Chapter 72: Olivia's Bitter Past

The moment Kael heard Videl's question, he felt as if he'd been struck in the head; without a moment's hesitation, he leaped backward from his chair. As he put distance between them, his hand reflexively reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

However, following that deadly battle with Bamir in Graystone Village, his sword had completely petrified due to the mist emitted by the creature. What he held in his hand was nothing more than a hard, lifeless lump of stone.

Without letting go of the petrified hilt, Kael leaned his back against the room's wooden wall. He didn't take his eyes off Videl for even a moment.

Videl raised his eyebrows slightly at the young man's sudden and aggressive reaction. The panic in Kael's eyes had surprised the old man. He sighed as he looked at the petrified sword in Kael's hand.

"Your sword is already dull, young man," said Videl, his tone devoid of even the slightest hint of threat.

"Besides, do you really think you'd make it out of this room alive even if you drew that broken piece of stone against me?"

Videl slowly stood up. The moment he stood, the humble, rustic atmosphere of the room vanished instantly. Six massive, pitch-black wings—stretching from the old man's back all the way to the ceiling—appeared. These wings were the symbol of the absolute power belonging to the nobility of the demon realm. The aura surrounding the man was so dense that Kael struggled to move.

Yet despite this power, there was no hostility in Videl's eyes.

When Kael saw the six massive wings emerging from Videl's back, he couldn't hide his astonishment. His eyes were fixed on the old man in shock.

"Mr. Videl... You...!"

Videl slowly folded his wings and returned to his old, ordinary appearance as an elderly man.

"I assume you know what a demon looks like, Kael. Demons can immediately recognize their own kind, even if they're hybrids. We sense dark aura much more strongly than humans do, but yours seems... "

"...is trapped within your mana core..."

Videl's gaze shifted to the seal ring on Kael's hand.

"So you're keeping your powers sealed. Does that mean people still don't know your true identity?"

Kael was completely flustered by all these questions.

"W-wait a minute, Mr. Videl, I don't understand what you're saying."

Videl smiled slightly; the stern expression on his face had completely faded.

"Ah, you're right. I was being too pushy, young man—please forgive me..."

"Take your hand off your sword and sit back down, please. Let's clear up the questions in your mind. But first, tell me your last name."

Kael slowly pulled his back away from the wall and moved cautiously toward his chair.

"My last name?"

"My last name is Krowel..."

"Kael Krowel."

Videl shook his head.

"No, I'm not asking you for your human last name."

Kael hesitated. He hadn't used his father's surname since his mother had told him his true lineage. For the first time, those words slipped from his lips:

"Val-Tenebris..."

"Kael Val-Tenebris, Mr. Videl..."

The moment Videl heard the surname "Tenebris," he froze.

"Val-Tenebris? You must be joking. Are you descended from old Mezrathus, or what?"

Kael's astonishment had multiplied this time.

"Mr. Videl... Do you know my grandfather from the Demon Realm?"

"Of course I do!"

"We fought side by side in our youth. As far as I recall, he had three sons. You..."

"My father's name is Abaddon," Kael interjected.

"So you're Abaddon's son!" Videl suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

Kael furrowed his brow, unable to understand why the old man was laughing in the midst of such seriousness. Videl continued, softening his laughter:

"Just look at Mezrathus's fate... So his son has married a human, too."

"When you say 'his son,' what exactly do you mean, Mr. Videl?"

"Don't you know? Your grandmother was also a human. I mean, Mezrathus's wife... Come to think of it, Mezrathus actually had more than one wife..."

Kael was completely shocked by what he was hearing. Facts about his father's family that he had never known were literally pouring out one after another.

"Mr. Videl, who exactly are you? Why are you living here?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kael, I got sidetracked for a moment,"

"I am Videl Van-Marciar. I am the former Senior General of the Demon Army and the founder of this dimension."

The moment Kael heard the words "Demon General," he tensed up again.Seeing his reaction, Videl waved his hand as if to calm him down.

"Relax, Kael. I used to be a commander; now I'm just an old man."

Kael took a deep breath and asked Videl again,

"Mr. Videl, then why are you living in this dimension?"

Videl looked toward the door. "You remember Olivia, don't you?"

"She's a hybrid like you..."

Kael was surprised. When he first saw Olivia, he'd thought she was an ordinary human. The idea that she might be a hybrid hadn't even crossed his mind.

Videl continued:

"Now listen to me carefully, Kael. The reason I created this dimension was because I had to keep my granddaughter safe. I assume you know how people treat demons and similar beings. Like you did, I tried to seal Olivia's powers. Olivia was a strong girl. Even though her half-demon body caused her pain, she never let us see it."

"One day, some of her friends at the academy began to suspect she was a demon."

A shadow of an old, painful memory flickered in the old man's eyes.

"They pretended to be her closest friends to gain her trust. Olivia trusted her friends so much that she told her closest friend she was a half-demon. That friend, in turn, told her family. Before we knew it, the kingdom's guards had arrived at Olivia's home. Her father—my son—tried to stop the guards to protect his daughter. As soon as I heard the news, I flew from the demon realm all the way to where Olivia was."

Videl let out a deep sigh.

"The scene I witnessed when I arrived at the human kingdom was horrifying... All the guards and my son were lying on the ground, covered in blood. At first, I thought my son was the one who had wounded the guards, but... Then I saw Olivia, who had lost control. Her body had completely surrendered to the dark power. Even though she was unconscious, her eyes were still fixed on me.. I took my son and his wife back to the demon realm. Olivia's father was seriously injured; it would take months for his wounds to heal. Her mother, on the other hand, was in a terrible state. "For a long time, I blamed myself, Kael. If I had paid more attention to Olivia, perhaps none of this would have happened."

As Kael listened to Videl's story, he thought of his father, Abaddon, whom his mother had told him about. Like Olivia's father, he had made great sacrifices for his family—he had even lost his wings for their sake.

"After these events," Videl continued,

"Envoys from the Human Kingdom were constantly flooding into the Demon Realm. When Demon King Valtharond summoned me, I explained the situation to him. I was shocked when he asked me to hand Olivia over to the humans. I had served in the Demon Realm's army for many years and had sworn an oath of loyalty to the king. But when the man standing before me told me I had to hand my granddaughter over to those executioners, I abandoned all my loyalties right there. I resigned from my rank. I told him I would take Olivia to a place where neither the demons nor the humans could find her. Although the king did not want me to leave the army's command, my decision was firm. I would rather give my life than hand over my granddaughter!"

As Kael listened to Videl, he realized how much of a fatherly and protective figure this old man was beneath that stern commander's image.

"Then the idea of creating a dimension came to mind," said Videl, looking at his hands.

"Creating a dimension consumes life energy, my son. I expended a great deal of my life energy to create a dimension this large and secure. If I weren't a noble demon, my lifespan wouldn't have been enough to complete this dimension. Then I sealed the entrance in a place no one could reach. You remember how you got here, don't you, Kael? That book you found... I wrote it. The reason you couldn't read what was written was because I wrote it in the demon language. I sealed the dimension within that book and placed it in one of the libraries of the demon realm."

"By the way, you asked where I found the book?"

"I found it in the library of the Eastern Academy, in the Dark Arts section, Mr. Videl."

"So, the Eastern Academy, huh... Interesting," Videl muttered.

"Time works differently here compared to the outside world, Kael. A year you spend here is equivalent to just one day outside. I brought Olivia here years ago. I don't even remember how many years it's been since we've been in this dimension. The only thing I know is that you don't age here; time seems to have stopped. Normally, I should have been punished by the gods of time and space for what I did, but for some reason, they can't reach me here."

After a brief silence, Videl fixed his gaze on Kael and asked:

"Kael... Do you think what I did for Olivia is inhumane?"

Kael didn't know what to say in response to the question; he paused for a moment. Cutting Olivia off completely from the outside world was the same as taking away her freedom. But on the other hand, if she had stayed out there, the guards of the Human Kingdom would certainly not have left her alive. Kael took a deep breath, thinking about his own experiences and the hardships of being a half-breed.

"I don't think what you did is inhumane, Mr. Videl," Kael said, fixing his gaze on the elderly man.

"I know very well how the outside world views half-breeds and how cruel it can be. You simply wanted to give Olivia a safe life where she could survive. That's why I don't see what you did as inhumane..."

Videl smiled slightly at the response, just as he was about to say something, the cabin door opened. Olivia walked in holding a bucket of water. As soon as Olivia entered, Videl cut the conversation short.

"Ah, Olivia... Just set the water down on the table, dear," he said in a gentle voice.

Kael looked straight into Olivia's eyes as she walked in. Knowing she was a half-breed had changed how he felt. Olivia, however, seemed uncomfortable with Kael focusing on her like that. She furrowed her brows slightly.

"W-what? Do you want something?" she asked in a sharp tone.

Kael quickly composed himself and turned toward Videl.

"Mr. Videl, I'm going to step outside for some fresh air."

"Sure, Kael, go ahead,"

When Kael stepped out of the cabin, the forest's fresh, cool breeze hit him directly in the face. He took a deep breath. He had never imagined that Videl carried such a heavy and painful past behind him. Every time he looked at Olivia, he was reminded that she had lived alone in this dimension for years, unaware of the outside world and completely isolated.However, Videl's last words continued to echo in Kael's mind:

"A year here is equivalent to a single day out there."

Kael looked at his hands. "Maybe I should stay here for a while," he thought.

"I can learn a lot from Mr. Videl about my hybrid powers and how to control them. If a year here equals just one day out there, I could be much stronger by the time I return. And thanks to Grosolun, I'm sure my real body out there is safe," he thought.

Kael fixed his gaze on the depths of the forest. This mysterious dimension was about to transform into a vast training ground for him—one that would awaken his power rather than keep him captive.