Espen laughed mockingly as he answered, “From the beginning, I guess.”

Although I thought it had been quite a while since he infiltrated the palace, to think it had been from the beginning. Both Hadel and I froze at his words. Espen pointed at me with his finger.

“That woman died, and I completely turned away. At that moment, a demon approached me. It was a demon from the demon race, feasting on human malice and fear. While other races aimed to banish them beyond the mountains, the demon race was eradicated from the beginning, as they were too dangerous.

But Espen claimed that the demon race had approached him at the moment of my death? I vehemently denied it.

“That can’t be true. We eradicated the demon race.”

“Yes, but one of them survived. It was a demon who, like me, lost a loved one and suffered. We had similarities, so we easily became one.”

I couldn’t comprehend Espen’s words.

“The demon race is not a species that can love someone.”

They were a race completely different from humans. However, before I could question, Espen excitedly continued.

“To save you, I came back with a heart and returned to the capital. But do you know what your father said?”

Espen’s reddened face vividly displayed the anger of that day.

“He told me to bury you in history. He said it was a great death.”

“……”

My father said that. I was speechless. Espen continued with a sarcastic tone.

“While you were fighting on the battlefield, those who lived comfortably in warm places commemorated and easily forgot you. Do you think that makes sense?”

“So, you took control of the royal family because of that?”

It wasn’t the only reason. Espen shrugged in response.

“Well, that wasn’t the only reason. To preserve the heart, it had to match your wavelengths, and the closer the blood relationship, the higher the probability of compatibility.”

Espen glared at Hadel again, threateningly.

“But among all those people, this guy turned out to be the compatible one. It’s quite infuriating.”

Whether Espen felt threatening or not, Hadel completely shielded me. Espen growled as he spoke.

“Step back from her!”

“No.”

“Do you think you can be something just because you’ve adapted to fire?”

“I won’t turn my back and run away from you at least.”

Hadel firmly protected me. However, there was no room for complacency. I urgently asked.

“Then what about the king and queen now…?”

I had a feeling, and it was confirmed.

“I have them under my control. I didn’t kill them. In case that vessel also breaks, a new vessel will be needed.”

“Are you really insane?”

It was unbelievable. Espen, looking at me with astonishment, rather smirked.
“They are only paying the price for their sins. Recklessly pushing others’ lives into the battlefield and not showing the proper respect—it’s the price for such sins.”

“Ha.”

I couldn’t understand how they reached such a conclusion. While I was silent, Hadel spoke.

“Now I understand.”

“What?”

“Everything will end once you disappear.”

It was a clear conclusion. However, Espen mocked Hadel.

“You, disappear?”

Espen said meaningfully, “Did I push you here without any thought?”

Espen flicked his finger. At that moment, Hadel’s body swayed.

“Kuk.”

“Hadel!”

With a humming sound, the flow of mana was disturbed. However, I could only feel it; I didn’t experience the shock like Hadel.

Espen, while trembling, ridiculed Hadel, who stood without collapsing.

“Under the pavilion, there’s a surgery room where your heart transplant took place. There are also magic rituals spread out to suppress the fire mana. You are already under my control.”

Espen’s triumphant smiling face turned my insides upside down.

I shouted at Espen, “Let Hadel go!”

“Why should I?”

Espen blinked as if he couldn’t understand at all.

“Now that you’ve returned, everything is over. You just need to transplant that heart. But why should I let him go now?”

At this rate, Espen seemed ready to pull out Hadel’s heart. I responded with a firm face.

“That’s impossible.”

“Why? Is he pitiful?”

Is it a matter of pity? Ethically, it was an unreasonable problem. However, there was no point in lecturing ethics to Espen, who had already turned. Instead, I pointed out a practical aspect.

“As I said, I’m a jokjeibi! I’m just in a human form by chance now. I can’t do something like a heart transplant.”

Espen frowned.

“Just maintain the human form continuously.”

He seemed not to believe in the jokjeibi’s true form. I explained with a serious tone.

“I can only be human when Hadel infuses mana. Even now, if I use up the mana I have, I will return to being a jokjeibi.”

“What?”

Espen glared at Hadel with fierce eyes. I replied with each word emphasized.

“If you don’t believe it, ask the knights who came with us. No, asking Lady Evelyn, the lord of Nerris, could also be a solution. If she says so, you might believe it too.”

Saying this, Espen’s pupils shook. He, in confusion, asked.

“Jokjeibi? You?”

“If there’s no Hadel, there’s no me.”

“…How do you infuse mana?”