The second female lead Dual Cultivates

“My lady. You are back. What should we do against that thing?” a soldier asked as it pointed toward the huge dog-like demoness in front of the group. Elma gave the demoness a lookover before she waved her handoff.

“Don’t worry about her. You all should leave this place now. I will take care of it myself” the leader asked and everyone fled the scene. Elma knew no one present there present could take care of this creature.

Not unless one of the generals came back to the town or any of the other high-ranking soldiers. These people were innocent and had no idea how to use magic to defend themselves.

It made Elma feel sorry for them and was also the reason she had decided to stay here for now and assist them in taking care of themselves for now.

“Stay down or you will not be allowed to see the oracle” Elma called out once she was sure that they were alone. It was kind of a gamble to voice it in front of the demoness but she was willing to bet that the brat had not gone too far off just yet.

There were ways to be able to tell and she could see that this one demoness could still regain her wits if handled correctly.

And her guess had to be right as well since the demoness showed signs of being aware of the title ‘oracle’ and what it implied for her.

Not that it mattered since the demoness chose to attack her instead of calming down. Maybe Elma should have worded it off better to not trigger the demoness.

Not that it mattered because Elma was not about to be beaten away by such a young brat on her watch. She had other things to consider and too much to do. The node was also something she had to take care of and protect.

Unlike the other guardians of the nodes, she was someone who took a personal interest in it and would only hand over the power to someone she deemed fit to rule. And currently, the list consisted of only a handful of people.

“M-Maria” the voice was not clear but Elam could hear the semblance of words forming inside the other’s mouth. It seemed like the other was not as mindless as she had first thought which was good.

It meant that Elma could take her chances in subduing the other without fearing causing permanent harm to her. She was not sure how she would be able to explain to the oracle if she did somehow end up killing her companion.

So Elma waited for her chance and struck at the perfect opportunity. Her hand reached for the neck and cut off the oxygen supply the demoness had.

It caused her to instantly drop down to the ground with a pant and Elma placed one of her feet on the wolf demoness’s chest to keep her down. She had no intention of allowing her to wreak havoc around her.

“Have you calmed down now? Good. I’ll take you to meet your companion now” Elma extended her hand to allow the demoness to smell the oracle on her.

It was a double-edged sword since it could cause a violent reaction in the body beneath her but there was also a chance that it would calm the demoness down. Seeing as how she was reacting, it was the second effect this time and Elma was glad for it.

“Lady Elma, are you alright? We heard what happened from the soldiers” another guard, an elite one came over to check what was going on and Elma could not help but scoff in irritation.

Of course, these people only show up once they knew things had returned to normal. They did not have any intention of helping her since they were all cowards in the end.

“I have it all covered here. Make sure you handle the post-battle clearing. I want this palace spot-free once I return” the lady commanded as she picked the wolf demoness and tossed her over her shoulder.

It was a funny fit since the wolf form of the demoness was far huger than her but it was good exercise. Elma had enough power to be able to perform these kinds of tasks with ease and the wolf was complying with her.

The soldiers could do nothing but watch her howl the wolf away from them. They could not even question her since Elma was the authority here and it helped that she had royal connections this time around.

“Here. she’s inside but sleeping. Make sure not to disturb her” the demoness moved faster than Elma had thought and ended up on the end in no time at all. But surprisingly enough, she did not make any sudden move toward her unconscious companion. Instead, she seemed content to lay against her and bask in her companion’s presence.

It was all rather romantic in that sense and Elma felt a smile stretch itself over her face. It reminded her of a long time ago when she had been traveling with her group as well. It had been before she had been bound to this fate and even before the nodes had become a real problem.

Those had been simpler but happier times for her and her whole company. Elma missed those days but she also knew it had been necessary to tell them goodbye.

Besides, the oracle looked like she was waking up again and she would have questions this time. The heat looked like it was finally ebbing out and Elma needed to brace herself for anything that might come.

She owed it to Karen to help out that much and once it was done, her debt would be done as well.

“Where am I?” the oracle asked as she opened her eyes. The wolf demoness tensed at the oracle’s side but made no move to greet her. There was a fearful expression on her face as the demoness tried to suppress her aura rather miserably.

“Don’t push yourself too much. You almost die due to a lack of lifeforce but luckily, we found you in time. If you are asking about the continent, then know that you are in Ima. Welcome to the hell” Elma greeted and she instantly felt two pairs of eyes move toward her.

The oracle looked a little disoriented but still had a sharp look in her eyes. So maybe she was not as native as Elma had first believed her to be but she did wonder how long would she survive.

After all, Ima had earned its name as the hell for a reason beyond being difficult to live in. it was a true hell once you leave any settlement.