* * *

The snow-white cheek twitched and trembled, and the neatly arranged eyelashes fluttered.

‘It’s noisy……’

As his consciousness slowly returned, a roar of frustration echoed through the space. Lydon sluggishly opened his eyes and frowned irritably.

How did he faint? He remembered seeing Cadel’s face last.

As he carefully retraced his memories, something was scattered across his face. Reflexively, Lydon turned his head and wiped his dampened eyes with the back of his hand. When he slowly checked the back of his hand, he saw it drenched in blood.

Only then did Lydon realize he was on the battlefield, and he lifted his head to identify the source of the blood.

“……What is this?”

The first thing he saw was the back of Garuel, blocked in front of him by one wing, his body covered in demonic energy, pierced and cut and reduced to rags.

Why hadn’t that half-blood demon used his specialty, regeneration, and ended up in such a state? Without time to question it, the scenery beyond filled his vision.

Enemies surrounded Garuel, stacked up like a fortress. Below, there were corpses, and above, monsters and demons climbed over the bodies. They constantly raised their heads over the corpses.

Such pathetic enemies should have been swept away long ago. How did they get surrounded like this? Lydon sighed in disappointment and pressed his hand to the ground. It was to help those weak comrades who couldn’t do anything without him.

However, under his hand, something damp and soft made contact. Unconsciously shifting his gaze, Lydon’s expression twisted in disgust.

“You……”

It was a human. Not just one. Those who hadn’t been able to treat their wounds lay in a line. But Lydon was not surprised to find injured companions lying beside him.

They were his comrades. Van and Lumen, unconscious and covered in blood. Yozen, hunched over, clutching his bloodstained waist, unable to move.

And then.

“Cadel.”

Lydon, not fully rising to his feet, crawled over to Cadel’s side. His face, drained of all color, was twisted in pain, and gruesome wounds, barely staunched, marked his body.

His breath came in shallow, labored gasps, on the verge of collapse. Lydon carefully wiped away the cold sweat from Cadel’s face, swallowing dryly.

“Sir Lydon.”

Garuel, sensing Lydon’s presence, called out to him, but Lydon, without even turning to look at Garuel, let his words spill out in a torrent.

“How did Cadel end up like this? Wasn’t anyone protecting him while this happened? What about the Scarlet Dragon? If you wear that lizard’s scales, you should be able to withstand most attacks, right? When did this happen? Pull out all the demonic energy you can! He’s suffering!”

“If I fall, please take Knight Commander and leave this place.”

Garuel’s calm voice cut through Lydon’s outburst. Only then did Lydon look up, his voice lowered as he asked, 

“What did you just say?”

“I’m saying that at least Knight Commander should be able to escape this place safely. This fight…… there’s no chance of victory.”

“……If Cadel wakes up, he’ll be the first to kick you out.”

“If he can wake up, that is.”

The humorless tone of Garuel’s voice made it clear that he was speaking from the heart. At that, Lydon removed his hand from around Cadel and slowly rose to his feet. He briefly gazed at Garuel’s back before soaring into the sky.

“……”

The view of the battlefield from high above was nothing short of a hellish nightmare. Unquenchable flames scorched the earth, and the bodies of monsters and humans were tangled together all over the place. The survivors, stepping over the bodies of their comrades, desperately swung their weapons. Even so, their numbers were painfully few, and the situation remained grim.

The unprotected bodies were easily torn apart. The knights, having lost their leader, fell into chaos and fear, quickly leaving openings in their defenses.

Lydon, among the dwindling allies, struggled to spot any familiar faces.

‘There. Ector, Sorin.’

Ector and Sorin were desperately commanding the knights as they faced off against the High Demons. However, even Lydon could tell that they wouldn’t last much longer. Despite their severe wounds, they fought at the front lines solely for the sake of their subordinates.

‘……Are we really going to lose?’

They hadn’t even set foot in the Demon Realm yet. They hadn’t faced the true enemies sharpening their blades there. The image of Cadel, collapsed in front of him, flashed before his hazy eyes. He was not the kind of man who would fall to his knees at the entrance of enemy territory.

A sharp crack echoed from his clenched fist as if the bones were dislocating. His bloodshot eyes continued to capture the horrific images of the battlefield.

As Garuel had said, this battle was steadily heading toward defeat. The stench of a terrible loss filled the air of this land. And at the very center of it all, there was Cadel.

“I want to be with you even after the war is over. I want to drink together like this, joke around, and talk all day. I’m…… I’m scared that a future won’t be allowed for me.”

The trembling voice, barely holding back tears, was still vivid in his mind.

‘I won’t let it end here.’

There was no miserable end for him in his fate. If that was true, then Cadel, who had shared that fate with him, should not meet such an end either.

Descending rapidly, Lydon released a wave of cold air over the monsters surrounding his comrades. In an instant, the enemies froze in place. Staggering and taking deep breaths, Lydon placed a hand on Garuel’s shoulder and spoke.

“I’m going to call in reinforcements. Until I return, don’t let anyone die.”

It was just as Cadel Lytos had said. The seal of the Demon Realm had been broken, and humans were desperately trying to defend their land against the invasion of demons.

But after the reluctant outbreak of the Demon Realm war, what had he and his kin done?

* * *

“Aiden has perfectly adapted to the ice wings, Lord Hyron.”

“Is that so? That’s impressive. Adjusting mana to match the flapping of the wings must be quite difficult.”

“It’s probably the result of practicing day and night. His hatred for the humans who took his wings also played a part.”

“……I’m glad he found the will to fight, even if it’s through that.”

At the top of the Tower of Enchantment, in a space that could be described as cozy or suffocating depending on one’s perspective, Hyron spent the whole day gazing into a crystal orb. His daily tasks consisted of sweeping through the forest, checking on the well-being of his kin, and calming the forest’s energy.

However, since his son had left the forest, Hyron had spent most of his time watching the entrance of the forest.

“Henge’s skills have noticeably improved. I’ve known since he was a child that he was a talented one. If he overcomes his timid nature, he could become a great elder who will lead warriors in the future.”

“……” 

“The elders Bornu and Norbu have completed the barrier enhancement. Their research over the past year has borne fruit. And……”

“Melphis.”

“Yes, Lord Hyron.”

Hyron shifted his gaze from the crystal orb to look at Melphis, who stood in front of him. Melphis didn’t meet his eyes and instead lowered his gaze. His wrinkled face was stern and hard to read, but Hyron could sense the emotions behind it.

“What is it that you are worried about?”

“……Worried? What do you mean?”

“Melphis, do you think I don’t understand the stories you bring? I’ve already confirmed them through the crystal orb. Yet, you come every day to report to me—is it simply because you have nothing better to do? Or is it because you are genuinely concerned about my condition, to the point that you feel the need to check on me every day?”

“……”

“I am fine. I’m very healthy. I still have at least 500 more years in me.”

Hyron’s voice, mixed with a smile, made Melphis’s lips tighten. He pressed his hands behind his back, forcing out his words with effort.

“The energy of the forest is gradually weakening.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

“Lord Hyron.”

“I’m perfectly fine. As long as the Fairy King is alive, there’s no way the forest’s energy can falter.”

“We need to summon Lydon.”

“Are you saying I’m about to die, Melphis? You once vowed to serve me for life, yet now you’re so easily abandoning me? How disappointing.”

“……Please think of the future of the Pinhai tribe.”

Melphis’s words were strained, as though he had swallowed poison. Hyron, who had been lightly joking, slowly lost the cheerfulness in his expression. He gazed at Melphis’s bowed head for a moment before turning away.

“How should we summon him? Lydon is likely in the midst of the war with the demons right now. Leaving the forest to call him would be dangerous—things outside have become even more perilous than before.”

“I will go.”

“No.”

“Lord Hyron.”

“When the time comes, he will return. Before that, I won’t fall. I swear it.”

Hyron wondered if Lydon was enjoying himself outside. Was he hurt in the fierce battles? Was he dreaming of the wide oceans he had always longed for? Every day, he missed his son, sometimes even envying him.

The forest that Lydon had left behind was silent, and in the suffocating loneliness, Hyron dreamed of a future where his son, and the humans who had taken him, would give them freedom.

He wanted to keep dreaming a little longer. He didn’t want to force Lydon’s journey to an end for the sake of the forest’s well-being.

“……You’re being stubborn.”

“Nothing will change.”

“No, the outside world is in the midst of a war with the demons. If something happens to Lord Hyron now……!”

Melphis suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing as he looked at Hyron. Hyron had turned his head stiffly to look at him, and in his expression, there was a deep sense of bewilderment, much like Melphis’s.

The two fairies exchanged a brief glance before urgently turning their attention to the crystal orb. As Hyron’s fingertips touched the orb, the scene shifted instantly.

At the entrance to the forest. The place, overgrown with weeds from the long absence of footsteps, was now being crossed confidently by someone.

* * *

“Lydon!”

“Lydon! Oh my!”

“Did you come back? Do you even realize what kind of chaos you’ve caused in the forest?”

As Lydon made his way forward, the fairies who noticed his arrival began to swarm around him. Though he glanced at them briefly, Lydon kept his lips tightly sealed, remaining silent. The more he withheld, the greater the curiosity and attention on him grew after his time spent outside the forest.

He reached the Tower of Enchantment, a place he hadn’t entered of his own accord for a long while. But he didn’t go inside the tower itself. Instead, he stood in the garden, the very place where Cadel had once caused a commotion.

“Leaving the forest and running away like a coward, yet here you are, shamelessly returning! You must have grown disillusioned with the dirty humans, huh?”

“……It’s been a while, Elder Dophiel. Still got a nice, round belly, I see?”

“What, what did you say?”

One by one, the elders who had gathered around began to criticize Lydon. They had received the news of his escape from Hyron and, for over a month, they had held endless meetings, worried about the fate of the Pinhai tribe. Despite Hyron’s objections, they couldn’t stop their frantic worries. Even though the meetings yielded no solutions, the stress from those discussions still lingered in the air.

Lydon endured the barrage of reprimands, but his gaze never strayed from the tower. Not long after, the Fairy King appeared.

“……Father.”

“Lydon.”

Though the time apart had been brief, there was something subtly different about Hyron upon their reunion. Lydon couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed, but there was an unfamiliar air about him. Yet, at that moment, there was no time to delve into this uncanny feeling.

He immediately got to the point as he approached Hyron.

“Cadel is in danger. Please help him.”

Despite walking here with a calm face, as though everything was fine, there was an undeniable urgency in Lydon’s voice as he requested help.

Hyron stopped dead in his tracks at Lydon’s words. The atmosphere, which had calmed for a moment due to the king’s arrival, grew chaotic again, and Lydon’s composure, which he had barely managed to maintain, quickly unraveled.

“Please help. If the Pinhai tribe joins the effort, we can win. We need everyone’s help.”

“Lydon! What are you saying right now?!”

Melphis, who had been following behind Hyron, quickly flew in front of him, blocking his path. His face, filled with anger, showed no sign of welcoming Lydon back after such a long time.

“Please help, Grandfather Melphis. If we don’t help, Cadel won’t make it.”

“Are you asking us to sacrifice the Pinhai Tribe for humans, just because of your selfishness? You are no king. No one will be used for your whims.”

“……Please, you have to help.”

“We are not here to indulge your reckless complaints……”

“Because if you don’t help, I’ll die too.”

“……What did you say?”

Avoiding Melphis, Lydon took several steps back and looked around at the fairies surrounding him. Shock, disgust, betrayal, and sadness were all mixed in their expressions. As he absorbed each of their faces, Lydon spoke with a trembling voice.

“If Cadel dies, I die too. If I die, your homeland will disappear as well. So help me. Use the teleportation magic circle I created and defeat the demons.”

Lydon was threatening his kin with his own life. He had always been reckless and unpredictable, but even those who were used to him were taken aback by his words.

He was telling them that if they refused to help humans, he would destroy the Pinhai Tribe’s homeland and push everyone into a corner. It was more than enough to enrage the fairies.

But before they could raise their voices in anger:

“Just help me once. If you help me just once, I’ll return to the forest. I’ll come back and live my whole life in the forest. I won’t complain. You can resent me, you can beat me, you can drain me of all my energy until the day I die. So… so just this once. Just this one time.”

Lydon knelt down. With his body hunched over, he pressed his forehead to the ground and pleaded with a voice full of sobs. The friends who had been with him since childhood, the elders who had watched over him since the moment he was born, even his father Hyron — all were struck speechless by Lydon’s actions, in shock.

In the silence that followed, Lydon’s desperate sobs seemed to pierce through. 

“Please, help me……”