Oscar flicked his finger toward the falling Yuribe.
Wham!
A blade of wind struck down like lightning, piercing straight through Yuribe’s heart.
Only after witnessing that did the world dissipate, and Yuribe collapsed helplessly to the ground.
“...Whew.”
He had won.
The persistent, twisted thread of fate that had begun in the Red Mountains—he could finally bring it to a close.
“We’re… alive.”
Oran, who had been anxiously waiting for the outcome outside Oscar’s world, clenched his fist.
Honestly, when the demons first arrived, he had thought they were all dead meat.
Kaya Lockwood, leaning on him for support, muttered with a deeply exhausted expression.
“Looks like we’re a bit hard to kill.”
“We’re definitely on the lucky side.”
Oran gave a brief reply and turned his gaze to the massive dragon.
The image of the demon being crushed like a bug was still vivid in his mind.
In a lowered voice, he whispered,
“But… what if that dragon suddenly gets hungry and decides to eat us?”
“Hmm, do you think its stomach is strong enough to handle you?”
“...What’s that supposed to mean?”
Just as Oran looked incredibly offended, a shadow fell over them and a massive head loomed before him.
“Rest assured. I have never consumed any sentient creature, including humans.”
“Ah, r-right. Haha…”
Oran forced an awkward laugh, his face pale.
Kaya then opened her mouth.
“It’s been a while, Miss Edna.”
“Long time no see, Kaya Lockwood.”
“?”
Seeing his senior casually greeting a dragon, Oran blinked in disbelief.
“Wait, Senior, you know this dragon—uh, this person?”
“I used to see her from time to time when I was a kid at the White Tower. Miss Edna was close with the former Tower Master.”
“Ah, that explains it…”
Oran nodded, finally understanding why the dragon had helped them.
At the same time, the two mages from the White Tower suddenly seemed like treasures.
If not for them, this journey would have failed no matter who else came along.
“To be honest, we thought you were dead. That’s part of the reason we came to find your nest.”
“I apologize for the misunderstanding—I wasn’t dead.”
“No need to apologize…”
There were no treasures or artifacts as they had hoped, but they didn’t come away empty-handed either.
It had been so long since they had truly fought for their lives.
Kaya glanced at Oscar and spoke.
“As soon as we get back, I’ll make sure to pay you the reward we promised, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary.”
After all, they had used Kaya and Oran for their own purposes.
Oscar felt too guilty to take their money on top of that.
“The previous Tower Master left White Tower records with this dragon. Recovering those alone is more than enough.”
“White Tower records?”
Kaya and Oran’s eyes widened.
They both knew why the White Tower had become the weakest among the four Great Towers.
“...Looks like there’s going to be a major shake-up in the magical world when we get back.”
“Congrats, little brother.”
Seeing how genuinely they congratulated him made Oscar feel a slight pang of guilt.
After all, he had used them for his own goals.
“Thank you. If either of you ever needs anything, don’t hesitate to call on me.”
“For free?”
“Just once, for each of you.”
At those words, Oran’s face brightened.
Hiring a mage like Oscar for free was a huge gain.
“Man, that’s why I say—you’ve got loyalty, bro.”
“Not bad at all.”
With that, their business concluded smoothly.
Oscar turned and looked at Sasha.
“Looks like the Tower Master isn’t done yet.”
“What can you do? We’ll just have to wait a bit.”
There’s nothing more dangerous than interrupting someone in a trance state.
Unless it was a true emergency, waiting was the wisest move.
‘As long as Sasha wakes up, everything should be fine.’
After that, they could all ride Edna across the Red Mountains and head back.
But for some reason, a strange unease stirred deep in his chest.
Just as Oscar was trying to pinpoint the cause—
“Cough!”
Yuribe coughed up blood.
Everyone turned to him with tense expressions.
“What? He’s still not dead after all that…?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll finish it properly.”
Reassuring the others, Oscar slowly walked toward Yuribe.
A faint breath escaped from Yuribe’s charred, blackened nose—he was truly on the verge of death.
‘Still, no room for carelessness.’
Shing!
Oscar drew his sword.
At the same time, Yuribe’s eyes fluttered open and stared straight at him.
“Any last words?”
“...Please.”
Yuribe barely moved his mouth.
A raspy, grotesque voice, as if his vocal cords had melted together, scraped through the air.
“...Spare me. Just this once.”
“Hmph.”
Oscar snorted quietly.
So this prideful bastard ended up begging for his life at the very end.
Losing interest, he raised his sword high.
“That’s not happening. Goodbye.”
Just as he brought the sword down—
Yuribe whispered something else.
“...You promised.”
Promised?
Was he talking to Oscar?
Feeling something was off, Oscar frowned.
Shiver!
A crushing aura surged over them, making the hair on his entire body stand on end.
From the ashen sky, something began descending.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
“…”
It soon landed where they stood, casually glancing around.
No one could move to stop it.
As though glued in place, not even a finger could twitch.
‘Wh-what is this? Why can’t I move?’
‘...It’s strong. Far stronger than Yuribe.’
Oran and Kaya could only widen their eyes—powerless to act.
It was as if they’d forgotten how to move their bodies.
“Yuribe.”
The being spoke with a dry, emotionless voice.
“Your horns look quite ridiculous since I last saw you.”
“Shut… up… promise…”
“I know. That’s why I came myself. But still…”
The demon slowly looked around.
Four humans and one dragon.
After gauging their strength, the demon clicked his tongue softly.
“To think you lost to such weaklings and still dared to call yourself a Count—how laughable.”
Yuribe clenched his lips tightly—whether out of resentment or frustration, it was hard to tell.
Only his blazing eyes remained unchanged.
‘He’s going to die.’
Oscar’s body trembled as he watched the scene unfold.
It was the result of his desperate struggle to regain control over his own body.
He glared at the suddenly appearing demon as though he would kill him.
‘…Descartes.’
One of the four Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm who followed the Great Emperor.
Even in his past life, when they clashed, he was a transcendent powerhouse already at the cusp of level 8.
To be frank, even if Sasha were to break through and reach level 8 at this moment, she would still stand no chance.
‘Damn it.’
A disaster, like a calamity had just descended upon them.
But he couldn’t afford to die without doing anything.
Step!
One of Oscar’s legs moved forward.
“Hmm?”
At the same time, the demon Descartes turned his head toward them.
He looked slightly surprised, as though he hadn’t expected anyone to break free of his authority on their own.
After silently observing Oscar for a long moment, Descartes finally spoke.
“…Yuribe.”
Calling out the name of the one who had once been a fellow Grand Duke,
Crunch!
He stepped down hard on Yuribe’s chest, bursting his heart.
“This won’t do. Let’s pretend the promise never existed.”
“Gah! Y-You bastard…!”
Yuribe’s bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief—he hadn’t seen the betrayal coming.
But Descartes met his gaze calmly and muttered:
“Blame yourself. That one over there is simply more interesting than you.”
The light faded from Yuribe’s eyes.
He soon scattered into black smoke and was absorbed into Descartes’ body.
“…No flavor whatsoever.”
If Yuribe had at least remained at level 8, it might’ve been different.
But having fallen to level 7, absorbing him brought little benefit.
Descartes then turned his gaze toward Oscar.
“……”
Just like in his past life—those eyes, devoid of emotion, impossible to read.
But one thing was clear.
By choosing Oscar over Yuribe, Descartes had shown a sliver of interest—perhaps even favor.
“Leave. Staying here any longer won’t end well for you.”
Oscar was thrown into confusion by the demon’s advice.
‘Why…?’
As far as he knew, few humans had ever survived an encounter with that one.
That demon treated human lives like pebbles by the roadside.
‘And now he’s letting me go? Why?’
Was it simply because Oscar had the talent to resist his power at level 6?
Just for that?
As Oscar stood there, face still frozen, Descartes turned and spoke:
“This isn’t the time. Get stronger, then come back.”
And with that, Descartes disappeared into the ashen sky, just as suddenly as he had appeared.
“Hah, hah!”
“Huff, huff.”
Only then did the others, who had regained control of their bodies, begin to breathe again.
Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Oran clicked his tongue.
“Phew… We owe little brother big time. That monster seems to take an interest in talented people.”
No.
Oscar instinctively denied it.
He remembered all too well the many promising talents that demon had slain.
‘Has something changed in the past 21 years?’
But what could have happened to make such a cruel demon spare him now?
There was no way to answer that question at the moment.
After all, they had merely survived by the grace of an enemy’s whim.
“Brother… Considering what just happened with the Tower Master, don’t you think we should run while we can?”
Oscar checked Sasha’s condition.
She was still in a complete trance.
But there was no telling when she might awaken.
‘Now that someone like Descartes has come through here, demons from nearby zones will surely come to investigate.’
In other words, they had to leave immediately.
Oscar bit his lip and spoke.
“Let’s move. I’ll carry Sasha.”
“Everyone, get on my back.”
Oscar gently hoisted Sasha onto his back and climbed onto Edna.
Oran then spread his threads to secure everyone’s positions firmly.
“We’re taking off.”
Flap! Flap!
Edna’s wings flapped, and their figures soared above the clouds in an instant.
“Which peak should we pass through?”
“…Number 2.”
Given the condition of their group, it was best to avoid any of the disasters lurking in the Red Mountains.
Oscar stared at the ground rapidly shrinking below, his expression troubled.
‘I hope Edna can hold out until we reach the White Tower…’
But as with all worries, this one soon came true.
Just past the halfway point across the Red Mountains, Edna’s body began to shudder violently.
Strong winds slapped their faces, heightening their anxiety—and then Edna let out a sharp cry.
“Kuh!”
“What is it?!”
“Everyone, hold on tight…!”
Edna had completely exhausted her stamina and was now slowly plummeting.
Oscar quickly cast a spell to soften her descent.
Crash! Crack!
She scraped down the mountainside for hundreds of meters before finally collapsing.
With a weak voice, she apologized.
“I’m sorry. I’ve run out of strength.”
“…I understand.”
She hadn’t had a moment’s rest in the past 21 years.
And now, right after sustaining a realm and fighting two level-7 demons, no less.
Oscar patted her and gave a quiet suggestion.
“Edna, I know it’s hard, but can you shift into your human form? We can’t take you along like this.”
“…My vitality is severely damaged and I barely have any mana left, but I’ll try.”
As she gathered every last drop of mana, her body began to glow.
Moments later, she looked up at Oscar and spoke.
“This is the smallest form I can manage.”
She was now no taller than his thigh—a tiny girl.
‘It’s already hard enough taking care of Sasha, and now Edna too…’
Letting out a deep sigh, Oscar nodded.
“No choice, then.”
Still, crossing the Red Mountains was one of his stronger suits.
Now carrying two burdens, Oscar returned to the group.
“Let’s move.”
They needed to cover as much ground as possible before the sun went down.

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