After Athena raised the white flag, things surprisingly went smoothly.
“I… can I get up now…”
As soon as I finished speaking, Athena got up from her knees on the ground.
Maybe she didn’t like my actions. She crossed her arms and shot me a sharp look.
“So what’s the plan?”
Her tone was pretty grumpy, but I felt relieved knowing she was willing to listen to me.
Having gained the support of those I thought would be hard to convince, I answered with a beaming smile filled with pride.
“I’m going to meet the Demon King and charm him with the techniques I learned.”
A simple and seemingly foolish plan.
After all, the simpler the plan, the easier it is to achieve.
But Athena seemed to think otherwise, crumpling her face as she muttered to herself.
“…I guess I need to rethink this.”
“No way.”
With my blunt rejection, Athena clicked her tongue and asked again.
“Okay. Let’s say you charm him. But how on earth do you plan to meet him? Are you seriously going to storm his castle?”
“Umm… that’s actually the problem…”
Is it because she used to be a mastermind? She promptly pinpointed the biggest issue.
As Athena said, it wouldn’t be possible to just waltz into the Demon King’s castle. The most difficult part of this operation was meeting the Demon King in a place that ensured our safety.
‘What could the Demon King be doing right now…?’
If I had even a sliver of information about his plans, I could devise a way to meet him. But with no information at all, I felt utterly helpless.
I even considered asking Sephir for help, but I doubted what she could do now that she had been marked by the Demon King.
‘Is there really no choice but to go to the Demon King’s castle…?’
Just then, I was lost in thought when I heard a sudden knock.
Knock knock-
“Who’s there?”
‘Unnie. It’s me.’
A quick reply came back.
The voice belonged to my younger sister, Lily.
‘…It shouldn’t be time for classes to be over yet…?’
Looking at the clock, I realized it was still time for afternoon classes. Lily shouldn’t be in the dorm.
Could it be that she was skipping class to come see me?
If that were the case, I planned to give her a good scolding as I approached the door.
As I opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of my pretty little sister with ash-gray hair, perfectly matching her bright demeanor.
“…Lily. What about your class?”
At least it was a relief, in a way.
Lily wasn’t just skipping class.
“Unnie, she asked me to help her!”
Lily pointed beside her.
Following her finger, I was taken aback to discover an unexpected figure.
A girl who looked to be around Lily’s age.
She rushed toward me with a pale face and grasped my hand tightly.
“Please help me… please…”
I could feel her trembling through our joined hands.
Slowly, I turned my head to look at her.
Her hair, a lighter shade of gold than Athena’s, neatly dressed. A large ribbon decorated the top of her head.
And above all, her distinct features: long ears sticking out to the side.
“He…aili…?”
I recognized her immediately.
The scout of the Hero Party, known as the beloved character in The Indomitable Hero, Elf Hailey.
Muttering her name made the girl lift her head, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Elvenheim… is burning…”
She was so flustered that Hailey could barely get the words out.
I knelt in front of the trembling Hailey, holding her hands tightly and looking up at her.
“Calm down and tell me slowly. What on earth is happening that has you so scared?”
“The Demon King…”
The unexpected name made me flinch.
“The… Demon King attacked Elvenheim…”
“……What?”
It seems that the opportunity to meet the Demon King would arrive much sooner than I expected.
*
“Dr…Dragon…”
With a look of disbelief, Hailey cautiously touched Mari’s leathery back.
Well, anyone would be startled in such a situation.
A strong gust of wind howled around us.
Cool air brushed past my face.
We were currently flying through the sky on Mari, who had returned to her dragon form.
Although young, Mari was still large enough to carry about four people comfortably.
Normally, we’d avoid flying in dragon form to keep the commotion at bay, but given the urgent situation, we had no choice but to rely on Mari.
“Thank you, Mari.”
“Gruk!”
As I gently patted her back, Mari replied with a joyful roar.
I chuckled at Mari’s adorable behavior as I turned my attention back to Hailey.
“Are you sure the Demon King attacked Elvenheim?”
Hailey vigorously nodded her small head.
“…Yes.”
“…Looks like we’re definitely going to meet the Demon King.”
Continuing to ignore Athena, who was grumbling beside me, I pressed Hailey for more information.
“Do you know the reason?”
“They contacted us saying they were attacked suddenly…”
Once again, Hailey stumbled over her words.
Her character traits from the novel mirrored what I was seeing now.
Since she liked to keep to herself, Hailey didn’t engage much with others.
Naturally, her communication skills lagged behind others, but the readers saw it as part of her charm.
‘…She has to be safe.’
Elvenheim. A vast forest where elves reside.
No one would have expected the Demon King to attack there.
After the Academy was attacked, it was clear that Elvenheim would be the next target.
“Mom….”
Crack-
Hailey bit her own nails so hard that they were bloodied.
…Surely, no one was feeling as anxious as she was right now.
In the novel, Hailey was a serious mama’s girl.
The only person allowed into her closed-off world was her mother, Helia, the queen of the elves.
One could say Helia was everything to her, as Hailey was fiercely loyal to her.
The only reason Hailey came to the Academy was that Helia wanted her to.
If anything were to happen to Helia, Hailey would likely fall apart.
And somehow, I had to prevent such a situation.
I carefully pried Hailey’s fingers away from her mouth, which was still trembling.
“Hailey. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
“……But the Demon King…”
I looked at Hailey and confidently smiled as I extended my arms around her.
“We have a dragon. We have Athena, the hero. And we have Lily, the warrior!”
“Ah…”
“So don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”
As I held her hands warmly, Hailey stared at our joined hands for a moment before looking at me with wide, twinkling eyes.
“Who are you, exactly…-”
“Enough. We’re here.”
Athena interrupted Hailey’s question.
As I turned to look around, I found myself staring at an endlessly dense forest.
A forest of a completely different scale from the average.
Huge, verdant trees towered above us.
The fragrant aroma of fragrant grass filled the air.
In the midst of this vibrant forest, something ominous could be seen.
Black flames burned brightly, foretelling doom.
It was the power of the Demon King Arbes.
“…Mari! Fly over there!”
“Kru-kruk.”
As soon as I finished my sentence, Mari flapped her wings powerfully, and the black flames that had previously been in the distance were now right beneath our feet.
“Lily! Athena!”
“Yes, Unnie.”
“Alright, Master.”
It was as if they knew what I was going to say, as Lily and Athena jumped off Mari and leaped to the ground before I finished my sentence.
Once I saw them land safely, I turned to Hailey, extending my hand.
“Take my hand, Hailey.”
“……Okay.”
With hesitation, her palm rested atop mine.
I pulled Hailey into my embrace and jumped off Mari’s back, landing on the ground.
Just after touching the ground, something small fell straight into my arms from the sky.
“I’m tired, Mommy. Hug me.”
Mari, back in her young girl form, had returned to my arms and tightly wrapped herself around me.
“Uh…Mommy…?”
Hailey looked at me, disbelief written all over her face.
She seemed to misunderstand something, but that wasn’t important right now, so I let it slide.
I held Mari tightly to prevent her from being jostled and scanned our surroundings.
The deafening sound of intense flames consuming everything.
Screams echoed from all directions.
It was the same scene I had witnessed during the attack on the Academy.
And just like back then,
Following the horrific cries, she emerged.
In the center of calamity, there she was.
Among the enormous black flames, I could see her figure.
Her hair was drenched in what seemed like blood, red and piercing eyes, and a pair of colossal horns that could instill terror.
The Demon King Arbes stood before me.
“Arbes!!”
At my shout, her eyes turned towards me.
The surprise in her gaze reflected she had not expected to see me.
“Once is a coincidence… twice is fate, they say…”
Muttering to herself, the Demon King soon wore a broad smile as she looked my way.
“How nice to see you again. Have you come to greet me once more?”
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