Chapter 40: Unnamed Hero

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” I said as I approached Emma, who was standing near the station entrance. Like yesterday she wore a tight outfit with a hood that covered her silver hair.

“Damian?” She made sure.

“Yes, it’s me.” My hand quickly opened the cap that covered my head so she could see my face more clearly. After I saw hers and Theo’s clothes yesterday I concluded the demon hunters did not want the others to recognize their faces so I also did the same.

Emma was amazed at my readiness.

“Wow, you really are ready for this. I forgot to say that you have to hide your face, I even brought you a mask. But apparently, you have prepared it yourself.”

I glanced at the thief-style mask in her hand and was grateful to have brought my cap. If I wear that mask, other people might think of me as a real thief.

“I already said I want to live a normal life. Of course, I’m ready for this,” I said, putting my cap back on my head.

“Why do all demon hunters have to cover their faces?” I asked curiously.

“Because we have to hide our identities from the demons.”

“Why do you have to hide your identity ?” I asked again. It feels strange, why should hunters hide themselves from their prey?

“To avoid our loved ones being targeted by the demons,” she replied.

Now I understand why the demon hunters never tell their identities to the public even though they are heroes of this modern era. To be honest, even though I’ve turned into a demon, I have to admit that I know very little information about them. Moreover, the only demon I have encountered is the rat demons and the government never gave us any information about it. Actually, I wanted to ask Lilieth a lot of things, but it seems like she’s very busy taking care of the crack.

“That’s why we have to make sure the demons who have seen our faces die,” she continued. She looked at me and smiled.

“Therefore I am truly grateful about yesterday. Because you not only saved me but also saved my family.”

“I’m glad I can help you.” To be honest, I was quite surprised that the demon hunters’ duties were not only to endanger themselves but also their families.

“So what should we do to look for them?” I continued again.

She raised her hand and showed a device that resembled a strange watch mixed with a compass with statistics and digital numbers.

“This is demon compass. This device will detect Demonic Aura and show us their location.”

My inactive Demonic Aura’s status in my talent immediately crossed my head. I think that’s why the demon hunters cannot detect me.

Shortly thereafter, she frowned as her eyes shifted on the compass in her hand.

My heart immediately pounded in tension but I still tried to maintain my calm.

‘Does it detect that I’m a demon? But if that device really can detect me, I’ve been found out since yesterday. ‘

“What is wrong?” I asked.

“This device is quieter than yesterday. Maybe only a few demons are roaming around tonight.”

“Thank goodness,” I said. Emma hasn’t fully recovered yet, it would be better if she could go home early to rest.

“Alright, let’s get started.” She was about to turn around but I caught her hand, breaking her movements.

‘Observation.’

I noticed her face was still a little pale and decided to check her to make sure her condition is fine.

[Observation skill succeeded.]

[Name: Emma Lunaspark] [Age: 18]

[Level 6] [Race: Elf]

[HP: 72/148] [MP: 36/58]

[Skills: Holy Chain lv 2, Mana Strike lv 3]

[Emotion: Excited]

[Love meter: 0/10]

[Condition: Normal]

[Relationship: Single]

[Profession: Demon Hunter, College Student.]

‘Even though her conditions are normal, her HP and MP are not full yet. I will just keep her on the backline for a while. ‘

“What is wrong?” she asked awkwardly. I could see her cheeks are slightly red.

“Nothing.” I took my hands off of her.

Emma cleared her throat in awkwardness and looked away in embarrassment.

“I thought you wanted to do something like you did this afternoon …”

‘Ah!’ This afternoon’s event repeated in my head. Although I did it to fulfil my quest, but it must be weird for her. Which woman does not feel weird if a man suddenly kneels and kisses her hand like a knight in the medieval era?

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“It’s okay … I’m just a little surprised,” she replied. She turned around and walked.

“Come on.”

Without answering, my feet stepped to follow her.

—-

Our feet carried us down a quiet street, occasionally Emma checked the Demon compass but there was no sign at all. Likewise, with me, there is no stink stench that tickles my nose or any announcement that appears in front of me. My eyes swept around us, staring at the closed shops.

‘Could it be that Lilieth has taken care of the crack?’ I thought as I continued to walk.

“Are you bored?” Emma asked suddenly. Her eyes observed my expression.

“Of course not.” Instead of being bored, I’m grateful. Isn’t it good if the demon’s population decreases?

But different from Emma, her face didn’t look happy.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“What is wrong?” I asked in confusion.

“Actually … Because of Theo’s report yesterday, half of my patrol territory was handed over to him for next few days. That’s why maybe I’m just wasting your time tonight.”

Upon hearing her words, I chuckled.

“You don’t need to apologize after all this is also my will. You didn’t force me at all.”

But even with my words, the expression on her face did not change, so I decided to divert our conversation.

“Can you tell me more about the demon hunter association? “I ask curiously.

Emma turned her gaze to me in excitement.

“Are you interested in joining us?”

“I’m just curious.” I only knew that they had a chairman and senate to lead the association, and also had a headquarters whose location never was published.

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything about it unless you have joined us.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. To be honest I was a bit disappointed but I concluded that they asked her not to keep her mouth shut about the Demon Hunter Association other than their members.

Half an hour had passed but we haven’t found any signs, while Emma’s face grew gloomier. Her eyes continued to sweep around us restlessly as she checked her demon compass.

“Why are you so nervous?” I asked.

“This is strange …”

“Isn’t that great if we don’t find any of it? Because that means there are no demons hanging around.”

“That’s impossible!” she said as she looked at me in displeased expression.

Seeing me look surprised by her response, she averted her face.

“That’s impossible,” she repeated in a softer voice.

“It has been a year since the boundary between the dark dimension and our world began to change. Since then, the demons that are roaming in our world continue to grow. There’s no way they can disappear in one day. “

‘Looks like they also know about the crack.’ But I just found out that the crack actually happened a year ago.

“Maybe someone already handled it.” Of course, the person who I mean here is Lilieth, but I can’t say it because she’s a demon like me.

Emma stopped in her tracks and gave me another displeased expression.

“Damian, this is not a kind of problem that can be handled by one person. Besides, a few days ago I just got information that this problem is getting worse.”

I can’t be denied her words, since there must be a reason for the rat demons who killed me a few days ago to be so brave as to lure their victims by posting job vacancies on the internet.

She sighed in exasperation and stepped past me.

“If only Mr Renart hadn’t died in that incident maybe we could get a clue about this.”

My heart beat fast when I heard that name, but I kept my calm.

“Mr Renart?” My feet immediately moved to follow her.

“Mr Renart was the best demon hunter and also my mentor when I just joined the association. A year ago he suddenly requested some help to the headquarters even though he was not on patrol. Headquarters tracked his location, but heavy rain accompanied by a storm disturbed our signal, so we had difficulty tracking his location. “

“Then? What happened to him?” I asked impatiently.

“When the association found him, he was already dead with severe injuries, it seemed like he fought until his last breath. His car was also destroyed and his demon compass was stopped at a number indicating that he had just fought a lot of demons. That was the first disturbance that occurred before the number of demons has increased dramatically. Thanks to him, we can find out there is a change at the boundary. ” She sighed and I realized her eyes were filled with tears.

“Unfortunately, despite his sacrifice, I can’t do anything to help or tell the truth to his family.”

“What did the association say to his family?” I asked as I continued to try to contain the emotion inside me.

“According to the procedure … All demon hunters who died on the battlefield were announced to the public as deaths due to accidents.”

The words ‘accident’ made my heart beat faster.

“To be honest, I am still worried about his children. Mr Renart once told me that he was divorced and his relationship with his ex-wife was bad. While according to regulations, compensation money from the demon hunter association must be given to family members who are 18 years old. At that time, in less than a week his first son was 18 years old but the association did not want to wait. Therefore they gave the compensation to his ex-wife as their guardian. I just hope that his ex-wife can take care of her children well,” she continued.

“Do you know who his children are?”

She shook her head side to side.

“We are not allowed to attend another demon hunter funeral nor have permission to find out about his family to respect the deceased’s privacy .”

“What about his surname?” I asked again in a coercive tone.

Emma stopped in her tracks and looked at me with a confused expression, while I also stopped my steps.

“Why are you so interested in Mr Renart?”

“I’m just curious because you said he was the best demon hunter,” I reasoned.

She averted her eyes and sighed.

” I don’t know. The association also kept it a secret and didn’t allow us to find out.”

My eyes bewildered and my brain tried to think of any question that could give me some clue.

“May I know where the association found Mr Renart’s body?”

“They found him in the forest outside Ironshade Town.”

I petrified, my heart pounding like it was about to burst. Renart Strongheart is my father’s name and the forest outside Ironshade Town is where my father died in the accident. His car was off the track and into the forest due to the storm. At least that’s what they said to me and Celia, even though I found a lot of oddities in my father’s death. But since it was a single accident and there were no witnesses, there was nothing I could do to find out the truth. And the compensation money … That explains why my mother suddenly moved from her apartment and bought a much bigger new house in another city, leaving me and Celia in a financial struggle for a year.

Anger, sadness and disappointment mixed in my mind, but there was nothing I could do now but swallow it.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said, bowing my head to hide my face and continue my steps.

Emma caught my hand to stop me and I turned to her.

“Damian … Do you know Mr Renart?” Her eyes looked at me deeply.

“No,” I denied. I am in my incubus form now. Besides, if someday my identity as a demon is discovered, wouldn’t that tarnish my father’s good reputation? Isn’t it ironic if the son of the best demon hunter becomes the demon itself?

Emma took her hand away from me.

“I thought you were related to him since you asked a lot of things.”

I forced myself to smile.

“I just want to know about him. I didn’t know that he would be a real hero until the end of his life. I’m sure if his children find out about this, they will surely be proud of him.”

“I can only hope they are fine,” she said once more.

“They are the best demon hunter’s children, they should be fine,” I calmed her down.

“You’re right …” A smile also developed on her face.

“They should be fine.”

Then our feet return to step down the lonely Nighthallow City streets.

‘Yes, me and Celia are fine …’

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