* * *

“Every time I breathe, it feels like my lungs are being polluted. Now I understand why the demons want to get away from this cursed land.”

As they headed toward the allies, with Yozen leading the way, Hyron, who had abandoned flying to walk on foot, sighed. The smell of demons was so strong that he, like Lydon often did, rubbed his nose and wrinkled his face in distaste.

“Are you alright, Lydon?”

“I can handle it. I’ve been living next to the smell of demons every day, so I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Are you talking about me, Sir Lydon?”

“What do you think? You already know.”

Since joining Hyron, Lydon had shown a calmer side, but that didn’t mean his usual behavior had changed. Naturally, he had already stabbed a metaphorical dagger into Garuel’s heart, and now he was looking around restlessly. Every step was filled with strange sights, but unlike in the Human Realm, there was more discomfort than curiosity.

Withered trees, dry bushes that looked like they would crumble if touched, fruit with bizarre shapes and colors, and insects scattering across the ground as they marched—all of it felt like wandering through a long-neglected haunted house.

‘They must have noticed that new humans arrived by now. But I don’t see any obstacles.’

Cadel, walking briskly alongside the group, clicked his tongue. Not sending any obstacles and leaving the humans alone meant either they were preparing something more troublesome or had judged that there was no need to interfere. He worried that the already disadvantaged human side might be cornered entirely.

“How much farther, Yozen? We’ve been walking for quite a while.”

Since they entered the dark forest after crossing the first village, they had been walking nonstop for over 40 minutes. Yet, the end of the forest path still seemed distant, and the intense tension had started to fade.

At Cadel’s question, Yozen, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Since he couldn’t maintain his clone for long in the Demon Realm like on the surface, he had to periodically stop and recreate it.

“We should be close. I can sense Modeleine’s energy strongly now.”

Focusing, Yozen summoned Modeleine’s shadow clone again. As Cadel observed the clone, he sighed lightly and tilted his head.

“We’ve been running for a while now. I know the situation is urgent, but…… are there wounded scattered around here?”

“I’m not sure about that. But it’s definitely unstable.”

The clone, which had briefly appeared, quickly lost its momentum and began to dissipate. Yozen collected the dark energy from the clone and started calculating the remaining time until they arrived. But then.

“……?”

As he rolled the gathered dark energy in his hand, Yozen stood still for a long moment in silence. The longer the pause lasted, the more the comrades watching him, and even the knights waiting behind, began to sense something was off and murmured amongst themselves.

“What’s wrong, Yozen? Is something wrong?”

“……He’s right in front of us.”

“Huh?”

“Modeleine is right in front of us.”

Saying that, Yozen turned his head toward the front.

“Right in front? But there’s no sound……”

There wasn’t even the faintest scream from the vicinity that would suggest a violent battlefield was near. Cadel, puzzled, followed Yozen’s gaze. After a short while, the sound of footsteps echoed from the opposite direction. The sharp, concise sound of footsteps striking the dry earth was fast.

Everyone fell silent at the clear sound breaking the stillness of the forest. The knights naturally entered a battle-ready stance, their eyes gleaming with readiness for the impending threat.

“……Wait.”

Cadel, who had been gathering his mana alongside Yozen, furrowed his brow slightly. The small figure that appeared from the other side initially seemed tiny, no larger than a finger. But it quickly expanded, closing the distance at an alarming rate. The outlines of the figure began to sharpen.

A face drenched in sweat, an urgent expression, rigid eyes, and tattered clothes. The person rushing toward them was none other than Modeleine.

“Modeleine!”

Startled by the sudden appearance, Garuel pushed through the group and rushed ahead. Why was Modeleine here, and why was he running alone, without any allies? Was he fleeing? But Modeleine would never abandon his comrades in the middle of a fight, especially in the Demon Realm.

It seemed he had spotted the knights, as he was panting heavily. Modeleine hurriedly opened his mouth to speak.

“Run, run away……!”

But before Modeleine could finish his sentence…

“What……!”

Something flying at the speed of light from behind pierced Modeleine’s chest. There was no time to block it. With a sudden halt in his sprint, Modeleine’s body leaned forward.

“Everyone scatter!”

Hyron’s voice rang out through the stunned ears of the soldiers. Cadel, a moment too late, realized that the attack that had pierced Modeleine was now speeding toward the rest of the troops. As he hesitated and tried to dodge, someone grabbed him, pulling him to the ground. In that split second, a powerful gust of wind scraped his cheek, a near miss.

Cadel, breathless, looked up from the arms that enveloped him.

“……Garuel.”

He could feel Garuel’s hands trembling as they held him. Staring into Garuel’s eyes, Cadel quickly pulled himself up. When he turned around, he saw the knights, who had narrowly avoided the attack, splitting into two groups to evade further danger.

“What was that attack just now……?”

Moritol scowled and looked down at the ground. The ‘something’ that had pierced Modeleine clearly passed through the air, leaving a deep scar on the earth.

Such a powerful attack had come without warning, and now the atmosphere was filled with unease. Cadel, his heart racing, dashed toward the direction where the attack had originated.

“Leader!”

“Commander, don’t go alone!”

Ignoring the calls, Cadel arrived at the spot, where Modeleine lay motionless. He quickly knelt beside her and shouted sharply.

“Garuel! Don’t hesitate—get over here!”

Garuel, followed by the others—Hyron, Moritol, and Ector—approached swiftly. Looking down at Modeleine, Cadel saw a small hole the size of a finger in his chest. Blood surged around the wound, and Modeleine’s body began to grow cold as he lost consciousness.

Despite the urgency, Garuel hesitated to use his healing magic. The presence of Moritol and Ector made it difficult for him to act freely. Cadel, sensing Garuel’s hesitation, grabbed his large hand firmly, which had been resting on Modeleine’s chest.

“Stop stalling and heal him now. There’s no time to convince anyone, we don’t have the luxury to wait. If you don’t do it now, we might lose him!”

Garuel met Cadel’s firm gaze. After a moment’s hesitation, Garuel began to touch the wound, his hands trembling slightly. It seemed he had made a decision as he closed his eyes tightly and opened the flow of demonic energy.

“Wait, that energy……!”

Moritol’s eyes widened as he immediately sensed the demonic energy. He took a step forward, his face filled with disbelief, staring at Garuel in shock. But before he could voice his objections, Ector stepped forward, blocking Moritol’s path with his arm, and slowly shook his head, his face full of confusion.

“He’s saving him, Moritol. Learn to distinguish between allies and enemies.”

“But……”

Moritol opened his mouth to argue, but then he met Cadel’s stern expression and immediately fell silent.

“Can you save him?”

“Something’s wrong. The demonic energy isn’t circulating properly. Why……?”

“Garuel, forget everything else. Focus on saving Modeleine.”

His heart was beating in an irregular rhythm. Cadel bit his lip as he watched the demonic energy gently heal the wound.

‘For such a powerful attack, the wound is ridiculously small.’

The attack had been so strong that it could carve a path into the earth just by passing through. Yet, the wound on Modeleine, which had been struck by the attack, seemed disproportionately small, creating an unsettling feeling.

‘What exactly was fired? An arrow? A chunk of demonic energy? Or maybe a bullet? The weight seemed light, but there are enemies who use guns, after all. However, since even Yozen couldn’t detect the enemy, it seems the attack came from quite far away…… Was it a magician?’

Had Modeleine fled this attack, running toward the forest?

“Perhaps there’s a battle happening nearby.”

Hyron, who had been scanning the surroundings, spoke up. He gazed beyond the dark, light-deprived forest and then extended his hand, blowing out a gentle breath.

From his breath, ice crystals began to swirl. Soon, each crystal broke apart into small butterflies, fluttering through the area. At Hyron’s gesture, the ice butterflies flew toward the dark depths of the forest.

Following the butterflies’ movements, the once dark forest began to light up with a shimmering glow. After watching the butterflies for a moment, Hyron turned back.

“Lydon, let’s go take a look around nearby.”

“……With me?”

“Yes. Cadel, do you mind if I bring my son?”

Cadel nodded, and Lydon, who had been looking slightly displeased, reluctantly walked up beside Hyron. Hyron smiled lightly at Lydon and began to walk.