* * *

“There’s nothing I can do for you, even if you stick with me.”

As Hyron spoke indifferently while wrapping the humans in a protective shield, Kash, who had been crouching next to him, spoke in frustration.

“You promised! You said you’d spare me if I guided you to the castle. But now I can’t even get close to that human named Cadel, and that fairy completely abandoned me. What am I supposed to do in this situation? If I get caught by my own kind and end up flying through the air, there’s no one who can save me except you!”

“Hmm, even if you were taken, I wouldn’t save you with all my heart. Wouldn’t it be better to hide somewhere else?”

“Where would I hide with nowhere to go? Plus, I’ve already been discovered by my own kind for betraying them. If I hide in some strange place and get found, it’ll be the end for me.”

Helping the humans had been a mistake. He should have just run away with everything he had from the start. If he had run and informed other High Demons about their location and plans, he would probably be under the protection of his own kind by now. How much longer would he have to endure this humiliation?

As Kash, feeling dejected, huddled in the shield, Hyron lightly took off. Ignoring Kash’s desperate calls, he looked down from above and saw Lydon, fighting the High Demons among the group.

Hyron wanted to rush down and pull him from the dangerous battlefield, but even so, Lydon would likely return to fight. If a battle was inevitable, he needed to lessen Lydon’s burden as much as possible. He had to gather his strength for that.

Hyron’s gaze then shifted to his original target—the enemy Cadel had first aimed for. It was the sky, where Naviola was.

‘If that black petal of the flower disappears, the most troublesome High Demon will be that one. Cadel will be busy for a while, so it’s better if I handle this now.’

Naviola was chanting incomprehensible words, frantically gathering demonic energy. She couldn’t be left alone to build up her power. With his mana chilling to the core, Hyron began a quiet incantation as he prepared his spell.

But before his magic could be directed at Naviola.

“Lydon……?”

Lydon, who had been among his comrades just moments ago, suddenly appeared. Hyron’s expression, which had been full of confusion, slowly hardened as he looked at him.

“You……”

The eyes of his son, flying toward him, had lost their light, as if his soul had been drained. His expression was lifeless, and his movements were awkward, as though he were being controlled by something. Hyron quickly noticed Lydon’s change and spoke coldly.

“Who did this to you?”

Fauré, a demon from the underworld who used magic to charm and confuse, causing allies to attack each other. If Naviola had been dealt with successfully, she would have been the next target.

However, Cadel was unable to keep an eye on Fauré at all due to the barrage of attacks surrounding him. He had to focus on the numerous assaults that obscured his vision. If he let his guard down even for a moment, he would be badly injured, as would Yozen.

Because of this, Cadel hadn’t noticed that Fauré had already begun attacking his own members.

“Lydon, snap out of it. Getting charmed by a demon like this is troublesome.”

Hyron, gracefully dodging the flurry of ice spears, furrowed his brow. It wasn’t bad that Lydon’s target was him. Hyron had already gauged his son’s offensive strength, and the type of power he wielded was the same as his own, so facing him was not difficult.

But then there was Van Herdos. Like Lydon, the berserker had been charmed. His explosive aura swept across the land, and the scarlet moon that had been suppressing enemies vanished. As the overwhelming aura caused the humans to falter, the High Demons who had been bound now had their freedom.

‘She’s completely grasped the flow of the battlefield. In this short time, she’s already figured out exactly who to control in order to break the human side’s formation. Which High Demon could have done this……?’

Wrapped in a protective barrier, Hyron flew toward Lydon and grabbed his son’s wrists. Lydon tried to retaliate against the mana that collided with him, but Hyron deflected all his attacks, staring him down.

“Lydon! If you can’t regain your senses on your own, I’ll have no choice but to restrain you and go after the High Demon who did this to you. It would be quite a humiliating situation for you.”

Lydon, with no sign of motivation, struggled to draw out his mana with all his might. The fact that his own son was being manipulated by a mere demon disgusted Hyron to no end. His growing anger was interrupted when Kash spoke up.

“It’s Fauré! The one who did this to him must be Fauré!”

“Fauré……?” 

Hyron, who had thought he could completely overpower Lydon, saw Kash, now clinging to him, pointing somewhere in the sky.

“It’s that woman. Do you see the small orb Fauré is holding? We need to target that. It’s the essence of the energy Fauré possesses. If we break that orb, even those who have lost their minds will return to normal.”

“Is that really true?”

“Why would I lie here? I’ve already been branded a traitor. I need to make my stance clear. And I’ve always disliked Fauré. She’s always subtly looked down on our family and even tried to charm Sister Cynthi. And……”

“Shh. That’s enough.”

Hyron cut Kash off before his words dragged on. This cowardly High Demon, though timid, secretly enjoyed rambling.

‘……She’s really holding the orb. I can feel a powerful energy coming from it.’

The demon named Fauré, with long black hair fluttering, wore a strange smile. She seemed to be absentmindedly observing the battlefield as she gently played with the orb.

“Kash.”

“Ye, yes?”

“From now on, you’ll be Lydon’s target.”

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“When I take down Fauré, it will be your escape time. So pray for my victory. Run for your life.”

“No, no, no! I don’t know what you’re up to, but no way! Why should I!”

Capturing Lydon and facing Fauré at the same time was a tricky task. The essence of her energy was no joke, so it was best to minimize the number of distractions. Therefore, Hyron decided to cast an illusion on Lydon. It would be a spell that layers another form of confusion over the demon’s mind-bending spell. Lydon would soon start perceiving himself as Kash and Kash as himself.

A clear magic circle appeared above Hyron’s eyes as he faced Lydon. Turning toward Kash, who was hesitating and trying to back off, Hyron spoke.

“I wish you good luck.”