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A spell bursts forth towards the sky from the ground. As thousands of magic circles appear in the heavens, the Great Sage quickly perceives their true nature. The spell, boiling with an unbelievable sense of betrayal and anger, is remarkably simple, yet immensely powerful.

“Dispel!”

In an instant, the Great Sage’s incantation strikes, causing all the magic circles to vanish into nothingness. Jeongjae, feeling the mana that had been consumed to maintain the magic circles return to his body, realizes the situation and becomes greatly flustered.

It wasn’t just Jeongjae who was flustered. The Demon King, stunned by the sudden appearance of the dispel spell that had risen from the ground and annihilated the magic circles, felt all strength drain from his body, struggling to flap his wings and starting to fall helplessly.

The two began to plummet due to Jenis’s powerful dispelling spell, which had also nullified the storm magic that was lifting them both. As the Demon King spun and dove headfirst toward the ground, Jenis looked down at the falling Jeongjae and lightly cast a slow-fall spell, allowing him to land much more safely.

Just as Jeongjae was about to express his gratitude upon landing, he found himself speechless, overwhelmed by the murderous aura emanating from Jenis, who glared at him with an expression he’d never seen before.

Without hesitation, Jenis calmly yet sharply stated, “Let’s talk about that later.”

“Uh… uh…”

Jeongjae stammered, unable to respond to her words. Jenis turned away from him, heading towards the Demon King, who was shaking off the dirt and dust as he stood back up.

Dawn was slowly breaking. The nighttime battle had ended. The horrific destruction wrought by Dracula became clearer, but no one present had the luxury to admire the scenery.

Seeing Jenis approach with a tattered robe, one wing almost torn off, the Demon King tilted his head.

“Ah, so you’re the famous sibling of Barlog.”

“No time for long chats, you bastard.”

Jenis pointed her staff at the Demon King, who shrugged and took a step back from her.

“Even I, having lived over a hundred years, know there are moments when you shouldn’t provoke someone, regardless of how weak or strong they may be.”

The Demon King raised his hands in what appeared to be a gesture of surrender. However, to mages who could attack with thought alone, it was not a genuine sign of surrender.

“Back off. You don’t want to continue fighting with me, do you?”

“What are you—saying it as if you can decide that?”

“Enough, Baron.”

Jenis halted Jeongjae, who was about to step forward with his sword drawn. As Eramenia’s blade suddenly appeared before him, Jeongjae froze in place.

“We have no power here to destroy this being. We have already obtained what we wanted. Dracula is dead, and the machine is destroyed. This battle is our victory.”

“I acknowledge that. I failed to achieve my most important purpose here.”

“Jenis. But this thing…”

“Shut up. Do you think I wouldn’t know what the professor is trying to say right now?”

Jenis shouted, her voice laced with an uncontrollable, intense fury, making Jeongjae lower his head and step back like a criminal. The Demon King seemed to sense that an agreement had been reached, bowing slightly as he spread his wings.

“The machine you desired is broken, but the greatest spark has been ignited. Expect it. This war will never be the same as before.”

As the Demon King flapped his wings and soared away, the two mages lowered their heads to confirm Count Harker’s lifeless corpse.

With a gaping hole in his chest, gushing blood, he lay in a horrific state. Jenis trembled as she almost knelt before him but recalled the issue that needed addressing and turned to Jeongjae.

“What was that magic?”

“Jenis, about this problem, I—”

“The life conversion magic circles. An explosion, a chain reaction, and then another chain reaction, connecting hundreds, thousands of those magic circles precisely to create a singular work of art. Madness. A madman, indeed. Hey, Park Jeongjae. Why on earth did you create something like that?”

Jenis did not regard the title of Great Sage lightly. From several kilometers above ground, without even being in shape, she deduced all the most crucial characteristics simply by glancing at Barlog’s magic.

It was natural for her to be horrified. After all, it was he, Jeongjae, who barely managed to save him using magic in that fleeting moment when he had been about to sacrifice his own life.

“You’re silent. Then let me answer for you.”

“Jenis…”

“That’s because you’re not in your right mind! Yes, that was it! You’re saying you were exiled by Walter Hellhound for dabbling in forbidden magic. That’s what this means. I should have caught on sooner. How could you think of doing such a thing? How could you even consider weaving such wicked magic right before my eyes?”

Tears began to stream down Jenis’s face, tears she had held back since the day her father was gruesomely killed. The moment she began to unleash her fury towards Jeongjae, it was impossible to control the torrent of tears that came rushing out.

“You must know that now. You must know! No, in truth, you must have known it all along!”

Jenis rushed up to Jeongjae and grabbed him by the collar. Her blue eyes sparkled like jewels, reflecting the rising dawn, and her silky hair shone like threads of silver catching the light.

Jeongjae couldn’t accept her confession as she clutched his collar.

“I love you. I cannot help but love you! You must know that! You must already understand what impact this fact has on my life.”

As Jenis released her grip from him, she forcefully pushed him away. Jeongjae staggered backward and fell onto the ground.

“Did you know? I know you’re a weak person. So I genuinely don’t care at all. Being caught between the two most powerful heroines in the world, you’re wandering unable to make any decision—that’s perfectly fine with me. That foolish aspect is a part of you, or perhaps it’s the essence of you that I loved. Of course you can’t decide. No woman would be ready to bear a heart! That’s why I decided to end this war. Only after that could you finally respond to me. Whether it would be me or her!”

“Jenis, wait a moment—”

“But you never planned on being alive when this war ended. Damn, that’s something you shouldn’t have done! If you were a kind person like you usually are, you shouldn’t have done that to me!”

Jeongjae’s breath caught in his throat. Jenis accused him of having done something he shouldn’t have done to her. Something he shouldn’t have done… not for himself, but for Jenis.

At that moment, when he was about to activate the Manhattan magic, that thought never crossed Jeongjae’s mind.

“Tell me what you were going to do. Tell me. What on earth were you planning to do to me?”

“I just… I just thought that at that moment…”

“I lost the most respected and faithful man this morning. I lost my father who raised me as a human being, despite being a mixed child. The one I believed would always be on my side no matter the situation. A father who was a rare trustworthy person in my life where it was hard to even make a single friend! Just that much makes today the worst day of my life. But what were you planning to do?”

Jenis slapped her forehead in frustration. The Great Sage chuckled for a moment but then looked at Jeongjae with a fierce expression.

“I see! You tried to take another one from me, another man whom I truly trusted and followed. Forever! You took that man away from me when I lost my father. Then what am I supposed to see, believe in, or run toward? What were you thinking when you were about to leave me all alone, having lost you two at once? You always think of others before yourself, yet today you wanted to do something selfish, only thinking of yourself rather than me. What did I do so wrong?”

As Jenis’s scream, mixed with despair, echoed through the air, Jeongjae couldn’t help but shed tears himself.

He never imagined it. Bound by the miserable thought that his role was “useless,” he still hadn’t considered what his death would mean to others. Even after witnessing Margaret’s tears. Even after seeing the reactions of his other companions. Even after feeling the fury of Count Harker lying here lifeless.

And now, Jenis trembled with rage and betrayal. Slowly, Jeongjae knelt down, raising his head and opening his mouth.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I really am sorry. I’m just… just shallow. I’ve always been shallow, even in this moment…”

Jenis stared at Jeongjae’s solemn expression for a moment. Her gaze, filled with resentment yet simultaneously piercing through, stabbed at Jeongjae’s heart.

“This matter will be reported to the princess.”

“What?”

“This isn’t the time for petty quarrels. You lack education. Understanding just how sincerely those who care for you treasure you, that education is always too insufficient.”

Jenis kneeled before Count Harker’s corpse with a blank expression. As she stared at the blood flowing from the Count’s body, she pressed her hands together, lightly gathering a handful of her father’s blood.

Bringing the blood close to her mouth as if to drink it, instead, she sprinkled it on her face, washing it as if to bath in his blood. Jenis Harker trembled as she smeared her father’s blood all over her body, placing her hands on the corpse.

“I swear in my father’s name. Today, I will pledge over the blood of my father I have covered myself in.”

With her face smeared with red blood, the Great Sage’s bright blue eyes gleamed, resembling a ghost or a wolf that had just completed a hunt.

“I will not forget this grudge. I will never forget my father’s death while I live. Violet Moriarty. I will not live under the same sky as her, the so-called Demon King. The world she lives in is different from mine, and her side is wrong, while my sky is the true world. No matter what, I won’t stop until the day I sever that neck from the body, until the day I burn that corpse and feast on its heart. Once I’m done with everything, I will sprinkle the Demon King’s blood on my father’s grave. If I cannot do that, I will collect even her ashes and sprinkle them at the gravestone.”

With blood dripping down her face, Jenis rose from the ground. Her appearance, supported by her staff, was so fierce it seemed capable of devouring any demon in the world, leaving Jeongjae unable to hide his tension, even more so than when he faced the Demon King.

“The Demon King has brought calamity to the Empire, Baron.”

“A calamity… you say?”

“This isn’t a coincidence or an impulsive act. It is a thoroughly planned, very evil, and meticulous scheme. Dracula has fused so deeply with the Blood Dragon that she could be under the dominion of the Dragon Lord. She has used our hands to catch the tiger. Although it seems she did not account for you breaking the device.”

Jenis raised her staff and peered into the red orb. The sight before her didn’t seem too delightful, and the Great Sage let out a deep sigh.

“The death of my father was also a thoroughly intentional act. Neither I nor you would have fallen for such an unbelievable ambush. But my father… my father was too weak to sense the presence of the Demon King appearing behind him. On the other hand, the disaster that would come to the Empire after his passing was monumental.”

“Count Harker was an extremely important figure in the Empire.”

“It’s more than just that, Baron. My father’s absence will plunge the entire Southern Region into chaos. And I, for now, am not recognized as noble enough to use the name Harker among the nobility. That vacuum will be filled by someone entirely different.”

“Someone entirely different… you don’t mean…”

No other person comes to mind. The sub-lord of the alliance, Arthur Harker, might be the only noble on this continent powerful enough to want to replace him: Sally Jeffrey.

“I know her. She’s not someone to be trusted. The Empire will descend into chaos, and if we cannot overcome this confusion, the only fate left is to perish in the war, facing slaughter. Go, Professor. I must hurry north to discuss this issue with Walter Hellhound. Hence, I cannot follow you to where you must go right now.”

“Where exactly should I go?”

“Eramenia. Ten beasts have appeared. The Demon King has concluded the second front while simultaneously opening the third front. And starting tomorrow, Eramenia will no longer remain a safe haven as it was yesterday.”

 

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