A Warm Welcome

“So...no demons, huh?” King Leonhardt's voice carried a mix of heaviness and annoyance. I stood before him, feeling the weight of his disappointment. "Anyway, good job, Cid, with the wyvern," he added, attempting to offer a semblance of praise. "Thank you, father," I responded, my voice filled with a mixture of gratitude and tension. The Desolate Trio, who had accompanied me on the ill-fated expedition, appeared visibly annoyed. Despite their discontent, they couldn't deny that my actions had ultimately saved their lives, leaving them with little room for criticism.

The king's gaze shifted to the scouts, who stood nervously awaiting their judgment. "So, the information came from the scouts," he remarked, seeking an explanation for the false intelligence. One of the scouts stepped forward, eager to defend their actions. "Sire, we saw the demon armies with our own eyes. It's possible that they escaped after spotting our forces," he explained, clinging to the belief that their initial sighting had been accurate. The spell I had cast on them may have worn off, but their memories and convictions remained unchanged.

After a moment of contemplation, the king rendered his verdict. "I will not execute you all. While the demon battle did not materialize, you did manage to save many villages by defeating the wyvern," he declared, a tinge of weariness evident in his voice. The pain of witnessing their deaths, a consequence of my calculated plans, would have been unbearable. I was grateful that my father had chosen mercy over vengeance.

Following the audience with my father, the lifeless body of the wyvern was delivered to the Royal Researchers for further study. It was crucial to understand the sudden reappearance of these ancient creatures and develop effective defenses against them. With the administrative matters attended to, I retired to my chambers. As was customary, Amelia, my faithful attendant, assisted me in removing my armor, meticulously washing away the grime of battle and dressing me in fresh attire.

"Katarina, Valeria, report," I commanded, summoning my loyal bodyguards into the room. Katarina entered first, followed closely by Valeria. Their faces betrayed exhaustion and sorrow as they relayed the casualties suffered during the encounter. "2733 casualties and 980 major injuries," Katarina reported, her voice tinged with sorrow. The loss of life weighed heavily on my heart. I approached them, placing a comforting hand on each of their shoulders. "Good job, you two. I'm grateful that you are both still alive," I expressed, my voice filled with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. Katarina and Valeria were not merely my bodyguards; they were my closest friends, the pillars of strength and loyalty that supported me through every trial and tribulation.

Now, all that was left was to discover where the wyvern had come from. "Zephyra, did you see anything? Do you have any clue?" I asked, looking at Katarina. After all, she had been used as a vessel for Zephyra's communication, so she might have seen something. "Yes, an extinct creature appearing out of nowhere," Katarina responded, but not in her own voice; it was Zephyra speaking. "I have something for you, though," I said, holding out one of the wyvern's eyes that I had gouged out. "H-huh?!" Katarina, or rather Zephyra, stammered immediately, as if she had bitten her tongue embarrassingly. Then, Katarina returned. "Sorry, I don't know what happened," she replied in her normal voice. "Don't worry," I replied, letting them rest as I lay back on my bed to gather my thoughts. Since that day, I had been unable to contact Zephyra through Katarina, so I decided to visit the Demon Kingdom once again.

"Father, I'll be going hunting for a few days. I need to take my mind off things after that wyvern," I said, having breakfast with my father, King Leonhardt. This was a white lie, or at least I believed it to be, to check up on the Demon Kingdom. After all, there were some small kingdoms that held hatred for demons. "It's been a while since I've gone hunting too," he said, sipping his wine. "I see," I replied. I needed to come up with something so that he wouldn't follow me around. "I'd like to visit the south this time, to scout for any demon armies," I added, taking a bite of bread. "Well, take care, son. As a prince, you need to be cautious," he said. As the only son, I would inherit the throne once he was gone, so his worry was warranted. "Don't worry, father. Katarina and Valeria will be with me every step of the way," I said with a small chuckle. "I see... You know, I realized you don't have many friends your age," he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Well, they are my bodyguards, but they are also my friends. And our ages aren't far apart," I said, taking a sip of water, as I didn't usually drink wine during breakfast, unlike my father. "You should consider marriage, don't you think? King Beaumont will be visiting in a couple of weeks to discuss our alliance," he said. King Beaumont had a daughter, Princess Penelope Beaumont, who was two years older than me at 21. "Father... I don't think I'm at the age to get married yet," I said, chuckling again. "As a prince, it is one of your duties," he said, his tone no longer joking. "Yes, father, I understand, but I'd like to take my time and find someone on my own. I don't want to marry for political reasons," I said with a sigh as I placed the fork down. "I'll be taking my leave now," I said, standing up from the table and leaving the dining hall without waiting for his response.

Amelia helped me with my chainmail armor. It was heavy, but she had grown accustomed to dressing me in it, so she could easily lift it now. I placed the dagger in my back pocket and the sword in its sheath behind me. "Thanks, Amelia." "No need, my lord," she replied. I smiled at her, though I doubted she saw it considering her head was hanging low. "Katarina, Valeria, it's time to leave," I said, leaving my room followed by Katarina and Valeria. We got on our horses and rode out of the castle gates, slowly making our way through the city and out of the kingdom's walls. We rode at a leisurely pace, taking in the scenery and passing through small villages outside the kingdom walls. We entered the woods and reached a secluded area near a small lake. I held onto the teleportation crystal, while Katarina and Valeria held onto my shoulders, one on each side. I closed my eyes, envisioning the gates of the Demon Kingdom, and after a few seconds, I noticed the air I was breathing change to a slightly hotter temperature. I opened my eyes to find myself greeted by the Demon Kingdom.

I slowly rode through the gates, passing through the Demon City with my two bodyguards following closely behind. Unlike before, the demon children seemed more accustomed to my visits, no longer running and hiding at the sight of me. Before long, I arrived at the gate of the castle. The demons at the gate bowed slightly in greeting and opened the gates for me. I rode a bit further before dismounting, and three demons walked towards us to take our horses to the stable in the castle. Perhaps my worry about Zephyra's disappearance earlier was unwarranted, as there seemed to be nothing wrong with the Demon Kingdom. I entered the castle and was greeted by Zephyra sitting on the throne in an empty hall. "Welcome," she said, her voice soft and accompanied by a smile.