They were the Demon King’s siblings. And the Demon Realm was dreaming of their resurrection—so it was easy to guess how they were being treated.

“So there’s no way they’d be in a ghost town like this. Ha…… Let’s head back. This was a complete waste of time. Since this was a fixed teleportation magic circle, there should be another one nearby leading back to the castle. Let’s find that first—”

It was a total failure. Cadel couldn’t hide his disappointment and turned away without hesitation—until his vision caught sight of Kunra, who had ventured deeper into the village.

Kunra’s figure stood out against the ashen ruins. His broad shoulders, wide chest, and powerful, statuesque legs exuded an indescribable dignity and grandeur. Even as he stood still, an imposing presence radiated from him, and the way his long red hair fluttered in the wind added an air of mystique.

But Cadel had no time to admire his picture-perfect silhouette.

“What are you doing? We don’t have time for a stroll!”

“……You two search for a teleportation circle leading back to the castle. I will take a closer look around here.”

“Here? What’s there to see……? Don’t tell me you’re just dumping the search on us because you’re too lazy to do it yourself?”

Kunra gave him a look full of disbelief. Cadel shrugged and turned his head away, spreading his mana across the barren ground. The area wasn’t too large, so a bit of magic should be enough to determine if a teleportation circle existed. Garuel, standing beside him, diligently released his demonic energy as well.

“Leave the rest to me. Kunra’s energy has returned, so I can afford to take over.”

“No. Since this is a teleportation circle of the Demon Realm, searching with demonic energy will be much faster.”

Cadel was about to ask if it wouldn’t be better for Garuel to conserve his strength, but he stopped when he saw Garuel’s expression. Unlike usual, his face was stiff—devoid of both ease and humor. The stark, unreadable look was unfamiliar.

Cadel endured the brief silence before finally letting out a quiet sigh.

“……It was a plan too difficult—no, impossible—to explain. I had judged that I wouldn’t need your help at all.”

“And yet, here you are, using my demonic energy.”

The response was cold, almost frigid. There was no time to feel hurt. Cadel ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, furrowing his brows.

“I never intended to use your demonic energy. What I wanted you and the others to do—what I wanted you to do—was handle the Demon King and her subordinates while we carried out this plan.”

“……”

“Garuel.”

“Finding and eliminating the Demon King’s siblings is certainly important. But is it more important than facing the Demon King who has already appeared before us? That, I don’t understand.”

Garuel, who had been staring stubbornly at the ground, slowly lifted his head. A faint trace of disappointment flickered in his beautiful violet eyes.

“This is Knight Commander’s order, so I will obey. But even now, I can still clearly see the knights collapsing helplessly before my eyes. Why is it that, after witnessing all of that, you chose to leave them behind and search for the Demon King’s siblings instead? Even if it’s to prevent their resurrection, I still don’t understand.”

Cadel’s expression twisted as if suppressing something. Garuel watched him intently before cautiously asking,

“Will you explain? If you deem it an unnecessary act, I won’t press further.”

It was an entirely knight-like statement—one that declared he would bury all his questions and simply follow orders. If only he had continued to pester Cadel for answers, it might have been easier to handle. But Cadel knew that Garuel was someone who, once given an order, wouldn’t question it even after the war was over. And that realization pained him.

‘It’s not that I want to keep secrets.’

But revealing the truth now would only burden Garuel with overwhelming confusion and fear. It wouldn’t make Cadel feel any lighter either. There was nothing to gain from exposing this knowledge—so why should he?

“I……”

Even as he thought that, old memories continued to torment him.

“Shall I try living, then? With the faint hope that your light will guide me down the right path……”

“So, then……”

“I want us to have no secrets between us.”

It was a meaningless act. Rather than wasting time on such a conversation, it would be better to simply tell him to follow orders quietly and focus on finishing the task at hand.

“Don’t create any more secrets.”

But his plea—not to keep any more secrets. The promise he had once made, volunteering to be his guiding light. The regret, resentment, and longing that Garuel would feel, never knowing Cadel’s true intentions.

All of it weighed on him.

“……Alright. I’ll explain. Even before reading the journal you gave me, Kunra and I had already suspected that the Demon King had siblings. That’s why we used the cooperative attack as an excuse to track them down and kill them.”

“You…… already knew? How?”

“It’s too long a story to explain everything. But what you need to understand is this—what we’re doing now, finding and killing the Demon King’s siblings, is just as crucial to the survival of this world as this war itself.”

Stunned by the unexpected revelation, Garuel withdrew the demonic energy he had been releasing and stared at Cadel. His expression made it clear he wanted a more detailed explanation. Cadel hesitated, calculating how much he should reveal.

But before he could finish his thoughts—

[You two. Come inside the village. The teleportation circle can wait.]

Kunra’s voice echoed in their minds.

* * *

“This is no ordinary ghost town. It’s a massive mechanism. If you look at it from a high vantage point, you’ll see that these ruined buildings form a distinctive shape.”

If he was going to say something like that, shouldn’t he at least carry them on his back and fly up? Just because he saw it didn’t mean that was the end of it.

“What shape is it? I want to see it too.”

“You don’t need to know. I’ve already figured out how to control the mechanism.”

“No, don’t just proceed alone—let me at least—”

“You two, move south. Halfling, you take the left. Demon hybrid, you take the right. When I give the signal, find the building where the fireball has appeared and push the tallest wall with all your strength.”

“I told you not to call people like that!”

Annoyed by the utterly inconsiderate nicknames, Cadel bristled, but Kunra didn’t budge. Instead, Garuel calmed him down, saying he didn’t mind.

“You insufferable dragon head……”

“Don’t get too familiar. Wouldn’t the demon hybrid get jealous?”

“Are you insane?”

Kunra let out a mocking chuckle and lazily waved his hand—his way of telling them to stop talking and just follow orders. His arrogant attitude was irritating, but wasting any more time was out of the question.

“I should just ignore him. Garuel! Let’s move!”

“Alright.”

Separated from Cadel, Garuel still looked like he wanted to hear the rest of the explanation, but he chose to follow orders instead of pressing the matter. Cadel pretended not to notice Garuel’s lingering gaze and hurried his steps.

‘It’s not good to reveal everything. But is it even possible to explain why finding the Demon King’s siblings is just as crucial as the war itself—without mentioning the world’s cycle?’

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted bringing it up in the first place. Walking toward the blazing fireball in the distance, Cadel racked his brain.

‘If I reveal that the world is constantly being destroyed and recreated, I’d have to explain the system and my world too. And the transmigration. I have no intention of exposing everything like that.’

The building marked by Kunra’s fireball had a round floor and scattered standing walls. Judging by its size and shape, it was likely a silo for storing grain or feed. Cadel circled the structure, searching for the tallest wall.

‘A soul transmigrated into a body in another world…… Van eventually accepted it after many trials and errors, but I don’t want Garuel to go through that kind of suffering. Though, since we met after I transmigrated, it probably wouldn’t be as hard on him as it was for Van.’

He had assumed that the ‘tallest wall’ would be obvious at a glance. However, the heights of the walls were surprisingly similar, making it difficult to determine which one was the highest. Cadel scratched his head in frustration.

‘Fine, let’s say I can reveal the transmigration. But what about the fact that the world is stuck in a cycle? Maybe I could brush it off as just another trick of the otherworldly forces. But if I tell Garuel that all of his suffering was nothing more than entertainment for beings from another world…… he would end up hating me too. I can’t let things end like that. There could be no crueler parting gift.’

After carefully eyeing the walls, he narrowed it down to two options. But even after examining them closely, he still couldn’t decide which was taller. He hesitated for a moment, considering asking Kunra for help—

[Now. Push the outer wall.]

Kunra’s signal came abruptly.

“W-Wait. Right now?”

Flustered, Cadel hesitated, but the urging voice in his mind left no room for delay. In the end, he hastily chose a wall and began pushing. Contrary to his expectations, the wall moved smoothly, only to halt with a dull clunk at a certain point.

“Did…… did it work?”

Since it had moved properly, he figured he must have picked the right one. Or so he thought—

[Which one of you was it? Who’s the idiot with purely decorative eyes?]

Kunra’s irritated voice rang in his mind, followed by the wall shaking violently.