After running for nearly an hour without stopping, Aoto and Veldia somehow managed to escape Seraphina's furious attacks. Their clothes were torn, their faces were covered in sweat and dirt, and their legs felt like jelly.
Up in the sky, Seraphina hovered quietly, watching from a distance. She saw a small village just ahead.
It was Freysac Village—human territory.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Hmm... that should be enough. If he thinks I only attacked because he was entering the Demon Realm, then he won't suspect our real plan," she thought to herself. Her voice was calm now, and her expression had returned to its usual serious look.
She flapped her wings once more and turned around, flying back toward the heart of the Demon Realm. It was time to report everything to her king.
Meanwhile, down on the ground…
Aoto collapsed onto the grass, arms spread wide. He was completely out of breath. His chest rose and fell like he'd just finished running a marathon.
"I think… she lost us," he said with a tired smile. He closed his eyes and let the wind hit his face.
Veldia dropped beside him, gasping for air.
"That… was insane…!"
She turned to him, her voice still shaky.
"Just how strong was she that you had to run like your life depended on it?"
Aoto slowly turned his head and looked at her with a serious face.
"I think… she was as strong as me. I only had about a 50% chance of winning."
Veldia blinked in surprise.
"Fifty percent? Isn't that… actually pretty good? I mean, aren't heroes supposed to fight even when the odds are super low? Like ten percent or less? And still win through sheer willpower and courage?"
She had read so many books and tales of legendary heroes—brave warriors who fought against dragons, demons, and evil kings even when they were hopelessly outmatched. But this was the first time she had seen a hero run for his life instead.
Aoto snorted and waved her words away like they were annoying flies.
"Shut up, kid. You don't know how this world works. I never fight unless I'm at least eighty or ninety percent sure I'll win—or unless I have no other choice."
He sat up and stretched his arms with a grin.
"You know, when I was a kid, my best friend beat me up so bad. So I trained like crazy, worked out every day, built muscles and everything while he never did anything like that and as we grew up, I finally beat him."
"But then he joined a martial arts club, and I never challenged him again."
Veldia stared at him.
"...Why?"
"Because I knew I'd get wrecked if I did!" Aoto said proudly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He gave her a big thumbs up, his face shining with childish pride.
"Zero victories is still better than one defeat. As long as you don't lose, you're still undefeated, right?"
Veldia slapped her own forehead and groaned.
"What happened to those fearless, glorious heroes of the past?" she muttered to herself. "Our generation is completely doomed..."
She turned her eyes toward the village in the distance, the sun beginning to set behind it.
"Let's go back to the Village," she said, still breathing heavily.
"You go, I'm heading back to the academy," Aoto said, brushing off his pants as he stood up.
"Really?" Veldia asked, blinking in surprise. Her blue eyes widened as if she didn't expect that answer.
"Yeah, I already said goodbye earlier. No point in doing it again," Aoto replied casually. With a flick of his fingers, he used a clean-up spell, making the dirt and sweat disappear from both of them.
Veldia watched him, then suddenly asked in one quick breath, "Not even for Audrey? I mean, isn't she like your girlfriend or something? Maybe you want to confess to her? You still have time, but if she officially becomes a nun, she can never get married… and I don't think she would say no to you."
Aoto stayed quiet for a moment. He looked at the road ahead, eyes calm, lips curved into a faint smile.
"There's no need," he said in a soft voice. "Her dream is to become a bishop or even a saint. Let her chase that dream. That's more important."
Then, without warning, he turned to Veldia and flashed a wicked grin.
"Besides, what would I even do with a sweet, innocent girl like her? I prefer breaking down prideful, selfish, arrogant girls… and making them fall for me instead," he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, like he was giving her some strange life lesson.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice and chuckling darkly.
"So who knows… I might come for you someday too, hahaha."
His eyes scanned her in a teasing way, and Veldia immediately stepped back.
"Stay away from me, you creep!" she yelled, quickly wrapping her arms around her chest as if to shield herself from his pervy energy.
Aoto just laughed loudly, clearly enjoying himself.
"Alright then, farewell! Bye-bye!" he waved over his shoulder and began walking away in the opposite direction, toward his next goal.
Veldia stood there in silence, watching his back as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance. The sun was beginning to dip, painting the sky in warm orange.
A tiny smile formed on her lips. She looked down, then up again at the path Aoto had taken.
"I know why he didn't fight…" she whispered to herself.
"He was worried I'd be taken as a hostage… or even killed by that demon lady. So he chose the safest way—for both of us—and ran."
Her smile softened.
"I guess… he's not such a bad hero after all."
----------------------
Seraphina flew straight back to the Demon Palace of Noir, her wings slicing through the air with speed. She didn't waste even a second. Today's events had to be reported right away.
Inside the dark, cold palace, Noir—the Fifth Demon King—was sitting alone in his private chamber. He seemed deep in thought, staring out of the large window where dark clouds covered the sky.
Suddenly, the heavy doors creaked open. Seraphina entered quickly, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head.
"My lord, I have something important to report," she said.
Noir didn't speak at first. He simply nodded for her to continue. Seraphina began to explain everything that happened in the demon realme—the appearance of the summoned hero, their short battle, and how he escaped.
After listening quietly, Noir finally asked, "So tell me… what was your impression of the summoned hero?"
Seraphina's face twisted slightly. She didn't know exactly what to say.
"Well… to be honest, I was disappointed," she answered slowly. "Is this really the hero everyone talks about? He didn't even try to fight me. The moment he saw my power, he turned around and ran like a scared child."
Noir closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "There was once a hero who teamed up with the Third Demon King and killed the newborn twin-true dragons," he said in a low voice. "And now… this hero runs away like a bug, Human generation is going down."
He opened his eyes again, sharper this time.
"What about Xulgorath, the Sixth Demon King? Is he ready to attack?" he asked.
Seraphina shook her head. "No, my lord. He said he needs more time. But he also said that you are free to begin the attack on Gwarga. While your army fights in front, his troops will come from behind to support you."
Noir's expression turned cold. He stood up slowly, clenching his fist tightly.
"So that's what he thinks of me? Like a servant who just follows orders?" he growled. "I agreed to work with him because his plan made sense. But I'm done waiting around like a fool!"
His voice echoed through the room, filled with anger.
"Make an announcement. We're going to attack tomorrow morning!" he commanded.
Seraphina looked up, shocked. "We're attacking Gwarga?"
Noir shook his head firmly.
"No. Not Gwarga," he said. "We're attacking Darwitz."
Seraphina's eyes widened in surprise. "Darwitz? But why there?"
Noir turned to her with a serious look.
"Because the strange mana beam we felt recently didn't come from the summoned hero," he said. "It came from someone else… someone named Scarlett Nova."
Seraphina blinked. "Scarlett Nova? I've heard that name… wasn't she a royal succubus? I was actually thinking of meeting with her to join demon realme"
"She was," Noir replied, "but it was later revealed that she's actually half-human and half-dragon… a dragonoid."
"What?!" Seraphina gasped. "Dragonoid? I thought dragons would never lower themselves to mix blood with humans!"
"I was surprised too," Noir said, "but it's the truth. She's in her own territory for now, and Darwitz is left with a cowardly hero and maybe a weak army. Also,They have no legendary sword like the kingdom of Mystveil."
He turned around and walked toward the window.
"And besides," he added, "I won't bring shame to my name by attacking the weakest kingdom, Gwarga. If I want to make history, I'll do it by crushing someone strong. Not the helpless."
Seraphina placed her hand over her chest and bowed her head again.
"As you wish, my lord,"