According to the might befitting a pirate lair of thousands, the treasures held within were innumerable beyond imagination. Among them were several symbols of Fury, objects very dear to Iris in her lifetime.
However, one had to be particularly wary of these treasures.
Eugene was well aware of the persistence and malevolence of the Demon Kings that lingered even after their demise. Even after being slain and banished, the Demon King of Carnage and the Demon King of Cruelty had become dark spirits, beguiling humans and attempting a return for three centuries.
There was a possibility that Iris, after having transformed into the Demon King of Fury, might attempt such mischief through Fury’s artifacts.
Eugene had no desire to reunite with a Demon King he had slain with his own hands. So he proceeded to shatter all symbols of Fury and carefully inspected all the remaining treasures.
"What could she have possibly wanted, amassing so many treasures like a mountain?" Eugene mused. Although Iris, who could have answered his question, had already perished, Eugene could hazard multiple reasons without actually asking her.
"Perhaps funds for some grand venture or such, for supporting her troops," he answered his own question with a possibility while twirling a glittering, lavish crown on his finger.
These were treasures pillaged from the Southern Sea over the years. And Iris, having barely enjoyed her newfound status as the Demon King, perished in less than a week, ensuring these treasures would never be used as war funds.
"Why does she keep staring like that?" Eugene suddenly complained without bothering to turn around.
The blatant gaze piercing the back of his head was hard to ignore, especially after enduring it for hours.
“She has been calling it a divine favor," Kristina responded, "And isn’t that the actual case?? You even chased away Noir Giabella, the Queen of the Night Demons who was haunting Princess Scalia."
If word spread that Noir Giabella, the Queen of the Night Demons, who had no reason to be involved in the situation, had actually intervened, then it was a given fact that complications would surely arise. Hence, neither Princess Scalia nor anyone else was aware of the Queen of the Night Demons' involvement.
“It's because Sienna speaks without thinking,” Eugene complained in a low voice.
"Why is it my fault? You plunged a dagger into the princess’ chest without consideration," Sienna retorted, glaring at Eugene with narrowed eyes.
Their conversation went unnoticed by Scalia, nor did she have any intention of eavesdropping. She maintained her distance while staring intently at Eugene.
'He saved me….' That was the only thought running through Scalia’s mind.
She couldn't remember that exact moment, as her memories during her time under the Demon King's influence remained clouded. Yet, she faintly recalled the impulse to commit atrocities following the deepest desires of her heart. She remembered her intent to kill her lieutenant, Dior, and her own kin, Prince Jafar.
Frankly, it wasn’t entirely Noir's fault, either. Scalia had already been driven half-mad by the dark power exuded by the Demon King of Fury, and the darkest impulses hidden deep within her had surged to the surface without her knowing.
The crux of the matter was that Scalia had no intention of acknowledging the fact that she had harbored such impulses. Throughout her life, she had committed multiple homicides, but she always believed she had never unjustly taken an innocent life, killing only those who deserved to be killed. In her view, the ones she had always chosen were the guilty and, as such, needed to meet their end.
But Dior and Jafar didn’t meet her criteria and were not meant to die. Had she succumbed to her wicked urges and killed them, Scalia knew without a doubt that her life would have been utterly ruined.
'The Hero….' Her thoughts weren’t merely those of gratitude but bordered adoration.
Scalia continued to gawk at Eugene, swallowing hard.
Two days had already passed after the conclusion of the battle. Typically, Scalia wouldn’t be able to sleep without the aid of sleeping pills, and when sleep eventually did take hold of her, it was more than often plagued by nightmares.
However, after receiving the blessing of the Hero, she could now sleep without the aid of any medicine. Furthermore, she slept soundly, free from any nightmares. The whispers that used to torment her thoughts were completely gone. No longer did she harbor thoughts of spilling another’s blood, of committing heinous deeds….
The void left by those eradicated murderous impulses in Scalia’s heart was instead filled with admiration and faith for the Hero, her savior. This miraculous experience instilled a newfound belief within her.
And Scalia was not the only one to feel such a change. Many in the expedition force felt a shift in their perception of Eugene.
The descendant of the Great Vermouth.
Lionheart — the strongest family on the continent.
Until their expedition began, for the majority, the name 'Eugene Lionheart' was often accompanied by such recognition.
But now, things had changed. Why? Because they all had witnessed him defeating a Demon King with their own eyes?
"It is no longer Lionheart of the Great Vermouth," Carmen declared from the sofa the moment Eugene entered their temporary dwelling. "It belongs to the Hero of our current era, Eugene Lionheart.”
Upon hearing this, Eugene's face crumpled involuntarily. The statement wasn’t… derogatory. But it also felt embarrassing to grin like an idiot upon hearing it.
"Ahem….” Clearing his throat, Eugene inquired, “Feeling a bit better, are we?"
"I've realized that my own despondency is somewhat comical," Carmen mused. Then, with a click, she flicked open her lighter before continuing with her thoughts, "This series of events happened because of my shortcomings. Now that I've accepted that, I can't wallow in despair. Instead, I must stand and move forward.”
"Yes..." Eugene agreed with her wholeheartedly.
“I am... grateful to you, Eugene. If you hadn’t come, if you hadn’t led us forward... this era might have been ridiculed by the newly born Demon King,” continued Carmen.
Click.
The lighter's lid snapped shut.
As if on cue, Carmen confessed her deepest worry, "If I hadn't come here, I would have continued living in delusion."
"Delusion…? What delusion are you speaking of?" Eugene asked, confused.
"The delusion of my own strength," Carmen replied while caressing her lighter, a wry smile on her lips. "Eugene, are you familiar with frogs?"
"Yes, I'm aware,” answered Eugene.
"I'm not talking about just any frog. I refer to the naive frog born in a well, having never ventured outside of it. Do you know how limited the sky appears when viewed from within that well, Eugene?" she inquired.
"Well, I've never fallen into a well, so…," Eugene responded awkwardly.
"That frog believes that the well it resides in, and the sliver of the sky it sees, is the entirety of the world. It doesn't understand how vast the world truly is," explained Carmen.
"….." Eugene really wasn’t sure how to respond here.
"I was such a frog, one that mistakenly believed itself to be a lion. But thanks to you, I've come to realize the world's vastness and how insignificant and feeble I truly am,” Carmen admitted.
Eugene knew well the tale of the frog in the well.
"Aren't you being overly harsh on yourself? You're plenty strong, Lady Carmen. In the battle against the Demon King, you did your part,” Eugene assured.
"I could only do so because you drained the Demon King’s power. And because of Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina's assistance,” Carmen pointed out.
Eugene found himself at a loss for words. He awkwardly cleared his throat. Noting his discomfort, Carmen broke into a wide grin and ended the tense silence.
Gratitude shone in her simple words, “Thank you for the enlightenment, Eugene.”
Eugene discerned a burning yearning in Carmen’s eyes. There was a raw, instinctive longing for power inside of her. From ancient times, such a single-minded craving for might inevitably led one to grow stronger. Some, however, would let that desire twist and warp, falling into the forbidden paths and consequently ruining themselves.
But Eugene believed such tales were not Carmen's fate. With a grin, he nodded in agreement.
"What I provided could hardly be called an enlightenment. Both you and I, Lady Carmen… merely did what needed to be done,” Eugene said.
"You usually carry yourself with such arrogance, but in moments like these, you show humility,” Carmen noted.
“Ehem…” Eugene cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.
“Every facet of you shall inspire the Lionheart clan and everyone around. Eugene…. No, the Black Lion,” Carmen said approvingly.
"What?"
"As the face of the Lionheart clan, even overshadowing the radiance of the Holy Sword…. The Black Lion. It’s quite ironic that the colors symbolizing you are the deepest black and crimson…,” Carmen continued without any sign of stopping.
Eugene looked perplexed, “Black... what?”
“Truly astonishing, Eugene. In the three-hundred-year history of the Lionhearts, the White Flame Formula has always emitted a pure white blaze, but you’re different. How should one accept this fact? I believe that just as you’ve added new shades to the White Flame Formula, the Lionhearts of the future will be tinted in your colors….”
Unable to bear any more of her words while sober, Eugene didn’t even look back as he fled from Carmen at top speed.
Haha, Hahaha…. Carmen's satisfied laughter echoed behind him, along with the rhythmic clicks of a lighter.
“Ironic….”
Carmen seemed to have found a new favorite word.
***
Recovering treasures looted by pirates, taking care of the deceased, and tending to the wounded — these were the pressing matters before everyone returned to their homeland. Hence, the punitive force had anchored at the islands for several days.
Thankfully, these were matters for Ortus, not Eugene, to handle. Rumors had spread that even Prince Jafar, who had dared to claim some merits, had been put in his place by Ortus with a stern look.
“After hiding in the evacuation boat throughout the battle, how can you dare to discuss merits, my prince?!” Ciel imitated Ortus’ voice while giggling. “Did you see Prince Jafar’s face then? He probably thought Ortus would unquestionably support him. Well, Prince Jafar surely hopes that when Ortus reports to the king, he would say something along the lines of, 'Prince Jafar ordered the punitive expedition.'"
Had Ortus reported so, there would’ve been a significant shift in the line of royal succession of Shimuin.
“We should tell him to take care of Princess Scalia,” Eugene replied with an uninterested face. “At least she fought valiantly and didn’t flee.”
“Why bother with her?” questioned Ciel.
“A grateful princess with growing influence in the kingdom? Sounds beneficial to me. It’s easier for me in various ways,” Eugene responded.
“What are you plotting?” Ciel asked.
“Nothing shady. Just thinking of getting Princess Scalia to introduce something like a worship day in my honor in the kingdom,” Eugene responded nonchalantly.
“A worship day?” Ciel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Maybe once a month... around noon? A time dedicated to prayers for me. Establishing an entire rest day might be too ambitious, but a brief prayer seems reasonable, right?” Eugene stated.
“Are you trying to start a religion or something?” asked Ciel, a touch of incredulity apparent in her voice.
“Not exactly a religion…. Or is it a religion?” Eugene muttered, a touch of uncertainty on his face. He hadn’t thought of something so grand. After all, establishing a religion would be a headache.
‘I would need to write scriptures, establish doctrines, and raise edifices….’ Eugene thought of all the hassles of starting a religion.
Anise or Kristina might have tended to it with ease if he asked them, but Eugene felt such endeavors were unnecessary.
"Hmm…. I don’t know if a royal proclamation of a worship day is possible. That might be a stretch, but from the looks of it, Princess Scalia might offer you a daily prayer,” Ciel finally commented.
She recalled the visage of Scalia as they passed by her earlier.
Mere days ago, Scalia's face was marred with fatigue from sleepless nights and evident irritation. The light in her eyes had been dull, and dark circles hung heavily beneath her eyes. Yet, of late, even a hint of determination seemed to dwell in Scalia's gaze.
"How is your condition?” Eugene asked suddenly.
"I’m fine. My vision is fine, and I can still see normally. And what about you?” responded Ciel.
"I still feel some aches, but my mana flow is unobstructed," answered Eugene. He gave a chuckle while patting his left chest lightly.
"That’s good to hear. Spending New Year's Day in bed would've been tragic," Ciel joined Eugene in his laughter.
Today was the beginning of a new year. It felt like just yesterday when they first met at the age of thirteen, but now, Ciel and Eugene had grown older by another year and were twenty-two. In truth, for Eugene, the passing of a new year or aging by one year evoked little emotion.
‘I can still remember my past life, so does age really matter?’ he wondered.
If he took into consideration his past life, he was over sixty. No, but what about his life as Agaroth…? How old had Agaroth been when he died? Should he count his age from back then…? That meant Eugene’s age would surpass thousands.
"Hmph."
In some way, he felt an inkling of understanding toward Sienna's frustrations. For no reason, Eugene cast a mischievous glance toward Sienna.
"What are you looking at?" she questioned.
“Am I not allowed to look?" Eugene retorted.
"No, that’s not it, but… your gaze feels insulting somehow,” grumbled Sienna before raising her staff.
Whoosh!
A complex magic circle radiated from the staff. Sensing the space-distorting magic, Eugene cast his eyes toward Kristina.
The magical barrier was fortified with divine power. After confirming this, Eugene sighed deeply, then said, "If it looks dangerous, I'll intervene.”
"Of course you should. I’m not going to overdo it either. I don’t want my new eye to just go pop…," said Ciel.
At the word pop, Eugene's shoulder twitched, recalling the sound when the power from the Demoneye burst Ciel's eye.
"I'd rather not have it pop,” Ciel commented again.
"Don’t say pop," Eugene said.
“You sound ridiculous." Ciel gave Eugene a sidelong glance, narrowing her eyes, and then took a few steps back.
"I’m going to try using it now," she said.
"Do you even know how?" Eugene inquired.
"It’s… more of an intuition…. If I focus, it should work." Ciel spoke no further. She concentrated deeply. As her expression grew solemn, so did the faces of those around her.
For days, they had thoroughly investigated the Demoneye. The problem was that nothing seemed amiss. There was no trace of dark power inside Ciel.
Her Demoneye resonated with her Core. It utilized mana, not dark power.
‘It's inconceivable.’ Despite checking multiple times, Sienna still couldn't fathom it.
Even among demons, Demoneyes were rare. Possessing two was unheard of. Moreover, one of them was the Demoneye of Darkness, which equaled the Demoneye of Fantasy, belonging to the Queen of the Night Demons, and the Demoneye of Divine Glory, belonging to the Blade of Incarceration.
‘Could the dark power that seeped through her eyes have affected it…? No, no. Both the Demoneye of Darkness and the Demoneye of Divine Glory have struck me numerous times over the last three hundred years.’ Sienna continued to analyze Ciel’s Demoneye.
Sienna had felt their force, too. She had experienced the dark power seeping into her body, which had caused her to retch. It had happened just a few days ago during the battle as well.
‘Though Vermouth's blood is supposed to be… unique, the Demoneye didn’t settle in Eugene,’ thought Sienna.
However much she pondered, no answers surfaced. The very fact that a human bore a Demoneye was beyond comprehension.
Their task now wasn't to explore why the Demoneye emerged but to discern its capabilities and potential.
"Since it’s attuned with your Core, you need to be even more careful. You might drain your mana if you misuse it. You understand the implications, don’t you?" asked Sienna.
"Yes." Ciel nodded intently while focusing.
To be drained of mana was to risk collapse from exhaustion. Worse, damage to the Core might leave lingering scars and haunt one for a lifetime.
"As potent and convenient as the Demoneye might be, the power within it consumes vast reserves of dark power," Sienna reminded Ciel.
Sienna had given many such warnings, but it couldn’t be stressed enough. With eyes full of concern, Sienna continued, "Iris only began overusing the Demoneye after becoming the Demon King. Before that, she couldn't."
Gavid Lindman harnessed the power of the Demon King of Incarceration, offering him seemingly inexhaustible reserves even when using the Demoneye. Noir Giabella was a different case. While not tapping into the Demon King of Incarceration’s power, she already possessed dark power rivaling the Demon Kings.
In comparison, Iris had been impoverished in terms of her dark power reserves. Even during their battles in Kiehl, she couldn't unleash the Demoneye’s powers as she had recently done.
‘Ciel’s White Flame Formula is at four Stars,’ Sienna thought as she performed mental calculations.
Her achievement seemed to pale in comparison to Eugene’s monstrous growth, but in truth, reaching four Stars at her age was a prodigious achievement. Among the expedition forces, only Carmen, Ortus, and Ivik possessed more mana than Ciel.
‘Using mana to invoke the Demoneye’s power... is an unprecedented feat. To what extent can it be actualized?’ Sienna wondered.
While the thought stirred concern, the magnitude of Ciel's Demoneye's power also piqued Sienna’s curiosity.
If the Demoneye truly was a gift from Vermouth, it could perhaps harness an unimaginable power, like conjuring abilities without consumption….
"Here I go,” Ciel declared with a steely gaze.
Fwoosh!
Her left eye emitted a golden glow. The space Ciel perceived was distorted, and from its midst, a pitch-black darkness emerged. Though Eugene had been expecting it, witnessing the manifested darkness stiffened his visage.
That darkness was akin to the shadows cast by Iris. Though merely a bit larger than a fist, the creeping shadows grew in size….
Suddenly, Ciel's head jerked back.
Blood spurted from her nose like water from a turned tap.
