บท 27: Startle
Nicholas opened his mouth to calmly introduce himself again when Aiden suddenly interrupted.
"He's an ugly old man trying to steal Lucien from me."
The accused ugly old man Nicholas: ....
The ten mages on the side: .....
Lucien was half trying not to laugh and half wanting to scold Aiden for badmouthing his soon-to-be superior.
"Lucien? Your name is Lucien?" Nicholas let out a bright old manly smile that made Lucien admire his patience. This middle-aged man has a highly respectable rank among the demon slayer warriors division, and being called an old man by an orphan child is... Lucien does not want to think about it. When his eyes slid to the walls, he suddenly remembered the five children Aiden left inside the underground cave!
"The children!" He suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone in the room. Lucien struggled to sit up and get out of Aiden's embrace. Once he successfully separated himself, he started to run towards the corridor heading to the basement.
"Lucien!" Aiden frantically shouted behind him. He came running after him. As Lucien race faster, the darker Aiden's look becomes. Aiden was irritated. Lucien just got healed. He healed him! The one who should Lucien worry right now is him. The one who should Lucien pour his attention to is him.
Why is he more worried about those ungrateful who did nothing children? Aiden saved Lucien! He's the one he should have in his mind. No one else. Lucien was almost tackled to the ground when Aiden pounced on him. But Lucien's mind is too preoccupied to get irritated. Nothing is more important to him right now than the safety of the children. Lucien is dragging Aiden in his waist, not letting him weigh him down. Nicholas and the other ten mages are coming after them. After racing down the stairs, Lucien pulled Aiden away. He crawled into the small hole. Aiden followed him.
Nicholas couldn't fit through. After seeing adults couldn't get in, he signaled to the others to wait.
"Aiden, which way?" Lucien stared at the two holes going in opposite directions. The hole is dark and devoid of light; even moonlight can't get through. At Lucien's feet, he felt someone's hands groping around his ankle. He can't see Aiden, but he can hear his rough breathing.
"Aiden?"
"Left."
Aiden nodded. He felt the ground with his hands, fumbling in the mud, trying to tell which way was left
After crawling for a few minutes, the hole expanded. A light from the torch lit up the whole cave. Lucien come to face the wall with a small circle entrance. He knocked on it. Nudging Aiden to speak to assure the children inside. Aiden seems unwilling to speak first. But after Lucien's continuous nudging, he opened his mouth and said,
"Come out. The monsters are gone." There's a big thud and clamor inside. Then a series of footsteps thundered before five innocent, big tearful eyes looked up at him.
"Re-really?" One little boy, the tallest among them, asked.
"Yes," Lucien said, reaching out his hand. "Let's go? There are people outside waiting for us."
"Not monsters!" The only girl squealed in fright. She stepped back a few times, her body shivering. Lucien patted her head and comforted her.
"Monsters are gone. Those people will rescue us from here. "
After a few minutes of coaxing, all five children are finally willing to come out. The trip back is much easier since Lucien led them out with the help of the torch. He had difficulty crawling with one hand, but he managed somehow. Nicholas and the ten mages are shocked to see there are five more survivors. It was obvious they were brought to this town to be offered as a sacrifice.
If that's the case, how did they survive? Where are the demon followers? Did they die after Nicholas defeated the two horned demon? Before leaving the town and checking that no more demonic puppets are found in the area, the ten mages proceed to perform the exorcism.
It was a Grade 5 cleansing exorcism. Because the place affected and ruled by the demon encased a whole town, it required tons of light magic. Nicholas left the matter to the ten mages and requested a backup. In his communicator wristwatch, a hologram appeared and a map of the whole island of Camigen was displayed. At the big red dot, he pressed and transferred a concise report of the situation, calling for backup from the mage division. After a few seconds, the other mages dispatched for backup appeared through a teleportation portal.
Watching all this happen, Lucien gaped in amazement. He can't describe what he's currently feeling. Joy, ecstasy, bewilderment, it was like all these feelings were packed into one, bursting uncontrollably inside him.
Aiden is on his side, gripping the hem of his shirt, not willing to let go. Whenever Lucien moved, Aiden tugged harder, preventing him from getting out of his spot. Lucien tried to get out of Aiden's grasp and get nearer to the entrancing array, but never succeeded. Lucien let the little boy clutch onto him. Thinking he was scared out of his wits, Lucien patted Aiden's head. The five little children also crowded around him like ducks. They are a bit scared and have trust issues with the others. But their faces showed the same awestruck expressions, seeing the marvel of colors splashed in their eyes.
The refraction of light caused the array to shine five different layers of circles. The smoke emitting from the display of magic slithered around the cleansing area. The St. Louis Church begin to crumble at its might.
A burst of dark clouds erupted, but they instantly vanished into thin air. The whole process took the light energy of fifty Demon Slayer Mages away. All of them collapsed to the ground with short, quick breaths.
All this time, Nicholas has been watching the children. He can't pinpoint where, but he's absolutely sure one of them emits the dark aura of evil.
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