CHAPTER 52: DEMONIC ARTIFACT (2)

The young man was terrified of letting Lindy go near that room. He tried more than once to warn her it wasn’t a good idea.

But Lindy repeated, "Isn’t that why I was hired? Relax."

Even so, the young man ordered everyone in the mansion outside, making sure nobody else would be at risk.

"Everyone out, now," he commanded.

The staff obeyed without hesitation. No one wanted to risk their lives staying inside.

Only Lindy and Damian remained in the mansion. They stood before the door to the room where the demonic necklace was kept.

An oppressive aura seeped out from inside. The only thing keeping the lethal mist from spreading through the house was a set of barriers meant to contain it. But the moment Lindy and Damian stepped inside, they’d be face-to-face with the gas.

"So... how exactly are we supposed to get in?" Damian asked. "From what the guy said, that stuff’s nasty."

Lindy didn’t look the slightest bit worried. She pulled something from her pocket—a pitch-black bracelet.

"Wear this," she said. "It’ll shield you from the demonic energy in there. You won’t even feel it."

Damian did as she told him. Still, he wasn’t confident. Could a simple bracelet really block the poisonous energy that necklace was throwing off?

He didn’t have much time to think. Lindy opened the door.

A wave of black mist surged toward them, alive, as if trying to invade their bodies and tear them apart from the inside.

But it couldn’t. Every time it tried to force its way through Damian’s nose or ears, it recoiled, as if an invisible wall surrounded him.

"I told you you’d be fine in here," Lindy said. "Now let’s take a closer look at that necklace."

They stepped into the room. The place was swallowed in black mist, constantly lashing out at Damian and Lindy, trying to break through.

But they were safe.

"Where’d you get these protective artifacts?" Damian asked. They seemed way too useful to be ordinary.

"Bought them, of course," Lindy said. "They were expensive, but worth it. Considering the kind of missions I take, they pay for themselves pretty quick."

Because of all the artifacts Lindy carried, she could take on all sorts of jobs—the kind that paid well. For her, it wasn’t just protection. It was an investment.

The room itself was empty except for one thing: the necklace.

It rested on a pedestal under a glass case, displayed almost like it was in a museum.

Lindy and Damian moved closer, and with every step the energy grew heavier, more intense. They could feel the power pressing on them.

But still—nothing happened. Just like before, Lindy’s artifacts kept them safe.

"Why did the necklace suddenly turn like this?" Damian asked. "The guy said it stayed dormant for years."

He wanted to understand. The family had held onto that demonic artifact for generations—they must have had some reason. If it were purely harmful, they’d have found a way to sell it off or get rid of it by now.

"Demonic artifacts were created by demons, obviously," Lindy explained. "They hold power anyone can use. But if the demon who forged it gets close enough, the artifact goes wild—like it’s waiting for its true master."

Damian was surprised by that kind of information. It wasn’t something he had known before.

"So, you’re saying the demon who made this artifact is somewhere nearby? But hasn’t this necklace been with the family for years?" Damian asked.

An older demon usually meant a stronger demon. Time gave them a chance to grow, refine their power. And if one had survived for so long, it definitely wasn’t ordinary. That much was obvious.

Lindy, uneasy, said, "Yes, the necklace has been in the family for years. This demon must be close to rank S—maybe A."

That was extremely high-level power. Damian knew he didn’t stand a chance against a demon like that. But Lindy—she had a shot. After all, she wasn’t just any hunter. She was strong enough to earn a teaching position at the academy.

"What do we do now?" Damian asked.He was there to learn, and all of this was new to him.

Lindy opened the bag she had brought and pulled out a black case.

"This case can contain the demonic artifact, making it safe to move. After that, we’ll have to track down the demon," Lindy said.

She picked up the necklace and placed it inside the case. The moment it went in, the black mist filling the room was drawn back into the necklace and sealed away.

Damian was impressed by the case’s power—just like the other artifacts Lindy carried.

"These artifacts could be a way to boost power," he thought. "I had no idea people could create things this impressive."

Much like the elixirs made by alchemists—which could enhance the body or grant other benefits to hunters—artifacts were remarkable.

In fact, artifacts were often rarer and more expensive than elixirs, since their effects lasted as long as the user held onto them. Elixirs, on the other hand, usually provided only temporary boosts. And the ones that were permanent came with weaker effects.

After securing the necklace, the two of them left the room and went to meet the young man waiting outside.

"We’ve got the artifact," Lindy said. "It’s contained—for now. But we need to talk."

The young man had no idea why the necklace had gone out of control like that. In truth, no one in the mansion did.

Lindy needed to explain exactly what was happening. So the three of them moved to a private room—somewhere no one else could overhear.

If word got out that the demon who created the artifact was nearby, fear would spread fast. Panic would tear through the household, and that was the last thing they needed.

The young man looked anxious, eager to hear what Lindy had to say. At the same time, he seemed a little calmer now that the necklace was contained.

Lindy explained why the artifact had gone out of control. The young man didn’t want to part with it—the necklace gave his family incredible power.

Frightened, he asked, "So what now? Do you think the demon will try to break into the mansion? We’ve got protections here—we’re safe, right?"

Lindy had to be realistic with him. An A- or S-rank demon could break into the mansion without much trouble. The only reason it hadn’t happened yet was because the demon didn’t know exactly where the necklace was.

"This demon could break in, yes," Lindy said. "But don’t panic. The necklace started reacting, but the demon might still be farther away than you think. And it can’t track the artifact very efficiently. That gives us time to hunt it down first."

She had to tell him the truth, while also trying to keep him calm—otherwise he’d lose it over the information.

"Then please, hunt this demon," the man said. "Could you stay at the mansion until it’s over? That’s the only way I’ll feel safe."

"You mean sleep here? Of course—we’re not about to camp out in the middle of the woods," Lindy replied.

The man looked a little embarrassed and said nothing more. Lindy and Damian left the mansion.

Now they had a new mission: track down the demon hunting for the artifact.

This was the hard part. Retrieving the necklace had been simple—much simpler than Damian expected—but finding the demon would be anything but easy.

"How close is this demon?" Damian asked.

"It’s somewhere in the forest around the house," Lindy said. "But the area’s huge, which means we’ve got a lot of ground to cover..."

They didn’t have much daylight left to search for the demon. Hunting at night wasn’t a good idea. But there were still a few hours left, and Lindy wanted to make use of them.

The two of them stopped behind the mansion. Lindy raised her hand, summoning a current of wind and sending it sweeping through the forest.

"I’m trying to locate something the same way I did inside the ruins," she said. "If the wind touches a creature, I can sense it. That way, finding this demon will be easier."

The strategy was solid, but it had a flaw. There was always the chance the demon they were after would notice the wind wasn’t natural—and that could alert it.

Lindy knew that, and she explained it to Damian as well. Still, it was the best method they had to track the creature. The alternative was wandering aimlessly.

After a while, Lindy said, "I sensed a few demons in this part of the forest. I can’t tell which one it is, so we’ll have to hunt them down."

With that in mind, Lindy led the way, going into the forest. Damian followed her closely.

He knew that he wouldn’t be of much help in the fight, but at least he was there to back her up if she needed anything, and of course, if the chance was there, he wanted to absorb more demons to get stronger. He was not stupid to miss that opportunity.