From what the woman in front of Hiroki was saying, he quickly knew that she wasn't lying. She was a demon to begin with, and if Hiroki had expected that she was going to cooperate, he would be wrong. And right now, that white-haired woman whose red demonic eyes were looking down on the one who forced a contract on her.

“So, what are you going to do? That human won't take long before he gets here.”

“....”

“Tell me. Are you going to face that human? Run away? Plead for help?”

Hiroki had fallen into his own thoughts, ignoring the woman in front of him.

‘If I sacrifice Aya, I might be able to destroy the whole dungeon with everyone inside. That won’t be enough to kill that damned knight, but it’s a quick solution to my escape. But that will also ruin most of my plans….’

Hiroki also took into consideration the fact that this whole place would gather a lot of attention, and one way or another, the guild would be able to figure out that Hiroki was together with Aya in order to join the tournament. He would surely become a prime suspect if he was found unharmed or hidden.

‘...if this has come to this situation, then I will make a lie become the truth! That way I will be able to go around Ryosaki’s natural lie detector.’

“Fufu~ Did you already give up? Was that all you had in you?”

After making up his mind, Hiroki sternly looked at the demon in front of him who was trying to tease him. Then without saying anything, he created a dark ball with his spiritual projection.

“...W-what are you trying to do?”

“.....”

Without explaining anything, Hiroki shot one of the dark plasma balls towards the demon, almost hitting her head. However, just from a graze, her cheek was slightly scratched. And as a result, the demon looked in disbelief at the person who just attacked her.

“...W-what are you–”

She tried asking about Hiroki’s intention, however, she was met with another plasma attack aimed for her head. However, since she was looking directly at Hiroki, she managed to dodge it.

“H-hold on! W-why are you attacking me all of the sudden?!”

Boom!

But even though she was showing no sign of trying to attack back, Hiroki continued his plasma deadly attacks that left many holes and cracks all over the room. Since the demon couldn't attack back, she tried getting some sort of explanation. However, all she got was silence and murderous intent from the ghost in front of her.

“Agh! W-wait, stop attacking me you fucking human! AGhhh!!”

The deadly attacks continued with the woman barely being able to dodge. And after she finally saw that Hiroki wasn't planning on saying anything else, she used that opportunity to use her authority in this dungeon to teleport somewhere else.

Hiroki, on the other hand, remained motionless for a moment before possessing back the slave he got from an auction and let out a small sigh.

“...Now we wait…”

* * *

After approximately ten minutes of waiting, Ryosaki, Aya, and Alexia, carrying Sofia on her back, finally arrived at the bottom of the same building where Hiroki was waiting. Since the situation was critically urgent for Sofia, they didn't have any time to waste searching the entire dungeon. Therefore, Ryosaki followed the main energy of the dungeon and found this place.

Aya could immediately tell that this place was the main room where the dungeon master should be, so she made sure to inform everyone of the dangers this place posed. This place was within a barrier that prevented monsters from approaching, but once the entire group had approached, the barrier was lifted, and the doors automatically opened as if they were being lured inside.

Everyone was aware that this was a trap; however, at that moment, they didn't have any other choice but to go inside the core of the dungeon. After quickly entering, Ryosaki led the whole group of girls until, following the scent of energy coming from the top floor of this building, they found the central area where the core was. In that place, there was a room that seemed to have signs of movement.

Both Ryosaki and Aya carefully analyzed the whole room before heading inside, where they found the princess lying on a table, and next to her was one of the tournament participants. A boy who seemed to be around Aya’s age, with his faded brown hair tied behind his back.

“...This…”

“Huh?”

Upon noticing that someone else had entered the room, the boy flinched before letting out a surprised, then a relieved expression on his face.

“Aya, is that you?”

“Eh?”

His eyes sparkled with hope as he looked at Aya, while Aya, on the other hand, looked genuinely confused about the way this boy spoke. However, the moment she looked at the red eyes and his faded brown hair coloring going white, she was quick to understand what was going on.

“I’m so glad that you are okay! I was worried that you might have been turned into a mutated monster as well!”

As the boy expressed his worries, his eyes then glanced at the stern look that the knight beside her had.

“You are… Ryosaki Sun Barlowe. I’m glad that someone like you is here. I still don’t know the exact situation outside this dungeon, but I feel relieved that someone as strong as you is here with us.”

“…Before that.” Ryosaki said, his stern eyes not flinching away from the boy, “Your name is Nagisa, right? You were a participant of this year’s tournament.”

“Yes, that’s true. Both me and Aya were trying to get good impressions from everyone.”

“…”

Ryosaki remained motionless, his hand still gripping his sword in suspicion. But then his eyes caught a glimpse of the princess lying on the table. Her breathing seemed stable, and her skin color was back to normal.

Nagisa quickly understood the gaze of Ryosaki so he tried reassuring him.

“The princess sustained severe wounds. She lost a significant amount of blood during our journey, but I managed to stabilize her condition. Currently, she's resting.”

Confirming the condition of the princess, Ryosaki sternly looked at Nagisa before directing a question towards the girl on his side.

"Aya, how are you and this person related?"

“Huh? Ehm… He and I… are…”

A bit startled about the sudden question, Aya tried thinking of a believable response without revealing Hiroki’s existence. But no matter what she thought, nothing was coming into her mind other than calling that boy, her soul master.

“Aya and I are comrades.”

But, before she could find the right words, Hiroki smoothly interjected.

Ryosaki returned his gaze to Nagisa before sheathing his sword back inside. After a few more seconds, Alexia also entered the room once she confirmed the situation.

Nagisa also noticed Alexia entering the room, and he saw the defeated, yet annoyed expression on her face as she was carrying Sofia on her back. She knew that if she threw Sofia on the ground, she would probably get killed by Ryosaki, so she tried laying her on the floor gently before locking her eyes with Nagisa.

“I still have many questions about you being present with the princess here.” Ryosaki spoke up once again. “However, getting out of here takes priority.”

“That's not a problem,” Nagisa responded, “From the center of the room, we can find a teleportation circle that can send us to a safe spot outside the dungeon.”

“....”

“....”

Hiroki, while possessing Nagisa’s body, quickly gave an explanation of how this dungeon was operated. He also made sure to split a few of the healing potions and stabilized Sofia’s condition as well.

The moment Sofia was brought in here, she seemed to have many scars on her body due to the mutation her body had. Apparently, Ryosaki had managed to easily contain the rage and destructive power that she held, and managed to pluck all of the knives from her body.

Alexia on the other hand, continued to keep a sorrowful look on her face as she continued recalling the difference between her power and this knight. She knew that she still had a long way to go… But the fact that she was this close to her revenge, made her mood even worse.

After another short break, everyone went through the teleportation circle and found themselves somewhere outside the town.

From what they could see, the whole town was in panic. Many knights and adventurers were rushing towards the tournament. 

Ryosaki was still a knight so he had a sense of duty in order to protect everyone from the mutations, and if possible revert their mutations. However, since he had to act as the princess’s guard, he was left with no other choice but to remain by her side the whole time.

But even without Ryosaki’s help, Holl Town managed to deal with the mutation problem due to one significant change. The mutated humans were becoming weaker, making them able to deal with them rather quickly. In a span of almost two days, all of the mutated humans were either captured or killed.

This whole situation in Holl town was heard in almost the whole kingdom, and many rumors were beginning to spread about the cause of this. And the center of these rumors was apparently a curse being spread around by people who have white hair. 

Several days later, as the town settled back into a state of security, a significant gathering took place within a mansion situated in Holl town. The meeting transpired in an upper-floor room, where the mansion's owner, Ryosaki, convened with a select group of individuals. Among them were Aya, Alexia, and Nagisa, each contributing to the ongoing discussion.

“Firstly, I want to provide some insights on this matter,” Ryosaki sternly began, “The orchestrated all-out attack was deliberate, with the princess as the primary target. Given our understanding that demons are involved, it's safe to assume this has been a meticulously planned endeavor for quite some time."

Everyone listened to Ryosaki before a sigh was heard next to Aya’s seat. That sigh was of course from Nagisa whose body had been completely controlled by Hiroki.

"As you mentioned, the demons aimed to seize control of the town while simultaneously targeting the princess," Hiroki began, capturing everyone’s attention, “But doesn't that sound weird if demons were doing this out of nowhere while also risking getting their presence known to the whole world?” 

The notion of the demons having multifaceted objectives had undoubtedly crossed their minds. However, the implication of demons having intentions beyond their known traits against humans raised intriguing questions.

"If the demons' goal was to take control of this town, why then did they also attempt to eliminate the princess?" Ryosaki's voice held a skeptical note, his eyes narrowing as he sought answers.

“From what I figured out, the demon that was in charge of this attack had some sort of brain manipulation abilities which allowed her to freely move around without having trouble with her looks.”

Since many knights and members of the church were part of this attack, now it all made sense how humans were turning against each other. Ryosaki also quickly connected the dots at the way Sofia became a mutated monster and tried killing the princess.

“So we may assume that this was simply the beginning of a fake hope, of trading the princess with the king, while also taking hostage a whole city, and hiding the fact that the princess is already dead.” Alexia suddenly added while she was lying on the side of the wall, her head hung low while trying to suppress her emotions.

“That's right,” Hiroki continued,  "A direct assault on the royal family could potentially create chaos and instability within the town, making it easier for the demon to infiltrate and exert control behind the scenes."

“I understand,” Ryosaki responded, a hint of anger rising from his voice, “However, that still doesn't explain why they would go so far and kill the princess.”

“Maybe its because they think it's a hassle to capture or deal with humans.” Alexia added.

“No, that woman can brainwash minds.” Aya suddenly spoke, “Wouldn't it make more sense if they used the princess to manipulate the king from within rather than simply killing her.”

Everyone paused briefly, allowing Aya’s words to sink. While on her side, Nagisa could be seen smiling for a split moment.

“Aya is right.” Nagisa responded, “Demons may have had a different objective than we had anticipated which also required the princess’s death.”

The room fell silent for a moment, absorbing Aya and Nagisa's insights. Ryosaki's expression grew pensive, and he posed a question to Nagisa, whose mind was the current vessel for Hiroki's analysis.

"Are you suggesting that the demons saw the princess as a potential obstacle and decided to eliminate her?" Ryosaki's inquiry hung in the air, inviting further exploration of the demons' complex motives.

“Who knows.”

Nagisa raised both of his shoulders as he responded, earning a narrowed look from Ryosaki.

“That is for the princess to know.”

After Ryosaki was done asking questions and coming up to a conclusion about the situation in Holl Town, he decided that it would be best to keep it a secret from everyone else about the true intentions of this incident. 

If everyone knew that this was all due to demon’s, everyone would surely freak out with many commoners going against anyone who would find them suspicious.

From what Hiroki knew, the princess had fallen into a deep sleep due to getting most of her inner energy taken away from her. And it didn't take too long before she would wake up in confusion.

But the same wasn't for Sofia. Even after Ryosaki had used some sort of special blessing, she had yet to wake up. That's why Ryosaki took the responsibility to find someone competent in healing her instead of sending her back to the church.

Alexia on the other hand, ever since she had failed on getting her revenge, she has been in a bad mood. Always looking with dejected eyes, or simply trying to avoid reminding herself of what had happened inside the dungeon. However, despite failing, she still decided to help Hiroki out from the shadows whenever she would be called.

After once Aya and Hiroki prepared everything, they decided to head back to Holl Town with one of the personal carriages that Ryosaki had prepared for Aya.

During the trip, Aya and Hiroki were sitting side by side the whole time. However, despite the calm composure Hiroki had, Aya couldn't shake her eyes off from the doll-like boy that was laying on the other side of the seat.

Noticing the uneasy figure on his side, Hiroki decided to ask.

"Are you still worried about Ryosaki's proposal?"

"Ah… yes…"

Some moments before Hiroki and Aya departed from Holl Town, Aya had a brief conversation with one another in secret.

Since Aya didn't properly win the tournament, Ryosaki had given plenty of thought about his decision about adopting Aya as part of his family. He promised that Aya would be getting any sort of position and priority as a  Barlowe family.

When Aya heard about this sort of proposal about being part of such an important family, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something definitely felt wrong. And a part of that would be because all her achievements and power was all thanks to Hiroki.

In the end, she gave a long thought about her discussion and decided that she didn't deserve this. She also mentioned to Ryosaki that she already has a family, making it impossible for her to be a lost member of Barlowe.

But Ryosaki only smiled as a response and explained to Aya that this was coming as a genuine invitation from him himself, so she didn't have to worry about anything at all.

However, Aya still gave her response in the end.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept such a proposal in the end…"

"May I know the reason why?"

"I've lived my whole life always chasing money in order to save my parents from remaining slaves and our debts. I didn't know anything else besides that, and with my few abilities I had to save my own life. I always lived in fear that in the end I would fail. That was until recently until I figured out what I truly wanted."

"And that is…"

"Being selfish."

Ryosaki's eyes widened in surprise at Aya's response.

"I want to be free and help out those close to me. I want to see the person I love smile. I want to remain strong without having anyone get in my way. That's why I don’t think I can handle the responsibility of carrying the Barlowe family. I’m sorry…”

Ryosaki's initial surprise transformed into a warm smile as he listened to Aya's heartfelt words.

"Aya, you possess a strength of character that few people can claim. Your determination and independence are admirable qualities. I respect your decision, and I believe you're making the right choice for yourself."

"Thank you." Aya's tense shoulders relaxed, a mixture of relief and gratitude washing over her.

"But remember, Aya, the offer will always stand should you change your mind. The Barlowe family welcomes those who seek to better themselves and contribute positively to the world."

And with that, the conversation with Ryosaki came to an end with Aya recalling the whole conversation in an instant in her mind while staying beside Hiroki.

“I think that I still have room to grow as a person. That's why I decided to reject his proposal. Even if it meant getting all the benefits of a Barlowe family.”

Hearing the honest response from Aya, Hiroki looked down on her with his usual emotionless eyes before returning his gaze back into a blank stare.

“...is that so.”

“But don’t w-worry.” Aya excitedly continued, “I won't ever abandon Hiroki! Even if it costs my life.”

After a few more moments once Aya gave a brief explanation of her decision, Hiroki returned his gaze to Aya once again.

“Did Ryosaki give you anything else?”

“Ah, yes he did.”

And as she gave her response, she pulled out from her dimensional pocket a small emblem in the shape of a sun.

Hiroki didn't say anything else other than confirm the item that Aya was carrying in her hand. And from the looks of it, he seemed to recognized that emblem.

* * *

Somewhere hidden in the back alley of Fixy town, a red haired woman carrying a massive sword on her back was walking with her dark cloak covering her head. She continued walking in a specific path of the back alley until there couldn’t be seen any more people walking around.

Going right on a darker path where the sunlight couldn't reach, her eyes soon caught the run down shop with no whatsoever sigh on it. Then without wasting any more time, she entered inside and pulled down her cloak from her head.

“Quiet the unexpected customer we have today.”

“....”

Through the dark indoors of the shop, a certain male voice replied in a calm, yet interested voice. 

“So what can I do for you today, Miss. Theresa?” 

Continuing to ask in interes about the entrance of this woman, the male voice turned on a few of the candles with a flick of a finger, revealing the features of his face. This particular young man had a pale white skin, revealing red eyes with vertical slits staring at the red haired woman. And the most revealing part of his body, which was his pale white hair that were all thrown to the side.

The red haired warrioress Theresa narrowed her eyes before walking closer to the counter where this particular young man was before giving a reply.

“I want you to find me every information you can find about a certain merchant Hiroki that has recently come to this town.”