“There will be no visit from the Demon King. Right now, nothing is more important to Emilia than dealing with the human army. So she’ll stay inside the castle, guarding the Stone of Peace.”

“I think so, too. I don’t know how many demons she’ll send in her place, but since they’re trusted subordinates, their skills won’t be negligible.”

It was somewhat expected that clashes with the enemy would occur while searching for the Demon King’s siblings. There was no way such a dangerous task wouldn’t involve combat. Cadel continued to gaze beyond the exit, still blocked by a transparent barrier.

The three siblings consisted of two men and one woman. They floated in the air, showing no reaction to the humans’ presence.

“Why are they suspended like that?”

“They’re surrounded by faint demonic energy, though it’s not visible to the naked eye. The space beyond is filled with it. It seems like they’re deliberately immersing themselves in demonic energy while floating in the air. I suspect it’s a method to slow their physical aging.”

“Hmm……”

It was impossible to deduce a demon’s age based on appearance alone. Someone who looked like an old man might actually be a young adult, while someone who appeared as a child could have lived for an incomprehensible number of years.

All of this was because their aging was controlled by the unique energy known as ‘demonic energy.’ A demon who couldn’t properly handle demonic energy would inevitably age naturally as time passed.

Cadel slowly nodded, finding the argument quite reasonable. And at that moment—

“You got it right. As expected, is it because you have demon blood in you?”

A voice, all too familiar, reached his ears. Kunra, who had melted away into the energy, was now gone. Instead, on the other side, beyond the transparent barrier, stood Sellev, cloaked in thick demonic energy.

“Sellev.”

“Hey, Cadel Lytos. Shouldn’t you be busy running up the ice stairs right now? Why are you wasting time here, upsetting Emilia?”

“How could eliminating the Demon King’s siblings and cutting off the roots of the Demon Realm’s revival be considered a waste of time?”

“What?”

“Listen carefully, Garuel!”

Cadel shouted as he pushed Garuel behind him. Garuel, who had been keeping a wary eye on Sellev, shifted his gaze to Cadel’s back.

“If we don’t eliminate the Demon King’s siblings here and now, even if we manage to seal the Demon Realm for the time being, the same war will break out over and over again. This isn’t just a guess. I told you, didn’t I? I’m from another world.”

As he drew upon Kunra’s energy, embers sparked at his fingertips.

“That’s why I’m certain. If you truly want to end this wretched war once and for all and bring eternal peace to your world……”

In an instant, dozens of fireballs formed and hurtled toward Sellev. As Cadel watched Sellev fend off the attack, he unleashed even more powerful magic.

“Follow my orders without hesitation. We take down Sellev, and even if it means being trapped underground, we will kill the Demon King’s siblings. Do you understand me?”

“……Yes, Knight Commander.”

“Good. Save the questions for later.”

Truthfully, Garuel didn’t fully understand everything Cadel had said. Something about being a transmigrator from another world, that his real name was ‘Shin Yeohwan’…… None of it felt real to him. The Cadel he had known and followed was the most Cadel-like person, a guiding light walking the righteous path.

But whether it was true or not, it didn’t change anything. It wasn’t a reason to distance himself from Cadel or refuse his orders. It didn’t matter if he was a foreigner from another world or even an invader. Garuel had already resolved to follow Cadel until the end of his life.

Besides, wasn’t this a grand secret that not even the other members knew? A strange sense of superiority welled up inside him.

With a bold motion, Garuel unsheathed his sword and pulled down his eyepatch, releasing his demonic energy.

“Save your strength, Knight Commander. I’ll handle this. After all, she is the enemy of our dear Fairy Prince, isn’t she?”

Beyond the thick dust cloud stirred by the fireballs, a steadfast silhouette emerged.

Spotting her, Garuel dashed forward at full speed.

“If we kill her here, at least I won’t have to hear any complaints about how I smell for a while.”

* * *

“Honestly, why do these useless bodies keep reproducing and creating such troublesome situations? I only tolerate it because occasionally, a human like Cadel is born!”

Ector was plummeting through the open floor, with nothing but the sky beneath him. Fortunately, he was saved by Lydon, who followed closely behind.

“Th-Thanks…… Say, don’t you really want to join the Guardian Knight Order?”

“Hmph, I don’t need an ugly commander.”

“If I shave my beard, I’d look quite— Ah, fine! Just don’t let go!”

With the added weight of his armor, he was unbearably heavy. Lydon grimaced as he flapped his wings, eager to reach his destination and get rid of this burden as soon as possible. However, just before he reached the upper levels of the castle—

“Uwaaaaah!”

“What now?”

“P-Please save me, Sir Lydon!”

The castle floor opened once more, sending another human plummeting—Modeleine. He had barely managed to climb up here, and now another burden was being added.

He wanted to ignore it, but he had to consider Cadel. His hesitation lasted only a moment before he caught Modeleine as well. Now holding both the commander of the Guardian Knight Order and the commander of the Twilight Knight Order in each hand, he grumbled in frustration.

“Why did you fall too? If one more person drops, I’ll let go of whoever I caught first. Understood?”

“Are you threatening to drop me now?”

“The traps that bastard keeps setting make it too difficult to fight. Even the slightest misstep, and the floor just—”

Modeleine’s voice trailed off, his face turning pale. Another hole had just opened in the floor below. Ector, who had also noticed, stiffened with a horrified expression.

“……N-No one is falling?”

No humans fell from the newly opened hole. And that wasn’t the only strange thing.

“The holes keep opening…… They might have figured out how to dismantle the traps. We should hurry and regroup—”

“They’re just moving quickly. Faster than the traps can react, that’s all. Ugh, I hate dealing with idiots.”

* * *

That bag.

The traps, set in places without any footholds, were coming from the bag that Nuya carried. The moment he opened it and grabbed hold of a trap, it was automatically deployed. How such a mechanism worked was unclear, but the important thing was preventing Nuya from setting any more traps.

“F-Fast…… Such an incredibly fast human……”

The floor opened, explosions erupted, spears shot up, electricity crackled, and shackles snapped open. Traps of all kinds were activated in a deafening cacophony from all directions. Yet, not a single one managed to catch him.

A vacant daze filled Nuya’s eyes as confusion flickered across his face. He chased after the mirage-like afterimages—Lumen. Following Mamil’s judgment that eliminating the bag was the top priority, Lumen was already closing in on Nuya.

“Every time I see him, I can’t believe how fast he is.”

Sorin remarked, and Van clicked his tongue in irritation. Lumen’s exploits were frustrating to watch, no matter how often they happened.

“Hey, young master! Stop triggering the traps and just kill him already! The commander’s master is wasting his magic for you!”

The aftermath of Lumen’s trap-triggered attacks was all being repelled by Mamil’s barrier. If he recklessly tried to defend himself otherwise, he could end up like Ector and Modeleine.

It was supposed to be a statement to improve his image, but Mamil only cast a brief glance at Van before turning his attention back to the fight. Then, in the next instant—

“With that loud mouth of yours, you’re probably tiring his ears out even more. Quit whining.”

Lumen appeared behind Nuya, sheathing his sword, the blade barely half an inch withdrawn before locking into place.

“W-Wha……?”

At the same moment, the strap holding Nuya’s bag to his shoulder was severed, and the heavy bag plummeted. Panicked, Nuya fumbled to grab it, moving sluggishly—

“M-My baaag……!”

A cascade of flashing lights rained down upon it. The bag was torn to shreds, reduced to scattered fragments. Nuya, now crouched on the ground, frantically gathered the remnants, but no matter how desperately he tried, the torn bag would not return to its original form.

Lumen casually grabbed the scruff of Nuya’s neck and hoisted him up. Nuya flailed weakly like a baby turtle struggling in the air, showing what little resistance he could muster—but it was entirely ineffective.

“Tell us where the remaining traps are set, or deactivate them. Do that, and I’ll spare your life.”

“I-I don’t need mercy from a human……!”

“Ahaha! Then die!”

The last words didn’t come from Lumen.

With an irritated chuckle, Nuya’s body was instantly frozen solid. Lumen frowned as he peeled the chunk of ice off his palm and turned to glare at Lydon.

“What are you thinking, killing him on your own? There could still be dangerous traps left.”

“Just have Yozen deal with that. I’m exhausted, so stop wasting time and get moving. And take these deadweights with you!”

Lydon huffed, tossing Ector and Modeleine onto the ground with a loud thud, then dusted off his hands. Sorin, who had rushed over, narrowed his eyes.

“Watch your words and actions.”

“Hmph, now that I think about it, I haven’t received a proper thank-you yet. Get down on the ground and say, ‘Thank you for saving me’.”

“Sir Lydon!”

“What? Is the commander of the Guardian Knight Order an ungrateful brute? Is that it?”

Ector, having dealt with Lydon enough times, wisely chose to ignore his antics rather than provoke him further. However, Sorin seemed unwilling to let the insult to his commander slide. The tension between the two men grew sharp as if they were about to clash.

Then, the most exhausted and exasperated person in the group, Mamil, finally spoke up.

“If you two keep bickering, I’ll leave you behind. When Cadel gets back, you can serve as his guides.”