“Demons have infiltrated the Sea of Trees…… and at the Nelf family’s ball, of all places!”
“As expected, we shouldn’t have let outsiders into our sacred forest……”
“Old man, stop your insinuations. This demon was disguised as one of our own. If the new Hero hadn’t been here, who among the guests could have detected him?”
“What about the guest list? Who was the servant responsible for escorting this demon in!”
Though the demon had been subdued, the ball remained in chaos.
It was only natural–the guests present all knew what had happened in the Northland of the neighboring country, Yilansiya. They had come here in large part because of the girl currently holding the demon’s head in the middle of the hall.
Sixteen years later, remnants of the Demon King had reappeared. And this time, it was his daughter…… Many people, upon hearing this, thought it was just another false flag raised by terrorists who had been trying to destroy peace since the war, seeking to justify their vile deeds.
Because it was common knowledge that the Demon King had no children…… People were unwilling to believe that such a devil could have left behind a bloodline.
But when they later heard that the Shadow Demon Grand Duke, who had been missing for hundreds of years with no one knowing his whereabouts, had appeared beside the girl claiming to be the Demon King’s daughter and assisted her in attacking the Harvest Festival venue in the Northland, even if they were reluctant to accept it, they could only admit–
That she was indeed the Demon King’s daughter…… and even likely the next Demon King.
Because the demon race respected only the strong. The only one who could command the Seven Demon Dukes, who sat at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, had always been the Demon King, who was stronger than them.
And it was this Demon King’s daughter and the Demon Duke who had been defeated by the Hero’s daughter and the Sword Saint. Although there were rumors that another girl, suspected to be the Hero’s illegitimate daughter, had fought alongside the Sword Saint at the time…… most people, who were fond of the universally known love story between the Hero and his wife, dismissed that as exaggerated embellishment added to the rumors.
These people mostly focused their attention on the impact of the demon attack and the girl who had bravely defeated the Demon King’s daughter–indeed, the elf nobles present were part of this group.
When they learned that Milin was visiting the Nelf family and was about to be received by Her Majesty the Queen, who had not appeared publicly since the Triumphant Ceremony, they flocked to Fenglin City one after another, wanting to see with their own eyes the girl hailed as the “new Hero” and the change she would bring to the Sea of Trees–
But most of them obviously had not anticipated this scene. Rather, they had never imagined that this new Hero girl would demonstrate her strength by personally rooting out the demon hidden among them…….. and the entire process by which she incapacitated that demon exuded an almost cruel efficiency.
Some people clapped in admiration, while others stepped back in fear.
“Great work! So clean and decisive!”
“You are truly amazing!”
The young elves standing nearby almost forgot their manners. They applauded and shouted, watching every move of the red-haired girl in the center of the hall.
A fanatical expression appeared on their faces–one that held not only worship and awe of great power, but also the excitement of a long-suppressed desire being ignited.
“This is the new Hero!”
“The thing she defeated was a Shadow Demon, wasn’t it? Even the Nelf family’s guards couldn’t detect its disguise. How did she see through it?”
“When they fought earlier, I could feel that the Shadow Demon’s magic power was extraordinary……… But it was completely crushed from start to finish? That girl’s magic power is terrifying……”
But not everyone shared the same view of this scene. By the railing, several elderly elf nobles had ashen faces. They did not join the discussion but silently stared at the gap in the railing still bearing scorch marks, and the magical protective layer on the surface of the giant tree “Nelf” that was slowly healing.
This was hardly any damage to the giant tree–because these giant trees that had lived since ancient times gathered incomparable magic power upon themselves.
This magic power was strong enough to form an indestructible magical protective layer on their bark, protecting their bodies immovably through thousands upon thousands of years.
Even during the war, when subjected to spell bombardment from the Spirit Demon Duke and his army, this magical protective layer had never wavered. Yet now, due to a human’s magic, it had been cracked open–
“Is this really possible?”
“Possible or not…… she’s already done it!”
A calm yet sharp voice rang out from the crowd. Levianther Nelf, the acting head of the family, walked over.
She stopped by the railing, her gaze first sweeping over the damaged railing, then falling on the crack in the giant tree’s magical protective layer.
“Miss new Hero.” She addressed Milin. Her voice held no anger, but the temperature of her emotions had dropped to freezing. “I recall you seemed to say earlier that you would control your strength.”
“What are you talking about…?”
Milin, holding the demon’s head, shot an extremely displeased look at Levianther, then noticed the railing next to her, burned through by the fire pillar she had created, and further away, the crack in the giant tree’s magical protective layer.
“…Seems like it, huh? So-sorry!”
She became flustered and quickly bowed her head to apologize to Levianther and the nobles around her. The mana soul hue swirling around her also faded, returning from dark red to red.
“Furthermore, your actions just now were nothing less than a public execution. I understand your hatred of demons after what happened in the Northland, and I am grateful that you caught the demon hiding among the guests……. But must things like execution and torture be done in plain sight?”
The hall fell silent…….. But then came an even fiercer storm:
“Acting head, that seems too harsh of you. Letting a demon in was our negligence to begin with.”
“Besides, who knows what that demon was planning to do? If the new Hero hadn’t caught him, we would all still be in the dark!”
Many young elves retorted and rebuked her…… But her next words silenced them:
“As you all have said, failing to detect the demon’s infiltration is the negligence of the Nelf family.” Levianther’s voice was not loud, but it rang clearly throughout the venue. “But this is the Nelf family’s ball, and behind us is the great giant tree.”
She raised her hand, pointing to the damaged railing and the giant tree in the distance.
“I understand you were trying to defeat the demon, but you should not have released your power so unrestrainedly here. A simple blow from you could crack the giant tree’s magical protective layer…….. If you had used just a bit more force, wouldn’t you have left a scar on its body?”
As her words fell, low murmurs rose again among the crowd. Fear, doubt, hesitation–emotions that had not been displayed before were now stirred up in abundance.
Before Milin could speak, someone else preemptively responded for her:
“Demons have infiltrated the ball, and you’re still talking about restraint?”
“If we don’t talk about restraint…… then would it be fine if she just set the giant tree on fire?”
“Everyone calm down……”
The debate spread quickly. The lines between guests of different stances became starkly clear at this moment. But just as the voices of argument grew louder and emotions were about to spiral out of control, someone clapped twice.
The two claps were exceptionally loud, cutting through the argument–Nephtalia stepped forward.
The excitement on her face faded…… replaced by her usual careless smile.
“Don’t fight, everyone.” She looked completely relaxed, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a trivial interlude in the ball. She glanced around and said:
“Now that the demon has been dealt with, the ball should continue, shouldn’t it? With the triumphant anthem playing in unison, it wouldn’t do not to dance, would it?”
For a moment, the entire hall was dead silent. But the shock quickly spread like ripples–
“Continue?”
“Lady Nephtalia…… Are you serious?”
Levianther’s brow furrowed deeply. Clearly, even she could not understand what was going through her niece’s mind.
“Nefi, what are you saying? Demons have infiltrated, guests are frightened…… and you still want to continue the ball?”
“What’s wrong with that.” Nephtalia interrupted her. “Since our Hero has caught the demon for us and ensured safety……. then the ball should go on, right? Otherwise, why would everyone have traveled all this way to come here?”
“……What nonsense are you talking?”
“This isn’t nonsense. Blaming the hero who caught the demon for us, like you just did……. that’s the real nonsense.”
She turned around and waved at the guards standing by the railing on one side of the platform.
The guards nodded, then flipped a switch on the railing.
The structure that had been hidden beneath the platform slowly unfolded with the sound of machinery, and passages connecting to the giant tree’s trunk and surrounding branches gradually took shape.
“Having said that……. I won’t force anyone to stay.” She said calmly. “If you think I’m crazy, you can leave now. If you want to continue enjoying the ball, you’re welcome to stay.”
“Lunatic……!”
A commotion ran through the crowd, and then many guests lifted their skirts and set down their glasses, hurrying away.
“Nefi…… I hope you understand what you’re doing. You need to know that people are watching everything you do.”
“Isn’t that great. Let them watch if they want.”
Levianther gave Nephtalia a deep look, said no more, and turned to walk toward the passage surrounded by a group of guards.
Following behind her were a number of solemn-faced Traditionalist nobles and a few Reformist members who were still clearly shaken.
Prince Alvin stood in place for a moment, hesitating, but finally let out a soft sigh.
“The demon’s infiltration is no small matter. I must report what happened here to the Royal Court. You must prepare for what comes next.” He said quietly to Nephtalia.
Nephtalia nodded at him but did not ask him to stay.
“Natalia…… Wait!” Watching the guests leave in droves, Milin ran to Nephtalia’s side and called out anxiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Besides this guy…… there might be other demons! How could you just let everyone go!”
“Oh dear……!” Nephtalia slapped her hands together with an expression of “why didn’t I think of that,” then instructed Carol beside her: “Carol, go call them all back quickly–“
“Your ability to say insane things is truly improving, Miss Nephtalia.”
Carol sighed deeply.
“Sorry about that…… Milin. But don’t you still have this guy in your hand? If there are accomplices, just make him talk.”
Nephtalia, with a pitiful expression, clasped her hands together in apology, then pointed to the haggard-looking head in Milin’s hand.