Divine Emperor of Death

"We may be fine, but what about grandpa...?" Niera Alstreim's eyes moistened, "That magical beast was able to kill those Infernal Lightning Palace Experts. So, even if it wouldn't attack us, grandpa may not be fine. We do not know what we're even dealing with..."

"Okay, but that doesn't make it fine for you to hold me, no?" Davis made a meaningful expression.

"You..." Niera Alstreim's voice fell to the level of a mosquito's, "You are suspicious..."

Davis's heart sank as he heard her words. An urge to attack her was about to take over him, but as he looked at her reluctant yet blushing expression, he somewhat understood as he asked with an annoyed expression.

"What do you mean?"

"That mysterious magical beast only showed up two times, and both of those times were when you were first found, and the other time was when you came out of seclusion. I find this fact extremely suspicious..." Niera Alstreim uttered as she hesitated.

Davis became shocked at her intelligence.

So that was the reason for her to hold his arms? From letting him from getting away since he was a suspicious person? But then, shouldn't restraining him using her higher cultivation be more effective instead of this hold where it appeared seductive instead?

"What makes you think that I am suspicious when it was merely a coincidence? I got swallowed by a damned spatial crack, and I'm now trapped here, but you're now trying to frame me? What do you want...!?" Nevertheless, he put up an act with an aggrieved expression on his face.

"Davis, no...!" Niera Alstreim vehemently shook her head, "I am not framing you, but I saw you smile when that magical beast attacked us. You weren't afraid, and your emotions looked stable despite everyone, including me, feeling danger for our lives. It was as if you knew that it wouldn't attack you, attack us."

"You...!" Davis's expression became one of anger as he whispered, "That was the will I built up in roaming so many danger zones. If I'm going to die, I would! So what's the use of becoming fearful of our death when it is going to happen? Would I be able to traverse danger zones if I become afraid of everything?"

"It's not as if I'm going to be of any use in being able to do anything against that magical beast, so why should I be afraid!?"

"But..." Niera Alstreim had a face full of panic as she trembled while hearing his convincing speech, "I sensed that you possess lightning-attributed essence energy even though you used fire-attributed energy. I'm sure of it! Your essence energy was tinged with a bit of lightning that I felt before it turned into fire-attribute energy!"

Davis became flabbergasted once again before he spoke intensely, "Yes! I train in Lightning Laws rather than Fire Laws, but it does not mean that I am not skillful in Fire Laws. I'm an Alstreim, and if I were to train in it, I might become more powerful than you, but what's your problem? I don't understand why my training in Lightning Laws would make me suspicious. Could it be that you think that I belong to the Infernal Lightning Palace?"

He had an offended expression on his face.

"No!!!" Niera Alstreim pressed on him as she held him tightly, "I suspect that you're the reason the ruler of this sealed space has come. It waited for a suitable successor, and since you're one of us and train in Lightning Laws, only you can inherit the Immortal Inheritance if there is really one there. As a matter of fact, that magical beast killed almost everyone worthy in the Infernal Lightning Palace but didn't kill any of us."

"So!" She took deep breaths as she spoke silently as she can, "I think it is waiting for you, and I mused that you knew it since you smiled when looking at it, but it seems like I was wrong. However, it is dangerous, and that's why I wouldn't let you go!!"

Davis became stunned at her rich imagination. This young girl connected three suspicious points of him to arrive at this conclusion, which was totally wrong, but in terms of finding the relationship he had with the 'magical beast', she was precise.

Nadia indeed was waiting for him to enter after she had secured the place. He had planned to enter closed-door cultivation somewhere around here after some time had elapsed, leave his soul body as a double, and sneakily head out to the underground cave to tamper with the words of lightning again, but it looks like now that he had been nearly caught but for a different reason.

Davis became inwardly exasperated as he didn't know what to do with this woman. He used Heart Intent at this moment and sensed that she held worry, affection, and a lot of other congested feelings towards him.

So the reason why she held his arm and didn't let him walk freely enough was that she liked him, becoming deeply worried about his safety that she came to get him back?

Davis inwardly groaned as he kept his face straight.

This is why he didn't deign to use Heart Intent against these women who were nice to him. Just a bit of analyzing with his Heart Intent, and he would easily come to know that they held intimate feelings towards him. It was basically a cheat to obtain people or become a charismatic leader in a perspective.

He already had his hands full with the women he loved, but if she came at him like this, he naturally would get hard even if it wasn't his intent.

Davis took a deep breath before he wryly smiled, "Alright, let me go. I wouldn't go to that place." 

"Really?" Niera Alstreim was teary-eyed after pouring out all that she suspected in her heart.

"Do you think I want to die?"

"But, it's an Immortal Inheritance..." Niera Alstreim seemed unconvinced, "Mother said that it's tempting enough that many people tried to interact with the words of lightning even though many prior cases of our people ended up shocked to death. She warned me because I had also thought of interacting with it, and I know how tempting it can be..."

"Look, even if I want to enjoy the Immortal Inheritance, I would have to be alive to do so. First, let's wait for your grandpa's return, and then, we'll talk about this. Until then, you don't leak a word about what you speculated lest that ends up negatively affecting me for some unknown reason, understand?"

"Okay..." Niera Alstreim slowly let go of his hand as she nodded, "I'll try my best... but come back soon. Otherwise..."

Her expression trembled as she raised her hand, but she turned around and left, her figure speeding up as the distance that separated them became wide. Davis looked around and confirmed for the last time that no one was around.

He had wandered off from the rest to explore a good spot to make his fake cultivation cave as well as to enjoy the mountain forest scenery that looked one with nature while watching Nadia and Ezekiel Alstreim with his soul sense, but it looks it had worried Niera Alstreim that she thought that he was leaving for the Immortal Inheritance.

Davis couldn't help but cast a complex glance at her disappearing silhouette.

'What a nice yet foolish woman... Because she likes me, she agreed to not tell anyone, but what if I was really an evil fiend? This woman's life would probably get over at this point regardless of her answer...'

Davis felt that she was naive, but he also simultaneously felt that he was naive as well since she could potentially ruin his plan a bit. Nevertheless, he could sense Ezekiel Alstreim returning, so he shortly followed after her.

When he returned, he looked at people anxiously casting their gaze towards the direction of their previous base, but it was far away, blocked by numerous mountains that they could not see their Ancestor. 

Ezekiel Alstreim did not release his undulations but seemed like he was making his way back slowly, feeling downtrodden. Only Davis knew this, but he didn't tell anyone and returned back to the camp.

At that moment, a person came to block his path.

"Brat, I saw my Niera running after you. You didn't take advantage of her kindness amidst this chaos, did you?" Nero Alstreim had a solemn expression as he demanded an answer from him.

"Well, you should know that I didn't since you probably followed after..." Davis uttered as if he was ignorant even though he knew no one followed them, causing Nero Alstreim to smilingly harrumph.

"Good! I knew you were dependable. You haven't failed me...at least, not yet, so I will continue to depend upon you to protect Niera since these times are rather precarious."

After saying his line in front of Davis's blinking gaze, he went around, placating his comrades' feelings and assuring that the Ancestor would return. 

Davis shook his head, feeling rather ironic. He wondered if Ezekiel Alstreim would sacrifice one of these two souls who were worrying about others instead of themselves at this moment.

At this moment, the ninth stage undulations could be felt that everyone's gaze instantly brightened as they started to cheer again.

"Our Ancestor is back!"

"He had killed the magical beast, returning victorious!"

"Hey! Don't needlessly spread speculations! We still don't know yet!"

"You dare to doubt the Ancestor's prowess?"

Seemingly engaging in a heated discussion, their worries seem to have faded away into thin air.

Ezekiel Alstreim quickly arrived above their camp and cast a confident look below, "Everyone, it seems that the cave we have lived in might really be its territory once before it moved somewhere else. Although I am not sure about it, it seems like it won't attack us as long as we don't disturb it."

"Henceforth, as the ruling Ancestor, I declare that those who near that cave from this moment would be exiled as a punishment from now on! On certain occasions, even death wouldn't be a heavy punishment since that magical beast literally told me that it would attack us the very moment we try to destroy the barrier put up on the cave entrance."

"..."

People became dumbfounded at this sudden declaration.