The Demon King’s Castle, once reduced to ruins again, now stood under the blazing sun. Busy figures could be seen every moment, tirelessly pouring sweat into this land.
They were working hard to rebuild the Demon King’s Castle, placing bricks and tiles one by one, and the results were quite apparent.
There was already a faint outline of the reconstruction from before, thanks to Emilia’s reasonable planning and her strict standards for task execution.
She wouldn’t waste any manpower or time, nor would she let anyone run around like a headless chicken causing chaos.
All credit went to her burning the midnight oil writing the project plan, holding meetings with her subordinates to assign workflows and tasks, exchanging opinions and suggestions, and even giving speeches in the plaza to boost morale. Only with these efforts had they managed to reach this point.
It was clear she had become a master at “painting castles in the air” — no longer awkward as before. It was probably forced out of her.
In situations like this, if you don’t spin hopes, no one will stay. When pushed to the edge, people can do and learn anything.
Except maybe math problems.
Standing at the center of the Demon King’s Castle, Sig looked out with a dazed expression.
He remembered that just two days ago, this place was barren, filled only with rubble and broken walls. After all, it had been a mess caused by himself and the hero.
It was truly unbelievable that now it was starting to take shape.
Raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, he observed intently every movement below, every blade of grass, every piece of wood, and the slowly rebuilt Demon King’s Castle.
A strange sense of comfort stirred within him.
He realized things were not as bad as he had anticipated. Everything was moving in a positive direction—perhaps there was still hope.
Hope to return home.
Yet… there was also a hint of confusion. Deep down, he couldn’t help but wonder.
The progress was a bit too fast, almost unnaturally so, but he didn’t voice it—perhaps he felt it was unnecessary.
“Emilia, thank you for your hard work.”
All his countless words condensed into this one sentence.
He understood that without the girl’s effort, none of this would have changed. Simply praising her seemed perfunctory; he would reward her properly later.
“It’s nothing, not hard at all. Besides, it’s what I should do. After all, this is our home, Sig.”
Emilia clearly wasn’t being formal. She spoke from the heart, having truly made this place her refuge.
She smiled warmly.
After a pause, her delicate hand rested at the edge of her skirt, then subconsciously lifted to twine her silver hair around her fingers, looping again and again.
It seemed she had something to say but didn’t know how to begin appropriately.
“Um, Sig… about the Black Mist… I’m not sure if I should talk about it or not.”
“I don’t really understand it well, but I realized some parts might be useful… though I’m still unclear…”
“After all, you know this place better than anyone. You understand it. I think it’s okay to ask you, right?”
Sig didn’t expect his lover to be so polite. Furrowing his brow slightly, he looked a bit surprised.
After all, what kind of relationship did they have? There was no need to be so reserved—too much formality made him uncomfortable.
He raised his hand, resting it gently on the girl’s shoulder, squeezing lightly—her hand felt nice.
“Ask away. I don’t mind.”
After a brief pause, he added somewhat disgruntled, as if complaining.
“If you have questions, just ask. No need to be so polite. We’re both people who’ve been to bed together, deeply familiar with each other in all senses. I won’t mind anything. Next time, just ask directly, got it?”
“Sorry, I’m just too reserved. But I’m really satisfied being able to talk to you like this, on equal terms. After all, I’m someone seeking atonement; attitude is important. I won’t forget what I did before just because I’ve been with you. I’ll reflect on it properly.”
Not only was she explaining the situation, but Emilia was also reminding herself.
She realized she’d been a little too reckless lately; it was better to rein herself in.
Don’t get carried away because of pride—after all, past deeds can’t be forgiven so easily.
Even if he didn’t mind, she needed to remember it deeply herself.
They quickly moved on to the main topic, skipping the awkward part.
“Anyway, about the Black Mist.”
“Mm, I’m listening.”
Not knowing how to answer well, Emilia was relieved to skip the deeper part.
Although Sig had forgiven her, some matters were really tricky if delved into.
Honestly, his forgiveness followed his heart but was unfair to their previous efforts and the demons.
He couldn’t just act like a man who pulled his pants up and forgot everything.
Even if he was no longer Sigmar’s man, it didn’t mean he’d become a scoundrel.
It wouldn’t make sense for him to say after being with Emilia, “If it weren’t for life and death, I wouldn’t want to merge with you. This is the atonement you owe. Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because of this…” That would be truly despicable.
At this moment, the girl’s beautiful blood-red eyes watched Sig’s expression constantly.
Seeing his face calm without a flicker of emotion—not even a blink—she silently exhaled in relief.
She then slowly resumed the conversation about the Black Mist.
“The Black Mist…”
Unexpectedly, as she spoke, Sig suddenly seemed to recall something and abruptly fell to his knees, wailing to the sky.
He had planned to hunt inside the Black Mist but accidentally fell asleep, ending up with an empty-handed hunt.
“Damn, I forgot to hunt. I was too busy sleeping.”
“… It’s no big deal.”
Used to this, Emilia quickly comforted him in a low voice.
She almost forgot herself, but it was really no problem.
Whether those things were edible was questionable, so maybe not hunting was better.
She stretched out her delicate hand and, using all her strength, helped him up.
Once the commotion settled, she continued talking about the Black Mist.
“There are many strange things in the Black Mist. The ecosystem inside is very different from outside.”
“Especially the plants that came back—I planted them all, and the survival rate is quite high. But they’re still not edible.”
“Those things die quickly if planted in normal soil, for no reason.”
“Maybe it’s their nature.”
Following the topic, she glanced at the nearby fenced-off fields filled with all sorts of twisted and terrifying plants growing vigorously.
The area was off-limits to prevent unknown dangers or someone accidentally eating something.
Looking at the scenes of the Demon King’s Castle being rebuilt around her, she naturally understood that sourcing materials locally was inefficient.
The strength wasn’t enough, quality wasn’t guaranteed, and manpower was limited.
Buying materials would be too expensive and might not withstand the corrosive environment here.
Even lasting a year would be considered good.
Besides, it wasn’t like they couldn’t afford it.
So naturally, her thoughts turned to the Black Mist.
That was just what she was about to say.
After spending some time here, she had gained a fresh, serious understanding of the environment and conditions.
Her ideas were constantly evolving with time.
“I remember seeing many ancient buildings inside the Black Mist, made from materials that wouldn’t rot for a hundred years.”
“Even their shapes and appearances remain intact, able to withstand the erosion of the Black Mist.”
“Honestly, it’d be a shame not to use them.”