

As I walked across the plains with my group, chatting casually, I suddenly noticed Sephir and Nikki approaching from behind. I was momentarily startled and asked them.

“Weren’t you supposed to walk at the back?”

“Upon thinking about it, it seemed inefficient.”

It was Sephir who spoke.

“We’re headed to the same place anyway, and there’s no real danger. So why do we need to stay back? We’ll just be late to join in the fight later.”

“That’s true, but...”

I made a hesitant expression.

To be honest, traveling together was uncomfortable, and I was concerned about causing unnecessary misunderstandings if I showed this to the knights.

What if they think we’re all on the same side?

“Don’t worry. I know what you’re concerned about. We’ll move away when the knights catch up.”

But after a moment, I thought it was fine.

I had things I wanted to ask them, and it seemed like Sephir had something she wanted to say as well.

“Alright.”

Thus, two new people joined our group for a while.

Even though it was just a two-day journey, the path wasn’t easy.

In fact, it was quite arduous, as we were chasing a fleeing enemy.

We had to invest all our time in walking, except for meals or rest, to conserve our stamina.

So, there wasn’t much time for idle chatter, but there was enough time to learn a few things.

The first thing I noticed was Nikki’s changed attitude.

She, who usually growled at me whenever I was near, had suddenly become incredibly quiet.

“...”

“...What? What are you looking at?”

She even turned away quickly whenever our eyes met.

I couldn’t help but feel confused.

‘What’s going on...?’

Did something change in her nerves the night I gave her the holy water? Though, considering she almost broke down crying then, I could understand if she felt embarrassed.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t speculate any further.

Other thoughts filled my mind as I walked the cracked earth, so I asked Sephir.

“By the way, that Andras guy mentioned ‘Amon’...”

“...?”

“Who is Amon? Is he the king of the faction he belongs to, like you said?”

Contrary to my expectation that she would hide the answer, Sephir responded honestly.

“Yes, you’re right. He’s the king of the western region in the Demon Realm.”

Sephir introduced Amon as the 7th-ranked ruler, the Lord of Fire.

“He is one of the most violent and powerful demons in the Demon Realm. The areas he controls are so scorched by fire that everything burns, and he is closely associated with fire.”

“That's why you said he’s not a faction you want to be involved with.”

I couldn’t help but wonder where she had obtained such information.

But I didn’t ask. After all, I was sure she wouldn’t reveal the source.

At least, that cleared up one of my curiosities.

The other one concerned her. Odilia had referred to her as the “Tower Master.”

‘I thought she must be strong, but...’

I never imagined she’d be a tower master.

A “tower” was a major building in magical kingdoms outside the Empire, where countless wizards gathered to study and grow.

Sephir had been the head of one of those towers.

Considering her status as a faction leader, it wasn’t too surprising that she hadn’t spent all her time in the world of darkness.

“You’re curious about my story, aren’t you?”

As if reading my thoughts, she spoke first.

“Surprising, I was wondering if I should ask since it seems like a topic you’d want to avoid.”

“Well... it’s a story most people already know. And once we return, that knight captain will distort it anyway...”

She was right. Stories are usually influenced by the perspective of the speaker.

And she was no exception.

“Well, it’s not really anything special.”

She said she was from a magical kingdom and was once a young tower master of the White Mage Tower.

She was young and considered a promising genius.

She garnered a lot of attention but soon disappeared with many of the tower’s wizards.

Because of that, the White Mage Tower was shaken, and she became a subject of public interest for a time.

But over time, she was forgotten and then reappeared as a major officer in Lemeton.

“That’s all. But since I suddenly appeared as a criminal, I got a lot of scorn from people...”

It was a rather ordinary story. Perhaps because I already knew she was from Lemeton, it didn’t surprise me much.

But there was one thing that puzzled me.

Why had she abandoned a stable position and joined a faction like Lemeton?

She could have lived more comfortably elsewhere, but now she was being hunted by soldiers.

I asked her about it, and this was her response.

“Honestly... one day I heard an offer, and I just thought that joining Lemeton might be more advantageous.”

“More advantageous? In what way?”

She paused for a moment, then answered.

“Survival.”

It was a somewhat ominous statement.

Hearing that, I nodded.

At least, I understood that she was a doomsday thinker.

Though I wanted to continue the conversation, I couldn’t.

Boom...! Crash...!

The sounds of a collision came from ahead.

Without thinking, we rushed forward.

When we reached the source of the commotion, the first thing we saw was a burning tree.

Despite being charred black, the tree’s flames never ceased, a strange phenomenon.

Andras was furiously digging at the ground nearby.

It was as if he was desperately trying to meet a long-lost lover.

“Ah, here you are, my partner! My fiancée!”

But judging by the situation, he hadn’t fully dug up whatever he was searching for. We had just barely caught up with him.

Of course, Odilia didn’t just watch idly.

As soon as she saw him, the knights rushed to stop him.

They swung their swords at him, aiming for his body, but the problem was that he ignored those attacks and kept digging.

As a result, Andras’s once pristine body began to accumulate injuries, but the hole he had dug only grew deeper.

It didn’t stop there.

“...What’s this heat?”

“Flames are rising from the ground!”

Every time Andras dug, flames erupted from the nearby earth.

It was as if his mana and the earth were resonating with each other.

We immediately rushed toward him, but it seemed we were already too late.

Not long after, a hidden space beneath the ground revealed itself.

A flat stone surface with strange symbols engraved on it—a summoning altar.

“...Rise.”

As soon as the altar appeared, Andras spilled his blood onto the ground.

The blood he had shed from his injuries quickly soaked into the earth, and the altar seemed to devour the mana within the blood, glowing brightly.

“Rise and dance with me, once again let us share our passion. My beloved, let us burn this world together, as Amon wills!”

“...We have to stop this!”

Sephir shouted in alarm, but it was already too late.

The summoning process was moving too fast. From the altar, another demon emerged.

Roar!

The demon Andras had been searching for.

Polauros, a demon resembling a leopard.

Her body, covered in rags, had a curvaceous shape. She had golden hair like Andras, and unlike humans, she [N O V E L I G H T] had beastly claws.

Before the sense of defeat could fully settle in, confusion took over me.

‘Wait... they called each other partners?’

But why was she also in a female form?

Both Andras and Polauros were female demons.

For a brief moment, a troubling thought crossed my mind.

And soon, that thought became a certainty.

“Ah, ah! Finally, we meet, Polauros!”

“It’s been so long, Andras!”

The two embraced in a passionate reunion. Their large chests pressed against each other as they hugged.

Well... a hug, that’s fine.

The problem came next.

“Let’s kiss, Andras. Though the situation is far from ideal, we should share this moment of reunion.”

“Ah, of course. Let’s make it last until the whole world melts.”

Slurp, slurp...

In the midst of the urgent situation, the sound of saliva was heard.

Thin threads of saliva stretched and stuck together repeatedly.

Seeing this, the surrounding companions briefly frowned.

“Ugh...”

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

“Ugh...”

Regardless, I watched the scene with a somewhat intrigued expression.

“Oh...”