The castle gates opened. Leon and his elite squad stood ready, swords drawn, magic circles floating.
They expected fire. They expected monsters.
Instead, they found a long wooden table set up in the courtyard. The Demon King sat there, wearing a crisp black shirt (untucked), sipping tea from a tiny porcelain cup. Next to him sat Ren, looking bored, eating a scone.
Leon blinked. "What... is this?"
"Tea time," Ren said, wiping crumbs from his mouth. "Sit down, Hero. You're ruining the ambiance."
Malphas glared at Leon. He squeezed his teacup so hard it cracked. Crunch.
"Malphas," Ren warned softly. "Cup. Expensive."
Malphas took a deep breath and put the cup down. He even forced a smile. It looked terrifying.
Leon approached slowly, hand on his sword hilt. "Saint Elara. You are coming with us. The Church demands your return. The prophecy says you must seal the demon."
Ren scoffed. "Prophecies are written by old men who can't even find their socks. Look at him." Ren pointed a thumb at Malphas. "Does he look like he needs sealing?"
Malphas was currently trying to pick a flower out of a vase to put behind Ren's ear because Ren had mentioned earlier that he liked the color.
"He is clearly manipulating you with dark magic!" Leon shouted. "I will save you!"
Leon lunged. He didn't go for Malphas; he went to grab Ren.
Big mistake.
Before Leon could touch Ren, a wall of black fire erupted between them. Malphas stood up, his shadow stretching across the entire courtyard. The air pressure dropped.
"I warned you," Malphas's voice wasn't human anymore. It was the voice of a monster. "Do not touch what is mine."
Leon was thrown back by the sheer force of the energy. He crashed into his own soldiers.
Malphas raised his hand. A ball of dark energy formed, ready to obliterate Leon.
"Malphas, stop!" Ren yelled.
But Malphas was too far gone. His fear of losing Ren had triggered his trauma. He was back in the moment he lost his past lover. He was berserk.
[CRITICAL ERROR! Villain is going Berserk! The 'Tragic Ending' flag has been triggered!]
"Damn it," Ren cursed. He couldn't fight Malphas physically. He had to use the Saint's power.
Ren ran towards the fire.
"Ren! No!" System 666 screamed in his head.
Ren jumped through the black flames. It burned his skin, but he ignored it. He threw his arms around Malphas's waist from behind.
"I'm here!" Ren shouted, pressing his forehead against Malphas's back. "I'm not leaving! Look at me!"
Malphas froze. The dark energy crackled in his hand.
"Ren?" Malphas rasped. "Burn... you will burn..."
"I don't care," Ren whispered. "If you kill him, you kill the part of you that I like. Don't become a monster for me. I'm not worth it."
Malphas turned around. He saw the burns on Ren's arms. He saw the tears in Ren's eyes—not from pain, but from fear for him.
The dark energy dissolved. Malphas fell to his knees, hugging Ren tightly, careful of the burns.
"Don't say that," Malphas whispered, his voice shaking. "You are worth everything. I... I'm sorry."
[DING! Villain has regained sanity. Affection Level: 100%. 'Happy Ending' Route Unlocked.]
Ren patted Malphas's head. "You big idiot. You almost gave me a heart attack."
Leon stood up, watching the scene. The Demon King, the scourge of the world, was kneeling and apologizing to a human.
"He... loves you," Leon realized, lowering his sword. "Truly?"
"Yes," Ren said firmly. "So take your army and go. Tell the Church the Saint is on a 'long-term missionary trip' to the Demon Realm. If they try to interfere, I won't stop him next time."
Leon looked at the ground. He had lost. Not to power, but to emotion. "As you wish... Saint."
The army retreated.