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

"Hello, hunters. I’d say it’s an honor to meet you, but the circumstances and reasons that bring me to you are... alarming. Can you listen to me for a minute?" Elban asked with his hands raised in surrender.

Riggilo stood up and, completely in shock, looked at the mulatto-skinned man in front of him and said:

"You are... the hero Elban."

Pyaxu frowned, still pointing his sword at the mysterious man.

"We all realize that, Riggilo, but you and I both know that the legendary hero Elban died a long, long time ago."

The arrow resting on the string of Orie’s bow loosened and he took a few steps back, frightened. "So, what is this thing...?"

The cleric’s staff began to glow and at that moment it looked as if a battle between them was about to break out, but Victor acted. He put one hand on Riggilo’s right shoulder and the other on Pyaxu’s left, passing between the two, then he stopped next to Orie and in front of Elban.

"Don’t worry, guys." Victor said, looking into Elban’s eyes. "This isn’t a magical creature or a monster trying to trick us. No, this is the spirit of the true hero Elban."

A closed smile full of nostalgia curved Elban’s lips, and he thanked Victor with a nod and continued:

"Yes, I died in that forest exactly fifteen years ago. So, if you’re feeling a weird flicker emanating from me, especially you, white-haired cleric, it’s because I’m just a spirit now."

"A spirit?" Orie lowered his bow completely.

Riggilo stepped forward, holding his staff with an expression of assimilation and a hand on his chin as he looked at Elban from head to toe.

"People’s souls tend to remain on the material plane when they don’t feel their goals have been fulfilled or when they have too much attachment to their material possessions. However, I learned that the hero Elban was an honorable knight who worked at the Church of the Dawn. So, he, I mean, you shouldn’t be attached to anything but your faith, how is it possible that his, I mean, your soul got stuck in this world?"

Elban let a little air escape through his nose. "In parts, you’re right. I shouldn’t have been, but it turns out that when I died my soul was sealed away in a place near here, preventing me from following the light like normal souls."

"Sealed?" Pyaxu asked as he put his sword back into its sheath.

The hero’s spirit was going to answer, but Victor was quicker because he didn’t have much time to waste.

"Fifteen years ago, the hero Elban was called to Agocester to exterminate a demon called Gravisk. This demon turned out to be much more powerful than Elban had anticipated, so he couldn’t defeat it and was forced to seal Gravisk away, so along with the demon, Elban’s soul was sealed away, preventing him from going in peace."

Riggilo’s jaw dropped. "How do you know about all this?"

Victor looked at Elban with a slightly melancholy gaze. "I’ve spoken to local residents, the Priest of the Association Branch and also the local priest, in other words, I’ve done my research. I want to put an end to this demon as much as Elban did fifteen years ago."

Elban nodded seriously as the hunters’ gazes turned to him, eager for more details about this situation.

"The demon Gravisk is sealed in a cave deep in this forest," Elban continued. "The seal I made is powerful, but not perfect and it’s already very weak. The demon’s evil aura already extends beyond the confines of the cave, drawing undead from all over the region into this forest. Soon, not only those who are newly dead, but even those who were buried or perished in the forest will find themselves under its influence and then the village and nearby farms will be in danger."

’It would have been easier if you had said that the first time...’ Victor thought to himself.

Riggilo’s face took on a serious expression. "That explains the reports of undead increasing in the area. What can we do to stop this aura from spreading further?"

Elban looked at the hunters with a mixture of gratitude and sadness in his eyes. "I know it’s a selfish request on my part, but the only way to stop a demon is to kill it. That means the cave where it’s sealed needs to be found and the seal broken for good. And then you must face IT and break its three hearts, killing it forever."

The hunters exchanged worried glances.

"Why don’t you do it yourself, great hero Elban? You’re back, aren’t you?" Orie asked.

Then Elban raised his right hand, looked at it for a second and easily passed it through his own chest, proving to be intangible. When his hand returned, his chest was as before, intact.

"I’d like to, but I can’t touch myself, let alone a sword or spear." Elban said.

Although it was hard to refuse a request like that, coming from the hero Elban himself, defeating a demon seemed unthinkable, almost impossible. Generally, this was something that was only in the imagination of most hunters, because, as children, they used to hear stories about how demons were terrible and very powerful creatures.

In other words, most people believed that only legendary heroes could match the power of demons and no one else could defeat them.

However, as said, this was the majority.

In every generation, there are individuals who fear nothing and crave everything. Generally, people like this are labeled as foolish, inconsequential and even dumb, but among hunters, these people, of any rank, are the most feared, because this type of hunter usually raises his proud chin and, with eyes burning with courage, says:

"We can do this." Pyaxu declared, looking at his companions. "If we work together, we can do anything."

Riggilo laughed at the way Pyaxu said it, but agreed in a calm, measured voice. "You’re right, but we must formulate a plan before we go any further. Facing a sealed demon requires preparation, I’ll need some items."

Pyaxu placed a hand on the pommel of his sword and his serious face showed the seriousness of the moment. "Yes, we need to consider all the possible obstacles."

"Apart from those undead who are attracted to that demon." Orie recalled.

Victor put a hand on Orie’s shoulder, looked at the others and said:

"Normally yes, we would need to worry about supplies, detailed information about the area and any knowledge about Gravisk, but we don’t have time to get all the answers and all the help. The faster we get to this cave, the fewer undead we’ll have to face on the way."

"But..." Riggilo tried to argue.

"Victor’s right." Elban interrupted. "As I tried to say, Gravisk’s aura is growing. The more time passes, the more its influence spreads through this forest."