First Intermission: A moment of rest (As if these things happened...)

After witnessing the fall of the Tree of Rotting Wisdom, Ayato watched in bewilderment as the anomalous structure could no longer stand without its respective Infernal Tyrant...

"Your erudition died with your sanity, and now with your castle," Isolde said, holding the Grimoire, the "forbidden fruit" of the place.

Vera, on the other hand, rummaged through the remains with the excitement of a child.

And she found it: an intact book, bound in worn leather.

Her eyes shone as if she had discovered the most sacred relic.

"I found it! The treasure!"

Ayato approached, intrigued.

Isolde raised an eyebrow.

A blurry book with moss and mushrooms as Vera reads the title in a ceremonious voice.

The title read: "Ancient Recipes of the Enchanted Forest."

"Really?" Ayato said in disbelief.

"Don't underestimate him! Perhaps the deepest wisdom of this place lies here," Vera replied, hugging the book with devotion.

As they left the still-smoldering ruins behind, the air felt lighter, as if even corruption had given up living there…

***

Hours later, in the village of Toltus, the villagers greeted the trio with jubilation.

They offered them a free night at the inn in gratitude… although Ayato soon discovered the real reason.

The villagers were celebrating, not because the three had gotten rid of the Pseudo-Demon Castle that threatened the Black Iriswood ecosystem, as the village relies on an agricultural economy and lifestyle.

But because after the fog lifted, hallucinogenic mushrooms and plants became easier to find, which could generate a lucrative underground trade.

At the inn, while the inhabitants toasted with laughter and glassy eyes, Ayato sank down onto his bed, a mixture of tiredness and resignation.

"Fantastic. We risked our lives against a giant tree, a zombie librarian, and a Talking Nerd Rose Garden that transforms into a Botanical Dragon, just to make this town the main dealer of magic mushrooms and opium..."

Vera, happy, flipped through the book with excitement.

"Look at this recipe! “Golden Illusion Soup.” It sounds... delicious~"

Isolde, leaning back in her chair with a haughty gesture, let out a short laugh as she studied and read the grimoire.

"Welcome to the true face of wisdom, Ayato: glorified stupidity..."

Ayato gets out of bed and prepares to leave the room.

"Well, bookworms, I'm going for a walk... Let me know if you find anything useful, whether it's all this paraphernalia about the new Dark Lord or turning slimes into jelly..."

***

The night was cold, and the village festivities bled into muffled echoes. 

Ayato wandered until he reached a stagnant pond at the outskirts, where the moon shimmered on the water like a fractured mirror.

He stared in silence, trying to drown out the distorted songs and the town's intoxicated laughter. from the inn.

A slow clap broke the calm.

"Bra-vo~ My champion proves his worth once again~"

Out of the shadows emerged a woman with crimson eyes and a theatrical smile: Rydia, the Melodramatic Succubus. Her attire looked more suited to an opera stage than the swampy night, and yet she walked as if the mud itself had been trained to behave like a red carpet.

Ayato didn’t even blink.

“…If you’re here to tempt me, you’re late. The inn already tried to poison me with mushrooms.”

Rydia giggled, opening a fan with unnecessary flourish.

“Oh, nothing so vulgar. I came to thank you: thanks to your victory, I just won a delicious bet against that dreary dark elf.”

She snapped her fingers, and for a brief moment, the pond’s reflection warped: a bizarre board game appeared over the water, with miniature figures of adventurers and monsters. 

A jester-shaped piece knocked over another shaped like a humanoid flame.

Ayato immediately understood the situation, as it refers to his battle against Tatsuya in turn of a rose-shaped chess piece representing the king, referencing his victory against Maxwellious.

Ayato frowned.

“So, I’m not a hero. I’m just a poker chip.”

“Not a chip, darling,” Rydia corrected, striking a dramatic pose. 

“You’re the main attraction of the greatest spectacle in Luminovia. And as long as you keep winning… I’ll keep betting on you.”

Ayato turned away, sighing.

“Great. I’ve gone from errand boy to circus act. Should I start charging entrance tickets?”

Rydia smiled as if he had just delivered the final line of a tragedy.

“Exactly~”

Ayato looks again at the board, which is structured like a Game of the Goose, with seven other King pieces representing the other standing Infernal Tyrants, and three more representing the other Solitary Demons, these in the form of a Dice, a Raven, and an Ancient Doll.

Rydia proceeds to speak theatrically to get Ayato's attention.

"And if you accept... I could reward you with private sessions to relieve your stress. Sessions only a succubus can offer~"

Her eyes shone like tempting rubies, but she immediately added in a venomous whisper:

"Of course... on one condition: if you get little Isolde to officially recognize me as her stepmother~"

Ayato looked at her, incredulous.

"...Isolde's Stepmother? You?"

Rydia nodded with operatic drama.

“Exactly! A twisted union of family and passion. Ah, the Shakespearean tragedy that would be born of it~!”

'Not this again...'

Ayato mumbled as he ran his hand over his face, tired.

“Look... I've had enough with Isolde already existing, Vera following me around like a puppy, and my life becoming a morbid comedy sketch without an audience. You think I'm going to complicate things with more women? Forget it. My list of problems is already overloaded.”

Rydia opened her mouth to retort, but Ayato had already turned around, walking into the darkness.

“If you want to bet, go for it. If you want drama, write a play. But leave me out of your hellish stepmother fantasies…”

The succubus chuckled, even more melodramatic than before.

“Ah… rejection! The cruelest of unrequited passions! What delicious torment you gift me, Ayato~.”

The pond rippled as Rydia flew away.

The echo of her laughter mingled with the tavern's off-key singing, and Ayato couldn't tell which of the two was more unbearable.

***

The next morning, the three left Toltus Village, where the village elders cordially bid them farewell for "bringing abundance," while selling mushrooms in a small package with innocent faces.

As they walked, Vera and Isolde began exchanging words after planning their raid on the next Demon Pseudo-Castle, as if they had planned a schedule arranged last night at the inn.

Isolde spoke first.

"Okay, Vera, once again... The nearest Demon Pseudo-Castle is located in Ferro Scuro City, according to the Grimoire..."

Vera responded with the following:

"So in that book Maxwellious had, he had records of the other Infernal Tyrants using mutated plants and animals for espionage and logistics..."

Vera felt thoughtful after studying that book with Isolde and somewhat dejected.

"It's a shame we have no record of whether there are more people like that Tatsuya beyond what we've seen in the..."

Isolde responds with a very unusual layer of dry optimism.

"More than anything because those delirious lunatics have the advantage of their wandering gait..."

Isolde and Vera look back, watching Ayato walk very slowly.

"And speaking of delirious lunatics..."

Ayato's face is more deadened than usual, due to the noise from the party, the strategic meeting of his companions, and Rydia's overacted laughter making him look as if he were affected by sleep paralysis.

He didn't look back; he didn't have the strength for any more drama.

But the world, as always, was already planning the next act.

***

Somewhere to the south, a suit of shining armor knelt beneath the moon.

A paladin, blessed spear in hand, murmured prayers in a solemn voice:

“Celestial Lord, enlighten me! Three shadows walk among men: the False Chosen One, the Vampire of Temptation, and the Witch of the Woods. Grant me the holy mission to annihilate them, even if the whole world mocks my faith!”

Around him, the crickets fell silent. A rat crossed the camp.

The paladin raised his finger, furious:

“A sign! The Dark Lord is already sending his rodent servants against me!”

And so, convinced he had witnessed a revelation, he set out for Toltus…

***

Meanwhile, to the north, beneath the wing of a dead crow hanging from a post, a female silhouette adjusted a pair of heels in the mud.

"So it's not just the infamous Yokohama Arsonist who's been found here..."

Her reflection in a puddle seemed more perfect than human: skin too smooth, proportions too exact, like a retouched painting.

She wore a dark corset trimmed with black lace and feathers, and on her face, a stylized, slender-beaked mask, half plague doctor, half fallen diva accessory.

Her rouged lips, barely visible behind the mask, curved into a crooked smile.

"A Lone Demon being utter mediocrity... a haughty vamp... and a clumsy witch."

Her voice echoed in an empty theater.

"Fascinating... company. Too tempting not to... intervene~"

The cry of a crow echoed in the night, and the figure faded into the gloom, as if the darkness itself had applauded its entrance onto the scene.