Nobody there knew what to do when Sollar keeled into the arms of her brother. Everyone remained still, in silent shock. Even General Forge and Seis were at a loss as to what to do.

That was, except for the Hero.

“Ronn, no!”

Junil had grabbed at the armored Hero’s arm. Her feet were planted on the ground, skidding as he walked towards Sollar.

He did not seem to be deterred at all by her pleas to stop. She struggled against his arm before letting go, the Healer realizing that there was nothing she could do.

She glanced over at General Forge and General Seis, looking at them, wordlessly telling them to try to stop him. But it seemed that both of the Generals were also glued to where they stood, unsure as to how to react to the situation before them.

Despite Ronn’s stoic and unyielding demeanor, his mind was in turmoil.

The Demon Lord was his rival through rite. That very same member of the Demonfolk race whom he thought harbored no love for any living thing was currently cradling his own dear sister in his arms.

Lord Luth glanced up at Ronn, and bared his teeth at the Hero.

“You’ve got what you want,” the Demon Lord said. He was attempting to yank the chains off of his sister’s arms. It was a fruitless endeavor.

“No. I did not get what I wanted, Luth.”

The Hero walked right up to the Demon Lord. Even Junil had frozen still, both out of fear and anticipation at what Ronn was going to do next.

He kneeled down, his armor clicking as he leaned over to get a good look at Sollar. In response, Luth pulled his sister away from him.

“Get away from her,” the Demon Lord hissed. “What more do you want from my sister?”

Ronn turned his helmeted head slowly towards Lord Luth.

“I am not speaking as the Hero to the Demon Lord,” Ronn said. “I am speaking as Ronn to Luth. Now tell me. Has she ever trained in magic before?”

Luth was hesitant to answer that seemingly unexpected and unrelated question.

“...No. I’ve never trained her in magic. Why do you want to know?”

Luth thought he could hear a sigh coming through Ronn’s helmet.

“These chains were specifically crafted by Madame Fraul to keep you restrained,” Ronn replied. “They were designed to deplete your magic down to one-tenth of its capacity.”

Luth looked from Ronn to the chains that wrapped around his sister. “I had figured. I was exhausted whenever those chains were on. Now, I can feel my energy returning to my body. But...”

The realization soon dawned on the Demon Lord.

“But for Sollar... If she wakes up, she’ll be in immense pain.”

Ronn nodded. “Indeed. She has not trained in magic at all. Her body is not used to the sheer amount of magic that is being drained, hence why she had fallen into unconsciousness.”

The Hero glanced at his Healer.

“I would ask Junil to grab a potion to supplement her magical energy, but that is a very temporary treatment that may only worsen her condition,” Ronn said. “I have a different plan of action in mind.”

Ronn held out both of his arms to the Demon Lord, gesturing that he wanted to carry Sollar.

“May I?” he asked.

Lord Luth did not budge at first.

“I will not hurt her. Do not worry,” Ronn continued.

Lord Luth was hesitant. But he then gradually lowered his sister onto the floor.

The Demonfolk girl looked so fragile.

“I first have to remove the chains from the cell,” Ronn stated.

Grabbing the group of chains that were attached to the restraints, the Hero yanked on them. Almost effortlessly, the chain separated from the brick walls in a miniature explosion of shattered brick and dust.

Lord Luth glanced over at the holes in the wall, where the chains once held. He blinked a few times, before rubbing the brick dust out of his eyes. Or tears. He couldn’t tell at this point.

Ronn then turned to look over at the Healer.

“Junil. Tell me the location of the medical institution you attend.”

“...The medical institution?” she asked, after a moment’s pause. “We’re treating her there?”

“There are no other places in the Capital that specialize in Demonfolk treatment,” Ronn replied. “Hurry, I will carry her there.”

“Wait, wait!” Lord Luth exclaimed. He stood up as quickly as the Hero did. “She’s my sister, I should be carrying her!”

“You are still weak,” Ronn replied. “And, considering that the riots are being subdued, it would likely be easier for me to carry Sollar to a medical institute than it would for you to walk around.”

Luth grit his teeth. “Fine. But I’m still coming with you, because I don’t trust you!”

“You should not be leaving this cell.”

“I will,” the Demon Lord replied. “Because I need to accompany Sollar. As her older brother.”

“You do not plan to make this process troublesome, I hope?”

“Well, I’ll promise to not attack you, at least. But I’m coming with you, whether you want me to or not.”

The Demon Lord then looked over to his two Generals.

“I can also order them both to stand down.”

Both General Forge and General Seis blinked, almost forgetting that they had been spectating the entire event. They had grown engrossed in the interaction between the Hero and the Demon Lord.

“We... we already are,” General Forge replied. “My Lord, what are you doing?”

“Ensuring my sister is safe. Don’t tell me that you’re thinking this is the perfect opportunity to do something...”

“It is,” General Seis admitted. “But your priorities lay elsewhere. We’ll stand down the Demonfolk.”

General Forge waved his hand down, to ensure that the rest of the Demonfolk wouldn’t do anything rash. They all obliged, lowering their makeshift weapons and tools.

Meanwhile, the Hero had picked up Sollar as gingerly as he could, as though she were made of ash. He stepped out of the cell and looked down at the group of Demonfolk who were crowded in the hallway.

“Make room,” General Forge commanded.

The Demonfolk men and women moved to the side, to allow a path that the Hero could walk through. He took large but steady steps forward, ensuring that he didn't jostle Sollar too much.

Junil trailed him, as the Demon Lord walked alongside the Hero.

“I wish to know,” Ronn asked. “How many times has she gone manic?”

Lord Luth frowned. “Going ‘Manic’? Why are you asking?”

“I recall something Miss Junil had told me,” the Hero continued. “That it might be harmful for you to go Manic? I had not considered the possibility until now, after seeing her exhausted state.”

Lord Luth shook his head. “Are you referring to those changes our bodies go through whenever we’re in danger?”

“Indeed.”

“I know you call it going ‘Manic’, but we call it ‘Flaring’. As for the amount of times? Three times... that’s how many times.”

Both General Seis and General Forge followed the Hero. As they stepped down the stairs, the gathered Demonfolk followed them. General Forge was directing all of them to shield the Hero from the riots as he carried Sollar.

“Three times?” General Seis asked. “Really?”

“How bad is three times in a week?” Junil asked.

General Seis pursed her lips. “Three times within a week is very bad. Just twice a month is an unhealthy amount of times to Flare.”

“Just for context, how rare is it?” the Healer continued.

“Some Demonfolk are lucky enough to only use it once or twice in their entire lives.”

Junil glanced at Sollar, in concern. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Once they had gotten out of the Palace Spire, Ronn glanced down at the Healer.

“Miss Junil. Direct me to the location of your medical institute, please.”

“Oh it,” the Healer replied. “It should be down the main road to the left, but just follow me.”

There were a few burning wagons and smashed stands they passed by as they went down the main roads. However, the presence of the Hero and the armed Demonfolk who were rioting minutes earlier formed a shield around the Hero. This effectively deterred any rioters that remained.

Eventually, they reached the front door of the medical institute that Junil attended. It was a tall structure made of a light gray brick, lined with wooden windows and doors. The entrance had been barricaded from the inside, with several tables and chairs blocking the way. It was evident that this building had been a target of the riots, some first-floor windows had been shattered.

“Figures,” General Forge stated. “Stand back, I’ll cut our way through.”

The edge of his halberd glowed as he started channeling his energy into it.

“Hold on, I know a side door,” Junil said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “They probably put up this barricade for a reason.”

The glow dissipated from the Demonfolk General’s weapon.

“...Fair enough,” he muttered.

The Healer stepped into one of the alleyways next to the building. It was a particularly narrow alleyway, one that forced Ronn to step through sideways to fit. General Seis stayed behind to ensure the Demonfolk remain organized, as the others made it into the side door of the building

“I sometimes use the side door when the front gets packed,” Junil said. “Factory accidents are surprisingly common, we get a lot of Demonfolk patients.”

“...Really?” General Forge asked. “I’m glad I didn’t have to work in the city.”

“Only because we were unaware of your whereabouts,” Ronn replied.

The General gave a nervous laugh, and scratched the back of his head. “Eheh... you can waive that, right?”

“We will have a discussion about this later, General Forge,” came Ronn’s not-so-reassuring reply. “For now, we shall attend to Miss Sollar’s health.”

Once they all were in the medical institution, Junil was recognized immediately by one of the workers there.

“Great Healer!” one of the workers exclaimed, a healer-in-training based on the hat he wore.

The Healer in question frowned.

“I told you, stop calling me that,” Junil muttered. “It’s Miss Junil, or Junil if you want to be really informal. How’s the medical institute doing from the riots?”

The healer-in-training glanced over at the barricaded front door.

“As you can see,” he said. “We’ve had some problems... but 

“How many injured have we taken in?”

“We’ve admitted several injured Humans and Demonfolk, most of them with light wounds,” the apprentice said. “I see the Hero is here, too, who is he holding in his hands...?”

He glanced into Ronn’s arms, but Junil waved him down.

“That’s not my information to give,” she replied. “Are any of the larger patient rooms free? We need one urgently.”

“Yes,” he replied. “All the rooms against the street are vacant, though I advise you against admitting a patient into there.”

“Huh? Why?” Junil asked.

“Someone threw a brick through a window on the second floor, and we don’t want any of the other patients getting injured...”

“That’s fine!” Junil exclaimed. “We can just push up a dresser against the window or something. C’mon, let’s go.”

The Healer gestured to the Hero, the Demon Lord, and the two Demonfolk Generals to follow her.

“Uh, Great He— Miss, Miss Junil!” the apprentice exclaimed, shortly after. “There’s the... the De... the...!”

“The what?” Junil spat. “You mean the Demon Lord? Yeah, he’s with us too. No, you’re not allowed to ask any questions. Hurry up, get us the necessary medical supplies. You’re paid to keep quiet about this, got that?”

The healer-in-training nodded his head vigorously. “ Yes, ma’am!”

He proceeded to dart off. Junil then walked off into one of the hallways and pointed to Ronn to follow her up the stairs.

The inside of the building was rather homey. Curtains draped over windows, the ceiling was made of neat wooden planks, and the floor was a clean hardwood.

“I recall you said this was a medical institution?” Ronn asked.

“Yeah, in a sense,” Junil replied. “I don’t own the place or anything of that sort, but I know my way around here. That, and I have access to a lot of things.”

“I do remember, you mentioned you are a student here?” Ronn asked. Junil pushed open one of the doors to a vacant patient’s room on the second floor.

“Student? In a sense,” Junil replied. “This institute’s the pinnacle of what we know about medical technology. Cutting edge. So a lot of people here, me included, are uncovering new things every day.”

Junil placed an index finger on her chin.

“Speaking of,” she muttered. “I really need to check up on the latest news. Wonder what’s on the bulletin...”

“You can do that later,” Ronn stated. He gently laid Sollar down on the bed in the room. “We must prioritize the treatment of Sollar.”

“Right, that,” Junil stated. “And, the whole window-through-brick issue—”

As if on cue, something smashed through the glass window of the room. The Hero caught it midair and glanced at it, to see that it was a lump of coal. He looked out the window to see someone immediately fleeing from the scene of the crime.

“Yeah, that’s going to be a problem,” Junil muttered. “Ronn, help me push one of these cabinets up to the window. Last thing this Demonfolk gal needs is a rock landing on her forehead.”

Junil stepped next to a medical cabinet, one that was placed just right so that it simply needed to be pushed a few paces to block the door, then she tried to push.

Her feet slid across the floor as she walked in place, trying to push the cabinet that was likely several times her weight.

“I am capable of moving this on my own, Miss Junil,” Ronn stated. He stepped over, then using one hand pushed the cabinet in front of the window.

Junil glanced at the cabinet, then back at him.

“I don’t understand how you’re so strong,” she muttered.

Ronn then returned to Sollar, along with Junil.

“What should I get for her?” the Healer asked. She glanced at Lord Luth and General Forge.

“What are you looking at us for?” General Forge asked.

“Because you’re both Demonfolk, so you should know something, of course.”

“First thing’s first, we gotta remove the chains,” Lord Luth stated. “And I believe I have the tool that can do that.”

He held up Sollar’s shovel, which he had been carrying with him the entire time.

“Are Demonfolk weapons not exclusive to the individual they are inscribed on?” the Hero asked.

“Since I designed her shovel, I can use it myself,” he said. “It’s made of the highest quality materials I could ever get my hands on.”

“For a shovel?” Junil asked.

“Yes. For a shovel.”

The Healer shook her head. “I got hit across the face by that thing repeatedly. Gave me terrible bruises.”

Lord Luth gave a short chuckle. “And you should thank me for that. If I didn’t enchant it the way I did, you’d have worse than bruises.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” the Healer asked.

The Demon Lord tapped the spade of Sollar’s shovel. “This thing, I designed it myself. I didn’t want her to hurt anyone, so it’s not capable of cutting through any living material.”

Junil blinked.

“Huh. That’s... pretty interesting, I actually didn’t expect that answer,” she grumbled. “I expected you to say some snarky comment about how it’s made to not hurt the weak.”

“I could do that, too,” Luth admitted. “But I don’t really see the point... Actually, Ronn might like something like that.”

“Simply because someone is physically weak does not mean they are unable to be a threat,” came the Hero’s reply. “Luth, may I ask you to assist me in removing these chains? I do not wish to injure her.”

“Right, I forgot,” the Hero said. He stepped over and charged his magical energy into the shovel. “I’m very sure these should cut through her chains. She was able to break them off of me, somehow.”

The edge of the blade glowed orange, as he gradually guided it to cut through the shackles.

“And, uh. Junil,” Lord Luth said, pointing to the Healer. She glanced over at him.

“Go grab some magic potions for Sollar. Best ones you can get. We’ll need to give it to her once the chains are off.”

The Healer nodded, then ran off into the hallway to grab a potion.

“I am surprised that Sollar was able to damage them in the first place,” Ronn admitted. “These shackles were designed by Madame Fraul. She had assured me that there were very few tools that could break through them.”

“Well, ‘very few tools’ isn’t all exclusionary, is it?” Luth replied. “Anyway, we Demonfolk make better tools and weapons than you Humans. So I suppose it’s something like that.”

A few careful movements later, and half of the shackles attached to Sollar’s arms and ankles were split open. The Hero kept his hands on the chains, to prevent them from re-forming shut.

“I’m still completely befuddled over exactly what happened,” Lord Luth muttered. “The Hero, helping me? Never would I have imagined.”

“I never would have expected to find myself assisting you in freeing your sister, either,” the Hero agreed. After Luth used the shovel to smash open the last shackle, Ronn pulled it entirely off the Demonfolk girl, to ensure it wouldn’t reform.

“She’s my sister. Of course I’d do this without a second thought, but you by my side? Surprising that you’d be willing to help the ‘Second Coming’, at all.”

“I understand you may still have reservations about me,” Ronn replied. “But I have recognized her as not a threat. She does not possess the intellectual capability to be so.”

“Hey,” Luth replied. “I know she’s not all that bright, but you can’t just say she’s stupid. She’s learned a lot the past few days.”

“I am aware,” Ronn continued.

Junil had just come back, holding a potion in a flask. The Healer seemed a little hurried, as evident by her panting and exhaustion. And, in addition to her, General Seis had accompanied the Healer back to the room.

“Alright... I’ve got one,” she gasped. “Took me a bit to find it, since most of the potions were used on the injured...”

“That would do,” Ronn stated. “I will administer it to her—”

“Wait, no! Let me do it!” the Demon Lord exclaimed.

The Hero glanced over at Luth.

“Does it make a difference?” he asked.

“Yes!” Luth exclaimed. “Well, no, in actuality. But I want to do it, still. She’s my sister, I can’t just let you do all the work.”

“Very well.”

The Hero handed the potion off from Junil to Luth, who uncapped it. He raised Sollar’s head a little to allow her to drink some of the magic-infused drink.

General Seis updated General Forge on the current status of the Demonfolk indentured servants that had been organized earlier.

“I had them form a perimeter around the hospital,” the Second General said. “So we should be safe.”

“Good job,” Forge replied.

The silence started again, persisting for a few minutes. Luth continued to administer the Magic potion to his sister, as Junil supervised Sollar’s current condition.

Ronn spoke up again.

“If I may admit to this...”

He trailed off. The indecisiveness in which he spoke the next sentence piqued the interest of the Demon Lord.

“Admit to...?” Luth asked.

“...Sollar reminded me of my own daughter,” he finished.

There was a pause. Then, someone said something.

“You have a daughter?”

The one who broke the silence was the exhausted Healer.

Ronn glanced over at her. “Miss Junil, you are surprised? I’d have expected that question to have come from one of the Demonfolk. Not you.”

“I know almost nothing about your personal life!” the Healer exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were even married! And you even had kids, too?”

The Hero held up his right hand. “I am wearing my wife’s wedding ring right now.”

“Yeah? Where is it? Under that armor you never take off?

“You make a fair point.”

Junil scoffed. “I’m not the judgmental type, but I can’t help but slightly pity your wife.”

“You are very judgmental,” Ronn stated, matter-of-factly. “And my wife is fine with me, since we are still wed.”

Junil gave an exasperated sigh. “Whatever. Ronn, there’s one thing that I need to talk to you about regarding Sollar.”

The Hero turned to look at her.

“What is it?”

“You’re not going to be chasing after her anymore, I hope?”

If Junil could see beneath his helmet, she presumed that he would’ve raised his eyebrow.

“I believe my actions speak for themselves. Do they not?”

Junil shook her head. “No, that’s not enough. You need to say it. You’re never going to have any better witnesses for your statement.”

She then pointed to the two Demonfolk Generals and the Demon Lord himself, who were both in the same room. All eyes turned to the Hero, in expectation.

“And it’s the fact of the matter that you like formality,” the Healer continued. “Let’s tie it up here, shouldn’t we? That this won’t go on any longer?”

The Hero stared at the Healer. Then, he sighed.

“Fine,” the Hero said. He held his hand up, as though swearing on his heart.

“On my honor as the Hero, I declare Sollar to no longer be a fugitive from law. I will cease my pursuit for her.”

“See? Not so hard now, was it?” Junil asked.

“No. It was not,” he said.

“Well! That’s all and done now!” the Healer exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She then looked at Lord Luth. “So, since that’s done, I’m guessing things are all good now between us all?”

“Well, I have a hunch that I won’t be working as Salkin’s secretary now that the secret is out,” General Seis admitted.

“That, and I need to get back to Grand Elm. The travel fees are going to be expensive...” General Forge muttered. “Hey, my Lord, are we getting paid overtime for this?”

The Demon Lord glanced over at his two still-loyal Generals.

“Well, you did have some pretty good pension plans for your retirement,” Lord Luth stated. “Good luck trying to cash them out, though. So no, you’re not getting paid overtime.”

“Figures.”

Luth chuckled at the nonchalant reply from General Forge. He then glanced over at the Hero, who was still overlooking the unconscious Sollar.

“This must be a mess for you,” Luth said to Ronn. “I doubt they’ll ever consider letting me see the light of day after my escape and all the riots.”

The Hero stood still. Then came a rustling of cloth and clinking of armor, as the Hero turned to look at the Demon Lord.

“Luth,” the Hero said. “I will say this to you, and I do not wish to repeat myself, but I probably will have to: You did not break out of your cell.”

The Demon Lord glanced up at the Hero, in confusion.

“I very clearly did. Or, my sister helped me. She was an accomplice.”

Ronn held up the pointer finger on both of his armored gloves. “I will bring together two unrelated subjects, and you can connect the dots. I sign off and hold ultimate veto power over all documents pertaining to your current status in our custody. You also never broke out of your cell. That is what the records will say.”

Luth gave Ronn a thoughtful look, rubbed his chin, and nodded his head. “...I see where you’re getting at. I never broke out of the cell. My own story will reflect that, too.”

This was followed by a grin from the Demon Lord. “A bit sneaky, if I do say so myself. Maybe I’m rubbing off on you. But, I have to admit, it feels odd for the Hero to tell me I have to lie. Aren’t you supposed to be honest?”

Ronn sighed. “The Demon Lord speaking of honesty, while I propose the creation of falsehoods. It feels as though the whole world has turned itself inside-out. If I must be truthful, Luth: My mission to apprehend Sollar was the first I have ever failed. Imagine my embarrassment when I failed it not once, not twice. But four times in a row.”

His armored head glanced down to the resting Sollar.

“Not only has she bested me, but your sister also taught me a valuable life lesson.”

Lord Luth raised an eyebrow. “And what might that be?”

“Values assessment. Not all the objectives I pursue necessarily need to be completed, through and through. Especially if I realize that those objectives, I learn, do not align with what I believe.”

“Huh. Seems like quite the thing to learn... That makes you already better than a lot of people I know.”

“Yes. You’re still returning to your jail cell, however.”

The Demon Lord shrugged. “Understandable, you can’t just have me roaming around.”

“Then we are in agreement?”

“I can’t really say ‘no’, so I suppose that’s a yes.”

The Hero was about to leave when he felt a light grasp on his armored hand. He looked down again to see that it was Sollar, one of her arms outstretched with hands wrapped around two of his fingers.

“N... no, don’t... Please don’t take Luth-ar...”

The Demonfolk girl was barely conscious enough for her to overhear the conversation between the Hero and her brother. But she heard it, regardless.

“Please do not worry, Miss Sollar,” the Hero replied. His voice had become quieter when he spoke to her, as he kneeled down. “I shall not harm you, nor will I harm your brother.”

Sollar tried to say something, but wheezed then coughed.

“Sollar!” Lord Luth exclaimed. He stepped up to Sollar, on the other side of the bed, and squeezed her hand. “I’m here. Just rest, please.”

The Demonfolk girl smiled, glancing up at her brother.

“Luth-ar...”

Her eyes then flickered back over to look at Ronn.

“You... called me by my name,” Sollar said. “Not by the... ‘Second Coming’ thing...”

Ronn nodded. “Indeed, I have. Please rest, miss. You’re incredibly fatigued at the moment, due to the issue with the Crown...”

Lord Luth blinked once as he consoled his sister, then glanced over at General Forge.

“Now that this has been brought up, I’ve got an important question to ask General Forge here.”

The Demonfolk General perked up. “Huh? What is it?”

He shrunk back when Lord Luth’s gaze fell upon him. The Demon Lord stood up, then stepped over to his General.

“Did you break rule number one?” the Demon Lord asked. “Which was, ‘don’t let Sollar know about the crown’?”

“I, uh...”

General Forge fidgeted with his hands.

“Forge, we’ve known each other for years,” Luth continued. “Be straightforward with me.”

“Fine. I didn’t directly tell her, per se. I was just ranting and it... accidentally came out.”

General Forge seemed to shrink under Luth’s withering gaze.

“That is almost as bad,” the Demon Lord replied. “Regardless, I can’t overlook this,” 

General Forge felt a sense of foreboding, as the man he was currently speaking to seemed to suddenly out-rank him by a few levels. Which was true, but he’d always seen Luth as an equal before.

Lord Luth began speaking.

“This is a command that comes at the behest of Ronn and Junil here—”

The Healer blinked. “What do I have to do with this?”

“—and if they choose to reject it, I will find an alternative. It is also the way to both reward you for bringing Sollar back to me, and punish you for allowing Sollar to take the crown.”

General Forge gulped. He was going to weather through this with his head high; there was no way out of it.

“What is it, my Lord?”

Lord Luth patted Ronn on the shoulder. “As I am aware, Junil is having difficulty finding willing Demonfolk participants in her medical trials. This is in part due to her reputation as the Healer of the Hero’s party; no Demonfolk in the Capital is willing to work with her due to that.”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Junil asked.

“Your friend, Skarrol, told me of your failures.”

The Healer frowned. “I am going to—”

“Refrain from killing him before I finish my statement, please. Here is my proposal.”

Lord Luth held up one finger.

“First: To ensure my General here is guaranteed employment after his rather unhirable stunt, I am offering his services to Junil.”

He then held up another finger.

“Second: Junil can have him assist in medical trials, within reason. The Demonfolk Generals were all chosen for a reason, and General Forge is probably the most durable of all of them.”

General Forge did not like the way he was described as the ‘most durable’ out of all of them.

Luth then looked towards the nervous Forge.

“You will be guaranteed a wage. In return, you will have to work under Junil. Is that clear?”

Junil, in the meanwhile, was trying to speak up.

“Y-you don’t have to force him to work under me, I mean—”

“I understand, my Lord. As long as Ronn and Junil express their approval.”

“...Now you’re going to make me feel like a douche if I refuse,” Junil said. “Fine. You can work under me.”

“It would indeed be wise for the Demonfolk generals and my party members to get to know each other,” Ronn agreed. He then glanced over at General Seis, who flinched at the Hero’s gaze.

“As for you, I allow you to continue working alongside Sir Salkin,” the Hero stated.

“Ah... Wait, truly? I’m surprised,” she replied. “Is there a condition, I am guessing?”

Ronn nodded his head. “Indeed, there is a condition. A simple one. I wish for you to supervise Sir Salkin, and assist him in sobering up his behaviors.”

“Wait up!” Seis exclaimed. “I’m simply his secretary. How am I supposed to ‘sober him up’, exactly?”

“Sober him however you wish, preferably in a way you believe would work,” the Hero said. “I have witnessed your own skills at organizing the Demonfolk. That degree of leadership was why we had wished to detain you after the war. Now that you are here, simply imprisoning you would be a waste.”

“So you’re not tossing me in a cell,” General Seis confirmed. “That’s a good thing, I’m not sure my old bones can handle sitting still for days. But to what extent am I allowed to ‘sober up’ Salkin? Am I allowed to...?”

She whipped out her swagger stick, and tapped it against the wall a few times.

“Do refrain from hitting him,” Ronn replied. “However, if you must, I will not interfere with your methodology.”

General Seis gave a grin. “I’ve just been given permission to smack Sir Salkin. Do not worry, that permission will not be wasted...”

“And, General Forge, there is something that I must return to you.”

“Return?” General Forge asked. “What is it you need to return? I don’t remember you taking anything in particular from me.”

“This,” the Hero replied. He had grabbed from his pocket an item and held it out to General Forge. The General’s eyes bulged when he saw what it was.

“That’s... the end of my horn. The one you snapped in the battle some time ago.”

“Indeed. I wish to return it.”

General Forge glanced up at Ronn. “Don’t you want to keep it? Since you won that battle and all...”

Ronn shook his head. “I do not take war trophies, especially of body parts. I find it in poor taste. I had intended to return this to you after the battle, but you had fled.”

“Of course I had fled,” General Forge scoffed. He took the end piece of his horn from Ronn’s hands. “I didn’t want to stick around to find out if you were the type who’d ‘finish the job’. But thanks for returning my horn.”

“We can glue it back on,” Junil suggested.

“Alright, I suppose that would work.”

General Forge soon realized the implications of working with Junil.

“And, uh, I figured that working with you would mean testing medical procedures on me that you weren’t able to perform on Demonfolk before.”

Junil nodded. “Yep. Leeches should probably work on Demonfolk as well as it works on humans.”

“...Leeches?”

Junil grinned.

“Oh, nothing that should worry you,” she said.

General Forge had a look of confusion.

“What are leeches?”