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The group, guided by Guard Captain Viktor, headed towards a dark valley.

Viktor was still being held by Park Seol-hwa and Lin Hazel.

“Wow, look at this. I put the tissue sample we just took into a potion, and the reaction is extremely negative.”

“It’s clear they have a different mechanism from humans.”

“I can’t tell just from this… Should we take a little blood sample? I wish we had brought smaller equipment and fewer clothes. It’s tough carrying only cases for samples.”

“We can store it with magic… I think about 1 liter should be enough. That should be plenty until we arrive. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. This is why it’s great to have a mage who understands.”

For a person weighing 70kg, the total blood volume is roughly 5 liters.

The amount of blood that can be safely drawn is about 10 to 15% of the total blood volume for a healthy person.

Typically, blood donation involves 400-500 ml, so this is about double that, but Park Seol-hwa casually agreed.

Despite being held by two mad scientists and silently praying for his life, Viktor had to shout corrections whenever the leaders took a wrong turn.

‘Why are these kids who can’t even find their way leading the group…’

The leaders were Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon.

Viktor, no matter the situation, always thoroughly did his job, showing great professionalism.

“No, not that way!”

Every time Viktor shouted, Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon would turn around sharply.

‘Mom… please get me out of this heaven-like place…’

I thought doing good deeds would send me to hell and bad deeds to heaven.

I thought I had only done good deeds, protecting Dante’s citizens.

But now, it feels like I’ve been sent to heaven alive.

Regardless, Jeong Gyeoul was busy trying to cheer up Lee Ha-yoon.

Lee Ha-yoon had already cheered up but was pretending to still be sulky because she enjoyed Jeong Gyeoul’s attention.

“How can I make it up to you?”

“I told you, I’m not sulking, so there’s nothing to make up for.”

“How about a pajama party when we get back?”

“…”

For a moment, the act of sulking almost cracked.

A pajama party with Jeong Gyeoul.

Since childhood, no matter how much I begged, she never agreed, but now she brought it up herself.

‘…Just a little more, and I might get something else out of her.’

She, too, was from the Taebaek Group.

The daughter of a chaebol family, the younger sister of the Taebaek Guild leader, and an S-Class Hero herself.

Having seen and experienced so much, she naturally knew how to take control of the situation.

And she knew how to use it naturally.

“Do you think I’d fall for that? How old are we? Let’s be mature, Gyeoul.”

“Then I guess I have no choice. Eun-chae unnie bought new animal pajamas. I’ll have to play with Hayan instead.”

“…”

But no matter how much she tried, she was still a 14-year-old middle schooler on her first life.

She was no match for Jeong Gyeoul.

‘No matter how much you jump, you’re still a flea.’

Lee Ha-yoon thought she managed her expression well when she heard about the pajama party, but Jeong Gyeoul had already noticed she had cheered up.

She could also guess why Lee Ha-yoon kept pretending to sulk.

“…Why does it sound like you’re excluding me? Telling me to be mature while leaving me out.”

“Hayan, you’ve matured too quickly to play with someone as childish as me. I guess I’ll have to call childlike Chaerin unnie to play with me.”

“…Fine.”

“What was that?”

Before they knew it, the situation had reversed.

Jeong Gyeoul looked at Lee Ha-yoon, who had turned red and bowed her head, and laughed teasingly.

“Do it! Let me play too!”

“Oh, elder, playing with kids like us might make you lose your ‘maturity.'”

Jeong Ha-yul watched Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon play with a motherly smile.

But Kim Yu-shin was starting to feel something was wrong.

‘…Is this right? Is this… the Demon Realm ‘Expedition Team’?’

The Demon Realm Expedition Team, which might end up in a war with Satan or even the Demon Realm, seemed completely unaware of any danger.

It felt more like a Demon Realm tourist group than an expedition team.

Just as he was starting to think about what was going wrong.

“Damn it!”

“…I’ll buy some time! Get out of here!”

“No! We’re going together no matter what!”

From a distance, demons were rushing towards Jeong Gyeoul’s group, kicking up dust and causing a commotion.

They were too far to see clearly, but it seemed like they were being chased.

“Everyone, halt. Let’s assess the situation before moving.”

As soon as Jeong Gyeoul noticed something was off, she raised her hand to stop the group and focused her magic power on her eyes to assess the situation.

“…Looks like there’s trouble ahead.”

Lin Hazel, who was trying to inject Viktor with a syringe, and Park Seol-hwa, who was shaking a potion bottle while observing the tissue sample, also stopped and went on alert.

Lin, on Viktor’s left, guarded the left side.

Park Seol-hwa, on the right, guarded the right side.

And Jeong Ha-yul, watching their backs, supported the group.

Viktor was stunned by how quickly they formed a perfect perimeter.

Kim Yu-shin also looked both impressed and bewildered, but he was part of the Demon Realm Expedition Team.

He drew his bow, ready for an attack.

“General! This area is Satan’s territory!”

“That’s not important right now. Break through. Satan’s elite forces are all on the battlefield, so we’ll head straight to Asmodeus’s territory.”

“…Understood!”

“You take care of the young master! I’ll delay the enemy!”

“But, General!”

“Shut up and follow orders! Disobedience means instant execution!”

The demons, looking very urgent, were getting closer.

Jeong Gyeoul, still watching the front, spoke up.

“Looks like the ones running in front got beaten and are fleeing… There’s someone very important in the middle.”

The ones being chased didn’t have the luxury of carrying flags, so it was hard to tell which side they were on.

Even if they had flags, Jeong Gyeoul wouldn’t have been able to tell their allegiance by their armor.

“What about the back? There are at least ten times more pursuers. Which side are they from?”

“That looks like Satan’s army flag.”

The goat head in the middle of the Reverse Paradox.

Jeong Gyeoul remembered it as Satan’s army symbol.

“Gyeoul, where did you say we were heading?”

“Towards the frontlines near Belphegor’s territory?”

“Then… the ones in front must be Belphegor’s defeated troops. That front is already done for. The important one in the middle must be Belphegor or one of his family.”

Park Seol-hwa looked intrigued as she spoke.

It was quite convincing.

“Hmm… What should we do? Help them?”

“But… aren’t we supposed to meet Satan? Why don’t we just stay put?”

They came to meet Satan, so they couldn’t antagonize Satan’s army.

But they also couldn’t capture Belphegor’s family fleeing and hand them over.

For now, staying neutral seemed like the best option.

“Let’s do that. If they attack us, that’s one thing, but if they just pass by, we’ll let them.”

But…

“Why aren’t they slowing down? Even if they can’t slow down while fleeing, shouldn’t they try to avoid us if we’re in their path?”

“Right… They look like they’re going to crash into us.”

“Just in case, let’s set up a magic barrier. Make it invisible. If they crash into us, we’ll hand them over to Satan’s army.”

They had discarded their armor for speed, but the sight of dozens of cavalry charging was as intimidating as a dump truck coming head-on.

Of course, the Demon Realm Expedition Team wasn’t particularly impressed.

“Who’s doing it? Should I?”

“No, just anyone do it. Why are we taking turns for something like this?”

Jeong Gyeoul’s face clearly showed her disbelief.

When the situation arose, they quickly switched to full alert, showing their professionalism as active heroes, but as soon as they realized it was nothing, they relaxed.

It was like the Tang army coming to form an alliance.

“Then let the youngest do it.”

“Me?”

“The unnis are a bit older, so their magic recovery is slower. You take one for the team.”

“Ah… Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Uncharacteristically shy, Lee Ha-yoon created a defensive barrier around the entire expedition team.

As Jeong Gyeoul requested, it was almost invisible.

“Sir! It’s not an obstacle! It looks like a group of merchants!”

Belphegor’s soldier thought the group’s luggage was a strange cart that came up to their waist.

He thought they were too scared to move.

“Just run them over! Don’t think Satan’s army will go around if we do!”

“…Let’s go around. We shouldn’t harm innocent demons in our war.”

“But, young master!”

“If you won’t follow my orders, then leave me here.”

“…We’ll detour!”

 

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