The Dark Extra: Awakening of SSS-Skill Demon Emperor Legacy-Chapter 77: The Sadness Moment

Four hours passed.

Erika opened her eyes and felt a throbbing pain in her head.

She sat up, groaning softly. Nearby, Leon was relaxing, reading several books—mostly about the history and laws of the Grand Empire.

"What happened?" Erika asked as she rose.

"You drank too much."

Right. What Erika saw on the table in front of the long sofa confirmed it—two glass cups and an empty bottle of wine.

Seeing that Leon seemed completely fine, Erika assumed she had gone overboard.

"What happened?" Erika repeated, curious.

Leon got up from the sofa and poured a glass of water. He walked over and handed it to Erika, who immediately gulped it down.

"I met Agares."

COUGH!

"What?!" Erika gasped.

"That’s right. He was on the 60th floor."

"He went up to the 60th floor alone? That’s insane!"

"With his abilities as a saber, it actually makes a lot of sense."

Leon understood the kind of power a saber possessed. Among the knights, sabers always dominated. Even among the divine knights, sabers led them.

In his view, one experienced saber was equal to six hero-class knights.

"And then?"

"I don’t know. We parted ways when he was about to fight another adventurer party."

"Given his skills, it should be easy for him to defeat them," Leon added.

"That man... I’ve really fallen far behind him."

Leon closed the book he was reading. He turned and looked Erika directly in the eyes with a serious gaze, making her feel uneasy.

Leon’s personality had always been serious and reliable. Erika knew him very well since childhood. But this time, his eyes held a different kind of intensity.

There was a certain ambition in his gaze, though Erika didn’t know what it meant.

When Leon had that look, it always tied back to his principles and convictions. Erika was intrigued—and wanted to help.

"I’ll admit he was kind and saved my life. But... something’s been bothering me."

"What is it?" Erika asked, still holding the empty glass.

Leon fell silent for a moment, staring straight ahead at the neatly arranged books on the wall shelf behind the long sofa.

As the heir to Noble Thorn, he had to maximize his knowledge and thinking ability by reading the information in those books.

After all, the life of a noble wasn’t as easy as people imagined.

"If you’ve met Agares, then you must’ve heard the bad rumors about him, right?" Leon asked.

"Hmm... Are you talking about Faircallen village?" Erika replied.

"Faircallen?"

"Yes. That village has been destroyed."

"WHAT?!" Leon shouted, jumping up, his face utterly shocked.

"Eh? You didn’t know?"

"I’ve been in the dungeon for two years, and I don’t really keep up with gossip. I didn’t know—"

"That village was destroyed a few months ago. The kingdom authorities blamed Agares," Erika cut in.

She added that not many villagers survived. Even those who did mostly died without any clear cause. Leon narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly.

"Died without a cause?"

"Some say they were killed by a curse from Agares. His affinity is darkness, after all," Erika replied.

Only now did Leon realize it. During their time in the dungeon, he hadn’t paid much attention to Agares’s abilities—he’d been too focused on defeating the mini boss.

But now that he thought back, his energy had been purple, and his entire gear was pitch black. He also wielded a mysterious black sword.

Could it really have been Agares?

More importantly, Leon needed to confirm something about Faircallen. He raised his hand and drew an "S" in the air. His personal system panel appeared.

He tapped the Friends menu and selected Cassandra—his party member and lover.

"What’s wrong?" Erika asked, noticing Leon’s anxious face.

"Faircallen... That’s Cassandra’s hometown."

"What?! I didn’t know that," Erika said, equally shocked.

"She’s lived alone in Berdiver since she was a teenager. But she often visited Faircallen to see her parents and younger siblings."

Soon, Leon managed to connect with Cassandra. He immediately asked where she was. The woman explained that she was on her way to Faircallen.

’This is bad. I can’t let her spiral into wild speculation.’

"Erika."

"Y-Yes?"

"Saddle your horse. You’re coming with me to Faircallen."

Erika grinned widely—she had never seen her brother this serious before. She knew something was troubling his mind and weighing on his heart.

Once they were ready, Erika got her horse, and Leon did the same. The mansion gates opened, and they rode swiftly down the city’s main road.

Unbeknownst to them, Natalya Thorn saw them rushing off from the mansion. While Leon’s return had comforted her, his behavior was clearly different. It made her suspicious.

"You two, come here," Natalya commanded. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Two members of Natalya’s scouting team appeared, dressed in all-black like assassins. They knelt respectfully before her.

"Your orders, my lady?"

"Something’s off about Leon. Follow them and report everything to me."

"Yes, my lady."

With a flash of light, they vanished from Natalya’s office, pursuing Erika and Leon’s horses. Natalya narrowed her eyes in deep thought, arms crossed in front of her.

Elsewhere, Leon and Erika had already passed the city gates and found no sign of Cassandra on the road ahead. Leon grew increasingly anxious.

They pushed their horses harder, leaving the city behind and entering the dense forest before Faircallen Village. Erika glanced over, sensing her brother’s growing worry.

The faster they rode, the sooner they would arrive. In the distance, Leon faintly heard a scream from the far end of the forest.

"That must be Cassandra!"

Sure enough, they reached the forest edge and found Cassandra kneeling on the ground.

Dark clouds loomed above the woods, pouring down heavy rain, masking the sound of her sobs.

"What... really happened?" Cassandra asked, her voice trembling between sobs.

"FATHER! MOTHER!"

Erika looked to the side and saw Leon’s expression—disappointment clearly written on his face. He couldn’t do anything in this situation.

Seeing his lover suffer made Leon’s ambition flare even stronger.

He vowed to uncover the truth behind this tragedy—and to avenge the pain in Cassandra’s heart.

Leon dismounted and walked over to Cassandra. He hugged her tightly, letting her pour out her grief into his embrace.

"What really happened, Leon? Where are my parents and my little brother?"

"We’ll uncover the truth—together."

Leon turned his gaze toward the ruined village, blackened and soaked with rainwater. There was no one there—only an empty place overrun by wild grass.

Faircallen was no more. All of its memories had died and been buried with its people.

"We were too late."

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