Walking down the long corridor, Aldric, Cael, and Haru made their way toward the treasure room. No guards were present. Elric had stayed behind, and Aldric was moving slowly with a cane due to his lingering injuries. Though the elixir had allowed him some degree of mobility, it wasn’t a miracle cure—it dulled the pain but did not heal him instantly. Weeks of recovery still lay ahead. Yet, despite the king himself leading the way, Haru couldn’t help but feel the pace was agonizingly slow.

“You didn’t have to force yourself to come along,” Haru said, glancing sideways at Aldric.

“Nonsense!” Aldric replied with a chuckle. “How could I not personally escort the hero who helped save our kingdom? Even if both my legs were broken, I’d crawl my way to show you to the treasure room!” He laughed heartily followed by a light cought.

Haru grumbled under his breath but said nothing more.

Hero—” Cael began, but Haru quickly cut him off.

“Just call me by my name,” Haru corrected him immediately.

“Right, Haru…” Cael continued. “Now that we’re officially partners, I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you know about the things that affected the traitors? The demon seed, you called it? Is it some new weapon from the demons? And how were you able to defeat them so easily when even the captain struggled?” Cael fired off his questions while Aldric, too, listened intently, his eyes narrowing with interest.

Haru considered for a moment but then decided to be upfront. There was no point in hiding the truth now. “The Demon Seeds are related to the demons, but they aren’t from the demons themselves. They’re man-made.” “Man-made?!” both Cael and Aldric exclaimed in unison.

The demons had existed for as long as anyone could remember. In the history of Kladin, it was believed they had roamed these lands long before humans ever settled here. For most of their lives, humans had fought to rid the world of demons, whose mere presence corrupted the land they walked on.

Cael shook his head, trying to process what he had just heard. “How could that be? What purpose would someone have to create such monstrosities?”

Haru shrugged casually, hands resting behind his head as he strolled down the corridor. “Same as anything else in this world. Greed, power… you know the story.” “But…” Cael hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand—he knew all too well the ambitions that drove the human kingdoms. Even as supposed allies, they were always trying to outmaneuver one another, whether in terms of economy, academics, military strength, or political influence. Yet, this seemed different, darker. “If they’ve researched a way to give ordinary people the power to turn into demons…”

He trailed off, biting his thumb in thought. The implications were horrifying. It wasn’t just about one kingdom gaining an edge over another. If someone could weaponize the transformation into demons, it could lead to chaos on an unimaginable scale.

Haru continued to address his other question. “As for how I was able to defeat them so easily,” he said with a sly grin, “it’s a special skill unique to me as a Summoned. No need to overthink it.”

Aldric, however, wasn’t so easily satisfied. His mind was working through the possibilities. “But if I remember correctly, it was Magnus who cast the spell that triggered those men’s transformations, which means he either implanted those seeds himself or knew exactly what they were. In either case, he must be connected to the group that developed the Demon Seeds.”

He turned to Haru, his expression serious, almost as if he were consulting his trusted advisor. “Do you think we should gather more information before making this public? If such a dangerous group exists, we need the power and authority of the other kingdoms to eliminate this threat.”

Haru stopped in his tracks, raising his eyebrows as if he were staring at an idiot. Just as quickly, he caught himself, using his fingers to smooth his expression. His years spent with his old adventuring group had taught him to mask his true feelings—too often, they’d asked him foolish questions, expecting him to know everything because of his [World Knowledge] skill, without bothering to think for themselves.

"No, that would be the worst thing to do," Haru said flatly.

“Why?” Aldric pressed, confused.

Haru sighed, as if explaining something painfully obvious. “I believe I’ve already mentioned this, but as much as you’d like to believe that everyone is on the side of humanity, you need to understand that to them, it’s a bit different. You’re more like heavily injured prey, and they’re the ever-hungry predators. Though you share a similar outer appearance, you couldn’t be more different. If you think the revelation of the Demon Seeds is a crucial issue that demands immediate attention... you should assume the others see it quite differently.”

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Aldric paused, turning Haru’s words over in his mind. Then it clicked. “You mean… they all know?”

Haru nodded. “To differing degrees and only what they what them to know.”

“That can’t be,” Aldric muttered, his disbelief palpable. The idea that there was such a massive conspiracy in which Cranch was the only kingdom left out was hard to swallow. But the thought that the other kingdoms could hide such a thing from them so seamlessly was even more troubling.

“If you're really having a hard time believing me, why don't you think about your participation in the Council of Kings?"

The Council of Kings was a yearly gathering where the royals of the human kingdoms met to discuss major events and politics affecting their realms. It was an opportunity to build alliances and strengthen ties. Though it was nominally a council for kings, it was the reigning monarch who typically represented each kingdom. For Cranch, it had often been Lysandra who took that role, while Aldric had attended as her support.

Haru had only appeared at the Council of Kings once and that was with his party. Back then, Cranch had already been wiped off the map and the other kingdoms were deciding how to divy up the resources. He could remember how they ridiculed the useless king and the stupid son. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the others always thought less than regarding the kingdom of Cranch.

As Aldric continued to think, memories of the Council of Kings flooded his mind. Now that he was reflecting on it, it was clear they had always been somewhat isolated at those meetings. Though the other monarchs exchanged pleasantries with them, none gave Cranch more than a cursory glance. They treated Lysandra more like an infant at the end of the table than a true ruler. They would often talk over her, dismissing her points of view without serious discussion.

Aldric felt a sharp pang of regret in his heart. He had let Lysandra deal with everything on her own. Even with all the weight on her shoulders, she never showed how much stress she was truly under. He knew she was intelligent and capable, and perhaps because of that, he never reached out to understand everything she was facing. He always believed she could handle it all, so he never tried to help. If only he had reached out, perhaps she would have understood how deeply he cared.

His fist clenched, and a single tear escaped, which he quickly wiped away. Regret would do nothing for him now.

He turned to Haru and said, “If what you say is true, then Cranch no longer needs to deal with those conniving bastards. We only need to protect our own.”

Cael nodded in agreement. It would be difficult, but standing on their own would be better than relying on the false promises of those two-faced charlatans.

They reached the door to the treasure room, but before entering, Aldric paused and turned to Haru. “I still have one last question.”

“What is it?" “When Magnus tried to grab the cure, you stopped him and said he ‘smelled like her.’ Who were you talking about? Is this person behind the Demon Seeds?”

“Oh, her... Yeah, I was referring to Demetria, the Holy Maiden.”

The corridor fell into a stunned silence. Both Aldric and Cael seemed too shocked to speak.

“Demetria?!” they both exclaimed.

Who didn’t know of Demetria, the Holy Maiden of the Holy Church? In a world filled with demons and other non-human races, a natural opposition had formed in the shape of religion—a belief system that most humans subscribed to. The Holy Maiden represented the absolute truth of the Church: that humans were the true children of God and that all other races were merely their subordinates. Though she was technically second in command within the Church, her influence was considered equal to that of the Pontiff. Even the monarchs of the human kingdoms would line up to do her bidding.

Aldric felt a chill run down his spine. “The Holy Maiden... behind the Demon Seeds? It doesn’t make any sense. Why would she—?”

She was also known as the embodiment of virtue and purity, which made it all the more shocking for both Cael and Aldric to learn she was the one behind Magnus.

"Mr. Rex, this is all becoming a bit too much," Aldric said, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. "I can accept everything you've said so far, but for the Holy Maiden to be behind all of this… I need some time to process it." His knees felt weak, and he gripped his cane a little tighter to steady himself.

“Haru, what you are saying…” Cael trailed off. “The Holy Maiden is supposed to represent love, purity, and divinity. Just speaking against her in any of the other kingdoms could get you executed. I’ve never heard a single bad thing about her. Could this perhaps be some kind of—”

Before Cael could finish his thought, he noticed Haru's cheeks puffing up, his face turning red as if he was holding something back. A moment later, loud, uncontrollable laughter burst from Haru, echoing through the corridor as he doubled over, clutching his sides.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The sound of Haru's laughter broke through the heavy tension, snapping both Aldric and Cael out of their previous shock. They stared at him, incredulous, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Sorry, sorry,” Haru wheezed, struggling to catch his breath. “I sometimes forget how little people know about her.” He stood up straight, brushing the dust from his clothes. “Honestly, it’s best you know as little about her as possible, considering she has ears everywhere. Even here, within the kingdom of Cranch, many of the citizens are devout followers. If they ever caught wind that the royals of Cranch were speaking ill of her, heads would roll.”

“I’ll just say this—she’s pretty much the complete opposite of everything you think she is. But that’s enough questions for now. How about we focus on opening these doors?” Haru gestured toward the entrance to the treasure room. Though their minds buzzed with more questions, Aldric and Cael knew better than to press further. Haru was unlike anyone they had ever met; he spoke of things no one else dared to speak of and knew secrets that shouldn’t be known. They still weren’t sure if they should treat him as an ally or something else entirely. By now, they had learned it was easier to just listen to him—especially if it led to the recovery of their kingdom.

Taking a deep breath, Aldric nodded and brandished a key to unlock the seal placed on the door. He pushed the heavy doors open. As he swung wide, the room beyond was revealed, and what met their eyes was...