Olivia stood in front of her desk, where she worked as an Apostle, leading the coastal city of Noctelagia.

She walked to the side while her finger scraped the surface of a violin.

*Zing*

As her finger touched one of the strings, she looked toward the entrance of her office.

"My maid squad."

"My dearest friends."

Her eyes fell on the twenty-seven women she saved.

One by one, they stepped forward.

Sonia, Marina, Laure, Angie, Isa, Chloe, Martha, and Claire.

The squad used to deal with order and stability in the city.

Zara, Grace, Marisa, Alisa, Rene, Helen, and Helena.

The group focused on the castle and cleaning the property.

Lilian, Celeste, Niya, Haileen, and Ollie.

These women were always dealing with citizens' requests and relaying them to their master.

Kate, Alma, Serena, Noelle.

This group focused on defending against Olivia's enemies, usually acting covertly unless asked to reveal themselves.

Alice, and Eden.

Olivia's caretakers. They took care of her when she needed to relax, and they always stayed by her side in any circumstance.

And lastly, Marie.

The greatest maid of the group gave orders to each of them when Olivia's orders weren't prioritized.

They stood proudly in front of Olivia, waiting for their next order.

But the order they wanted never came, and instead, something they never thought of entered their ears.

"I'm going to ask you a question. Of course, I already know the answer, but this is something that should be asked, even if only once."

As she turned around and looked through the window, her eyes fell on the floating leviathan in the city's waters.

After making up her mind, she turned around.

"I want to relieve you of your function, if possible."

For a second, the maid squad looked at each other. Eden looked at Olivia with a frown.

"Are we being fired?"

Olivia giggled.

"No, of course not."

Her expression stiffened.

"I wanted to ask if any of you hoped to live peacefully away from the horrors that are about to happen."

Heaving a long sigh, Olivia leaned on the desk with both hands flat on its wooden surface.

"There is no certainty you will be able to see the light of tomorrow if you follow me. That's the path I have chosen, and you know it well enough."

"But you are humans. I am not."

A dark bubble covered her entire body, nullifying the illusion she created of herself.

The demon bloodline she was unable to control appeared in full view. Dark horns, a thin tail, and reptilian scleras.

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Two mature wings, large enough to support her own weight, were extended to her sides.

"I will not say inconsiderate words. In no way am I chasing my friends away because I want to protect them. Words need to be spoken to be understood."

Revealing her true form to her friends, Olivia smiled.

"None of you are afraid of me..."

Without saying a word, her subordinates nodded.

She steeled her resolve, and after taking a quick breath, she frowned seriously.

"I'm planning to help Deveralna fight off the incoming invading force. We don't know what's going to emerge from the rift, but it doesn't matter."

"These battles are... if I have to be honest, not a place for humans to enter. Nonetheless, I want you to participate in protecting the lamias under her care."

"That's why, before making our way there, I have to ask you. Is one of you afraid of dying?"

Surprised, the maids once again looked at each other in silence.

"Of course, we are afraid of dying."

Marie took a step forward, her right hand on her chest.

"I'm certain I can speak for everyone in this room."

Glancing over her shoulders, she confirmed this with the other maids' nods.

"..."

Instead of interjecting, Olivia chose to wait for her to explain her mind.

Bowing slightly forward, Marie continued.

"We are afraid of losing this life that you have saved countless times."

They all bent forward, showing the respect they had nurtured for her over the past decade.

"I know. You've been irreplaceable friends I could confide in. We've been through thick and thin together."

Olivia couldn't help but smile at them. After a few seconds, as if in complete synchronicity, the maids all straightened and looked at her.

"We will continue to do so until your dream is achieved. Then, and only then, will our duties be over."

"Then, and only then, will we find our own peace."

They all nodded.

"Even covered in blood, or our guts spilling on the pavement, we will stand next to you, Olivia."

"We live to give back what we've been given. We should have died a long time ago. These bodies are yours."

This time, Marie alone bowed, taking full responsibility for her words.

"Well..."

Scratching the wood on the desk with her finger, Olivia grimaced.

"We all should've died a long time ago. We're just an undying bunch."

"Haha~ That's right."

The mood lightened instantly.

"Alright. At least, I've asked. No one wants to leave?"

The twenty-seven women shook their heads and pridefully straightened.

"Then, get ready and follow me."

As Olivia looked at her violin for a split second, her mind shifted entirely.

'Mom, dad.'

Closing her eyes, she pictured her parents for a split second.

'I'm going.'

This was the point where Olivia left behind her regrets and sadness.

Her hand caressed the desk as she walked around it and in front of Marie.

The maids separated in two, making a path for their master.

"Let's go to a battlefield like no other."

"You better stay alive."

Leaving her immaturity behind her, Olivia walked her head high out of her office, followed by twenty-seven women she called her friends.

...

'That's... the rift.'

From the highest point of the palace, on its roof, a lamia glared toward the south.

A tiny speck of white entered her line of sight as she focused on one spot that felt alien to her.

'It looks different from Orion's void magic. Is it Tetra's magical manifestation, or is it Miasma's modified magic that created such a singular magic signature?'

For an instant, she pondered.

'No changes yet. This leaves enough time to prepare against it.'

As she looked down at the ground outside the walls that were being rebuilt, she watched her people build solid and stable towers made of earthen magic.

With more towers being finished, the lamias climbed them and stayed on their posts.

At the same time, she felt a presence right under her.

"Olivia."

A smile replaced the anxious expression she was wearing on her face.

Immediately, she leaned forward and let her body obey the rules of gravity.

She avoided the other towers in her way and fell toward the wide stairs leading to her palace.

With a flap of her draconic wings, the velocity at which he fell down gradually diminished, and before long, she slowly approached the pavement.

When her tail touched the ground, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is harder to do than it looks."

She felt an intense feeling of awe toward birds and other flying individuals.

"It'll come naturally with more experience. You don't have to worry."

Olivia walked in front of her with Marie, Alice, and Eden beside her. They politely greeted Deveralna with a bow, as she was still a ruler, like their master.

Deveralna smiled at them before looking at Olivia.

"You came. I know not to doubt our family's words, but still..."

"We're perfectly aware of what's to come. Tell me that you've succeeded on your side."

Going straight to the point, Olivia gave a serious frown. This was no time to waste time.

"Hmm~"

Feeling the link between her and the dragons, Deveralna estimated their arrival.

"Oh."

At the same time, shadows began to fall over the entire city.

Olivia smiled as hundreds of dragons began to fly above Lahro.

*ROOOAR*

A loud roar echoed through the air, paralyzing the lamias and even Olivia's maids.

"A... dragon."

Marie gasped as she looked upward. Red, green, yellow, blue, and brown dragons were flying around the top of the palace while some dropped toward the frontline.

"How... How many are there?"

Eden couldn't control the instinctive fear in her body as she asked.

Olivia turned around and looked her in the eyes.

"Calm down."

Her eyes darkened, and a powerful command shook Eden, Alice, and Marie together.

The tension in their bodies suddenly vanished, and they realized that their master had put a spell on them that separated them from their fears.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing much. It was an oversight on my part. I'll have to help the others, as they're probably just as shocked."

Deveralna looked at Eden and answered her previous question.

"The entire nest, excluding the younger dragons and a few females, is here. So around a thousand individuals at best."

Even Olivia opened her mouth in shock.

"A THOUSAND?!"

"I was hoping for at least ten dragons to show up!"

Olivia looked above her before letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"My expectations are shattered. Completely, utterly, crushed. There's nothing left."

A big smile formed on her face.

"If we don't win this, we'll be the biggest, most pitiful losers on this planet."

"I'll be ashamed of being Orion's companion."

A dark aura began to cover her entire body.

"This is more exciting than I thought."

Her demonic traits became even more pronounced as dark lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"Are you going all out?"

Curious, Deveralna asked, unbothered by the look of her friend. No one around Olivia seemed to be worried about her.

"No."

The dark aura subsided, but she remained the same.

"I'll play support until I feel like joining the battle. I favor illusions, and I intend to use them well."

"What about you? Going on the frontlines, as expected?"

Deveralna nodded.

"I am the Remnant of Strength, whether I like it or not. I cannot stay on the sidelines."

Olivia looked at her hand and at the sharp, pointy nail that grew after letting her demon blood rampage in her veins.

"We'll protect your people with our lives on the line."

The three maids nodded as they turned around. After a few seconds of staring into each other's eyes, Olivia turned around and walked past her maids.

The four of them walked down the paved slope that led to the entrance of the city and left Deveralna alone.

She looked above her and stared at a majestic Azure Dragon slowly gliding above the other dragons.

Alongside it, Ruminona observed and controlled the other dragons.

'This will be a gigantic mess.'

A smile appeared on her face.

'We love those kinds of mess, don't we...'

'Orion?'

...

This was an hour before the rift showed signs of activity.

With preparations done, all that was left was the actual battle to protect Lahro and the countless lamias living in its heart.

Two dragons, a Remnant, and a demon observed a giant breach in space-time that ripped the air in half a few kilometers away.

And out of the white space inside the breach, dragons began to fly out of it.