Hana and her party entered the room wearing suits and dresses, with her leading the way. Since she had navigated the nobles of Galgalake before, it was decided that she would take the lead. Several nobles approached and greeted her happily.

“It is so good to see you after so long, Lady Hana.” A noblewoman commented.

“You as well,” Hana replied cheerily.

“What brings you to Galgalake, my lady?” A nobleman asked.

“I was hoping to find someone. Lord Caeldaemos?” Hana replied.

Many nobles turned to see the very demon approaching.

Hana remembered the last time she saw him and didn’t get to see his status.

Caeldaemos

Class: Magic Martial Master (Rank 32)

Hana, and a few of the other heroes, were confused. Why could they not see his complete status? She then remembered that there were items in the world like that, capable of hiding one’s status.

“It is good to see you again, Lady Hana.” Caeldaemos greeted her.

“Likewise. You seem to have done well for yourself, a Baron.” She replied.

He chuckled. “I had some capable help.” He lovingly looked at his family.

A demon woman hung on his arm. Next to them was a demi-canine woman and what looked like her daughter. Then there was a red spirit-fox fae-folk next to them with two tails. The last that stood before the fox woman was a teal-haired teenage girl.

“Looks like a lot has happened to you.” Hana happily commented.

“Indeed,” Caeldaemos replied with a smile.

Hana tried checking the status of his family, but like him, she could only see their name and class. The demoness was a Master Gunner (Rank 25). The demi-canine woman was a Business Manager (Rank 22). The woman’s daughter was a Rogue (Rank 18). The fox woman was a Spirit Illusionist (Rank 31). The last one, the little girl, had no status for her. It was like she didn’t exist.

“A Magic Martial Master? What kind of abilities does that allow?” Greggory asked.

“Hmm? Ah, yes, it is known that heroes can see the status of others. I am an All-Rounder as a mercenary. Melee combat, attack or support magic, and even stealth are parts of my capabilities.” Caeldaemos replied.

“Quite impressive.” Greggory nodded.

“He doesn’t look like much.” Gabriel haughtily commented.

“Funny that. I could say the same for you.” Caeldaemos replied.

“What was that?” Gabriel glared at Caeldaemos.

“I’m sure everyone here has heard the rumors of you.” Caeldaemos mockingly shrugged, being loud enough for all the nobles to hear him.

“Oh yeah? Prove it!” Gabriel yelled back.

It was then that Caeldaemos’ expression changed. No longer was he mocking Gabriel but was staring down at him with unbridled rage.

“Proof? Fine. Lia.” Caeldaemos turned to the red fox woman.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“I’m here. You have nothing to fear.” He lovingly replied.

To Hana’s surprise, the red fox woman’s form changed to that of a golden-haired one. She heard Gabriel gasp for a moment and turned to look at him.

Gabriel was visibly sweating and was clearly nervous.

“Recognize her? I’m sure you do.” Caeldaemos growled.

“I-I don’t know her!” Gabriel cried out.

The fox woman’s expression turned angry. “Don’t lie, you bastard! You tried to control me with that eye of yours! I swear in the names of all the gods that I speak the truth!”

Hana watched in shock as the sign of a Divine Oath rolled over the woman’s body.

Caeldaemos moved faster than any of the heroes could react and lifted Gabriel face to face by his collar.

“I would love to rip you to shreds for what you tried to do to my beloved wife,” Caeldaemos growled.

“BARON!” A voice of authority called out.

The queen of Galgalake approached. “Put him down.” She ordered.

Caeldaemos seemed to realize he had gone too far and dropped the hero.

“My-.” He started.

“Do not apologize just yet, Baron Caeldaemos.” The queen stopped him. “Is what I heard true?”

“Yes, your majesty.” He answered.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I would like to hear more detail of this in private.” The queen ordered.

Gabriel stood and threw his glove at Caeldaemos. Hana wanted nothing more than to punch the idiot.

“What is this?” Caeldaemos looked down at the glove. “Lista?”

“I’m afraid I do not know what it means.” The demon woman replied.

Hana could see many of the nobles did not know what it meant.

“Lady Hana?” The queen asked her.

Hana sighed heavily, wanting nothing more than to kick Gabriel in his teeth.

“I demand a duel!” Gabriel yelled.

Caeldaemos laughed in the hero’s face. “A duel? So, you wish to save your little pride by fighting me? Pathetic. If you are the hero the goddess of the sky and sun chose, perhaps she is as much of a garbage being as you.”

“Enough, baron.” The queen reached down and picked up Gabriel’s glove, handing it to Hana. “I’m sure you know what to do from here, Hana.”

The queen beckoned Caeldaemos and his family to follow her.

“What?! I-!” Gabriel started.

“Haley! Greggory!” Hana shouted.

Greggory quickly grabbed Gabriel, and Haley hit the man in the face with a sleeping powder. Once unconscious, Hana ordered them to take him out of the hall.

Hana bowed to all the nobles present and expressed her sincerest apology to them for her lack of control of the situation.

“So, the rumors of him were true?” “Will Lady Hana be okay?” “Baron Caeldaemos had a point. Perhaps the goddess is the problem?” “I worry for the other heroes.” “I’m glad they shut him up.”

Hana heard the nobles speaking amongst themselves as she left the room.

Hana arrived at the room where she could clearly hear shouting from within. She opened the door to find Gabriel yelling at Haley and Greggory.

“How could you do that to me?!” He saw Hana. “How could you!?”

“Gabriel…” Hana pinched the bridge of her nose from stress.

“You-!”

“ENOUGH!” Hana shouted, silencing Gabriel. “You have taken things too far. The path that you are treading is close to coming to a cliffside. If you do not change your ways, the privileged title of ‘Hero’ will not be enough to save you. At this point, the people of this world will start to believe the Demon-Lord to be more of a hero than you.” She coldly stated.

“B-But…”

“Stop. This is an order. Return to the airship and stay there. Her majesty has revoked your privileges in the palace. Leave on your own feet, or I will have shipped back in a sack.” Hana ordered.

Gabriel trembled in a combination of anger and shame. He quietly left the room and palace.

The other three heroes looked at Hana after seeing him leave.

“What now?” Haley asked.

Hana sighed. “I would like you three to re-enter the hall and try to put the minds of the nobles at ease. We need to show that we have things under control.”

“Understood. We will do it.” Greggory answered.

The three other heroes left the room.

Hana picked up a pillow and screamed into it at the top of her lungs. Why? WHY!? Why did Sylfaerune have to pick such a person!?

She put down the pillow and sighed heavily. Hana left the room to try to hear from Caeldaemos about the Eye of Entrapment. It was the only lead they had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That is strange for such a shift.” The queen commented as Caeldaemos told her about how Liara had returned to the inn that day.

A knock came to the door.

“What is it?” The queen demanded.

“Lady Hana wishes to hear their story as well.” The attendant said.

“Baron?” The queen inquired his opinion.

“It’s fine if it’s her.”

The queen nodded to the attendant, and Hana entered the room, looking tired.

“Come sit next to me, Lady Hana.” The queen patted the spot next to herself.

“I… Thank you, your majesty.” Hana took her seat.

Hana looked up at Caeldaemos. “Baron Caeldaemos, I’m-.”

“Don’t apologize, Lady Hana. You and the other heroes are not at fault for that garbage.” Caeldaemos stopped her.

“Still, I am sorry.” Hana bowed her head in regret.

“Either way, please continue, baron.” The queen said.

“As I had said, Liara came back acting completely different. The look in her eyes told us that something was wrong. We quickly put her to sleep and restrained her. We investigated her status and found it was something called Captive of the Evil-Eye.” He explained.

“Do you know anything, Hana?” The queen asked.

“The Demon-Lord said something about an Evil Eye of Entrapment,” Hana replied.

“Sounds right by the name. We attempted a Remove Curse, but it would not work.” Caeldaemos continued.

“It is like the curse the Demon-Lord placed on Gabriel. It cannot be removed with that.” Hana added.

“I see. Well, the bastard deserves it. We are thankful the Demon-Lord removed that accursed eye. Two days after the Captive of the Evil Eye disappeared, Lia woke up.” Caeldaemos said.

“Were you able to remember anything?” The queen asked Liara.

“It came back slowly, but yes. Apparently, the sick bastard took a liking to me when I was going around town. He drew me into a back alley using some of his Silver Bloods to chase a woman. I saved her only to be betrayed….” Liara began to shake.

Caeldaemos hugged her closely. “It’s okay. I can finish the rest. Your majesty, is there a room nearby they can use?”

“Down the hall, the second door on the left is a sitting room.”

The girls took Liara out of the room and closed the door.

Caeldaemos sighed heavily. “After she saved the woman, that bastard showed up behind her. When she turned to defend herself, the woman grabbed her from behind. It sounded like the woman was under the same influence. A maddening obsession with him. The way Lia described it, his eye flashed, and she was paralyzed. After, he approached, and it took a bit to take effect on her.”

He gritted his teeth. “Lia experienced horrible pain in her mind while something wormed and invaded it. She said he asked if anyone would come looking for her, and she mentioned myself and our family. He ordered her to tell us she was leaving to be with him. The sheer arrogance of that disgusting, corrupt hero.”

The queen closed her eyes in contemplation.

“I’m sorry…” Hana meekly apologized.

The queen opened her eyes and stood up from her seat. “Lady Hana, I will call a meeting with other world leaders to inform them of this information. It is best to take that… thing back to Vualdulin.”

“I understand…” Hana seemed to shrink in her seat as the queen left the room.

“Lord Caeldaemos.” The queen called out to him. “I will keep in touch.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” He bowed his head to her as she left the room.

Neither of them made a move to speak or leave for a minute. Caeldaemos could tell she was blaming herself for what had happened. It was like he remembered back in their old world. Even though she was a Spartan-like worker, she always beat herself up the most at the failures of those she was in charge of.

He sighed while scratching his head. “Hana, you shouldn’t blame yourself for his depravity. Besides, the Demon-Lord took care of the problem.”

“But we’re supposed to be the heroes!” She cried out.

“You are.”

“I’m so confused… What is he?!”

“He saved my wife. So, I am beginning to believe the rumors.”

“That he is good?!” She stood from her seat. “What if he is just tricking us all?”

“But what if he isn’t?”

Hana looked back at him, her expression surprised and confused.

Caeldaemos continued. “What if he just wants to live peacefully like everyone else? What if he just wants to help? Have there been any monster armies? Mass destruction? You’re a hero of the goddess Io. Have you not tried speaking to her?”

“How can I? She lives in the divine realm while I am here.” Hana replied.

“I’ve heard that it might be possible to speak to a god if you sleep in the same bed as a priestess. Perhaps, try it while praying for her to answer you.” Caeldaemos stood.

He headed over to the door and opened it. “I’m sure she will answer her chosen hero.”

Caeldaemos left the room, leaving Hana alone.

Caeldaemos collected his exhausted family and headed out to Simon and the carriage. Once they were out of sight, he teleported them back to Hallibrush to rest.

The heroes that night were unable to change the views of Gabriel but were able to improve their support.

Gabriel holed up in his quarters on the airship, quietly muttering to himself.