Chapter 1616 Mark <TOC> Chapter 1618 Steadfast Beliefs
Translator: SumTLMan
Delicious ingredients in Woodrow Bar? Azaz speculated that anyone who could catch the eye of Sebastian must be a human and not just any human, but a powerful one. And the most powerful individual in Woodrow Bar would undoubtedly be its proprietor.
Not to mention that the owner of Woodrow Bar is a formal wizard. Even if he weren’t, Azaz would never consider cooking a human.
Azaz shook his head, disregarding Sebastian’s enticement and walked briskly forward.
Soon, he arrived at the inn where he was temporarily staying.
It was an establishment run by mortals. Although the proprietor was a mere mortal, anyone with the capability to open a business in Sky Mechanical City must have an extraordinary background. Therefore, the transcendent guests at the inn were generally well-behaved.
However, the inn’s construction was rather ordinary, offering limited defensive capabilities.
Nor was it particularly discreet.
But this didn’t concern Azaz. Due to special circumstances, he wasn’t using his gourmet skills to make money, so he didn’t have many magic crystals on him. The fact that he wasn’t wandering outside the city was good enough; at least he had a place to rest.
Azaz, dragging his weary body, proceeded upstairs.
Just as he reached the floor of his room, Sebastian’s sly laughter echoed in his mind: “It seems you have a visitor today.”
“A visitor?” Azaz hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze towards the end of the Corridor. The room at the very end of the fourth floor was his own.
The door appeared to be closed, and he saw no sign of the ‘visitor’ Sebastian had mentioned.
If not outside the door, then could it be… Azaz’s heart skipped a beat. His expression remained calm as he communicated telepathically with Sebastian: “Are you saying that someone is in my room?”
“Dear Miloris, as you know, I don’t reside in the world where you exist. I’m uncertain if anyone is in your room right now… but the oil lamp you lit with the demon fire by your bedside has now been extinguished.”
Sebastian’s words unequivocally conveyed to Azaz that even if there were no “visitors” currently in his room, someone had undoubtedly entered it.
A sudden tension gripped Azaz’s heart. Who could have entered his room? He had no acquaintances in Sky Mechanical City; in fact, he had no friends within the Wizarding World.
Under these circumstances, whoever visited his room was certainly not a benign guest.
They must have an ulterior motive, possibly even malice.
But he hadn’t offended anyone in Sky Mechanical City, had he? Could it be someone he had defeated?
Azaz hesitated momentarily, contemplating whether to investigate. However, Sebastian interjected again, “The demon fire went out less than a minute ago. If you go now, the visitor is likely still in the room.”
“True, though my demon fire is merely diluted energy, anyone capable of extinguishing it would be no weaker than the opponent you faced in the arena today.”
In other words, if Azaz were to enter his room now, he’d confront an adversary whose power would at least be on par with that of Trom, the opponent he had met earlier.
Since the intruder entered his room with probable malice and considering that Azaz was currently injured and lacked the use of demon power, he’d be at a distinct disadvantage in any ensuing combat.
Considering this, Azaz didn’t hesitate to retreat, preparing to exit the area.
Yet, just as Azaz was about to descend the stairs, he noticed a young, slender girl at the corner of the staircase. She wore heavy makeup and asked, “Where are you planning to go, Azaz?”
Although the girl was smiling, her eyes harbored a subtle but chilling murderous intent that sent a shiver down Azaz’s spine.
“Dear Azaz, if you don’t want to die, I advise you to run away immediately. There’s something extraordinary about this woman’s aura,” Sebastian’s voice came through.
Azaz had no reason to doubt Sebastian; he took the advice to heart and ran in the opposite direction without hesitation. On the other side of the fourth floor, there was a glass window. Once outside that window, he knew there would be magical patrols.
Azaz moved swiftly, but just as he was about to reach the window, a shadow mysteriously appeared right in front of it, as if it had teleported.
The figure was the young woman from before.
“Ah, I thought so,” the young woman’s face wore a mocking expression. “Seeing me, you don’t even dare to confirm my identity and run away immediately. Are you feeling guilty for what you’ve done?”
As her words fell, a palpable, terrifying aura emanated from her.
Azaz originally wanted to retreat, but under this aura, he found himself paralyzed. Shock filled his eyes; he gathered all his strength just to muster the words, “You… are you a witch?”
Such overwhelming pressure could only come from a wizard!
The young woman was Gloria. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were ice-cold.
“Who are you? I don’t know you, and I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Azaz spoke, sounding like a desperate excuse. But so far, he was genuinely confused and had no clue what was going on.
Sebastian’s eerie laugh echoed in his mind, “Demons kill without asking for a reason. When humans slaughter each other, their so-called reasons are merely excuses. Have you seen the look in her eyes? She simply wants to kill you; whatever you say, she will kill you.”
“I can help you, you know~”
Sebastian’s voice, tinged with temptation, resonated in Azaz’s mind, “All you have to do is agree to turn her into a gourmet delight, and I will lend you the strength to defeat her.”
“No,” Azaz immediately rejected the proposition.
“She’s planning to kill you anyway, I’m just trying to help you. Consuming her is but a trivial matter,” the voice of Sebastian resounded.
Hesitation flickered in Azaz’s eyes. Indeed, the girl before him was clearly bent on ending his life; agreeing to Sebastian’s proposal wouldn’t result in any loss to him.
But should he really do this?
In Azaz’s mind, the visage of his mentor Tubal surfaced, his harrowing appearance a result of Tubal’s unfortunate alliance with Sebastian.
Though he had inherited Tubal’s legacy, Azaz had no desire to inherit his mentor’s obstinate follies.
“If you’re struggling to make a decision, how about this,” Sebastian spoke again, “She’s incredibly powerful. Even with my assistance, you might not win. But you can use the power of the demon to open a passage and send her directly to me. You won’t have to worry about the rest.”
“What do you think? I’ve tailored this especially for you,” Sebastian coaxed.
Azaz remained silent for a moment: “You just want to turn her into a meal ingredient; the aftermath would still be my responsibility.”
“Of course. I’m not a chef, after all. Although I could eat raw meat…” Sebastian paused, then added, “But after tasting your fine cuisine, I don’t wish to revert to my old, bloodthirsty ways.”
Sebastian then asked, “So, what have you decided?”
Azaz replied with silence, effectively rejecting the offer.
Sebastian chuckled, “Alright then, you’ll come begging when you’re on the brink of death… But by then, I won’t show you the mercy I’m offering now.”
Azaz’s consciousness snapped back to reality. Looking at the young girl before him, his resolve softened once more, “If you’re determined to kill me, at least tell me why — so that I can die with understanding.”
Gloria cast a cold gaze upon Azaz, saying, “Don’t you know? When you offer a tribute to a demon, you, a gourmet wizard of the Southern Region, become a target in the entire Wizarding World.”
Azaz was momentarily stunned. He had initially thought her animosity was unprovoked, but now he began to understand.
Why had his mentor Tubal met his end? Wasn’t it because he was hunted by a cadre of wizards in the Northern Territory, sustaining severe injuries? Even though he had fled to the Southern Region, he couldn’t escape the clutches of death.
Offering human wizards as sacrifices to demons — this was the reason Tubal was hunted.
Precisely because Azaz understood this, he had yet to fully commit to Sebastian.
“I indeed offered a tribute to a demon, but I have not submitted to it,” Azaz clarified.
“Do you think I would believe that?” Gloria sneered.
Although Azaz spoke sincerely, the power of a demon could cloak the truth, rendering even the most authentic detection spells ineffective.
“I’m telling the truth.”
“I only believe in the facts I see. Your mere existence is a liability,” Gloria declared. Without waiting for Azaz’s response, she took action. Whether he was telling the truth or not could be determined after taking him into custody.
Gloria extended her hand, preparing to directly bind Azaz and bring him back to her estate.
However, just as her hand was about to touch him, a demonic skull formed of dark fire emerged from Azaz’s chest.
Instantly, Gloria felt a sharp pain in her hand and lost all sensation.
This spectacle even startled Azaz. He hadn’t thought of or done anything; it was Sebastian who had voluntarily released the demon fire from his body.
Moreover, the magnitude of this demon fire surpassed any that Azaz had ever controlled.
This very well could be the true power of Sebastian’s essence!
Gloria hadn’t expected that the demon summoned by Azaz would voluntarily protect its summoner; this was something she had never heard of. Hence, she let her guard down momentarily and left an opening.
The moment this eerie black fire touched her hand, it began to spread rampantly. A sensation of acidic weakness emanated from her hand.
Gloria instantly sensed that the black fire intended to turn her into living sustenance.
A flicker of annoyance crossed Gloria’s face: “We’ve come to this point, and you still dare to claim that you haven’t danced with the devil?”
At this point, she’s not even planning to capture Azaz; she is preparing to kill him outright.
However, the prerequisite is that Gloria must first eradicate this black fire enveloping her.
Gloria began to devise ways to dispel the demonic fire from herself, but this demonic flame clung to her like maggots in a wound, proving extremely difficult to eliminate.
Meanwhile, Azaz heard Sebastian’s voice: “Why aren’t you running?”
Azaz didn’t hesitate and turned to flee. Even if Gloria saw him, she couldn’t give chase right now because she was entangled by the demonic flames. All she could do was watch helplessly as Azaz’s figure receded further and further, heading towards the stairwell.
Just when it seemed like Azaz was about to escape, the creaking sound of a door opening suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears.
After that creaking door sound, Azaz suddenly noticed that the corridor in front of him seemed to wobble unrealistically. Due to the pressing situation, he ignored it and kept running downwards.
But not long after, as he turned a corner and was preparing to reach the third floor, he realized that what he was seeing was not the third floor at all — it was still the fourth floor!
He had clearly run down one level; why was he still on the fourth floor? Could this be an illusion?
Azaz looked around; this was indeed the fourth-floor corridor, and nothing had changed. The young woman was still at the other end of the corridor, entangled in the demonic fire.
The only difference from before was that the door to the room he was temporarily staying in had been opened.
A figure was emerging from the opened doorway.