I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

Gravisk’s voice, ironic and provocative, echoed in the dark cave, but Victor didn’t care.

Just as he had done before, he ignored the demon. Then he put the sword back in its scabbard and took a piece of crayon from one of his belt pockets.

"What do you think you’re going to do with that?" Gravisk continued his taunts. "Throw dust in my eyes?"

"Just a way of making sure you don’t run away," Victor replied, then knelt down and began to draw a symbol. ’I still have time, I just can’t make a mistake.’

Gravisk watched what Victor began to do and couldn’t help but let out a laugh. "Ah, an artist! Do you think those doodles are going to get me arrested again? Haven’t you learned anything from the fools who have been trying the same thing for the last hundred years?"

Victor continued his work, undeterred by the demon’s words. Each of the symbols he had to draw in this room had a purpose and this was the only way a normal human like Victor could contain an evil force like Gravisk, at least for a while.

"You’re just another fool, human." Again he teased Gravisk, its voice echoing in the cave like a whisper laden with malice. "Do you think these tricks will stop me? A man only a few years ago thought the same, and now he is lost in the valley between life and the afterlife as a mark of his own arrogance. He was a hero and yet he fell short," said Gravisk with a tone of disdain.

Victor remained focused on his work, mentally blocking out Gravisk’s words. Each symbol was a link in his strategy. He couldn’t create a seal as powerful as the one Elban created, but he could create something that would bind Gravisk to this cave long enough for a fight, and since demons were made of flesh and blood, they could be defeated by anyone who managed to pierce their three hearts.

Trapped in Elban’s sword, the demon watched Victor and its arrogance began to mix with a twinge of curiosity as Victor drew.

"You’re more persistent than I thought. Still, you are doomed to failure. No mortal can control what they don’t understand." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

At that moment, Victor also finally completed the last symbol. There were ten of them scattered throughout the chamber.

"Wait, those letters... Is that elven?" Gravisk asked, surprised. "A human who knows Elvish? It’s been a long time since I’ve heard of one."

"Until recently, I thought it was the last one." Victor replied, remembering the notes he’d found in Councillor Steegar’s office. "Anyway, it’s time to start..."

Victor then held out both hands, closed his eyes and began to chant a few words in a strange language:

"Diabolus constrictus, vinculis obscuris..."

The symbols around the room began to glow in response to the words Victor was uttering.

"What exactly are you doing, human?" Gravisk’s voice took on a higher pitch.

Victor continued his chant uninterrupted and with his eyes still closed as he concentrated on conjuring the magic circle.

"... et virtute astrictus, in carcere tenebrarum conteritur..."

Each word he spoke had a profound meaning, each syllable was a crucial piece in the construction of the barrier he was weaving.

The floor of the cave began to tremble gently, and the air was charged with a static electricity that made Victor’s hair stand on end.

The symbols around the room glowed bright red, as if they were made of magical fire. At the same time, these symbols slowly began to be connected by visible, reddish lines, forming a circle.

Gravisk didn’t understand, it didn’t feel any magic coming from Victor, but Victor’s words were still powerful, and the demon could feel the force of the spell being conjured. It was no ordinary demon; it had been imprisoned more than ten times in its entire existence and it knew how powerful a spell of imprisonment was just from its words, but even that one it didn’t understand, because although it used Elven symbols, it wasn’t the Elven language that Victor was speaking.

"You can’t imprison me, human!" Gravisk’s voice was now filled with rage, its words echoing through the cave like distant thunder.

"Per silentium noctis et clamorem ventorum..."

But Victor was undeterred by the demon’s threats. His chant continued, and the symbols glowed brighter and brighter. Victor was connected to the energy of the earth itself, channeling it through his voice and his hands, shaping it according to the will of his determined heart.

"Carcerem aeternum ei impono, donec lux veniat."

Then Victor finally opened his eyes and saw all ten symbols connected, forming a complete circle, with the symbols glowing a vibrant red that illuminated the entire cave. An aura of protection and containment emanated from the circle, creating an impenetrable barrier.

Seconds of silence followed, and once again it was Gravisk’s voice that cut through it.

"You’re very good, for a human... What kind of magic is that?"

Victor lowered his right hand and took a deep breath. "Don’t worry, this isn’t enough to keep you here forever, Gravisk. Just enough for me to fulfill my mission."

The demon laughed low. "And what is your mission, human?"

Victor started walking towards the altar where the sword lay. "Of course, you already know about that too. But if you want me to tell you so much, I’ll tell you in no uncertain terms: I’m going to kill you, Gravisk."

The demon laughed once more. "You think I can’t see, but I can. You’re an ordinary human. Maybe you’re not as weak as the others of your kind, but you’re still nothing special, so there’s no way you can kill me. Do you think you’ve trapped me? But it’s you who’s stuck here with me!"

By now, Victor was at the top of the altar, facing the sword where Gravisk was imprisoned.

"I wouldn’t be so sure, after all, if I know how to trap a demon, it’s because I’ve used it before, and if I’m standing here in front of you, it means that the brothers I faced are long gone."