Hey everyone, Scorin here.

Sorry, but you won't be getting much of Sophia this chapter.

At least not right away.

Currently, I'm on my way to see her.

Unfortunately, before I can make it back for her birthday, there's one last problem I need to take care of.

And unlike Sophia...

I already know how this story ends.

“So what’s she doing right now?” I asked. “I finished the paperwork my elder brother wanted me to do, so I finally had time to go out and have fun.”

I flew through the clouds until Sophia’s home came into view beneath me.

Then I stopped in midair.

My wings beat hard enough to hold me above the estate.

[ WHUMP ]

[ WHUMP ]

Down in Sophia’s front yard, she was running on some strange contraption like she was moving forward without going anywhere.

I narrowed my eyes.

“What the hell is that?”

“She’s working on her stamina, young dragon prince.”

My body moved before my mind caught up.

I twisted away from the voice behind me and pulled my draconic greatsword from thin air.

[ SHING ]

Gold light cracked around the blade.

“Why are you being so weird… Malphas?”

Malphas floated behind me with one hand over his chin, looking down from the sky like Heaven had accidentally welcomed a demon into its world.

The day was beautiful.

Clear.

Bright.

The kind of day most people wouldn’t waste.

I followed his gaze back down toward Sophia’s yard.

“What is she doing?”

Malphas smiled.

Annoying.

Obnoxious.

Already making it clear that he didn’t come here so I could get involved with Sophia today.

“She is training in hand-to-hand combat,” Malphas said. “I thought Belzagus was a fool for teaching her those things, but from this angle…”

His smile softened slightly.

“Maybe I was the fool for not believing in my own children.”

I looked at him with a cockeyed stare.

Like he needed to get to the point already.

My draconic greatsword dissolved into gold dust.

[ FSSSH ]

“What do you want from me?” I asked. “It’s blatantly obvious that you didn’t come out here just to talk to me about your daughter.”

Malphas’s smile faded for the first time since he arrived.

His eyes stayed fixed on Sophia far below us.

Watching.

Waiting.

Almost like he was trying to memorize every movement she made.

From where I stood, it felt wrong.

This was the Smiling Tyrant.

The Demon King.

The man who always had an answer for everything.

Yet for a brief moment...

He looked tired.

“What’s going on with Sophia?”

My voice lost all humor.

All sarcasm.

My blood rushed through my body as I kept my eyes on him.

The expression on his face wasn’t something that could be ignored.

Not from him.

“There are still loose ends surrounding her life,” Malphas said quietly.

His eyes never left Sophia.

“And I’m afraid I can’t deal with them myself without awakening that lug-headed Sealed Hero.”

Malphas looked at me as he fixed his posture in midair.

No wings.

No visible magic circle.

Just standing there like the sky belonged to him.

Kind of impressive, if you ask me.

“I need you to handle this,” Malphas said. “You already hold her hand in marriage, and you killed the other candidate back in the trial within the forest.”

His face twisted into a wicked smile.

His eyes flared like Hell itself had opened behind them.

“Oh, and let me remind you what you did back there…”

His smile widened.

“Remember?”

Malphas vanished.

I didn’t even see where he went.

Then his voice came from behind me.

He was standing right at my back, staring down at Sophia while she moved through her training.

Sit-ups.

Squats.

Then she fell over into the grass.

I didn’t move.

Something sharp pressed against my neck.

I couldn’t see it.

But it felt like a thin wire waiting for one wrong breath.

“You made the public believe you chose the Demon Kingdom,” Malphas said. “You protected my daughter over and over again.”

Sophia and Belzagus both looked up toward the clouds, trying to see who was there.

Malphas shifted slightly, using his body to block me from Sophia’s sight.

“Even your elder brother sent me a messenger crow before you arrived.”

His smile softened into something worse.

“He asked me to treat you like your father.”

A pause.

“A trusted general.”

My heart sank into my stomach.

I thought I was doing something righteous.

Protecting her.

Helping her.

Standing where I needed to stand.

But apparently, every step I took toward Sophia had already signed another piece of my life away.

Even if I wanted to back away now…

I hovered there, staring into nothing.

My instincts flared through my body.

My eyes shone gold.

That greedy dragon feeling crawled up from somewhere deep inside me.

The feeling of something mine being threatened.

The warning bells from whatever created my kind.

I slowly turned my head.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

Malphas stared at me with a crude smile.

Like he had finally wrapped his fingers around something inside my chest.

His posture changed.

The worried father disappeared.

The Smiling Tyrant returned.

Far below us, Belzagus pointed at Sophia.

“NO MORE CLOUD GAZING!”

He pointed at the grass.

“GIMME TEN PUSH-UPS!”

Sophia groaned and almost caught sight of me from behind her father’s shoulder before turning back toward her annoying gym coach.

“I didn’t choose to become a nurse for my well-being! Gimme a break!”

Malphas drifted away from me and turned toward the Human Kingdom.

One finger pointed toward the eastern horizon.

“Do you remember the archer who aimed at my daughter?”

My expression darkened.

Malphas smiled.

“Of course you do.”

The air around me grew heavier.

“He survived.”

My wings slowed.

“He’s hiding in the eastern territories now.”

Malphas folded his hands behind his back.

“Waiting.”

My jaw tightened.

“For what?”

Malphas looked down at Sophia again.

Then back at me.

“Her birthday.”

Something inside me snapped quieter than I expected.

No roar.

No scream.

Just a clean break somewhere deep in my chest.

Malphas leaned closer.

His voice lowered.

Soft.

Almost kind.

“I have prepared gifts, music, food, and guests for my daughter’s celebration.”

His eyes glowed.

“And some insect thinks he has earned the right to interrupt it.”

My fingers curled.

Gold light sparked across my knuckles.

Malphas watched it happen.

He didn’t tell me to calm down.

He didn’t tell me to move.

He only smiled.

“If someone keeps aiming for what you have already chosen to protect…”

He paused.

Letting the words sink into me.

“How many chances does he deserve?”

As I stared through the kingdom, my eyes turned pure gold.

My vision increased drastically as I searched the location Malphas pointed toward.

I found a strong dark aura coming from that section I had completely overlooked before.

It was so silent.

So still.

That it felt natural.

Like it belonged there.

“How did you find out?”

My voice came out raspy and annoyed that I had overlooked such a small detail.

Malphas turned back toward Sophia and Belzagus.

Sophia landed a strong punch that made Belzagus close one eye as if he felt the impact through his own face.

“My informant is a human, and he serves that fool of a king. For a long time he served and made sure to gain enough status within the Human Kingdom that no one would ever know his mother is a succubus.”

Malphas didn’t hear me answer.

He only felt a silent brush of air push through his hair.

His face froze.

He thought I would still be standing behind him.

Slowly, he turned around.

I was already flying through the sky.

So quietly that I moved like a silent jet cutting through the clouds.

Malphas’s eyes widened drastically before he broke into hysterical laughter.

“Oh... ha... ha ha... HAHAHA!”

I flew through the clouds so fast that the sound barrier forgot I existed.

As I crossed over the Human Kingdom, the dark aura faded behind my focus.

Then something else brushed against my senses.

Familiar.

Heavy.

Not ahead of me.

Below.

Far below.

My golden eyes drifted downward.

Deep beneath the Human Kingdom.

Beneath the cities.

Beneath the mines.

Beneath the ancient ruins.

A giant armored figure sat motionless within endless darkness.

Massive chains stretched through the earth around him.

Ancient seals covered the stone walls.

One golden eye slowly opened.

CRRRRKKK...

A crack spread across one of the seals.

I clicked my tongue.

I remembered the day he and Malphas clashed.

The sky burned.

Mountains disappeared.

And half my family had to get involved before those two idiots tore the continent apart.

The eye slowly closed.

The chains settled.

Silence returned.

“So the Sealed Hero is doing just fine.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

Not fear.

Something worse.

The feeling of looking at another predator and realizing it could probably bite back.

I hated that feeling.

Especially when I was in a hurry.

The sun was already beginning to fall when I reached the eastern district.

My golden eyes scanned the city below.

The humans saw me and smiled.

“Oh look, it's Prince Scorin!”

“He came to buy desserts like usual?”

“Wait... his eyes look scary, Mommy...”

I found the sinister aura leaking from an apartment building hidden within the slums.

Without hesitation, I flew toward the rooftop.

“If he leaves quietly, I’ll even escort him to the Beast Kingdom.”

I landed on the rooftop and moved toward the emergency staircase.

The metal door creaked as I pulled it open.

[ CREEEAK ]

I stepped inside and let it shut behind me.

[ CLANG ]

The stairwell smelled like rust, dust, and old rainwater.

I sharpened my hearing.

Dragon hearing was useful, but it wasn’t perfect.

Too many heartbeats.

Too many footsteps.

Too many pipes coughing behind old walls.

I needed something specific.

His voice.

His breathing.

Anything.

Then I heard it.

SHRRRRRK.

SHRRRRRK.

My eyes burst open.

That wasn’t a normal sound.

That was metal scraping stone.

Arrowheads being sharpened.

I walked down the emergency stairs, following the sound floor by floor.

The sound dragged through the stairwell again.

SHRRRRRK.

I reached the third floor and stepped into the hallway.

Residents peeked out from their apartment doors, curious as I moved from one door to the next.

I leaned my sharp ear close to each door.

Listening.

Waiting.

SHRRRRRK.

Apartment 308.

My eyes narrowed.

“He has to be here.”

I knocked on the door three times.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

“WHO IS IT?!”

I took a deep breath as I felt his heart trembling behind the door.

This guy had been on the run for a long time.

I couldn’t exactly tell him it was me.

I casually placed two fingers over the peephole.

A second later, I heard him move closer.

“Hey man, move your hand. I need to see your face.”

I looked down and continued the act.

Just enough to get him curious.

Just enough to make him crack the door open.

I quickly ran through a plan in my head.

Then I raised my voice to sound younger than I actually was.

I just had to avoid screwing this up.

“M-Mister…”

I forced a shake into my voice.

“There’s a blackout in the hallway, and I got separated from my mother.”

I swallowed.

“I’m scared.”

Silence.

For a moment, I heard him take a few cautious steps backward.

Then I heard him grab something.

Not a weapon.

Something else.

CLINK…

CLINK…

CLINK…

The sound of a chain being dragged across the floor.

Then a latch came undone.

My eyes narrowed.

“Hey now… it’s okay. Let’s get you—”

His voice stopped.

“W-why are you here?!”

I didn’t say much.

I pushed the door open and ripped it off its hinges.

CRASH!

He fell backward as the chains dropped behind him.

A small restraint collar rolled across the floor beside him.

Fear filled his eyes as he crawled toward the table in his living room.

His hand reached above his head.

A bow.

An arrow.

I stepped inside.

My eyes drifted across the wall.

Pictures of Sophia.

Different moments.

Different angles.

Different chances.

Then I saw one picture of her smiling.

A price was written across her face.

Like she had already been sold for a disgusting amount of gold overseas.

The archer stuttered, trying to regain control.

But none of it mattered to me anymore.

“G-g-get out!”

My face went still as I read who wanted her.

Holy King Aldric.

Alive.

Brought to him.

Undamaged.

THWIP!

An arrow shot toward me.

My hand moved before my eyes did.

SNATCH!

I caught it without looking.

“Tell me…”

My voice came out quiet.

Too quiet.

“What was your plan?”

I stared at the picture in my hand.

“After all this time, I thought you wanted to kill her.”

My fingers tightened around the arrow.

SNAP!

“I guess you wanted to bring her back alive.”

I threw the broken arrow onto the floor.

Then I ripped everything off the wall.

Pictures.

Maps.

Notes.

Plans.

All of it.

My draconic greatsword formed in my hand so fast that the gold particles didn’t gather.

They crashed together like a wave of power.

I pointed the blade at his throat.

The tip broke skin.

“GUAK!”

He choked as I pressed down with dead eyes.

“I don’t think I want to know anymore.”

My grip tightened.

“To be honest…”

I leaned closer.

“I think Malphas was right.”

His hands grabbed the blade, trying to push it away.

His palms split against the edge, but he still tried.

He still fought.

“She is too precious to be left alone.”

I stepped forward.

My royal draconic boot pressed against his chest.

The boot my brother made from his own shed scales.

His will cracked before his body did.

STOMP!

“GUAK!”

STOMP!

“STO—GUAAH!”

STOMP!

STOMP!

STOMP!

I kept him trapped beneath my blade.

The night stretched around us.

The room went quiet.

The humans watching from the hallway didn’t move.

Neither did I.

My heart screamed.

And somewhere deep inside me…

I crossed a bridge I knew I could never uncross.

“No…”

STOMP!

“One…”

STOMP!

“NO ONE!”

STOMP!

“NO ONE WILL TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!”

The room fell silent.

I stared down at him.

Then I slowly pulled the picture of Sophia from the ruined wall.

The one with the price written across her face.

My back hit the wall.

I slid down to the floor, holding the picture close to my chest.

“Sophia…”

My eyes flared hard.

My greatsword remained buried in the floor beside him.

“No one will take you away.”

The human residents stared from the corner of the room.

Terrified.

Silent.

They looked at me like I was holding onto something I would kill anyone for.

And maybe I was.

I pressed the picture closer.

“Sophia…”

My voice dropped into a whisper.

“No one will touch you.”

My fingers trembled against her face.

“No one…”