The Seeker Of The Flames

Adin stripped one of those dead archers and started putting on the garments. Their dress comprised a light linen shirt and drawers under a belted tunic of leather fabric reaching about the t.h.i.g.hs. As for the footgear, they were wearing knee-length untanned leather boots. Those were too light, allowing the one wearing them to move freely and comfortably. He didn't take their weapons since he didn't need them.

"It's quite fit! It's also comfy!

They perfectly fitted his physique.

"How do I look?" Adin asked Ena, turning his eyes to her.

"Magnificent! Master looks great in every clothing!" Ena praised, smiling gently and benevolently.

"I see," Adin sighed, "I shouldn't have asked you anyway in the start."

While Ena was standing beside him with her usual soft smile, Adin noticed another figure behind her in a far distance, treading to where they were standing.

"Wait a second, who's that girl coming over here? Her face sounds familiar though. I thought your guards should've been gone by now."

"Girl?" Ena looked back. "Oh... she must be... Freya?"

"I remember her. But wait..." Adin paused, "She wasn't n.a.k.e.d when I first saw her."

"You know her? I mean, yeah of course master should know her... since you must've passed through here first..." Ena's sound changed to a jealous voice rather than her usual gentle tone.

When n.a.k.e.d Freya reached there, she knelt down before Adin and started begging: "Please forgive my rudeness for attacking Your Highness and not trusting your words! This inferior servant is ready to take any needed punishment. But please! I beg you! Please teach me how to become strong, Demon King! Please bring me under your flag! I'd absolutely do anything!"

—Eh? What's she talking about? I can't handle another troublesome woman. But why is she n.a.k.e.d!? I can see her private parts completely!

"Hey hey! Take it slow for a moment! First, tell me... Why are you n.a.k.e.d?"

"Well, I wanted to try to see whether being nude would make me stronger or not. Your Highness also went n.a.k.e.d when fighting with me, right?"

"I didn't intend to become n.a.k.e.d; it was your fault technically. But anyways, there's nothing special about going nude. It's just that my clothes aren't as invulnerable as me. They can't resist attacks. There's no secret about it."

"Yes, it was my fault. I'm sincerely ashamed... please forgive me! I beg you please bring me with yourself! I want strength!"

Freya had bowed down thoroughly. Her head hit the ground so many times as she was begging to the Demon King. She had thrown away her pride after seeing the true power of Adin the Immortal by her own eyes. Fighting him helped Freya to understand how weak and arrogant she had used to be.

Adin replied to Freya's begging in a cold voice.

"You want power, but what can you offer me in return? What does a weak human like you have to satisfy me?"

"My everything! My past! My present! My future! My life! My body! My whole existence! I offer all of them to the Demon King!"

"Don't you get it?" Adin responded harshly, "I'm saying that those are all worthless! You're just a weak, little human who's still a child. How many years have you lived by now? Hundred years? Two hundred? No, even if you had lived more than thousands of years you'd have still been worthless to me."

Freya became speechless. Although she had offered everything she had, still it wasn't enough to convince the Demon King. Did she appear so weak, useless, worthless, and fragile? Why would she be so pathetic?

"No... I've always been pathetic; it's just that now I can understand it." she thought.

Adin didn't want to waste his time on anything boring, especially that girl. Having one annoying woman is enough. He glanced at Ena. "Let's get out of here."

Freya wanted to shout out loud and stop the Demon King from leaving there. It was her only chance to become stronger after all. However, she didn't have anything to offer, and her cryings and beggings couldn't move his heart at all.

Ena and Adin left the large cave and got out of the mountain. The sunlight looked boring to Adin, but Ena could finally feel Sun's warmth on her skin after spending a long time inside the mountain.

Everywhere was pure desert as one's eyes could behold. Those were the eastern wastelands of the West Kingdom, a really faraway place in which no entity dared to step in. It was dry and waterless land with no signs of life. Any entity who decided to pass through this area couldn't make it out alive, so the West Kingdom's Grandwizards had decided this mountainous and deserted location to be the Oracle's hideout.

Adin went into a lot of trouble to find it. He had just spent 5 days to find an ancient map, which showed this area's potential spots for hiding, and 3 days to search the whole dry land to find where the Oracle had resided. What would take hundreds of years to find for a normal man didn't take the Demon King's time more than a few days, but still he had expected to have less trouble.

He began checking his pocket to find the map he had obtained. He needed it to figure out his way to the West Kingdom, where he had started his journey.

"All right, where did I put that map... What!!? It's not here?"

Looking shocked and upset, Adin realized the condition.

—I see... It must've been burned with my clothes. Damn!

Adin let out a sigh of regret.

"Is there something wrong," Ena asked, "my Master?

Even the Demon King couldn't find his way out of such a large desert to the West Kingdom without that map. It'd waste a lot of time.

Having a shadow cast on his eyes and visage, different solutions occurred to his mind, but for some obvious reasons, he didn't want to use them.

"Tell me, Ena..."

"Yes, Master?"

"Do you know the way to the West Kingdom?"

"That... Sorry Master. It's been a long time since I've been out like this. I can normally use my visions to find the way, but I did spend a lot of energy to see those flames' vision, so..."

"I see..."

He only had one solution. Adin didn't want to go for that, but apparently there was no other choice.

"By any chance," Adin said, "does that n.a.k.e.d woman in the cave know the way?"

"Oh... you mean Freya?"

"Yes..."

"I guess... Yes. She's been coming and going here for so many years. So she should probably know it."

"... Is that so... well, I guess we've got no choice then... You stay here, I will go ask for her help."

—Honestly! I still came to accept her. Two annoying girls... How am I going to make it through!

He walked back into the mountain, trying to find Freya. The moment his eyes caught a glimpse of Freya's n.a.k.e.d appearance, Adin called her to dress something and join them.

"Hey! you wizard girl! Sorry for the earlier. Do you still want to become strong?"