Chapter 38: Unchained

She was running.

Injuries weighed heavily on her body,

and the sound of screaming pierced her ears without end.

— Mother… Mother!

She saw her daughter ahead of her—

black chains coiling around her small body,

dragging her toward a viscous, pitch-black sea.

Asuna screamed.

She screamed with her—

—and then she woke up.

She reached out frantically, searching for Asuna,

her breathing ragged, her chest rising and falling violently.

Her eyes darted around in confusion.

A place she did not recognize.

A place that was quiet… peaceful,

far removed from prisons and torture.

A woman approached calmly and spoke in a reassuring voice:

— “Everything is fine… rest for a moment.”

The woman cried out in panic as she tried to rise:

— “Where is my daughter?! And where is this place?!”

— “You are inside my personal domain. My name is Freya.”

The woman’s expression changed instantly at the name.

Despite her weakened body, she surged forward and began to run.

— “Freya… the Fairy Queen?!

That means this is the Elf Tribe…

Asuna… please be safe!”

Ash spoke quickly:

— “We hid her, Freya.”

Freya replied calmly:

— “I didn’t mean to frighten her.”

L spoke with understanding:

— “Her fear is natural…

leaving the Demon Kingdom for the Elf Tribe is not an easy transition.”

The woman kept running despite her unhealed body,

calling out endlessly:

— “Asuna… Asuna!”

At last, she reached the exit.

She stopped abruptly.

She saw her daughter laughing—

a crown of flowers resting on her head,

playing among the elves as if she had never known fear.

— “Asuna…”

The girl turned around,

and the moment she saw her mother, she rushed toward her.

They embraced tightly.

The woman began to cry as she held her close:

— “I’m so happy… so happy that you’re safe.”

A calm voice came from behind:

— “Do you feel a little better now?”

The woman turned sharply, instinctively pulling Asuna behind her.

It was Freya.

Freya smiled gently.

— “There’s no need for that.

You and Asuna are safe here.”

The woman spoke in confusion:

— “I don’t understand…

demons and elves are enemies. Why are you helping us?”

Asuna stepped forward and said confidently:

— “Because of that person.”

The woman turned her head.

She saw a human sleeping,

the forest surrounding him,

fairies singing and dancing softly around him.

— “A human…?”

Asuna said:

— “Not just any human.

He’s the one who freed us from the prison,

together with that lady from the Vampire Clan.”

Ash stepped forward and asked:

— “He said he could hear voices calling for help…

was that your voice?”

The woman lowered her head, her voice trembling:

— “Did… did my voice finally reach someone…?”

L asked quietly:

— “But why was he the only one who could hear it?”

The woman sighed softly, then said:

— “It’s a technique I learned…

I can speak to a single person through their mind.”

Ash asked with concern:

— “Isn’t that dangerous?”

The woman nodded.

— “Yes.

And to avoid being discovered, I made it so the voice could only be heard

by someone with very weak magic.”

“It was a desperate attempt… nothing more.”

She lifted her head and looked at them with deep gratitude.

— “Thank you so much for saving me and my daughter.

My name is Merath, and this is my daughter, Asuna.”

Freya said gently:

— “We’re happy to meet you.”

A small elf girl approached, placed a wreath of flowers on Merath’s head, and said with a bright smile:

— “Welcome to the Fairy Forest.”

Freya softly patted the girl’s head, and the child smiled with delight.

— “We’re back.”

It was a familiar voice.

Freya turned and asked:

— “Anna… Lecht, how was the situation?”

Lecht replied seriously:

— “Demonic activity has increased to the point that they’re no longer hiding their movements.”

Anna said with concern:

— “I’ve never seen demons act like this before.”

Lecht sighed.

— “Entering their kingdom, extracting a family from it, then fighting the Demon King and returning safely…

it’s only natural that they’d be irritated.”

Ash glanced at Y and said:

— “At least he’s sleeping peacefully.”

Lecht chuckled lightly.

— “He was smiling, saying he fought some interesting people.”

Anna frowned slightly.

— “I don’t know whether that’s good luck… or bad.”

Freya turned to Merath and said:

— “Lady Merath, let’s return to my domain so I can continue your treatment.

Asuna, stay with your mother for now.”

— “Okay.”

Suddenly, powerful magical winds gathered.

A fairy larger than the others appeared—

with six wings—and perched on Lecht’s shoulder.

Freya smiled.

— “I haven’t seen you in a while, Kozue. How have you been?”

— “I’m fine.

By the way… do you know where my girls are?

They said they’d be staying in your forest for a while.”

Freya gestured behind her.

— “About that… take a look behind you.”

Kozue turned around

and saw the fairies dancing and singing around Y.

— “Who is this human, Freya?”

— “His name is Y. Is there a problem?”

Kozue narrowed her eyes.

— “His body exceeded its limits a long time ago…

Have you been treating him, Freya?”

— “Yes… once or twice before.”

Ash added:

— “Me as well, though only lightly.

And Lara too—she seems to have a unique healing magic.”

Kozue stepped closer to Y, her tone firm.

— “This human should be grateful to all of you.”

Then she turned to the fairies.

— “Girls, raise your voices… and move more vividly!

If you’re going to heal someone, do it perfectly.”

The air wrapped itself around Y’s body,

and countless spheres of light flowed from him.

Freya whispered in astonishment:

— “It’s rare to see her heal someone personally…”

Kozue muttered to herself:

— “That’s an enormous number of spheres…

It seems he has an exceptionally strong will.”

— “I’m finished treating him.”

The moment she said those words—

Anna sighed.

— “We’re starting again…”

L nodded.

— “That’s right.”

Kozue looked at them in confusion.

— “What do you mean?”

Freya replied calmly:

— “If you think he’ll remain asleep after you healed him…

you’re mistaken.”

Y opened his eyes.

He stood up, stretched calmly, then said:

— “Thank you for the treatment.”

Kozue froze in place.

— “What?!”

Freya smiled softly.

— “He’s already passed the recovery phase entirely.”

Merath and Asuna stepped forward.

Merath spoke apologetically:

— “We’re sorry for all the trouble we caused…

It seems you were injured because of us.”

Y replied calmly:

— “Helping you was my choice.

I take responsibility for it.”

Then he added:

— “But there’s just one thing left—”

Kozue stepped in front of him abruptly.

— “Stop.

What do you think you’re doing?”

“You could barely sleep just moments ago.”

— “I already thanked you for the treatment,” Y said evenly.

She snapped back:

— “I don’t want thanks.

I want to understand how someone can be this exhausted—

what kind of life leads to this?”

Y answered simply:

— “Six months. That’s all.”

Kozue froze slightly.

— “Explain.”

Freya spoke up:

— “He appeared in this world six months ago.

Since then, he’s been moving and fighting without rest.”

Kozue shook her head in disbelief:

— “We all fight, don’t we?”

Lecht replied:

— “True.

But Y started from an extremely harsh position.”

“In six months, he faced Dansleif, Valzenor, Garb, Yamamoto, and Lucarion.”

Kozue’s eyes widened.

— “Dansleif… Valzenor…?!”

Ash added:

— “And that’s without counting sparring matches and training.”

L said quietly:

— “And all of it… without magic.”

Kozue turned sharply toward her.

— “Without magic…?”

Anna continued:

— “And even his sleep was scarce.”

Kozue looked at Freya.

— “Are you lying to me?”

Freya simply smiled.

Kozue exhaled slowly.

— “Then… you’re not lying.”

She looked at Y again, a trace of subdued admiration in her voice:

— “It’s astonishing that you’re still alive.”

Y replied calmly:

— “I would have died against Valzenor and Dansleif…

but I was lucky.

My companions were there.”

Kozue shook her head.

— “Luck doesn’t repeat itself over and over.”

Y gave a faint smile.

— “Thank you for the treatment… again.”

Then he added in a steady tone:

— “I apologize in advance.

The coming period will be… chaotic.”

L said:

— “We can imagine that.”

Kozue frowned.

— “And you truly intend to move now?”

She turned to Freya.

— “Why don’t you stop them?”

Freya replied calmly:

— “There doesn’t appear to be any immediate threat to his life.”

Kozue turned to Lecht and Anna.

— “And what about you two?”

Lecht answered with confidence:

— “Don’t worry about him.

He may lack magic, but he knows how to handle himself.”

Anna added:

— “He’s had a good rest and received sufficient treatment.

There’s no need for concern at the moment.”

Freya smiled gently at Kozue.

— “It’s good that you still care about people…

I like that side of you.”

Kozue spoke seriously:

— “I don’t want someone I exhausted myself healing to die so soon.”

Ash asked:

— “What’s the next plan?”

Y replied calmly:

— “First, I want to analyze Lucarion’s magic.

Who wants to participate?”

Lecht said with interest:

— “That sounds intriguing… I’m in.”

Merath hesitated, then said:

— “I want to join as well. I have some information.”

L spoke:

— “Ash and I will excuse ourselves. We have work to do in Mond.”

Y nodded:

— “I’ll be returning to Mond soon.”

L replied:

— “Alright.”

Freya added:

— “Let’s move into my personal domain.

Kozue, would you like to join us?”

Kozue shrugged:

— “I’ve got nothing else to do.”

Y continued:

— “But before that—

Asuna, come here for a moment.”

Asuna stepped forward.

Y studied her closely.

— “There’s a seal on your heart, isn’t there?”

Asuna blinked in shock:

— “A… seal?”

Merath gasped:

— “How did you know that?!

Even the Demon King doesn’t know about it!”

Y replied:

— “When I first saw Asuna,

I felt something similar to what I felt when I saw Diona.”

Ash said:

— “But Diona had a condition, not a seal.”

Anna asked:

— “What’s the difference between a condition, a seal, and a contract?

They all sound similar.”

Kozue answered firmly:

— “They’re completely different.”

She continued:

— “A condition is tied to the person themselves.

It isn’t imposed by an external party.”

Y asked:

— “Can someone be forced to place a condition on themselves?”

Anna replied:

— “Diona’s mother placed a condition on her—

that she could only use her magic to protect herself or others.”

Kozue nodded:

— “That means Diona accepted the condition herself.

Her mother was only the trigger.”

Y said:

— “I see.”

Kozue continued, forming a magical scale in the air:

— “Contracts are like scales.

Win, loss, or draw.”

“Magical energy determines the outcome,

but both parties must agree.”

She gestured toward Anna and Lecht.

— “For example, if we want a contract,

both of us must consent.”

Y asked:

— “And what happens to the loser?”

Kozue replied:

— “That depends on the contract’s nature.”

She added:

— “A seal, however, can be placed by a single party.

Its strength depends on the caster’s magic—

and the power of the person being sealed.”

Lecht nodded:

— “That makes sense.

Sealing someone like Dansleif, the King of Mages,

would require enormous power compared to sealing an ordinary person.”

Ash said:

— “Which means the easiest person to seal would be—”

Everyone turned to Y.

Y spoke calmly:

— “Is there a way to break a seal from within?”

Kozue answered:

— “Normally, without external interference,

it depends on the sealed person’s own magical power.”

Y replied:

— “Good. That means I have people who can help me if I’m sealed.

And seals aren’t something unique to me—

anyone could be affected.”

Lecht nodded:

— “You’re right.

Seals are rare and require long preparation.”

Y drew his weapon.

— “Since our battle with Lucarion ended,

I’ve been analyzing contracts and seals.”

He extended the weapon toward Asuna.

— “Hold this for a moment.”

Asuna took it, her eyes widening.

— “This feels strange…

My body feels more alive.”

Y said:

— “You’re not that different from Diona.

Conditions are troublesome…

but seals? Those I can deal with.”

Then he said softly:

— “I’ll release your power now.

Close your eyes.”

Asuna obeyed.

— “Follow the flow of your magic,” Y said.

“Let yourself go.”

L spoke quietly:

— “This is what he’s been training since we left the Demon Realm…”

Y looked at everyone and asked:

— “A simple question.

What happens if you put weights on someone’s body

and force them to jump for a long time?”

Anna answered:

— “They won’t be able to jump.”

Y continued:

— “And what happens…

if you remove those weights after a year

and they try to jump again?”

The air began to tremble.

Asuna’s aura surged,

the ground beneath her feet cracking from the pressure.

Then—

Her magic exploded.

A brilliant pink light flooded the area.

Her body changed—

more mature,

red horns emerged from her head,

and a medium-length dark red tail appeared.

Ash gasped:

— “So… this is her true form.”

Lecht said:

— “It’s obvious her magic was sealed

for a very long time.”

Merath stared at her daughter, disbelief in her eyes.

She whispered:

— “The seal…

it broke.”

Y said:

— “You might think the seal weakened her—

but the truth is,

it forced her to surpass her limits again and again.”

He continued:

— “Even while sealed, she never stopped training.

And training… never betrays its owner.”

L said quietly:

— “It’s comforting to watch Y do this.”

Ash smiled:

— “I like seeing him explain things.”

Y sheathed his weapon and stepped back.

— “Try attacking.”

Asuna hesitated:

— “Are you sure?”

Y replied:

— “Don’t worry.”

Asuna nodded firmly:

— “I’ll attack.”

Merath cried out:

— “That’s dangerous!”

Ash said confidently:

— “Relax… everything will be fine.”

Suddenly, Asuna appeared in front of Y.

She gathered magic into her right hand.

— “You asked for this.”

She threw a single punch.

Y stood still, unmoving,

a calm smile on his face.

Asuna gasped:

— “He’s smiling!”

Before the attack landed,

Y raised his hand, opened his palm calmly, and said:

— “Watch closely, Asuna.

This is what happens when you underestimate any opponent.”

In the next instant—

Magic burst from Y’s body,

flooding the area in pink light,

and stopped the attack with his bare hand.

Everyone froze.

Asuna whispered in shock:

— “Is this… my magic?”

Suddenly, she collapsed to her knees.

— “I felt intense pain all of a sudden…”

Merath said:

— “That’s a dwarven technique.”

Kozue stared in disbelief:

— “And Asuna’s magic too…

How did he do that?”

Freya said:

— “I’ll explain everything inside.

Let’s go.”

Y extended his hand to Asuna.

— “That was a strong attack.”

She took his hand and smiled.

— “Thank you.”

Y said:

— “Go on ahead… I need a moment to think.”

Freya nodded:

— “Take your time.”

L added:

— “We’re heading to Mond now.

Anna will come with us.”

Y replied:

— “I’ll see you later.”

In the Demon Kingdom,

he entered a palace drowned in darkness.

At the very center of the palace,

where a single dim flame was the only source of light,

a man sat upon his throne—

without guards,

without attendants.

His presence alone

was darker than the palace itself.

That man… was the Demon King.

Lucarion sat on his throne, his eyes fixed on a glass orb before him, and spoke in a low voice:

— “That human…

No matter how logically I analyze it,

I can’t reach an answer that satisfies me.

There must be some kind of trick.”

Suddenly, magical energy lit up the chamber

and pierced through his body.

His expression tightened slightly.

— “Another demon has died…

It seems I no longer have a choice.”

He extended his hand and grasped a metallic sphere.

Magic began to flow from his palm, gathering within it.

From the sphere, a heavy black magic seeped out,

followed by a deep, coarse voice from within the crystal:

— “Don’t disturb me, fledgling king.”

Lucarion smiled coldly.

— “You seem to be in a foul mood, you mad old man.”

The voice laughed slowly.

— “I didn’t expect anyone would be capable of contacting me…

I’m busy at the moment.

I intend to repay a favor to someone who has irritated me greatly.”

Lucarion replied:

— “What a coincidence.

I, too, want to kill a certain human.”

The voice responded immediately:

— “I never said he was human.”

Lucarion narrowed his eyes.

— “A being who carries twin blades as weapons,

and speaks as though everything is already under his control.”

A brief silence followed.

Then the voice spoke:

— “Then… it seems we share the same target.”

Lucarion said with thinly veiled disgust:

— “You know how much I despise you, Soldan.

But it appears we have a common enemy this time.”

Soldan laughed.

— “And the feeling is mutual.”

Lucarion asked suddenly:

— “Have you ever heard of a human who doesn’t use magic?”

Soldan scoffed openly.

— “Doesn’t use magic?

Have you gone mad since becoming the Demon King?

That’s impossible.

Magic exists in all beings—even if only faintly.”

Anger flickered across Lucarion’s face.

— “I fought him days ago.

I was certain he had no magic…

yet he used wind magic,

and instantaneous teleportation.”

Soldan replied coolly:

— “Then why didn’t you use your contract magic?”

Lucarion fell silent.

He said nothing.

Soldan chuckled softly.

— “Your magic didn’t work… did it?”

Lucarion answered in a low voice:

— “Worse.

It worked…

but the contract kept disappearing.”

A heavy silence filled the space.

Then Soldan spoke, his tone genuinely intrigued:

— “Now…

that is truly interesting.”

— “Tell me everything.”

Elsewhere—

where light merges seamlessly with nature…

In the Fairy Forest,

specifically within Freya’s domain.

Freya, Kozue, Lecht, and Merath were seated, waiting for Y,

while Asuna stood farther back,

training alone in silence.

Kozue spoke first:

— “That is his story.”

Lecht added:

— “With every person he meets or fights,

he learns their style…

then reuses it in his own way.”

Freya turned toward Merath,

who was clearly lost in thought.

— “Are you alright?”

Merath replied hesitantly, her voice calm but unsure:

— “I’m still trying to process everything that happened.

Yesterday, we were in a prison, being tortured…

and today, we’re in the Fairy Forest, among the elves.”

She paused, then continued:

— “In the past,

war was the only thing that connected us all.”

Lecht smiled faintly.

— “I wonder what caused such a sudden change.”

Freya answered:

— “The greatest reason is Y.

He treats everyone the same,

and doesn’t side with one faction over another.”

Lecht nodded.

— “He does what he believes is right,

even if it conflicts with our plans.”

Freya smiled lightly as she glanced at Kozue.

— “It seems even the fairies weren’t spared.”

Kozue raised a brow.

— “You mean my girls?”

Then she added:

— “We fairies are always drawn

to those with pure souls.”

Freya replied warmly:

— “You’re welcome here.”

Kozue spoke lightly:

— “You seem to be enjoying all of this.”

At that moment,

Y entered the domain and said:

— “Sorry for the delay.”

He sat down with them.

Lecht spoke:

— “Now we can begin the meeting.”

Then, with a serious tone:

— “The purpose of this meeting is to analyze the Demon King’s abilities

as thoroughly as possible.”

— “Let’s begin.”

Merath suddenly spoke up:

— “Before we start…”

She took a breath, then continued:

— “I believe you need to know the full story of our imprisonment,

now that we’ve been rescued.”

⸻

Many years ago,

during the reign of the previous Demon King,

the battles between demons and the other races were at their peak.

My husband was one of the most important warriors of that era.

But after the Demon King’s death—

and after Asuna was born—

he withdrew from war.

Around the same time,

Lucarion ascended the throne as the new Demon King,

and rumors began to spread

about his ability

to control demons in some manner.

Merath continued:

— “Not long after that,

the Demon King took advantage of my husband’s absence…

and kidnapped Asuna.”

— “He then threatened to kill her

if I did not surrender.”

She fell silent for a moment, then went on:

— “So I surrendered…

and we were thrown into prison.”

Kozue asked:

— “What happened after that?”

Merath replied:

— “When my husband learned of what had happened,

he attacked the Demon King.”

— “He was capable of killing him, but—”

Lecht interrupted:

— “A contract, right?”

Merath nodded.

— “Yes.

I was forced to form a contract with him

that transferred all damage to me.”

She continued:

— “That’s how my husband became trapped.”

She took a deep breath.

— “After that,

the Demon King offered my husband a secret deal.”

— “He accepted.”

Then she added in a low voice:

— “And from that day on,

we remained in prison.”

Y spoke calmly:

— “That’s valuable information.”

Freya nodded.

— “Then…

we can begin now.”

At last,

the carriage arrived at the Kingdom of Mond.

Everyone stepped down,

their gazes fixed on the land stretching out before them.

Regon spoke in a steady voice:

— “Welcome to Mond.”

He advanced toward the gate,

Valdrin at his side,

with Eleanor and Yoomia behind them,

while Roderick and Yamamoto followed closely.

The moment they entered,

the people welcomed them with unmistakable joy—

cheers and celebration at the return of their king…

and the return of those who had protected them.

Valdrin murmured as he took in the scene:

— “If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes,

I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“It used to be a small kingdom, barely alive…

and now—

everyone is working, everyone celebrating together.”

Eleanor said with genuine admiration:

— “Humans, elves, and dwarves in one place…

what an incredible sight.”

⸻

A few minutes earlier—

From afar,

atop a mountain overlooking the Kingdom of Mond…

A demon with an arrogant expression appeared,

his voice dripping with mockery:

— “Tracking you wasn’t easy…”

Then his tone darkened with menace:

— “And now…

I’ll show you what it means to face a true demon.”

Suddenly—

A crushing aura descended like towering mountains,

compressing the air itself.

The demon froze in place like a statue,

sweat pouring from his brow,

his breath breaking apart.

A deep voice thundered from behind him:

— “A weakling like you…

dares to enter my territory?”

The demon tried to retreat, to bargain—

then launched a desperate attack—

But a massive hand closed around his throat

and lifted him high into the air.

He screamed, striking wildly at the arm,

yet every blow was… meaningless.

The man emerged slowly.

Thick white hair cascaded down like a living mantle,

shielding his body,

while crimson sparks erupted from his very pores.

He stared at the demon with eyes blazing with wrath and said:

— “This is the fate

of anyone who tries to destroy my domain.”

In the next instant—

A colossal red bolt of lightning fell from the sky,

tearing through the demon’s body

until it vaporized into nothingness.

A cloud of magic scattered,

drifting far away to some unknown place.

From the shadows,

a girl stepped forward,

her hair fluttering amid the crackling sparks, and complained:

— “I wanted to fight him myself, Father…”

The man replied,

his voice carrying the weight of wisdom and warning:

— “Never forget, Scarlet…

granting your opponent even the smallest chance

can cost you dearly.”