Kara watched the battle from a distance, unable to look away.
Every movement made by Duchess Sophia Douglas was an unforgettable lesson. Her commands were precise, her beasts acted as extensions of her will, and every attack struck at the exact moment needed.
It was... overwhelming.
For the first time, Kara understood the true difference between a talented warrior and a monster who had reached the very peak of power.
However, while everyone watched the duchess, Kara's eyes eventually shifted toward another figure.
Lusian.
He rode Umber around Basilco, always keeping himself outside the reach of the creature's jaws. He was not trying to hurt it.
He was waiting.
Every time the monster gathered mana to unleash that devastating beam, a spear of darkness struck the exact same point.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Always at the perfect moment.
It was as if he had known every movement of that creature for years.
Because of that, Sophia was able to attack without interruption.
Larriet tore apart its legs.
Thunder unleashed lightning that paralyzed its muscles.
And the duchess herself pierced the enormous body of the forest king again and again.
Basilco roared in desperation.
Never.
Never since the day it was born had it felt fear.
It was the absolute sovereign of Cymopelia.
Monsters fled upon hearing its footsteps.
Even other Omega beasts avoided approaching its territory.
But now...
It could not use its breath.
It could not escape.
It could not defend itself.
It was being hunted.
With one final effort, it gathered all the mana it had left.
The four streams of light began concentrating around its legs.
—Now! —shouted Lusian.
The darkness pierced the exact point.
The spell collapsed.
Basilco's enormous body became motionless for a brief instant.
It was enough.
—Larriet!
The lion seized the beast's neck.
—Thunder!
Lightning coursed through its entire body.
Sophia raised her spear.
Her mana wrapped around the weapon, transforming it into a flash of blue light.
—Finish it.
The spear descended with devastating force.
It pierced Basilco's skull.
The entire forest trembled.
For several seconds, no one breathed.
Then the gigantic creature released one final breath.
Its voice echoed directly inside the minds of everyone present.
—Never... have I known... a power... like this...
Its fading pupils looked one last time toward the sky hidden beyond the forest canopy.
—I curse you... in the name... of Asira...
The light slowly abandoned its body.
The king of the forest had fallen.
Silence spread throughout all of Cymopelia.
Not a single bird sang.
Not even an insect dared break that stillness.
As if the forest itself was accepting that its sovereign had just died.
Lusian dismounted from Umber and stared at the enormous corpse with a mixture of relief and disbelief.
How different it was from the game...
There, he had died countless times trying to defeat it.
Here...
A single strategy and Sophia's overwhelming power had been enough.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
She... is far stronger than I imagined.
Sophia descended from Thunder as several knights began dismantling Basilco's massive body. Every fang, scale, and fragment of flesh was an invaluable resource. An Omega beast did not appear twice in a lifetime.
Lusian approached while still mounted on Umber.
Sophia smiled and, without warning, pinched his cheek.
—Where did you learn so much about monsters, little troublemaker?
Lusian placed a hand over his cheek.
—At the academy library. I found a book about monsters and their weaknesses.
He tried to answer naturally, although inwardly he sighed in relief.
Luckily... the library was destroyed. No one will be able to confirm whether that book ever existed.
Sophia let out a soft laugh.
—It seems you didn't waste your time.
At that moment, Wilbur Bourlance and Kara arrived beside them.
Wilbur bowed deeply.
—Duchess... thank you for saving us. If you had not arrived, none of us would have survived.
Sophia calmly shook her head.
—There is no need to thank me. We all came to this forest with the same objective.
Kara, however, continued staring at Basilco's corpse.
She still found it difficult to believe what had happened.
Finally, she raised her gaze.
—Duchess... that thing... did it really speak?
—Yes.
Sophia looked at the enormous body of the monster.
—Magical beasts that live long enough can develop intelligence. Some even learn our language... although they usually hate humans.
Kara remained silent for several seconds.
All her life, she had believed monsters were nothing more than violent animals.
That completely changed the way she saw the world.
Then Lusian smiled.
—Hey...
Kara looked at him.
—Don't tell me you ran away from home?
She stared at him.
—That is none of your business.
—So you did run away.
—Shut up.
—I'm going to tell your father.
—Try it.
Kara stepped forward.
—And while I'm at it, I'll take the opportunity to defeat you right here.
Lusian burst into laughter.
—After watching my mother fight, you still want to lose against me?
—Exactly because of that.
A challenging smile appeared beneath her helmet.
—I want her to see how weak you are.
Sophia watched the two of them for a few seconds.
Then she smiled with amusement.
—I will leave you two to argue in peace, little Casanova.
—Mother...
Lusian sighed.
—Don't encourage her.
Sophia chuckled softly and turned her attention back to Basilco.
Her expression immediately returned to seriousness.
—Use every last fragment of its body. Blood, bones, scales, organs... nothing is to be wasted.
—Yes, Duchess!
Dozens of knights immediately began working.
Wilbur took advantage of the moment to approach once more.
His voice was far more humble than before.
—Duchess... I would like to ask you for a favor.
—I am listening.
—My unit has suffered too many casualties. Continuing alone would be reckless.
He paused briefly.
—Would you allow us to temporarily join your expedition?
Sophia did not answer immediately.
She looked at the exhausted faces of the surviving Bourlance soldiers.
Many of them could barely remain standing.
Finally, she nodded.
—It is not a problem for me.
Wilbur released the breath he had been holding.
—I am deeply grateful for your assistance.
Sophia shook her head.
—Do not thank me.
Her eyes shifted toward Kara.
—The real reason is that girl.
Kara blinked in surprise.
—During the attack on the academy, I saw how she protected Lusian.
The duchess smiled faintly.
—Consider this a way of repaying that debt.
Kara remained frozen.
She had never imagined that the powerful Sophia Douglas had noticed such a small gesture... much less remembered it.
Meanwhile, Kara and Lusian continued their argument, which seemed to have no end. Their voices broke the silence of the forest, completely ignoring the hundreds of soldiers watching them with increasingly strange expressions.
Eventually, Sophia sighed.
—Enough, you two!
Her voice carried such authority that both of them immediately fell silent.
The duchess looked across the forest.
—We must withdraw. The death of the forest king will not go unnoticed. Soon, the other Omega beasts will attempt to claim this territory. When that happens, this place will become a battlefield.
There was no need to say anything else.
The officers immediately began organizing the columns.
The surviving Bourlance soldiers joined the Douglas formation, creating a single contingent to leave the area as quickly as possible.
Lusian gave a soft whistle.
Umber approached and lowered his body so he could mount.
Just as he was about to climb on, a voice stopped him.
—Hey.
Lusian turned his head.
—What?
Kara pointed at the enormous wolf.
—I want to ride that beast.
Lusian raised an eyebrow.
—Absolutely not.
—Why?
—Because he is Umber, not a public carriage.
Kara frowned.
—You're so stingy.
—And you have a horse.
—My horse is boring.
—Then be bored.
Kara crossed her arms.
—I refuse.
Before Lusian could react, she made an agile leap and landed behind him on Umber's back.
The enormous wolf merely flicked an ear.
Lusian froze completely.
—...
He slowly turned his head.
—...What did you just do?
Kara had already made herself comfortable.
—Solved the problem.
—Get off!
—No.
—He's my mount!
—He's our mount now.
Lusian tried pushing her away.
—Get out of here!
To avoid falling during the struggle, Kara ended up wrapping both arms around his waist.
—If you keep moving, we're both going to fall.
—Then get off!
—No.
—What an unbearable woman!
Kara smiled proudly.
—Thank you.
—That wasn't a compliment!
The Douglas knights watched the scene, unsure whether they should intervene or laugh.
Wilbur simply covered his face with one hand.
—Miss...
Why did it have to happen right now?
Sophia watched the argument for a few seconds before shaking her head.
—Albert.
—Yes, my lady?
—Keep an eye on them.
Albert let out a long sigh.
—I will do my best.
With the column finally reorganized, the army resumed its march, moving deeper between the trees as distant roars began filling the forest.
The new challengers for Basilco's territory had already begun moving.
Meanwhile, in another part of the capital, Caleb rode with an impatience he could barely conceal.
Isabella Armett's letter rested inside his jacket, carefully folded. He had read it so many times during the journey that he could almost recite it from memory.
A confession.
An invitation to meet privately during the spring festival.
It was exactly what he had always wanted.
Upon arriving at the designated restaurant, he barely paid attention to the knights escorting him.
—Wait here. I will return shortly.
—But, young lord...
—I won't be long.
Without giving them a chance to argue, he entered and followed the servant to a private room on the second floor.
The man opened the door.
—The young lady is already waiting.
Caleb took a deep breath before entering.
The room was silent.
There were no flowers.
No perfume.
No Isabella.
Only four men dressed in black.
His instincts screamed danger.
He turned around to leave, but the door slammed shut.
—Who are...?
He never finished the sentence.
One of the assassins appeared before him like a shadow.
Caleb barely managed to draw a few centimeters of his sword before another figure appeared at his side.
The blade pierced his chest.
The impact stole his breath.
His legs weakened.
He staggered backward as blood began soaking his clothes.
His eyes desperately searched the covered faces of the men before him.
He did not know them.
He did not understand.
Why?
Why Isabella...?
Another blade descended upon him.
Pain spread throughout his body.
The young man fell to his knees, still unable to comprehend that the letter he had protected so carefully was not a declaration of love...
But an invitation to his own execution.
Days later, the exploration columns finally left the Cymopelia Forest.
The journey back passed in deathly silence.
Of the ten thousand soldiers who had departed a week earlier, only six thousand four hundred and thirty-two returned. The wagons carried the wounded, the dead, and defeated monsters. Many knights walked with empty expressions; others could barely hold their weapons.
The victory over Basilco could not hide the truth.
The forest had devoured more than a third of the army.
When the academy appeared on the horizon, Magnus went out to receive the troops. His expression hardened as he looked upon the endless lines of survivors.
Then his eyes suddenly widened.
Riding atop the enormous black wolf that walked beside Duchess Sophia was a figure he knew far too well.
—Kara?!
The girl raised her hand casually.
—Hi, Uncle.
Magnus felt the color drain from his face.
—Where the hell have you been?! Your father mobilized half the duchy looking for you! They thought you had been kidnapped!
Kara tilted her head calmly.
—I left a letter.
—What letter?!
—I hid it under a book so they wouldn't find it.
Magnus closed his eyes.
—...
—That does not count as leaving a letter.
Lusian dismounted from Umber and pointed at Kara with complete seriousness.
—Master, I officially return the demon girl to you.
Magnus raised an eyebrow.
—Demon girl?
—I recommend locking her up for three years. Maybe then she will learn to ask for permission before infiltrating a military expedition.
—Hey! —Kara protested— Don't give him ideas!
—Five years, then.
—LUSIAN!
Several soldiers could not hold back their laughter.
After a week surrounded by death, that ridiculous argument managed to bring the first smiles of the return.
Hours later, the commanders gathered in the academy's main hall.
A large map of the forest rested on the table.
The atmosphere was far darker than at the beginning of the expedition.
They had lost too many men.
Felipe Erkham listened silently to each unit's report until everyone's attention finally turned toward Sophia Douglas.
The duchess stepped forward.
—Our expedition confirmed several things.
Absolute silence filled the room.
—The monster stampede was not an accident.
The commanders exchanged looks.
—Someone is disrupting the balance of the forest.
One of the generals frowned.
—Do you have proof that it was the demon cult?
—Direct proof, no.
Sophia slowly shook her head.
—But enough indications to treat it as a fact.
Her finger pointed toward the map.
—We found a beast capable of ruling an entire territory. Intelligent monsters. A completely abnormal concentration of mana. And above all...
She paused.
—A behavior that does not match that of wild creatures.
The room remained silent.
Then she continued.
—The oldest records describe something similar during the Mythic Era.
Several commanders raised their heads.
—The demons used monsters as if they were an army.
Those words fell like a heavy stone.
An elderly noble spoke cautiously.
—Duchess... are you saying the demons have returned?
Sophia took several seconds before answering.
—I am saying we must prepare for that possibility.
No one spoke again.
Because if she was right...
...the academy had only been the beginning.