Their arrival took me by surprise. The whole point of bringing Ophelia out here was to try and bait the dragon, but I hadn’t expected it to actually work. As the incarnation of Greed, his own sense of self-preservation should have outweighed his love for Ophelia, if such love existed in the first place. The fact that he was there could only mean a few things. Either Ophelia had important information on him that he didn’t want getting out, and he was there to save or silence her, or he didn’t think he would have a problem getting her out.

  Seeing who was standing next to him, the second option seemed much more viable. Their body belonged to the Chronomancer, but having met the original before, I knew that this couldn’t be him. His face was contorted into a wicked sneer, and he had the same unpleasant look in his eyes as when he had impersonated Jocelynn.

  Immediately, I put a 5-layered [Hex Shield] around Ophelia. If Midhna was here to silence her, it would hopefully protect her from at least one of his attacks, and if Envy-Chronomancer wanted to stop time to rescue her, the shield should be able to stop him. Though I still didn’t know how time magic worked, I knew that it had to have limitations, and that they must have been fairly severe, or else Envy would have stayed to fight when I encountered them at the duke’s castle. At the very least, the Chronomancer used magic to manipulate time, so a magical barrier would be able to keep them out.

  At the same time that I cast my shields, the rest of the group jumped up, and after a split-second’s preparation, they stood in formation in between Ophelia and the intruders.

  “Give us the princess, and we will let you live,” said Midhna. “Refuse, and your deaths will be more painful than you could possibly imagine.”

  “Surrender, and your deaths will be painless,” replied Otto. “Should you choose to fight, I cannot make the same promise.”

  As he spoke, Envy’s sneer deepened, and his gaze focused on me. I nearly flinched when I realized why.

  “Then we shall fight,” said Midhna. “However, let us move first. I don’t think either of us wish for the princess to get caught in the crossfire.”

  “I cannot do that,” said Otto. “Not when you have the Chronomancer with you. She would be gone the moment we stepped away.”

  “I’ll stay with Humility and Ophelia and I’ll handle the Chronomancer,” I said. “You guys focus on the dragon.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Otto.

  “Yes. I have a good idea about how time magic works,” I lied confidently. “They won’t pose much of a problem. I’ll join you when I finish.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Then I leave them to you.” He turned to Midhna. “Let us move.”

  “Yes,” agreed Midhna. “Chronomancer, I don’t believe I need to remind you what will happen if she is harmed.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” said not-Chronomancer, waving him off. “I got it. Don’t worry. I’ll get her back in no time. I’ve got a plan.” He winked at me.

  “You’d better,” said the dragon, glaring at the other man for a second before flying away.

  “Good luck, Lucy,” said Ingrid, before she and the rest of our group ran after Midhna.

  As soon as the others disappeared over the ridge at the opposite end of the valley, I used [Earth Manipulation] to put Humility and Ophelia safely underground and out of earshot. I sent them a short explanatory message so that they wouldn’t panic, and then turned to face the Demon King as he started speaking.

  “Hello, Pride.”

  .

  .

  .

  Ji-Soo was nervous about leaving Lucy all alone to fight against a Demon King, but after her experience in the Sealed Dungeon, she knew that Lucy was not one to be underestimated. Though she was not sure how, Lucy had managed to hold on for much longer than the others, and even solved the Dungeon on her own after the rest, including her, had succumbed to the curses.

  She didn’t remember much of what happened after the curse overcame her willpower. For her, the [Curse of Madness] had trapped her in her own mind, haunted by the traumas of her past. At first they were faint; nothing more than involuntarily surfacing memories during the day, and nightmares while she slept. As the curse grew in strength, so too did their frequency and intensity, and by the time Lucy finally cleared the Dungeon and freed her from the curse, they had completely taken over, not giving her a moment's rest.

  Sometimes, she would see her grandfather, yelling at her for dishonoring the clan, and failing to fulfill her duties as its heir. She recalled the time that she had tried to skip her lessons to play in the river. And the time when she had committed the taboo of tossing her spear aside in frustration while learning a new technique. And the time when she had lost a duel to the Baek clan’s young master.

  Occasionally, her grandfather’s face would shift to a twisted imitation of Hermina’s with empty eyes as it yelled at Ji-Soo for getting her killed.

  However, as much as she hated the yelling, she dreaded the silence more, for with the silence came the memories she had tried her hardest to bury. The ones from the day she became her clan’s heir.

  It was a scene that already haunted her dreams normally, but with the curse, it only became more vivid, and the feelings were amplified. She could see everything with such clarity that she felt like she was reliving the whole ordeal again. She could count the lashes around her sister’s empty eyes. She could feel her warmth slowly leave her body, absorbed by the snow beneath her. She could smell the coppery scent of her sister’s blood dying the ground red.

  She had been nearly at her limit when the curse was finally lifted, and after weeks of being forced to view her failures over and over again, she resolved that she would never again allow her failures to hurt the people around her. There would not be another Hermina. She would be stronger, and smarter, and now, with Midhna’s arrival, she had the perfect opportunity to start.

  She moved with the others as they followed the dragon away from Lucy and the Demon King, gripping her spear tightly, determined to atone for all her mistakes.

  .

  .

  .

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I said, faking calmness.

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” said Envy, smiling. “You can’t hide it from me. I know all of your skills. Well, almost all of them. For some reason, I didn’t get your skill that allows you to walk around in the sunlight freely.” He gestured up at the sun directly overhead. “But I already learned from trying to copy Greed that I can’t copy divine skills, so it wasn’t hard to figure out what happened.”

  “Why are you working for Greed anyway?” I asked

  Envy scowled. “That b- Greed tricked me into signing a contract. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. Which is why, I’d really rather not fight you. I know your skills. It wouldn’t be fun. So, I’ll offer you a deal. Hand over Ophelia, and Midhna and I will get out of here without a fight, and we promise not to tell anyone your secret.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I looked over at the direction that the others had gone as an explosion shook the ground, using the distraction to give myself a few seconds to think. Obviously this was a terrible deal. Even if I handed over Ophelia, I had no guarantee that they wouldn’t tell anyone about me. They could still use it to blackmail me later, and I might end up in the same situation as Envy. I would have to defeat Envy, and hope that the others could defeat Midhna as well, in which case my secret would die with them.

  However, if Midhna was as smart as the church feared he was, he would have a backup plan for this. There was probably a dead man’s switch or another unknown person who was aware, and the information would still get out. My best option was to capture them alive, which meant I should try to Thrall them both. However, if Envy knew my skills, they would know about that, and would do everything in their power to avoid letting me get any of their blood.

  The way the two were handling this though made me consider other options. Midhna had opted to fight to try and save Ophelia, and didn’t seem to even consider the option of silencing her. I doubted it was out of love though. It was more likely that Ophelia had something he needed. Something that she had to be alive to give him. That was definitely something I could use.

  I pulled a sharp knife out of [Greater Inventory], and resummoned Ophelia from underground as well as the shields guarding her.

  “What are you doing?” said Envy, their smile gone.

  “I’m curious,” I said, holding the knife to Ophelia’s throat. “What does she have that Midhna wants her back alive so badly? I thought it was information, but in that case, you would be here to silence her, not save her. Does she have a unique skill that he needs for whatever he’s planning?”

  “What are you-? Stop!” said Ophelia. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why would I tell you that?” said Envy, staring at the blade. “You think your bluff is going to work on me? Rescuing her is preferable, but it’s fine if she dies too. And if she dies, there won’t be anything stopping us from slaughtering all of you.”

  “Perhaps we should test that,” I said, pressing the blade deeper until it started to draw blood.

  “Please!” shouted Ophelia. “Don’t! I’ll do anything!”

  Envy’s hands twitched, but they did not move. “While we may be alright with her death, We would still prefer her alive. How about that deal? Her life for your secret?”

  “Hmmm… How am I supposed to trust that?” I asked. “How will I know if you actually keep your word?”

  “We can write up a contract. The same kind that binds me to Greed.”

  “And end up in the same position as you? I think not,” I said. “How about you just give me a few drops of your blood instead.”

  “No,” said Envy, grimacing. “Fuck no.”

  “That’s too bad. I guess the deal’s falling through…” I drew the blade gently across Ophelia’s neck drawing a thin red line an inch long that dripped blood onto her dress.

  “Stop!” cried Ophelia. “Please! Why? Why me? Just leave me alone!”

  Envy glanced down at her, then vanished in a burst of time mana. Confused, I held my position, watching my surroundings in case they reappeared. Five minutes later, Envy was still nowhere to be seen, but I didn’t let my guard down. They were probably waiting for that. It was unfortunate that they had left, but ultimately, it was the right move. If they had stayed, the negotiation would have continued to favor me, as it was obvious that letting Ophelia die was not an option for them.

  I looked down at the terrified princess and considered my options. Killing her was probably the right move here, regardless of what Envy did or said, but I couldn’t do that. She was innocent. She did not deserve to die, no matter how serious of a blow it would be to Midhna.

  I also needed to find a way to keep Greed and Envy from spreading my identity around. The church would probably not consider them to be reliable sources, and would not act upon their word alone, but the existence of the accusations would be inconvenient. Ideally, we would be able to defeat both Demon Kings right here, but it was entirely possible that Envy had already left. Still, without Midhna’s vast network, Envy would not be as effective at spreading my secret.

  Before I could continue my pondering, however, from amidst the constant sounds of battle, one sound rose out above the rest and hung in the air. It was a voice, and it only said a single word, but as soon as it was said I froze.

  .

  .

  .

  After exiting the valley where Lucy and Envy were preparing to face off, Midhna led the rest a short distance away to a flat, rocky area before stopping. For a moment, he hovered in the air, facing his foes. Then, without warning, he transformed. His body grew, his neck elongated, a pair of black wings sprouted from his back and a tail grew from his rear. His skin was replaced by a layer of pitch-black scales, and his fingers and toes extended into claws. His face extended forward and his mouth was filled with sharp teeth. The only resemblance his draconic form shared with his human one were his eyes, which were still the same shade of blue.

  The others wasted no time, and immediately began their attack. Barnabas sank into the ground in order to take away a potential target from the dragon. Ingrid and Otto leapt to the left and right, while Ji-Soo stood behind Sylvester in the center.

  Ji-Soo watched with frustration as the Emissaries split off. She wanted to go off on her own too, but her defensive skills were not useful against attacks as powerful and difficult to dodge as Midhnas. Once again, someone else had to put their life on the line due to her inability.

  The beginning of the battle was slow. Neither side fully committed to any attacks, instead waiting for openings, in hopes of landing a powerful blow. However, the waiting game worked against Midhna. With Barnabas underground waiting for him to touch down so that he could try to ensnare him, Midhna had to stay airborne. While he had wings, they were not strong enough for him to fly on their power alone, so he had to augment them with wind magic. The longer he stayed in the air, the more mana he burned, while the dragon hunters did not need to expend any energy to stay on the ground.

  He chose Ingrid as his target for his first serious attack. Though her stats were greatly amplified by her divine ability, she was still not quite as powerful as Otto, and her defense was not as strong as Sylvesters, making her the weak link, if she could really be called that.

  Midhna dove down, opening his jaws and unleashing his signature [Incineration Beam] at her. Ingrid sprinted to the side as the beam followed closely behind, and when the spell ended, she rolled forward to dodge the beast’s claws.

  As the dragon neared the ground, the ground rose up to meet him in the form of a forest of spears. None of them hit their target, but they did force him to dodge closer to Ingrid, who leapt up to meet him. A triple-layered [Hex Shield] appeared at in between Midna and the dwarf’s sword. The shields slowed the blow, but did not stop it entirely, and the sword managed to reach his underbelly… where it slid harmlessly off his scales. The dragon returned the the sky, then prepared for his next attack.

  The battle progressed similarly for a few minutes, and Ji-Soo’s frustration only grew. After a close shave at the beginning, Midhna was avoided her and her spear, and Sylvester was not quick enough for them to chase him down. She spent most of the battle watching as the two emissaries narrowly dodged attacks and countered with strikes of their own.

  As she watched though, an opportunity finally presented itself. When Midhna dive-bombed Otto, rather than dodging, Otto had chosen to block the spell. His shield was red hot, and his hairs were singed, but he was largely unharmed, and unfazed. Midhna, not expecting him to take such a route, was not able to dodge his sword properly, and Otto managed to strike him hard enough to get through the scales, and the dragon veered off violently to the side, straight toward Ji-Soo and Sylvester, seemingly losing control of his flight.

  Ji-Soo knew it was a trap. She knew that the wound was not deep enough to cause such a reaction. She could see the dragon surreptitiously watching her out of the corner of its eye. It wanted her to try and attack, so that she would be exposed, and he could take her out. However, Ji-Soo also knew that if she had the opportunity, she could end the dragon in a single strike.

  Time seemed to slow as she steeled her resolve, and leapt out from behind Sylvester toward the dragon. The dragon’s head immediately snapped to face her as its mouth opened and mana began to gather inside. She could hear the other calling out to her, but she ignored them, focusing single mindedly on imbuing her spear with aura.

  If her grandfather could see what she was doing, he would no doubt be livid, which made Ji-Soo smile. The smile was quickly wiped away as she thought of the reactions of everyone else. Her father and younger brother would be devastated. Sylvester would be too, but he would recover quickly. It wouldn’t be the first time he had lost his battle partner. And Ingrid… When Ji-Soo thought of her, she almost faltered. Ingrid was the first real friend she had had since the loss of her sister. When Ji-Soo died…

  She stopped thinking about it, and turned her attention back to her spear. She could not afford to get distracted at this critical moment. She raised her spear over her head, aimed, and threw it with all her might. The dragon’s spell was complete at that point, and a white glow was making its way toward her.

  The throw had left her in no position to dodge, so instead she watched the dragon’s eyes widen as the spear approached with a satisfied smile on her face. When the white light of the [Incineration Beam] was about to reach her, she closed her eyes and prepared for the end, but the end never came

  Something collided with her side, forcing her out of the path of the spell. She opened her eyes again and looked back, just in time to see Ingrid be engulfed by the stream of fire.