From a Broken Engagement to the Northern Grand Duke's Son-in-Law

The Bahamut was dead. Slain by a single person.

Lancelot and Hans could only stare in stunned silence.

True, Lea had only been able to face the beast because the others had worn down its strength first, but the fact remained: she had utterly overwhelmed one of the most feared creatures from the Demonic Realm.

“The Empress,” one of the surviving fighters whispered, his voice barely audible. “She is the Empress of the Snowfields.”

An Aura Master. Perhaps even a Grand Master.

The fighters bowed their heads in reverence. The knight standing serenely over the slain dragon, her sword gleaming with residual power—it was the very image of a legendary hero pulled from ancient tales.

“Is everyone all right?”

Lea reined in her Aura and approached the group. A chill still lingered around her like morning frost, betraying that she couldn’t yet fully control her newfound power.

“Yes, Lady Lea. I’m fine,” Lancelot said, letting his tension drain away as he leaned against a broken wall.

The enemy was gone. He wanted nothing more than to collapse right there and sleep for a week. But one thing kept him conscious: Lea was looking at him with that penetrating gaze of hers.

“Thanks to you, Sir Lanelot, we avoided greater losses. I am grateful.”

“Just doing what had to be done.”

Lancelot managed to force the corners of his mouth into something resembling a smile.

At his side, Kai spoke with his usual emotionless mask firmly in place.

“Weakling.”

“Shut—uh... would you mind being quiet?” Lancelot had been about to snap his usual retort but remembered Lea’s presence and chose his words with care.

Still, his curiosity got the better of him. “Where did you get that?”

In Kai’s hand was a red jewel that caught the light like captured fire. It looked exactly like the one Python, the blacksmith, had mentioned.

“It was in its heart.”

“…And why did you bring it here?”

“To give to Young Master.”

“And why would you give it to him?”

“A gift?” Kai’s tone carried the faintest hint of uncertainty.

“My God, really?” Lancelot sighed, a dull ache throbbing behind his temples.

No one in this damned unit was normal except for him. “Fine. Just hold onto it. We’ll need to ask the captain what to do with it when he gets here.”

“…That was my intention.”

“You just said you were going to give it to him as a gift, you little brat.”

As Lancelot and Kai continued their familiar back-and-forth, a faint smile touched Lea’s lips.

“You two really do get along well,” she remarked.

“…My apologies for the unsightly display, my lady.”

“Not at all. I’ve seen you two together since Diva, you know.”

Ahem. Lancelot cleared his throat and stared off at a distant mountain peak.

Just then, the voice he’d been waiting for echoed from down the street.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

The captain of the Special Taskforce, Louis Berg, had arrived on the battlefield.

* * *

“So you’re saying this came from the creature’s heart.”

I stared at the red jewel Kai had handed me, turning it over in my palm.

A jewel from the heart of a Demonized human… I’d have to confirm it, but this was likely the red jewel Python had spoken of.

Can they be created even without Python?

If so, why was he so essential to their plans?

I tilted my head in confusion.

But before I could dwell on it further, we had arrived at our destination.

“Captain, we’re here.”

We stood before Python’s workshop, its familiar chimney silent and cold.

“Right. Let’s go in.”

I quickly gathered my thoughts and stepped inside.

The forge was in complete disarray, as if it had been ransacked by particularly thorough thieves. Python, however, emerged from the chaos looking relatively unharmed.

“Hena!”

He pulled his daughter into a fierce embrace, his breath catching in his throat. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

His daughter had been in danger twice in two days—his reaction was more than understandable.

“Daddy?”

Python’s daughter blinked up at him, confusion written across her small face.

But her father paid her bewilderment no mind, tears streaming down his weathered cheeks as he offered his thanks to the heavens.

“Goddess be praised, thank you... thank you so much...”

Python buried his face in his daughter’s hair and wept openly.

Watching this display of raw emotion, Roxen spoke quietly. “The girl has a scratch on her cheek. I should have protected her better. I apologize.”

“No.” Python shook his head firmly, then turned his gaze to Kai. “You saved my life and my daughter’s. How can I ever repay this debt?”

There was a reason Kai hadn’t participated in the battle against the Bahamut.

While Lea fought the beast, I had sent him to protect Python. As the fastest and most skilled tracker in our unit, he was the perfect man for the job.

And my judgment had been correct. As expected, Python had been in the middle of being abducted by another group when Kai arrived.

Kai had eliminated them and brought the blacksmith back safely.

If I hadn’t encountered Lea and Kai back there, things would have become disastrous.

I nodded, recalling the events.

After leaving the arena, I had headed straight for Python’s workshop. On the way, I’d encountered Lea and Kai. We’d split up: Lea to the gang hideout, Kai to the workshop, and me to find Roxen.

“You’ve already promised us weapons, so there’s no need for further repayment,” I began. “However...”

Rustle. I pulled the red jewel from my coat and held it up to the light.

“I would like you to tell me about this.”

“This is...!” As expected, Python recognized it immediately. He flinched, swallowing audibly. “Hena, could you give us a moment?”

Python handed his clinging daughter to Roxen and stood up with obvious reluctance.

“Will you follow me?” he asked.

“Of course.”

I followed Python deeper into the forge. When we reached the back, he pushed aside a large workbench with considerable effort.

Creeeak.

Dust swirled into the air, revealing a hidden staircase beneath where the table had been.

“This way,” Python said in a low voice.

As he descended the stairs, I followed him down into a startling area that defied everything I thought I knew about the humble blacksmith.

A dozen red jewels lay scattered about like drops of crystallized blood, alongside the corpses of humans who were in the middle of transforming into Demonkin.

Among them was another forge, seemingly designed for some kind of refinement process.

A single glance was enough to tell that something terrible had happened here.

“What is this place?”

“A forge my grandfather built. Of course, it hasn’t been used in quite some time.”

Grrrnt—

Python spoke as he cleared a space in the cluttered room, his movements careful and deliberate.

“My family has been researching the Demonkin since my grandfather’s time. It has long been our ambition to create weapons imbued with demonic power.”

Weapons imbued with demonic power?

“Aren’t those just Dark Relics?”

“To be precise, our goal was to create artificial Dark Relics.”

I frowned, finding his words hard to believe. Artificial Dark Relics. That was supposed to be impossible for humans to achieve.

“Is that even possible?”

“Of course not.” Python’s expression turned bitter as he looked at a human corpse hanging on the wall like a grotesque trophy.

“A human wielding demonic power? Confining it to a weapon and manipulating its effects at will? It was absurd from the start. That’s my father. He ended up like that trying to create a red jewel. In a way, it might have been a satisfying end for him.”

Click.

Python pulled out a box from a corner and unlatched it. More dust puffed out as it opened, and a red light spilled from within like liquid fire.

“Are all of these red jewels?”

The box was filled with red jewels identical to the one in my hand.

“What you brought and what is in here are not true red jewels. They are merely inferior versions.”

“Inferior versions? Which means there’s an original.”

“That’s right.”

“Then I’m curious. What exactly is this red jewel that you would go to such lengths for it?”

Python chewed his lip before continuing, as if the words themselves were dangerous. “It is a jewel that allows one to wield demonic power.”

“Does that mean you can create Dark Relics?”

“Yes. You can create Dark Relics, become a Demonkin, and even...” Python paused for a moment before delivering the final blow. “You can even break the seal of the Demonkin.”

Break the seal of the Demonkin.

For a moment, I could only stare at him in stunned silence. To break their seal meant that the Twelve Nobles of the Demonic Realm could regain their full power.

If that happened...

The continent will be destroyed.

I pressed my lips together and studied Python’s face.

The peace and safety of the continent didn’t matter to me personally. All that mattered was my revenge. However, if the continent fell, the North would fall with it.

And that would make Lea unhappy.

“Can’t you just stop the research?” I asked, steadying my breath.

Python sighed heavily. “That was my intention from the beginning. Blacksmithing that wields demonic power? What sort of justifiable craft is that? But... it seems the House of Artezia doesn’t think so.”

“They must have said something to you.”

“They ordered me to create the red jewels and hand it over to them. They offered me immense wealth and power if I complied,” Python answered quietly.

I mulled over his words, lost in thought.

Why did they want the red jewels? They were a family that could acquire Dark Relics if they truly wanted them. And harnessing the power of the Demonkin was possible with enough sacrifices.

That left only one possibility.

“The resurrection of the Demonkin,” I muttered to myself, nodding.

I didn’t know their specific reasons, but that had to be what Artezia wanted.

In that case, my job was clear: stop them.

“What is the method for creating a complete red jewel?”

“An immense amount of death and resentment, refined through a special process. And naturally, these incomplete red jewels serve as the catalyst.”

“In other words, without them, a complete red jewel cannot be made.”

“You could see it that way.” Python nodded, his expression resolute.

I watched him for a moment, then nodded in return. I took the red jewel from my coat and dropped it on the stone floor.

“Hm?”

Before Python could question my action, I raised a foot filled with Aura and stomped down hard on the jewel.

Crack!

The red jewel shattered, unleashing a massive torrent of demonic energy.

Fsssssh—

The energy was so immense it felt like a storm had erupted in the confined space. I absorbed the demonic energy, converting it into my own Aura through force of will.

Fwoooooosh—

It was a method inspired by the technique I had endured when facing the Fear Marquis.

I would absorb as much as I could and erase the rest using Willbreaker.

Before long, the explosive demonic energy had vanished without a trace, leaving only the remnants of the red jewel scattered across the basement floor.

“Hah.”

I took a shallow breath and slowly opened my eyes.

“A-are you all right?”

“Yes. More importantly, there are still many left.”

I muttered, my eyes fixed on the red jewels hanging on the walls like elixirs for the picking.

My work here was far from finished.