* * *

“I have no certainty that this demon won’t betray us. How can we trust a demon and roam this dangerous Demon Realm in the first place? Let’s kill him here before we get into more trouble.”

Kash’s involvement was approved by the Imperial army, but not by the allied forces. Cadel stood in front of Aichen Dormoor, the leader of the Wild Plains Knight Order, who looked ready to kill Kash on the spot. Kash instinctively huddled behind Cadel, curling up like a bean sprout.

“He doesn’t know the exact location of the Stone of Peace, but he does know where the Demon King’s Castle is. If he guides us properly, we can minimize both time and force losses. Sir Aichen, I also don’t trust demons, but shouldn’t we use what we can?”

“One must have at least some level of trust before using or exploiting something. At this critical time, the involvement of demons makes me uneasy.”

“Kash is a weakling without a familiar. As a magician, I could overpower him easily. His familiar has been killed, and the one means of escape, flight, is useless in front of a fairy. Kash has no way out. If he wants to survive, he’ll need to help us.”

“Whether that demon is a weak, worthless thing or has no escape, it doesn’t matter. What matters is, what if he’s willing to risk his life to deceive humans? Do you not have any sense of danger, Sir Cadel?”

Aichen grumbled angrily. Cadel didn’t entirely disagree with his point, but if they killed Kash here, the only remaining way to directly reach the Demon King’s Castle would be lost. Killing him immediately would cause more harm than good.

Thus, a subtle tension simmered between Aichen and Cadel. Meanwhile, Dasto Salawell, the commander of the Shadow Knight Order, intervened in their conversation.

“The important thing is to find the Stone of Peace as quickly as possible and escape the Demon Realm.”

“Even you, Sir Dasto……?”

“However, that doesn’t mean we all need to bear the consequences together. If we all fall for this demon’s trick, we won’t find the Stone of Peace at all.”

Dasto’s usual heavy and somber gaze turned to Cadel. He looked past Cadel’s stoic expression to stare at Kash, who was sneakily peeking out behind him.

“Let’s follow the demon’s guidance. However, only half of the forces will go with him. The rest will advance while maintaining a sufficient distance from the demon. The knights’ movements can be tracked. Since the Shadow Knight Order and the Wild Plains Knight Order don’t trust the demon, we will stay in the rear with the Imperial army to handle any sudden situations.”

In the end, Dasto was suggesting that only those who trusted Kash would bear the full burden. If this choice proved to be correct, the rewards would be shared equally. It was a rather unpleasant proposal, but Cadel nodded without saying a word.

After all, Dasto’s point was valid. If his choice led to the annihilation of their forces, that would be the most tragic outcome. They needed someone to help smooth things over.

Thus, the three Imperial Knight Orders and half of the Twilight Knight Order would move forward with Kash, while the remaining half of the Twilight Knight Order, along with the Wild Plains Knight Order, the Horse Knight Order, and the Shadow Knight Order, would follow in the rear.

* * *

“Don’t worry, Cadel. I’ll keep checking to make sure the rear guard is following us.”

The front line of the procession, with Kash in tow, was led by the Scarlet Scales Knight Order. Cadel smiled faintly at the sound of Yozen’s voice behind him.

“It’s fine. It’s not the enemy, and we’re not exactly split apart, so we don’t need to check constantly. They’ll follow along just fine on their own.”

“……Then what are you worried about?”

“Huh?”

Cadel turned his head, but Yozen had already moved silently through the ranks, blending in with the others. After a moment of staring after him, Cadel shifted his focus again.

‘There’s a lot I’m worried about.’

Kash, walking in front with his hands bound, the safety of Hyron with only about an hour left, Kunra’s condition, the battles and quests to come, the search for the successor, and the final confrontation with the system. All of it was enough to drive Cadel to the edge of madness.

But what troubled him the most was perhaps these moments, the ones that could very well be his last. The fact that he couldn’t fully devote this precious time to his subordinates.

If, after the fierce battle, he were given even a moment to speak with them…… Cadel, gripping the rope binding Kash, let out a deep sigh.

‘Don’t have weak thoughts. If I let myself be swayed by emotions, I won’t get anything done.’

Even though he kept trying to steady himself, his resolve would always scatter like dust. Cadel bit his lip and lightly tugged on the rope, causing Kash to jerk in surprise and look up at him.

“What, what is it? Did I do something wrong?”

“No. I was just wondering how much farther we are from the Demon King’s castle.”

“Ah…… Well, like I said earlier, I haven’t been there much. The one time I actually stepped inside the castle was the only time, so…… the path’s a little fuzzy……”

“That’s a problem. I spared your life on the condition that you guide us to the castle. Isn’t that right?”

“That, that’s right. This way should be right.”

“Should be?”

“Should be for sure!”

Despite Cadel’s calm question, Kash answered with a cold sweat. As he nervously glanced around, he eventually spoke in a hesitant voice.

“In about 10 minutes, we’ll reach a maze that connects to the garden of the castle.”

“A maze?”

“High Demons usually fly through, so I’ve never walked through that maze before.”

“So, you don’t know how to escape the maze?”

“……Yeah.”

“Why are you only saying this now?”

Kash hurriedly flustered, saying he had just remembered, but Cadel rubbed his forehead in irritation and pulled the rope tightly. Cadel suddenly stopped advancing and turned to the knights, shouting.

“Let’s have a quick strategy meeting.”

The existence of the maze was an unexpected variable. Wandering through the complex paths and finding the exit would be a huge waste of time, and the allied forces joining later would be in trouble as well.

“The maze is a kind of obstacle. It would be nice if we could just destroy it easily, but according to Kash, it won’t budge with ordinary attacks. Moreover, outside the maze, there’s the castle garden…… If we cause a commotion, we might end up fighting in a disadvantageous environment.”

They had to pass through the maze quietly and leave marks on the correct path. That way, the rear forces and the allied armies coming from the ground could directly reach the castle.

Upon hearing Cadel’s words, Ector, rubbing his rough chin, spoke.

“If ordinary attacks won’t work, that means it can be destroyed with a strong enough attack, right? Hey, demon. Answer me.”

“Uh? Ah…… ye, yes. It’s not indestructible. A while ago, Lady Sellev, a powerful High Demon, tried to escape the maze, but when it didn’t go as planned, she resorted to violence. That’s when a huge hole was made in the maze……”

“Stop with the unnecessary details. I didn’t bring you here to listen to your incessant chatter.”

At Ector’s cold gaze, Kash nodded with a gloomy expression. Cadel, glancing at Kash, sighed lightly and furrowed his brow.

“Even if we could destroy the maze, we can’t do that right now. As I mentioned, our best option is to infiltrate and pass through the maze as discreetly as possible, without drawing the attention of High Demons.”

“You’re right, Sir Cadel. I’m not suggesting we recklessly break through the walls. However, I do think it’s a bad idea to let the allied forces that will arrive later go through the maze. We don’t know the complexity or size of it. And since it’s a maze in the Demon Realm, it might have some strange irregularities.”

Thus, Ector’s suggestion was that the front-line Imperial forces and the Twilight Knight Order should quietly pass through the maze, and once they reach the garden and assess the situation, they could create a straight tunnel through the maze with a powerful technique, shortening the time for the allies to join.

“Exactly. It’s a maze in the Demon Realm, connected to the castle garden, after all. The exit’s location or the shape of the paths might change continuously with traps set along the way. This demon here says he’s never crossed the maze himself, so he won’t be much help on that front.”

Kash shrank back under Moritol’s disdainful gaze, who looked at him as though he were less than an insect. Ignoring Kash’s shrinking form, Cadel slowly nodded.

“Let’s do that. Do you have any ideas for a technique to destroy the maze?”

“That’s something Sir Moritol can handle.”

“Eh? Sir Ector, you brought it up, so why do I have to……?”

“There’s no better way to cleanly dig a tunnel than with Sir Moritol’s arrows. Now, let’s wrap this up. We’ll need someone to relay the plan to the rear.”

Ector dismissed Moritol’s protest with a wave, and he quickly scanned for knights to assign the task of conveying the plan. Meanwhile, Cadel, who had been lost in thought, finally spoke.

“We don’t have enough time to find the exit of the maze on foot. The risk of being discovered will increase, but I’ve thought of a more certain method.”