Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Laris knew what he was saying sounded ridiculously stupid and would even make others question his sanity but he was pretty sure that his conjecture was the right answer.

Dale made an amused face as he asked "Alright, assuming that it was the demon all along, then where did that royal spirit girl go? And if he was in front of you, then how did he steal those forest spring spirits?".

The more they thought, the more ridiculous it sounded.

"I'm telling you it was that demon all along. He led us by our nose, I don't know how he did that but I'm sure that the Royal Spirit girl we were after was that demon" Laris said as he thought about all those unusual events starting from meeting that girl in the forest up until that demon's appearance.

Pffttt… Hahahahaha… none of them could hold out any longer and burst out in a peal of laughter. Even the adventurers who were with Laris at the scene, held their stomach as they laughed loudly until tears started glimmering in their eyes.

The only one who was not laughing was Laris himself as he expected this scene to play out. He looked at Dale to ascertain what the other party thought.

"So are you saying that little royal spirit girl was that demon all along? Are we after the demon or the royal spirit girl" holding onto his laughter, Dale tried to make sense of what the other party was trying to say.

"It's not that… how do I make you believe. There was no royal spirit girl there at that time, we were all running after that demon. Seizing this opportunity, he might have sent his subordinates to the village to bring the forest spring spirit away" Laris tried his best to make sense of the situation.

"I don't get it. Have you lost your mind after committing that blunder? Wasn't it you who said that you were chasing after the royal spirit girl and now you say that there was no girl there and it was the demon all along?"

Dale laughed at laris' speculation before saying in a mocking tone "are you saying that the demon took the form of a little girl and led you around the forest?".

All the adventurers laughed after what Dale had said but not Laris, at this moment it was as if lightning struck him straight out of the heavens as realization dawned upon him.

Thinking this way everything made sense, that agility of her that was in contrast to her race, even the mysterious disappearance of the girl and that peculiar entrance of the demon amidst the flames.

It all started making sense to him and at the same time, he became frustrated when he thought about how the demon led him all around the forest by the nose.

"Right… you are exactly right. It is as you say that demon took the form of that little girl and lured us out of the forest so that his subordinates could sneak in while we are away" laris looked as if he solved something incredible.

All of the adventurers became speechless after what they heard. If earlier they were laughing because of how absurd this all sounded, but now they weren't laughing anymore and looked at Laris as if he was a madman.

Some of them even started pitying him thinking that he had lost his mind. "SIGH… all this is a big waste of my time. It sounds like nonsense you just cooked up" Dale spat those words and was just about to leave when what Laris said next made him stop in his tracks.

"Are you aware of some mysterious items and skills that can change one's form? In the ancient records and rumours, there were some artifacts that could allow one to freely morph into someone else".

Dale turned around and asked, "Are you saying that the demon you encountered is in possession of one such item?".

Laris looked at the adventurers who were with him at that time "Don't you all find it strange that Forest Spring girl was able to outrun us despite being one of the weakest races in this world? How did the demon appear in the exact same place where the little girl was engulfed in flames?".

All the adventurers appeared as if they were digesting what he said and Laris took this opportunity to solidify his words "What if the demon used some artifact to morph into that girl. It would explain that ridiculous agility of hers that was in contrast to her race. And when she was hit by that [Fire Pillar] and engulfed in flames, it could be that the effects of the item wore off and his true form was finally revealed".

This time nobody laughed at Laris as they intensely listened to what he had to say.

Though it still sounded ridiculous and there was a possibility that it was just them thinking too much. However, they couldn't deny the possibility that the demon might have been in a possession of one such item that led to all those unusual events.

Dale was silent as he listened to him before asking "If it's as you say, then there is the possibility that demon is in possession of one such item. But there is also the possibility that you have gone insane and it's all in your head. Do you have any proof to convince us all?".

Laris knew that it was very difficult to believe him right now and all of these sounded like speculation for them however it was a lead he had found after thinking so hard. He wasn't going to give up on it that easily.

"I don't have proof but I saw the demon retreat right after an azure light flashed in the distant sky. And when I rushed back to the village, all the enslaved Forest Spring Spirits were gone. It couldn't have been a coincidence".

Dale felt that it wasn't like Laris to insist on something so much and therefore he finally relented "Alright since you insist so much. Assuming that it was the demon, where did it come from in the first place?"

Laris stared at a certain direction of the forest before turning towards him "There is only one place from where that demon could come from and also the place they most likely have taken the Forest Spring Spirits"

Looking at the direction where Laris was looking at a few moments ago, a thought flashed in Dale's mind and he couldn't help but ask "You don't mean that…". "Yes, the dungeon" his words were completed by Laris.

"There is no better place to hide the Forest Spring Spirits than the dungeon and I believe it is the dungeon of that demon that messed with my plan". Seeing that Dale made an apprehensive face, Laris asked "Is there anything wrong?".

"The guild sent me here to assist with your mission, our task was to lure the adventurer team sent by the Sea God's guild towards the dungeon and distract them long enough so that your team gets out of the forest" Dale explained.

Laris looked shaken and his entire mind became blank for a moment. He repeated, "The guild sent you to lure the other adventurers coming here towards the dungeon? I wasn't made aware of anything about that".

"By now the Sea God's guild might have delved deeper into the dungeon and might even be able to conquer it" Dale said as if stating the obvious.

Laris denied his thoughts saying " They cannot conquer the dungeon that easily after all the dungeon master is a Demon Viscount"

This time it was Dale's turn to get surprised. He asked "A demon Viscount?... are you sure that demon was Demon Viscount?".

"Yeah, there is no mistaking it. He was Demon viscount, it was able to exchange blows with me so its level must be quite high" Laris said as he recalled his fight against the demon.

"Though it was Demon Viscount, I was still able to injure it. We must immediately head towards the dungeon too. I don't want those adventurers from the Sea God's trident guild to get their hands on the precious Forest Spring Spirits I have painstakingly captured".

Laris was eager to immediately head towards the dungeon but was stopped immediately by Dale. He said "The Sea God's guild is inside the dungeon, we cannot go in there carelessly lest we risk the word of us capturing Forest Spring Spirits gets out.. Even the guild will not be able to save itself from destruction much less us who will be immediately disowned by them and hunted across the whole continent".