CHAPTER 45: INTEL

The command room quieted the moment Albert, Ward, and the three adventurers stepped inside.

It wasn’t a decorated room. No banners, no elaborate throne, no draped royal curtains. Just clean metal floors, reinforced walls, a long conference table, and several screens humming with faint electronic noise. Uniformed personnel stood at their stations, acknowledging the commander’s presence with curt nods.

To Lyris, Mira, and Ragna, however, the room was overwhelming. Lights that never flickered. Glass panels that shifted images with a touch. Voices echoing through small boxes on the walls. Everything felt alive—yet not alive at all.

Ward motioned them to sit.

"Relax," he said. "No one’s hauling you to a dungeon."

"We don’t have a dungeon," Albert added.

Ragna muttered, "You say that like it’s a bad thing."

They sat anyway. Ragna chose the chair nearest the exit, tail swaying slowly behind her. Mira sat stiffly, hands folded. Lyris positioned herself across from Albert, maintaining a polite posture but her eyes were alert—always assessing, always calculating.

Albert didn’t waste time.

"All right," he said. "We need information about the Demon Lord. Everything you can give us."

Lyris exchanged a glance with Mira. Ragna scratched behind her ear nervously.

Mira exhaled. "You’re asking for a dangerous topic."

Albert leaned forward slightly. "The risks are on us, not you."

"No," Lyris said quietly. "If you challenge him without understanding what he is, the danger spreads to everyone."

Albert didn’t blink. "Then educate us."

A beat passed.

Finally, Lyris nodded.

"All right. Then we’ll begin."

Lyris placed both hands on the table.

"The Demon Lord... is the ruler of the Demon Realm. A being born from pure mana corruption. Every era, one awakens. Every era, the world trembles."

Ragna huffed. "Tremble? That’s modest. Cities burn. Armies die. Heroes get written into storybooks."

Albert made a small gesture. "Severity noted. Continue."

Mira cleared her throat. "He is... impossibly powerful. Sword strikes don’t land unless enchanted. Magic barely works unless you’re a master. His regeneration is fast—too fast. Even demon-slaying weapons lose effectiveness unless wielded by someone with holy blessing."

Ward raised an eyebrow. "Holy blessing?"

"Yes," Mira answered. "Blessed Heroes appointed by the Goddess, specifically empowered to fight the Demon Lord."

Albert’s expression remained neutral. "And how many of these ’blessed heroes’ exist currently?"

Silence.

Lyris answered first. "...None."

Albert blinked. "None?"

Mira nodded. "The last generation of heroes died eighty years ago. No new ones have appeared yet."

Ragna leaned back in her chair. "So unless your people can conjure holy power, good luck. The Demon Lord could walk through a capital city and nobody—not even an elite army—could stop him."

Albert considered that.

Ward let out a low whistle. "Sounds like a rough guy."

"’Rough’ is an understatement," Lyris muttered.

Mira reached into her cloak and pulled out a parchment. Old, frayed, and marked with ink symbols.

"This is an old Adventurer’s Guild document," she explained. "Not fully accurate, but the best available."

Albert scanned the symbols. Ward leaned over and frowned.

"I can’t read any of this," Ward said.

"No surprise," Mira replied. "It’s written in Ancient High Script."

She tapped the first symbol.

"These are the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals—his highest commanders. Each one rules a region of the Demon Realm and commands thousands."

Albert leaned back. "Tell me about them."

Lyris pointed to the first sigil.

"General Vorgath – The Iron Juggernaut. A giant demon clad in armor thicker than castle gates. Ordinary weapons bounce off him. Some say molten metal runs through his veins."

Ward muttered, "So... tank."

Next.

"Lady Sylvara – Mistress of Illusions. She warps your senses. Makes armies fight each other by mistake. Entire battalions have marched off cliffs because they thought they were crossing a meadow."

Ragna snorted. "I hate her more than the Demon Lord, honestly."

Next.

"Kaelun the Reaper – A flying horror. Wings like blades. Moves faster than arrows. He cuts down mages before they complete a chant."

Ward whispered, "Anti-air nightmare..."

Mira went on.

"Drekzar the Corrupted – A plague-bearing behemoth. His presence alone spreads disease. Villages he visits vanish in days."

Albert’s eyes sharpened. "Biological threat?"

"Something like that," Mira said.

"Maelon the Infernal – Fire incarnate. Entire forests burn when he breathes."

"Riven the Frostmourne – Opposite of Maelon. Freezes armies solid."

"Xevra the Puppeteer – Mind control."

"Torvash – A swordsman faster than sight."

"Grakka the Devourer – Eats magical beasts and grows stronger."

"And last—General Noxis," Lyris said, her voice dropping. "The most feared. The Demon Lord’s right hand. It is said no hero has ever landed a fatal blow on him."

Ward stared. "And you expect us to fight these things with rifles?"

Ragna crossed her arms. "Your flying metal building attacked goblins like nothing. Maybe your weapons work."

Albert remained calm. "We’ll adapt. That’s what humanity does."

Mira studied him. "Do not assume your world’s machines can overcome theirs. Demon energy reacts unpredictably to foreign elements."

"Then we test," Albert said. "That’s also what we do."

Lyris continued.

"As we said... only the Goddess can anoint Blessed Heroes. They alone can challenge the Demon Lord directly. Their strength multiplies, their weapons gain holy properties, and their bodies resist demon corruption."

"And without one?" Albert asked.

"Without one," Mira said softly, "the world delays the end. It does not stop it."

Ragna looked directly at Albert. "You’re strong. Your people are strong. But what you describe—your machines, your guns—they fight mortals. The Demon Lord is something else."

Albert’s expression didn’t change. "We’ll evaluate that when the time comes."

The three adventurers exchanged a look—half disbelief, half concern.

Lyris sighed. "Confidence is good. Overconfidence kills kingdoms."

Ward smirked. "We’ve dropped bombs bigger than mountains."

"We’ve seen dragons bigger than mountains," Ragna replied bluntly.

That shut him up.

Albert clasped his hands. "Earlier, you mentioned being Bronze-ranked. But we need a full explanation of the Adventurer hierarchy. Strength assessments matter."

Lyris nodded.

"There are six main ranks in the Adventurer’s Guild. They measure a person’s combat ability, survival skills, mission reliability, and general capability."

She raised one finger.

"E-Rank – Beginners. Often teenagers. Fight slimes, wolves, goblins. Barely above villagers with weapons."

"D-Rank – Basic adventurers. Can handle small monster packs. Most adventurers in the world are D-Rank."

"C-Rank – Competent. Above average. Capable of taking down ogres in groups, low-tier demons with planning, or escorting merchant caravans safely. The three of us are C-Rank."

Ward blinked. "So you’re not elites."

"No," Mira said. "We’re skilled, but not exceptional."

Ragna shrugged. "C-Rank pays the bills."

Lyris continued.

"B-Rank – Very strong. Capable of defeating monsters that threaten small towns. Their magic, strength, or skills are refined. B-Rank adventurers are respected everywhere."

"A-Rank – Rare. Each nation might have only a dozen. They can slay lesser dragons, wipe out corrupt beast tribes, and fight demon generals for a short time before retreating."

Ward muttered, "Sounds like special forces."

"And lastly," Lyris said, "S-Rank."

She paused.

Even Ragna’s joking posture stiffened.

"S-Rank adventurers are legends," Mira said. "They can take on dragons alone. Some have survived encounters with Demon Lord generals. They are the closest thing to Blessed Heroes that mortals can achieve without divine blessing."

Albert tapped the table once. "How many S-Rank exist?"

Lyris exhaled. "Eight. In the entire world."

Ward choked. "Eight?!"

"Yes," Mira said. "And half of them are reclusive. The other half are already fighting on the front lines of the demon war."

"So," Albert said calmly, "your world is essentially losing."

Silence.

Ragna answered. "Yes. Slowly."

Albert leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

"Good. We have a clear picture now."

Lyris blinked. "...Good?"

"That information helps us plan," Albert said. "Now we know what level of threat we’re dealing with."

"Did you not hear us?" Mira snapped, frustration rising. "The Demon Lord is a world-ending force!"

Albert nodded. "And humans from my world have survived world-ending forces before."

The three stared at him.

Ragna tilted her head. "Like what?"

Albert considered. "Nuclear weapons. Global wars. Armies spanning continents. Weapons that could burn entire cities."

Lyris’s face paled. "You... have such things?"

"Yes," Ward answered. "But we don’t use them lightly."

Mira swallowed hard. "Your world... sounds terrifying."

"It is," Albert said simply. "But it made us strong."

Lyris rubbed her temples. "This is too much. Demon Lords. Worlds. Weapons beyond comprehension."

Ragna leaned back. "My brain hurts."

Mira closed her eyes. "I feel like I’m reading ten forbidden tomes at once."

Albert softened his tone slightly. "We’re not asking you to fight our battles. We’re asking for information. Guidance. Context."

Lyris sighed. "And you have it."

"Good," Albert said. "Then the next step is cooperation."

Ward nodded. "We’ll begin intelligence mapping. Threat projection. Weakness estimation."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "You plan to challenge him?"

Albert smiled faintly. "We plan to prepare. That’s all."

Ragna drummed her claws on the table. "If your metal birds fly and your weapons roar like thunderstorms... maybe you stand a chance."

Lyris turned toward Albert fully.

"Albert Spencer," she said, voice steady. "If you truly intend to oppose the Demon Lord... the world will need you. Whether it trusts you or not."

Albert met her gaze evenly. "Then we’ll earn that trust."