Emilia looked out the window and saw that the convoy would soon arrive at the Great Amber Bridge. She huffed and turned her gaze to her target escort, who was already asleep.
When she heard the name Eric Ostheno, she had hesitated and wanted to withdraw from this mission because this boy was notorious for his bad character, even among adventurers and minor nobles. However, nearly a quarter of the journey had passed, and this boy had actually chosen to sleep rather than insult Emilia and her brother.
Emilia then glanced to her side. For some reason, her brother had suddenly become drowsy. She furrowed her brows, her brother wasn't the type to be lazy, especially when the mission involved a noble.
"Big Brother, you can sleep once you've-" She then sensed Mana permeating the air. The Mana was extremely faint, almost undetectable, but since she wasn't human but a half-elf, she could sense the anomaly in the Mana.
She quickly drew her dagger from her hip and made a small cut on Rudy's palm, which startled the shield-bearer awake. "Ouch! What's wrong!? Huh?"
Rudy looked around and immediately understood without needing Emilia to explain. Since almost all the passengers were asleep, even some of the adventurers who were supposed to be on watch had fallen to the floor.
Emilia immediately stood up and looked out toward the front, the convoy of carriages had begun crossing the Great Amber Bridge. The wooden bridge stretched across a deep and steep valley, making it a vital structure.
What startled her was that at the end of the bridge, a crowd of people in black robes was blocking the way. She widened her eyes at the group, "We're under attack!" Emilia shouted.
She immediately fired an arrow imbued with a wind spell into the air, and the spell produced a loud whistling sound. The sleepy adventurers instantly opened their eyes, and finally realized the strange Mana in the air.
It didn't stop there. Suddenly, groups of people in black robes emerged from the trees and bushes around them. One of the adventurers riding his own horse was startled and shouted, "…Shit! Demonic cult!"
A battle erupted, engulfing the convoy. The passengers who hadn't fallen asleep could only watch in terror, while the adventurers on guard inside the carriage also rushed out to help their comrades fighting outside.
"Emilia! Need help!?"
Rudy shouted to his sister, who was on top of the carriage, firing at the attacking demonic cultists. "I'm fine! Make sure that kid is safe!"
Before Rudy could reply, a few men in black robes burst into his carriage. He equipped his shield and spear, "You shall not pass!" The two siblings officially joined the battle.
***
Somnus is a demon with a Mind affinity, which means it is capable of performing any mind-related feats, such as illusions, hypnosis, dreams, and manipulating memories. However, what interests it most is entering a person's mind and wreaking havoc there.
Although not as powerful as Gold-rank or Mithril-rank demons, his power at the Silver-rank level is by no means something to be underestimated, because in his view, after living for hundreds of years, Mind Magic is a branch of magic that is just as dangerous as Soul Magic.
Want to trick someone into killing their loved ones? Just incite those humans when their minds are weakened.
Want to persuade a human to commit a crime? Just whisper the sweet words they desire.
It was truly cruel and viewed humans merely as objects of entertainment.
When it was summoned from the Demon World by a human named Owen and formed a contract, it laughed gleefully, thinking it was finally free and able to fully manifest in the real world.
True to its nature, Owen and it were wreaking havoc across the Empire, sending some poor people into comas, while some unfortunate souls were unable to wake up, trapped within their own dreams and memories.
Not only that, the pair even manipulated some families, pitting them against one another. Some even become mass murderers in several small villages.
As the two expanded their operations, the cult suddenly dispatched another human-demon pair named Ando, a burly fire mage, and Ephis, a Silver-rank fire demon in the form of a giant snake.
For some time, they were assigned to operate in Zeris City and investigate rumors about the Hero's descendants. Not only that, they were also instructed to disturb the populace and stir terror by performing a ritual in an abandoned mansion and manipulating a dungeon inside the Academy, but apparently failed.
Another time passed and the cult wanted to blackmail high-ranking nobles such as Counts, Marquises, and Dukes. How lucky they were to find an easily swayed target: the first son of a Marquis from the Ostheno family.
They managed to coerce him into a pact, and in their eyes, Eric was a weak and pathetic man. But to their surprise, when Somnus came to collect the debt from Eric, it was Eric who drove him away.
It still clearly remembers how determined the boy was to kill it, and it swears the boy will regret his transgression. After some time had passed, the cult issued an order to attack a large convoy in the winter.
Along with dozens of other cult members, they launched an attack on the convoy. Of course, the four of them held the highest authority in this attack, the other members were just foolish people who were easily manipulated.
First, Somnus cast a mind spell that made the unsuspecting person drowsy and fall asleep, then he would coax and trick them by anchoring them to their happiest moment or memory.
Owen and Ando, disguised as passengers, nodded with satisfaction as their plan went smoothly, and one by one everyone from the rear carriage fell asleep until Somnus reached the second carriage.
Ecstasy filled the demonic bird upon realizing that the target of its revenge was also aboard this convoy. After entering Eric's mind, Somnus was puzzled because this boy had strange memories, but it didn't think much of it and searched for the happiest memory.
The demon found the memory, which was set in some kind of fancy restaurant. It effortlessly recreated the memory inside Eric's dream, including the diner, the people, the building, the car, and so on.
Everything was going smoothly until suddenly a bloodlust surged from the boy, and powerful pressure shook the air. Gradually Somnus could no longer maintain its mind magic.
A mysterious force erupted within the boy and destroyed the restaurant. Somnus flapped its wings and flew into the air, trembling.
"Is this... fear? A demon like me? How ridiculous!"
It glared sharply at the boy who was flying alongside it, and the demon prepared for the greatest battle of its life.