I scrutinized the figure in front of me.
Short crimson hair.
A surprisingly cute face that didn’t match the fierce aura.
No doubt about it.
It was Red—the demon who’d appeared before, vowing revenge on Alios and picking a fight.
Why the hell is she here?
The sudden reappearance of a forgotten side character left me momentarily speechless.
Then, from beside me, a startled voice broke the silence.
“Ceres, what’s going on?!”
Ares—half-dressed, barely having washed, rushing out because she sensed something off.
“That’s… is that the demon you and Alios fought before?”
Hames, recognizing Red, spoke up with a tense expression.
“We got intel on that incident at the temple. That appearance matches exactly.”
So the High Priestess, natural enemy of demons, is well-informed on this stuff.
That saves me an explanation—nice and convenient.
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“Thought so. But why is she looking for you? If I heard right, it sounded like she was threatening to defile you…”
Hames, usually composed, scowled sharply as she asked.
Ares shouted at the same time, horrified.
“What? Ceres, what the hell is she talking about?!”
“She just wants revenge for what happened last time!”
I calmed them both down and turned my gaze back to Red.
Still floating mid-air on some weird creature, she casually descended to the ground.
The distance from the sky to the ground wasn’t small, but she landed effortlessly and said:
“Come down.”
She curled a finger toward my window, gesturing impatiently.
“A good man comes out obediently when a woman calls. Otherwise, I’ll drag you out like a dog.”
“The hell you say!”
Did she really think I wouldn’t come down just because she told me to?
Without hesitation, I jumped out the window.
“Ceres!”
“So reckless…”
Ares and Hames quickly followed after me.
We were on a fairly high floor, but none of us were ordinary humans—we landed lightly.
The three of us faced off against Red, keeping a short distance between us.
“You cowardly bastard!”
I pointed at Red and shouted.
“Alios fought you too, so why are you coming after me?!”
Originally she was after Alios, and now she’d switched targets to me? This was ridiculous.
“Is it cause I’m weaker? You bastard!”
“Alios is holed up in her territory right now.”
Red grumbled.
“She’s got ten thousand private soldiers and four hundred knight-class guards. Even I can’t take her out in that kind of setup.”
“…She has that many forces?”
“You don’t know? Aren’t you both high nobles?”
I’m just a former civilian, thanks.
No way I’d know that.
Red gave me a disgusted look.
“Pretty face, empty head. Do you even know what’s in your own territory?”
“I know I’ve got 200 knights.”
“And 5,000 private soldiers. She’s not easy to get to, so I waited.”
Red smiled wickedly.
“Waited for her to leave her safe domain and walk right into my hands.”
That was her signal.
The monsters in the air began to dive at us in a surprise attack.
Up close, the things looked like some grotesque fusion of bulls or bears and birds—beasts with wings and unnatural hybrid limbs.
One of them reached for us—
And its upper and lower body split apart.
“You thought I’d let these things get anywhere near my Ceres?”
Ares, of course.
With a few quick swings of her blade, she sliced the monsters to ribbons.
“…Ares Hyperion. Just as strong as the rumors said.”
Red charged at her, annoyed.
She morphed her right arm into a giant blade and tried to strike, but—
“Ora?”
She froze, shocked as Ares blocked it with a blade glowing in aura.
“What the hell? I didn’t hear anything about you being a Sword Master!”
“Die.”
Ares didn’t answer.
No point in talking—she was aiming to finish it fast.
As her aggression ramped up, Red was forced to respond in kind.
The strongest from both sides were now locked in combat—leaving the rest of us to handle the monsters.
As the remaining beasts swarmed us, Hames raised a hand.
A radiant barrier formed in sync with her gesture, keeping them at bay.
“They came well-prepared.”
She observed them for a moment, then frowned.
“Ceres, these creatures were probably just normal wild animals.”
“They don’t look normal to me.”
“That demon’s power must be body modification. She likely used it to turn the animals into these things—and now she controls them.”
With that explanation, I understood what she meant by ‘well-prepared.’
Capturing animals, transforming them, and organizing them for an ambush—that takes time.
The timing was perfect, too—right after we left the territory and parted ways with the priests.
“She’s been watching me for a while, waiting for this.”
“Most likely. I don’t know how she did it, but she’s clearly obsessed with you.”
Hames looked genuinely concerned.
“If she lives, you’ll be in constant danger.”
“Then we just need to get rid of her.”
I replied calmly, extending my hand.
With clear intent, I released holy power from my palm, striking the beasts before me.
Their bodies melted, ruptured, collapsed.
Seems like they really were demon-modified—the holy power worked.
If that’s the case, they’re no match for me.
Pity about the animals, though. I told myself I was helping send them to peace as I wiped them all out.
Then I turned my power on Red, still fighting Ares.
“Guh—you bastard!”
Mid-battle with Ares, Red suddenly had to deal with my power as well and gritted her teeth.
She tried to move toward me but was blocked by Ares.
“You won’t lay a single finger on my son.”
“…Mother and son—both a pain in the ass!”
Watching her spit curses while fighting both of us, I felt reassured.
This much, and we could definitely take her down.
No need for Ares to unleash her Black Pain.
But… something was off.
“This is way too easy.”
Red’s a cunning one.
Last time she took hostages to turn the tables.
So why, despite all this careful planning, was she losing this badly?
Then I noticed something weird.
“Why aren’t people reacting?”
“What?”
“All this noise, and no one’s come out?!”
The moment I pointed it out, Hames’s face hardened.
Don’t tell me—
“Oh? You figured it out already?”
I stopped casting. Red’s tone turned mocking—guess that earlier panic was just an act.
The next instant—
New monsters appeared, a little ways off.
Dozens of them—each carrying an unconscious human under one arm.
“That’s right. This whole thing was a diversion. The real goal was to have my minions capture hostages.”
Red spoke smugly.
This bitch was pulling the same stunt again.
“Try anything funny, and I’ll kill one person for every blast of holy power.”
I lowered my hand, disgusted.
“Back off.”
“You bastard…”
Ares reluctantly sheathed her sword and stepped back toward me.
Seeing us comply, Red looked quite pleased.
I stared her down, tense.
“What are you planning?”
No way she took that many hostages just to make us retreat.
She was definitely going to demand more.
“I thought I’d have some fun with you before taking you away.”
“…Fun how?”
“Hmm…”
Red theatrically pretended to ponder, then smiled ominously.
I tensed, unsure what she meant—
“Take your clothes off.”
…Excuse me?
“Right here. In front of me. And don’t hesitate—or I’ll kill one hostage per second of delay…”
“That’s it?”
“…What?”
Seriously? That’s all she wants?
If it had been something truly horrific, I might’ve considered sacrificing the hostages. But this? Please.
“Fine. I’ll strip.”
Thinking how stupid the demand was, I reached for my clothes—
Only to be blocked.
“Stop!”
“Ceres!”
Hames and Ares both freaked out, grabbing me.
“You’re really going to do something so degrading just because of a demon’s threats?!”
“It’s not a big deal—”
“Not a big—?! Have you lost all sense with your memory?!”
Both of them were desperately trying to stop me.
“…This isn’t quite what I expected…”
Red looked taken aback.
Oh. Right. I am technically in the “noble bachelor” role in this world, huh.
Even if the world’s gone to shit, I hadn’t completely forgotten societal norms, so I hesitated for a second…
And in that moment—
The monsters holding hostages were slaughtered in an instant.
“What the—?!”
“You—!”
Red flinched. I was stunned.
Because the ones who killed the monsters… were the Death Knights I’d met in the Land of the Dead.
Everyone gaped as the grim figures appeared.
Their leader pointed a sword at Red.
“Demon. Your filthy schemes have failed. Best to retreat now.”
“…Tch. Who the hell are you?!”
Red scowled, but backed off when she saw the aura radiating from the leader’s sword.
“We’ll meet again!”
She sprouted wings and fled instantly.
I wanted to chase her down, but I couldn’t.
Because the beings in front of us were far more dangerous.
We all stood wary of the Death Knights—
Until their leader addressed me.
“We’ve been searching for you.”
“…Why me?”
As I asked, the knights suddenly knelt.
The leader removed her helmet—not a skull beneath it, but a stunning woman with long silver hair, like Ares.
Her voice trembled with emotion.
“You are the true monarch of the Hyperion line—the Holy King. The one our Royal Knight Order is sworn to serve!”
…What kind of bullshit is this now?