"Quite the clever scheme."
Luminas narrowed her eyes. "You demons have seized the Great Jura Forest and secretly developed it to this extent?"
"So the strange disturbances in the forest that have been the talk of the continent lately—those were your doing too?"
"You could say that."
Ultima opened a portal as she spoke, still smiling. "But you're mistaken about one thing."
"Oh?"
"The true master of the Great Jura Forest isn't a demon."
Ultima continued smoothly, "In fact, the four of us are nothing more than servants to that lord."
"Servants..."
Luminas couldn't wrap her head around it.
What kind of being could make a Primordial Demon like Ultima willingly humble herself and speak with such reverence?
If this was true—if there really existed someone powerful enough to earn the willing loyalty and submission of one of the original demon progenitors...
Then he...
Luminas didn't dare finish the thought. The sheer terror of what they faced far exceeded anything she'd imagined.
As for why she'd been summoned here...
Was it to settle accounts? A reckoning?
Luminas let out a quiet sigh, tension tightening in her chest. She already regretted not investigating the situation more thoroughly before sending Hinata and the troops to support the Kingdom of Falmuth.
"Ah, one more thing."
Ultima stepped into the teleportation circle and glanced back with a grin. "Those knights of yours, along with Hinata and the rest, are currently enjoying a nice stay in the prison."
"Is Hinata still alive?!"
"She is."
"Though only for the time being."
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"
Luminas gave a small nod. Whether Hinata and the others lived or died would depend entirely on how sincere she proved herself here.
"Let's go."
Luminas moved past Ultima without hesitation. "I wish to speak with your master face to face."
"Tch!"
The phrasing made Ultima's cheek twitch. She felt the sudden urge to smack someone.
Fortunately, she knew exactly what Luminas was walking into.
This was no polite afternoon tea invitation.
What awaited her...
If Ultima had known the right words for it, she would have said it was clearly a trap—a feast where the guest was never meant to leave alive.
Monster Kingdom, Demon King Castle.
Damien had just returned from the grand prison, bringing Hinata with him. The young woman was once again dressed in her pristine white knight uniform.
She followed a step behind him, her face flushed a deep, burning crimson.
In the end, she had gone through with the completely naked dogeza.
Yes, she had proven her resolve to Damien.
However, Hinata had severely underestimated just how mortifying the act would feel.
Despite priding herself on her iron will and unbreakable spirit as a warrior, every time the memory resurfaced she couldn't help but act like a flustered young girl.
In Damien's presence, she felt she might never be able to hold her head high again.
All she could do was hope he would keep his word and spare the rest of the Holy Knight Order.
As for Damien...
He had always intended to make her pay some kind of price.
After all, she couldn't lead an army against his territory, offer a quick "sorry, my mistake," and expect full forgiveness.
The humiliation he had inflicted was undoubtedly a devastating blow.
Different punishments weighed differently depending on the person, after all.
For someone like Hinata, even a simple dogeza would have shattered her pride—what more one performed completely bare?
Such degradation.
If anyone else had suggested it, Hinata would have fought them to the death without hesitation.
Only Damien, with his overwhelming power and the supreme authority of the Creation Dragon God, had been able to force her into that position.
And her choice had left him satisfied.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Damien received a request for spatial teleportation. "They're back?"
"Approved."
With a single thought, a swirling black vortex appeared above the grand hall.
With a low hum, two figures emerged—Ultima and Luminas Valentine, arriving from the Holy Empire of Lubelius.
"Lord Damien!"
The moment she saw him, Ultima dropped to one knee. "Mission complete. I've brought Demon Lord Luminas as requested!"
"Well done, Ult."
Damien motioned for the girl to take her place beside him, then turned his gaze downward to the silver-haired young woman standing below—the Queen of Nightmares, Luminas Valentine, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
"Hinata!"
Luminas didn't look at Damien first. Her attention locked straight onto Hinata at his side.
Seeing that the knight appeared unharmed, Luminas breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Lady Luminas!"
Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She felt deeply grateful that her liege had come for her.
But this Monster Kingdom was a dangerous quagmire. By coming here, Luminas had essentially walked straight into a trap of her own accord.
"Your mistake is forgiven."
"Go ahead."
Damien made it clear he wouldn't restrict Hinata's freedom, allowing her to hurry over so Luminas could examine her carefully.
"Now it's your turn, Luminas."
Seated upon his throne, Damien rested his cheek against the back of his hand and looked down at the two figures below. "Attacking my territory without the slightest warning—do you have nothing to say for yourself?"
"I reject that accusation outright!"
Luminas showed none of the weakness Ultima had anticipated. She met Damien's gaze directly. "Until now, I had never heard of any power being established within the Great Jura Forest."
"Without an established nation, this land is unclaimed territory. In a neutral zone, anyone has the right to pass through freely!"
In other words, Luminas was denying that she had sent troops to wage war on the Monster Kingdom.
Since Damien had never formally founded a country, any talk of national borders or sovereign territory simply didn't apply.
One could claim "I live here, so this is my land."
But Luminas hadn't known about any such claim.
And because she hadn't known, this wasn't war—it was exploration, an adventure, a pioneering expedition into unknown lands!
No matter how you looked at it, Luminas refused to accept the charge of waging war.
Because the moment she admitted it...
The conflict between the Monster Kingdom and the Holy Empire of Lubelius would have to escalate.
There was no way Damien would simply let an attack on his lands slide.
If he didn't strike back, the Monster Kingdom's dignity would be in tatters.
In short, now that she understood the terrifying strength of this place, Luminas was absolutely determined not to let things reach that point.
The Holy Empire of Lubelius could never withstand the full military might of the Monster Kingdom.
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