Chapter 4 - "My sole desire in life is to be by your side."

Act 1 - The Princess' Plea

"Hero please!" the injured princess begged for Ren as she held his hand tightly.

"What's going on here? How does the princess know of you, and why is she calling you 'Hero?'" Doran asked as he approached the two.

The news of Ren being a Hero had spread in no time as the onlookers who overheard went around passing the rumor that the Hero was among their citizens. Many were shocked to the sudden revelation, others who were a bit familiar with Ren due to his time working in the docks were less surprised, while there are also those who straight out did not believe it.

"Bring her to the Cozy Cabin. There's too many people here," Ren told Doran who immediately agreed but passed the order to his superiors for confirmation.

"I don't know what's going on but it seems we need as little of an audience around as possible. Granted, go bring them back to your father's inn and make sure no one else but them enters."

"Roger!"

After the permission was granted, Ren, along with Karis, Doran, and Irina started to head to the Cozy Cabin with Irina being assisted by Doran as she walked. Meanwhile, the other guards were doing everything they can to keep the four isolated as much as possible. Nevertheless, people were still persistent on following them regardless if they were far away.

It took quite some time, but they finally managed to reach the doorsteps of the Cozy Cabin. Ren, Karis, and Irina all went inside while Doran stood guard at the door in case anyone tried to go inside.

"Welc--, oh what's this?" Drake was about to greet what he thought was customers but saw Ren with a weakened princess on his side.

Several people were hanging around in the inn's lounge, chatting away until they as well noticed a well-known person standing at the door.

"It's the princess!"

"What's she doing here?"

"She doesn't look like she's in good shape as well," they all said as they talk amongst themselves.

"Sorry Drake but could you get everyone to leave this room alone for a while, we don't want any unnecessary eavesdropping," Ren requested.

"All right, you heard the man, move it upstairs you people. Come on, this area is on VIP Only status. Move it," Drake said as he got everyone to move upstairs and they all followed without much resistance.

"Thanks."

"Yeah don't mention it, would you like us to make ourselves scarce too?" Drake offered.

"No, *huff*, it's fine," Irina replied, her voice turning out a bit more hoarse than before, most likely after all that screaming she did earlier.

"Sounds like you need some cold water. You two, I mean three, do your thing," Drake said as he left for the kitchen.

An awkward silence fell for a bit between the three. Irina was still busy catching up her breath as she panted heavily while Karis was staring silently between the two.

"Well?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or what?" Ren scoffed.

"Oh, right."

"Before you do, here's some drink, your highness," Drake came around, placing a glass of cold water down on the table.

"Thank you so much, kind innkeeper," Irina gave her gratitude and proceeded in drinking her water. Even though she's in a rather terrible state, she still drank the water gracefully as what you'd expect of someone raised in royalty.

Irina took a quick glance at Karis, frowned, and then turned her eyes back to Ren.

"The demons are currently sieging the capital as we speak. They number approximately to around ten thousand. Thankfully, my father ordered an evacuation, days before the demons reached the capital so no civilians are present there," she started.

Drake stood still on the side, listening to what they were talking about and looking out for any sneaky eavesdropper trying to make their way down the stairs.

"We were doing great, we managed to defend the area halfway between the northern border and the capital but they slowly overwhelmed us and pushed us back to the capital. We managed to thin their numbers from a staggering fifty thousand but our soldiers no longer have the stamina left to keep up with the siege. Sooner or later, the capital may fall."

Ren listened quietly as Irina spoke but his face doesn't show a bit of interest or empathy at all.

"My father sneaked me out of the capital via secret passage which got me a fair distance away from the enemy lines, but some noticed my presence and hunted me down as I escaped. I took a few hits from their arrows which was why I'm badly wounded as I arrived here."

"So, you headed here because?" Drake asked.

"Originally, I was going to ask for reinforcements with this town's local knight order but I saw the Hero standing among the crowd. That's why... Hero please, you have to help us, otherwise the capital will get destroyed and my father, my mother, everyone over there will die!" Irina plead once again.

"Hero? Heh, my guts were right, I knew you were no ordinary person kid," Drake smirked.

"Why would I help you?" Ren scoffed.

"Why? Because you are the Hero right? Only you have the power to save us. Not even Grand Phoros can deal with those overwhelming numbers, but you Hero, you can."

"What about that Law-something of yours? Isn't he supposed to be really strong?" Ren asked, remembering the proud knight who he fought, or rather, humiliated, back at the throne room.

"General Lawrence had been missing even before we defended the midpoint. No one knows where he is currently," Irina answered.

"That's just suspicious in so many ways. Regardless, you really think that I'm going to help just like that? Didn't you saw what happened at the throne room?"

"The lives of people in Ironblade are at stake! After they capture the capital, this town is probably next!" the princess exclaimed.

"Then I'll protect this town with the best of my abilities. I don't know if you heard it before but I'm repeating it just so we're clear. I'm in charge. I will not be controlled by anyone," Ren stood his ground steadily.

"That's pretty harsh kid. I mean I appreciate the fact that you got our ass covered but come on," Drake remarked.

"This has nothing to do with you so keep out of it," Ren snapped back.

"All right, all right, point taken." Drake said, bringing his arms up as a sign of surrendering.

"You really don't plan to help us? What have we done to you? Why are you so hostile towards us?" Irina asked, almost at the point of tears.

"Dragging me out of my world. Giving me all this Hero responsibility shenanigans. The plan to force me into submission with a slave collar. Oh and from your old mage's memories; Connections with the slave market. Encouraging of slavery in your country. Protection of corrupt nobles. You want me to keep going?" Ren said as he enumerates all the of the transgressions committed against him and the acts done by the kingdom that disgusted him, counting with his finger for every single one he mentions.

"You're lying...apart from your summoning, there's no way all those things have been..."

"No, it's true, that old man's entire anecdote is imprinted in my mind. And I can recall them as clear as day."

"Still...still that doesn't mean you can just leave them out there to die! Besides! Why do you have a demon with you!" Irina exclaimed as he glared angrily at Karis who wasn't saying a word the entire time.

"She's unrelated to this," Ren replied calmly, although a hint of anger can be heard from his voice.

"Oh she's related all right! It is her kind that's attacking us after all! For all we know, she could be a spy sent by the demons to destroy us from the inside!"

"Hey, that's enough." Ren said, the rage in his voice was getting harder to contain.

"She should be beheaded and have her head displayed for all the demons to see! Maybe that will scare them away!"

"Enough..." Ren began clenching his fist as his voice got even softer.

"Get rid of this savage! She doesn't belong he-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" finally losing his temper, Ren bashed his hand against the table. The impact was strong enough that the table broke in half, cracks spread throughout the inn's wooden floor, and the chandeliers hanging on the lobby's ceiling shook violently.

Ren's outrage scared Irina which made her curl up into a corner from her seat. Nora came out of the kitchen after hearing Ren scream, while Drake kept quiet, ignoring the fact that his property had been damaged.

"Master, calm down," Karis placed her hand on Ren's shoulder, calming him down in the softest voice she can muster.

The gesture made Ren look at Karis, he was breathing heavily and his eyes were seething with rage. However, despite Ren's intimidating expression, Karis was not the least bit scared.

After seeing Karis' face, Ren got aware of what he was doing and calmed himself down. He took a deep breath and leaned on his chair. Karis kept her hand on Ren's shoulder just in case it helps.

"Sorry, I lost myself there," Ren apologized to Karis.

"It's fine, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts Master. I appreciate you getting angry for my sake but don't overdo it."

Irina stared in awe as she witnessed the interaction between the two. Never in her life did she thought that she would see a human and a demon interacting like two extremely close friends, or maybe even more than that.

"Drake, sorry for the damage, I'll pay for it when I can," Ren apologized to Drake.

"Y-yeah, pay up anytime you can," Drake replied, his voice shaking a bit in fear.

"Master?" Karis called out.

"What is it?"

"I know I'm speaking out of line here, but may I offer some suggestion?"

"Suggestions? What about?" Ren asked.

"Well, if your problems with the Ironblade are the things you just mentioned, then why not help them in exchange of promising to no longer commit such atrocities? Or you can make a deal with them so that they'll grant you any demands after the war is over. Perhaps you can use this to your advantage," Karis suggested.

"As for summoning you here, there's nothing we can do about that anymore. Reverse summoning is practically impossible. Oh, but if they were the ones responsible for you being here, then I'm truly grateful for them because think about it, I wouldn't have met you if you're in your world right?" she added.

Ren fell silent for a short while after hearing Karis' input. Everything she just said made sense to him, most especially the part about them not meeting. He thought silently for a while then finally gave his response.

"Since when did you get this smart?"

"Hehe." Karis let out a cute chuckle as Ren ruffled her hair.

"Fine. I'm helping out. But I believe you heard her proposition right?" Ren said as he looked back at Irina.

"I-I'll do my best to convince my father!" Irina answered enthusiastically.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

"Hold on..."

"What is it?"

"Save your thanks for this girl that you're badmouthing earlier, speaking of which I believe you owe her an apology."

"Oh..."

Irina took another glance at Karis who was looking at her back with kind eyes, smiling happily. At that moment, all of Irina's ideas about demons were being shattered.

"Maybe, like us, they aren't all that bad after all," she thought.

"I'm deeply sorry for everything I said earlier. I just blurted all those out because I was emotionally unstable, plus my negative image of you demons." Irina bowed her head and apologized to Karis.

"Also, thank you. Thank you for convincing the Hero to help us in this fight. This mean a lot to me," she added.

"You're very much welcome. I'm glad to have helped," Karis replied with a warm smile on her face.

"Well, let's go. We don't have that much time on our hands do we?" Ren said as he stood up from his seat.

"Drake, we'll be gone for a while. I don't know when we'll come back."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll keep that room open for you."

"Thanks," Ren replied with a nod.

"Come on, let's get something to ride," he said, calling out to Karis and Irina who followed him towards the door.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Act 2 - Apocalypse-Tier Spell

"Curses!"

King Galen bashed his fist against the castle wall as he watched helplessly on his throne room windows the situation of the ongoing siege. Soldiers were doing their best to keep the attacking demons from entering the castle walls. Some were shooting flaming arrows from the rampart, while some were holding the barricade at the city gate.

"Your Majesty, you should get out of this city as soon as you can. At this rate, our defenses will not hold on much longer and this city will be flooded by demons," King Phoros suggested, trying to convince the king to live to fight another day.

"An Ironblade does not run away from a fight! Besides, if the capital falls, then no other place can be considered safe. I'll just keep running over and over again, sacrificing lives as I go, and it would change nothing. Either I repel the demon invasion right here, or I die trying!" King Galen declared.

"Father!" someone called out to him.

King Galen turned to find the source of the voice and was surprised as he saw his daughter running towards him.

"Irina! What are you doing here?!" he said as he ran towards her. The two met halfway through and shared a warm embrace.

"Father, I brought allies to help us end this war. Victory is ours!" Irina exclaimed.

"Who did you bri--" King Galen turned his gaze upward and saw a familiar face standing behind Irina.

"Yo. It's been a while," Ren greeted as he gave a light wave of his hand.

The king was about to burst out in anger at the man in front of him but noticed something else. A girl was standing beside Ren, almost at the same height as him. At first glance, she could be described as normal, but as his gaze went to the top of her head, he saw them. A pair of horns jutted out from the girl's forehead, the same type of horns that protrude from the very attackers that they're defending against.

"A DEMON! A DEMON HAS MADE IT INTO THE CASTLE!" King Galen shouted, prompting the guards in the room to draw their blade and ready their bows. The bladed knights went in between Irina and Ren while the bowmen aimed their arrows at Karis' chest.

As the archers were about to let go of their arrows, a sudden quake occurred in the throne room, a familiar quake that they had experienced before. The archers and swordsmen all fell over from the sudden quake.

"Some things just never change huh? You people still disgust me," Ren scoffed.

"Wait! Father! They're allies!" Irina said, running towards Ren and Karis' side as if to protect them.

"I went to the nearest town of Warspite to ask for reinforcements from its local knight order, but by stroke of luck, I met the hero over there. So, I led them here and sneaked them through the secret passage!" she explained.

"That's no hero! That's a scoundrel! And that-that THING beside him must be exterminated!" King Galen exclaimed.

"Father please! Listen to me! That demon brought us no harm! She's not dangerous!"

"Nonsense! Besides, we don't need the help of that scoundrel!"

"Oh is that so? Alright then, let's go home Karis. I knew this was a waste of time after all," Ren said as he turned around and headed straight for the door, bringing Karis along.

"Wait! Hero don't leave please! Also father calm down! This is the only way for us to win this war. Please! Do it for my sake!" Irina pleaded to her father.

Her last few words managed to trigger something within King Galen's mind, causing him to calm down from his fit of rage.

"Thank you father."

"Are you really here to help us and not just cause trouble again?" King Galen asked Ren at the calmest voice he can possibly muster.

"I wasn't really gonna, but thanks to this demon here that you've been badmouthing earlier convincing me, I decided that maybe I'll help out in exchange for a few favors," Ren replied as he brought Karis closer to him. Karis blushed a bit at Ren's sudden gesture.

"It's amazing right? I was surprised at first too, but the Hero and Karis' relationship is genuine. Maybe getting along with the demons is possible after all," Irina remarked with a look of hopefulness on her face.

"Getting along with demons? My daughter, do you have any idea who are those trying to break through our city gates right now?"

"All of those demons out there are Savages," Karis answered.

"What are you talking about? Of course they are! All of you are!" King Galen retorted.

"I think it would be better if I share you some knowledge about us demons," Karis said as she walked towards the window overviewing the ongoing siege. Ren followed close behind just in case any of the knights does anything funny.

"We demons classify our races into three types," Karis started, raising three of her fingers and showing it to the king.

"First off, there are the Anthro-Demons, among all the demons, we are considered as the most intelligent, and most civilized. In our realm, Anthro-Demons had created civilizations like you humans. It's no stretch to say that among all three, we Anthro-Demons are the ones closest to you," Karis explained as she lowered her ring finger.

"Next we have the Beastfolks, similar to the Anthro-Demons, they are intelligent as well but not as much as us. They are Anthro-Demons with animal-like properties, and with that said, their way of life is primitive. Not to mention, their animal instincts is at its maximum in total darkness," she followed, lowering her middle finger.

"And finally..." she trailed off as she pointed her index finger to the attackers outside.

"Those are Savages. They have no shred of intellect at all and are most comparable to wild animals. However, they have an unspoken rule of serving those that are stronger than them and despite them having no intellect, they are able to follow orders from their superiors with perfection. They mostly consist of goblins, ogres, giants, orcs, and the likes. Also, I'm just assuming here, but they are most likely the ones responsible for destroying human settlements that have made you hate our kind," she finished.

"What are you trying to say?!" the king replied angrily after listening to her explanation, Phoros however, seemed intrigue at it as he was left thinking silently after the short exposition.

"I'm saying this attack most likely isn't the last one yet to come. Those Savages out there are just here to thin out your numbers, before the main force comes to do the cleanup." Karis inferred.

"You mean..."

"If we fall from this attack, the entire country of Ironblade is as good as taken over, and so is the rest of our world," Phoros said, finishing King Galen's thoughts.

"See? This is no time to be fighting them father. We need the Hero's power here to win this war," Irina persuaded.

"Fine. I will accept your aid for now. But what can you do? Even with your overwhelming power, there are about ten thousand demons still out there. You will surely be overwhelmed if you defeat them one by one," King Galen said, finally submitting to her daughter's decision.

"Hold on, I remember saying a while ago that I'll help out in exchange for a few favors," Ren reminded.

"This isn't the time to be asking for compensation!"

"Oh your right, maybe it's time for me to go home?" Ren replied with a smug look on his face.

"Tch. Fine, I'll grant your favor. What do you want anyway?"

"It's simple, once I'm done here, I want you to grant any three wishes of mine, without question. I may not use them all at once, but just remember that I have three wishes from you. How's that?"

"Three wishes..."

"Your Majesty, I believe we should just submit to the Hero's demands," Phoros suggested.

King Galen pondered for a few moments, deciding on what he should do. The situation was pretty dire, and whatever happens will depend on his answer. If he accepts, then the crisis will be averted but he'll have to deal with whatever wishes Ren throws at him. On the other hand, if he declines, then he'll be left alone to handle the siege, and the impending second invasion that Karis predicted. The demons, or him, which threat should he extinguish. Finally, he raised his head to give his answer.

"Fine, as long as it's within my power, I'll grant your wishes," King Galen said.

"Wonderful, that settles this discussion then."

"Thank you father!" Irina said, embracing the king.

"I'll ask again, what do you plan to do now? How will you handle ten thousand demons on your own. Look, some of them even have abnormal bodies, some are literal giants. Can you fend them off on your own?" King Galen asked, curious as to what Ren had in mind.

"Why would I fend them off one-by-one if I can wipe them out all at once?" Ren answered.

"Do you think you can do it, hero?" Phoros asked.

"Hey old man."

"Yes?"

"Out of all the people here, should you really be the one to ask that? Don't you remember? I have your entire memory in my brain, that includes your life, your experiences, and your knowledge. And unlike you who has limited mana capacity, I can cast some spells that you can't and therefore are stuck with you as mere theories."

"I don't know what you're getting at," Phoros replied, confused as to what Ren was trying to say.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you? Well whatever, the magic word is..."

Phoros, and everybody in the room waited in anticipation to Ren's next words.

"Apocalypse-Tier Spell," Ren declared.

A few moments later...

"Do you think you can do it Master?"

"Of course, I wouldn't do something that has no chance of success."

Ren, and Karis stood above the city wall gates. Below them, thousands of demons were trying to break through the castles gate with their bare hands, claws, and weapons. Thankfully, the gate managed to hold on for a long time.

"So what do you want me to do, why did you bring me along?" Karis asked.

"Nothing, I just want you here. Also, are you fine with me wiping them out, they're your people are they not?"

"If that's what you wish to do, then it is mine too. Nothing matters to me, except you."

"There you go again with your flowery words," Ren said as he raised his right hand to the sky.

"Now come! You bastards!" Ren screamed as a beam of light burst out from his hands. The light arced towards the front, landing in a rather wide clearing. Ren's body travelled into the light beam, leaving behind Karis alone on the rampart. She smiled as she watched her master leaped onto action.

Meanwhile, all the demons attacking the city gate and walls all started walking towards the beam of light. Like moths attracted to light, the demons left the city walls alone. All the defending soldiers looked in surprise as their targets were leaving them behind.

At the throne room...

"What is he doing?" King Galen asked.

"Apocalypse-Tier Spells have a huge area that they cover. The Hero had to lead those demons away from the city, otherwise we will get caught in the attack as well," Phoros explained, his eyes glued towards the center of action, extremely interested as he hasn't seen an Apocalypse-Tier casted before in his life.

"Would you mind explaining to me what this Apocalypse-Tier means?" King Galen asked.

"Caster-Tier, Battlemage-Tier, Mythical-Tier. Those are the usual magic tiers that a mage can cast. However, there are two tiers above that are not possible to cast no matter how massive your mana pool is, Apocalypse-Tier, and Creation-Tier. Just Mythical-Tier alone is enough to wipe out cities with a single cast. Apocalypse-Tier on the other hand, it has enough power to destroy the world," Phoro explained.

"Destroy the world? It's that dangerous!"

"Exactly, that's exactly why no Apocalypse-Tier magic are perfectly described since no one that had witnessed it have lived to tell the tale. Now hero, let me see the power of an Apocalypse-Tier," he said as he observed the demon army follow the hero away from the city.

Back at the frontlines, Ren was running full speed, away from the capital. Behind him was an army of demons, all holding different types of armaments, or their own natural weapons.

"I think this should do," he said as he placed a floating electric sigil while still running. All of the demons chasing after him all avoided the sigil's area, creating a small circle in the middle of the demon's lines. Finally, just as half of the demons were past the sigil, Ren suddenly appeared in its place, creating a small electric explosion that knocked some of the demons down. He's right in the middle of the demon army.

"Now then, time to put on a show."

With the snap of his finger, six pillars of lightning appeared at the outer edge of the demon lines, all distributed equally, and connected with an electric line to create a perfect circle with Ren as the center. He then fancily twirled his finger around, causing the electric pillars to rotate counter-clockwise while shrinking the circle into the middle. As the pillars converge into the middle, their rotation got faster, and they brought along all of the demons caught within the circle.

As the center was about to be crowded with demons, Ren leaped high up into the sky, with the pillars still rotating violently on a certain distance around him. He then aimed his left hand to the ground, creating an electric ball that encapsulated every compressed demon in the area. He then raised his right arm, as if preparing to punch the electric ball below him.

After charging the electric ball a bit more, and the electric pillar rotating at full speed, Ren came crashing down towards the ground, his fist on the lead. The impact made the ball explode and the lightning pillar to scatter in all directions. Demons were either burnt to a crisp, or completely vaporized into nothingness. Ren stood in the middle of the demon corpses and burning grass fields, arms spread wide as if finishing a performance in front of an audience.

Back at the throne room, all of the spectators stared in awe at what Ren had just displayed. Beyond their territory lies a burning field of grass and corpses, brought upon by the power of lightning.

"Ful~ Geh~...so this is the power of an Apocalypse-Tier. He really went easy on us on our first encounter," Phoros remarked as he shook in fear and amazement at the legendary spell that he just witnessed.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Act 3 - The Lost Princess

The knights roared in celebration to their victory against the demons. Some collapsed to the floor due to exhaustion, others hugged each other, while there are also some who cried in relief at what was an unwinnable battle, turning into a clean wipe out.

Ren immediately headed back to the rampart that he left from a while ago. The celebrating knights all gathered around him to thank him, while there are some who refrained from doing so as they are one of the knights that he took down on his first day at the castle. Even though he was a war hero, there were still some lingering grudges.

Ren however, ignored the knights surrounding him as he was only concerned about the presence of one person.

"Huh? Where did Karis go?" he said as he looked around, searching for her, but there are too many towering Ironblade knights in his sight that it's practically impossible to look for someone her height.

"Hmm, there are a lot of people here, probably went somewhere away from this crowd," he thought.

Ren jumped away from the crowd surrounding him and landed below, on the city streets.

"Karis! Hey, Karis where are you?! I'm back!" he called out, cupping his hands as he did.

"Oh hero! What a magnificent display of your talent!"

However, Karis was not the one to answer his call. As he looked towards the source of the voice, he saw the entire royal family running towards him, along with their bodyguards, with Phoros running towards him at full speed.

Phoros prostrated in front of Ren, as if to worship him.

"Oh great hero! It has been a pleasure to witness your power! I feel so honored being the one to have summoned you here, and given you your heroic abilities," he said.

"What are you doing? Stop that, you're making me uncomfortable," Ren retorted.

"Oh, I am very sorry hero. I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"Whatever, just stand up,"

Phoros stood up properly after being told off by Ren. As he does so, the royal family have finally managed to caught up with him.

"It seems we were lucky that you didn't show your true strength in our first encounter. It is no stretch to think that the city may have gotten wiped out from your otherworldly power," King Galen commented as he sounded like he had been humbled and was no longer speaking highly in front of Ren.

"That was amazing hero!" Irina exclaimed.

"Thank you for saving our city, O' great hero," the queen said as he courteously bowed to Ren.

Everyone was saying their gratitude to Ren but he doesn't seem to be listening. His head kept wandering around the area, looking for a certain someone.

"What's wrong hero?" Phoros asked.

"Oh nothing. I was just looking for Karis. The place we were on a while ago was already crowded so I assume she went somewhere quiet. Perhaps you've seen her?" Ren replied.

"Ah, the demon. Unfortunately we haven't seen her anywhere," Phoros answered to Ren's question.

"Hmm, where did she go?"

Meanwhile...

Somewhere in an alley, far away from the main roads of the city. Two horned figures were alone as they talk to each other. One of the horned figures was a white-haired girl, standing in front of a black-haired man who was kneeling in her presence.

"Lady Karis, it is a relief to see you doing well," the kneeling demon said.

"Please don't call me by that title. I already abandoned my position when I ran away from home," Karis replied.

"Oh, but I simply cannot. No matter what happens, you are still Lady Karis, twin of our great demon lord. Not addressing you properly is simply blasphemous," the man replied.

"Anyway what brings you here?"

"I was the one that led that army. However now that I 've seen you I am here to bring you back, your highness."

"Then you've just wasted your time. I am no longer going back to my brother, no matter what. My loyalty already belongs to someone else," Karis stubbornly refused.

"That human? Surely you jest! How can someone as great as you become a servant of a nobody like him?! Think about your reputation, Lady Karis."

"A nobody? Are you sure about that? I believe you've seen what that nobody just did to that Savage army you just sent."

"A small feat. Even our great demon lord can pull off a simple thing such as that," the man proudly boasted.

"No matter. I'm not changing my mind. Together with my master, we will create a world where demons and humans could coexist with each other. No more of this pointless wars. Unless my brother changes his mind from subjugating the entire human race, I will remain as his enemy," Karis strongly declared.

The man stared silently at Karis. From the expression on her face. It seems persuading her any further will all amount to nothing. The man stood up, and turned his back towards Karis.

"I shall tell the lord of your well-being, your highness," the man said as he disappears in the blink of an eye.

"Whatever, I'm betting he won't even care if you told him," Karis spoke to the demon who was already long gone.

She then turned around to walk back towards the main road. The knights' victory cry can be heard all over the city. Karis couldn't help but smile at the happy voices that she could hear.

"Someday, demons and humans will be sharing that same victory cry. I will make that happen, and along with him...I'm sure..." she thought in his mind, but her train of thought was interrupted as she heard a familiar voice.

"Hoh, that's a nice dream you got there?"

Karis turned around to the source of the voice. There stood Ren, who was leaning against the wall of the alley that Karis just came out from. Karis was surprised, seeing her master in a place where she thought was away from where people would mostly gather.

"How much did you hear?" she asked calmly.

"'I am here to bring you back, your highness,' or somewhere around those part," Ren answered.

"I see, I guess you heard everything."

"Pretty much yeah, and you've got some explaining to do."

"I didn't mean to hide anything from you Mast--" Karis was cutoff as Ren sealed her lips with his fingers, as if to stop her from speaking any further.

"Let's save this conversation for later when we're alone. We don't know who's listening around these walls," Ren suggested.

"Let's head back to the throne room for now. Let's wrap things up before we head home," he added.

"Understood," Karis replied in a muffled voice since her lips were still sealed.

Ren put his fingers away, but before it could get far, Karis took hold of his wrist, and gave his fingers a light kiss.

"Hey, what was that for?" Ren replied as his face flushed red from embarrassment.

"A token of my apology, or perhaps you wanted it somewhere else. I'm open to suggestions," Karis replied with a little giggle.

"Heh, you and your little pranks. Come on already," Ren said as he gently pulled his hand away from Karis' grasp. The two then proceeded to walk towards the direction of the Ironblade castle.

The war that had lasted for more than a month had finally been put to an end. The royal family, along with a few knights were at the throne room, preparing for some sort of celebration to Ironblade's victory.

"Huh?! You want us to abolish the slavery system?!" King Galen exclaimed.

After the war was over, and Ren and Karis' small detour, the two headed to the castle to receive the promised wishes that they talked about prior to Ren participating, or rather, finishing the war. Ren's first wish was in no way out of the king's power, but for the people of Ironblade, it was absolutely absurd.

"Not just the slavery system. I want YOU to fix your system. I've mentioned this a lot before but, I have all of that old man's memories," Ren said pointing at Phoros.

"Which means I'm familiar with everything that's going on in your political circle. I know all about your shady deals, all the corrupt nobles you protected, and all the village you heartlessly surrendered to the bandits for slavery merchandise," he explained.

"Urk!" King Galen was taken aback by Ren suddenly exposing him for all of the knights to hear.

"Dear, did you really..." the queen said, extremely surprised by the sudden revelation.

"I didn't want to believe it as well, but the hero insisted that it was all true," Irina added.

"Everything I did was for the sake of this nation, never have I been selfish in my decisions as king. Those corrupt nobles, they are extremely talented. Losing them would be a massive blow to us. All those shady deals as well, they were the ideas of those same nobles that I'm protecting, as well as abandoning those random villages," King Galen confessed.

"Hoh? And where are those nobles now in your greatest time of need?"

"They're--" King Galen was left speechless at Ren's question which gave him a realization.

"I see. So at the end of the day, when the going gets tough, they'll just abandon everything. What a fool I've been." Finally admitting to his mistakes, King Galen prostrated in front of Ren.

"Father!" Irina called out, surprised by her father's uncharacteristic action.

"An Ironblade knows how to admit to its mistake. We may rust, but we'll take it upon ourselves to clean that rust, and be a stronger sword for the people. I sincerely apologized at the bottom of my heart for my transgressions, against my people, and against you," King Galen gave out his apology speech, and the knights, as well as his family listened attentively.

He then stood up from his position, with a somewhat satisfied smile on his face.

"As you wish, I shall abolish the slavery system in my country, and take care of those corrupt nobles. Although be warned, slavery may stop here in my country, but that doesn't mean it's gone from the rest of the world. That is already beyond my control," he declared.

Ren and Karis looked at each other, smiling in satisfaction as their main goal has been achieved.

"As for my second wish. I want you to be a catalyst for our goal of changing the world," Ren declared his second wish, but this time, even Karis was surprised.

"Your goal?" King Galen asked.

"Oh sorry I meant her goal," Ren answered, turning his head to Karis.

"Karis wants to create a world where demons and humans can coexist with each other, and to start with that, we're going to need at least one country to promote the idea," he continued.

"How absurd! Us, coexist with demons! That's simply impossible!" King Galen protested.

"I believe you're in no position to talk back to me," Ren scoffed.

"Wha--! Kh, fine. How can we help to this goal of yours?"

"It's simple. All you have to do is open your country for the demons. If they're hostile you can still defend against them, but don't frame them up for something for the sake of 'defending' against them. Let them live in your country, and don't discriminate against them. Simple as that," Ren instructed.

"I understood," King Galen replied although he seemed a bit reluctant to the idea, but he knows there is no room for refusal.

"If I received news of a demon killed unjustly by your knights I'm sending a meteor down to this city of yours," Ren threatened.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I GOT IT! NO NEED TO BE SO HOSTILE!"

"Good. Now as for my third wish...hmm..."

Ren pondered a bit on what he should do with his final wish. As of now he doesn't have any idea what to do with it. He proposed three wishes on impulse but his objectives were already met with the first two wishes.

"I actually don't know what to use that for right now, maybe I'll hold that off for the future," he finally said.

"Really? You don't want anything like money, fame, or anything like that? I can give you a material reward for the celebration later," King Galen suggested.

"Nah, no need. I have a stable job over at Warspite, and I really don't have any interest in being super rich, or super famous, although I guess in some sense, I already am famous. Anyway, the point is, I'll just use that final wish in my convenience," Ren replied.

"Oh, also I won't be attending this party of yours later, I want to go home already," he added.

"Huh, you're going back to Warspite?" Irina asked.

"Well, of course, that's where I live."

"But with the tension with you and my father now gone, you can now live in the capital you know?"

Irina made a good point. Ren leaving the capital was mainly due to being hunted down by the king after he was summoned. However, that problem had already fixed itself today.

"No thanks, I consider Warspite my home now," Ren answered.

"Oh...okay," Irina replied with a sad tone.

"But hero, can we expect you to help us out whenever we call for help?" the queen asked, thinking about whatever crisis in the future may fall upon them.

"For the right price, and for the right reasons, I can help out," Ren replied.

"All right then, we're heading back now. Let's go Karis," he said, heading out towards the throne room door.

"Thank you for helping out in my wish, your highness." Karis bowed to the king, and the royal family as she delivered her parting words.

"These last few decades..." Phoros suddenly said, making King Galen and the others to turn on him.

"Maybe we have been dealing with our problems with the wrong solutions after all. The prophecy was right. It seems that the hero that we summon after all, is the one given unto us by the pantheon that will be the one to save us all. And by all, that includes THEM," he finished as he looked at the Hero and the demon, talking happily to each other.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Act End - She Who Abandoned Power

Around three days after the war at the capital, Ren and Karis had finally made it back to Warspite. However, compared to their first time arriving here, the people had given them a warm hero's welcome. The citizens had stood there in front of the gates, cheering loudly as Ren and Karis, on their horse, entered the town through a pathway that the people specifically left open for them. It was like a procession.

The citizens all sang their praises to the two, well, to Ren specifically but Karis didn't seem to mind her master getting all the glory as she simply smiled happily. However, instead of being delighted, Ren seemed bothered by what was happening.

"I feel like I'm about to throw up," Ren said in a voice that only Karis could hear.

"Why? Aren't you happy Master? They're all looking up to you," she replied.

"I don't like being the center of attention, and me being aware of it."

"Is that so? Well, let's return this horse back and go home to our room quickly."

"Yeah, let's do just that," Ren said as he commanded the horse to move at running speed, passing through the roads of Warspite with such speed. Every turn they take, there were people waiting for them, and Ren's uncomfortable feeling just got worse every second.

"Ahh, fucking finally!"

It took a long while, but Ren and Karis had made it back to the Cozy Cabin. They had some trouble squeezing in through the crowds but they were able to reach their destination. Ren quickly shut the door behind him and took a seat at the nearest table with Karis assisting him.

"Well look who's back. How was you hero's welcome?" Drake greeted as he was organizing his shelf and noticed the two entering.

"Terrible. I feel nauseous all the way here," Ren replied as he went and lied down on top of Karis' lap. He held his head as if he had an awful headache, but in reality he's perfectly fine since he really couldn't contract any sickness thanks to his heroic blessing.

"Want some water?" Drake offered.

"I'll take a full jug please."

"Coming right up." Drake then left for the kitchen to grab Ren's drink.

Ren then sat up shortly after taking a few moments of rest on Karis' lap.

"I'll give you some time to work on your script. Go on to our room. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Understood."

At Ren's command, Karis headed towards the stair and up to the second floor where their room was. Meanwhile Drake had arrived, bringing a glass, and a jug full of water, filled to the brim.

"What's wrong? Had a fight?" he asked.

"Not really, she just had some explaining to do, and I'm giving her some time to sum up her thoughts," Ren replied as he poured water into his glass.

He kept on pouring, and drinking at an incredible speed until the jug no longer has anything in it. Drake was a bit surprised that he was able to empty that huge jug in less than a minute.

"Thanks. I'll head up now," Ren said as he stood up and headed for the stairs.

"Don't make too much noise okay? You got neighbors." Drake replied with a grin on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Ren let out a confused response at Drake's cryptic remark before going up.

He walked towards their room which was slightly open. He had so many questions in his mind after overhearing her conversation with that demon, and he intends to get them all answered right now.

He gently opened the door, and saw Karis fidgeting nervously on the bed. As the door opened more, Karis turned her gaze towards it, and saw her master entering the room. Ren then closed the door behind him, and headed straight to Karis.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes. But this will be a long story. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, tell me everything I needed to know."

"Understood. In that case, come have a seat," Karis invited as she tapped the vacant seat beside her. Ren followed along, and gently sat down on top of the bed mattress. However, instead of starting her story, Karis stood up and sat down in front of Ren, just between his open legs. She then leaned her back onto Ren's chest.

"Would you mind if I tell the story like this? It's going to bring up a lot of bitter memories, so I will need to be at my most comfortable," she requested.

"Do as you wish." although he was surprised, Ren easily agreed to Karis' small demand.

"Thanks."

Karis took a deep breath and shifted her position a bit more until she can finally clear her mind and gather all of the important details that she needed to speak about.

"It's as you heard back then at that alley, I am indeed, the twin sister of the current ruling Demon Lord. I guess in some way, you can also say that I am a Demon Lord, however he's the one who calls the shots while I'm more or less just an important figure," she began.

"Our reason of emerging here in your, or rather the human realm is because our realm is on the verge of overpopulation and therefore we need some place where we can send our people."

"Overpopulation?" Ren asked curiously.

"Yes, our world had experienced so many wars in the past that most of the places have been reduced into unlivable wastelands. No plants can grow, no animals can survive, and most certainly no civilization will thrive," Karis answered.

"That's why the previous Demon Lord, our father, proposed a plan to colonize the human realm. However, due to my race's long history of war, the default option was to conquer this world, and take it away from its original habitants. We were able to conquer the northern part of the continent, but before we can continue onwards, the country of Ironblade was able to defend from our invasion, and in that great war thirteen years ago, my father was killed."

"I see, that's why Ironblade had such a great reputation."

"Yes. And with my father being killed, my brother was crowned as the next Demon Lord, and just like my father, he supports the idea of conquering the human realm. However I had another idea in mind. I wasn't able to say it back on my father's rule because I simply cannot defy him. But now that my brother is the one in the highest position, my literal equal, I thought that my words would finally have some weight."

"Coexist with the humans..." Ren muttered. Karis smiled in response, remembering what her master did back at the Ironblade throne room.

"Exactly. I proposed that idea because thinking about it, the only reason we needed to migrate worlds was because of all those senseless wars that brought our world into ruins. My brother was of course, opposed to the idea. However, I gained the support of some of our people who were mere victims of the war. My brother paid them no mind, and reasoned that, unlike the wars amongst ourselves, the war with the humans would be one-sided, and therefore there wouldn't be much damage done to this realm."

"You have one stupid brother. He seemed to forget the reason he was put in the highest position in the first place," Ren mockingly remarked.

"I'm afraid to say I agree whole-heartedly with you. My brother was a fool."

"Wait a second, if you're someone of Demon Lord status, then why are so weak?"

"That hurts master. Couldn't you have said it any gentler?" Karis pouted.

"Well, I mean if you're at Demon Lord level how come you got captured by mere bandits," Ren replied, wrapping his arms around Karis' waist and holding her tighter as if to subtly apologize. Karis leaned back harder in response.

"Well, after I've been gaining so much support from our subjects, my brother started seeing me as a threat. He ordered for me to get captured, sealing my demonic powers in the process. However, thanks to that man that I was talking to back at the alley, I managed to escape."

"That man? Then why would he want to bring you back if he's the one to let you escape," Ren asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea why. But if I had to guess, I'm guessing my brother is getting desperate, and wanted to steal my power to aid him in his quest for domination."

"I see, so he only sees you as a tool huh?"

"It's always been that way. We may be twins but we were never close," Karis said with a sad tone.

"So then, I escaped the demon territory, wandering around the wilderness of the human realm, sleeping outside in the cold, drinking water from rivers, eating fruits from trees. I even got myself poisoned one time when I ate a fruit from a tree I didn't know was dangerous, thankfully I managed to survive. It was all going well peacefully, until I got captured by those bandits."

Ren clenched his fist as he was reminded of those slavers.

"Have they done anything bad to you?"

"Well, not really. They wouldn't do anything to a demon since in their eyes, I'm still dangerous. I'm still clean you know? Why did you ask?" Karis teased.

"No, I was just thinking you might be traumatized. I wasn't really talking about--"

"It's fine Master. You can find out for yourself if you want. I wouldn't mind, in fact I'll welcome you," Karis giggled as she kept on her advances, starring seductively at Ren's eyes.

"Just continue on with your story," Ren said while looking away, his cheeks flushed red.

"That's everything. The next significant thing that happened was meeting you, and it was the best thing that happened to my life," Karis said as she grabbed hold of Ren's arms which was wrapping around her waist.

"I see."

Ren took a deep breath, taking in all of the information he just received. Karis' life certainly wasn't easy prior to meeting him, and he looked back at that moment when she carelessly brushed her aside when she met her. Regret began to build up in Ren's heart as he remembered that day. He embraced Karis tighter and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Huh? Why are you apologizing?" Karis replied, surprised by feeling her master's head on top of her shoulders.

"I just remembered something I did that disgusted me. I really am sorry."

"Oh, you're talking about that time?" Karis replied, remembering the same scenario that was in Ren's mind.

"That was a long time ago. It's fine, no need for you to apologize."

"But--"

Before he could start speaking, Karis turned her head to the side and gave Ren's cheek a long, gentle smooch. Ren's eyes went wide in shock as he felt Karis' soft, warm lips on his left cheek. It was a sensation that was new to him, yet felt so soothing that he could feel his mind melt away.

"No need to apologize," Karis repeated softly as she pulled her lips away.

"Are you happy with your decision? You gave up your life as a mighty Demon Lord, or someone close at least, for this. Are you satisfied?" Ren asked.

"Yes, I am extremely happy things had ended this way."

"Do you plan on going back?"

"No."

Karis then leaned her head sideways towards Ren's head which was still on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she savors the warmth of Ren's body heat spreading towards her own. Ren, in exchange, tightened his embrace, bringing the two of them closer, almost inseparable. Karis then opened her mouth, speaking out loud the one thing on her mind.

"My sole desire in life is to be by your side."