Chapter 96

"Ahem! Then, let me start over."

Due to Seetum's request to change the location, the group was brought to the throne room. A young girl, whose feet did not touch the ground, sat on the elaborately decorated throne, tapping her cheeks a few times to make a serious face. The three Demon Generals—Neigus, Tsaiyon, and Diza—stood in a row near her. Despite the Demon King's attempt to create a solemn atmosphere, Neigus and Tsaiyon were grinning, and Diza was struggling to hold back her laughter.

"I am the Demon King—no, the Seeress of the Seal, Seetum. I look forward to working with you."

With that, she bowed her head. She was a rather humble Demon King. Not to mention, she was short in stature, and her build was far from what one would expect of a leader of demons.

"What do you mean by the Seeress of the Seal?"

This question was posed by Kiril.

"Hero Kiril... I never thought I would have to rely on you. I never imagined it."

"That's mutual. The ones who were deceived were us, after all."

"No, it's fine. I understand the circumstances. As for the Seeress of the Seal, it refers to the role of managing the seal of Origin. My family has taken on this responsibility for generations."

"Does that mean it's always been a woman?"

In response to Linus's question, Seetum shook her head.

"No, there have been men as well. In such cases, they were called the Seer of the Seal. However, for several generations, it has been women."

"What exactly do you do to manage the seal of Origin?"

Flam asked, and Seetum's movements paused.

"Flam Apricot, wielder of the Reversal attribute..."

"Yes, but..."

"You, in a different way from Kiril, were not supposed to come here."

"Does that mean Origin was targeting me?"

"Yes. If Origin could incorporate someone with such effective abilities against it, it wouldn't disappear. That's what it must have thought."

Flam felt as if she had heard this story somewhere before. Perhaps her former self had reached the same conclusion through speculation. She noticed that Diza, perhaps curious about the entity, was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"But if it's sealed, shouldn't it be impossible to incorporate anyone?"

"Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the seal of Origin has loosened. It's not a situation where we can definitively say it can't incorporate anyone. It's believed that this power has affected the people of the capital, leading to the creation of chimeras."

"If managing the seal is your duty, shouldn't you be able to fix the looseness? Why is it still left unattended?"

In response to Eterna's question, Seetum shook her head again. Her expression was tinged with deep regret. She was desperately searching but couldn't find the cause.

"We don't know who did it or when it started. More than that, we haven't even been able to confirm that the seal has loosened."

"Even if I don't know the mechanism of the seal, not being able to detect abnormalities is a failure as a manager."

"Hey, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

Tsaiyon stepped forward and glared at Gadio, but Seetum stopped him with a hand.

"It's fine, brother. He's right."

"But still!"

"…I admit my choice of words was poor. I'm sorry."

If the power that had leaked from the loosened seal hadn't, chimeras wouldn't have been born. It was natural for his hatred to be directed at it. When Gadio sincerely bowed his head, Tsaiyon scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

"This is also a result of my inadequacy. However, even when comparing the records left by the previous generation, no abnormalities in the seal have been found."

"Unusual."

"I am also involved in investigating the cause, but I have no leads. I would like to request your assistance if possible."

"Diza, Kiril is not an option. We don't know when the seal might be broken."

"I understand that."

"I have no intention of breaking the seal."

"Origin manipulates and destroys the minds of living beings. We must avoid the risk."

Ideally, they shouldn't even be allowed into the Demon King's castle. But the situation was dire. If they lost the war, Origin would eventually revive. To overcome the difficulties, they had to accept the risk and welcome them.

"Therefore, please do not approach the seal while you are in the Demon King's castle. Other than that, there are no restrictions. You are free to use any available rooms."

"You're being generous."

"...In a way, it feels like you're leaving us defenseless."

When Kerena and Ink said this, Neigus smiled wryly.

"That's the kind of reaction you get..."

"Seetum is like that, no need to worry."

"Even knowing that chimeras are attacking, she still hopes for peace."

Flam and the others understood that Seetum was not just a kind girl. Most of all, her eyes were clear, perhaps even clearer than Milkit's. For Flam, it was a sufficient reason to trust her. Neigus, Tsaiyon, and Diza, despite some differences, did not seem to be deceiving anyone, at least from their expressions. It seemed they could feel more at ease than when they were in the capital.

"I just follow the teaching of not fighting with humans..."

"Even so, I think Seetum is a bit too kind. But, I like that about her."

"...Do you really need to say that here?"

Seetum glared at Tsaiyon with a deadpan expression, but he laughed carelessly. On the other hand, Flam and the others were somewhat left behind by their conversation.

"Sorry, these two are always like this."

"It's good that they get along, but they should be more mindful of the situation."

"Diza, this is my brother's fault, not mine!"

"Ah, it's fine if it's my fault. Let's stop neglecting the heroes, okay?"

"But it's my brother's fault..."

Seetum's eyes gradually filled with tears.

"Well, this is kind of nice, isn't it? In the capital, I rarely had a normal conversation with humans."

Linus said with a laugh.

"Linus is right. It feels like I can communicate better with demons than humans."

Flam genuinely felt this way. Just the absence of people who would suddenly change their demeanor and resort to violence made her feel much more at ease.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Seetum bowed her head, but it wasn't as if she was putting on an act. It was all true.

"So, what about after this... I'm thinking of holding a small party to welcome you all. Would you like to join us?"

Surprised, Gadio inadvertently echoed her words.

"Party..."

His imposing appearance made Seetum mistakenly think he was displeased, so she quickly added:

"I'm not forcing you. If you're not in the mood, I'll prepare a room for you to rest immediately—"

Of course, there was no reason for Flam and the others to decline.

"That's not it, I was just surprised. I'd be happy to attend. Is that okay?"

Gadio, who had inadvertently misled them, spoke on behalf of the group and looked back for agreement. No one objected. Seetum, relieved by their response, sighed in relief and smiled.

◇◇◇

Until the party preparations were complete, Flam and the others were led to their respective rooms to pass the time. Since they couldn't be in separate rooms, they were divided into groups. Flam, Milkit, and Kiril shared a room. Eterna was with Ink, and Gadio was with Linus—though at some point, Kerena and Harom ended up in the same room. Linus, who was left out, chose a room without any particular concern. Incidentally, Sera was forced to stay in Neigus's room.

"Compared to the Demon King's castle, it feels more like a hotel."

"Yeah, the interior is beautiful, and the bed is so soft."

Flam and Kiril entered the room and immediately sat on the bed, gently bouncing to enjoy its softness. Milkit was not there because she was helping with the party preparations. It wasn't because of her inherent maid-like nature, but apparently, she had heard about Diza's cooking skills and was trying to learn from her. Just before they parted, she clenched her fists and declared, "I will serve my master with even more powerful cooking!" The scene was more endearing than reassuring, and just thinking about it made Flam's cheeks relax.

"Thinking about Milkit?"

"Huh? W-Why did you know?"

Flam, caught off guard by Kiril's accurate guess, stammered.

"I can tell. When you think about her, you look happier than usual."

"Is that so... I guess so."

Just thinking about Milkit made her heart race and her body feel light. It was a different kind of happiness from eating delicious food or experiencing something joyful, but it was a form of happiness nonetheless. As Flam placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling, Kiril stood up and approached her, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Kiril?"

She traced the slave mark on her cheek with a pained expression.

"...I'm really sorry."

"That's okay, didn't you say that after the battle with Mother?"

"I still think it wasn't enough."

The wound Kiril had inflicted on Flam was too deep to be repaid in a short time. It would take more time for Kiril to forgive herself.

"Thanks to you, I met Milkit. But I don't forgive Jean... I don't forgive Jean, but it wasn't all bad."

Flam said this with a straightforward, unclouded smile.

"Flam, you... are kind."

"Maybe, but I think anyone in my position would say something similar."

Kiril shook her head, "That's not true." At least, she wouldn't say it if she were in the same situation. That was her certainty. Then, she removed her hand from Flam's cheek and sat down next to her.

"Would you mind telling me what happened after we parted ways?"

"I don't think it's all bright, and I haven't fully remembered everything, but are you okay with it?"

"I want to hear it, even the painful parts."

If that was the case, Flam left the party and began to recount the events from the moment she became a slave, organizing her memories as she spoke. She described how she was branded with a slave mark, beaten by a merchant who found her unsellable, and nearly killed before meeting Milkit and the Soul Eater. She talked about the mysterious monsters she fought in Enichide's facility, the battle with Dain, and the rescue of Ink. She mentioned the necromancy that aimed to resurrect the dead but instead proved that the dead cannot be resurrected, and the Children who, rejected by the church, tried to assert their existence by involving many people. The past few months were so intense that her meeting with Milkit felt like it happened years ago.

"Flam, you