In the reception room, Princess Lana smiled as she looked at the adventurers before her.
"You've all worked very hard this time. Eight Fingers has been uprooted and completely destroyed. With that, the Kingdom can finally rest easy."
"This was all thanks to you, Princess."
Azure Rose's captain, Ladis, lowered her head.
"But if you will forgive my bluntness, I'm afraid things may not be that simple. During the operation, we discovered a mysterious force hidden behind Eight Fingers."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing that, Princess Lana immediately straightened up and fixed her gaze on Ladis.
"Something like that happened?"
"Yes."
At that moment, the Masked Girl stepped forward.
"When Geglan and I attacked the base of Silma, one of Eight Fingers' leaders, we encountered incredibly powerful monsters. Not only that, we also encountered a High-ranking Demon!"
"A High-ranking Demon?"
"Yes! He called himself Adabao. He was a terrifyingly powerful demon."
As she spoke, apparently recalling that battle, the Masked Girl could not help but shudder.
"To be honest, even I was no match for him."
"Even an opponent you, Ivilye, couldn't defeat? Was he truly that powerful?"
"Yes. But fortunately, we had an equally powerful—no, an even stronger—ally... Do you remember the incident two days ago, when an Eight Fingers stronghold was wiped out in one go?"
"Of course."
Princess Lana nodded. To be honest, although that unexpected incident had disrupted their plans, it had also greatly weakened Eight Fingers. That was why Princess Lana had decided to seize the opportunity to launch an all-out assault against Eight Fingers.
"I remember you said at the time that they might have been an adventuring party that had just advanced to Obsidian rank?"
"It's no longer a possibility. It was them."
This time, the Masked Girl gave a definite answer.
"They arrived there