---

-Hoh…? An alliance with demons?

Mondri stroked his beard, showing interest. He had taken the bait. Laura smiled inwardly.

“Yeah. Count Ruelberta… That guy finally did something.”

She revealed that Tristan, while holding the position of overall commander, had not fulfilled his duties.

Tristan, satisfied with reclaiming the castle, had no intention of purging the Forest Demons and was instead trying to form an alliance with them.

In fact, he had been acting suspiciously since arriving in the north. Operating a separate reconnaissance unit under his direct command and contacting the demons before the Imperial Army made her think there was something fishy going on.

Of course, that was just Laura’s suspicion.

Tristan left no traces or evidence behind. She thought about tailing him, but it seemed difficult due to the exceptional skills of those under his command.

However, through this meeting, Laura had figured out Tristan’s true intentions.

He was planning to join hands with the demons and overthrow this country.

“Everyone’s a coward. They’re too busy watching the Count’s every move.”

Laura was indignant.

That she was the only one concerned about the safety of this country and the Imperial Family.

“Leon, Ariel, Patrick—they’re all in on it. I don’t know what the Count did, but they’re wrong. Now, you’re the only one who can help me.”

Mondri, who had been wary of the Ruelberta Family since studying magic under the Sage, would understand her feelings.

But Mondri’s reaction was different from what Laura expected.

-So…?

“Huh?”

-So, what are you trying to say? Is that all?

“Huh? Uh… uh…”

-Hoho. An alliance with demons… That sounds like something the Count would come up with. Even I would have considered it at least once, but he’s actually trying to put it into practice…

“What? Mondri! Did you hear me correctly? The Count is trying to join hands with the demons! He’s planning to swallow this country whole!”

-Yeah, yeah. You said he’s forming an alliance with demons. But isn’t the part about him swallowing the country just your speculation? Besides, if the Demon Lord has appeared, an alliance seems like a pretty reasonable choice.

“What? Reasonable??”

What is this old man saying…?

-Laura, if the woman you mentioned is truly the Demon Lord, then from this country’s perspective, it’s a golden opportunity. The Demon Lord is a being that brings destruction to this world. If she appears, this country and the world will be thrown into chaos. But if, for whatever reason, the Demon Lord draws a line and doesn’t want to fight… isn’t that a good thing?

“Mondri. You… don’t actually believe that woman is the Demon Lord, do you?”

-Why wouldn’t I? Didn’t you say you almost died at her hands?

“Hey! Who almost died? I just got a little dizzy, that’s all!”

-Hehe… Weren’t you once called the Sage’s top disciple? If a demon can overwhelm you, then the possibility of her being the Demon Lord is more than enough.

Back when the Sage Myohail was still in the world, many mages came to learn from him.

And Mondri and Laura were among those eager mages.

Countless mages passed through as Myohail’s disciples. He never turned anyone away. If someone had the will to learn, he gave them the opportunity to train under him.

However, it’s a little-known fact that most mages ended up quitting on their own.

Of course, many came just to see the man who sat at the pinnacle of mages, the position of Sage. But there were also those who wanted to follow in Myohail’s footsteps and ascend to the position of Sage themselves.

But the vast majority of them realized their limits under Myohail’s teachings.

They realized that the position of Sage wasn’t something you could achieve through effort alone. It was a position reserved for the chosen, those selected by the gods among the most talented.

Those who realized their limits disappeared one by one.

Amidst all this, Mondri and Laura remained as Myohail’s disciples until the very end. They were mages who realized their limits later than others. In other words, their talent rivaled that of the Sage.

So, just as Mondri acknowledged Laura as an outstanding mage, he was convinced that Trinity, the woman who had overwhelmed her, was the Demon Lord.

-Even if Trinity isn’t the Demon Lord, isn’t she an influential figure among the demons? There’s no harm in joining hands with her. Especially if they reached out to us first.

Laura shook her head at Mondri’s words.

“Sigh… Mondri, you’re being too optimistic. What do you think His Majesty would say if he knew about this? Pushing for an alliance without consulting His Majesty is a serious crime.”

Though she didn’t show it much, Laura was disappointed. Mondri didn’t understand the depth of her thoughts.

She didn’t dislike him—they had spent a long time together as disciples of the Sage. But it was sad that someone she had spent so much time with couldn’t understand her.

‘Well… Mondri’s just getting old.’

Laura sighed as she looked at Mondri, her old comrade who had aged so much.

“Anyway, Mondri, you’re in the capital, so you should inform His Majesty about this. Then His Majesty will understand the gravity of the situation.”

-Alright. I’ll let His Majesty know.

“Thank you. I’ll leave it to you. I should get going now…”

-But Laura.

“Huh?”

-Honestly, I don’t think Count Ruelberta is trying to overthrow this country.

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

Laura frowned at Mondri’s words.

-Think about it again, Laura. If the Count really wanted to destroy this country, would he need to reach out to the demons? He has more power than we think. If he wanted to, he could easily overthrow this country and more.

“So what are you trying to say to me?”

-So, why don’t you let go of your personal grudge? Just because you got dumped by William doesn’t mean his son, the Count, is guilty of anything-

Crack-!

The moment her allowed magic power was exceeded, the ice crystal shattered with a sound.

“Who, who…”

Laura shouted, her face red up to her ears.

“Who said I got dumped by that jerk?!”

*

“Phew…”

By the time she finished her work and returned to her private barracks next to the wagon, it was already midnight.

She had been way too busy these past few days.

Traveling between the Demon Forest and the castle had left her feeling like she needed ten bodies to keep up.

She had boasted to Muiry that she could handle this schedule, but it was too much.

Thinking about it, she hadn’t had a proper rest since arriving in the north.

She couldn’t even do her daily exercises, and the process of becoming the Demon Lord had left her utterly exhausted.

She usually tried to hide her fatigue with ‘Patience,’ but it seemed like she was reaching her limit.

Even when she met the lively guard captain at the castle gate earlier, it was the same.

-Ah, Count. You’re back. You must be tired.

-Yeah. Aren’t you tired from standing guard so late?

-No, I’m fine! I stand guard with a happy heart, so I’m not tired!

-You enjoy standing guard?

-Yes! That’s right. Haha!

-Is it that fun?

-Yes. Yes…?

-Is standing guard so fun that it makes you laugh?

-Huh? Oh, no… It’s not that I enjoy it that much…

-That’s strange. To always be like that.

-Uh… I’m sorry.

-Hmm?

-I’m sorry for saying I enjoy it. I, I’ll do my best to stand guard! Please forgive me…

-???

She had only asked out of curiosity about the guard captain’s always cheerful mindset, but he immediately turned pale and apologized.

Come to think of it, her expression probably wasn’t very good at the time.

No wonder—when she returned to the barracks and looked in the mirror, she had dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked dry.

She looked like she was in a bad mood to anyone who saw her.

Even after sleeping for a few days after leaving the Duke’s castle, her body didn’t feel fully recovered. Plus, not being able to do her daily exercises and breaking her routine had started to take its toll on her body.

She had been ignoring it until now, but her body was desperately craving rest.

This made it inevitable for her to postpone dealing with Blanshe and Helga.

No, it was more accurate to say she couldn’t decide.

Blanshe, with her rigid and perfectionist personality, seemed unable to let go of taking responsibility for her mistakes.

Honestly, she didn’t want to punish her, but she knew that Blanshe needed at least a small punishment to feel at ease.

However, the problem was deciding what kind of punishment to give. Even a small punishment was still a punishment…

On the other hand, Helga, with her hot temper, had almost messed things up again, so she needed a good scolding. But the problem was with her.

All the memories from the previous loops had come back, and Helga’s devoted actions kept flashing before her eyes.

She couldn’t forget how Helga had sacrificed her life for her multiple times.

It was like she had blinders on. No matter what Helga did wrong, she couldn’t see it as bad. Even when she got angry, it was only for a moment. Instead, she started to feel a special affection for her.

This left her with the big task of deciding what punishment to give to both of them.

That’s when it happened.

“C-Count…? Are you okay…?”

I let out a small laugh when I noticed the hesitant shadow at the entrance. Had she heard me sigh?

“Come here.”

With permission granted, Wendy timidly approached me.

I naturally sat her on my lap. This had become a habit when we were alone, as Wendy liked to act spoiled. She had grown quite a bit, so I thought it might be time to stop, but she always looked so disappointed when I didn’t indulge her that it was hard to quit.

“Hehe…”

Sitting on my lap, Wendy smiled brightly. It was a pure, innocent smile. If I could see that smile, I didn’t mind letting her sit on my lap.

“I told you not to wait up. Did you forget?”

“N-No, I didn’t forget…”

“Then?”

“Well… I just wanted to see you, so I waited…”

“……”

I don’t know who taught her, but Wendy casually dropped a direct line like that. After saying it, she lowered her head, embarrassed. But her big eyes were carefully watching my reaction.

“I-Is that okay…?”

“No… It’s fine.”

“I thought so…! Ehehe…”

Come to think of it, just as I needed to punish Blanshe and Helga, I also needed to reward Wendy.

She had stopped me when I went berserk as the Demon Lord, and during this meeting, she had saved Laura from being consumed by ‘Despair.’

Now, Wendy had become my safety belt, saving me from my death flags.

“Um… Count.”

“What is it?”

“Are you okay…?”

“??”

I tilted my head at her sudden, out-of-context question, and Wendy quickly explained.

“Ah! Uh… I noticed you’ve been having nightmares lately…!”

Ah…

Come to think of it, ever since leaving the Duke’s castle, I had started having nightmares. Whether it was psychological or just exhaustion, it was definitely disrupting my sleep.

As my exclusive maid, Wendy was always close to me. Her room was right next to mine, so she must have noticed my nightmares.

I felt a bit embarrassed that my sleeping habits had been exposed.

“…It’s probably due to fatigue. I should take a break once we return to the capital. My shoulders feel stiff, and my condition isn’t great…”

“T-Then let me massage your shoulders…!”

Wendy boldly stood up and started massaging my shoulders with her hands.

“Eek?! Y-Your shoulders are so stiff…!”

I thought it was just my imagination, but they really were stiff. However, her delicate hands wouldn’t be able to loosen the knots in my shoulders.

“…Forget the shoulders. Just massage my back.”

“Eek… I-I’m sorry…”

Wendy quickly teared up and started lightly tapping my back with her small fists.

It felt like getting a massage from a daughter, which made my chest tighten.

She’s… already grown so much.

Though she could hit a bit harder.

“You can hit harder than that.”

“Yes…!”

Wendy responded energetically and started massaging harder. But despite her enthusiasm, the pressure on my back was barely noticeable.

Honestly, I wanted to tell her to hit me with all her strength, but that would turn it into something other than a massage. Unless Wendy put her full weight into a punch…

‘Ah.’

Then a good idea came to me.

“Wendy. Stop using your fists.”

“Huh? But…”

“Just step on me.”

“Huh?!”

As Wendy looked shocked, I lay down on the bed. Thinking that my shirt might slip off, I took it off before lying face down.

“Y-You want me to step on you…?”

“Yeah.”

“B-But…”

“This will be more efficient, and it’ll be easier for you too.”

“Ugh…”

I was sure that having Wendy step on me with her weight would be more effective.

However, Wendy seemed hesitant about stepping on her master, so she didn’t immediately follow my order.

But as I waited silently, she eventually started fumbling and took off her shoes and stockings.

“E-Excuse me…”

Now barefoot, Wendy carefully placed her foot on my back as if climbing stairs.

“A-Are you okay? Does it hurt…?”

“No. It’s good.”

With her weight on me, it was definitely better than being punched.

“Count. Does it feel good…?”

“Yeah.”

I could feel her small soles pressing into my back. As she pressed into the stiff spots, it felt quite refreshing.

“Take it slow so you don’t fall.”

“Y-Yes…!”

As Wendy stepped on my back, I felt a moment of peace.

The comfortable room temperature and the fatigue made me feel drowsy.

*

“Count…?”

Wendy, who had been diligently stepping on Tristan’s back, suddenly realized he wasn’t saying anything.

“Count, are you asleep…?”

“……”

It hadn’t been long since she started the massage, but Tristan seemed to have fallen asleep. She could feel his back rising and falling steadily beneath her feet.

‘Count… You must have been so tired…’

Seeing Tristan sleeping so soundly without even a snore made Wendy feel sorry for him. He never showed any signs of being tired. Seeing him like this made her realize how much he had been holding back.

‘I don’t know how much stepping on your back will help, but…’

Wendy resolved to loosen all the knots in his back today. Or rather, she tried to.

“Count. Are you asleep?”

“Eek?!”

A voice suddenly came from outside, startling Wendy, who jumped on Tristan’s back.

“Eeeek!? I-I’m sorry, Count!”

“……”

“Count…?”

Though she had accidentally jumped on his back, Tristan was deeply asleep and didn’t move at all.

“T-That’s a relief…”

“Count?! Is something wrong?!”

“Ah!?”

It wasn’t a relief at all.

Someone outside had heard the commotion and entered the room. And it was someone Wendy knew.

“Princess?”

“Wendy?? What are you doing there?”

“Ah, well… I-I’m giving a massage…”

“Huh? A massage?”

Bella, who had been looking bewildered, quickly understood when she saw Wendy standing on Tristan’s back.

“Sigh… I thought it was something else…”

“P-Princess. What brings you here at this hour…?”

“I finished patrol late today. I ‘happened’ to pass by the Count’s barracks and saw the light on, so I came in. But why isn’t the Count responding?”

“Ah, well… He’s been really tired today, so he’s sleeping deeply… He didn’t wake up even when I tried…”

“Hmm…”

Bella, looking intrigued, began to carefully examine Tristan, who was lying face down and asleep. She even poked his cheek with her finger.

“So the Count is in a deep sleep, huh?”

“Y-Yes…”

“And he won’t wake up no matter what we do, right?”

“Y-Yes… Huh?!”

Wendy was startled for a moment.

A mischievous smile had appeared on Bella’s lips.

 

---