Chapter 919: Nighttime Chat with Malverna
Boom!
The sound of thunder rumbled outside. Elina set down her quill and turned toward the window with a blank stare.
It had been three months since Nolan disappeared.
Although she knew her brother had told her not to look for him, Elina still couldn’t help feeling sad and depressed.
After all, ever since they were children, they had rarely been apart, except when special assignments required them to travel far away, like when Nolan went to the Kingdom of Kaldarion on the northern continent.
"Hey, I know you’re there. Don’t you want to join me for a chat?"
Elina turned to look ahead, but there was no one there. Still, she knew that someone was always watching her.
"Still not coming out? Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to the Singularity of Chaos if you don’t do your job properly?" she said playfully.
As soon as she finished speaking, a lazy voice came from in front of her.
"He won’t be fooled by your words."
Malverna’s figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Elina giggled. Of course, she knew the Singularity of Chaos wouldn’t believe a word she said.
Besides, Elina herself had never met that figure face-to-face—or even spoken to him.
"Keep me company. I’m bored."
Elina stood up and walked over to the minibar at the edge of the room.
Her office had practically become her second bedroom. It wasn’t unusual for her to stay up all night working, only to fall asleep at her desk the next day.
That was why she had asked the servants to set up a small minibar in her office, where she could make her own coffee or tea.
"Tea or coffee?" Elina asked.
Malverna fell silent. Then, in a slightly annoyed tone, she replied, "I haven’t agreed to it yet, you know?"
"Pfft!" Elina chuckled. "Tea, then. Alright, I’ll make some."
Malverna: "..."
She felt like Elina was starting to resemble Nolan more and more. No... they were twins, after all. Of course they looked alike.
Shaking her head, Malverna sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room and closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, Elina returned with two cups of tea in her hands.
"Here you go."
She placed one cup on the table, then sat down across from Malverna.
Malverna opened her eyes and glanced at the cup before picking it up and taking a sip.
With the rain pouring outside and the cold air filling the room, sipping tea was one of the best ways to warm herself up, even though she wasn’t actually cold.
"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Elina didn’t answer right away. She took a sip of her tea while gazing at the heavy rain outside.
A moment later, she smiled and replied, "About you and how you met the Singularity of Chaos."
Malverna furrowed her brows.
To be honest, she was a little reluctant to tell her story, especially since Igris’s betrayal had left a deep scar on her soul.
She had been traumatized by it and found it hard to trust anyone anymore. Perhaps Nolan was the only person she could truly trust.
Seeing Malverna fall silent, Elina realized something was wrong and was about to speak, but Malverna spoke first.
"I used to be the ruler of a great and invincible race on this continent."
"Pfft!" Elina choked on her drink. She coughed a few times before looking at Malverna in confusion.
"The ruler of a great race? What race?"
Malverna grinned slyly.
"The Demon Race, of course."
Elina: "..."
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. If Malverna’s first statement had been enough to make her choke, then the one that followed nearly gave her a heart attack.
The Demon Race was a race cursed by this world, all because of the Demon Emperor Zerathos, who had brought destruction to the continent a thousand years ago.
After composing herself, Elina caught her breath and asked curiously, "Wasn’t the Demon Emperor Zerathos the last leader of the Demon Race? How did you become its ruler?"
"It’s a long story."
Elina’s eyes sparkled.
"That’s even better! Come on, tell me all about it!"
Malverna chuckled helplessly before recounting her story to Elina.
Not even Nolan had ever heard the full story. In a way, Elina would be the only person who knew everything about it.
...
The Eldrun Highlands...
Fifty kilometers away from the town of Virella was a highland plateau with a beautiful view, especially during sunrise and sunset.
Unfortunately, not many people lived there. Only around a thousand people called the plateau home, and even they were scattered across several small communities.
One of the main reasons the plateau was so empty was the large number of snake-like monsters living there.
No one knew exactly how many there were.
However, according to rumors, one of the most dangerous monsters on the northern continent lived somewhere in the highlands.
It was known as the Golden-Scaled Snake King. Its body could grow up to seven meters long, and it could spit its venom from as far as one kilometer away.
Before an enemy could even get close, the Golden-Scaled Snake King could kill them from a great distance, ensuring they died on the spot.
"Gyahahah! You’re just a weak snake! How dare you attack me, huh!?"
A man in a black cloak laughed like a madman as he repeatedly stabbed a giant snake with the dagger in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, the snake had golden scales—exactly like those of the Golden-Scaled Snake King described by the locals.
The man continued stabbing its head until the monster finally lost all its strength.
"Tck!" The man spat before landing a strike right on its vital area.
At that very moment, the giant snake lost all its vitality and died on the spot.
The man grinned widely. Instead of leaving, he cut open the snake’s body, grabbed a chunk of meat, and started eating.
"Mmmhmm... This monster’s meat is way tastier than I expected."
His mouth was smeared with the snake’s black blood.
He looked disgusting, but the man didn’t seem to care. He just kept eating as if it were the best food in the world.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from behind him, followed by a cold voice that rang through the cave.
"Enough! Didn’t I tell you not to act recklessly and stick to the plan?"
The man froze. He slowly turned around and saw another man wearing a terrifying red demon mask.
Fear spread across his face. He hurriedly dropped the remaining meat from his hand and bowed before him.
"F-Forgive me! D-Don’t punish me!"
The masked man merely stared at him indifferently before turning away.
"Follow me. Tonight, we must finish our job. Our target is..."
The eyes behind the mask gazed into the distance, piercing through the mist and heavy rain outside.
"Elina Lorian, the strongest candidate for the throne of the Great Velmora Empire..."