Answering, her gaze slowly reached the child inside the barrier, with closed eyes.

“Ah. Now there’s someone who has him on a leash.”

As if Elaime was displeased with that fact, she clicked her tongue.

As if on cue, a powerful water engulfed the two demons. The space they stood on was covered in freezing water as if it were a separate dimension.
The authority emanated by the Spirit King was overwhelming. Though only a portion of the drawn water, the sensation felt as if they were submerged in an endless sea.

With every breath, water, not air, filled their lungs. The two demons struggled, grabbing their throats and covering their noses, writhing in agony.

The power of spirits and the power of demons are polar opposites. Even if they were forces that couldn’t harmonize, the superior force pressing down on the demons was far beyond their capacity to withstand.

Flauros swung his spear haphazardly toward the rushing water like waves. Of course, using a spear to cut through water wasn’t an effective response. Andras yelled in rage.

“Aargh! That powerless little human who clings to others for survival! The reverse…!! Ugh…!!”
As if unwilling to hear more, the water, following Elaime’s will, blocked Andras’s prayers. Subsequently, when the pressure, as profound as the deep sea, pressed down on Andras, he knelt while grinding his teeth.

The demon’s eyes were so intensely bloodshot that it was daunting to meet his gaze, but Elaime, facing him, showed no sign of wavering. He looked down at the kneeling Andras with cold eyes.

“No abilities? Clinging to others for survival?”

Utterly foolish. Elaime sneered.

He counted the beings lingering by the child’s side.

“Other kings, of course, including Agares and the last dragon. Even the family of that child and the owner of this continent.”

There are many competitors. The unsettling ripple of water intensified, as if displeased.

“Those who live in their own arrogance, detested by those who abhor being entangled by anyone.”
Elaime lifted Andras’s chin with his index finger as he knelt. The spot touched by his fingers sizzled as if on fire, causing Andras to contort in pain.

“Originally, those who wouldn’t even glance at each other are now gathering, trembling with fear, all because they received a single gaze from that child.”

An unprecedented feat that transcends time and space.

“The child who injected my feelings into those who became powerless in their exchanges.”

So, dare to harm them. They can’t help but love that child.

“If you want to harm, be prepared to lose as much. Today, I was with the child, but next time, or the time after that, even if I’m not there.”

Andras and Flauros’ avatars were completely swallowed by the compressed sea.

“Agares too.”

The water, resembling a giant snake, coiled around the demons and swirled rapidly.

“The last dragon too.”

The avatars of the two demons, unable to withstand the current, slowly faded away.

“And humans too.”
The desperate screams did not penetrate the barrier.

“Everyone would willingly sacrifice their lives to protect that child.”

When Elaime turned around, Ivelia, holding the lifeless body of the now cold Vivian, was silently shedding tears. Those who had regained their composure, including Elysia, embraced Ivelia.

Elaime, lifting the barrier, slowly approached the contractor. Sensing her presence, Ivelia looked up at Elaime with a hesitant expression.

“Your Majesty.”

“Elaime. Please call me by my name.”

“…….”

“Come on.”

“Well, then, Elaime.”

“Yes.”

With a cheerful smile, Elaime knelt down, meeting the eyes of the young covenant holder.

“I’m sorry even for such things. Is it possible to heal these people? Is healing difficult?”
“I can do it. It may not be as good as high-level wizards or priests, but to heal, I need to use the natural energy of the covenant holder, and that might cause Eve to faint first. Eve’s condition is already a mess.”

“Still…”

“I can’t bring back the dead. Among the living, there’s no one critical enough to require my power. My priority is my covenant holder.”

Ivelia, who hesitated, nodded her head. It was fine if there was no one critical. She had already suspected that some of the servants and knights who couldn’t get up yet had suffered injuries.

It seemed like she was about to burst into tears at any moment, but Ivelia remembered the things she had to do before crying.

“…Thank you for saving us.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve been waiting for you to call.”

“Waiting for me? Why? Do you know me?”

Elaime gently wiped Ivelia’s blood-stained hands with a soft touch.

“Very well.”

“How so?”
In his time frame, it was just a short while ago.

Rarely, a pure soul saved his child, the day he died in exchange, the day his soul was reincarnated, the day he pleaded for love, and someone gently stroked the head that made such requests.

Elaime briefly reminisced about the past, and when the child before him blinked, he met the gaze and smiled slightly.

“A secret.”