24 24: A trap for sure [pt2]

Keith had been in many dangerous situations but he had never been in a supernatural one. He was now convinced that he had fallen into a trap and the one who had led him into this trap had been no one else but the beautiful dancer who had doubled as their guide.

'Shame on you for falling for a pretty face. I should have guessed this woman was trouble when she volunteered to show us the way into this forest.'

Keith could feel his palms get sweaty as he realized he was alone against an awful opponent.

The students he had brought with him had been knocked out and Clair had gone to check things. He was on his own now.

"What is wrong, Grandmaster? Are you planning on how to deal with me now that I showed my true colors?"

The skinner demon came closer to Keith and he tried to take a step back. But of course, he was still stuck in the marsh so he could not take a step back.

His face had also gone rigid as a result of his natural defense mechanism which made it impossible to know what he was thinking about.

"Yes, that's the look I want to tear apart. That night and mightly look that says that you do not care about anyone or anything else. The look that makes fun of me and everyone else."

Uncaring about Keith's discomfort, the demoness kept on speaking. She either liked the sound of her voice too much or she was in her world, ignoring Keith entirely.

He was not sure what was about this default expression that triggered the demoness in front of him but Keith wanted to change it, so he tried to relax his face a little more.

It was a bad move since it caused the demoness to get even more excited in return.

"Y-You are looking at me like that again. Your piercing eyes say that you can look through me and know all my secrets. You knew I was a demon since the start, right? That's why you tied to confide me in your room."

Keith wanted to object and deny all the absurd statements that were being made in front of him. He had nothing but absurd luck this far in recognizing demons.

Or rather, it would be more convenient to say that the coincidence in his pointing and findings was robust. It was nothing more than that at this point.

But every time Keith tried to open his mouth to deny these accusations, he could not say anything. It was as if words had abandoned him and he could only make facial expressions to convey how helpless he was.

"Don't worry grandmaster. It won't hurt much when I take your worthy skin from you. As soon as I find the source of your mana, I will-"

The skinner demon was close enough to touch Keith now and he tried not to flinch as her cold hand rested on his cheek. It felt gross as foreign energy swirled around Keith's body.

But he could feel it being sucked into his body hungrily. It was as if a void inside him was being filled with energy and Keith had never felt more powerful before. He also felt like he could break free from his confinement.

His serene state was broken by a pain-filled yell. When he opened his eyes, he saw the skinner demon clutching her burned arm in front of him. She gave Keith the worst glare possible.

"W-What did you do? M-My mana, what did you do with it? I cannot feel it anywhere right now. Give me back my mana."

The beautiful face in front of Keith looked to have aged a few decades all of a sudden. Instead of looking like a young adult, the skinner demon looked like she was in her fifties.

Her nails came toward Keith's face to scratch him in a final attempt to hurt him but she was stopped by wires. She was pulled back by a strong force and then collapsed.

Keith also looked back with a jolt, but his body language did not show his surprise.

"Master Hana, did I not ask you and Master Shinzou to stay back? What are both of you doing here? And I also had it all covered here."

Keith's heart gave a pain-filled beat as soon as he realized that he was alive and alright. He had managed to get out of this encounter unharmed but that was a big gamble on his part.

He knew how lucky he had gotten since the skinner demon had not taken him seriously.

"I know that the Grandmaster said he did not need our help but we still decided to head down here. We apologize for our interference but Master Shinzou and I did not want to take any risk and we also wanted to report our success to you in person."

They were done? What were they done with exactly? Keith had to think a little before realizing what task he had left them with.

'They are done disposing of demons in the town already? Just how fast did those two act?'

"Master Fushi decided to stay behind and look over the end tail of the operation for us so we are all but done now. Also, what should be done with this demon master? Looks like she's the queen of this hive."

Master Hana dropped that bomb as if she was talking about the weather. Keith wanted to complain about how much danger he had been but he had no one to complain to.

"Of course, I am sure that Grandmaster recognized the Skinner queen and that is why he decided to keep her close. But there is no longer a need to worry. I will dispose of her right now for you."

Master Hana offered and Keith wanted to turn his head away from death. The skinner demon queen was looking at Keith as her last hope that he would save her.

But Keith was sorry to say that he could not help her out. Not only had she tried to kill him but also was a threat to him. The sooner she died, the better it would be for Keith.

"Dispose of her. I will head out to find Shinzou now."

Keith knew he had damned someone to die but he had no intention of watching the death take place. The sound of skin being cut into was enough for Keith to imagine the way that demon died.

He felt like such a fake right now but the relief that filled Keith was immeasurable. He had managed to protect his secret this time at least and he could not be more glad. He was safe once again.

'No need to think about the past and bigons. I need to focus on what is going to happen next. I need to find Shimi right now.'

By the time Keith reached Shinzou's location (it was not difficult since Shinzou was too flashy), the battle had been finished and Shimi had been freed. She was currently unconscious and looked ragged.

"Grandmaster, you are here. I managed to free Sister Shimi. Do you want me to take her back?"

Shinzou offered with too much sincerity and it made Keith flinch. He did not want Keith to head back into his room.

Although he had made sure that Clair cleaned up after him, the threat of Master Shinzou finding something was still high. So Keith would rather not take that risk if he could help it.

"There is no need for you to do so. I will take Shimi back myself so hand her over."

Keith made that decision and instantly regretted it the second he did. Shimi was heavier than she looked and she was also full of energy. Her body was not something Keith could carry over the long term.

But he had said that he would take care of her and he would have to go through his commitment. He could not back down now of all times. It would put his character into question.

"Master Shinzou, make sure you sent Clair my way once you are done. I have work for my servant to do."

Keith made that final decision before he started walking away. He tried not to show how tough carrying Shimi was for him.

He continued to look forward all that while and kept his expression neutral. But his face was full of sweat due to the hard work he was putting in carrying Shimi.

Once he was back in his room, Keith all but collapsed. Shimi was sleeping and having nice dreams but Keith's dreams were nothing short of nightmares.

But at least he woke in a pair of soft and warm arms with a body snuggling into his arms. His arms snuck around a slim ease in front of him and Keith found himself snuggling into that hold all on his own.

And of course, that was when he decided to wake up.

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