* * *

Following Yozen’s guidance, after racing along for some time, the Scarlet Scales Knight Order were able to gather Ector, Moritol, and Hyron together.

“Even if Lydon figures out an escape route outside, the northern group will be the only ones to leave. The southern group should remain here, deal with the insects, and then join the battlefield directly afterward.”

“I agree with Hyron. This massive insect, which surrounds the forest…… Right now, it’s devouring any creatures that approach the battlefield and filling its stomach, but who knows when it will close in on the battlefield and overturn everything? We can’t afford to leave any potential dangers unchecked.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve agreed with Sir Ector. I think the same. Let the northern group proceed according to the original plan. If we all fought off the insects together, we could shorten the time, but the death of this massive insect wouldn’t go unnoticed. The enemies will catch on eventually, so the northern group must divert their attention before that happens.”

The plan was for the northern group to distract the enemies while the southern group dealt with the giant insect. Afterward, they would escape, taking advantage of the enemies’ confusion. However, for the plan to work, escape had to be possible.

“Then, Lord Hyron, should we think of an alternative escape method?”

While the southern group prepared to rally the scattered allies and defeat the insect, the northern group thought it might be better to find another escape route, just in case Lydon’s plan failed. But Hyron slowly shook his head.

“Let’s trust Lydon and wait.”

“Wait? But……”

“Lydon is surprisingly good at persuading others. Isn’t that why he brought the Pinhai Tribe to the human battlefield?”

“……”

“He must have a plan of his own. So, let’s focus on gathering the scattered knights and protecting them. It will be hopeless if we lose more people here.”

Hyron gently pulled Cadel, who appeared uneasy, toward him.

“Cadel, come with me.”

Since they decided to find and protect the knights, it might be better for the magicians like Hyron and Cadel to stick together, rather than splitting up. Though Cadel felt conflicted, he couldn’t refuse Hyron’s suggestion. After all, he was Lydon’s father and the king of the Pinhai Tribe, who had helped him.

[Time remaining until removal: 4 hours, 10 minutes, 7 seconds]

The time was quickly running out.

‘About four hours left. Can Kunra figure out how to protect Lord Hyron in that time?’

The dwindling time weighed heavily on Cadel’s mind, creating an unease he couldn’t shake off. Hyron, noticing his discomfort, gently guided him deeper into the dark belly of the insect.

As soon as Hyron met with Cadel and heard the situation, he quickly sent a message through [Phantasm Speech], instructing the knights to gather at the flame. Thanks to this, they were able to spot a significant number of knights heading in the direction of the flames.

They helped the knights they found by creating barriers and removing any insects that had attached themselves to the knights. As they steadily assisted their allies, Hyron casually started a conversation, most of which revolved around Lydon.

“Lydon wasn’t a kid who listened well when he was younger. He was stubborn, too. But when it came to your words, he would listen without hesitation. What’s the secret?”

“Hmm, a secret? Not really. Honestly, Lydon doesn’t listen to everything I say either.”

He chuckled, reflecting on the many incidents where Lydon had caused trouble by ignoring him. Hyron gave a small laugh, showing he understood.

“I suppose it might sound like an excuse, but I didn’t raise Lydon to be reckless. I was actually quite strict with him.”

“Even so, with his carefree personality, it must be his natural temperament. It suits him well, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He’s so playful and charming. Always messing with his comrades, but he actually cares about them a lot. I didn’t expect him to have such a side at all.”

Hyron had never seen this side of his son. The Lydon he knew was one who often crossed the line with his jokes and was oblivious to how others felt. His pranks were more like violent acts than mere jokes, and his sense of humor was often questionable.

Hyron understood, though, that this behavior came from the pent-up stress of years of confinement. There were times he ignored it, other times he scolded him. But had he loved Lydon the way Cadel did, would he have seen this special side of his son?

Hyron paused, a bitter smile crossing his face. It was Cadel who had drawn love out of Lydon. He himself had failed in that regard, unable to do anything but imprison his only child.

“It’s a blessing that Cadel entered the forest that day.”

“……What?”

“I have to say this. I’m grateful to you, Cadel, for deciding to take Lydon out. You gave him freedom, and you’ve taken on this heavy fate with him. Thank you, truly.”

Hyron gently ruffled Cadel’s hair. Surprised by the tender gesture, Cadel froze for a moment, then spoke with a serious tone.

“Don’t forget. The only reason I could take Lydon out is because you, Lord Hyron, gave me permission.”

Hyron’s eyes widened slightly at Cadel’s serious voice. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from Cadel’s hair and gave a smile that looked exactly like Lydon’s.

“Truly, you’re someone impossible not to love, Cadel.”

* * *

“Uwaaah! Waaah!”

“Shut up! If you make another sound like that, I’ll kill you.”

“Ugh……!”

Currently, Kash was kneeling in front of a magic circle, his neck gripped by Lydon. He had given the information that only his magic could extract the humans trapped inside Toto’s stomach. Naturally, Lydon hadn’t released Kash after obtaining the information, and he was now in a position where he had to forcibly extract the humans safely.

“Sisteeeers! Brotheeeers! I want to see you! Help me!”

“You’ll be able to see them in hell. Should I send you there now?”

“Waaaaah!”

“Shut up!”

Lydon wanted nothing more than to dispose of this noisy High Demon immediately. However, since the key to the escape was in his hands, he had no choice but to endure. If it were anyone else, he might have acted differently, but since Cadel was trapped.

Therefore, Lydon exercised extreme patience and began to calm Kash in his own way.

“Just let him go. If you release Cadel, I won’t harm you and let you go.”

“Lieeee! Waaaaah!”

“Why would I lie?”

“You’re going to kill me! You’ll kill me and kill Toto too! No, even if I release the humans, the Demon King will kill me right away! I’ll die no matter what! Even if the Demon Realm is freed, I’ll get nothing!”

Kash’s wailing was starting to make Lydon’s head throb. Lydon glared at him as if he would burst and kill him right there, but he eventually restrained himself. Relaxing his grip on Kash’s neck, he squatted down beside him.

“Okay, let me be honest. If the other humans find out that this forest is a giant insect, they’ll definitely try to kill it. Cadel would likely have the same opinion, so I can’t stop that.”

“Waaaah! Toto! My lovely baby insect!”

“Without Toto, you’re just a useless trash, aren’t you? You’d be like a moth with wings…… just an incredibly ugly moth, that’s your place.”

“Ugh……”

Despite the harsh words, Kash didn’t deny it and sniffled. Lydon smiled brightly and gently, in contrast to the content of his words, while making eye contact with him.

“Then there’s no need to kill you. A High Demon who lost his familiar won’t even make it onto the list for elimination.”

“……So, you’re saying if I weaken, you won’t kill me?”

“You’re weak now.”

“That’s not what I mean!”

“Right. If you release the humans, and those humans kill the giant insect…… I’ll spare you.”

Kash wiped his nose on Lydon’s clothes and froze when he felt the cold. He raised his hand, seemingly calculating the pros and cons. After a moment of thought, he spoke in a dejected voice.

“Even if you spare me, it won’t matter. When the Demon Realm is freed, the Demon King will find out that I released the humans, and she’ll kill me immediately. Maybe she’ll even purge the Solavis family. It’s all my fault!”

“The Demon Realm won’t be freed.”

“You want to believe that, huh? But……”

“It won’t be freed.”

Lydon firmly spoke as he lightly shook Kash’s neck. Despite being frightened, Kash glared at Lydon with eyes full of weak defiance.

“The humans who came down here are completely isolated. The battlefield surrounded by Toto reeks of human blood. You’ll all die, and soon the Demon Realm will be freed.”

“As long as Cadel is alive, the Demon Realm won’t be safe.”

“No, what exactly is this human Cadel that you keep talking about?”

“My beloved human.”

At the simple answer with a smile, Kash shuddered and trembled. Lydon, who had been watching him nonchalantly, suddenly raised an eyebrow as if he had thought of something.

“Now that I think about it, you’re a High Demon, aren’t you?”

“Of course. Why are you suddenly bringing that up……?”

“If you’re a High Demon, you must be quite close to the Demon King, right?”

“Well, not exactly close…… but I can serve the Demon King closely, at least within the inner circle. Although, that really depends on the power of the families……”

“What about the Solavis family? Are they close to the Demon King?”

Kash, who had been hesitating at Lydon’s question, answered in a meek voice.

“We’re not as powerful as the old ruling families, but I think we’ve earned quite a bit of trust. Well, even if it’s not me, my sister and brothers have actually met the Demon King in person.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Then you must know where the Stone of Peace is hidden, right?”

Kash, who had been trying to praise his family, suddenly closed his mouth. His face displayed near disbelief as he tried to step away from Lydon, but the grip on him only tightened.

“Do you think I’ll tell you that? I’m not a traitor!”

“But as you said, if the Demon Realm is freed, you’re as good as dead. Wouldn’t it be better to tell the humans where it is and guarantee your life? If you tell me the location of the stone, the Demon Realm’s liberation will be delayed, and your life will be prolonged as well.”

With a nonchalant face, Lydon suggested that Kash betrayed his own kind. Kash, furious, was about to shout a refusal, but.

“Your sisters and brothers, they’re all dead.”

“……What?”

“Three High Demons who ascended to the Human Realm. I don’t know their names, but one could turn her body into demonic energy, one could absorb energy, and one had an unusually hard body and used a shield. I heard they were all members of the Solavis family. Oh, and I also killed one that shot souls with a gun on the way here.”

“That was…….”

“We killed them all. I don’t know how many there are in your family, but with four dead siblings, there’s not much hope for you, and one of your remaining siblings is as incompetent as you are.”

“……It can’t be.”

“Hmph, I know you don’t want to believe it. There’s no way I can confirm it right here.”

Kash’s eyes widened, and his body tightened into a crouch.

“It can’t be, they can’t be dead…….”

Cynthi and Arpa, Rodin and Alexia. They were Kash’s only family, the siblings he loved more than anyone else in this world. The ones who had always loved him, even when he didn’t know how to do much of anything but handle his familiar.

All of them had been killed? All of his siblings with such power?

Shock, anger, and grief surged through him, cutting deep into his chest. There was even an excruciating pain that felt like his heart was being torn into a million pieces. But where all those emotions were swept away. What remained above the bitter pain was fear.

Fear for his powerful sisters and brothers who, once this war was over, would lead the Demon Realm at the side of the Demon King Emilia. The humans who had slaughtered them all and crawled into the realm, fearing that they would truly prevent its liberation. That they would seal the Demon Realm again and slaughter the demons. That was the greatest fear of all.

“I, I…….”

Kash was a High Demon, but he had always been inferior to other High Demons because of the obvious sources and limits of his power. He lacked the boundless arrogance and confidence of other demons. The moment he realized that his siblings had been slaughtered, that he had no one to protect him. The fear of death broke Kash’s will with surprising simplicity.

“I don’t want to die…….”

He shook his head, hugging his shaking body. The grief of losing his family was swallowed up by the fear that he might be next. He wanted the liberation of the Demon Realm as much as any other demon, but he didn’t want it without him.

Unlike his siblings, who would follow Emilia’s will even at the risk of death. Kash had been more relieved than disappointed when he was removed from the role of ascending to the Human Realm due to his abilities.

Lydon looked at him and said tersely.

“Then get the humans out of the insect’s belly and tell me the location of the Stone of Peace, and I’ll guarantee your life.”