The Paladin in the Abyss

"Hmm, just a bit further and we'll see the Bedivere-Gian Forest, and beyond it is Edoton's Blessing, home of Lilu and me." Dong Quan said with a giggle, "I can't wait to tell my friends all about this adventure!"

"Shouldn't it be a lesson?" Elothysia said with a slightly reproachful tone, "If we hadn't come by, you two could have lost your lives, or even encountered something worse than death."

"Something worse than death?" Lilu turned curiously, "What's that?"

"Uh, just some really scary stuff!" the Succubus Paladin said with an awkward expression, apparently not wanting to appear too knowledgeable, "Do you still remember how those stinky, dirty Trolls treated you? In any case, good kids shouldn't wander off, got it?"

"Yes!" the two Aira children nodded vigorously, their faces showing a scared expression. Children are like that; they may not take in the reasoning, but a memorable beating can still make them remember some lessons.

The group continued on, and it wasn't long before a lush oak forest appeared ahead. Lancelot looked up to see dappled shadows among which a gentle mist swirled, mysterious magical glimmers lit up deep in the woods intermittently, and faint music seemed to stealthily enter their ears, sounding both like someone plucking a harp and like the tinkling of a creek.

"Wow, this place looks nice," Alamir said in surprise, "It's exactly my ideal..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a javelin suddenly whistled through the air towards them. Lancelot, quick as lightning, drew Frostslash and deflected the javelin aside.

"An enemy?!" Bruto tumbled off the horse, immediately shielding his body with his shield, swiftly putting on the helmet hanging behind his neck, and then cautiously peeking out from behind the shield to search for the enemy.

The reactions of the others were similar; everyone quickly entered combat mode, everyone except Lancelot.

"Is this how you welcome guests?" he shouted towards the direction of the forest, easily discerning the attacker's identity from the emitted aura, but the Human Knight believed there must be some misunderstanding.

"Let those two children go!"

Accompanied by a hoarse voice, a figure emerged from behind a stout oak. At first glance, the person seemed like an Elf, but flame-like orange-red hair and bright eyes revealed his true identity—an Aira, distant kin of Elves who lived in the Heavens.

In his right hand, he held a longsword, and in his left, another javelin. He wore a light green robe, underneath which was a muscular body—another feature distinct from Elves.

"Wow!" Bruto exclaimed in amazement, "Lilu, is that your dad?"

"That's a Red Flame Angel," Alamir said gently, "from the Wild Aira Celestials."

"Huh? Isn't that just an Elf with a frivolous hair color?" Bruto raised an eyebrow, "And shouldn't all angels have wings..."

"Uncle Cumberland! It's so great to see you!" Lilu, who was sitting in front of Elothysia, cheered and flew over, hurling herself into the arms of the person who had just attacked them, happily nuzzling against him.

"Uh, what's going on here?" Cumberland, an Aira, looked puzzledly at the child at his chest and then at the figure mounted on a warhorse. The pointed horn on the forehead and the bat wings on the back, and an attractive face, undoubtedly belonged to a succubus who had captured two missing Aira children.

He had revealed himself to hold off this demon, waiting for reinforcements to arrive, but why had Lilu flown over so suddenly? Could it be some trick of the demon?

"Uncle Cumberland, what are you spacing out for?" The red-haired Aira child waved a hand in front of his eyes, then whispered in a lower voice, "Elothysia is very beautiful, but it's a bit rude to stare at her like that!"

"Demon, what tricks are you playing?" Cumberland, fuming with anger, glared at the Succubus Paladin, his expression as if he had been made a fool of, "I said let the children go now!"

"Ah! It seems he's looking for you," the Dwarf exaggeratedly said to Dong Quan, who by then had figured out the situation. Blushing with embarrassment, he quickly flapped his transparent wings to fly over.

"Uncle Cumberland, you're mistaken, Elothysia is not a bad person," Dong Quan explained as he flew, "It's all my fault, I took Lilu out for a big adventure, even ran to the edge of the Miasma Swamp without noticing..."

As he explained, the anger slowly faded from Cumberland's body, replaced by an uncontrollable astonishment. After Dong Quan finished, he looked up at everyone and asked suspiciously:

"Was it you who rescued Dong Quan and Lilu?"

"Absolutely correct," the Dwarf had already slung his shield and armor back on, and said with his arms crossed.

"And you killed Valasti, that demon lurking in the Miasma Swamp?"

"To be precise, it was a Dark Weaver, a creature from the shadowy plane that looks like a combination of a spider and an octopus," Kalalin explained, "The last time we saw it, it was chopped into two pieces, as dead as can be."

"And then you escaped from a pursuit of twelve Seducers, personally sent by the Mother of Demons?"

"Indeed there were twelve Seducers, but the part about the Mother of Demons is just speculation," Lancelot nodded, "I successfully misled those creatures into believing their mission had failed."

"And you, not only did you save Dong Quan's life, but also..." the Flame Angel looked at Elothysia, swallowing hard, "in the Queen's name, you're not only a kind succubus but also a Paladin?"

"My name is Elothysia," the succubus elegantly curtsied on horseback, "at your service."

"You sure ask a lot of questions," Bruto remarked displeasedly, "I'm still waiting for your apology."

"If things are as you say, then I do owe you an apology," the Aira named Cumberland bowed deeply, "I'm very sorry, but this... this is truly incredible, I initially thought..."

"That we kidnapped these two kids?" the Dwarf interjected rudely, "Please, can't you at least tell their hands aren't tied? If it weren't for my brother's deft skills, someone really might have gotten hurt by your javelin, and then I'd have to be pulling my hammer out of your face."