People gathered around the crackling campfire. Thanks to Erica’s spirit magic, they were able to breathe normal air even though they were close to the Flowergarden.

"Where's Deus?"

"He's unconscious in the carriage."

"Sigh."

The sight of him being intoxicated, losing his mind from the pollen mixed in the air clearly showed how broken of a man he was.

"You can’t just say it’s only Deus’ problem because the air here is so polluted, that even the spirits are reluctant to stay."

Deia wondered if the butterflies fluttering around Erica were spirits. However, despite her curiosity, Deia ignored Erica’s words which were defending Deus and let them in one ear and out the other.

After finishing eating the simple meal they prepared with the food they brought, there wasn't much to do.

So, they naturally tried to start a conversation since it was still a bit early to turn in.

However, an awkward atmosphere lingered as they were not that close to each other.

"There aren’t any stars."

Aria Rias, who had a lot of experience doing this from adventures, spoke up in the midst of the silence.

At her words, the party naturally looked up at the sky. Indeed, there were no stars to be seen, and it was also unclear if the moon was even out.

This indicated how much impurities the murky sky of the Clark Republic was filled with.

Being the youngest among them, Aria continued to talk with light-hearted questions despite the heavy situation they were in, walking into the lion's mouth.

"But is the Dictator really inviting us for a peace treaty?"

"That's bullshit, of course."

Deia sighed as she crossed her legs and rested her elbow on her knee, supporting her chin.

"Isn’t the Republic's Dictator a Demon Lord? Would such a creature truly speak of peace?"

"Hmm."

Having personally seen Demon Lords a few times in the first round, Aria thought it might be possible.

Even though they were Demon Lords, they were not necessarily absolutely evil; they were simply true to their desires.

Just as someone’s justice could be someone else’s evil, they, too, in a way, were simply enforcing their own sense of justice, although their notions and innate nature were very different from humans.

"That’s why the Kingdom is deliberately inviting envoys from other countries, isn't it?"

It was a minimum safeguard.

For the banquet hosted in the interest of peace, not only were Clark and Griffin participating, but the kingdom beyond the desert, the Jerman Kingdom, had also sent envoys.

On the surface, they came to convey their gratitude and congratulations for the decisions made by the two countries for the sake of the great cause and peace of the continent.

In reality, it was just to examine the diplomatic atmosphere and direction.

"If they cause trouble here, they’ll become the enemy of the entire continent in an instant. So, they can’t act recklessly, right?"

Also, the Clark Republic wouldn't dare to bare their fangs at them in this situation unless they were insane, right?

This was a clever move from the Griffin Kingdom.

A banquet for peace?

Fine.

However, let’s do it openly in front of everyone.

With that connotation, the Griffin Kingdom invited envoys from other countries.

"We also brought a kind of secret weapon to use in truly dangerous moments."

When Darius grinned and gave a thumbs up, Erica tilted her head and asked him.

"A secret weapon?"

"Sister-in-law, you’ll be surprised when you see it!"

Deia felt irritated as she watched Darius laugh confidently. Additionally, she didn’t like the way Darius called Erica ‘Sister-in-law.’

"It’s the Holy Grail."

When Deia spat out the answer surlily, Darius’ jaw dropped.

"W-wait, if you reveal that so easily…"

Still gaping, Darius stared at Deia, asking why she revealed it that easily, but she just shrugged.

"After all, only that woman doesn't know about it here. Did you forget that it was Aria and Findenai who retrieved the Holy Grail?"

"Huh? Did you call me?"

Findenai, who had just finished smoking behind the carriage, dusted herself off and casually sat down.

"The Holy Grail…"

Erica was startled by the unexpected mention of such an item, but it did reassure her because an item with a name such as the Holy Grail must have a complete opposite compatibility1 against demons.

"I didn't know an object like that actually existed."

Erica added amidst the awkward silence, and Darius nodded vigorously.

"That's right, Sister-in-law. I never knew something like the Holy Grail actually existed either. Speaking of which, Deus… or Kim Shinwoo… what should we call him?"

Confused by the complicated situation, Darius scratched his head and turned to look at Deia for help.

"Just call him Deus, that’s also how that woman called him."

"Oh, come on. That woman? You should properly call her ‘Sister-in-law’."

"Stop exaggerating, they’re not even married yet!"

“Even though she may seem like this, she's actually a good person. Even her prickly personality can be somewhat cute... well, not really though…”

When Darius tried to speak well of Deia, he ended up clearing his throat and changing the subject.

"Anyway, how did he know about the existence of something like the Holy Grail? Isn’t Deus quite capable?"

"Sigh."

"Even if he seems like that, he’s actually pretty warm-hearted…!"

With a shake of her head, Deia gave up trying to stop her brother. Darius then started to list out Deus’ good points to Erica, but unfortunately, he couldn't even last three minutes.

"…"

He couldn’t even mention five of Deus’ good points. Others might have been able to think differently, but Darius was unable to come up with any positive traits.

He was aloof.

You never knew what he was thinking.

He even spoke informally to his older brother.

What the heck?

Why could he only come up with Deus’ bad points the more he thought about it?

As Darius fell deep into his thoughts alone, Findenai chimed in while adding more fuel to the campfire.

"He’s surprisingly considerate."

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

Voices came from both sides.

However, despite Erica and Deia’s exclamations, Findenai continued speaking in her blunt manner.

"He’s kinder than you’d expect. He often shows consideration in unexpected places and situations."

"Oh, I know that too. Like when he holds the door open and sometimes invites you to dinner if you haven’t eaten yet."

Aria also added that she sometimes skipped dinner to visit his lab because of this!

Findenai nodded and grinned in agreement at the bold statement from the young female student.

"He also lets me choose the menu. Thanks to that, I get to eat lots of expensive food."

"Exactly!"

Being in the positions of a maid and a student, respectively, Findenai and Aria Rias, who were able to unexpectedly spend a lot of time with Deus at the academy, started talking excitedly.

"Sometimes, when he reads books, I can see his jawline from the side and it looks so sexy!"

"I did feel like licking it."

"What? I mean, I get what you mean, but... are you an animal?"

“It’s still better than drawing weird pictures of Master Bastard.“

"Wait a second! That was Eleanor, not me! I was just watching from the side!"

Aria quickly distanced herself from the Princess. While it was quite amusing to hear this, but from Darius and Deia’s point of view, it was somewhat confusing.

"I'm more concerned about Professor Erica! Weren’t you supposed to break off your engagement?"

Aria's bombshell statement was an attempt to steer the topic away from the conversation about her drawing Deus. At that, Darius’ eyes widened as he glanced at Erica.

She slightly shook her head with an embarrassed smile.

“We don’t know it yet. I haven’t given up on him, you know?”

It was a pretty meaningful statement.

Darius, who was about to make a fuss, managed to somewhat calm down, but this time, it was Deia's eyes that showed a hint of trembling.

The two naturally locked eyes, and various emotions passed between them.

However, as always, Findenai broke the silence.

"Whether you two end up married or not doesn’t really matter."

She casually spouted words she’d heard somewhere.

"True love always lies with the personal maid, isn’t it?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

Finding it absurd, Aria glared at Findenai while Erica silently echoed her disapproval.

Despite the sharp, piercing gazes from all around, Findenai remained unfazed.

"That's what they say, right? Isn't it common to hear stories about men trying to escape the stress from their wives by falling in love with a sensual and charming maid, secretly holding hands behind their spouse’s backs?"

"Who… who’s saying that?"

Erica ground her teeth due to the vivid image forming in her mind.

Perhaps she imagined Deus neglecting her and making love to Findenai.

"Illuania told me. Unexpectedly, she says she’s seen it a few times."

Illuania, who used to wander around the red-light district, had seen many such messy affairs and was quite knowledgeable of the topic.

And just like that, the conversation grew more intense.

A kiss that tasted like lemon…!

That was actually…

Such a cheap trick!

Watching the various stories being shared around the campfire burning away, Deia quickly retreated to the carriage to escape the shock.

***"Wow."

"It’s quite impressive."

After passing through the Flowergarden and traveling for several more days, they arrived at Clark Republic’s capital, Clarkwork.

Deia and Darius couldn’t help but express their honest admiration at the sight of the tall castle walls.

In fact, the castle walls were so high that they couldn’t discern what these walls were meant to keep out. Falling from such a height wouldn’t just cause instant death, but the body would likely scatter into pieces upon impact.

In front of the castle walls, which required one to tilt their head all the way back to see the top, Deia handed a warp marker to Deus.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

He took several deep breaths, clearly nervous, while anxiously looking around. He visibly trembled as he took the warp marker from Deia.

"Remember, you’re the Soul Whisperer now. You’re responsible for welcoming the kingdom's esteemed guests."

Actually, it wasn’t a difficult task.

All he had to do was place the warp marker in the spot designated by the Republic and allow the kingdom’s envoys to arrive via warping.

However, for a scoundrel who spent his days drinking, embracing women, and doing drugs, it was a significant responsibility.

"Stay focused. Make sure your eyes seem devoid of emotion. Here! Like this! Just like this."

Deia imitated Soul Whisperer Deus’ cold stare, creating a strikingly similar atmosphere and highlighting their resemblance as siblings.

"Also, keep your answers short. Actually, scratch that. Since I'll be next to you, it’s better not to answer at all. I’ll tell them you're not comfortable speaking because of your injury."

"Okay."

Smack!

Deia finally slapped Deus, who was still not fully focused.

Startled, Deus stared at her in a daze, which prompted Deia to yell at him.

"Get a grip! You're not the scoundrel you were right now. You're the Soul Whisperer, the face of the kingdom and the representative of our envoys! Be confident! Act cold and collected!"

"...I-I'll try."

"Not 'try,' you have to do it. At least until the real one wakes up."

Deus swallowed hard and nodded in understanding.

Though still looking awkward and anxious, he managed to mimic her instructions.

The carriage passed through the castle wall and came to a stop.

Outside the window, the Republic's soldiers were ceremoniously clearing the path.

"Sigh."

Deus still wasn't fully composed despite the hour having arrived. Seeing him acting like this, Deia finally pulled out a picture.

"Take this."

"Huh?"

He took the photo with his trembling left hand, which was still clutching the warp marker.

It was a picture of Illuania smiling while holding a small child.

"Ah..."

Illuania was the only woman Deus Verdi ever loved. He had even given up his own body and chosen eternal rest for her and the child she bore.

"Brace yourselves, at least for those two."

"Hang in there!"

With words of encouragement from Deia and Darius, Deus nodded, managing to muster some courage.

He carefully placed Illuania's picture into his pocket as if it was a cherished treasure.

Outside, Findenai opened the carriage door.

Even if it was only for a brief moment, the Soul Whisperer, no, Deus Verdi, the actor, began his performance.

1. "상성" (compatibility) is a loaned word from Japan. "상성" often assumes a relationship of 'opposition' between two entities, it's argued that it's difficult to translate the original meaning into Korean properly.

In Korea, the term "상성" (compatibility) was first used through the competitive action game scene. For example: The Street Fighter series.

When a specific character struggles or is disadvantaged against another particular character, the term "상성" is used, and conversely, the term "역상성" (reverse compatibility) is used when the opposite is true.

The cause of "상성" arises mostly from the characteristics of the characters when the performance difference between characters is disregarded. For example, if a character named (A) is said to have a disadvantage against (B) in terms of compatibility, (B) may have traits that make it easier to exploit A's weaknesses or nullify A's strengths. As this relationship intensifies, even if both players are equally skilled, it becomes very difficult for A to defeat B without any lucky chances.