"Quickly! I’m up in 8 minutes!"

"Has anyone seen my swimsuit?"

"Someone stole my heels!!"

Lucy hadn’t anticipated this at all—the chaos behind the scenes of the contest. While on stage, everything appeared smooth and polished, with the host’s seamless commentary and well-dressed women showcasing their charms. But as soon as one stepped into the backstage and dressing rooms, it was as if they had entered a battlefield.

Contestants were frantically preparing, searching for their belongings, and engaging in petty squabbles, and Lucy was constantly being dragged back and forth, called upon for various tasks. But she didn’t mind at all. In fact, it energized her. Whenever she felt frustrated with the work or missed Lin too much, she only needed to recall the happiness from earlier.

"I'm sorry for being grumpy earlier, Lucy."

After the stage setup and Ibis's preparations were complete, the workers were given a break as the sun began to set. Lin was the first to approach Lucy, finding her alone after the incident at lunch. Lucy was overwhelmed with emotion.

"No, no! I’m the one who should apologize for making you upset, Lin."

"It was just me being in a bad mood and taking it out on you, for no reason."

"I’m fine, Lin."

Lucy clutched the hem of her skirt and smiled shyly, looking down.

"If you’re ever in a bad mood, you can take it out on me."

"What? That’s not fair."

"It’s just… it’s the first time you’ve ever gotten angry or frustrated with me."

Reflecting on it after he had forgiven her, Lucy realized that this was also the most honest moment she’d ever shared with Lin, even if it was negative. Compared to how she had treated him before, this was nothing, and Lucy was simply happy. The pure, concentrated magic she felt from his presence reassured her that this was how it should be.

"So it’s okay, really."

That bright smile of hers seemed almost broken in some way.

"But that’s not right—I should be the one apologizing."

Still, Lucy loved it most when Lin was gentle and warm. Now that he had returned to that, she felt relieved, but her breath quickened. She was reaching her limit.

"Lin… I…"

"Are you really tired?"

"Yes…"

Lin, knowing about Lucy’s separation anxiety, looked around to ensure no one was nearby and then, after a moment’s hesitation, nodded.

"Alright, since I’ve made mistakes too, you can do what you want, Lucy."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lucy buried her face in his neck.

"Slurp."

She latched onto his neck, sucking up the sweat that glistened there. The salty taste and Lin’s scent made her half-dazed, her entire focus on drinking in his sweat. Lin had only expected her to snuggle up to him, so he was quite surprised. But since he had given her permission, all he could do was stay on guard, nervously watching for anyone who might come by.

Lucy’s obsession was growing more intense by the day. The stronger her obsession became, the lower her self-esteem sank. She accepted all of Lin’s opinions without question and sometimes even sought his permission to be near him, fearful of doing anything wrong. This worried Lin, knowing that he would eventually have to leave. Whether Lucy understood this or not, she drank her fill of his sweat like a horse off its leash before finally pulling away with a shy smile.

Because of this, Lucy felt she could tolerate anything from anyone—except from other men.

‘Not tired at all.’

The same was true for Lin.

"Mr. Chun-sik, could you prepare my dress?"

"Miss, I’ll take care of the clothes for you."

"Really? Then Galnal, prepare my bra and corset."

"Miss! You can’t say such things in front of a man!"

As the daughter of the island’s ruling family, Ibis had her own private dressing room. Lin’s job was to assist her with whatever she needed. Sometimes Ibis would joke around like this, but her maid Galnal always stepped in to maintain decorum, preventing any awkward situations.

While Lin found his job much easier now, his greatest relief came from confirming the identity of the Demon Sword. The black-haired girl who had appeared earlier—Lin was certain she was the Demon Sword, Abyss. According to Mr. Lee’s memories from his past life, the Demon Sword always emitted a dark aura, and when Lucy had once used it as a material to enhance the Holy Sword, there was text describing a young girl’s voice pleading to be saved.

The girl had surrounded Lin in darkness, isolating him from the world. While anyone with magic could potentially do this, the fact that she matched the age description confirmed her as the Demon Sword. The only question remaining was: How would Lin find the girl who had disappeared before his eyes? Given the extremely low spawn rate, this seemed daunting.

But there was no need to worry.

‘I can see everything.’

For some reason, the girl was still watching him from afar, cloaked in darkness. She was hiding behind a pile of leftover wooden planks from the stage setup, but her blatant gaze made it impossible not to notice her. She had called him boring before, yet now it seemed that nothing around here was as interesting as Lin. Perhaps she was deliberately making her presence known, hoping he would talk to her. Lin decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed, focusing on his work until the right moment to strike up a conversation.

"Miss, it’s your turn."

"Alright, wish me luck!"

Dressed in pure white, Ibis prepared to take the stage. Even from backstage, the heat of the contest was palpable. The women competing were busy showcasing their talents—dancing, singing, reciting poetry—each trying to outshine the others, and every time, the crowd roared with approval.

"Will you wish me luck?"

Suddenly, she offered her hand.

When Lin didn’t respond immediately, Ibis awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Ahem, this is where you’re supposed to kiss the back of my hand for luck."

"Miss! You can’t ask a man to do that!"

"Galnal, you’re too strict."

"No, Miss, you’re being too lenient!"

The startled maid tried to intervene, but the young lady was insistent.

"Hurry up! We’re running out of time!"

"If you do this, I won’t let it go!"

In a difficult situation, Lin calmly fetched a white rose corsage and ribbon he had noticed earlier on the dressing table. With skilled and elegant movements, he tied them to Ibis’s hand, surprising both her and the maid.

"Good luck out there."

Lin flashed a businesslike smile, causing Ibis to bite her lip softly.

"Impressive."

She looked a bit frustrated, but after taking a deep breath, Ibis confidently stepped onto the stage. Pleased with Lin’s response, the maid didn’t scold him further and went to see her lady off.

Now, Lin turned his attention back to another crucial task—identifying the Demon Lord. He suspected that the Demon Lord was Ibis herself. Although he hadn’t mentioned it before, the job class of the Demon Lord who infiltrated the Zramun Archipelago was that of a dual-wielding swordsman, specifically a vampire.

Vampires, who seduced humans to drink their blood, had a passive charm ability that worked differently from succubi, who used physical allure. Instead, vampires approached with a mysterious sense of familiarity. Ibis’s behavior was a textbook example of how vampires used their charm.

It was clear.

"Take a break. Miss Protect will handle the rest from here."

Thanking the maid, Lin stepped out of the tent and found Lucy kicking the dirt. She seemed upset.

"Lucy, are you on break too?"

"Yeah… they said I’m done for the day."

"That’s good timing. I’m almost done here too."

"Mm…"

She looked really down.

Was she still upset from earlier? Noticing her hesitance, Lucy cautiously spoke up.

"Lin… you’re really good with your hands."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That rose ribbon earlier…"

"Oh."

Lin had just thrown it together, but it seemed Lucy had been watching from a distance. Feeling bad for her, Lin decided to be even more generous.

"Do you want me to tie one for you later?"

"Really?"

"If I can find a red rose, I’ll make one for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, after we’re done here, I’ll make sure to do it."

"I’ll be looking forward to it!"

Lucy’s voice was slightly louder than usual, but Lin didn’t mind. As they left the tent, the black-haired girl had disappeared entirely, and with his low-level presence detection skill, Lin knew there was no one around to be wary of. With that in mind, he decided to discuss their plans moving forward with Lucy.

"I think the Protect young lady might be the Demon Lord."

"I thought so too."

"Did you suspect something?"

"The way she kept clinging to you was really annoying."

Well, that’s just personal dislike. And one-sided at that.

"A demon named Adora also showed some strange kindness towards you, and it seemed suspicious."

Though it was almost a stretch, Lucy’s intuition couldn’t be ignored. Lin had also felt the clingy emotions from Adora, so he couldn’t completely dismiss it.

"Can you sense magic?" Lin asked.

"That’s going to be difficult…"

Lucy uncharacteristically hesitated.

"The magic of the Demon King in your arm and the magic of the Demon Lord are both very strong and similar in nature. If it were something weaker or more distinct, like the succubus from Epalterga, I might be able to tell, but it’s hard to differentiate between such high-level magic."

"I see."

That was unfortunate.

"But…"

Lucy quickly continued, eager to impress Lin in any way she could.

"I can definitely sense hostility directed at me."

"Hostility?"

"Yes. The more they like you, the more they dislike me."

"Hmm."

It made sense. Though Lin found it strange that people liked him without reason, he couldn’t deny that hostility towards Lucy could be a useful indicator. After all, Lucy was a hero, and it was only natural for the Demon Lord’s party to dislike her.

"That makes sense. Let’s use that to identify them. Starting with Ibis."

"Got it!"

If the Demon Lord’s identity was revealed, Lucy was ready to kill her without hesitation. Ravin was already a rival she couldn’t get rid of, and having another competitor was unacceptable. Ravin was a formidable opponent, one Lucy couldn’t simply eliminate, but any other threats needed to be dealt with.

"Alright, Lucy, from tomorrow on, you’ll stick with me, and we’ll identify anyone who shows hostility towards us."

"Stick with you… all day?"

"Yes."

"All day long…?"

"Until the festival ends, we’ll be together the whole time."

"Until the festival ends?!"

Overcome with unexpected joy, Lucy couldn’t help but grin widely.

This is your chance, Lucy.

Show him how devoted and gentle you can be. Make sure you never do anything that could hurt Lin, and always do what pleases him. And then, and then, and then…!

"Hehe…!"

"Lucy…?"

Lin couldn’t help but feel a bit worried seeing her dazed expression.

At that moment, a massive cheer erupted from the direction of the stage.

It must be the announcement of the beauty contest winner.

Lin and Lucy were about to continue their discussion, but a maid suddenly rushed out of the tent.

"Mr. Chun-sik? Mr. Chun-sik!"

"Yes?"

"There you are. Thank goodness. The young lady is looking for you."

"Isn’t the contest finale still happening?"

"Yes, and she’s looking for you for that finale."

"Oh…"

This was really problematic.

The beauty contest finale.

According to Mr. Lee’s memories, this event…

"I’m sorry, but I thought I was done with my work for today."

"I’m not doing this because I want to. Are you really going to refuse a request from the Protect family?"

For a maid, her loyalty was impressive.

"Lin… I mean, Chun-sik, you should go. There’s no need to make things difficult or arouse suspicion."

Lucy whispered softly to Lin, prioritizing his safety over her own possessiveness. She was more afraid of Lin getting hurt because of her stubbornness.

But Lin knew that this was a moment when Lucy’s possessiveness was needed.

"Are you sure you’ll be okay, Suni?"

"Yes!"

"You struggle when I’m not around."

"I can handle it for a little while!"

Lucy was trying to make up for her earlier clinginess, unaware that it was causing their plans to fall apart. Even now, she was making decisions based on her own thoughts rather than Lin’s needs.

"Alright, if you insist."

Lin sighed and nodded to the maid Galnal.

"This way."

The two of them followed the maid back into the tent. Naturally, Ibis wasn’t there. But Lucy immediately sensed that something was off.

"Whoa! Congratulations to Miss Ibis Protect, the winner! Now, who will she choose as her partner for the festival?"

Partner?

"The chosen partner will accompany the beauty contest winner, Miss Protect, for the entire festival, sharing the honor and duties!"

The entire festival?

Wait a minute, why is the young lady looking for Lin at a time like this?

Lucy suddenly realized that something was seriously wrong. She looked around frantically, but Lin was already heading towards the stage.

"My partner has already been waiting over there!"

Ibis’s confident voice echoed.

"Go on and stay put. Don’t cause any trouble."

The maid sternly warned him.

"And now, the partner that Miss Protect has prepared for the festival! Please, come on out!"

"Chun-sik!"

Lucy called out belatedly, but it was too late. His steps didn’t falter.

As he stepped onto the stage wearing his mask, the crowd fell silent.

"Wow…"

Even the host was taken aback by his masked appearance.

"Isn’t he handsome?"

Ibis was the only one excited.

"Unfortunately, I haven’t won his heart yet. So everyone, please watch over us!"

Grabbing the magical microphone from the host, Ibis boldly declared.

"On the final day, I will win his heart and remove his mask, and we’ll stand on this stage together again!"

It was a bombshell announcement.

Even the maid was left gaping in shock.

"Oh? Was I too honest?"

Lucy Estel.

The current hero, and another hero betrayed just like the previous one.

And lately, everything she tried seemed to go wrong.

She tried to calm her trembling body, but the grinding of her teeth was impossible to stop.