Dekan's Winter Food Festival

Time passed second by second.

Irenos and Lunn seemed to hit it off immediately, engaging in lively conversation.

They talked about the history of the Demon Realm, some of the current chaos in the Holy Kingdom, and even the issue of climate change.

They look exactly like two people who throw a match.

They seemed to have forgotten about both the signing of the contract and taking action, and chatted for an hour.

Even Olive, who was watching from a distance outside the city, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth at this bizarre scene.

Are you two never going to stop?

How about we go find a restaurant to eat at later and then continue our conversation when we get back?

She was getting very impatient.

She just wanted to get to her Delois as quickly as possible.

If she were unaware of the First Army's plans, or what Delois was plotting here, as the Demon King's informant, she would have immediately gone back to report Irenos.

The fact that they were even chatting idly on the city walls gave Olive a false impression—

She even doubted whether the world had changed and whether humans and demons could truly coexist peacefully.

On the city wall.

"Lord Lunn, haven't we been talking for so long, making that guest from the Holy Capital feel annoyed?"

Irenos turned his head and glanced in the direction of Dekan, where he saw the envoy already brewing honey ginger tea and roasting marshmallows with Croix by the fireplace.

It seems so; this guy has a great attitude.

Although he looked like a spoiled brat, he seemed very relaxed and didn't care at all that Lunn was wasting his time.

[Lunn, tell him I'm mainly here for tourism, and then tell him about the differences in customs and culture between the north and south of the Holy Kingdom.]

"That gentleman found everything in the northern part of the Holy Kingdom fascinating, except for this inspection work..."

Under Dekan's guidance, Lunn forced himself to continue the awkward conversation with Irenos.

Lunn is almost out of lines.

The only option was for Dekan to teach him how to act while simultaneously providing real-time guidance on which direction the conversation should take.

Now, every minute and every second is torture for Lunn.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Even the usually mild-tempered Lunn felt his temper flare up at this moment.

He really wanted to just unleash a level nine ultimate attack on Irenos's face.

And go kick over Delois's broken furnace.

However, according to Delois's pre-battle instructions—to start the battle too early—even if Lunn could defeat Irenos, there was a high probability he wouldn't be able to stop Irenos from escaping.

Not to mention killing, or even capturing, Irenos alive.

Therefore, you must drag Irenos down to the point of near collapse by the start of the battle to ensure a 1000% success rate in capturing Irenos.

This was an agreement between Lunn and Delois.

Delois helped Lunn resolve a major crisis in his territory and will also assist him in completely eliminating the threat posed by the First Army, and, as Lunn wished, help Lunn reach a ceasefire agreement with the Demon King.

In return, Lunn would have to follow his orders, act as his actor and henchman, and help him capture Irenos alive.

And after handing Irenos over to Delois, do not inquire further about Delois's use of the spoils.

Lunn is now strictly adhering to the agreement.

He knew that as long as he didn't break his promises, Delois would definitely fulfill all his commitments.

Even the seemingly impossible bet of "saving the Saintess of Darkness" was fulfilled by Delois, proving him wrong.

From that moment on, he began a long-term collaboration with this demon.

Without realizing it, Lunn found himself becoming a human who had become accustomed to making deals with demons.

If one day the world were to discover that this man, hailed as a saint, secretly colluded with a demon, wouldn't his image crumble?

However, Lunn felt that dealing with this demon wasn't so bad.

Delois would always ask him strange questions—like those about kindness.

These are questions that demons shouldn't even be considering.

Perhaps his relationship with Delois cannot yet be described as friendship.

But Lunn believed that it was possible for "humans and demons to become true friends."

Of course, this only applies to demons like Delois who have never harmed any innocent people.

As for demons like Irenos, who are burdened with the souls of countless dead, Lunn has always wanted to exterminate them.

Just thinking about this made Lunn frown.

He really didn't want to talk to Irenos anymore.

Even talking to a brick wall is more meaningful than chatting with these demons.

"Lord Lunn, have I done anything to displease you?"

After listening to Lunn's words, Irenos paused for a moment and then asked a question.

After chatting for forty or fifty minutes, Irenos was almost unable to control his smile.

Lunn actually foolishly chatted with him for so long.

In a little while, I probably won't even need to lift a finger. I'll just tell Lunn, enjoy his desperate expression, and then watch Lunn rush back to Clan Territory like a stray dog to collect his body from his relatives and friends!

He was suddenly asked a question by Irenos, and Delois had not given him any instructions on how to answer.

"Huh? Really? I don't think so."

Lunn, as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss, awkwardly covered it up with his acting.

Irenos: "?"

Until now.

Finally, it was Irenos's turn to sense that something was wrong.

What's with this perfunctory dialogue?

Are you doing a mission here?

A sense of unease crept into Irenos's mind—

It feels like... he's stalling me?!

Immediately, Irenos couldn't help but recall Lunn's overly peaceful behavior earlier, and the Holy Capital envoy who seemed to be camping in winter.

I just felt a sense of unease that I couldn't quite pinpoint the source of.

What could be the problem?

Aside from what just happened, Lunn's behavior was perfectly normal before.

As for that special envoy, he's just a fifth-tier piece of trash; he'll only be a toy for Olive later.

Although the mana consumption of the Endless Ruin Beast was almost twice as high as Irenos had anticipated.

However, this is within a reasonable range. For example, when the mother body is maintaining a high intensity of killing, it naturally consumes more mana from the mana supplier.

However, a problem arises.

An hour passed, and the Endless Ruin Beast, maintaining its unsealed state, was consuming a great deal of mana. Even Irenos had lost nearly half of his mana!

If this continues, it is theoretically dangerous.

Even if Lunn were furious, given Lunn personality, he couldn't possibly be so heartless as to abandon the effort to save the territory and choose to kill Irenos!

Just as Irenos was beginning to feel anxious...

[Lunn, you can go in now.]

Dekan's voice finally reached Lunn's ears.

Countless barriers of holy light formed a wall that sealed Irenos, pressing down on him as if to crush him.

"Lunn?!"

With a long roar, a deep red aura immediately erupted from Irenos's body!

Just a moment ago, Lunn had a calm expression, but now his entire body was surging with a violent Magic Power filled with murderous intent.

In his shock and rage, even without understanding the reason for the situation, Irenos instinctively attacked with all his might!

Otherwise, facing an opponent like Lunn, the only outcome would be a miserable death!

The crimson halo emanated from Irenos's body, colliding with the Holy Light Barrier with a series of explosive sounds, stirring up a whirlwind of snow!

The two figures were originally only two meters apart, but now, within that mere two-meter gap, strange waves of energy suddenly erupted from the center, just like raging waves in the ocean!

Each crumbling wall of light contained immense scorching Magic Power, instantly melting all the snow on the city wall.

The Magic Power of Lunn and Irenos erupted, surging along the city wall road where they stood.

Water mist, gale-force winds, holy light, and infernal flames pierced through this white curtain-like city gate!

Even Olive and Purser, who were thousands of meters away outside the city, felt a stinging pain in their ears.

They didn't have time to watch the battle; their first instinct was to retreat to a more distant location!

After the snowstorm subsided, a spiraling flame was already swirling around Irenos on the collapsed city gate.

In that instant, it was as if even the ashes were ignited.

When the flames appeared, the air in the entire area suddenly boiled, and the scorching energy spread outwards at an indescribable speed.

Irenos has successfully broken free of Lunn's seal.

However, this is the price to pay for losing the initiative.

Half of Irenos's fighting force, or rather, his key vehicle for retreat—

The Ruin Dragon's hind legs had been pierced by several ice pillars, pinning it firmly to the ground, emitting a series of mournful roars.

Instead of immediately launching a sneak attack to inflict a fatal wound on Irenos, Lunn first subdued Irenos, and then, taking advantage of the moment Irenos was dealing with the situation, sealed the Ruin Dragon.

The Ruin Dragon possesses characteristics such as resurrection and immunity to control effects, making it difficult even for Lunn to kill it in a short time.

However, it cannot resist suppression-type control or control by purely physical structures.

Then.

Irenos could only fight with all his might to parry Lunn's next deadly attack.

Get as close as possible to the direction where the Ruin Dragon is located.

Since escape is impossible for the time being, the only option left is to fight alongside the Ruin Dragon against Lunn.

"Lunn!!! Why did you strike first?!"

Irenos roared in exasperation.

He couldn't immediately determine what Lunn was planning.

Was Lunn's original intention not to enter into a contract?

Or is he looking for an opportunity to kill the strongest demon in the First Army one-on-one?

"..."

Lunn did not respond.

He was solely focused on pursuing Irenos.

His fighting style is to kill the enemy rather than waste time talking.

Of course, he had promised Delois to capture Irenos alive, which made things a bit more complicated.

[Lunn smiled at Irenos and then told him, "Irenos, this is where your day ends..."]

Suddenly, Lunn heard the director's instructions again.

He immediately felt his blood pressure rise.

Action scenes need dialogue added?!

But Lunn still gave Irenos a stiff smile as Dekan had instructed and finished reciting Dekan's lines.

The awkward smile conveyed by this stiff performance was, from Irenos's perspective, extremely Taunt.

It was as if Lunn was the one with ill intentions.

But.

This was exactly what Irenos wanted.

As expected, Lunn simply wanted to create an opportunity for a one-on-one duel!

And after talking for so long, all they wanted was to find the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack!

Hehehe...

Irenos leaped onto the Ruin Dragon, and he and his ninth-tier dragon were finally reunited, regaining their full fighting strength!

He then burst into somewhat manic laughter, his eyes wide as he shouted at Lunn:

"Lunn! So what if you can beat me? Do you know what's happening to your people?!"

[Feigning slight surprise, she asked him in a panic, "What do you mean?!"]

Lunn was speechless.

Their acting skills are starting to look sloppy.

He would never normally do something so pointless.

However, considering that he had promised Delois that he would follow Delois's orders in battle.

This is also part of the contract.

So they had no choice but to complete the performance as the director requested.

"Lunn! Do you know how foolish you were to not turn back immediately and instead chase after me?! I guarantee you'll regret it immensely!!"

Irenos faced Lunn, and the Ruin Dragon beneath his feet opened its mouth without warning, unleashing a crimson breath that swept across the earth and the sky.

Although it cannot fly away for the time being, its ground combat ability is still comparable to that of a ninth-tier expert.

[Ignore him! Lunn, you can do whatever you want from now on.]

In the open fields of the city, Dekan watched the devastating scene of the ruins of the city gate as if he were watching a movie.

He leisurely leaned back in his chair, eating pastries and drinking tea.

As he instructed Lunn, he told Croix to call another actor.

[The female lead can enter now... Is she in position? Hurry up and follow...]

Lunn was extremely fierce and did not bother to defend himself. He simply stepped into the sea of fire, and the scorching breath slammed into him.

A gust of wind suddenly swept around Lunn, followed by a few hissing sounds...

Several wisps of colorless and invisible air swept out from the air around Lunn.

These wisps of air were as gentle as a breeze, yet they seemed capable of dispersing even the space itself. The flames of his breath were completely blocked by these wisps of air when they were still inches away from Lunn's body.

This is Lunn's ninth-tier spell, [Whisper of the Wind God], which is similar in effect to the former Pope Agamemnon's [Chaos Guard], which reduces crowd control and damage, but consumes less mana and needs to be cast actively.

Once Lunn takes a step forward, he never stops!

Irenos used a spell to unleash tens of thousands of streams of fire that rushed towards them, one after another.

Lunn stood amidst the raging waves, the few wisps of wind around him dispelling all of Irenos's attacks!

However, the flames roared more fiercely as they went on, and the pressure on Lunn seemed to gradually increase, causing his pace to slow down.

But no matter how slowly he moved, he steadily approached Irenos!

"Lunn!"

As Irenos watched Lunn draw ever closer to the demonic dragon, a sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips, and he shouted as if a victor were Taunt a loser:

"Do you know that your territory is being slaughtered?! My ninth-tier contracted beast has probably already wiped out your entire territory!"

Lunn ignored Irenos completely, as if he didn't trust Irenos at all, and only wanted to seize this opportunity to fight him to the death.

Not long after.

Under Dekan's instructions, from the other side of the town, seemingly rushing from the direction of Clan Territory, a female knight in silver armor covered in blood and with a desperate expression gradually came into everyone's view.

"Lord Lunn! The territory needs reinforcements!! We've been swept away by an endless horde of magical beasts, and no one can stop it!!"

She shouted with all her might, her voice hoarse.

This Captain of the Knights from the city-state was invited to be an actor.

The sound quickly reached Lunn's ears across the vast snowfield.

Then.

[Lunn, portraying the process of shock, bewilderment, sudden realization, dilemma, mental breakdown, and hysteria...]

Dekan's words in the communication magic were accompanied by the sound of chewing dessert.

Upon hearing the director's instructions, Lunn immediately stopped his attack, as if his computer had crashed, and he was caught in a huge psychological struggle for a moment.

This outage wasn't entirely staged.

He certainly had a lot to say, but it was all stuck in his throat.

Do you look down on ninth-tier battles?

Lunn almost wanted to ask Delois that question.

Lunn was also quite certain that if Irenos were to uncover the truth layer by layer, like peeling back an onion, things would become clearer.

For example, "The opponents you're outmaneuvering are actually just putting on an act for you."

For example, "The current state of Clantes City is different from what you expected."

For example, "What exactly is that seemingly enigmatic young nobleman doing, and in what way is he humiliating you?"

Lunn could hardly imagine how far Irenos would suspect the existence of demons.

Irenos still doesn't realize he's become an epic clown.

But...

If it's about getting rid of Irenos, this irredeemable demon.

Surprisingly, it seems pretty good too.

Lunn shook his head sharply, quickly dismissing the idea; it was not something a Cardinal of the Holy Rite Church should be thinking about!

We must not fall into moral depravity!

"Lunn?? Do you still want to fight? If you want to fight, I'm willing to fight with you! But do you want to kill more people because of your stupidity?"

Irenos covered his face with his hands, but could not hide the distorted smile that followed.

Lunn's pained and conflicted expression was clearly exactly what Irenos wanted to see.

Soon, very soon, Lunn will completely break down!!

For a long-lived being like Irenos, desperately trying to kill Lunn is not as worthwhile as letting Lunn die of old age naturally.

But to destroy Lunn's spirit and see him in utter despair would undoubtedly be a masterpiece that Irenos would savor for centuries!

Although Irenos managed to free the Ruin Dragon and then left.

But as if Taunt Lunn, he deliberately remained motionless.

Given Lunn's personality, it's obvious whether he'll choose to stay and fight or rush back to rescue the territory!

It's Lunn who's going to flee, not him!

[Yes, yes, Lunn, that's it. Make your heartbroken expression a little more hysterical; you're holding back.]

In the distant wilderness, Dekan was still watching the show while giving instructions to Lunn as if he were pointing out the flaws in the landscape.

At this moment.

Irenos seemed to have sensed something.

Suddenly, I looked in the direction I hadn't paid attention to for a while—

The so-called "Special Envoy of the Holy Capital".

He frowned as he observed the black-haired nobleman.

This thing is as small and weak as an ant.

Yet, given the current situation, they show no intention of escaping...

They actually look more relaxed.

I take a sip of tea from my cup every now and then.

It was as if the wilderness he was in was a private VIP box in an opera house, tailor-made just for him!

At this moment, Irenos finally understood where that sense of unease he had felt earlier came from!

It all originated from this human being!

He was simply ignored because he was too weak at the fifth rank.

The more Irenos stared at this human, the more intensely and terrifyingly unsettling the sense of unease became.

Neither the aftermath of the earth-shattering ninth-tier battle nor the historic moment that would ultimately determine the course of the war between the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom had anything to do with him!

The entire world, the entire scene, the entire story unfolding in the town—all of it is disconnected from this person!

It even gave Irenos the illusion that...

There was an invisible barrier between them, one that transcended dimensions!

This black-haired nobleman...

It's like being an outsider!

It's not scary to have outsiders involved in the drama.

But what's frightening is...

He treated you like a character in a play, but you were completely unaware!

However.

Just as Irenos was wondering, Dekan also noticed Irenos's gaze.

He pointed at Irenos with a stern look, like a homeroom the Dean catching a student daydreaming in class.

Then he picked up the magical device that resembled a powerful megaphone, glared at Irenos, and shouted angrily:

"Click!!"

"What are you looking at?! Don't look at the director!"

"You keep staring at Lunn, keep laughing, just like before, laugh like a delusional idiot. Let's do this take again!!"

After saying that, Dekan slumped back in his chair, fuming.

Far away.

Irenos: "???"

Are you fucking insane?!

What business is it of a weak human like you in such a great war?

Who the hell is a director?!

While Irenos was internally roaring, he also felt unusually calm at this moment.

After careful consideration, he concluded that something was amiss with this human.

Putting aside his outrageous mental fortitude and bizarre behavior.

This guy has indeed been maintaining communication magic with Lunn all along.

The communication magic never stopped, even after Lunn began the ninth-tier battle and even after Lunn appeared to be mentally broken!

Just like this special envoy remotely controlling Lunn from behind the scenes from beginning to end!

"That can't be..."

Irenos murmured in surprise.

He carefully examined Lunn's condition, but couldn't immediately tell whether there was a problem or not.

But he definitely felt that the guy who claimed to be the director was highly suspicious!

If this really is a play...

Irenos instinctively resisted thinking about it any further!

Is there really anyone in this world who could treat him like an idiot, making fun of him and humiliating him?

But at this moment...

Irenos recklessly cast the spell: [Sensory Synchronization].

This is an extremely important ninth-tier intelligence spell for summoners, allowing them to share the five senses of any summoned creature regardless of distance.

Originally, after Irenos removed the seal on the Endless Ruin Beast, he could have immediately reconnected to it.

However, it was impossible for Lunn, who was standing in front of him, not to notice the activation of such a ninth-order spell.

Therefore, in order not to arouse Lunn's suspicion when he talked to Lunn, he planned to wait until after the official battle with Lunn before enjoying the devastation of Clantes City.

After being attacked by Lunn, Irenos also failed to find a suitable opportunity to distract himself from connecting with the Endless Ruin Beast.

Now, enough time has been spent!

Moreover, this sense of unease compelled Irenos to inspect the state of Clantes City before he could feel at ease!

As long as we see the state of the Clantes City, even if there are some minor mistakes, it won't matter much!

Regardless, the Endless Ruin Beast was proving to Irenos that it was functioning normally.

At this moment, the Clantes Territory must already be awash in blood!

Even though Irenos had doubts, the thought of witnessing the bloody scene in the Clantes Territory made his heart race!

At the same time.

Clantes Territory.

"Mommy, Mommy, hurry up! I want to eat the limited edition Ruin Beast BBQ!"

Inside a mansion, a little girl wearing a pretty woolen hat ran out, waving her arms anxiously to urge her mother on.

A moment later, a young-looking woman wearing a luxurious fur coat emerged from the mansion.

She took her daughter's small hand, looked at the lively atmosphere on the streets of Clantes City that hadn't been seen in many years, and revealed a contented expression. She led her daughter towards the "Special Commemorative Event for the Surrender of the First Army of the Demon Realm to Clan Territory - Winter Food Festival!"

******

Author's Note:

I've successfully gotten my sleep schedule back on track! Maybe... probably...