Chapter 40: To the North

It was a dark and narrow room.

The War Knight in red armour was sitting before a platform.

There was no opponent on the other side of the game board. However, on the game board, black and white pieces were fighting each other.

The War Knight had been alive for many years. The number of people in the Demon World who had lived longer than him could be counted on one hand. However, the War Knight wasn’t as old as the Death Knight. Therefore, the relationship between the War Knight and War was somewhat different from the relationship between the Death Knight and Death.

War looked at the game board through the eyes of the War Knight. The War Knight was silent, and War didn’t hate such a knight.

There were many fights and many defeats. War lost some of his apostles. However, that was merely a tactical defeat. From a strategic point of view, the story had changed. War, the red flame-like woman, liked this about war.

The dark elves of Sky Forest had destroyed the magic fog with their own hands. The magic power the first fairy king left behind had disappeared, and there was no longer a magic fog in Sky Forest.

‘It was a little surprising.’

She hadn’t expected the Death Knight to be defeated. The future the red woman had anticipated was one in which the demonic god self-destructed after exhausting all the magic power in the fog.

The War Knight’s hands carried out a move on the board. The singularity, 2nd Prince Zephyr Ragnaros, was already in the north. Another singularity, the warrior, was heading toward the north, and he would soon reach.

‘The Conquest Knight will also head north.’

There was no such thing as unconditional victory in a war. There were always many variables which could overthrow the direction of the war. The Conquest Knight had achieved several tactical victories, so his presence was impossible to ignore. Maybe the convergence of two singularities and the Conquest Knight in the north would cause a strategic defeat.

The War Knight moved his hand again. The red woman looked at his fingertips and thought of the places which contained strategic value:

The Demon World’s absolute defense called Aegis Gate;

The Demon King’s Palace located at the heart of the Demon World;

And the Sanctuary.

The red woman let out a long breath, savouring the flames of war which were deep in her chest.

&

Sky Forest was a mess. As the fog disappeared and the surroundings became clearer, the terrible sight became more vivid.

Beatrice laid down a family of dark elves, who had been slaughtered by the ghouls, next to each other and chanted a short prayer.

She showed no discrimination as her golden magic healed other dark elves.

“Huu.”

Beatrice smiled warmly as she touched the cheek of a dark elf child.

“Locke, what will you do now?”

Beatrice asked, flicking back her golden hair. In order to look like an elf, she wore a white blouse and leather trousers, instead of a white robe. Additionally, she had given herself long ears by using magic.

Locke shrugged as he pulled an injured person out from a collapsed house.

“I will help here as long as I can. We aren’t too conspicuous yet.”

Locke was dressed in the normal red clothes of a sura. Just like Beatrice was disguised as an elf, he was disguised as a sura. The group had been rescuing the dark elves for hours already. As he said, they were in the remote areas to avoid being noticed.

“Then, we will become the allies of the Conquest Knight we saw yesterday?”

Carlov asked as he moved between Locke and Beatrice. The mercenary king had taken advantage of his magnificent body to disguise as a lycanthrope. The lycanthropes wore armour, so there was almost no difference from what he usually wore.

Carlov flopped down on the ground, while Beatrice sat down on some rocks nearby. Locke shrugged.

“Let’s see? I haven’t confirmed anything except for his strength. Moreover, the Guardian warned against the Conquest Knight.”

Locke had heard the story from Guardian Queian.

Queian didn’t fully believe in Conquest’s betrayal. Even if she had really betrayed the other riders, Queian believed that fighting together was dangerous.

Locke understood Queian’s thoughts. Although he had never encountered them personally, the Four Riders of the Apocalypse were those born for the end of the world. It wasn’t easy to change that innate nature.

Locke remembered Queian’s words and nodded. Then he turned back to Carlov, who was still staring in his direction.

“What is it?”

“No, I just had an absurd thought. The three of us are in alone in the Demon World. I am grateful that the Guardian believes in us, but… I think it is a little too much.”

Additionally, he was embarrassed about the thought of cooperating with the Conquest Knight since they were in an area where they had no one else to ally with. However, Locke just said with a charming smile,

“Carl, aren’t you one of the three people?” (Carl=nickname)

The Mercenary King and Saintess… The three strongest people were together, which gave them a power equivalent to that of an army.

“Um, I agree.”

Carlov was convinced, and this caused Beatrice to laugh. She poked Carlov’s sturdy arm with her finger and asked,

“Carl, are you praising yourself right now?”

“Locke is the one who said it.”

“I am a mighty warrior.”

It was Locke who replied, not Beatrice. Carlov was impressed with Locke’s response, while Beatrice simply giggled and nodded like he was correct.

“Hey, isn’t it amazing?”

“What?”

At Carlov’s blunt question, Beatrice pulled his arm and pointed.

“The Demon World. Isn’t it different from what we thought?”

“That is true. Honestly… I feel like I just travelled to a foreign country. The land is more fertile than I thought. Well, the barren places are seriously barren.”

They had expected sulfur fires and monsters roaming the streets, but the Demon World was surprisingly ordinary. Of course, it was a land where brutal power ruled, but it was much better than they expected. There were good people and bad people. In this sense, it was just like the Human World.

“I was honestly wondering what the Guardian was thinking when he sent you to the Demon World, but… doesn’t it seem like we can cooperate with the people here? And not just the Conquest Knight? I think it will work out pretty well.”

They had encountered many people while travelling through the Demon World. Even though the demon king had taken over, the people seemed just like humans.

“But there might not be a need to fight. Our biggest goal isn’t to fight but to make sure it doesn’t spill over to the Human World.”

Locke calmed down Beatrice’s excitement with his steady voice. Beatrice pouted slightly, while Carlov laughed.

The reason why these three people had come to the Demon World was simple:

Guardian Queian had predicted that a great fight would happen in the north. They had to prevent the flames of war from spreading by keeping the war inside the Demon World.

Queian said it was enough for the Demon World to burn, but Locke disagreed. He also thought about protecting the Demon World, if it was possible.

“For now, let’s keep an eye on the situation from behind. Once we reach the end of the north, I will have to draw my sword even if I don’t want to.”

Locke tapped the Warrior’s Sword at his waist, and Beatrice and Carlov nodded in agreement.

&

In-gong woke up. Instead of opening his eyes, In-gong turned toward the warmth he felt in his arms. It was a little warmer than usual, but it was probably Green Wind. In-gong stretched out a hand like it was a habit and stroked Green Wind’s head.

“Greenie…”

‘Did you call Master?’

Green Wind immediately responded to his voice. However, the voice was ringing in his ears, not from outside.

In-gong opened his eyes and realized that he was touching dark blue hair, not green. The owner of the hair wriggled slightly in his arms and asked,

“Shutra, are you awake?”

“Caitlin noona?”

The golden eyes obviously belonged to Caitlin. She was still half-asleep as she nodded and buried her nose in In-gong’s chest.

“You smell good.”

He felt a strange sensation when she sniffed his chest. Then a sharp voice saved In-gong from his embarrassment.

“If you are awake, stop now. Haven’t you almost recovered all of your aura as well?”

It was Chris who spoke to both In-gong and Caitlin. The gigantic prince grabbed Caitlin’s neck like she was a cat and lifted her up. Caitlin truly looked like a lycanthrope as she dangled from Chris’ hand.

“Chris hyung.”

In-gong understood instinctively as he called Chris’ name. The Moonlight Core and Starlight Core… Both of them had been placed on the same bed so that their aura could recover, just like before in the lycanthrope territory.

“Besides you, Caitlin also received a shock to her aura… Hum, hum. This scent is great.”

Chris started sniffing, and Caitlin spoke with a large smile,

“Isn’t it?”

The lycanthrope siblings looked at In-gong and smiled. In-gong shrugged and tried to move back.

“Hey, you aren’t going to eat me, are you? Why can I hear the sound of swallowing?”

“Your body seems fine.”

Chris ignored In-gong’s words and sat down on the bed. In-gong backed away a bit more and asked,

“How long was I asleep?”

“Just a day.”

Indeed, In-gong checked the mini-map and saw that it was an hour before noon. He only overslept a little bit from his normal wake-up time.

“The others?”

Caitlin and Chris were the only ones in the room. Chris then replied in a somewhat darker voice,

“The damage was huge. Silvan is still out there, and the 3rd Queen is lying in bed. She is just tired from yesterday, but… I still can’t help but worry.”

Sylvia had used the enormous magic power of the palace to fight the demonic god yesterday. An ordinary magician would have already lost their life.

“Felicia unni is nursing the queen.”

Caitlin continued in a gloomy voice. Normally, Felicia would be the first one In-gong saw when he woke up after collapsing, but it made sense that she would be with Sylvia right now.

“Carack?”

“Resting outside. Amita is also safe, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Sky Forest?”

“As I said earlier, the condition is serious. There are over 1,000 dead or injured. The magic fog has disappeared, and most of the magical facilities, including the palace, are not operating. The rescue operations are still continuing, and it is still unknown what the cause was.”

Chris’ tone was hard. This meant that the situation was still serious.

“Still, I’m glad. You were able to defeat the demonic god. If it wasn’t for you, the damage would be much more serious. The casualties would be a few times what it is now.”

Chris smiled a bit as he stood up before sitting down again. Then he looked straight at In-gong and touched In-gong’s shoulder lightly with his big fist.

“You are really strong. I honestly don’t believe it. What the hell are you doing to have become so strong in a year? I would have believed that a great captain was in Sky Forest.”

The five captains could be called the mightiest weapons of the demon king. They were just below the demon king and were the peak of strength in the Demon World. However, last night, In-gong had shown a strength comparable to that of the captains.

Chris remembered the day he had seen In-gong during the Red Lightning tribe mission. He had also been there at the moment when In-gong awakened his aura in an absurd manner.

“I finally know why the sword duke is interested in you. Maybe this world wants you to become stronger. Yes, that is probably the case. There is no other way to explain the many incidents.”

He really thought it was true. The elder dragons’ equipment, the dragon heart, the Moonlight Core, and the sword duke’s teachings were all once-in-a-lifetime things.

‘Maybe that is the right answer.’

In-gong laughed as he thought about Protagonist Correction, while Chris shook his head. Suppressing his jealous heart, Chris got up from his seat.

“Anyway, I will be going. There are still a lot of things to do because of this situation. Caitlin, you should watch over Shutra. I think it is better if both of you lie down a little longer.”

Chris stroked Caitlin’s head roughly before leaving the room. He was just as reliable as his large size.

In-gong settled his thoughts and stretched his body. At that moment, he felt a breath touch his fingertips.

“Noona?”

It was Caitlin. She placed her face near In-gong’s fingertip and took a deep breath.

“Excuse me, Shutra.”

“Huh?”

“Can I suck it just once?”

Caitlin pointed at his finger, and In-gong couldn’t help nodding.

&

“So, why is there a bite?”

“Slightly, just slightly.”

“So, why is there a bite?”

“Slightly, just slightly.”

In-gong avoided Carack’s gaze and raised his finger. There was a clean lycanthrope bite on it.

Although In-gong had agreed, his flesh was too hard for Caitlin at first. In-gong already had a durability figure which was over 100 points, so his skin was incomparable to Villager A.

Carack looked at In-gong’s wound with a surprised face and laughed.

“You must have been surprised.

In-gong had been bitten suddenly. However, he just shook his head.

“I think Caitlin noona was even more surprised. She did it unconsciously while struggling.”

Her expression while it happened had been really cute. The way Caitlin bit In-gong accidentally and was even more startled than he was… It reminded him of a puppy from his childhood.

‘It is really the same.’

Caitlin was pretty cute. In-gong continued thinking that word. Then Carack narrowed his eyes and said with a serious voice,

“Prince, don’t you think it is more dangerous if you keep thinking that?”

“I-Is that so?”

The boat might have already sailed. It sounded like a joke, but unconsciously, it didn’t really seem like one.

“Sniff, sniff. By the way, Prince’s smell seems to have weakened?”

Even though he was pretty close, the smell was thin and delicate. If the person smelling it wasn’t within a really close distance or concentrating like Carack was now, it would be hard to know that the scent originated from In-gong. This hadn’t been the case a few days ago. Previously, just by going near him, one would smell like a flower garden.

In-gong answered with a smile,

“I’m controlling it.”

“That scent… it was the aroma from your body?”

“Yes.”

“And now, you’re controlling it?”

“That’s right.”

In-gong himself was surprised. Perhaps this fragrance was the result of the skill ‘ Heavenly Wine’. Although the gandharva smelt good, In-gong’s scent was on a serious level.

‘Plus, there is more.’

Thanks to the unidentified skill effect of Pheromones, his scent was able to be buried somewhat in the pheromones. It could be used to excite or calm a person.

‘Anyway, I don’t have to worry about being eaten now.’

In-gong nodded with satisfaction, but Carack was still looking at him like something was strange.

“Well, that is a good thing. As 6th Princess would say, you are still a prince.”

“Yes, so let’s move on.”

In-gong was already very different from ordinary gandharva. He had a ‘Protagonist Correction’, separate from other gandharva.

“Then Prince, do you know why something this big happened?”

Carack’s expression changed as he turned to a new topic. It was a very important story, so In-gong’s expression became serious as well.

“Just before the specter of the fairy king appeared, I saw a blue aura coming from the fairy king’s tomb.”

“Is it like what we saw at Thunderdoom Fortress?”

Their memories of that time were intense because it had been a desperate crisis. In-gong nodded.

“Yes, this might be related to that power.

Carack had accompanied In-gong and encountered the energy of Death. He didn’t know what a Death Knight was, but he knew that the strong energy of Death was blue.

“Hmm, then isn’t there something strange?”

“What?”

“If the power of Death was used specifically to resurrect the fairy king… why now?”

Carack scratched his chin and tilted his head to the side. In-gong couldn’t understand the question.

“What… does that mean?”

“Well, I mean, why? Yesterday, the power of the fog in Sky Forest was normal for Sky Forest. If they wanted to target Sky Forest, wouldn’t it be better when the princes, princesses and 3rd Queen wasn’t present? Or at least wait until the princes and princesses have left. I would have done it like that.”

It was a reasonable opinion. If their purpose was to destroy Sky Forest or to use the specter of the fairy king, then doing it yesterday had been a really poor choice.

“Well, that might not be the only variable involved. It might not be possible to resurrect the fairy king any time they wanted.”

It was the ghost of the first fairy king, so resurrecting him wouldn’t be an easy task.

‘Moreover, he is stronger compared to the version of him in Knight Saga.’

In Knight Saga, the first fairy king didn’t use the magic fog of Sky Forest. However, yesterday’s fairy king could only be described as a demonic god.

‘Master, the talking raccoon has come.’

In-gong heard Green Wind’s voice while he was thinking. Green Wind was still exhausted from yesterday, so she wasn’t in her semi-solid state.

‘Are you in pain?’

‘I’m okay, Master. I am just saving my strength. I’ll be okay soon.’

As he exchanged words with Green Wind, the door opened. Just as Green Wind said, Amita showed up with Daphne and Karma behind them.

“Is your body okay? You aren’t hurt anywhere?”

In-gong expressed his concern for Amita. Daphne laughed softly.

“I have heard about Prince’s performance. Thank you, Your Highness. You saved everyone.”

Daphne and Karma greeted him politely. In-gong’s heart warmed at their words.

“I’m glad that Daphne and Karma are safe. Amita as well.”

He was truly relieved to see that all three of them were safe. Then Amita came up to the bed and said,

“Hum, hum. Prince, there is something I want to talk about.”

“What is it?”

“It is simply a feeling, but it seems like this incident is related to the attacks on the guardians.”

Amita didn’t seem to just be talking about the purple energy or blue energy. Carack also felt the difference as he folded his arms.

“Raccoon, the fog isn’t a guardian. Oh, maybe the big ghost of the fairy king is the guardian?”

They knew about the events where the guardians of various places had been attacked by the monsters covered with purple energy.

“Well, I don’t know about that. Like I said, it is simply a feeling.”

Amita responded as their ears and tail moved. It seemed like they had no confidence either. Then Carack added,

“Raccoon, it seems plausible, but Sky Forest hasn’t become a desert. Is there any more specific evidence?”

“No, I told you that it’s just my feeling! Why are you taking it so seriously?!”

Amita burst out angrily.

‘Carack is right but…’

In-gong was nervous. He didn’t forget that Amita wasn’t an ordinary raccoon. Amita had defended the last flame for many years, so he couldn’t ignore Amita’s senses. Carack folded his arms and was about to say something else.

Then at that moment…

“Your Highness.”

Amita opened the door to reveal a dark elf. It was Felicia’s aide, Delia.

“Delia.”

Carack stated in a nice voice. Delia greeted Carack with her eyes, but the expressions on both their faces were unusual.

‘Is Delia the winner of the contest for Carack? Doesn’t Seira seem like she still has a chance?’

As In-gong was thinking this, Delia approached the bed.

“Your Highness, the queen is looking for you.”

“The queen? Has she woken up?”

“Yes, she just woke up. She said she has something to share with Prince. It is possible to visit her now.”

In-gong was half lying on the bed, but his stamina had already recovered. So, he nodded and said,

“I understand, I will go right away. Just wait a moment.”

It was natural that he needed to be prepared to meet the queen. Delia expressed her gratitude and stepped back from the bed. However, instead of putting on clothes like everyone expected, In-gong started pulling things out of his inventory.

“Prince, what are you doing?”

“Gifts.”

In-gong took out the Heavenly Wine previously made for Sylvia as well as the highest quality elixir. He instantly mixed them together. The combination of magic power, divinity, and Dragon Words made it an incomparable mixture.

‘Come to think of it, if I create new blood, will it have a better effect and taste?’

Both Divinity and Heavenly Wine had levelled up. However, it was too cumbersome to make a new Heavenly Wine right now. There were too many eyes. As soon as In-gong opened the bottle of Heavenly Wind, Amita sniffed and jumped up.

“Heok! Are you mixing that good drink with the elixir?!”

“It is because the queen is precious. She played a really big role in this fight.”

If it hadn’t been for Sylvia, then he wouldn’t have won against the fairy king. Sylvia had collapsed from depleting her magic power, so he wanted to give her more.

“I-I also tried!”

Amita shouted. Both eyes were fixed on the Heavenly Wine.

“Well, Amita also played an active role.”

“T-that’s right.”

Amita’s tail waved fiercely at In-gong’s words. In-gong patted Amita lightly on the head and said,

“Well done.”

Then he once again focused on the combination. After 10 seconds or so…

Amita angrily pounded the floor with their tail.

&

After preparing the new Heavenly Wine, In-gong changed clothes with Carack’s help. He walked along with Karma and Daphne, who was holding Amita, but it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Delia and Carack were leading the way.

Contrary to expectations, Delia headed to the top floor, instead of Sylvia’s room. As soon as Sylvia woke up, she had insisted on going to the throne on the top floor. The evidence of yesterday’s horror remained all over the palace. The number of dark elves walking around the palace was also greatly reduced. In front of the office on the top floor, there were guards standing with stiff faces. However, it wasn’t just due to fatigue and tension.

‘They are still worried.’

Sylvia was a very beloved queen, so it was likely the guards’ expressions were due to Sylvia.

“The queen is waiting. Go in comfortably.”

A leader of the dark elf guards said to In-gong. The leader knew the whole story regarding yesterday, so he had very favourable feelings toward In-gong. In-gong headed into the office. The structure of the room meant that all eyes went to Sylvia on the throne as soon as they entered.

“Shutra.”

Felicia spoke from next to the throne, but she didn’t run in his direction. In-gong looked at Sylvia next to her. Her complexion was pale, and she seemed to have no strength.

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

In-gong approached the podium and bowed. Every one except Amita followed his example, and Sylvia gave a pained smile.

Then at that moment…

In-gong suddenly looked up at the sky. Just like yesterday, the ceiling was open, and he could see a clear sky without any clouds. The cause of his sudden action was the white woman. She didn’t voice it, but In-gong could see it. The white woman was looking at the sky. She felt something. Everyone was confused by In-gong’s sudden action except for Sylvia. Her smile widened as she said,

“As expected from Shutra. You already noticed.”

“Omamama?”

Felicia asked Sylvia what she meant. Instead of answering, Sylvia chanted a song-like spell.

It was using Sylvia’s magic power, rather than the palace’s. Felicia was nervous about Sylvia’s condition but fortunately, it wasn’t a big burden. As Sylvia’s recitation continued, sparkling lights started to pour down from the sky. It was like looking at stars in the middle of the day.

The dancing lights descended from the sky and reached Sylvia’s thighs. In-gong followed the light and could see what it was. It was a crystal of magic power which had been broken and divided into several pieces.

This was a fairy.

There were five pieces of light. Felicia stared at the pieces of light sitting on Sylvia’s thigh and gulped.

“This…”

“It is the rumoured fairy. It is like the fairy of the first fairy king.”

It was Amita who spoke in a heavy tone. They had climbed up the podium and was now staring at the pieces of light. Sylvia smiled faintly.

“Amita truly has a discerning eye. Yes, it is divided into several pieces, but it is a fairy.”

It was different from common fairies. Despite losing its shape, this was actually the fairy of the first fairy king. Sylvia slowly moved her hands and touched the pieces of light with her thin fingers. It gave off a warm magic power with no signs of wickedness at all.

“I saw it before losing consciousness and felt it immediately after waking up. Maybe it was the first fairy king who told me.”

The first fairy king was glad. The specter had attempted to destroy Sky Forest with the fog which had been prepared to defend it. However, Sylvia didn’t think that was the true fairy king. After all, he was someone who had tried to defend the dark elves even after death.

Sylvia had heard the voice of the fairy king at the last minute. It wasn’t a mistake nor a hallucination created by a desperate mind.  It had been the fairy king’s voice. After nearly destroying Sky Forest with his own hands, he sent a message of thanks for stopping him.

“Sky Forest has lost the power of the fog. The source of magic power which enriched Sky Forest is gone. But if there is some contained in this fairy… I think I can regain half the strength.”

As the magic fog disappeared, the Dark Elves’ Palace also lost all its magic power. The restoration of the palace was necessary for Sky Forest to function properly. Sylvia picked up one of the five pieces. There was one sole piece shining green among all the gold pieces.

“Shutra, this is your share.”

As Sylvia placed the piece in the air, a mysterious thing happened. Although he didn’t use any magic power or Telekinesis, the green piece fell toward In-gong’s palm.

“Can you tell after touching it?”

Sylvia asked, and In-gong nodded. He really felt it the moment he touched the piece.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Shutra?”

Felicia stood next to Sylvia and asked about what Sylvia was saying. Clearly, Felicia had a few questions. In-gong grabbed the green piece lightly and answered,

“This piece of the fairy is tinged with my magic power.”

Every magic had its own colour and attributes. The magic power of the fairy king was gold while this piece was green. Not just the colour but the nature of the magic power was the same as In-gong’s.

“It might be the impact of the last strike or a gift from the fairy king… Only the heavens know the truth, but I think it is the latter.”

According to Sylvia’s belief, it was a gift the fairy king left behind for In-gong.

‘Conquest.’

The white woman whispered from In-gong’s soul. In-gong grabbed the piece of light and used his magic power. Then the piece shone with a bright light and became a solid green gem. Everyone let out a cry of admiration as the mass of magic power crystallized in front of them. There was a look of delight on Sylvia’s face.

“The piece of fairy contains powerful magic… I think it would be nice to add it to the various spells that Shutra has.”

Sylvia had gained some insights into In-gong’s magic power after last night’s fight. Everyone nodded at her words while Amita, who was in front of the throne, jumped down and shouted,

“I-I’ll add it! Let me do it! This Amita is a professional!”

Amita ran down the stairs excitedly and stopped in front of In-gong.

“Let me! Yes? I’ll do it!”

“U-Understood. I’ll leave it to you. Calm down.”

At In-gong’s reflexive words, Amita sighed while their eyes shone like lanterns.

“Heok, heok. You really will leave it to me?”

‘Master, the pig raccoon has become a strange racoon.’

Green Wind whispered in a teasing tone. In-gong agreed as he saw the greed in Amita’s eyes.

“Just a glass, right?”

“Sob, sob. How about two glasses?”

Amita’s reason for doing this was to get the Heavenly Wine. In-gong struggled for a short moment before nodding. Sometimes a carrot was necessary.

“Okay, two cups.”

“Yah! I’ll put it on Earth Quaker. Then it will be perfect!”

Amita chanted and their tail waved as In-gong handed over the piece of fairy. Daphne normally took good care of Amita, but she could only sigh this time. However, Sylvia just laughed at the pleasant sight. She was exactly like Felicia, but as she was also a queen, and her every act was more elegant.

“Well, is it been organized now?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

In-gong apologized with an embarrassed face. The way he talked to her had changed because this was the palace of the dark elves.

“Shutra, it is okay to call me Omamama.”

“Yes, Omamama.”

It was uncomfortable with 4th Queen Elaine, but it was easy with Sylvia. Unlike Elaine who was completely different from Caitlin, Sylvia was like Felicia on the inside and outside. Since their talk had been interrupted, In-gong pulled out the Heavenly Wine he had prepared for Sylvia. Amita waved their tail again, but they didn’t rush forward.

“Thank you, I’ll drink it well.”

Now that In-gong had presented the gift to Sylvia, there was only one thing left.

“Omamama, I have something to say.”

Sylvia’s expression changed as In-gong’s voice became low and serious.

“Tell me, Shutra.”

In-gong took a deep breath and talked about his guess regarding the fairy king. He mentioned the various places in the Demon World which had been attacked by those with a purple aura as well as the guardians who had lost their lives. Then he went on to talk about the threats of the Knights of the Apocalypse which had already been reported to the Demon King’s Palace.

After listening to In-gong’s story, Sylvia was upset.

“Indeed. There is also Amita’s feeling. That is quite a story.”

The dark elves suffered huge damage because of this incident, and that wasn’t limited to just physical damage. The first fairy king was a spiritual guardian for the dark elves. So, to have such an existence wanting to destroy Sky Forest, it had a tremendous mental impact on the dark elves.

“I will look for the various causes behind this. If I figure out why, then I will tell Shutra.”

“Thank you.”

As In-gong bowed, Felicia looked at Sylvia’s complexion and said,

“Omamama. I think you should go to your room and rest now…”

Her voice was full of worry, and Sylvia nodded slowly.

“Shutra, you should also get a good rest. Felicia, there is no need to follow me. Take a rest for the day. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Omamama.”

Felicia replied, and Sylvia left the office with her maids. The group walked out a few minutes later, and someone was waiting for them outside the office.

“Is it finished?”

The person was Caitlin, who was waiting with Seira. Felicia rushed over to them and touched Caitlin’s body as she asked,

“Caitlin, are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere?”

“Yes, yes. I’m fine.”

Caitlin had fainted in front of Felicia after using aura excessively. So, Felicia’s fussing was understandable. Felicia’s and Caitlin’s sisterly actions improved the mood, while Carack headed toward Caitlin.

“Princess, I heard that you tasted Prince.”

Caitlin flinched at the surprise attack. Felicia blinked with confusion when she saw the visible reaction.

“Tasted Shutra? What are you talking about?”

“Uh… t-that is actually…”

Caitlin hesitated before explaining what had happened with In-gong. In-gong turned red, while Felicia’s eyes narrowed.

“Hmm, I see. Yes, something like that happened. So? What was the taste?”

At Felicia’s question, Caitlin glanced back at In-gong before whispering in Felicia’s ear.

“Uhh, I see. Is that so?”

Felicia sent In-gong a meaningful smile before whispering to Caitlin again. Then Caitlin looked at In-gong again.

‘What are they talking about?’

He wasn’t sure, but it smelled dangerous. In-gong adjusted the skill Divine Scent to try and hide it.

&

While In-gong’s group was talking with Sylvia, Chris searched for Silvan’s room. Sepira, who was guarding Silvan’s bed, was disconcerted by Chris’ visit, but Silvan was different. He faced Chris with a blank face, unlike his usual self.

Instead of approaching the bed, Chris stopped in the middle of the room. He stared at Silvan, who was lying on the bed due to the overuse of magic power, and then fixed his gaze on the right eye which was covered by an eyepatch.

“The fairy… can you control it?”

It was an unexpected question. Sepira gulped. The fact that Silvan had the fairy was a secret which only a few dark elves knew. Yet the prince of the lycanthrope’s words suggested that he knew about it.

It was Chris who first came to the crashed Black Flame Dragon. Did he see the fairy at that time? No, even if he saw it, how did he know it was the fairy? The fairy was just a superstition among the dark elves. Sepira’s expression became complicated as many thoughts passed through her head. However, Silvan just replied in a calm voice,

“Thanks to Shutra.”

Silvan didn’t say anything else, and Chris didn’t ask. He just stared at Silvan for a while and frowned.

“Rest.”

Chris said in a low voice before turning and leaving the room. Silvan watched Chris’ back with half closed eyes. Rather than explaining to Sepira, he lost himself in old memories.

&

The change at Sky Forest had been passed onto the Demon King’s Palace.

The capital of the dark elves, one of the strong supporters of the Demon King’s Palace, had been devastated, so the palace couldn’t pass over this news. There were many discussions among the nobles of the palace, and measures were prepared in order to help the dark elves.

Additionally, In-gong’s actions became a hot topic. It wasn’t just Chris who was reminded of the captains when In-gong defeated the demonic god. There were some who said the story was inflated, while others believed 9th Prince would become the next demon king. The strength of 2nd Prince wasn’t easy to beat either.

While the palace was in an uproar due to Sky Forest and In-gong, the dwelling of the demon king, deep inside the castle, was quiet.

The demon king, who had refused the requests of the queens to visit and was resting alone, opened his eyes slowly. There was a visitor in the quiet space which In-gong had visited once.

“Sword Duke.”

“I heard about it on the way. 9th Prince really seems to be driving the incidents.”

The sword duke had appeared without any noise. The king shrugged and answered lightly,

“It is a good thing that the child was around when the incident occurred.”

What would have happened if In-gong hadn’t been there? It was very lucky. Or maybe it was all due to In-gong’s presence.

“Demon King, do you see something in the flow of fate?”

“I can’t be sure. Rather, Sword Duke, what is happening?”

The sword duke seemed like he always appeared suddenly, but that actually wasn’t the case. He always had a reason for showing up before the demon king. As the guardian of the Sanctuary, it was unthinkable that he was leave it for no reason.

“I’ve found the specific location of the Arch Lich, Shutenberg. He seems to be hiding in the north.”

It was the north once again. The demon king felt like he was seeing several streams of water become one.

“Are you going to go?”

“It is my role as the protector of the Sanctuary.”

He had to eliminate any threats to the Sanctuary. Originally, it was a naturally mission which he didn’t need to report to the demon king. However, the sword duke visited the demon king because he had a request.

“Demon King, can I bring the princes?”

He didn’t mention specific names, but the demon king understood. Maybe this would be when Zephyr’s and In-gong’s fates intersected.

“I will allow it.”

“Thank you. I will come back with good news.”

The sword duke disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. The demon king turned his weary body and stared at a distant place. However, it wasn’t at In-gong and Zephyr in the northern direction. There was one more person possessing a destiny as strong as the previous two. What would result from this intersection of fate?

The demon king recalled the face of 5th Queen Semita Ignus. Then he looked away from the flow of fate for a moment and lost himself in his memories of her.