Luke continued, "I hope Frey can stay behind."
As soon as he said that, both Vayne and Frey paused in surprise.
Luke looked down at Nocturne, who was staring up with innocent little eyes, and smiled. "I was serious about what I said earlier. Frey is skilled in black magic. First, she can watch over his seal. Second, she can also try researching a demon's power. I'm thinking that perhaps the more we understand a demon's power, the easier it will be for us to fight them in the future."
As his words fell again, Nocturne shuddered all over, and his bad feeling grew even stronger.
Luke's idea made Vayne and Frey think.
Ordinary demons were easy to catch, things like mutants and bloodthirsters, but they had no real research value.
The causes of their demonization and birth were simple. Either they had been contaminated by black magic, or some stronger demon had left traces behind.
The way their power manifested was also not as complex as that of truly powerful demons.
The methods of powerful demons were strange and varied, and humans did not understand them deeply.
So a demon on Nocturne's level was almost impossible to capture easily.
The fact that they had been able to seal him in this way this time was already an unexpected result.
Just as Luke said, perhaps if they began researching Nocturne, they might discover something new, and this might become a new starting point for humans in dealing with demons.
After a brief moment of thought, Vayne looked at Frey and nodded. "I also hope you can stay behind. If it's you, I'm sure you can live up to His Highness's expectations."
Frey looked at her as well, reached out to tuck Vayne's loose strands of hair behind her ear, and smiled. "You are already a powerful demon hunter now. Even if I'm not by your side, I believe you can take care of yourself."
There was a trace of tenderness and complexity in her gaze.
Perhaps this would be the first true separation between her and Vayne in all these years.
But she had known long ago that she could not follow Vayne forever.
When a child grew up, one had to learn to let go and allow her to fly freely.
The Vayne of today had no small amount of strength. Frey no longer needed to worry for her. Even if the one Vayne had to face next was Evelynn, Frey believed she would certainly be able to handle it.
Their words of farewell were all hidden in silence.
The deep bond between master and apprentice no longer needed many words. They simply embraced each other.
Before long, after gathering the demon-hunting squad, Vayne led them away from Fossbarrow under the cover of night.
She still had Evelynn's blood with her. Frey had already taught her the blood-tracking spell before, so there was no need to worry about losing Evelynn's trail.
Although the dark clouds had scattered, the night wind was still cold.
After seeing off Vayne's demon-hunting squad, Luke returned to his lodging. In the small living room, the stove was spreading warmth through the room.
So he reclined on the sofa, planning to warm himself up.
Outside, the townspeople from the encampment had already finished handling the aftermath and returned to their homes. The streets had become very quiet.
Lux, who had spent a great deal of energy today, had also returned to her room early to sleep like a log. The other girls had also gone to sleep early.
The living room was extremely quiet, leaving only Luke there.
At the entrance to the living room, a little black dog lay there with a curtain in its mouth, seemingly already asleep.
Luke had not been lying down for long before his whole body warmed up. Soon after, drowsiness swept over him as well, and the longer he lay there, the sleepier he became. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.
The little black dog lying by the door and pretending to sleep quietly raised his head. The first thing he did was immediately sneak a glance at Luke, who was asleep on the sofa.
He discovered that Luke's breathing was steady and that he was sleeping peacefully.
That sleeping posture full of openings had to be an excellent opportunity for a sneak attack.
However, Nocturne knew his own situation very well right now. He knew that if he actually did that, he would absolutely die on the spot.
At the moment, he had another plan.
After hearing those words today, there was no way he could sleep.
The chance of breaking through the seal was basically zero. In other words, the plan of playing dumb, staying behind, recovering his strength, and taking revenge was fundamentally unworkable.
So in the end, this place was still not suitable for a long stay!
After thinking it over again and again, Nocturne finally came up with a way.
Since he could not break the seal himself, why not have someone else do it?
He could imitate Evelynn and recruit followers widely among humans, then have those followers undo the seal from the outside.
When that time came, not only would he gain an army of fanatical followers, but once he broke the seal, he would also recover to his strongest state.
Just thinking about it felt wonderful.
Looking at Luke, who was asleep on the sofa, a cold smile flashed in Nocturne's eyes. When the time came, he would have his followers capture this kid and torture him every day!
Perfect!
"That's it?"
At this moment, Luke, who was lying on the sofa, suddenly rolled over and mumbled something.
Nocturne was instantly startled. He hurriedly dropped flat onto the floor, covered his eyes with his two dog paws, and trembled slightly.
Only after discovering that nothing happened for a long while did he loosen his paws and secretly raise his head again. He found that Luke had merely rolled over.
As he let out a slight breath of relief, he cursed inwardly too.
You were sleeping just fine, so why the hell did you have to roll over?
Humans had so many useless habits.
Thinking about his sorry state just now, Nocturne had no choice but to marvel at the brilliance of his own acting.
A true best actor had to learn to integrate acting into every little detail of life. The fear he had shown just now looked as if he had genuinely been frightened, but in reality, it had been deliberate.
This was exactly where Nocturne himself felt he was incredible.
He shook his head and tossed the thoughts out of his mind. Then he looked at the collar around his neck, his gaze deep as he started thinking.
Right now, what he needed to think about more was how to escape.
There was no way he could miss such a good opportunity.
There was a bell tied to this chain, and it would make a sound as soon as he moved. However, that did not stump him.
Nocturne opened his dog mouth, then spat out a faint trace of black mist that flowed into the inside of the bell.
Although he had been sealed inside a dog's body, he could still use a tiny bit of power. It was just that it had been weakened beyond belief.
But making this bell unable to produce sound for a short time was still something he could do.
After solving one problem, there was still another.
Nocturne looked at the rope connected to the collar. The other end was hanging high up, definitely not somewhere the current him could reach.
As long as he could untie this rope, it meant he was only one step away from freedom!
Nocturne racked his brain. He tried standing up and tugging at the rope, planning to test its length.
Unexpectedly, after he had only tugged it twice, the rope came loose and fell down.
Nocturne, whose eyes were sharp and movements quick, silently pounced and caught the falling rope, his expression full of wild joy.
These stupid humans!
They could not even tie a dog leash properly. They deserved to have him escape!
Freedom, freedom was right before his eyes!
Excited, Nocturne quietly got up, looked toward the door, and let out a cold laugh.
These humans had not noticed that when they closed the door, he had interfered with the lock. In reality, this door had not been locked at all!
With one light push, it would open!
Freedom. Behind the door was freedom!
At the final moment, he absolutely could not make a mistake. Nocturne approached the door step by step. When he reached it, he stretched out one paw and pushed gently.
The door opened. At the same time, so did his excited heart.
Fresh air rushed in from outside. Nocturne could no longer endure it. Taking advantage of the crack in the door, he slipped out like an eel.
He was free!
He suppressed his voice and did not dare make a sound. He did not look back even once. He kicked his four short little legs with all his might and fled desperately into the distance.
It felt as if there was wind beneath his paws. The farther he ran, the harder he worked, and the faster he ran. The feeling of running toward freedom was so delightful.
Nocturne was so excited that he leapt up. However, at this moment, he happened to be twenty meters away from the house.
The instant he left that range, a tremendous force of gravity suddenly came crashing down. Nocturne's small body was slammed heavily into the ground. Amid the intense pain, he could not even move.
He immediately realized that the seal had been triggered!
He broke down on the spot.
As if sensing something, two seconds later, the lights in the room came on.
Before long, Luke and Frey walked out together.
At this moment, Nocturne already had a bad feeling.
Oh no.
After walking closer, Luke's sleepy face finally gained a bit of energy. He lowered his head and looked at the little black dog lying on the ground. "Oh, so you know to go outside when you need to pee."
When Nocturne heard that, he nodded repeatedly, indicating that this was exactly it.
Luke chuckled and looked toward Frey. "How does this seal determine things?"
Frey replied, "I placed an inscription related to the seal on myself, so as long as he leaves a twenty-five-meter range around me, the seal will trigger and control his movements. At the same time, I can use the inscription to achieve other purposes too, such as control."
As she spoke, Frey raised her hand. A magical pattern inscription on the back of her hand lit up faintly, and Nocturne suddenly stood up from the ground, then began walking left and right uncontrollably.
This almost made Nocturne completely lose it.
His mood at this moment was like being splashed with a basin of cold water, even colder than the freezing weather.
Being restricted in his range of movement was one thing, but his movements could actually be controlled too?
Even Luke, after seeing this, had to admit that black magic was really unfair.
However, after thinking about the prerequisites needed to do this, it did not seem that excessive.
After all, to achieve this, one not only had to know a demon's true name, but also find something suitable to seal the demon in. Finally, and most importantly, the demon itself had to go inside and then fail to escape.
Only after that, by reciting the black magic incantation, could one successfully seal the demon.
Then, based on the demon's true name, one could formulate a magical inscription tied to the seal and reach the conditions for controlling the demon.
This was also why demons feared humans knowing their true names. A true name was something that had been given to them along with their birth, granting them "existence," so it was critically important.
If a powerful human black mage or shadow mage grasped their true name, they would naturally have to pay a terrible price.
After listening, Luke looked at the little black dog walking back and forth. A bit of interest appeared in his eyes as he asked, "Can this inscription only be placed on you?"
Frey said, "Of course it can also be transferred to someone else. And it isn't a tattoo. It's just a magical pattern."
"Is that so? Let me try."
Luke became quite interested.
And so, under Nocturne's horrified gaze, Frey transferred the inscription to Luke and told him how to use it.
Luke had some talent for this kind of thing and grasped the essence of it immediately.
He thought for a moment, then first raised his hand and controlled Nocturne to stand upright in place.
Although it was control, Nocturne's senses were extremely clear.
Standing upright used his own strength too, so just standing up was already enough to make his scalp tingle.
But Luke suddenly had an idea and directly controlled Nocturne into throwing a set of boxing punches.
By the time the set was finished, Nocturne had literally peed himself.
That's right. The exhausted Nocturne had lost control of his bladder, and a puddle of yellow liquid appeared on the floor.
Luke glanced at it and seemed to think for a moment. Then he controlled Nocturne to lower his head, stick out his tongue, and slowly move closer to the puddle.
As the distance between him and that puddle of yellow liquid grew shorter and shorter, Nocturne's eyes grew more and more terrified. His entire face was full of resistance. He struggled with all his might, but it was no use at all.
Fortunately, Luke gave up in the end. After releasing his control, his interest faded somewhat. Nocturne, meanwhile, sat kneeling beside the puddle, panting as though he had survived a disaster.
Then he heard Luke continue asking, "Aside from these, are there any other functions? For example, this dog thing tried to run off tonight, so I have to punish him somehow, right?"
Nocturne shuddered all over.
He had thought that what happened just now was already the punishment.
He had not expected that the punishment had not even started yet.
Frey thought about it and replied, "There is. The simplest is an electric shock spell. The command can be adjusted freely, and the sealed demon will feel pain as if struck by electricity."
The interest in Luke's eyes grew strong again.
So Frey told Luke how to use the electric shock spell and how to set the command.
This thing, like the inscription, was a kind of magical pattern that had already been adjusted in advance. As long as one circulated power through it, it would take effect.
The command was merely an added part. Since it was an electric shock spell, Luke simply adjusted the command to "shock."
"Shock."
The moment that one word left his mouth, Nocturne suddenly jolted all over. A dense current of electricity surged up violently, painful and numbing, instantly making his whole body convulse.
Only after quite a while did the electric shock disappear. Nocturne lay limply on the ground like a wilted plant, and it almost looked as if tiny electric sparks were still flickering through his fur.
Seeing this scene, Luke suddenly felt that magic truly was a good thing.
Many extraordinary, unreasonable things could be achieved through a single inscription or incantation.
Perhaps this was why so many people feared mages. The power they controlled was too shocking.
After all, Luke was not some demon. Looking at Nocturne, who did not dare move, he smiled and said, "This time is just a warning. If you came out to pee, then that's all. Before you prove your worth, if you dare play tricks like this again, I won't mind slicing you up and feeding you to the bears."
Nocturne shuddered and nodded repeatedly, indicating that he would never dare mess around again.
But in his heart, he had bitterness he could not speak of, and he only felt a bleak sorrow.
It was over. Completely over.
Now, even his escape route had been cut off.
He, Nocturne, had truly fallen into the hands of these humans.
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