“I deeply apologize for the situation we find ourselves in, Princess Yukiha. I know you are being held as a hostage, but I promise I will never harm you.”

Fistoa, who was onboard the flagship of the crimson mechanical army, apologized with his usual gentle expression. Though he seemed like an unpleasant person when interacting with the people of the Musou Iron Cavalry, I didn’t feel that way now.

“Fistoa, which is your true self? The gentleman you are now, or the arrogant expression you showed when facing the Musou Iron Cavalry…?”

“Both are me. My top priority is the achievement of our objective. If that means being evil or good, then I can be either.”

That sounded genuine. Despite being a hostage and someone I should normally hate, I couldn’t bring myself to think poorly of him.

Fistoa treated me onboard the flagship in a manner that didn’t feel like I was a hostage. I wasn’t confined at all, and every meal was lavish. Furthermore, I was allowed to sit in on the exchanges between him and the important figures he referred to as heroes.

“How long have we been sleeping? Who are you? What happened to Feri? How did anyone besides her manage to break the seal?”

A young man with short navy blue hair asked vigorously. To that, Fistoa replied:

“We are associated with Feri Ludia. A crisis is looming over the world, and under her instruction, we have released the seal with the help of Lady Cluny and Lord Dafustal.”

“A crisis in the world? Has a giant beast been revived?”

“The seal is currently weakened, and it could fully revive at any moment.”

“Wait a minute. If the seal hasn’t been broken yet, let’s save the discussion about the giant beast for later. You said you are associated with Feri, but where is she? I want to speak with her.”

This was said by another hero, a beautiful woman with long, shining silver hair. She had a tall, slender figure, and even as a woman, I found her beauty mesmerizing.

“Feri is currently held captive by a certain organization. We want you to cooperate with us to save her.”

“Feri is captured? I’m surprised there’s an organization capable of restraining that transcendent witch. However, if that’s the case, let’s move to rescue her right away.”

“I’m sorry, but before that, I need to ask you both for your cooperation.”

“There’s nothing more important to us than rescuing Feri. You understand that, right?”

“Of course, I’m aware. Our priority is also to rescue Feri, but we need certain information from a nation to find out where she is.”

“Are you saying we should fight people?”

“The enemy is no longer human; they are demons that take on human forms. We need your help in the battle against the country that these demons control.”

“What do you mean by demons that take on human forms?”

“You both know very well who I’m talking about. The monsters of the past have returned.”

“Don’t tell me… Lucifer?”

“Yes, Lucifer is controlling the Elysian Empire and is moving to ravage this world.”

I couldn’t fully grasp Fistoa’s words, but it seemed that his goal was to have the two heroes confront the Elysian Empire.