Luther quickly made his way to the city gates, where "Instructor Ivy" was waiting for him. He had a plan now. He would play along with these demons, see what they wanted from him, and then strike when the ti was right.
As he approached the gates, he put on his best innocent face. Ivy stood there, looking impatient. She was tapping her foot and checking a small pocket watch.
"You’re late," she said when she saw him. "Where are the others?"
"They’re still packing," he lied easily. "They told to go ahead. They’ll catch up later."
She frowned. "That wasn’t the arrangent. We should wait for them."
"Trust , it’s better this way," he said with a smile. "Luna takes forever to pack her things. We could be here all day."
She seed to consider this for a mont before nodding. "Very well. The carriage is this way."
He followed her outside the city gates where a black carriage waited. There was no Academy emblem on it, just as he expected. Two n stood beside it, dressed as ordinary drivers, but he could sense their power, more clearly now. They were definitely not human.
"After you," Ivy gestured to the carriage door.
He climbed inside, keeping his hand close to his sword. The interior was simple but comfortable. Ivy sat across from him, and the carriage began moving as soon as the door closed.
"So," he said casually, "how long until we reach the Academy?"
"Two days, if the weather holds." Her eyes stayed fixed on him, barely blinking.
"And the headmaster wants to see specifically? I’m honored." He leaned back, pretending to be relaxed.
"Your performance in the tournant was... impressive." Her lips curved into a small smile. "Especially how you handled that possessed fighter."
’There it is,’ he thought. No real Academy instructor would know Korg was possessed. He kept his face neutral.
"Just doing what I had to do," he said. "Although I’m surprised the Academy noticed . I didn’t even win."
"Sotis winning isn’t everything," she replied. "We value potential over trophies."
They rode in silence for a while. The carriage moved through a forest, getting farther and farther from the city. He watched the trees go by, calculating how far they were from any witnesses.
"You know," he said after a while, "it’s strange. I never heard of the Academy sending instructors to recruit students directly."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "We make exceptions for exceptional cases."
"Like ?"
"Precisely."
Another hour passed. They were deep in the forest now, far from any roads or villages. Perfect. The carriage suddenly slowed and ca to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" He asked, feigning confusion.
"We need to switch horses," she said. "It will only take a mont."
She stepped out of the carriage. He heard low voices outside, discussing sothing in a language he didn’t understand. He gripped his sword, ready.
When the door opened again, it wasn’t Ivy standing there. It was the demon girl he had seen at the tournant. Her human disguise was gone now, revealing her true form – pale skin, pointed ears, and eyes that glowed a faint red.
"Hello," she said, her voice sweet but cold. "I think it’s ti we dropped this little act, don’t you?"
He smiled. "I was thinking the sa thing." In one smooth motion, he drew his sword. "Let’s talk properly."
She laughed, not at all surprised by his response. "I knew you were aware. You humans are so predictable, but you... you’re different."
"Where’s ’Instructor Ivy’?" he asked, not stepping out of the carriage yet.
"She’s around," she replied vaguely. "My na is Lilith, by the way. And my master would very much like to speak with you."
"Your master? The one from the tournant?"
She nodded. "He’s quite interested in your... connection."
His eyes narrowed. So they knew about the goddess. This was getting interesting.
"Fine," he said, stepping out of the carriage at last. "Lead the way."
She smiled and gestured toward a small path leading deeper into the forest. He followed, staying alert. Five other demons erged from the trees, surrounding him as they walked. They didn’t try to hide their true forms now – each one looked different, so more humanoid than others.
"Don’t try anything stupid," one of them growled from behind.
"Wouldn’t dream of it," he replied calmly. He kept walking, eyes forward, sword still in hand.
As they moved deeper into the forest, he morized every turn, every landmark. The sun was starting to set. Soon they would be in complete darkness.
He just needed to play along a little longer, until they were exactly where he wanted them.
The forest grew thicker as they walked. He kept his eyes on Lilith’s back, watching her movents carefully. The other demons stayed close, their eyes never leaving him.
"So," he said casually, breaking the silence, "how much further?"
"Not far now," she replied without turning around. "My master doesn’t like to be too close to human settlents."
He nodded, taking in more details of his surroundings. The trees here were ancient, their branches twisting together to block out most of the fading sunlight. Perfect for an ambush – either by them or by him.
"I’m curious," he continued, keeping his voice light, "how did you know I could see through your disguise?"
She laughed softly. "We didn’t. But my master suspected you might be... different. The way you fought that possessed fighter and the way you also looked directly at us despite our disguise."
"Lucky guess," he said with a shrug.
One of the demons behind him grunted. "Or maybe he’s just not as smart as he thinks he is."
He ignored the comnt, focusing instead on counting his steps. They had been walking for about twenty minutes now, which ant they were at least two miles from the carriage. Good. No one would hear what was about to happen.
Suddenly, the trees opened up into a small clearing. In the center stood a tall figure wearing a dark cloak with a hood that covered most of his face. He recognized him imdiately – the demon from the tournant.
"Welco," the figure said, his voice deep and smooth. "I’ve been looking forward to eting you properly, Luther."
Luther stopped at the edge of the clearing, his hand still on his sword. "You know my na. That’s not fair. You should tell yours."
The figure chuckled and lowered his hood. His face was handso but unnatural – too perfect, with eyes that glowed like embers in the growing darkness.
"You may call Malachi," he said. "Please, join ." He gestured to a fallen log that served as a makeshift seat.
He walked forward cautiously, aware of the demons closing in behind him. He sat down on the log, keeping his sword across his lap.
"So," he said, looking directly at Malachi, "what’s this all about? Why the elaborate trick to get here?"
"Would you have co if I simply asked?" he replied, sitting across from him on another log.
"Probably not, but kidnapping seems extre."
Malachi smiled. "Let’s stop with the small talk. We want you to co back with us to the demon realm, as a gift to the demon king."
"Ohhh? and why would I do that?" He replied, his tone suddenly cocky.
Malachi gestured at the demons, "This is not up for debate, you either co willingly or we take you apart and then still take you with us."
"Heh, is that so." His eyes began glowing, "you have no idea how much shit you are in."
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