Pacify was cast on my party, and they eventually returned to normal. Tina immediately berated Solina and complained about the danger she put them in yet again.

Adam grew rather quiet and appeared deep in thought. Even though they knew they could rely on me, they still took major precautions when it came to demons. And if the countries of the human continent needed to all agree on the specifics of a quest should it involve demons, then I reckoned those things were nothing for regular adventurers to mess with. The archer sighed. “Lower your voice. This quest is now void. We need to report to ADAS quickly. Let’s head out.”

I summoned the undead warhorses for them, and just as I was about to mount Dreadhoof, I heard a sinister voice.

“Lich God,” it said, “it appears we need not search under every rock for you. It is the wish of our master to meet with you at the earliest possible time.” Finally, it suddenly appeared from the shadows. Looking at the demon closer, it was more grotesque than I realized. Its teeth weren’t teeth, but fangs. Its jaw could open unnaturally wide, and the horns jutting from its forehead felt like pure evil.

“What do you want with me?” I asked.

It disappeared into a black smoke of nothingness and appeared next to us, sitting on a nearby rock. “It is not my place to disclose that information. However, you can rest assured that it is not to do harm. Your companions’ safety will be guaranteed as well.” Its whiplike tail curled about. “Do you agree to meet with my master?”

“Why should we trust you after what you did?” I looked it dead in its eyes.

“What you perceive to be reality can be easily manipulated.” It snapped its fingers and Swenrai village suddenly returned to normal. No burned houses, smell of corpses, and no mayhem. The villagers walked about without a care in the world. “Deception was required to aid in garnering your attention.”

“How were you so sure you’d get my attention?” I asked the demon.

It stood up, walked closer, and made circles around me. “Ever since you left your castle, we’ve had eyes on you. The great Lich God, dormant for decades, is suddenly awakened, and sides with the humans instead of monsters. No one could wrap their fragile minds around it. Getting your attention wasn’t difficult, Lich God. All we needed to do was supply a quest that only you could fulfill.”

I focused on it; even after the vague explanations, trusting it didn’t feel right. It felt like putting your head in the maw of a crocodile and hoping it wouldn’t wring your head off. But, what do they want with me? Who’s his master?

“Fret not, Lich God,” the demon said, “for meeting my master can happen anytime you wish. However, the longer you dally, the worse the invasion.” It threw an uncut gemstone over to me. “When you decide to, run your mana through it and I shall lead you to my master. Or perhaps someone else will.” A great big smile appeared on its face. “Farewell, now, Lich God.”

We all stood around, confused on what to do. I groaned in frustration. I just wanted to chill and live peacefully. Fuck! I folded my arms and pondered what to do. Should I seek information on demons and their continent? Would it be classified or would it be something the masses know? Is it just that demon or are all demons as ugly and repulsive as that one? A lot of things barreled through my mind, including things that had no business being there, like sex. What’d you expect? I still had no dick experience and I felt like if I undertook this great journey into the demon lands, I probably would never have the chance to do so in a very long time.

I wondered if I even needed to get involved in all of this. But he said something about an invasion. Could I just return to an ADAS branch, report it, and keep my head down from then on? With Enchanting and Synthesis, I could make a decent living and quit being an adventurer. My body rocked side to side in thought. But I have the power. I didn’t know how strong I was compared to demons, or even other human wizards, but I didn’t think I was a weak existence.

Okay… I settled on what to do for now. My first priority was gauging where I fell on the totem pole of power, and if it was high enough, then maybe I’d feel obligated to provide that strength to those who needed it. I wasn’t the type of girl to volunteer or do charity work, but the image of innocent villagers, even children, laying bloodied and lifeless was scary. I didn’t think I could live the carefree life I wanted with the weight of so many dead bodies on my shoulder; that guilt would spiral me down a rabbit hole I never wanted to visit again.

Tina put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Deidre. Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?” She joined my hands together. “Come on, let’s go back to the nearest ADAS branch and report it.”

My eyes watered. “Yeah, that sounds good.” Did they realize? I asked myself. The first sight we saw of the village was the real thing. The image we saw of the village where everyone carried on with their lives as normal was nothing but was a lie. I could see through it, and furthermore, right after the illusion appeared, the demon’s MP was drastically lower. I doubted it committed a massacre like that. Although it was creepy, it didn’t seem like the kind of creature capable of such atrocities.

The demon warned me of an invasion, but in truth, the invasion already started.