"The Master of the Underground City in the Kana Wasteland, Valak," Talia answered in a low voice.
"That would be me." A massive, feather-crowned, red-eyed Demon Crow hopped on a branch. The crest of feathers on its head bobbed up and down, looking somewhat like a cockatoo from Samael’s previous life.
"Stop your feeble Spiritual Energy. Don’t try to steal my Demon Crow anymore; it’s pointless. This is my territory. My Spiritual Energy is rooted in every inch of soil here. I am the sovereign."
Talia pursed her lips, extinguishing the faint blue glow in her eyes beneath her helmet.
"I heard about what happened to your father, you half-blood brat of the Ronov family. However, I wasn’t involved, nor am I interested." The feather-crowned Demon Crow slowly marched on the branch, lifting its claws deliberately before flapping its wings and jumping onto the head of a corpse. "The freezing northern Rondolan Mountains are too far away for me. I only care about my beloved Kana Plain.
"Tell me, Ronov brat, what are you doing sneaking into my territory?" The Demon Crow’s claws dug into the scalp of the corpse. It leaned forward slightly, its blood-red eyes glaring at Talia. "Seeking asylum? Don’t tell me you’re foolish enough to think that just because your father did me a favor, I’d protect you?"
"My father has already paid the price for his stupidity and idealism. I have learned to adapt to this cruel and realistic world." Talia subtly positioned herself to block Samael. "We are just fleeing through here. I didn’t expect you to help, and I won’t cause you any trouble."
The Demon Crow let out a CAW CAW of laughter, its body rocking back and forth.
"Don’t be afraid. Your father did indeed do me a few small favors when he was alive. Although we fellow members of the Demon Race don’t care much about sentimentality, taking your head to claim the bounty from Sittika and Marina would make me feel... a little embarrassed. It would tarnish my dignity as a Monarch." The Demon Crow lowered its head, pecked out the eyeball of the corpse beneath its feet, and tilted its neck back to swallow it.
Bumped by the giant Demon Crow’s pecks, the corpse swung from the branch on its hemp rope like a pendulum.
"However, you’d better not wander around my territory. The subordinates of those Monarchs are hunting you across the whole world. You had better not lead them to my domain." The Demon Crow gripped the skull of the corpse, swaying back and forth along with the suspended skeleton, its feather crest bobbing as well. "Get lost while you can. Hurry up and get out of the Kana Plain."
"Old man, from the sounds of it, you’ve been quite busy lately, haven’t you?" Samael interjected suddenly.
Talia froze for a moment, turned to look at Samael, then at the feather-crowned Demon Crow, and chuckled softly.
"Which ring of your Underground City have the adventurers breached?" she asked with a smile. "You sent a Demon Crow scout this far from the Underground City, spying almost right at the doorstep of the Adventurer’s Alliance outpost. I imagine the situation isn’t looking too optimistic, is it?"
The feather-crowned Demon Crow scoffed. With a sudden SWISH, the folded crest on its head fanned out, revealing terrifying, blood-red eye-like spots on the massive feathers. It seemed somewhat humiliated and angry.
"The third ring," he answered reluctantly. "Are you happy now, you gloating half-blood brat of the Ronov family? Can you get lost now? I don’t have the time to deal with you or your pursuers right now, so I’m letting you off the hook. What’s the deal with your talkative attendant, anyway? A demonized human Mage? An elite Warrior of the Demon Race? A high-ranking confidant left behind by your father? The Nether Copper Weapons are one thing, but what kind of psycho Warrior wears full-coverage Nether Copper Knight Armor? That’s not equipment meant for the living. And if it’s an armored Skeleton Warrior, why would an Undead Creature speak on its own initiative?"
"That’s none of your business," Talia replied.
"Fine. Then hurry up and get out of here," the feather-crowned Demon Crow said, folding the crest on his head. "Don’t provoke me again. I haven’t fed my Earth-Devouring Demon Insects today. Although the Mages at the Alliance outpost maintain a long-term Exorcism Array against the Demon Insects, the Earth Roar is a ranged attack. Do you want to take a hit from an Earth Roar?"
"We will leave—we just need a little time. During this period, we stay out of each other’s way. How about that?" Talia proposed. "We won’t take advantage of your misfortune to meddle with your Underground City, nor will we tell the other Demon Race Monarchs about this. But you must also keep our secret and not reveal our whereabouts."
"Deal! Then it’s a happy agreement. You are not allowed to interfere with the tug-of-war on the frontlines between me and the adventurers, and I won’t leak any information to those lunatics working under Sittika and Marina. Leave my territory as soon as possible and don’t stir up trouble. We’ll pretend we never saw each other, just like the north wind of Rondolan lightly brushing past the white bone rocks of the Kana Plain—a completely indifferent passing by." The feather-crowned Demon Crow swayed his large crest back and forth, his phrasing almost poetic.
"However, if you dare interfere with my frontline struggles against the adventurers, don’t blame me for showing no mercy."
"Understood," Talia said.
"I’ll be keeping an eye on you. You’d better hurry up and leave before I change my mind." The Demon Crow nodded arrogantly, letting out a CAW CAW of laughter. He spread his wings and flew toward the sky above the Adventurer’s Alliance outpost on the distant horizon.
Talia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Things went better than I expected..." she chuckled softly.
"Are you two close?" Samael asked. "He didn’t seem very hostile either."
"We’re just acquaintances, I suppose. My father helped him, and he returned the favor. They even collaborated a few times as allies in the past, so he holds a neutral stance on our affairs," Talia recalled. "However, the emotions of the Demon Race are usually quite thin, and there are generally no absolute long-term allies. My father was a very unique member of the Demon Race. It was precisely because he was too naive, too kind, too idealistic, and too trusting of his friends that he..."