Chapter 78

“You did very well, Kairon.”

Commander Balthazar smiled with genuine satisfaction as he spoke.

“You carried out the mission to bring Riana back excellently.”

Honestly, it didn’t make much sense to me.

Was this some elaborate act orchestrated by Rostia to help me vent my anger?

If so, even if I wasn’t fully immersed, I’d have to play along.

“…… I-I just did what I was supposed to do. It’s nothing worth praising, Commander Balthazar.”

“No, you did great. Honestly, it was beyond my expectations. I never thought you’d defeat Archmage Ronos.”

Commander Balthazar looked genuinely pleased, his soft smile accompanied by a slight lift of his chin.

How could an illusion feel so real, so chillingly vivid? It was beyond words.

Once again, I realized that Archmages were beyond ordinary comprehension—no amount of common sense could explain them.

“I sent you for two reasons. One was to give you a real break, and the other was to push you. I never expected you to bring Riana back from the start. You grew stronger from the challenge I intended, even defeating a powerful demon on the level of an Archmage. Though, you did borrow the power of Abelin’s necklace, a powerful magical artifact.”

“Wait…… what?”

Honestly, this part broke the immersion a bit.

There’s no way Commander Balthazar, who’s been staying in Cressnig, could already know that I defeated Ronos, let alone that I used Abelin’s necklace to withstand Ronos’ flames.

But since this was Rostia’s little act, I decided to play along a bit longer.

“Using every card available is only natural, Commander. Just as the Vanguard has never hesitated to sacrifice themselves when necessary to fight demons.”

“Sharp words. But you’re right. If you hadn’t used Abelin’s necklace, no matter how much you grew or what special power you gained, you’d have all burned to death against Ronos. Isn’t that right? Haha……”

“……”

I didn’t feel the need to respond to that.

But to think this level of detailed conversation could be expressed through Illusion Magic…

Moreover, I don’t know how well Rostia knows Commander Balthazar, but the illusion of him before me felt so real that if I didn’t remind myself it was magic, I’d have believed it completely.

*‘Once this awkward act is over, I’ll have to ask Rostia what her relationship with Commander Balthazar is.’*

“Thank you, Kairon.”

“For what, sir?”

“For bringing Riana back.”

Commander Balthazar reached out and placed a friendly hand on Riana’s shoulder.

But for some reason, as soon as her father’s hand touched her shoulder, Riana looked at me with a frightened, pleading gaze.

“When I sent you, I said bringing Riana back was to strengthen the Vanguard’s forces. Remember?”

“Of course, I remember. But Lady Rostia, the Tower Master, said she would train Riana to become stronger and send her back to the Vanguard later.”

“That’s why I came here myself. Ronos, who was supposed to train Riana further, is no longer in this world, and I don’t want Riana to receive ordinary training and become just another magician. So, a bit earlier than planned……”

Commander Balthazar gently stroked Riana’s head.

But then, something strange appeared in his hand.

As Balthazar stroked Riana’s head, his hand was slowly absorbing the Power of Demon from her body.

“What are you doing?!”

“Can’t you see? The same thing you’ve been doing.”

I raised my voice without realizing it.

Even though I knew this was just an act, I couldn’t help it.

But the illusionary Commander Balthazar answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“As you can see, I’m absorbing the Power of Demon from another demon.”

“Another demon? Riana isn’t a demon! She’s human!”

“Human? Do you really believe that?”

Commander Balthazar raised his hand triumphantly.

The Power of Demon being absorbed from Riana’s body stretched out like a thread, clearly visible.

“Can you really call someone with this kind of energy human?”

“Then you’re no longer human either, Commander Balthazar!”

“True, I’m not human. I admit it. I told you before, didn’t I? I made a contract with a god from another world. I gave up being human from that moment on.”

The Commander who spoke next was no longer human—he was something else entirely.

“In fact, it was a relief. A great relief and joy. To no longer be a pitiful, incomplete human.”

“Fine, you’re like that. But what about your daughter, Riana? What’s her crime? I can’t understand this at all. Why would you subject your own daughter to harsh training, let her accumulate the Power of Demon, and make her suffer from negative emotions? What’s the point?!”

“The point? I simply gave my daughter what she wanted.”

As Balthazar absorbed the Power of Demon from Riana, her face grew increasingly gaunt.

But even as the light in her eyes faded, Riana clung to her father, enduring the loss of strength.

“My daughter watched me, you, and the Vanguard face wave after wave of demons. And each time, someone didn’t come back. She realized that with each wave, more and more people wouldn’t return. So she wanted to help the Vanguard. I simply gave her the chance to do so—by transferring the Power of Demon to me, the Commander of the Vanguard, to make me stronger.”

“Balthazar……!!”

Before I knew it, I was clenching my teeth so hard it hurt.

I knew this was an illusion, but even so……!

“Let Riana go, now.”

“Why should I? Riana doesn’t want that. You care for her and know her well, don’t you? How can you ask me to go against her wishes? I can’t do that. As a father, I need to grant my daughter’s desires. And look at this face.”

Commander Balthazar roughly grabbed Riana’s chin and turned her to face me.

Riana looked pained, yet somehow… happy.

“Hehe. With this… with this… I can help Dad and Kairon…”

“No, you can’t! That’s not the kind of help we need! We don’t need that kind of help! We’d rather not have it at all!”

I reached out to grab Riana, but Commander Balthazar held her close and leaped back, creating distance.

“No, no. I won’t let you have your way, and you know you can’t stop me. You’ve grown stronger by absorbing the Power of Demon, but you’re still far from matching me. And I won’t stand still either. It’s impossible for you to defeat me before your life—or the fate of this world—runs out.”

“…… Even so.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

As I did, the anger coursing through my body boiled over, hot and fierce.

“Even so, I’ll stand against you. Even if this body breaks, even if I have to give up being human and become a demon. So……”

I regretted leaving my sword behind.

But with what I had, I clenched my fist as tightly as I could.

“I’ll take Riana back!!”

I charged at Commander Balthazar, shouting.

But Balthazar calmly dodged my attacks, moving sideways and backward with ease.

And with each dodge, he increased the speed at which he absorbed the Power of Demon from Riana. She grew more and more emaciated, soon unable to even hold up her head.

“Absolutely not! This kind of ending… I won’t let it happen!”

Finally, when the last bit of energy was drained from Riana and she lost consciousness, my vision turned red.

“I won’t let you get away with this!!”

At that moment, my body moved explosively, closing the distance to Commander Balthazar.

“What the……!”

My fist slammed into Balthazar’s body, sending him crashing into a wall with a cloud of dust.

“Ugh……!”

“Now!”

As I shouted, Rostia’s voice cut in.

With her voice, the illusion faded.

Before I knew it, Rostia’s laboratory was back in view, and Commander Balthazar and Riana were gone.

“Kairon, feel your body now.”

“Haah, haah……”

I was completely out of it.

My rationality was faint, my body filled with nothing but rage.

But as I realized this was just an illusion, my senses slowly returned, and I could finally feel it.

The powerful, deadly force raging within my body.

…… It was the Power of Demon.