At that moment, as the vines and plants that devour humans surged from the ground, Hans quickly made a judgment in his mind. If he retreated any further, there’d be no solution at that time.

In this chaotic situation, the only option Hans had was to turn back time. The golden light that flowed from Hans swept away everything around him.

And just like that, time turned back. Not to the time when the vines ate the soldiers, but to much earlier. The people who returned to their original state couldn’t grasp what was going on.

Looking at the perfectly returned soldiers and knights, Hans shouted with all his might to run away. Only then did they recall the memory of being devoured. Panic-stricken, they fled.

In contrast, Hans was charging toward the castle. There was no answer if he retreated from here. He would pull back the troops for now and infiltrate with an elite few. Hans thought it was the most efficient approach.

However, Hans wasn’t the only one making that judgment. Before long, next to Hans were his comrades and the leader of the Anti-Demon Alliance, Revel. Revel let out a tired laugh and said.

“Was that phenomenon you just created?”

“Something like that.”

“Amazing. I truly thought I was dead.”

The attack of the vines was so fast and powerful that even Revel, the leader of the Anti-Demon Alliance, couldn’t react in time. Naturally, it was beyond what regular soldiers or knights could handle. Just like that, there were many victims.

Did the vines notice that the soldiers were retreating? They began to rise much faster than before. But thanks to their prior preparations, the damage was much less than earlier.

At least there were no casualties. Instead, most of the vines began to approach Hans and his group. But this time, the comrades, including Revel, responded quickly.

Earlier, they had been caught off guard by a sudden ambush. If they knew in advance, they could respond to some extent. But if they continued to face them endlessly without a plan, they would eventually be overwhelmed.

Fortunately, they reached the castle before completely wearing out. The vines no longer pursued them. It felt as if they were afraid of something. The palace showed a clear sign of staying absolutely away.

“Now that we have come this far, can we relax?”

“No, rather we can’t afford to let our guard down.”

“This is a den of demons.”

She wasn’t directly controlling the vines, but the queen who holds influence over them was right here. What was she doing all by herself in a castle nearly demolished?

“Revel, do you remember anything?”

“Regrettably, no. I only know she has that level of power.”

“So that’s why the demons have all been torn apart.”

“Yes, and the conclusion must be reached by me.”

Revel said firmly. From his childhood until now, he had acted only for the queen’s sake. And that was still the case. It was to bring peace to the queen.

“But the monsters are nowhere to be seen.”

“There should be a few blood demons around.”

“Could it be that this was all a decoy?”

Among the blood demons, a tiny handful were still alive. Zaiha had retreated immediately after dying. That’s why there were only a few monsters and blood demons, making it easy to push forward.

But what if this was all a trap? What if the queen was aiming for this? Hans swallowed hard. Even if that was true, there was nothing he could do. They had to keep moving forward…

“Hans, there’s something ahead.”

“Lua? Do you feel something up ahead?”

“Yeah. I feel something ominous.”

Until now, Lua hadn’t been able to approach Hans because of the comrades’ watchfulness, but she seized the opportunity and clung to him. Of course, the comrades burned with intensity as they glared at Lua.

But given the circumstances, they couldn’t say anything. Hans emphasized the importance of keeping themselves safe to his comrades. After all, he could stop time.

However, the comrades thought their commander was just worrying about them. Another delicate misunderstanding began, but it didn’t last long. Hans raised his hand and said.

“Stop, there’s something in front.”

Something was sprawled across the palace corridor. At first, Hans thought it was a person. But as he approached and confirmed, it was not a person but human bone fragments.

A palace where bone fragments were scattered. It was nice to call it a palace; in reality, it was no different from a grave. On the other hand, Cluna, who was inspecting the bone fragments, clicked her tongue and said.

“These bones are at least hundreds of years old.”

“Has it been that long?”

“Yes, that’s as far as I can determine. They might be much older bones.”

“That must be the queen’s husband. There’s a bracelet near the arm.”

Sure enough, there was a rusted bracelet in the direction Revel pointed. It was so weathered by time that its original form was unrecognizable. Nevertheless, Revel immediately recognized it.

“Do you know this person?”

“Yes, he was the husband that the queen truly loved.”

“Husband? Then, was he a king?”

“Not officially, no.”

With the position of the king’s consort came many things. Although he wasn’t wise enough to resolve them all, he had always supported the queen from behind.

At least when her husband was alive, the queen was able to endure somehow. But immediately after confirming her husband’s death, she completely changed.

As evidence, weren’t the bones just carelessly thrown around? Sighing, Revel picked up the bones. He hadn’t even had the chance to gather the remains once they completely fell apart, and he couldn’t enter the castle.

Of course, it was true that he had once felt jealous and hated him. But now, it was just a pity. After gathering all the remains, Revel quietly spoke.

“I hope you find peace there.”

*

They had seen many other bones, but bizarrely, there was no sign of life. It was eerily as if there was no one here except Hans and his group.

Finally, they arrived at the heart of the royal castle. Torn banners, collapsed pillars, and even a ceiling with holes. This place was undeniably abnormal, nearly a ruin.

In the center of the ruins sat her on the throne. Long gray hair that covered the floor. Red light seeping through. She looked more like a ghost than a person.

“How have you been all this time, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Revel. It seems you’ve betrayed me to make new friends.”

“Is there any other option? Everything is for you.”

A horrible, phlegm-filled voice attacked their ears. Most of the comrades had pale faces. However, Hans was focusing on the queen’s actions at that moment when she shouted.

“Are you saying you want to kill me with those friends of yours?!”

The queen was furious. She was enraged that a once-loyal retainer had betrayed her. However, Revel did not betray her. He remained her loyal retainer even now.

“Indeed.”

There are many types of loyal retainers. Some simply believe and follow continuously, while others are faithful retainers who speak out to correct wrongdoings. Revel belonged to the latter.

The queen was going down the wrong path. Revel stated that she shouldn’t go this way, but all he received in return was being treated like a slave. Despite that, Revel did not abandon his loyalty till the end.

“It is my duty as a loyal retainer to end your life.”

To end the life of the queen, who had strayed onto the wrong path, so she wouldn’t be humiliated any further—that was Revel’s chosen loyalty. Hans quietly stepped forward in front of Revel.

“We have much to discuss, don’t we, Your Majesty?”

“You are…?!”

“Do you know who I am?”

“…No, I must be mistaken. Well, you shouldn’t be alive anyway.”

Hans tilted his head. Was there someone similar to him during the queen’s era? Or was it something else entirely? But there was no time to resolve the questions. Lua, who was behind him, shouted.

“Danger!!!”

As Lua’s warning fell, Hans took a step back. At the same time, a black vine that shot up from the ground tore apart the spot where Hans had just stood. Hans spoke.

“I see, that’s why the vines outside didn’t approach.”

“Of course. These guys are quite the rare ones.”

“…No way.”

Revel’s face turned pale as if he realized something. Hans felt the queen’s face change to one of ecstasy. Although he didn’t notice, the queen openly revealed everything.

“Say hello. They are your former superiors, comrades, and subordinates whom you betrayed.”

The black vines, imbued with a much more resilient and powerful aura than the ordinary vines outside, were ironically a part of her, made from the blood demons who followed her until the very end.

In other words, to put it another way—she had made both monsters and demons a part of her being.