***

    Mana ripples and spirits dance. The spirits reject them because they are demons, but they don’t necessarily need to touch them, so they can confirm their pure form just by looking at them, so they aren’t too dissatisfied.

    This is truly a night that reminds me of him.

    Embrace your loneliness, and gently sweep it from your shoulders to your elbows.

    It’s not like it’s actually cold or anything, but it’s like a habit.

    I missed you even though I hadn’t seen you in just one day.

    On a day like this, it would be nice to just relax in the bath together.

    If you manifest as your true self, you can enjoy a hot spring bath in lava, but if you are injured, it will hurt.

    Moreover, it has already been three days since the final battle with the Demon King.

    Even though the warrior, princess, and priestess were healed by the saint and were fine, he himself was a demon and had to rely on natural recovery, so he still had the aftereffects of the fierce battle in places that could not be seen.

    This woman is really wicked. Instead of helping the man who contributed to peace, she is hoping that his return to his hometown will be delayed.

    The physical pain could be resolved by returning to the spirit world and recovering, but the time spent with the warrior was limited, and the time spent together, rather than recovery, was more precious to the sage.

    But, why did the priestess call him Natural Tree?

    Actually, there were several reasons that I could guess.

    Even the God of Light, Piru. Even King Merkirena. Even the tree of nature, Dera. Even himself.

    We needed traces of the warriors who had not yet returned home.

    But she truly loves him.

    Anyone who saw that he was sincere in his passionate confession to the warrior while at the party.

    Even without the imprint curse, she wanted him every day.

    Religion is faith. Kingdom is country. Race is survival.

    A group needs to recruit warriors for its purpose.

    Then why does he woo the warrior?

    “… Because he’s the man who made me realize that I’m a woman.”

    The wise man did not love the warrior from the beginning.

    The first time she became interested in humans was when she encountered the previous warrior and realized that humans were stronger than her.

    The ability to outsmart demons while being human. Even though he tried to continue his direct relationship with the previous warrior, he couldn’t develop it further because he had another woman.

    It was so absurd that the story was told later that he was defeated by his rival.

    I knew that even if I corrected it later, it would be considered a lame excuse, so I decided to just bring up my past mistakes.

    However, he did give a stern warning to those who talked lightly about him.

    … Past behavior and such are fine. What matters is this longing that will not subside even if he has a partner.

    I realized that it wasn’t because I was thirsty because my throat was ticklish even after drinking water.

    He suddenly disappeared, so I came in a hurry, but I need Terah’s permission to enter the Land of Elements. So, even though it’s not very pretty, I’ll have to ask the saintess.

    If you force yourself to enter, you can, but it is not easy to open a broken barrier again, even for a divine being.

    It was obvious that he would turn his back on the Element Tribe after joining the Continental Army.

    It was no different from covering up with one’s own hands the actions of a member of the Demon King’s Army and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, who secretly helped the Continental Army in opposing the Demon King’s invasion.

    Furthermore, the reason the sage joined the continental army before the warrior was summoned was because the sage’s territory was actively interacting with the continent.

    Another reason for his interest in the continent of Pula was that a stronger opponent than him had appeared in the past, a warrior from the previous generation.

    If it had been in the past, I wouldn’t have known, but recently, the saint’s behavior has been suspicious. It’s like she’s a vixen who pretends not to know even though she knows.

    She is a girl who has been isolated from the outside world since birth and has built her faith on the inside. She felt sorry for her circumstances and thought of her own childhood, so she took care of her like a younger sister, even though they were not compatible. The saint also followed the sage like an older sister, and they became so close that it seemed like it was not right for a believer and a demon to be in the same space.

    Until a plan to capture the Demon King is decided.

    That was probably when the woman started to feel suspicious.

    While former Legion Commander Tian Ge was physically the strongest, the Sage was by far the strongest in a magical sense.

    However, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, it would be difficult for her to help the continent externally.

    He only expressed his opposition and secretly supported the warrior party from behind the scenes.

    But now this too is coming to an end.

    He even had a plan in mind that if he really wanted to, he could take over the Demon King’s army, declare a ceasefire and peace, and rule peacefully.

    A demon who has become friendly with the continent-. If the woman truly wants to do so, it wouldn’t be such a dream.

    Instead, it was clear that he and his subordinates would suffer.

    That kind of thing is disgusting.

    The wise man returns to reality, driving away all sorts of distracting thoughts. The problem facing the wise man now is entering the Land of Elements.

    “Just as the saint asks the real woman questions, the real woman can also ask the saint.”

    Perhaps the relationship between the wise man and the saintess was not a harmonious one like that of an older sister and her youngest sibling, but rather they were pretending to be close for a while for the same purpose?

    He has no choice but to act coy in order to make a good impression on the hero in order to catch the Demon King.

    The saint too. And myself too.

    Even so, in order to obtain measures to allow him to enter, he had no choice but to ask the saintess to meet with Terah and come back.

    Who else but a princess or a saint would be able to ask for a favor or request an audience with the Natural Tree Dera?

    At times like these, the Demon Race was a wise man who was truly dissatisfied with his own racial limitations, even though he had worked so hard for the peace of the continent.

    This very worry is in vain.

    Sitting by the window, deep in thought. Enjoying the coolness, I waited for the approaching air.

    “Are you here?”

    ‘Sha-ah.’

    “Yeah, you’ve worked hard.”

    ‘Sha-sha-.’

    I took out the food I had stored in the subspace and petted the magpie that came to me and fed it to it. It ate it up cutely.

    “Kukuku, so cute.”

    He must have been tired from his long journey, but he smiled naturally when he saw him playfully showing off his special welcome. Soon, he took out a letter and some things from the pocket around his neck.

    “To the Duchess of Lartemin.

    I have confirmed the news that you have defeated the Demon King.

    I was also half in doubt, but on the one hand I am happy that it was successful, and on the other hand, my heart aches at the thought that the Duchess may not be in good health.

    Please, I hope you will personally help the continent, but please know that the Duchess’s mind and body come first.

    Rumors of the Demon King’s annihilation have not yet spread within the Demon King’s army.

    Perhaps the Four Heavenly Kings, Kritrik, are controlling the information.

    But now that the Demon King has truly been destroyed, I am curious about the Duchess’s next move.

    Although that has never been the case, Chief of Staff Critrick has been acting more suspicious lately.

    One day, if you suddenly find yourself lacking in ability as the Demon King’s material, you never know when he might bring in a puppet from somewhere.

    The movements of other territories are also unusual.

    We won’t just sit back and watch that happen, but now that the Demon King has disappeared.

    I cautiously suggest that it might be better for the Duchess to rule over the Demon King’s army.

    We all look forward to Your Majesty’s return to the realm.

    It’s been quite some time since we had a fashion show by the beautiful Duchess.

    The clothes to be presented to the Duchess are piling up one by one, but since the Duchess is not here, everyone is feeling discouraged.

    I want to present my work to the Duchess as soon as possible so that she can confirm it with her eight eyes.

    “Tania, the first-class designer of the fashionista Duchess”

    “Cook, kukukuk.”

    As I read the letter containing the affection of my loyal subordinate, the pent-up discomfort melts away.

    “Of course, because of the war, there was no time to enjoy the fashion show.”

    For a wise man who could count his strength, magic power, and even class on one hand, fashion shows were quite a satisfying hobby. His own clothes became a hot topic, and the clothes made by Tania became a trend in the social world.

    The act of showing off beauty by cultivating one’s appearance.

    Before she met the warrior and fell in love, she had been enjoying the means available to her as a strong woman.

    Since the war was slowly coming to an end, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to return to his territory and start pursuing his hobbies again.

    “But right now, he comes first.”

    The wise man took off his ring decorated with blue jewels and touched it with a hazy look in his eyes. When he could not come forward and help, he used this communication tool to help.

    At this distance, communication should be possible.

    Is it because of Dera’s barrier that we can’t contact each other?

    I tried several times before, but unfortunately there was no response.

    ‘Wooow’

    “Ah, Millet. Can you hear me?”

    “You!”

    I was about to write a reply, feeling dissatisfied, when suddenly…

    “I see you can hear me well. Judging from the contact, it means that Milledo is nearby.”

    “You are right! I came here to see you just in case you were in trouble!”

    “Ahaha, really? As expected, it’s amazing.”

    The warrior’s intention was that he suspected that the wise man was obsessed with him and was looking for him, but the wise man responded happily, as if he did not know that he was the one in trouble.

    “But if you didn’t come right away, what’s wrong?”

    “Well said! As you know, the real woman is a demon. It would be difficult for the real woman to pass through the barrier unless the natural tree allows it, so I was worried.”

    “… Somehow.”

    The warrior wondered whether he would come as brazenly as he did yesterday, but was relieved by the realistic reason.

    “Oh, I contacted you because I had something to ask.”

    “What happened? You. Tell me frankly.”

    I’m glad to think that I can be of help to the warrior.

    “This happened after I arrived around lunchtime today.”

    The warrior gave a brief explanation to the wise man, just as he had in the conference room.

    “It seems to be the work of Chief of Staff Critrick-.”

    My direct subordinate had mentioned in a letter that Critrick was suspicious. I was about to send a reply, but I thought I could attach the warrior’s question and have him find out.

    “The Krerick I know is a weak but extremely dangerous man among the Four Heavenly Kings.”

    “Hmm-. It’s definitely more difficult to be an intelligent character than a martial artist.”

    “Intelligent character?”

    “Ah, don’t worry about it, it’s just me talking to myself.”

    “Hmm. I see. Anyway, Chief of Staff Critrick is a cautious man. He is so cautious that he even hides his subordinates.”

    “They say that if you want to deceive the enemy, you have to deceive your own forces first.”

    “That’s exactly what it says.”

    The wise man also speculated that Krilik was a vicious person who had conducted experiments on various races, and that the results of those experiments may have been the result of the demons breaking through the barrier.

    He added that the Ziduas tribe is a cunning people who only think of their own kind, and that the lands they pass through become desolate.

    “That guy is incompatible.”

    “Do you understand? The reason I opposed the war was because I was wary of the Chief of Staff’s sinister intentions.”

    “As expected, Mille. She’s as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.”

    “Kuheh-! Kuheh! Seriously, I’m so happy that you praised me. If you were in front of me, I would have let you stroke my real woman. What a pity.”

    The corners of his lips went up in joy that he couldn’t hide. The wise man with his captivating beauty and aura simply smiled at the warrior’s single word of praise.

    “… Anyway, it’s because of Crick’s trick that the demons entered the barrier, right?”

    “It is a situation that is close to suspicion, but if you look at the suspicions the Chief of Staff has had so far, it is likely true. So you too, be careful.”

    In addition, there are rumors that soldiers will be given a potion that will make them stronger instead of losing their sanity, so he added that they should be careful when strengthening.

    “You are especially skilled at the technique of bewitching your allies, so you should also be on mental alert, but that probably means nothing to you.”

    “No. I don’t know, but people around me should be careful. To prevent an unfortunate incident like last time where someone else gets hit instead of me.”

    “… It’s not your fault.”

    “No, Millet. It’s my fault for causing trouble without even completely killing the enemy.”

    The warrior reproached himself for his mistakes, but the wise man barely managed to suppress the thought that it was thanks to those mistakes that the warrior was able to continue to exist.

    “Well then, if the Chujara group is the problem, can I help you?”

    “Haha, I was going to help Mille just like she did, but the Element Tribe decided to take care of it themselves, so I respected that.”

    “Oh, they say such wonderful things? Well, if the priestess can do that, the element tribe must be similar. If that’s you, then I understand.”

    The contract with the God of Light has already ended, so how can he be so kind?

    If the warrior or himself had stepped forward, this kind of thing could have been dealt with in an instant. However, the warrior was calmly waiting, respecting the will of those weaker than him, but it was obvious that he was prepared to step forward if necessary, which was admirable.

    “It’s late at night. Shouldn’t you be going to bed soon? They say beauties sleep a lot, so if you want to wake up early, you should go to bed now.”

    “Kuhuhu, why do you only say pretty things?”

    “No, what. To be honest, I’m just saying this because I feel like hanging up the phone when our business is done is a bit much. Of course, it’s true that Millet is pretty.”

    “Hmm, I guess it’s okay for me to stay until dawn.”

    I guess I should be thankful that it’s not just empty words.

    It’s not just for a day or two that the warrior has been picking up and putting down the wise man’s heart, so it’s a pity, but it’s also a happy compliment and lingering feeling.

    “My lady, can you tell the natural tree to let me enter the barrier?”

    Because it wasn’t a communication for command.

    The wise man had a feeling that the communication would soon end, so he asked, not forgetting his original purpose for coming to the Land of Elements.

    “… I’ll tell you that once we meet. I’m still waiting too.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Okay, good night Millet.”

    The warrior was the one who immediately finished greeting the wise man as soon as he answered. He was a little bit overwhelmed by the person who wanted to continue the conversation, but the warrior left no room for this, thinking that if he didn’t do this, he could really talk all night long.

    “Good night to you too.”

    And the voice cuts off without hesitation.

    I think we talked for about 10 minutes.

    I feel regretful for no reason and fiddle with my communication tools.

    That guy too. What is that married man?

    The concept of the world where a warrior lives and the concept of the world where a wise man lives are different.

    A strong man.

    It was not unusual for a powerful person to have multiple partners to share feelings for, other than their spouse. Rather, it was a means of expressing oneself, like showing off wealth or fame, and it was by no means a vice that could be so shunned and rejected.

    ‘Shaa sha-.’

    “Right. Are you going to go right away?”

    ‘shaman-.’

    When Kkakkuryong, who had been lying down quietly after eating a snack, let out a cry, the wise man took out a piece of paper to reply to his subordinate and wrote down what the warrior had said, and told him to look into it. He then folded it up and put it in Kkakkuryong’s pocket.

    “I’ll stop by the kingdom in the middle. The recipient is someone you know, yes. That red-haired, orphaned woman.”

    ‘Sha-ah.’

    As a bonus, I included a brief note to the princess to convey the current situation.

    “Then I will ask you to take good care of me.”

    The wise man waved his hand and saw the dragon leaving through the window he had come in through.

    I have to think about what to do with the saint tomorrow.

    Earlier, I was talking to the warrior alone, so I didn’t mention that I came with the saint.

    But what does that matter? I have already asked for the barrier, and even if it doesn’t have to be a barrier, if the commotion inside is resolved, the hero will come out again.

    The wise man had to think about the saint’s recent behavior and lose himself in various thoughts before falling asleep.

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