Chapter 64

Calmly, Iris listened as Luisha told her everything she knew.

That Testarossa was alive, that she was with the Dragon King, that they had spent time together in the Infinite Prison, and that they were searching for the Hero’s relics to save them.

At first, Iris was skeptical, but she believed Luisha after seeing the "Dragon Knight" emblem etched on her body.

"R-Really, that the Lord of Demons is alive..."

Learning this fact, Iris broke down in tears.

For a few minutes, until she stopped crying, Luisha gently stroked Iris’s back.

"…Thank you. I’m okay now."

Despite her puffy eyes, Iris returned to her usual composed self.

Seeing this, Luisha felt relieved.

"…I’m sorry. Even though I didn’t know, it’s true that I tried to take the life of someone who could be considered the Lord of Demons’ partner. I will accept any punishment."

Saying this, Iris bowed deeply to Luisha while seated.

Luisha panicked at Iris’s determined eyes, which seemed like they might really attempt suicide.

"Hey, hey! It’s fine, I’m not angry!!"

"But it’s not that simple—"

"Look! We need to work together to save Testa-nee, so there’s no time for punishment!"

"…You do have a point. Alright, I’ll accept my punishment after we save the Lord of Demons."

"That’s good."

Relieved to have talked her around, Luisha sighed.

"By the way, Lady Luisha, have you told anyone else about this?"

"No, I haven’t told anyone yet."

"That’s good. If this were to be known by other demons or dragons, it would be a serious problem."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Iris explained the current state of the demons and dragons to Luisha.

Originally, demons and dragons did not get along and often had minor conflicts. However, with the peaceful rulers Testarossa and Rio as kings, such disputes decreased.

But after the Hero defeated the two kings, the situation changed. The two races became hostile again, and tensions were so high that a full-scale war could break out at any moment.

"If they knew the king was alive, both sides would try to rescue him by any means necessary. They would also obstruct each other. This would inevitably lead to war."

"Th-They’re that hostile…"

In such a state, even if the Demon King and Dragon King were on good terms and tried to stop the fighting, it would not be believed.

Luisha had planned to seek help from both races at some point, but now she felt disheartened knowing it would be difficult.

"I see, so we can’t get any help. That’s a shame."

"…Not necessarily."

Saying this, Iris snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, about ten people dressed in black cloaks appeared from nowhere.

All of them were strikingly beautiful, with graceful movements.

"You mean these people…!"

"Yes. We are all vampires. We were actually observing from a distance."

"I didn’t notice at all."

The vampires, who had been prevented from joining the battle due to Luisha’s barrier magic, had listened to the conversation with their enhanced hearing.

Once the battle ended and the barrier was lifted, they moved closer and waited.

"I apologize for our sudden appearance. Would you hear me out?"

The oldest-looking vampire, a white-haired gentleman, approached Luisha and knelt.