After the battle, shouts, cheers, and elven songs of joy and delight filled the outpost. Thanks to the Empress, who uses her charisma to keep her men from collapsing. Ciela and Asmodeus helped stop a catastrophe from happening.

    The scent of sweet ale, honey mead and savoury herb-filled bread filled the halls, along with their jolly banter.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    "To think that little princess is all grown up now~ how time flies."

    "Stop speaking like a fool, Erunda..."

    "Ah~ my muse, Arinea, don''t be so angry; look, your forehead is wrinkled."

    Erunda, a tall elf with a rare, stocky, muscular build, is one of the two main guardians of the Empress, the child of an elf and a beastkin. His physique allowed him to remain in the elven empire despite being so large.

    Meanwhile, the slim and dainty Arinea was a spellcaster, someone who had supported Sarina since she became an adult. "This drunk idiot, Your Highness Ciela, please ignore him." She could only apologise to the princess sitting beside Asmodeus and their group.

    "Don''t worry, Aunt Arinea, I don''t mind—please enjoy another cup." Ciela''s eyes sparkled, meeting these elves. Her atmosphere transformed from the previous introverted and recluse style. Once she heard Orina left the outpost, it made her feel a little sad.

    "Is that him, Princess?" Erunda flicked his chin towards Asmodeus, who sat beside Vinea, serving her another cup of the sweet elven mead. A fruity yet spiced taste that caused their lips to tingle before a warm, delicious flavour flowed down their throat like syrup.

    "Him?"

    "Your future spouse, your man?"

    "Ah... he is." Ciela''s cheeks turned pink when she remembered two nights ago when she and Asmodeus had confirmed their affection for each other. "Mm... he''s my soulmate." However, her lovely voice became softer towards the end.

    There was a depth of feelings which started taking root deep inside her, a blazing fire that started in her stomach, and now a gentle warmth spread throughout her body.

    His smile, the flicker of his eyes in the candlelight... Ciela''s green orbs lingered on Asmodeus for several moments, almost forgetting to breathe as her lips curled into a deep smile.

    "Oh..." Erunda''s mouth opened wide—he suddenly felt a second-hand embarrassment covering his mouth before tapping Arinea''s shoulder. "Did you see it? Our cute princess has fallen in love with a demon!"

    There wasn''t any aggression or insult in his voice, rather the slight tinge of shock and sadness an Uncle might feel seeing his cute niece growing up.

    "Don''t cry, you big oaf. I''ve never seen her that happy before..."

    Arinea and Erunda married over 100 years ago; however, because of their different races and the struggle elves had with conceiving, they still didn''t have a child.

    Thus, being close friends of the Empress, Ciela and Orina became like their daughters and nieces at the same time.

    "You two..." The Empress finally spoke, her glass of mead empty, while her cheeks became rosy red. "I managed to get something that might help you." With those words, she took out a silver sphere with intricate silver flower patterns along its surface.

    Then turned tail and headed out of the room wearing a simple shirt and pair of black pants. His bare feet tapped on the stone floor. However, his eyes widened. ''Why are there so many elven knights here?''

    Dozens of elven knights marched in perfect order, their armour glimmering and their weapons pristine. Rather, he wondered how these elves could look so pristine and radiant after drinking all night. "Morning, Prince!"

    ''Hmmm?''

    "Oh... His Highness!" Another elf gave the elvish salute to Asmodeus before whistling a cheerful tune. Their footsteps echoed through the stone corridors. "You should see the front gates. The humans looked to be in a real pinch..."

    Asmodeus'' eyes narrowed when he heard this. "What''s going on? Humans...?"

    The Empress mentioned accepting their marriage, but the speed with which it travelled made him amused. ''Where did the stern image of Elves vanish to...'' He noticed a familiar crest, something nostalgic... an old enemy? "Oh? What''s that flag doing here?"

    "Hm?"

    Because he noticed a familiar flag and heard about humans arriving at the fortress, he wanted to discover more. He walked towards the gates, but he could see at least a thousand humans in the distance with horses and banners. ''Is that... why does it look so familiar?''

    "Oh? I wondered where those two idiots got to after we left the Inukami village..."

    Standing with the knights and soldiers, both Paul and Simon stood in noble-looking outfits, their shoulders lined with medals, and they seemed in charge of the knights.

    Asmodeus thought back to when they suddenly parted with him, after Paul received a message about his daughter, leaving with Simon for Grigor less just over a month ago. ''I would have loved their help fighting off the pope... but Paul''s daughter seemed to be really sick.''

    "Is she okay now?"

    He grasped the stone wall, stepped onto it, stretched his back, and unfurled his wings while watching the humans interact with the elven knights. He flew down and landed beside Sarina, who seemed to be in a good mood.

    "Ah, if it isn''t Prince Asmodeus."

    "Please, you can call me Asmodeus... Empress."

    "Hmm... but you called me Mother last night~ fufu, did you take care of my drunk little girl?" Her soft voice sounded in his ears as she watched the humans and elves talking. "I wonder how long it will be before I become a grandmother, haha."

    Asmodeus coughed, his mind racing back to what happened last night before they slept together. "Uh... I am not sure..."

    She giggled, noticing his discomfort. "Don''t worry. I have already accepted you—don''t hold back; you saw Erunda and Arinea... it can take a LOT of work without outside help. So, enjoy it~ a young, innocent elf, fufu."

    Suddenly, while the two were whispering to each other, an older male''s voice echoed.

    "How are you still alive?! Ryuji Vincenzo!"