“Oh, hoo…! This is no joke…!!!”
The view from 2,500 meters in the air was more than enough to make Louis’s eyes sparkle.
It felt as if his feet could touch the clouds at any moment, and the grand, sprawling academy that had once seemed so vast now looked as small as an ant.
“I was just like that too.”
“Still, this view is really amazing, isn’t it?”
Unlike Louis, the other two, who had ridden on Tene’s back a few times before, didn’t make such a fuss. But even for them, this scenery brought a refreshing sense of freedom that they quite enjoyed.
[Heh! How is it? Impressive, right? In this world, the only creature that can fly as high and as fast as me is none other than Tenebrix Nox!]
Though Tene was often treated as a mere mount, the sight of Louis cheering excitedly on his back seemed to boost his pride, and he flapped his wings even more powerfully as he spoke.
“This world probably doesn’t have airplanes, right…? If so, how would I go about making one…? Just imagining it sounds fun!”
[That’s what you’re thinking about?!]
But instead of simply enjoying soaring through the sky on the dragon’s back, Louis revealed his desire to create something that could show people this view with their own eyes. Tene responded in disbelief.
“So, where are we headed now?”
After gazing at the sky for a while, Louis suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Felix, who was perched on his head and looking around.
“Before heading north, I thought we might stop by home for a bit.”
“Home, huh…? Oh yeah, you’re a noble, right? Your family’s name was…”
“Evergarden.”
“Evergarden… Evergarden… Was there a character like that?”
“See? No one remembers minor villain extras who appear early on.”
Hearing the name of Felix’s possessed family’s noble house, Louis scratched his head in thought before asking again, seemingly struggling to recall. That reaction made Felix feel oddly melancholic.
“I wanted to possess one of the protagonist’s group members too…”
“Well, if we’re going by that logic, I’m not even a character from the original story.”
“Now that you mention it… What exactly determines who gets possessed? There are a lot of web novels where people possess minor villains, but sometimes they even possess characters that weren’t mentioned at all… I just don’t get it.”
Felix tilted his head in confusion at Louis’s attempt to console him by sharing his own situation.
Thinking about it, among everyone they had met so far, the only one who had possessed a character with any significant role in the original story was Tene.
Even then, Tene had only appeared briefly in the final part of the story, leaving a strong impact before being defeated by the protagonist’s party within a few chapters.
If the original novel’s total content was considered 100%, Tene had about 2–4%, while the rest of the group barely made up 0.1%.
In fact, aside from Rosaria and Felix, the others had only been mentioned by name.
That made Felix wonder, was there some kind of condition for possession?
“Why are you even thinking about that? This whole situation doesn’t make sense in the first place. Just go with it.”
Rosaria snorted, looking at Felix as if he was overcomplicating things.
[Ah, I see it! We’re almost there!]
“Oh…! Seeing it from this far away really makes it feel like we’re coming back.”
“Yeah, I’m even starting to feel a little nostalgic.”
As they chatted, Tene continued flying tirelessly through the sky, and before they knew it, they had reached the outskirts of Evergarden territory.
It had been two months since they had left for the academy.
“Hey… doesn’t it feel like the territory has changed a lot?”
“Yeah… the atmosphere is completely different now.”
After landing in the forest near the estate and undoing their polymorph, Rosaria and Felix entered the territory, looking around in amazement.
In the past, when they had first possessed their new bodies and stepped outside for the first time, Evergarden had been a bleak and desolate place.
But now, it was so visibly poor that anyone could tell at a glance the land had lost its vitality and was withering away.
“Come, come! A whole sack of fresh Landr for just 2 dinars! You won’t find a deal like this anywhere else!”
“Freshly baked bread for sale!”
“Custom clothing available!”
Evergarden was now bustling with life. New shops lined the streets, and people moved about busily, filling the air with energy.
“Wow… this really feels like a fantasy town!”
“I’ve only seen places like this in games before. It’s pretty awesome.”
Tene, who had also noticed the transformation, looked around with sparkling eyes, while Louis observed the town with interest.
“Isn’t Dad amazing?”
“Yeah, he really is. It’s like the whole territory has been reborn.”
Freya’s tireless efforts to restore Evergarden had finally borne fruit.
“…Now that we’re here, what do we do?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
As they made their way toward their home, Felix suddenly stopped in his tracks, cold sweat forming on his forehead as he turned to Rosaria.
“Dad seemed really angry about what happened last time.”
“Ah.”
The artificial dungeon incident had caused an uproar not just at the academy but across the entire empire.
The academy was filled with noble children from all over the empire, so news of the event had spread rapidly among the noble families.
There was no way Count Evergarden wouldn’t have heard about it.
In fact, just three days after the incident, the two siblings had received a letter.
Not an ordinary letter, but a direct transmission used only for urgent matters.
Unlike regular mail, which relied on couriers, this letter was sent via magic, making it incredibly fast. Initially developed for military use, it had eventually become accessible to the general public provided they could afford it.
However, sending a single letter cost a hefty 2,000 dinars (approximately 2.8 million won), making it a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.
And the contents of that expensive letter?
[If I don’t hear from you in three days, I’m coming there myself.]
That was all.
A single, short, and utterly firm sentence.
It was so unlike Freya, who usually filled their messages with endless stories, that the siblings were terrified.
Because this…this was how Freya acted when he was truly angry.
“We did rush to send a letter explaining everything to calm him down, but… are we really okay just showing up like this?”
“E-Eh! Come on~ that was ages ago! Besides, we explained everything to him, right?”
“…And he never replied.”
“………….”
“………….”
“How about… we just head straight to the north instead?”
“Honestly, I kinda want to. Dad is really scary when he’s mad.”
“Huh? What’s going on? Why aren’t you moving?”
“Is something wrong?”
Hearing Felix’s suggestion, Rosaria felt cold sweat begin to drip down her own forehead as well.
She was now seriously considering whether they should just make a run for it. Â
Meanwhile, Tene and Louis, who had no idea what was going on, could only stare in confusion.
Just moments ago, the siblings had been walking normally, but now they had frozen in place, their expressions stiff as they nervously broke into a cold sweat.
“Wait a second didn’t we already reveal our faces when we entered the territory?”
“Oh.”
At that moment, Rosaria’s eyes widened as a memory surfaced.
Back at the checkpoint, they had identified themselves in order to enter the estate.
And they could clearly recall the expression of the guard the way his previously indifferent face had twisted into sheer panic the moment he recognized them, how he had snapped into a stiff salute in an instant.
If they tried to run now, their father would inevitably find out they had returned. And if they ran after he knew they were here…
“…Let’s just go.”
“Yeah. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen otherwise.”
Realizing they didn’t have the courage to face the aftermath of an escape attempt, the two siblings reluctantly started walking again.
“It’s been a while, young master, young lady.”
“The fact that Master is here means…”
“Yes, Madam is waiting for you.”
“Ughhh…..”
And so, in the end, Rosaria and her companions trudged toward the mansion.
Waiting at the front gate, as if he already knew they would come, was Gordon.
“It’s been a while, Lady Tene.”
“Hello!”
“But… who is this?”
“Oh, nice to meet ya.”
Gordon greeted Tene with a slight smile before noticing a new face and asking about them.
“Ah, he’s an academy student and our guest. I’m going to introduce him to Mo— I mean, my mother as well.”
“I’m Louis Gramore. Just call me Louis~”
“I see. Understood. Then, I shall escort him to the drawing room. Would you like to come along, Lady Tene?”
“Huh? Weren’t we all going together?”
“Eh? Me too?”
“…Huh? Then what about us?”
Nodding at Rosaria’s explanation, Gordon was about to lead the two inside when Rosaria, looking flustered, questioned him again.
“Madam is waiting for you.”
“Urk!?”
“……..”
With that, Gordon lightly adjusted his monocle and repeated what he had just said.
But the meaning was clear as day.
Get moving. Now.
It was a chillingly sharp message.
Felix, who had already sensed this underlying meaning, had been frozen stiff for a while now.
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me. I hope you have a peaceful reunion…”
“You old geezer! No Master!! You knew all along, didn’t you!? You’re enjoying this on purpose, aren’t you!?”
“I’m just escorting the guests, so I’ll be off!”
“Master! You old man! Hey!!!”
Leaving behind only words that offered no comfort, Gordon swiftly disappeared with Louis and Tene, as if making a quick escape.
Rosaria yelled in frustration, but by then, Gordon was already long out of sight.
“……….Let’s go.”
“……….Yeah.”
Still fuming at the front gate, Rosaria was finally pulled along by Felix, and together they stepped into the mansion.
It had only been two months since their last visit, yet for some reason, the two felt like they were walking straight into the gates of the Demon King’s castle.