How could they activate a teleportation magic circle from the Demon Realm? Cadel had barely begun his seemingly hopeless deliberation when an unexpected solution presented itself.

“Knight Commander! Knight Commander, wait a moment!”

“Garuel……?”

How long had he been following them? Garuel, having hurried over, was now catching his breath in front of Cadel. As Cadel looked down at Garuel’s bowed head, he followed the weight of a gaze and shifted his eyes.

Kunra. He was observing Garuel with an expression of keen interest.

‘……I can already tell what he’s thinking.’

It was hard to deny that this unexpected arrival had come at just the right time. Yet, an uneasy feeling lingered as Cadel reached out and pulled Garuel closer.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be fighting at the castle? Don’t tell me you followed me out of concern?”

“No, no. One worrying knight in our ranks is more than enough…… I just forgot to deliver this.”

Straightening up, Garuel pulled something from his coat.

“This is……”

“I found it in what seemed to be a research lab. Honestly, I don’t think it’ll be much use in finding the Stone of Peace, but just in case.”

A thin journal. Just as Garuel had said, it didn’t seem particularly useful. But appreciating his effort, Cadel opened it.

“Thanks. By the way, Garuel, this might seem like an odd request, but……”

“A request? What kind?”

Cadel had been about to ask Garuel to activate the teleportation magic circle. Just the activation—then he could send Garuel back. If he started asking questions, Cadel could blame it on Kunra’s instructions.

But all those thoughts vanished as he processed the contents of the journal. His expression darkened as he silently skimmed through the pages. Sensing something off, both Garuel and Kunra stepped closer.

“Is there something useful written in there?”

“Well……”

Restlessly rubbing his lips, Cadel hesitated before holding the journal out toward Kunra.

“These guys…… they were researching a way to heal the Demon King’s siblings.”

“The Demon King’s siblings? Weren’t they all dead?”

Handing the journal over to Kunra entirely, Cadel turned to the startled Garuel and explained,

“Yeah. At least, that’s what the Human Realm was led to believe. That all of the Demon King’s bloodline, except for Emilia, had died in the last Demon War. But this journal details the recovery progress, medicines, and physical changes resulting from treatments for…… the first, fourth, and fifth children of the former Demon King—who are also the current Demon King’s siblings.”

“The first, fourth, and fifth…… So aside from the current Demon King, three of her siblings are still alive?”

“Exactly. It seems like they’re not able to act freely yet, but if this research is completed, they might be revived. And we have no idea how far along their treatment is. If it’s nearly complete, we might have to deal with them before even getting to Emilia.”

“If they were the Demon King’s siblings, they wouldn’t have referred to them as ‘dregs’…… The underground level of the lab I visited—it seemed like they were conducting human experiments there. They must have been using those experiments as a basis to revive the Demon King’s siblings.”

Even if they were alive, they likely weren’t in a condition to fight. If they were, the youngest princess, Emilia, would have had a harder time ascending to the throne. But the fact that three of them were alive and that High Demons were actively researching ways to heal them—this was an unexpected complication.

If they had remained unaware of this, if they had focused solely on eliminating Emilia, this war could have repeated itself countless times. And now, they had undeniable proof of that.

‘They probably won’t awaken during the war. The system wants us to steal the Stone of Peace from the Demon King and seal the Demon Realm.’

Even knowing that, the unease gnawed at him.

“……We need to hurry.”

Clicking his tongue briefly, Kunra crumpled the journal in one hand. In an instant, flames sprouted from his fingertips and consumed the pages. Both Cadel and Garuel turned to him in shock.

“What the—why did you burn it?”

“That was important information, wasn’t it……?”

Ignoring their bewilderment, Kunra turned to Garuel and asked.

“We’re the only three who know about this, correct?”

Garuel, faced with Kunra’s almost menacing demeanor, gave a silent nod. Kunra let out a low sigh and turned his gaze toward Cadel.

[This is undeniable proof that the Demon King’s siblings are still alive. It forces the Human Realm to prepare for the Demon Realm’s resurgence—it establishes a kind of inevitability.]

Cadel flinched at the sudden voice ringing in his head. He stole a glance at Garuel before looking back at Kunra, who continued speaking telepathically.

[We can’t let the world start moving according to that inevitability just yet. If we do, the system might pull some kind of disastrous stunt. And that’s not all. The system will soon realize that we’ve gained this information. It will try to interfere by any means necessary. We have to act before that happens.]

Cadel agreed. What Garuel had brought them was an inevitability—one that would have allowed the Human Realm to completely shut down the Demon Realm’s resurgence right after the war. To the system, which intended to endlessly repeat this cycle of war, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.

There was a stark difference between blindly wandering the Demon Realm in search of clues and combing through it with undeniable proof in hand. It wasn’t hard to guess which scenario would provoke the system’s vigilance more.

“We’ll need your strength. From now on, we’re going to find the Demon King’s siblings. You will assist us by activating this teleportation magic circle—right now.”

“Wha, what? Kunra, this wasn’t part of the plan……!”

Cadel started to protest against Garuel’s sudden inclusion, but Kunra cut him off with a sharp, unwavering voice.

“Can you persuade him?”

“Persuade him……?”

“The reason why this crucial information must be kept secret from the humans. The reason why, despite planning a joint assault, we’re activating the teleportation circle and leaving instead. Can you persuade this half-demon to keep his mouth shut?”

Kunra’s expression was cold, his tone even colder. And in front of Garuel’s gaze, Cadel found himself unable to force any excuses. He had no words to quell the unease and concern reflected in Garuel’s eyes.

As Cadel fell silent, Garuel turned to Kunra.

“For Lord Kunra himself to say my presence is necessary…… that must mean I’d be a great help in finding the Demon King’s siblings. ……But I won’t leave the battlefield without Knight Commander’s permission.”

Even if the Scarlet Dragon himself commanded it, Garuel wouldn’t comply. Kunra scoffed, while Cadel bit his lip.

‘I don’t want to involve him.’

This mission could draw heavy interference from the system—it might even be more dangerous than the war itself. It was something that could only be carried out with an understanding of the system’s manipulations and the hidden truths of this world.

Cadel had wanted to get Garuel’s help with activating the teleportation magic circle and send him back to the battlefield. To keep him in a struggle they could survive, a struggle that wouldn’t go against the system’s intentions.

But he had been looking too far ahead to hold onto such hopes.

“……There’s a lot I want to explain, but we don’t have time. Follow me, Garuel. We’re about to do something extremely important.”

Garuel’s gaze darkened at Cadel’s words. Leaving Kunra to guide them to the magic circle’s location, he approached Cadel with a troubled expression.

“You planned this from the start, didn’t you? The joint assault was just an excuse. From the beginning, you and Kunra intended to do something far more important.”

“……”

“No more secrets. Please.”

A single whisper, spoken so softly. And yet, it hit Cadel like a punch to the chest. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Without waiting for a response, Garuel moved past him to stand beside Kunra.

“Looks like my demonic blood is finally useful. I just need to inject demonic energy, right, Lord Kunra?”

“That’s right. A considerable amount will be needed.”

“Good. I don’t mind wringing it out until there’s nothing left.”

Unfazed, Garuel unleashed his demonic energy, directing it toward the burial site of the statues. As his power seeped into the ground, thick waves of demonic energy began to rise.

“Let’s go.”

Following Kunra’s instruction, they stepped into the magic circle. Their vision darkened, accompanied by a dull impact that rattled their skulls. As the thick haze of demonic energy dissipated, a new landscape revealed itself.

“……Where is this?”

Blinking slowly, Cadel’s expression twisted with uncertainty. This was the teleportation magic circle hidden beneath the statues. Given how well-hidden it had been, he expected it to lead somewhere significant.

But now that he thought about it, if this magic circle led to the Demon King’s siblings, there was no way it would show no signs of prior use. The overgrown vines suggested it had been abandoned for a long time—meaning it had been deemed useless.

“All the buildings have collapsed. This place is nothing but ruins.”

There was no sign of the Demon King’s siblings. No sign of any demons at all. The place they had arrived at was a ghost town.

Cadel surveyed the wreckage of a village that seemed to have been left untouched for at least a hundred years. A deep sigh escaped his lips.

“This is insane.”