Demi-human Girls Completion Manual Chapter 1330 - 21: Shadow of the Demon

"Uuh, hubby..."

Ingrid’s sweet voice reached Fisher, yet brought him no joy. Rafael and Moli, positioned on either side, were on the verge of combustion, leaving Fisher feeling as if he were treading on needles, desperately wishing to cast the woman before him into the sea.

In a mere handful of seconds, events had unfolded with bewildering speed. Initially, he pondered if she had truly sacrificed her life and dignity for mere news, willing to undertake a perilous act. However, upon closer reflection, this felt improbable.

If she remained just an intern reporter from that colossal serpent newspaper, seeking a sensational story, then where did the ship laden with treasures originate? Such wealth seemed far beyond the means of a typical intern.

With this thought, Fisher clenched his teeth, abruptly seizing her shoulder. He carefully modulated his strength, mindful of the girl before him, who was merely at the Zeroth Rank, and gently pushed her away. His voice, calm yet stern, inquired,

"Are you insane?"

Fisher had no true understanding of the chasm separating the Mythical Rank from ordinary humans. It was only through fleeting moments of profound realization about human frailty that he could grasp the immeasurable difference, like that between heaven and earth.

Just moments ago, as Ingrid rushed towards him, Fisher’s hand had moved almost instinctively to push her aside. Yet, he knew such a move would likely result in immediate bloodshed, leaving her life hanging precariously in the balance.

And now, even more so, Fisher lowered his head and asked. He immediately sensed Ingrid before him trembling uncontrollably. Under his scrutiny, her skin prickled, much like when she was near him, instinctively aware of the vast gulf between herself and the Mythical Species, desperately resisting any contact and approach.

But why, he wondered, was she compelled to act this way now?

Observing this, Fisher couldn’t help but be taken aback. He gazed at Ingrid, seeking an answer, but saw that despite her evident terror, she had reverted to a fragile demeanor. With tears welling, she questioned,

"Hubby, what’s... what’s wrong?"

"You were about to say we..."

"Hubby, please don’t say it. I’ll listen later, so please don’t leave me, okay?"

Just as Fisher prepared to speak, Ingrid’s face suddenly paled, her gaze pleadingly fixed on him.

She continued to draw nearer, yet seemed to carelessly expose her neck, previously concealed by the flowing veil of her Lady’s hat.

Fisher glanced downward, observing a peculiar, circular symbol faintly illuminated on her neck. The symbol emanated an aura of profound mystery. Merely glimpsing it, Fisher felt as if he simultaneously witnessed a pillar of fire erupting into the sky, followed by a bow and arrow soaring directly from that fiery pillar, consuming his entire field of vision.

"Boom!"

The arrow inflicted no physical harm. Instead, it carried a whisper-like suddenness, implanting a name into Fisher’s consciousness…

"Barbatos"

The name imprinted itself directly upon his soul, imperceptible to any onlookers.

However, this was not the most critical revelation. The true significance lay in the fact that, as this Seal manifested before him, Fisher’s inner soul-vision unveiled an astonishingly similar Seal imprinted upon his own chest. It mirrored the one glowing on the back of Ingrid’s neck.

Yet, in contrast to her Seal, Fisher’s chest marking appeared to possess a deeper hue, and its symbol seemed more vibrant. He pondered if the meaning differed. Furthermore, his own chest Seal seemed to have undergone a forceful alteration.

The vividly symbolic Seal, situated beneath the current one and distinguished by its deep coloration, had been utterly obliterated. The new Seal now stood boldly upon the remnants of the erased mark, projecting a potent aura of Chaos, asserting its undeniable presence. It too bore a name,

"Paimon"

Fisher’s heart pounded; within the span of a single second in objective time, he felt he had grasped numerous secrets concealed from the outside world.

Paimon?

Helair?

When did she affix a Seal upon me?

Was it during our time at the Holy Land, or at some point in the distant past?

And for what reason did she leave a Seal on my person?

Setting these questions aside for the moment, Fisher surmised, based solely on the Seal visible on Ingrid’s neck, that the Great Demon Barbatos had apprehended the intern reporter, Ingrid.

This implied that her pretense of being his wife for four years to infiltrate the Dragon Court was a ruse orchestrated by these demons, and as a human, she had no alternative but to comply.

However, viewing the situation from another perspective, the fact that Barbatos knew her impersonation would cause him trouble suggested a certain degree of insight into his circumstances on their part.

As for their motive to specifically target him in advance, Fisher found it illogical. It could only be Helair, with whom he held ancient ties stretching back millions of years, who might harbor such an interest. Coincidentally, she was not a demon, thus able to evade the confinement imposed by the Mother Goddess...

Could this entire situation, from the Demon infiltration in Nali’s army to the current predicament, all be a grand scheme orchestrated by Helair?

With Emhardt's previous warning echoing in his mind, despite his personal regard for Helair, this unsettling possibility could no longer be ignored.