[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 163

    The furball received a report from Caius about the events in the Otherworld.

    After listening to the story until the end, its fur bristled in all directions.

    “Hmm. I see... Because of the White Demon King, you couldn''t even properly protest to Marquis Ederna. You just suffered a disgrace instead.”

    “That’s right... If not for him, we would have successfully pressured Marquis Ederna.”

    “Hohoho. Do you really think the Demon King appeared there by coincidence?”

    “Then...”

    “During the resurrection ritual, I sensed it. A subtle gaze watching over us.”

    “That gaze carried the presence of light mana. Given the state the Celestial Realm is in, the only one who could have been watching us... is none other than the White Demon King.”

    “Why would he...?”

    Fwoosh.

    From the center of the furball, flames erupted.

    In an instant, they burned away all of its fur and even consumed the throne.

    “He must be trying to keep him in check.”

    Emerging from the burnt fur, a woman appeared—her entire body composed of fire.

    She resembled a spirit form created by a fire mana suit, but the power contained within her flames was incomparable to any ordinary mana suit.

    A figure as beautiful as a perfect work of art.

    Seeing her, Caius tensed up and cautiously asked.

    That form was not something she revealed lightly.

    “Are you referring to my father...?”

    “Yes. If he attains complete perfection as a Dragon God, not even the White Demon King will be able to stand against him.”

    “I see.”

    Recalling the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Demon King, Caius gritted his teeth.

    If only his father, Ernstine, could be fully resurrected as a Dragon God, even that monstrous Demon King would have no choice but to submit.

    While vowing to repay this disgrace in full, a question lingered in his mind.

    “But if he truly wants to keep Father in check... I don’t understand why the Demon King is using such a roundabout method. If he directly intervened, our Helmeier clan wouldn''t be able to hold out for long.”

    The White Demon King—the absolute ruler of the Otherworld.

    If he wanted to interfere in Helmeier’s affairs, he could simply come and disrupt them directly.

    Who could possibly stop him?

    Yet he was using such an unnecessarily complicated approach.

    As Caius voiced his doubts, the woman pondered for a moment before responding.

    “What land did you say Marquis Ederna controls?”

    “The Kingdom of Starn. In the past, they dared to use the name of Meier, so we had to issue a warning... However—”

    When Caius mentioned their retreat from Melvria, her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

    “Melvria. It was defeated?”

    “Yes. She lost disgracefully without even fully grasping who the enemy was.”

    “Even after using the Six Demon Path?”

    “Yes.”

    “A descendant of Meier who defeated the Six Demon Path...?”

    She spoke with intrigue.

    If someone had overcome the Six Demon Path, there could only be one explanation.

    “So, they must have used the Six Sword Path. That is the only way a human could triumph over the Six Demon Path.”

    “The Six Sword Path...? But Melvria never mentioned anything like that...”

    “How could you trust Melvria’s words completely? She still reeks of desperation to protect her own kind. Unlike me.”

    As one corner of the woman’s lips curled up, a shiver ran down Caius’s spine.

    He had seen firsthand how the woman before him had treated her own kind.

    ‘A Queen... yet the one responsible for the massacre of the dwarves...’

    Kaina, the Dwarf Queen, and the seventh wife of Ernstine.

    That was the true name of the Marquis of Helmeier.

    “For his sake, it wouldn’t be enough to offer up every elf as a sacrifice with joy. And yet, how many times has Melvria tried to protect them?”

    As she spoke, Kaina placed her hand inside her stomach.

    From within the flames that made up her body, a single sword emerged.

    Though it blazed fiercely, the fire was tinged with a crimson hue, reminiscent of blood.

    She gazed upon it with a blissful smile.

    “I offered up my fellow dwarves as sacrifices, reforging his flames. Even that was not enough.”

    Flame Sword – Dragonflame.

    A supreme blade forged from the flesh and bones of ten thousand dwarves.

    True to its name, Dragonflame, it possessed a fire mana unlike any ordinary sword.

    “Caius. Take Melvria, the Dragon Knights, and all of House Helmeier’s forces, and subjugate the eastern continent.”

    “The eastern continent...?”

    “Yes. They may have blocked the land routes, but the sea remains open. We will consume the East and gather more sacrifices. And then...”

    It was nothing compared to the days when Ernstein ruled over the Meier Empire,

    But still, the sight of people smiling, chatting, and enjoying peace...

    Melvria felt her mind, once consumed by Helmeier’s ways, starting to change little by little.

    ‘Maybe it''s better if I stay away from here.’

    She had infiltrated the capital to gather information about Kaylen, but instead of learning anything useful, she found herself changing.

    And if she saw more traces of her real father in Kaylen...

    She began to doubt whether she could continue acting as a loyal member of the Helmeier family.

    ‘Yes, just like that training scene...’

    As she listened to teachings and lectures that perfectly resembled her father’s, Melvria was lost in thought.

    Whoooosh.

    A sudden gust of wind blew, carrying a single leaf toward Royen.

    The green-glowing leaf landed on Royen’s forehead.

    [My poor child... Come to me... There is something I must tell you...]

    A compassionate voice whispered in his ear before fading away.

    ‘This voice...’

    Melvria’s eyes widened.

    It felt unfamiliar as if she were hearing it for the first time, yet it was nostalgic.

    The sorrow in that gentle voice touched her heart, stirring emotions even within her, despite the time she had spent as a demon.

    ‘The voice came from the leaf... Could it be the World Tree’s will?’

    The World Tree, rooted in the capital Alzas.

    Afraid of exposing her identity, she had only observed it from afar, never daring to get too close.

    But perhaps because the training grounds were near the World Tree...

    Even though she had implanted only a small fragment of the spirit of darkness, she had been discovered without fail.

    [Melvria. Have you gathered any information?]

    At that moment, a communication came from Caius.

    Melvria managed both controlling Royen and responding to the call simultaneously.

    She gave a brief answer to Caius’s question.

    [Not enough yet.]

    [Return for now. Mother has issued an order. We are to conquer the eastern continent. You and I will take the northern coastal route, while the Marquis will take the southern coast. We’ll split into two forces to proceed with the conquest.]

    [What about the resurrection ritual?]

    [It’s already progressing as planned. The Marquis says he doesn’t need to oversee it personally.]

    Was this because of Kaylen?

    Even the Helmeier Marquis, Kaina, was being sent to the battlefield.

    It felt like they were revealing every move they had left.

    [So return at once.]

    [...Understood.]

    The World Tree’s voice lingered in her mind for a moment.

    ‘If I make contact with the World Tree, my resolve will only waver further.’

    Steeling herself, Melvria prepared to leave the capital.

    ‘But before that.’

    She had to erase the spirit of darkness from Royen.

    Since she was departing, she needed to remove all traces of her involvement.

    Melvria decided to self-destruct the dark spirit implanted in Royen.

    It wasn’t a true explosion—just the dispersal of dark mana until it vanished.

    It wouldn’t harm the host, so no matter how developed Kaylen’s senses were, detecting anything unusual would be difficult.

    ‘He’ll probably just faint, but finding traces of me will be near impossible.’

    With that thought, Melvria detonated the spirit of darkness.

    “Your Highness, I thought you might be bored while waiting, so I brought some refreshments.”

    Violet returned, carrying a tea set and desserts.

    And then—

    “Huh?”

    Whoooosh!

    Dark mana spread subtly from Royen’s body.

    Violet’s eyes widened.

    ‘A human... How unlucky.’

    Of all times, she had to approach just as the spirit of darkness self-destructed.

    Being so close, she would feel the aftereffects, and her mana would be slightly disrupted.

    “Royen...?”

    Like a puppet with its strings cut, Royen’s body collapsed.

    And as Melvria saw Kaylen rushing toward them—

    She hurriedly retreated to Geysir.

    She had no idea that the consequences of her actions would lead to an unforeseen butterfly effect.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]