We immediately ran to the tumultuous place, without me having to say anything.

“……!”

What unfolded before us was truly a battlefield.

Demons were entangled in fierce combat with knights, and despite the knights fighting desperately, they couldn’t gain any advantage.

When considering the very young and beautiful faces that didn’t match with typical knights, it seemed like all available combat forces were gathered to resist the demons.

“The demons…!”

“So it seems.”

Hades agreed with me.

“But, how… without my command.”

“Stop it now!”

“No.”

Hades shook his head.

“Those demons don’t listen to my orders. I don’t know why, but I have no control over them.”

“Then, what do we do?”

Hades walked towards the demons.

“We fight. Just like my predecessor did.”

As he recited a spell, a giant ice sword appeared in the air. Hades jumped into the midst of the battle, holding only one ice sword.

And me?

I did nothing, just watched his actions.

Hades’ sudden participation immediately caught the eyes of the other knights.

“Great, Grand Commander!”

“The Grand Commander has returned!”

The news spread in all directions.

Hades nodded slightly to them, cutting down the demons relentlessly.

Although it seemed like he was giving orders for everyone to leave this chaos immediately, no one listened to Hades’ command, and they fought alongside him, swords clashing.

How much time passed?

Finally, what remained in the scene of slaughter were the gruesome corpses of the demons and those people drenched in the demons’ black blood, turned upside down.

I captured that sight in my eyes.

Yes, this was life in the north.

The life that Hades had lived for a lifetime and devoted his entire life to protect.

And the life that he almost completely abandoned.

“Grand Commander!”

It was William’s voice.

“Congratulations on your return, Grand Commander!”

“Rise, William.”

The Grand Commander replied with a tired voice.

“No need to show respect to me. Judging by the looks of it, you seem to have followed my lead.”

“Uh, Grand Commander…”

William stammered.

“I hope you understand that I’ve never held a grudge. It was due to the pressure from other colleagues… I had no choice.”

“Is that so?”

Hades stared into space with a contemplative expression.

“I might have to give them a reprimand. Since they’ve appointed the most inappropriate person as my successor.”

“Grand Commander!”

“Let’s go inside, William. I need to assess the extent of the damage I’ve caused during my absence.”

“…Please don’t say such things.”

William seemed almost on the verge of tears.

“Others may not know, but I understand. Wasn’t it you, Grand Commander, who stopped the impending destruction of the entire world?”

I blinked my eyes a few times.

William’s words were correct.

Hades, who prevented the execution of the destruction of the entire world, was indeed the one who had done it.

“But… how do we deal with this situation?”
Judging by Hades’ expression, he was also wearing a surprised look. However, instead of questioning William, Hades tapped his shoulder.

“Glad to see you have that level of trust. Let’s go inside. There’s much to do.”

William exclaimed with a genuinely pleased voice.

“Yes!”

I didn’t follow them. Even if I followed, I couldn’t help much, and now I wasn’t weak enough to have to stick with Hades constantly.

That’s right.

If Hades returned as the Demon King to the land of demons, I returned with a healthy body. I could confidently walk without anyone’s help. I stared at the dead demons.

The demons who didn’t follow Hades’ orders at all seemed exactly like the demons Donovan had faced until now.

‘Maybe…’

I got lost in thought.

‘Really, were these demons not entirely unrelated to the Demon King?’

If it was correct to follow the orders of the previous Demon King, they shouldn’t have invaded Donovan after his death.

But if they naturally originated from somewhere and kept coming…

Or there might have been a new leader in this group.

Either way, it was a situation where a fundamental solution was possible.

‘It might be difficult to respond immediately.’

I pondered.

‘But, when spring comes and resources flow into Donovan, if there’s some leisure…’

Of course, there was a way for Hades to handle it alone.

Swordmaster and Demon King.

With two powers that exceeded imagination in his hands, his ability could be overwhelming.

However, I realized one thing while watching him fighting with other knights a while ago.

Hades should not fight alone.

It wasn’t that he supported Donovan by fighting alone, but despite fighting alone, he supported Donovan.

It was when I bent down to investigate the demons a bit more.

“Isn’t this Lady Saint?”

My body froze involuntarily.

It was because an unforgettable voice reached my ears.

I turned my body slowly.

“….!”

My eyes widened.

The person in front of me, the person I had completely forgotten, said, “You… how.”