There is a saying.
‘Why do we feel betrayed? Isn’t it because we had expectations in the first place?’
The frustration that wells up when things don’t go as one wishes—it’s said to be a matter of mindset.
At first glance, it might sound nonsensical. But upon closer thought, it holds some truth.
‘When the other party hasn’t said anything, but one drums up their own hopes, makes noise about it, and then feels disappointed when the result isn’t as expected. Isn’t that how it goes most of the time?’
Most people who feel let down when unwanted situations arise had simply set their own arbitrary standards. And when the results didn’t align with those expectations, they grew irritated.
If one hadn’t held expectations in the first place, there would be no reason to feel disappointed.
Perhaps it was thanks to this mindset?
“I thought we’d go straight to where Lucifer is, but they dropped us in the middle of this forest… I was a fool to trust those demons.”
“Even so, we should be able to reach him once we get out of this forest, so try not to worry too much.”
When the portal led to a dense forest, leaving the party in shock, Ian calmly accepted the situation.
Judging by their reactions, they likely believed they’d appear right in front of Lucifer.
Of course, Ian had never entertained such a thought.
‘Do you really think they’d make it so easy to cross the portal and end up right at his doorstep?’
He chuckled at the thought.
‘If anything, they’d look for ways to wear us out before the fight, not give us an advantage.’
Even being dropped into a forest near the Demon King’s castle wouldn’t be too much trouble for beings of near-superhuman abilities.
Still, it was far better than being stranded in a barren wasteland.
‘Well, let’s at least be grateful they didn’t throw us into a trap.’
Ian thought as he silently walked through the forest.
Thud!
“It’s a good thing you brought those tools along, Ian.”
“Ilian?”
The laid-back elf, Ilian Sigrud, approached nonchalantly and slung an arm over Ian’s shoulder.
Seeing Ilian’s carefree grin, Ian replied without much reaction.
“I only packed them on the off chance something might happen beyond the portal. Besides, I had personal storage space to carry extra gear.”
“When an elder praises you, just take it as a compliment, kid.”
Ilian ruffled Ian’s hair lightly, a sly smile playing on his lips. Ian let out a soft chuckle.
“I’m glad the gear I packed as a backup turned out to be helpful.”
“Exactly. We might’ve been completely drained before even facing Lucifer if not for it. That would’ve made the battle against him far more challenging.”
“Still, I don’t think we need to worry too much about the battle. Since they opened the portal for us, it’s possible reinforcements might follow.”
“Reinforcements? You mean someone from the Kallos Empire sent troops to Astelgia?”
“Sending reinforcements here? The Demon God’s power will render them useless.”
“You’re aware that the power of the Demon God isn’t limitless. Like the mana we wield, it has its limits.”
The power wielded by those who ascended to divinity—be it resurrection, reincarnation, or domain control—was beyond human comprehension. But such divine powers came with finite reserves.
‘For instance, take Eris, the Goddess of Peace. Even though she wanted to replace Ariel with a new hero, her limited divinity forced her to create a helper instead.’
Eris, who stood on equal footing with Lucifer, was bound by the limitations of her divine power. So, how could the Demon God’s power be infinite?
Ian didn’t know the full extent of the Demon God’s abilities, but he was convinced there was a cap to its power.
‘That’s why I debated this topic with Bedon and came to a plausible conclusion.’
If the battle intensified, Lucifer would have to expend more divine power to suppress the Hero’s party. Consequently, the domain-control ability stretching across Astelgia would weaken.
When Ian cautiously brought up this hypothesis, Bedon Arcana hadn’t dismissed it; instead, he acknowledged its validity.
‘Using his words, he said it was a sound theory.’
If anyone else had said such things, Ian wouldn’t have thought much of it.
But Bedon was different.
As someone who could foresee the rise and fall of kingdoms, if Ian had been on the wrong track, Bedon would have pointed it out.
The fact that someone with such insight validated his idea carried weight.
“When the Demon God’s power starts to dwindle, and the assaults from the demon forces on the Empire subside, the Empire plans to send reinforcements to Astelgia, sparing only the minimum forces needed for defense.”
“Oh… So they won’t just stay on the defensive, then. What made Isaac change his mind?”
“Isaac? Are you referring to Isaac Arcana, the current ruler of the Kallos Empire?”
“Who else? He’s the only one who can move the Empire’s forces around like this.”
“What’s going on? Weren’t they supposed to meet with Bedon? Did they end up meeting the First Prince along with Glendia instead?”
Ignoring a royal request was something Ian Volkanov could hardly imagine. However, considering the man before him was an elf—one with the nickname “Heretic of the Great Forest”—it made a certain amount of sense.
‘The elves of the Great Forest maintain neutrality, so they have no reason to bow to the Empire. And more importantly, Ilian is notorious for not listening to anyone.’
Why did Ilian earn the nickname of “Heretic”?
Despite being an elf, a race that loved nature and avoided conflict, he indulged in meat, frequently started arguments, and lived a carefree life of indulgence and revelry.
Given his nature, Ian wouldn’t be surprised if Ilian dismissed the Prince’s summons and decided to go off on a spontaneous escapade.
It was ironic to be explaining all of this before their final battle, but Ian explained calmly.
“The current Emperor has been gravely ill for a long time. At present, the Second Prince, Bedon Arcana, is managing the Empire’s affairs.”
“Bedon? So he’s set to inherit the throne? I thought Isaac’s daughter was brilliant enough to succeed him. That’s surprising.”
‘Of course, Isaac’s brilliant daughter is secretly working as my subordinate under a false identity.’
Though Ian couldn’t fathom why, Erzebeth Arcana—under the alias Eri Everhart—continued to maintain her cover.
By now, Ian thought it might be time for her to reveal her true identity and make her intentions clear.
‘Of course, she did drunkenly admit to being the princess on my birthday… but that hardly counts.’
Aside from that one incident, Eri had flawlessly upheld her facade as the daughter of the Everhart family.
‘Even after dealing with Satan, I tried to probe her subtly.’
Her imagined reaction replayed in his mind.
[Oh my… So you knew my true identity all along? And you even saw me drunk? How unfortunate. Ian Volkanov, it seems I cannot let you live. Allow me to correct this oversight by killing you.]
Ian shook his head. She might even try to kill him out of shame to erase any witnesses.
Whatever her reasons, she clearly had some motive for keeping her identity a secret.
Since she hadn’t used her cover for anything malicious, Ian decided to turn a blind eye for now.
By now, Eri had likely returned to her original identity and was assisting Bedon with royal duties.
As these thoughts crossed Ian’s mind, a familiar voice called out.
“Brother, could you help me for a moment?”
“What is it?”
“Well… I’ve been following the map, but I can’t seem to find the path. I was wondering if I misread it…”
Ariel stood before him, map in hand, her expression troubled.
Ian nodded, signaling his understanding, and turned to Ilian.
“I’ll be back shortly after helping her.”
“Go on, then…”
Ilian replied nonchalantly, watching Ian’s retreating figure.
“The more I watch that guy, the more I think he’s a real piece of work.”
“And what’s bothering you now, old man?”
“Old? By human standards, I’m younger than you.”
“Ahem… Thirty-five isn’t exactly old, is it?”
Hexar coughed awkwardly at the sudden age jab.
Then, steering the conversation back, he asked.
“So, what made you call my brother a piece of work?”
“He is one, isn’t he? He turned Ariel, who didn’t even show promise as a sapling, into a full-fledged Hero. If you’ve got eyes, take a good look. Imagine what Ariel would’ve been doing if not for Ian.”
“…Probably pawning off the map onto Ian and aimlessly following along from behind.”
Ilian recalled the image of Ariel in his memory at Hexar’s words.
Ilian, lost in thought, felt a pang of guilt.
‘We may not be of the same race, but even by human standards, I’m at least a decade older than Ian. Yet, all the responsibility fell on his shoulders.’
While respect for elders is considered a virtue of youth, it isn’t given simply because of age.
It’s earned by showing respect for the path others have walked and offering support when needed.
Despite being several centuries older, Ilian had provided Ian little help.
‘He took on so much to protect that stubborn sibling of his. Maybe that’s why I started feeling a vague sense of irritation toward him.’
There had even been minor disputes over the issue.
One such conflict came to mind.
‘The night Glendia tried to flee under the cover of darkness, we debated how to handle Ian and Ariel.’
At that time, Ilian had suggested minimizing Ariel’s role in the party, considering the situation.
Unless she completely changed her attitude and underwent a transformation, Ilian believed that giving Ariel a leadership role would inevitably lead to further problems.
Despite Ilian’s warnings, Ian had refused to back down.
“I’ll change her.”
“Change her?”
“If Ariel’s attitude is the issue… I’ll change it myself. If anything happens to the party because of it, I’ll take full responsibility.”
His stubbornness was unbelievable. There was a time when he had doubted that such an arrogant person could be a Hero.
People don’t change easily, so Ilian couldn’t help but wonder how Ian could be so confident.
But now, at least, things were different.
To be precise, Ilian realized this as he watched Ariel single-handedly fend off demons from a distance with the rest of the party.
“Whatever he did… didn’t Ian manage to change Ariel, just as he promised? That makes him a tenacious one, doesn’t it?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
Ian had proven himself to be someone who would do whatever it took to keep his word.
A feat that had seemed impossible was now accomplished by someone younger than Ilian himself.
At that moment, Ilian couldn’t say a word.
“He worked tirelessly to turn his sibling into a decent person. Now, we have to trust him too.”
Ilian resolved to stand with Ian’s resolve.
They would fulfill the mission bestowed by the Goddess and pave the way for a brighter future for that fool who had lived only to endure hardships.
With that thought, Ilian and Hexar turned their gaze forward.
“So, in this kind of situation, what should I do?”
“In such a situation…”
Ahead, Ariel continued to ask question after question, and Ian answered each one without hesitation.
Watching the improved dynamic between the two siblings, Ilian smirked slightly.
***
From the moment Ian took the lead, the Hero’s party began moving at a faster pace.
Originally, Ian had intended to let Ariel lead with the map while conserving his energy. However, her lack of skill in reading maps turned out to be a hindrance.
“I’m sorry… I should’ve practiced more before coming here.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big problem.”
Ian replied calmly, his attention focused on the map.
‘The path reveals itself when mana is infused into the map to designate the destination, but it’s hard to blame Ariel for this.’
It might seem ridiculous for the Hero leading the party to struggle with reading a map, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Ariel’s weakness just happened to be navigation.
Of course, she might simply have no sense of direction. That’s likely why the Goddess had assembled a Hero’s party to support her in the first place.
‘If speed was our only priority, I would’ve asked Ilian, who’s familiar with the forest, to take the lead instead of Ariel.’
Ian’s goal wasn’t simply to navigate the forest but to help Ariel improve her map-reading skills.
This battle wasn’t the end of her journey, and there would surely come a time when she needed to read a map herself.
‘We’ve saved enough energy for now. From this point on, it’s fine for me to take the lead.’
Though delays would have been troublesome, the current change in leadership posed no issues.
Thus, Ian continued walking, eyes fixed on the map, while steadily guiding the party.
As the towering Demon King’s castle came into view, Ian couldn’t help but let a faint smile curl his lips.
“Ian? Is that the place we’re looking for?”
“Yes… it seems so.”
As Glendia stepped closer and pointed to the massive structure with her finger, Ian alternated his gaze between the map and the castle.
There was no doubt about it—this was their destination.
“The Demon King’s Castle… We’ve arrived. Glendia, inform everyone to prepare.”
“Understood. I’ll go notify the two at the rear.”
With a nod, Glendia moved to relay the message, and Ariel, gripping her holy sword tightly, set her face with determination.
– Ian, are we going to fight now?
‘Yes. It’ll be dangerous from here, so stay absorbed within me. When I call, be ready to use your divinity.’
– Okay! Be careful.
Ian stroked Neltalion’s head one last time before absorbing her into his body.
With that, all preparations were complete.
“Ian, everyone’s ready. You can open the door.”
Glendia announced as she approached, leading the rest of the party.
Ian nodded and stepped forward, moving toward the gates of the Demon King’s Castle.
