Inside the library, Raze had just finished another round of training with demonic magic. Belzebub observed everything in silence. Raze had been at it whatever free chance he got, he was even practicing it more than normal magic at this point, even forgetting about his yin and yang training.

Raze was finally done. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his breathing was slightly heavy. He took a few seconds to steady himself before looking up at Belzebub, who was visibly impressed by the progress he had made.

"Your manipulation of demonic energy is becoming very precise," Belzebub said. "It's fast, controlled, and efficient. If you were a demon, you'd be considered a prodigy. The fact that you're human and capable of this is remarkable."

"It's still not enough," Raze replied. "I can only use either normal magic or demonic magic separately."

He clenched his fist slightly.

"From what I've read, if I mix them improperly, I'll end up becoming an abomination."

When Raze had first begun studying demonic magic, the risk of becoming an abomination was already extremely high. Demonic energy naturally sought to corrupt and dominate the soul of any non-demonic being that wielded it. But through countless hours of research, experimentation, and caution, Raze had managed to bypass that danger, at least partially.

Still, what he truly wanted was to wield both normal magic and demonic magic simultaneously.

That was where the real danger lay.

If done incorrectly, the backlash wouldn't just harm him. It would completely consume him.

Raze walked over to one of the chairs in the library and sat down, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Belzebub watched him closely, his gaze sharp and unreadable.

"Why do you push yourself this hard?" Belzebub asked. "I understand curiosity and ambition, but you're acting as if you're racing against something."

"Maybe I am," Raze replied quietly.

"There's a countdown hanging over my life. I don't know when it ends, but I know it's there. This version of me is fated to die early. If I don't become strong and resourceful enough before that moment arrives, I won't be able to escape it."

He leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.

"I've prepared countermeasures. Plenty of them. But when that moment comes, there's no guarantee any of them will work."

Belzebub opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Raze suddenly felt a presence beyond the library.

Someone familiar.

"Ella's back," Raze said.

He immediately stood up.

"We'll talk later," he told Belzebub, turning away.

Raze left the library and returned to his room just moments before the door opened. Ella stepped inside and found him lying on the bed, eyes open.

"Looks like you're awake," she said.

"Yeah," Raze replied, groaning slightly as he sat up.

"That's good. It's already night, and the celebration is about to begin. Also, Fey wants to talk to you. We noticed something while checking the forest."

Raze's curiosity was immediately piqued.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and followed her outside.

Stepping outside their rooms, the first thing Raze met was the glow of a massive bonfire at the center of the village. Several enormous logs of dried wood were stacked together, forming a blaze so large that its light reached nearly every corner of the settlement.

He could hear the steady beating of drums in a rhythmic pattern, mixed with the voices of ogres laughing and talking around the flames. They were cooking and preparing large amounts of food of all kinds.

Gundar walked up to them.

"Oh, it seems you're out now," he said. "Everyone has already gathered for the celebration. Remember, you are our guests, our honored guests."

Raze and Ella looked around but didn't see Fey.

"Where is the last of you?" Gundar asked.

"Oh, Fey should already be at the bonfire," Ella replied.

Gundar nodded and led the way toward the flames.

As soon as they arrived, the atmosphere felt completely different, joyful, loud, and alive. The ogres had entirely forgotten that Raze was an outsider. No one stared at him strangely or treated him with suspicion. They danced, laughed, and celebrated without restraint.

Raze scanned the crowd and noticed several familiar figures, the woman, the mysterious ogre, and the old man he had seen earlier in the chief's hall. But the chief himself was nowhere to be found.

"My father won't be coming out tonight," Gundar said, noticing his glance. "He has some matters he needs to attend to."

"That's fine," Raze replied. His attention was already shifting as he searched for Fey, remembering what Ella had mentioned earlier.

He soon spotted him sitting atop a large stone. In front of Fey was a massive leg of wild hog, roasted to perfection. Fey was digging into it enthusiastically.

"You've got to be joking," Raze said as he approached.

Fey looked up, confused.

"If you want some, you can't have any," he said immediately, pulling the meat closer to himself. "Go find your own."

Raze took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

"You're a real glutton," he said.

"I'm simply appreciating the beauty of food," Fey replied.

Raze sat down beside him, watching the flames as the ogres danced and celebrated around them.

"Ella said you found something," Raze said quietly. "What is it?"

Fey took another bite before answering, then looked at Raze seriously.

"Things aren't as simple as they seem in this village," he said.

Raze frowned slightly. "What do you mean? What did you see?"

"When we first entered the village, I noticed a rune carved into one of the trees," Fey explained. "It was carefully hidden, but I spotted it. That immediately caught my attention."

"So I went out with Ella to investigate further," he continued. "That's when I discovered it. The entire village is surrounded by a life-steal spell."

Raze froze.

His eyes widened in shock.

A life-steal spell was no ordinary magic. It required the trust of countless people, woven into a massive magical formation. That trust was then slowly converted into life force, drained from those who believed, feeding power to the caster until the victims withered away.

"Why would there be a life-steal spell around their village?" Raze asked.

Fey simply shook his head. "I don't know. But it's there, and it's properly placed," he said. "Which means someone knew exactly what they were doing."

He took another bite of his food before continuing. "It could be that someone in this village isn't telling you something they should be."

"Well, we haven't really talked yet," Raze replied. "So they haven't told me anything. But something like this couldn't have been agreed on by the entire village. Whoever set it up had power, authority."

"Yeah," Fey agreed. "And the only person that comes to mind is the chief."

He took another bite, then added, "When you speak with him, try asking about the life-steal spell. I'm curious about it too. Let's see what it's really for."

Raze fell silent for a few seconds.

Why would the chief set up a life-steal spell around the village?

This was supposed to be a simple visit, come in, negotiate, and leave. But now it was beginning to feel like a detour, a side quest layered with danger and secrets.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Was the spell meant to sacrifice the entire village for something greater? It couldn't be for defense. What was there to defend if everyone ended up dead?

That meant it was a personal decision. Someone had chosen to exploit the trust of every villager for their own gain.

Raze stared into the flames once more.

"Whatever it is," he said quietly, "we'll find out tomorrow."

While Raze and Fey were discussing, a figure approached them.

Raze looked up and saw that it was the older ogre, the one with the sword. He stood there without saying anything, simply staring at Raze. Raze's gaze shifted from the ogre's face down to the sword, then back to his face again.

"Is there any issue?" Raze asked.

The older ogre let out a deep grunt before speaking. "I want to have a word with you."

As he pulled the sword slightly forward, his attention lingered on it. "Do you know this?" he asked.

Raze finally got a clearer look at the weapon and realized it was a katana.

But this land, this kingdom, didn't forge swords like that. There were no katanas here. Most weapons were based on European designs, favoring longswords and heavy blades. A katana belonged to a completely different culture, something more eastern, more foreign.

Raze studied the blade for a few more seconds before responding.

"I might have seen something like it written somewhere," he said slowly. "But only briefly. A small mention."

He chose not to say more.

Raze wanted information first, where the ogre had obtained the sword, how long he'd had it, and what its true origin was, before giving anything away himself.

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