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The Tower of White Night.
The Tower of the White Night, which always gave off a soft light even in the middle of the bleak desert, lost its mana and looked miserable due to the catastrophe in the Sota Desert.
Three elderly figures and a dragon who had turned into a human were standing on a rooftop with a huge hole in it.
Kelliark, Octavia, Hedo and Kadun sat on the chairs created by Kelliark's mana, gazing at the Sota Desert.
The desert was still full of traces of battle.
The underground shipyard had exploded, causing the entire center of the desert to collapse, forming a gruesome and gigantic pit. The blowing sand carried sparks and heat, permeating the air.
The fire and lightning bolts that were rising like tumors all over the desert showed no sign of ending even though they had been suppressed for several days. The remains of dead dragons and the wreckage of destroyed battleships filled the surroundings.
Twelve dragons were killed, 43 battleships were destroyed, and eight Spectres and more than 250 mages were killed.
Moreover, some battleship's blueprints and parts of the 'machinery' were stolen.
"It's the first time our clan has suffered such a blow since the Holy Kingdom Protection War 500 years ago."
Kelliark spoke calmly, prompting a snort from Kadun.
"I couldn't even compare this to that time."
Though he spoke as if it were a trivial matter, Kadun was the most disturbed among them.
The duke family of the Demon World has reappeared, and Murakan seems to have regained a considerable amount of his old strength. These two factors unsettled Kadun.
He felt like nightmares from the past were coming back to life.
Of course, Murakan had only recovered about half of the power he had during his prime, but those who heard Hedo's report were under the misconception that he had fully regained it.
The misunderstanding about Murakan's battle prowess, starting from the Black Kings incident, continued to grow.
"The Runcandels successfully escaped even when you were present, Sir Hedo. It seems Kadun isn't afraid of Murakan for no reason."
"No, I never said I was afraid."
"You said that with your own mouth last time. It was right after the Black Kings incident."
"Do you have to talk about that in front of others?"
"...It wasn't just the Runcandels and Murakan, but also Kinzelo and its demons were a problem too. Based on the circumstances, it appears that a demon named Bianca Kaligo wounded Sir Hedo."
Kelliark and Kadun nodded at Octavia's additional explanation.
"Unlike Ainas Kaligo, Bianca Kaligo showed battle prowess at the level of a 1st-level superhuman. The damage was limited to this extent thanks to Sir Hedo."
"That's right. If Hedo hadn't been there, this tower would have vanished without a trace, Kelliark. And your daughter would either be dead or captured for experiments or a prisoner."
"Her judgment to evacuate all the forces of the Magic tower in advance was excellent. It would have been a massacre if everyone had been there. Because of that, my subordinates seem to have incurred Sir Hedo's hatred a little...…."
"Your daughter sometimes makes exceptional judgments with a strange intuition. That's the only thing Sandra has in common with you."
Hedo remained silent, once again fixing his gaze on the distant desert.
He had started telling lies that he never told in his life since he began serving Sandra, but this was the first time it was as serious as this.
"If there is anything you wish for, please tell me, Sir Hedo."
"Just not holding me responsible for failing to protect the vault is enough."
"That is not your fault, Sir Hedo. Stop avoiding it and speak."
"...If you could grant me a few days off, I would appreciate it. Including the young lady."
Kelliark smiled. Hedo felt uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze that seemed to see through everything.
"Very well, take a break for ten days. You can leave immediately."
"Then I'll see you when I return, patriarch."
Hedo immediately left the place when Kelliark finished speaking.
It was mainly because constantly telling lies was becoming unbearable, but the rest of the group admired his dignified departure.
"I like Sir Hedo's confident demeanor."
"That human is undoubtedly Zipfel's treasure, Kelliark. You must hold onto him well, so he doesn't change his mind."
"Yes, that's true. By the way..."
Kelliark's gaze shifted between the Romin Forest and the central border.
In the aftermath of the battle, the place where Joshua executed the volcano still remained inaccessible to recovery personnel.
"That power, it was undoubtedly chaos, right? Octavia."
"Yes, patriarch."
"Runcandel and chaos... both the infiltration tunnel and the power he showed at the end makes it clear. The Prophet of Calamity is with Runcandel."
The Prophet of Calamity.
Ever since Solderet disappeared, Zipfel had been constantly tracking her.
As far as Zipfel knew, the last time Solderet communicated with humans was with their former patriarch, Riol Zipfel.
After that, there had been contractors of his, but there was no recorded instance of Solderet communicating with them.
So, Zipfel had assumed that Solderet either lost his power or sealed himself to avoid keeping the oath.
That was until Jin appeared, and until the evidence of the Prophet of Calamity being with Runcandel emerged.
"And the fact that Joshua Runcandel openly used the power of the prophet indicates that Chiron reached the territory of the five kings."
"Yes, patriarch. Chiron Runcandel would never have allowed the use of that unstable power. Still, it's surprising. He must have known about the existence of the prophet, yet he tolerated it until now. I wonder if he thought there was no other way?"
"No, that's not it. That monster is not such a weak human as to rely on something other than himself."
"Then why...?"
"Well, maybe he was looking forward to seeing his children and kins overcome even the prophecy of calamity through Runcandel's values and struggle."
"He probably didn't know when his time would run out, and once we regain our ancient power, Runcandel is bound to perish. Why would he make such a choice? I'm sure he had some expectations from the prophecy."
"He's different from us. He's old-fashioned."
Suddenly, Kelliark's appearance began to rejuvenate.
Wrinkled face and rough hands became smooth, and disheveled hair regained its luster. No one will be able to recognize that he is Kelliark Zipfel, who has instantly taken on the face of a playful boy.
"Anyway, we cannot start an all-out war just based on the suspicion that Chiron has entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea. Moreover, the enemy's capabilities exceed our expectations considering what has been newly confirmed in this incident."
Runcandel and Kinzelo.
Through this incident, Zipfel was able to reaffirm their strength. The Prophet of Calamity, Demon Dragon, the power of the Duke family of Demon World, and more.
Even that might not be everything.
"It seems the price of the arrogance gained from dominating the world for a thousand years is a bit painful. We intentionally lured them to confirm their power, yet we suffered the most significant damage."
"Hmph, see that? I told you over and over again that this was not the time to be leisurely looking at crystal balls that show nothing. They got their hands on the blueprints and machine, so those guys will become even stronger."
"So, I need to be a bit more cautious from now on. I have to speed up all my plans."
Completion of the Demon God's Orb, confirmation of Chiron's entry into the Black Sea's Five Kings territory, efforts to confirm and reinterpret the accurate content of Runcandel's prophecy, restoration of the ancient civilization, understanding Solderet's true intentions, tracing Temar's tomb, and more.
To accelerate and realize all these tasks, one person was indispensable.
"I will allocate more manpower and resources to finding the last survivor of Hister."
"Do we have such manpower available right now? When are you going to recover all that?"
"You better work harder on finding it yourself, Kadun."
"Ah, this is so frustrating!"
"I need to move a bit too..."
"Really!? Aren't you going to waste your time looking at crystal balls now?"
"Yeah."
Valeria Hister.
She was the key to all the major factions. The key to victory, the key to delaying defeat, the key to gaining new opportunities.
"Perhaps I might have to sit down again at the negotiating table with Rosa Runcandel. If we meet again because of Hister, the deal will be much more disadvantageous than the last time."
***
Kinzelo Headquarters.
Most high-ranking executives, including Bishkel and Berakt, alternately gazed at the firmly closed door of the leader's room and the anchored battleship Grenil at the back.
Since the incident at the Sword Emperor Castle, the leader had never fully awakened. However, this time, Zephyrin and battleship Grenil used his power again, and the leader's condition continued to deteriorate.
Creak, thud! boom...
The part of the half-destroyed Grenil dropped even when it was standing still and seemed to scream in agony. This further complicated the feelings of the executives.
"So, vice-leader! You used me as bait quite appropriately. I've never seen such a cunning human before."
"Hahaha, even though Lord Bishkel looks ruthless, he's actually a pretty good person. He even treats me to sweet potato croquettes every time."
"Wow, this tastes good. I should ask for this every day too. Anyway, if the vice-leader hadn't devised a plan to use me as bait there, I probably would have been captured. Those humans are stronger than you think... ugh. Still, they're nothing but short-lived bugs compared to my unnie."
"Let's toast to Lord Bishkel!"
"Alright, Bubare! Cheers to the sweet potato croquettes!"
Only two people, Bubare and Ainas, were talking excitedly.
Ainas was unaware that she had never been used as bait, and Bishkel had merely refrained from using the power of the battleship for fear of wasting it on saving her.
It was true that it saved Ainas in the end.
The battleship Grenil and Bianca followed the signal from the Zephyrin, and while Zipfel was pursuing them, Joshua executed the volcano, and Ainas was quickly forgotten by everyone on the battlefield.
Bishkel was truly losing his hair as he heard Bubare and Ainas laughing loudly.
Seeing a handful of hair in his palm, it was difficult to suppress the impulse to immediately slit their throats.
"Stop tormenting the poor vice-leader, you devils."
Zephelin grabbed Bubare and Ainas by the hair.
"That's right, no matter how good my orabeoni is, everything has to be in moderation. Besides, the leader is lying there, not only from this incident but also from healing mister Bubare. Shouldn't we be a bit quiet today?"
Even Margiella stood beside Zephyrin and spoke.
"I think both of you should go over there and sit in the corner. It was infuriating enough to be toyed with by Jin Runcandel, and on top of that, Joshua Runcandel, whom I was supposed to take as a hostage, blew himself... Do you understand? My mood is really, really bad."
Upon Zephyrin's words, Bubare and Ainas appeared to be breaking into a cold sweat and disappearing with hesitant steps.
"Uh... Sorry, Grand Duke. My younger sister... is still kind."
"I understand, I understand, Princess Bianca."
"Sorry, sorry."
Bianca bowed her head repeatedly in place of Ainas and disappeared, following her younger sister.
Zephyrin sighed deeply, pondering whether they were truly the ones who would bear the future of the demons.
"What are you going to do now, Ms. Zephyrin?" Margiella asked and Zephyrin gritted her teeth.
"I guess I have to negotiate with Jin Runcandel. If he tries to play with me again this time, I'll do whatever it takes to kill him..."