Six months had passed since the Demon King's return.

It had been a hellish half-year.

Duke Reuben Pluto, adorned in gleaming armor, rode his white steed once again today.

Since the Demon King's reappearance, Reuben had spent most of his days patrolling the kingdom as a Holy Knight rather than fulfilling his duties as a cardinal within the Holy Palace.

Unyielding, meticulous patrols were the only way to save lives in this new world of chaos.

That such a serene and pastoral place could now be threatened by the presence of Magi was unfathomable.

It was then that a voice rang out.

“There! Over there!”

“Ahhh!”

The Holy Knights, who had just spotted a disturbance, spurred their horses toward the scene.

Nearby, people stood frozen in terror, unable to think of fleeing, their screams piercing the air.

Suddenly, a massive silver blade, akin to a holy sword, slashed through the sinister black smoke.

The white steed reared high, letting out a piercing whinny as Reuben leaped from his saddle, landing gracefully on the ground. His stance was steady and unwavering.

“Huff… Thank you! Thank you so much!”

The civilians, feeling their lives were saved, bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Reuben addressed them sternly.

“In the future, if you see Magi, flee with all your might. Remember my words—standing frozen is akin to begging for death.”

“Yes, sir! We will remember! Thank you again!”

Relieved, the people hurried away, their steps unsteady but determined. Reuben watched them depart in silence.

Six months ago, his daughter-in-law and grandson had narrowly escaped death in the Demon Realm. He understood all too well the feeling of relief that came with surviving such terror.

Yet, many others had not been so fortunate during these six months.

How many Magi had he slain by now? Including this one, the tally must have surpassed a hundred.

The thought renewed his resolve. There was no room for complacency. Raising his sword high, Reuben shouted to the knights.

“Move out! Search every corner thoroughly—leave nothing unchecked!”

“Yes, Your Eminence!”

The knights’ voices rang out in unison, followed by the cries of their steeds as they galloped forward.

As Reuben led the charge, something darkened his vision.

The shouts of "Your Eminence!" from behind him quickly faded into the distance.

Something was wrong.

In an instant, Reuben realized he had been caught in something far more sinister than he had anticipated.

“What’s happening… Could it be…?”

His surroundings began to take shape.

The air was dark and damp, the ground cold and unyielding stone. Long corridors lined with iron bars stretched endlessly before him.

It was unmistakably a prison.

But the creatures locked inside were anything but ordinary.

“Graaaagh!”

“Kaaargh!”

They snarled and glared with savage eyes, their growls reverberating like thunder. The atmosphere reeked of death and despair, accompanied by an unbearable stench.

Monsters.

Reuben’s heart sank.

He was in the Demon Realm, specifically a space used to imprison these vile creatures. He had been caught in the clutches of a high-tier Magi.

“Y-Your Eminence, what in the world is happening…?”

A voice from behind broke his thoughts. It seemed several other Holy Knights had been pulled into this mess along with him.

Reuben quickly regained his composure.

“Stay calm and steady yourselves. This is the Demon Realm. The master of this place will likely appear soon. Do not let your guard down.”

“Y-yes, Your Eminence.”

The knights’ breathing steadied slightly as they adjusted their grips on their weapons.

Reuben began moving cautiously. The corridor was narrow, with only one path forward.

On either side, monsters clawed at their cages, their massive forms towering at least three meters tall. They were like living cliffs of black stone, thrashing against the iron bars with violent fury.

The sound of claws scraping against metal echoed sharply, filling the air with a grating noise that made even the bravest knight flinch.

Most of the knights had never seen a monster, let alone Magi, before this day. Being dragged into the Demon Realm for the first time was shattering their nerves.

They had only just begun confronting Magi six months ago after the Demon King’s return—a possibility they had never imagined.

Until then, they had believed the Demon King would never return, that the Demon Realm and their world would remain separate forever.

Now, standing in the heart of the Demon Realm, surrounded by monsters, the knights looked close to losing the pride they held as Holy Knights.

Fighting Magi in the human realm was one thing, but being in the Demon Realm itself was an entirely different beast.

As Reuben led the group forward, footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.

The sound was calm, deliberate, and unhesitant—clearly belonging to someone who felt no fear in this place.

A demon?

Reuben placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Finally, the source of the footsteps emerged into view.

“What the…?”

“W-wait, what?”

Reuben’s surprise was mirrored by the knights behind him, their gasps barely stifled.

“How… Why are you here?”

“Your Eminence? Knights? What brings you all here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know! We were caught by a high-tier Magi and dragged here—”

“Oh! Me too,” Crescent said, smiling brightly as if they had just run into each other by chance in town.

To think that someone else had been swept into this Magi’s grasp—and not just anyone, but this child!

Reuben was so stunned that he was momentarily at a loss for words.

***

"You weren't even with us! How did you end up facing a high-tier Magi alone?"

Reuben’s voice echoed with disbelief.

I felt the same way. I had encountered the high-tier Magi while I was by myself, but upon arriving in this space, I found myself with Reuben and his knights.

It seemed that even if people were in different locations, they could still be summoned to the same place by a high-tier Magi.

"I was taking a walk through the village during my free time. I wandered onto a forest path, and before I knew it, I ended up here."

I replied, letting out a faintly exasperated sigh.

Though I called it a "walk," I had actually been playing hide-and-seek with Magi. It was part of my plan to level up while also rescuing villagers in my spare time.

I needed to find more Magi to eliminate. The group training camp at the mountain had been disappointing—only one low-tier Magi had appeared, and I’d taken it out in no time.

But now, a real high-tier Magi had appeared. Before I could defeat it, though, I’d been pulled into the Demon Realm.

Surely, no one else had been dragged into this kind of mess twice by a high-tier Magi, right?

"Are you alone? You came here all by yourself?"

"Yes."

Reuben’s gaze swept behind me, as if trying to confirm there was no one else. Around us, the monsters continued to snarl and claw at their cages with deafening ferocity.

Seeing no one else, Reuben let out a heavy sigh.

"To think that even a child like you can be dragged here alone… Those demons are truly vile. It’s a good thing you found us. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened to you."

"Exactly. I was really lucky," I said, nodding in agreement.

Reuben shook his head, clearly troubled by the thought of ordinary children ending up here on their own. Finally, he spoke to me in a gentler tone.

"You must have been scared. Come over here quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

I responded brightly and hurried to join the group behind Reuben.

Given the circumstances, Reuben seemed unusually kind to me. Perhaps it was because I was a young Holy Knight who had been dragged into the Demon Realm alone.

After all, I was only eight years old and still a Primrose, the lowest rank of divine power. I had only been training as a Holy Knight for six months.

To Reuben, I was probably no different from an ordinary, fragile child, aside from being the first female Holy Knight in 150 years.

Though I couldn’t expect him to regard me as warmly as his own granddaughter, he seemed to genuinely care for children in distress.

As we resumed moving, I decided to share some of what I’d observed.

"The other side is full of monsters too. I counted over 130 as I passed through."

"What?"

"And the variety is astonishing. I’m starting to think the master of this place might be some sort of monster collector."

"Already so many…"

Reuben glanced at me, his expression shifting. His eyes narrowed slightly as if appraising me in a new light.

"You seemed like you just stumbled into this situation, but you’re surprisingly observant. I saw nothing unusual on the other side either. It seems you’ve been here longer than we have."

"That must be it," I said, finishing my thought.

Just then, a voice rang out from the opposite end of the corridor.

"How many are there? One, two, eight? Perfect! A nice little group of slaves for my darlings!"

The voice was deep and unfamiliar, dripping with sinister glee.