Almost simultaneously, a system window appeared before me.

<Warning!>

<The 147th-ranked demon of the Demon Realm, Count Ismir of Dosion, has appeared!>

The dungeon master had arrived.

Thanks to the system window that popped up as soon as I got here, I already knew where this place was.

This was “Count Ismir’s Monster Nursery.”

Count Ismir’s ranking in the Demon Realm hierarchy was only fifteen places higher than Lady Aldred, who held the 162nd rank. Just like Aldred, he was definitely an opponent far beyond my capabilities to handle—except maybe for Cardinal Reuben and the other holy knights.

“Hmph. So there’s a useless little child among you, huh? Guess I’ll use it as fodder.”

F-Fodder?

Count Ismir’s pink eyes sparkled chillingly as he approached. His eyes were a demonic diamond shape, a vivid pink that made them eerie to behold.

His jet-black hair splayed out in odd, fan-like spikes, giving him a grotesque yet ridiculously tacky appearance. Draped over his withered frame was a flamboyant tuxedo, and behind him, two whips crossed and swayed ominously.

“Who are you?”

Reuben asked sternly. Count Ismir smirked and spread his arms wide, speaking in a boastful tone.

“Look around! Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it incredible? There’s no demon in the entire Demon Realm who raises more monsters than I do! Haha! Consider yourself honored to hear my name. I am….”

...Well, who are you?

Count Ismir puffed out his chest dramatically, his face glowing with pride. He seemed ridiculously pleased with himself for reasons only he knew.

To disrupt his overbearing energy, I decided to speak up.

“You’re Count Ismir, right?”

“!”

Count Ismir’s pink eyes widened in shock. Reuben and the other holy knights were equally stunned.

Trembling as though he’d just suffered a seizure, Ismir stammered, “H-how do you know that?!”

Well, he had every right to be surprised. How could a human possibly know his identity? After all, demons hadn’t been seen by humans in over 500 years.

I shrugged nonchalantly, as if the answer was obvious. “I read about it in the Demon Realm Encyclopedia. It’s a 500-year-old book, and it mentioned that some demons from back then might still be alive. Turns out it’s true.”

The one who seemed most shocked by my words wasn’t Ismir but Reuben.

“You’ve read that ancient text? How did you even acquire such a thing? It’s written in archaic language—modern people can’t even read it!”

Reuben wasn’t wrong. The Demon Realm Encyclopedia was an extremely rare text. But back when I lived in Neverland with my dad, we had a copy at home.

My dad had gotten it for me and read it aloud because he knew how much I loved stories about demons. That’s how I naturally learned to read the archaic language.

I explained to Reuben, “Yes. We had it at home when I was a kid. I learned the archaic language while reading it.”

“You can read the archaic language?” Reuben seemed to forget there was a demon standing right in front of him, so shocked was he by my revelation. The other holy knights were equally dumbfounded.

As everyone’s attention focused on me, Ismir grew flustered and shouted, “Enough! Fine, yes, I am Count Ismir! I’ve lived for 600 years in the Demon Realm. For 500 of those years, I couldn’t even serve the Demon King! But now, the Demon King has finally returned, and I have a chance to prove my loyalty. And how will I prove it, you ask?”

Without waiting for us to respond, Ismir stretched out his arms and gestured toward the cages filled with monsters.

He answered his own question, “By presenting my adorable children at the banquet celebrating the Demon King’s return! Haha!”

Another banquet?

Ugh, these demons and their banquets. Guess it hasn’t happened yet.

At that moment, Reuben stepped forward with a menacing glare. “Silence, foul demon. You won’t be attending any banquets. Of all the humans you could’ve chosen to provoke, you picked the wrong ones. Prepare to die by my sword!”

With a sweeping motion of his arm, a long, gleaming silver sword materialized in Reuben’s hand. Even at a glance, it was clear the weapon was incredibly heavy.

The blade emitted an unearthly radiance, as though infused with divine energy from someone who had honed it with sacred power. In a flash, Reuben leapt into the air and swung his sword at Ismir. His movements were so swift and precise that his age—likely in his late forties—seemed no more than that of a teenager.

The other holy knights immediately unsheathed their swords, taking defensive stances.

Ismir countered with his whip, deflecting Reuben’s blade. Reuben responded just as quickly, attacking again with blinding speed.

Clang! Clink!

The whip and sword clashed repeatedly. The whip stretched taut, while Reuben’s sword pressed forward with a relentless, winged-like force.

For a moment, it seemed like Reuben’s sword was overpowering the whip. But then, in an instant, Ismir’s second whip lashed out like a snake, tearing off an iron bar from one of the cages. Inside, the already-agitated monsters screeched and roared with renewed fervor.

“Kyahhh!”

“!”

“Your Grace!”

The holy knights swung their swords at the escaping monsters, but they couldn’t stop all of them from charging at Reuben.

“Ugh! Argh!”

“Kuagh!”

The knights fought fiercely, leaving no opening for me to intervene. Amidst the chaos, Reuben’s sword left a deep gash on one of the monsters.

“Hahaha!”

Meanwhile, Ismir had retreated to a safe distance, laughing smugly.

Coward! He must’ve released the monsters to avoid a one-on-one fight with Reuben. His gaze turned serious, his pink eyes glinting with malice.

“My new slaves, feed my adorable children well. They need to fatten up so the Demon King will adore them. Don’t let them die within a minute like the last batch of humans did. I’m not telling you to become their food—just feed them properly, you idiots. Hahaha!”

“Stay where you are!”

Reuben, who had already dispatched two monsters, lunged at Ismir once again. But Ismir’s figure disappeared in an instant, leaving only his voice echoing through the cavern.

“Careful now! If my sweet babies get too hungry, they’ll grow even more violent. Feed them for 100 days, and I’ll let you go back to the human realm. Hahaha!”

“……”

Amid the echoing laughter, the holy knights continued battling the remaining monsters. The beasts, with their savage fangs and relentless fury, tore at the knights’ uniforms, leaving trails of blood.

The fight was short but brutal. All the escaped monsters were slain, leaving the area drenched in blood.

But the remaining caged monsters, perhaps enraged by the sight of their fallen kin, grew even more frenzied.

One knight spoke up amidst the chaos, “Feed them? Why not just kill them all, Your Grace?”

“We can’t,” another knight replied calmly. “If we want to survive and return, we have to follow the dungeon’s rules. We’ll have to feed them.”

Reuben’s expression darkened as he muttered, “A hundred days? He said we need to feed them for a hundred days?”

“……”

It was no short time. The knights fell silent. Feeding the monsters for a hundred days seemed like a colossal waste of time—time they might not survive.

And how were they supposed to feed themselves during that time? They’d likely all perish before the hundred days were up.

Yet eliminating all the monsters here wasn’t an option either. The knights had suffered significant injuries just dealing with a few.

That damn demon knew it. Ismir’s plan was clear—he intended to kill us, one way or another.

After a long silence, Reuben finally spoke. “This is the Demon Realm. Dungeons follow their own rules. If we do as that demon said, we might make it back to the human realm.”

“But Your Grace!” one knight protested. “We might die before the hundred days are over!”

“Then we’ll endure. There’s no other way to survive this,” Reuben said firmly, silencing further objections.

Even if they tried to escape, finding an exit wouldn’t guarantee safety in the heart of the Demon Realm.

Watching them deliberate, I cautiously spoke up.

“…Um. I have an idea. May I share it?”