4th day of the royal procession.
They were about halfway through the route.
That night, sitting in front of a campfire, Silverna tilted her head and murmured,
"Nothing's really happened though?"
"Yeah, right."
Just as she said, nothing unexpected had occurred.
No sudden beast attacks, no outbreaks of plague, no unplanned emergency aid missions.
Everything was going as scheduled, allowing Princess Adeline to fully exercise her charisma and leadership, winning the people over.
It was going surprisingly smoothly.
As Isaac chewed on a piece of jerky Silverna handed him, he said,
"At this point, it makes more sense to think there's another motive behind all this."
"Right? That sly Blood Demon wouldn't just let things go this easily."
"Sly Blood Demon…"
Silverna's reaction was notably intense.
The lingering resentment from her defeat in the underworld and being forcibly sent back to the human realm still weighed on her.
"The kingdom might be facing a huge crisis, but personally, it's a great opportunity. I can finally get revenge on that Blood Demon."
"Was it really that serious?"
Isaac realized she had more pent-up frustration than he'd thought, but Silverna frowned.
"If I'd been there… things could've turned out differently. Maybe Liana wouldn't have been turned into a servant."
"Hmm… It's hard to say either way."
Considering how urgent and dangerous that moment had been, it was questionable whether having one more person there would've changed anything.
"Either way, it was humiliating. I will get revenge."
As she said this, Silverna glanced at Isaac.
For the past few days, she hadn't had the chance to bring it up because Sharen was always around.
But now, under the dark sky, just the two of them with the fire crackling…
"Hey, this feels kinda awkward, doesn't it?"
"…"
Isaac, quick to pick up on what she was implying, tried to quietly gather his blanket and pretend to go to sleep, but Silverna stopped him and made him sit back down.
"Do you remember how we left things last time?"
"…Of course."
How could he forget?
Triggered by Anna's comment about her being a "Losing heroine," she had come back into the tent and stolen a kiss—one-sidedly.
Even though Isaac had plenty of admirers, he wasn't the type to give himself away freely.
He couldn't deny that the kiss with Silverna was one of the most intense and sweet experiences of his life.
"You stole a maiden's purity and now you're acting all high and mighty."
"Don't say it like that—someone might get the wrong idea."
"Oh?"
A short exclamation came from behind.
Unnoticed, Princess Adeline had approached. Dressed more casually than during the daytime procession, she looked relaxed.
"Baron Logan, was that true?"
The smile on her lips showed she was teasing.
"Your Highness!"
Silverna immediately stood and bowed, but Adeline waved it off and joined the conversation.
"Then what about Clarice? She keeps praying every day for Isaac to finish this war and return soon."
"…"
Silverna glared at Isaac, her expression demanding an explanation.
Isaac let out a quiet sigh.
"You know I don't have the energy to think about that kind of thing right now."
He appreciated their feelings, but he simply didn't have the room to care about romance at the moment.
There were too many things demanding his attention—Blood Demons, the Attitude, the Primordial Transcendents, Helik, the Silver Clock…
The women around him understood that.
They had their own duties and roles to fulfill as well.
"Grr…"
"Hehe, not having the energy and ignoring someone are two very different things, you know,"
Adeline replied with a mischievous smile, contrasting Silverna, who looked awkward.
Seeing an opportunity, Silverna jumped in and pointed her finger.
"Yeah, exactly! Do you know how tough it is to keep getting ignored like this?!"
Isaac didn't disagree with her feelings.
But they were in a wartime situation, where rational thinking had to come before emotion.
"Or maybe, Baron Logan…"
Adeline playfully acted surprised as she added,
"Are you planning to take multiple wives once the war is over? With how things are going, it wouldn't be surprising if you're promoted to Count, not just Viscount."
Everyone knew how big a leap it was from Baron to Count.
But none of them looked shocked by her words—not even Isaac.
Considering everything he had done, such a promotion felt like the natural outcome.
"Even Count might be too low. Once this war ends, the royal family won't want to lose someone like Baron Logan."
"…!"
Silverna looked between Adeline and Isaac, startled.
The man she harbored feelings for had, without intending to, gained such an elevated status within the kingdom that many others were beginning to desire him—it was more troubling than she had expected.
"But I don't have the luxury to be thinking about that. More importantly, I assume you came here because you have something to say."
Isaac redirected the topic with a sigh.
It could've been considered somewhat rude, but Adeline didn't mind. She had long stopped treating Isaac as a mere subject, viewing him more like a friend. She smiled.
"You really are sharp. A letter arrived from Evergard. Turns out the Blood Demon is far wiser than I expected."
What Adeline went on to explain was, quite frankly, a hard-hitting revelation.
The Blood Demon had used Adeline's absence to approach the nobles aggressively—and was now even planning to host a dinner party to which she had invited them.
"It's been a while since someone's challenged me this directly."
A chilling smile appeared on Adeline's lips.
The very act of hosting a "banquet" and inviting nobles under that name meant the Blood Demon was now openly walking the same path as Princess Adeline.
In other words—it was a head-on confrontation.
"But… I doubt she would've hosted a banquet so openly."
Isaac voiced his doubt, and Adeline nodded honestly, her sinister smile fading.
"You're right. She only secretly invited those nobles who support her or owe her favors."
"..."
"If I hadn't been informed about it… honestly, I would've been caught completely off guard."
Adeline smiled bitterly.
But if that's the case, then another question naturally followed:
"Who wrote the letter?"
Who was it that tipped off Adeline about the Blood Demon's secret banquet?
***
"Jonathan."
"Eek?!"
Jonathan, just stepping out from Sister Bell's church, nearly stumbled forward in shock at the sudden voice calling his name.
As a knight of Helmut, sensing presences should've been second nature—but the opponent was too formidable.
"S-Sister?!"
Seeing Jonathan call her "Sister," the Blood Demon gave a faint smile. She strode up to him and asked:
"Come with me for a bit."
"H-Huh? Where to?"
"To buy clothes."
"…Huh?"
It was such an absurdly random answer that Jonathan could only make a dumbfounded expression.
"You really are hopeless."
The Blood Demon shook her head and began dragging Jonathan forward.
"At this rate, it'll take some time just to make you look even a little better."
"Wha—?! Hey, I might not be a model, but I'm not that bad-looking!"
"No matter how I look at you, you are."
"I've never once been told I'm ugly! Sister Bell even told me I was good-looking—"
"…Really?"
The Blood Demon tilted her head.
To her, the most handsome human she had ever seen was undoubtedly Isaac Logan.
Maybe she had just gotten used to comparing everyone else to him.
She pondered for a moment, then shrugged.
"What's wrong with striving for the most perfect beauty? If you're going to be one of us, don't walk around looking disgraceful."
Jonathan opened his mouth to argue but stopped himself. He remembered the Blood Demon's horrifying remark last time about wanting to rip apart some "ugly" maids.
Chills ran down his spine as he nodded.
"I-I'll do my best to look good…"
A woman with such an obsessive compulsion that she'd want to murder anyone unsightly.
To survive, there were only two paths:
Become a Blood Demon, live in the shadows, and suck blood like a mosquito—
Or, go public, become a noble, and use the weapon of power to rob humans of their blood openly.
The former was clearly safer.
If he wanted to carry on the lineage of the Blood Demon, surviving was the top priority.
But—
"It's not beautiful."
The woman simply couldn't accept it.
The reason she was engaging in political warfare with Princess Adeline came down to one thing:
Because it would lead to the most beautiful outcome.
"Let's go, my ugly little brother. Your sister will shape you up herself, so follow me properly."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Hunching over slightly, Jonathan nervously followed behind the Blood Demon.