Green stepped off the ship and onto the ground of Stopol Port. He breathed in the salty air and looked at the towering city walls nearby. Their stains and bloodstains bore witness to the city's fierce past.
Here, the Sison Kingdom had defeated an expeditionary army of the Holy Light Church. Thirty thousand defenders had held out for a full month against a Holy Light Legion force of 240,000, long enough for reinforcements to arrive from the homeland. Fewer than seven thousand defenders survived, but they defeated the expeditionary army, halted the Holy Light Church's advance eastward, and secured the Sison Kingdom's hold on this fertile colony, which was larger than its homeland.
But Green had not come to commemorate the Sison Kingdom's former glory. After he joined the Abyss Club, its chairman had given him a task. The reward included not only a great deal of money, but also Demon Blood, which was vital to a Demon Warlock.
Green had no need for Demon Blood, of course. It would only serve as a snack for Erha. But he was posing as a Demon Warlock, so he had to accept the task to maintain that identity.
The timing suited Green, too. After the Sphere of Faith was stolen, the furious Holy Light Church had tightened its grip on the areas it controlled, especially where suspicious outsiders in towns were concerned. If he stayed there, he would have to live rough in the wilderness.
Green left the docks with Erha, hailed a carriage, and gave the driver a destination.
The coachman knew the area well. After confirming the destination, he let Green and Erha aboard, then turned the carriage away from the city and followed the road outside the walls toward another gate.
Stopol City stood on an island, so it