We stood still for some time in front of the tomb of the former Demon King. A melancholic atmosphere invaded the place, with flickering shadows that seemed to emit sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness. I didn't understand why I was feeling all those emotions, but I was certain the source was Selene.
Looking at the sarcophagus, I counted a few dozen tombs, no more than fifty. Clearly, it was impossible that only that number of people from Selene's family had died over the ages.
So, there were only two alternatives: either the memorial had been built recently, an idea I dismissed due to the visible wear on the tombs, or only selected individuals important enough were buried there.
Many things piqued my curiosity, reinforcing my desire to visit the library as soon as possible.
As a member of the fallen Carborex family, the former Glenn knew some basic information, like the structure of the twelve noble families. But he didn't know which family had replaced the Carborex, who had fallen from grace for trading their own race.
He also didn't know how the interactions between the races of this world worked.
Only that, a long time ago, we were at war with humans. Besides that, I had no idea what affinity compatibility was, dwarven mithril, or that elven branch.
What really consumed me inside was the recent conversation with Selene about dungeons. There was no information about them in the former Glenn's mind, and I knew they weren't common knowledge. For some reason, the way this world treated dungeons was different from the fictions I read on Earth, and that made me curious.
'That useless guy only thought about swinging a sword,' I muttered mentally.
Selene moved, walking toward the stairs and pulling me out of my reverie. Her face was as expressionless as ever, indifferent and empty, as if not even standing before her father's tomb could spark a hint of emotion in her.
We walked slowly toward the mountain's summit, following a winding path. It didn't take long for us to reach the castle gardens. There, inside the structure in the middle of the garden, Lesley was waiting for us.
"My queen," she said politely. "A meal is prepared in the Grand Banquet Hall."
A doubt arose in my mind: was I going to have lunch with the queen in the main castle? Honestly, after what had happened that morning, I wasn't sure if I was mentally prepared to face who-knows-how-many nobles inside the fortress.
"The boy beat the grandson of Elder Silas," Selene replied, ignoring the banquet information.
Lesley's face filled with wrinkles of surprise.
"Glenn fought with the newly awakened grandson, Theron?"
"No, no," Selene joked. "He electrocuted Thadeus until he turned to charcoal."
"Young Master Thadeus? The one who's a few steps away from reaching the Champion rank?" Lesley asked, incredulous.
"The very one," Selene affirmed, walking slowly toward the royal consort candidate's tower.
Deeply surprised by the conversation and even more by the direction Selene was heading, I walked silently beside the two women.
"But, my queen, you told me he was going to hide that he's a Warlord," Lesley questioned.
"Haa... he didn't fight in hand-to-hand combat."
"What? Are you telling me that Young Master Thadeus lost in a mage duel?" Lesley expressed, even more incredulous.
"Exactly. It was so fast we can't even call it a fight."
Lesley's eyebrows furrowed even more. She turned her head toward me, with a questioning look, asking for more details.
"I simply ran at maximum speed and hit him with everything I had!" I explained.
"And you're telling me you defeated him in a single attack?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Uh-huh..."
Two sounds of confirmation came from my mouth and Selene's in unison.
"That's too much information to believe, honestly. Glenn, an awakened who trained in magic for three days, defeating one of the greatest fire magic talents in the demon kingdom?"
"It won't be so easy next time!" Selene affirmed.
"Next time?" Lesley and I asked simultaneously.
"Of course. Those nobles will do everything to clear the humiliation they received today. So, probably, in a few days, you'll receive an official challenge."
"And he's going to accept?" Lesley asked, even more disbelieving.
"Of course. We demons take duels very seriously," Selene replied with a sarcastic tone.
"And I presume that, this time, he won't underestimate me."
"Exactly. He'll come at full strength from the start."
"How wonderful," I said sarcastically. "That's all the motivation I needed to throw myself off a cliff," I joked.
"You wouldn't die even if you fell from the clouds," Lesley retorted.
"You're also forbidden from dying, so you have no choice," Selene added.
Butterflies invaded my stomach, and the same sense of apprehension took over me, similar to what had happened during the morning's fight.
"Elian will prepare him very well, don't worry," Lesley said, trying to comfort me for the first time.
The few minutes we walked and talked were enough to realize we had entered the dining hall of the consort's tower.
Hastily, Dália came toward me but froze as soon as she saw the queen walking beside me.
"Young... Greetings, Your Majesty," she said respectfully, bowing.
Followed by Dália, Hera also hurried to greet the queen. Looking at the cozy kitchen, I saw Elian sitting in one of the chairs, talking to a tall, red-haired, extremely sensual woman.
She emitted an intense aura, and from the conversation between the two, they were in a good mood. Long, silky red hair painted the environment with a warm sensation. She was dressed in a charming red low-cut dress, and her ample breasts stood out, impressing anyone who saw them.
"Hoo... my little girl has arrived!" she exclaimed with a voice even more sensual than her body.
"Grh..." A grunt of dissatisfaction echoed from Selene's throat as she continued walking toward the two.
"Dália, serve the meal for Glenn and Selene," Lesley ordered.
Dália, noticeably insecure, apprehensive, and intimidated by the queen's presence, struggled to control and execute her duties. Stuttering and stumbling slightly, she ran toward the inner kitchen to prepare the meals. Hera followed closely behind, just as unsettled as Dália.
'So it's not just me who gets destabilized by Selene's presence.'
"Hoo... let's see if it isn't our fastest lightning under the skies," Rose said, looking at me.
We approached the end of the table where the two were sitting. Rose stood up and started walking toward me, but before she could reach me, Selene stepped between us.
"Easy, my cute little girl," Rose said, hugging Selene as if she were a kindergarten child. "I have plenty of love to give."
I didn't know how to react. Who the hell was this woman who treated the most powerful person in the demon kingdom like a babysitter?
"Rose, no jokes!" Selene said with an imposing voice.
"Okay! Okay!" Rose replied, returning to her seat and giving me a slight wink.
My body was overcome by an incomprehensible dread. My senses exploded, similar to the training situations where I was at risk of death.
'What the hell is happening here?!'
Selene sat across from Elian, and Lesley indicated that I should sit beside her, which I did willingly.
"Congratulations on your first victory, boy!" Elian said, breaking the funeral-like atmosphere that had settled.
"So you already know!" Lesley said, incredulous at being the only one unaware.
"Hm... thank you, I guess!"
"So, Glenn, tell us about this feat of defeating a talented mage on the verge of the Champion rank," Rose asked.
"Hmm... he underestimated me and acted arrogantly. So, all I did was hit him as fast as I could," I said honestly.
"Tsk... There's the aberration I told you about," Elian said, looking at Rose. "The boy probably didn't even see what hit him."
"That fast?" Rose asked.
"With a lot of training, he should match the speed of a Champion-rank speedster mage while still at the Awakened rank," Selene added.
'What the hell is a speedster mage?' Another mental note.
"Seriously, where did you find this little aberration?" Rose asked.
"Hm..." I cleared my throat. "I'm still here!"
Elian and Rose laughed, while Lesley and Selene maintained their passive expressions, as always.
"So, how much time do we have?" Elian asked.
"Maybe a week," Selene said. "It shouldn't take much longer than that for him to return to his peak condition. The challenge letter should arrive before that."
"Maybe in about three days," Lesley added.
"That's more than enough time," Elian concluded, not showing a hint of worry.
"I'm getting really curious about Glenn's abilities. Maybe I'll show up tomorrow to test him myself," Rose expressed, with a sensual finger running over her lips. Another shiver ran through my body, along with that sense of dread and death.
"No!" Selene and Elian said simultaneously.
"The boy needs to be in one piece for the duel next week," Elian said, refusing Rose's self-invitation.
"Boring!!!"
The mood changed when Dália and Hera started placing all kinds of food on the table. It was then that I realized I was really hungry.
"Let's eat!" Selene said.