* * *

Cadel took a week off to allow Lumen to fully recover, during which time he trained daily with Van, Lumen, and Garuel, studied magic with Lydon, and often visited Yozen to talk.

At the end of that fast-paced time, Cadel called his subordinates together and explained what was next.

“Our next stop is the Yingmar Swamp. The seal is said to be near the center of the swamp. It’s always a monster-infested place, sealed or not, so as always, be on your guard. We’ll be traveling through the Lemyn Kingdom, so try to stay as physically fit as possible before entering the swamp.”

In the Yingmar Swamp, he had to complete the main quest and get the ‘Heart of Vita’ that Mamil told him about. Not only were there more things to keep track of than usual, but the enemies were just as tough.

‘The demon in charge of Yingmar……. Probably him.’

The High Demon was, as usual, a pesky, powerful foe. He knew the strategy, but aside from that, this was real life, not a game. He didn’t have the same knight composition as when he played, and the variables would be much different. In addition, Cadel was going to focus on the role of a ‘commander’ rather than a ‘magician’ in this main quest.

Lumen, who had just awakened, and Garuel and Yozen, who recently joined. The goal was to defeat the enemy by maximizing unfamiliar powers.

‘I need to make sure the Knight Order can function without me, so I’ll train them properly.’

Cadel, having made a promise to himself, recounted the cautionary tales Mamil had told him about exploring the swamp and the types of monsters that might be encountered. After about an hour, he dismissed his subordinates to prepare for the journey that would begin the next day.

And when Cadel, who was left alone, was diligently packing his luggage. Kunra came to see him.

“You may welcome this one more vigorously, halfling. I will allow you to embrace.”

Did he just come in without knocking and expect hospitality? Cadel frowned and glared at Kunra, who was lying proudly on Cadel’s bed, his long legs dangling over the edge. His soaking-wet body stained the white sheets as if he’d been rained on.

“Do scarlet dragons have no sense of hygiene? That’s the bed I’m sleeping in today. It’s dirty, so get down.”

“Ha! Dirty? Are you saying this one is dirty, now?”

“So you’re saying you’re clean? Scarlet dragons don’t have good eyesight? It’s not raining outside. Why are you so wet? If you get wet, dry off and come back.”

As Cadel grumbled and finished packing, Kunra snorted in amusement, then burrowed deeper into the bed as if to show off and spoke in a casual tone that lacked the slightest hint of dignity.

“Maybe it’s because your soul is cut in half, but your personality seems to be cut in half as well. What an insolent human.”

“What do you want me to do.”

“Did you forget that you need my power, huh?”

It was said that the power of the Scarlet Dragon was a great addition to battle and that his energy could be used to undo the fusion of Cadel Lytos and himself. Cadel had not yet forgotten the horrors of his first encounter with Kunra, nor the wounds inflicted by his indifference.

Perhaps because he was a being who knew everything, he became particularly emotional in front of Kunra. If they had just shared their power and not had a conversation, there would have been less resistance.

Cadel clicked his tongue in annoyance and glanced at Kunra as he stuffed his luggage.

“I hope you’re done with your errands, because it’s almost time to take on the High Demon, and I need your power.”

“Wow, you’re asking so quickly.”

Kunra, who had been acting grouchy, as if unhappy with Cadel’s unwelcoming demeanor, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side of the bed. Forced to collapse onto the bed, Cadel grimaced at the feel of the damp sheets.

“What is it?”

“I was just trying to give my energy to a materialized seaweed laver. What? You don’t want this, too?”

“……Make it quick, then.”

“Impudent fellow.”

Sighing, Cadel turned his back and sat back down, and soon Kunra’s large hands were invading under his top without hesitation. Startled by the sudden groping of his bare skin, Cadel grabbed his wrists, and a raspy voice came from behind him.

“Do you want me to wear gloves?”

“Can’t you just do it on top of my clothes? Why do you have to touch the bare skin…….?”

“It’s easy to infuse energy if I’m in direct contact with you. This one will never feel lust for a human, so don’t worry about it unnecessarily. If it’s the other way around, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I’m not interested in you either.”

He just felt uncomfortable with skinship. Stiffly, Cadel let go of his wrist, and a searing heat began to spread across Kunra’s stomach. Thankfully, it wasn’t the horrible feverish pain he’d felt in the cave.

Just as he was trying to ignore the heat radiating through his body, Kunra brought up a new piece of information.

“New magic circles were discovered in the Inte Snowfields.”

“……New magic circles?”

“They were hidden far away from the seal circle. There were two types of magic circles. One was already activated, the other was not. Do you have any guesses?”

Magic circles that were hidden far away from the seal circle. Cadel pondered for a moment, then spoke cautiously.

“The magic circle that was activated may be the summoning circle of the High Demon we faced. I have dealt with a demon summoned in that way in the Empire.”

At that time, the place where Elvie first appeared was not the crack in the seal, but the exact opposite of the seal circle. Cadel didn’t think much about it at that time because he was too busy trying to catch Elvie, and while it would be possible if Elvie was a demon wandering around in the human realm, if he was a demon in the Demon Realm, it would be impossible for him to leave without breaking the seal. If he had been in the human realm from the beginning, the seal would have been broken long ago.

‘However, it makes sense if he just arrived at the snowfield through the summoning circle Sellev used.’

Perhaps Elvie had crossed over to the human realm through the summoning circle and then moved directly to break the seal circle. The Knight Order happened to be there.

“Hmm. I sensed the energy from the Demon Realm, so it was a summoning circle. It was quite a complicated formula. I could sense the caster’s extraordinary abilities.”

“Did you break it?”

“Of course. However, the other magic circle could not be destroyed with just the power given to you.”

Indestructible? Surprised, Cadel reflexively jerked back, and the pressure on his abdomen intensified.

“Don’t move.”

“No, you couldn’t break the magic circle? You’re the Scarlet Dragon. No matter how little power you shared with me, I’m sure you’ll be able to…….”

“Yes. Normally, it should be possible, but even with all my power, that magic circle wasn’t destroyed. Well, that’s to be expected. The circle I saw was only a fragment.”

“A fragment?”

Kunra’s next explanation was both simple and complex. He had attempted to destroy the magic circle that Elvie had supposedly left behind but had failed despite using all the mana he could muster, and this struck him as odd, and he began to analyze the circle in earnest.

And the result. It turned out that the magic circle Elvie left behind was only a small part of a much larger magic circle. A part of an unfinished magic circle that he couldn’t even attempt to cast yet.

“If I’m right, the finished magic circle will have a vast reach, encompassing the entire human realm. Until it’s complete, no mana flows through it, so it’s indestructible, no matter what you do, it just exists.”

“So does that mean we have no choice but to sit back and wait until the magic circle is completed?”

“Strictly speaking, yes.”

The great magic circle of the Demon Realm that encompassed the human realm. Cadel instinctively knew it was the cause of the outbreak of the Demon War. The fact that there was no way to stop it was also a prelude to the inevitable war.

Cadel, his lips pursed in a suddenly serious expression, said to Kunra.

“Knowing the exact range of the magic circle would be a huge help in preparing for an attack. Do you know where the rest of the fragments are?”

“The location cannot be determined with just one fragment. There should be at least a couple more.”

“……I’ll look for it.”

For a magic circle that great, even a single fragment would require quite detailed work. Even if the demons did not draw the magic circle themselves, but installed it using something brought from the Demon Realm, there was no way they would entrust such an important task to a small fry.

‘If we deal with the High Demons, we might be able to find the remaining fragments of the great magic circle.’

In a game, he could just sit back and wait for the story to unfold, but this was the real world he lived in. Even if war was inevitable, he had to be as prepared as he could be.