I returned to the mansion alone.

Katya was apparently going out somewhere again today, so we decided to have our meal without her.

By making Ivy shrink down and disguising her with sunglasses and a hat, we were able to slip into a restaurant and eat without drawing too much attention.

We reserved a private room, ordered a generous amount of food, and shared it together.

“Mii!”

Even though I told her I was fine, Ivy used her magic hands to divide all the food for me.

She was taking even more care of me than usual.

After finishing our meal and taking a deep breath, I gazed out the window at the scenery outside.

“But… what should we do?”

I had heard countless stories about the hero and the Demon King.

I had received many answers to questions I once thought I wanted.

Yet, my worries were far from being solved—they had only grown deeper.

There were many challenges to defeating the Demon King.

But leaving it all to Rey alone would be far too irresponsible.

As the leader of the Saviors, it was my duty to take care of my comrades, even if our party was only temporary and could dissolve at any moment.

Besides, I could never be at ease knowing everything was left to Rey.

If I did, she would undoubtedly be walking straight into death.

I considered Rey my comrade.

There was no way I could just sit back and watch as she recklessly put herself in danger.

I had power.

And if I asked, Ivy would surely fight alongside me.

But more than anything—we were not alone.

Sanshita and Icicle were both tamed beasts under my command.

Katya would stand by me, and if she pleaded, even the Marquis wouldn’t be able to refuse.

It wasn’t just Rey, the hero—we also had Maria, the former saint.

Maria’s guards, Hamil and Shannon, would likely lend their strength if we asked.

And beyond them, countless others supported our lives.

I was no longer the naive boy who had left a rural village for the capital, knowing nothing.

Back then, I had no one to rely on and had to build every relationship from scratch.

But now, I had people who would help me, comrades by my side… and many who admired and supported us.

I was a hero, a griffon rider.

And if that were the case, then Ivy was… something like a sacred beast aiding the hero, wasn’t she?

Once more, I looked out at the scenery.

The bustling capital appeared just as it had when I first arrived.

Yet, the colors I saw felt completely different.

Perhaps because my heart had made its decision.

The city looked far more vibrant than it had before.

“Mii?”

Ivy looked up at me.

Her sparkling eyes were so clear, as if she could see right through me.

“Ivy, let’s do this ourselves. If we work together, I’m sure we can handle even the Demon King.”

Maybe I wasn’t the most reliable person.

But at the very least, I could ease her burden, even just a little.

“…Mii…”

“…Ivy?”

It was rare to see her looking so downcast, lost in thought.

It had been a long time since I last saw her like this.

For a moment, Ivy looked troubled—then suddenly, she lifted her head.

And just like that, she was back to her usual self.

“Mii!”

With a confident thump on her chest, she seemed to be saying, “Leave it to me!”

I was a bit concerned about her, but at times like these, Ivy rarely shared what was on her mind.

So all I could do was wait until she worked through it on her own.

Thus, after our audience with the king and our conversation with Jennifer, we finally steeled our resolve.

A resolve to live not as some fake heroes, but as the real thing.

A resolve to take the necessary steps to break free from this chaos—to stand at the front lines.

And with that, we made our decision—to intervene in the battle between the hero and the Demon King.

Now that we had decided, we had to act immediately.

The time we had left was not long—