Modern World Warlock

After Dante called Krom to see if he could detect any monsters or demons near the mansion where the after-party took place, the imp didn't get any results.

Krom could tell that whatever passed by wasn't a demon or a monster, which made it more difficult for him to track.

Fortunately, the after-party kept going without trouble, and the band safely returned to the hotel.

Two weeks passed since the after-party, and Dante and Megan had attended ten different concerts around the east and southern sides of Novaria.

During that time, Dante kept thinking about the mysterious umbra he felt at the mansion, so he tried to stay focused at all times.

However, nothing happened for those two weeks, which made him believe that he had been overthinking it.

Still, all of the concerts had taken place in the eastern and southern sides of Novaria, and Camille told them that those would be the safest areas for them, so they couldn't lower their guards.

Only after those two weeks passed did the idols start to feel more comfortable around Dante and Megan, noticing that the two of them had been working hard to keep them safe.

Kim Mi-Yun personally thanked the pair after a concert, and her beauty and honesty made even Megan blush a little.

The following concerts would take place in two cities up north, which was the Azure Rebels territory.

Since it was a pretty long way and they had to cross over the Lunar Mountain Range, the group took a private plane that would leave them there; otherwise, it would've taken them three days on the tour bus.

The northern side of Novaria was a bit colder than the rest of the country, which had to do with the chilly winds that flowed from the north of the globe into the area.

The mountain range that split it from the rest of Novaria halted the northern winds from spreading south, so the freezing breeze stayed up north.

When the group landed at the private airport in the city of Cerulis, they were taken to a hotel to spend the night and prepare for the following day.

Nonetheless, since the hotels up north weren't under the protection of the Jade Dragons or the GTS, the pair had to be extremely attentive to their surroundings.

All of the five band members had their own private room in the hotel, which was expected, but Dante thought it made their jobs a bit harder. Fortunately, the rooms were right next to each other, so he wouldn't have to memorize five different room numbers.

Megan and Dante were sharing a room close to the idols, and when they made sure they weren't needed anymore, the warlock called the imp to the room.

*Poof!* "Arrgh, again!" Krom exclaimed after 'poofing' inside the room.

"Are you just always playing a ranked match?" Dante pondered.

"Yeah, so?" Krom asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"I need you to stay here tonight and let me know if you sense anything strange…" Dante said to the imp, ignoring his complaints once again.

"Fine, but I'm bringing my GameStation!" Krom said, poofing away and returning a few seconds later, holding a gaming console in his hands.

When Dante and Megan lay on the bed, the two felt a surge of exhaustion and fell asleep while Krom played games on the room's TV.

Suddenly, the warlock felt something sharp poking his cheek, making him open his eyes and squint in confusion.

"Dante…" *poke, poke* Krom said, gently tapping his face with his sharp nail.

"What…? I don't care about your game, man," Dante replied, still half asleep.

"I sensed something strange…" Krom commented, prompting the warlock to vault out of the bed and wake Megan with his abrupt movement.

The imp nervously shook his hands, explaining that the presence was gone, but he had definitely felt a surge of umbra for a few seconds.

Dante deduced that it was the same presence he had felt at the after-party two weeks prior since it had also appeared for a brief second before dissipating.

After making sure that none of the idols were in danger, they continued sleeping until early in the morning, when the pair had to accompany the band to a fan meet and greet.

Later that day, they arrived at the venue and began guarding the dressing rooms as usual, waiting for the band members to get ready.

When the concert was halfway done, Dante felt the same surge of umbra coming from the crowd, which made him take a stance as if he were ready to rush onto the stage.

Still, as soon as it disappeared, the warlock calmed down, knowing that a person wouldn't try to kidnap an idol in the middle of their concert when most people were recording them.

After the show was finished, the group boarded another tour bus that would take them to the next city overnight and leave them at the hotel.

The bus had installations for them to rest, but Dante felt a bit uneasy after sensing the strange umbra during the concert, so he stayed awake for the ride.

At one point during their travels, the driver stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, which had two gas pumps and a small shop.

Gas stations in the big cities of Novaria usually had an attendant who would help customers fill their vehicles. However, resting areas in the middle of highways didn't have these employees, so the driver had to step out to do it himself.

Everyone inside the bus was asleep except for Dante, who watched the middle-aged man fiddling with the gas pump.

When Dante noticed that the man wasn't planning anything weird and was genuinely filling up the tank, the warlock decided to step out of the bus to get some fresh air.

"We'll get there in less than two hours," the driver said to Dante with a friendly tone.

"Sounds good. Thank you, sir," Dante politely replied.

Suddenly, the same surge of umbra could be felt on the highway coming towards them, and while the driver was wholly unaware and kept filling the tank, Dante perked up with anticipation.

'Are they finally going to show themselves…?' Dante pondered.