Looking around the castle interior again, not a single person was left standing. Honestly, my classmates weren’t much to worry about. Of course, saying that out loud might trigger a cliché where Shimizu or Nagai turns out to be secretly powerful, so I kept it to myself.

"Ahh, that was refreshing," said Rio with an oddly satisfied smile as she stretched.

The grin on her face was completely out of place in a setting filled with groans from the fallen. Still, as long as Rio was content, that was all that mattered.

"Alright, let’s move on," I said.

"Yeah."

"Wa... wait..."

Hennig somehow managed to rise, still determined to block our path.

"Man, you’re persistent. Still not giving up?"

"Of course... Even if my demon sword is broken, as long as my spirit is intact... I will rise again—"

"Lightning Bolt."

"Gah!"

Sorry to interrupt, but could you not get in the way? I doubt you’d tell us where the Third Princess is even if we asked, so just stay down quietly.

"Let’s go," I said, turning to Rio with a smile after confirming Hennig was down for good this time. Thinking that this might finally resolve the situation of being targeted by the kingdom brightened my mood.

Hand in hand with Rio, we walked through the castle like we were on a date. At one fork in the path, we followed the road leading toward the main castle, eventually arriving at a large carriage rotary.

Here, the signs of battle disappeared entirely, leaving the area pristine.

"Wow, this is incredible," Rio said.

In the center of the rotary was a fountain, water still flowing gracefully. The cobblestones were immaculately laid, creating an aesthetic scene. The castle’s entrance loomed large and open, easily wide enough for three carriages to pass through simultaneously.

"Excuse us!" I called out instinctively as we entered.

"Welcome, esteemed guests," came a voice.

"Whoa!"

To my surprise, a man impeccably dressed in a butler’s uniform greeted us with a deep bow. I hadn’t sensed his presence at all.

"My apologies for startling you... Might I inquire as to your business today?"

The man, with neatly combed green hair and dusky skin, was strikingly handsome. Suspicious? Absolutely. But since he wasn’t attacking us outright, I decided to see where this went.

"Uh, we’re here to meet the Third Princess, Liliana Arclight. Do you know where she might be?"

"Princess Liliana Arclight, you say?"

His eyes glinted sharply as he studied us.

"Yes," Rio replied. "We have something we need to return to her personally."

The butler seemed to catch onto something, his expression shifting to one of understanding.

"May I have your names?"

I glanced at Rio, and after a brief exchange of looks, we both introduced ourselves. Surprisingly, he seemed to accept our story without issue.

It seemed Torbil, whom we had spoken with two days ago, had indeed passed along our message. Oddly cooperative, but perhaps too convenient. Was this a trap?

"My sincerest apologies. I’ve heard about you from Torbil," the butler explained.

"I see..."

Could it be that Torbil actually did vouch for us? He really was too good of a guy. Or maybe just too naïve to be handling something this serious.

"Torbil... I hope he’s alright," Rio murmured, her face clouded with concern.

I shared her sentiment, though part of me remained wary. What if this was all a ploy? If the room he led us to turned out to be a trap, I’d regret my gullibility. And if we were teleported to another cursed forest... well, we’d manage.

"This way, please," the butler said, turning his back to us and heading deeper into the castle.

Though hesitant, Rio and I exchanged nods before following him. Without any leads of our own, we didn’t have much choice.

The corridors twisted and turned as we walked, until we lost track of where we had come from. It felt like we were being deliberately led in circles, but castles were vast places, so perhaps that was natural.

"Rio... if they tell us to leave, could you find your way back?" I asked, admitting my disorientation.

Rio responded with a sheepish laugh. "Haha... I might be just as lost as you..."

"Figured."

"Rest assured," the butler interjected smoothly, "I will personally see to your safe departure."

His sharp hearing caught even our whispered exchange. This guy was seriously unsettling. Honestly, he seemed stronger than the knight captain. Who was he? With his dusky skin... could he be a demon? Magic could hide horns, after all...

"Um, thanks, I guess?"

Growing more suspicious, I subtly pulled out a small magical tool I had bought as a joke—a "Mirror of Truth."

Peering into the mirror, I aimed it toward the butler.

"No way..."

Reflected in the glass were a pair of horns protruding from his temples.

"Here we are," the butler announced.

Still processing what I had seen, I found myself ushered into an open space bathed in sunlight.

The area was vast, large enough to host a baseball game, with tiered seating resembling a stadium.

"Didn’t think you’d actually show up," came a familiar voice.

Standing there, as expected, were Shimizu Masayoshi and Nagai Mei.

Honestly, the revelation that demons had infiltrated the Arclight Kingdom’s core overshadowed any concern I had about these two.