The colossal hall fell silent after King Gromkar's words.
His expression had changed completely.
Until then, I had only seen an experienced and powerful king standing before me. But at that moment, I realized there was something more.
Concern.
Not just concern over ordinary battles.
It was the look of someone watching his own kingdom slowly lose its strength.
Gromkar rested one arm on the throne as he looked at us.
"The demons began invading our lands a few weeks ago."
"At first, we believed it would be just another simple conflict."
"Giants have always defeated monsters."
"That has always been our reality."
His heavy voice echoed throughout the hall.
"But this time... it was different."
Tholgrim stepped forward, holding a small object wrapped in dark cloth.
"We found this after one of the battles."
He slowly removed the cloth.
A small black stone appeared.
The moment I looked at it, I immediately felt an unpleasant sensation run through my body.
Demonic mana.
Highly concentrated.
Liriel frowned slightly.
"That energy..."
Lyannis narrowed her eyes.
"It's unstable."
"But extremely refined."
Tholgrim nodded.
"The demons have begun using these stones during their attacks."
"When our warriors get close... their bodies begin to weaken."
Durgan clenched his fists.
"Giants lose their strength."
"Their breathing becomes heavy."
"Their muscles fail."
"Some even collapse without being able to lift their weapons."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"So the demons created a weapon specifically against giants..."
"Yes."
Gromkar replied.
"They studied our race."
"They found our weakness."
The king slowly rose from his throne.
Even standing above the steps, his presence was overwhelming.
"Our race has always relied on strength."
"On endurance."
"On physical power."
"But these stones destroy exactly that."
He descended a few steps as he continued speaking.
"The longer a giant remains exposed... the weaker they become."
"In some cases..."
His expression hardened.
"...prolonged exposure is fatal."
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became heavy.
Vespera was the first to break the silence.
"So the demons aren't fighting head-on."
"They're weakening you first."
"Exactly."
Tholgrim answered.
"The worst part is that we still don't fully understand how these stones work."
Lyannis stepped closer to the stone.
She analyzed the mana surrounding it for a few seconds.
"This isn't ordinary magic."
"It feels more like concentrated corruption."
Liriel nodded.
"I can sense demonic energy mixed with magical poison."
Rai'kanna looked at me.
"So that's why they needed outside help."
I finally began to understand the entire situation.
The giants were strong.
Very strong.
But they were facing an enemy that had developed a weapon specifically designed to neutralize their greatest advantage.
That made everything more dangerous.
Far more dangerous.
Because it meant the demons were evolving.
They were studying the races.
Creating strategies.
This no longer seemed like an ordinary war.
Gromkar slowly sat back down on the throne.
"For centuries we kept our kingdom isolated."
"We never joined alliances with other nations."
"We preferred solving our own problems."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"But now..."
The king raised his eyes directly toward me.
"...we need help."
The hall fell silent.
Everyone waited for my answer.
I glanced at my companions.
Scarlet remained serious.
Liriel was clearly worried about the demonic corruption.
Lyannis seemed curious about those stones.
Elara silently observed everything.
Vespera maintained her usual calm demeanor.
Rai'kanna looked troubled after realizing how far the demons had advanced.
I turned my gaze back to Gromkar.
"We'll help."
"We'll eliminate the demons attacking your lands."
The king closed his eyes for a brief moment before slowly nodding.
"Then the Kingdom of the Giants will be indebted to you."
Durgan smiled faintly for the first time since our arrival.
"At last we'll have a chance to fight back."
Gromkar then raised one hand.
"As promised in the letter sent to the guild..."
"You will receive two hundred bars of solid gold."
"In addition to sixty thousand gold coins."
Scarlet let out a quiet whistle.
"That's a lot of money..."
Elara looked at her.
"We're talking about an entire kingdom trying to survive."
The king continued.
"But besides that..."
He paused briefly.
"...we also wish to offer land to the hero Takumi."
I immediately shook my head.
"That's not necessary."
"The reward is already more than enough."
Gromkar let out a deep chuckle.
"You speak exactly as the letters described."
I frowned.
"Letters?"
Tholgrim answered.
"The King of the Half-Dragons spoke highly of you."
Rai'kanna smiled faintly.
"My father talks a little too much sometimes."
Gromkar continued.
"They said you always try to refuse greater rewards."
"But we giants value honor."
"You will risk your life for our people."
"So we'll only accept it if you also accept our gratitude."
I was speechless for a few seconds.
It was difficult to argue with someone that large while they looked at you so seriously.
Scarlet let out a quiet laugh beside me.
"I think you lost this one."
I sighed.
"All right..."
"I accept."
Durgan struck his massive hand against his chest as a sign of respect.
"Good answer."
The atmosphere in the hall became a little lighter after that.
Then Gromkar spoke again.
"Now, regarding your stay."
"As you can imagine..."
He glanced around his hall.
"...our buildings aren't exactly suited for humans."
Elara crossed her arms.
"We noticed."
The king chuckled again.
"That's why we had a mansion built specifically for you."
"It's not as magnificent as human castles..."
"But it should be comfortable."
Liriel smiled gently.
"That's more than enough."
Gromkar pointed toward Durgan.
"The general will take you there."
"Rest today."
"You may begin the mission tomorrow."
I nodded slowly.
"Understood."
Durgan started walking again, and we followed him out of the hall.
As we left, I could still feel the weight of Gromkar's gaze on me.
That king was placing a great deal on this mission.
Perhaps even the future of his kingdom.
The corridors were just as gigantic as before.
But now I could better sense the heavy atmosphere inside the castle.
Wounded guards.
Exhausted soldiers.
Constant activity.
Even the giants seemed tense.
After several minutes of walking, we returned to the enormous elevator.
Scarlet stepped closer to me while we waited for the platform to descend.
"What are you thinking about?"
I looked ahead in silence for a few seconds.
"The demons are changing far too quickly."
Lyannis immediately agreed.
"That worries me as well."
"Creating something specifically designed against giants isn't simple."
Vespera leaned against the wall.
"It means planning."
"Strategy."
"They're preparing something bigger."
Rai'kanna folded her arms.
"First dragons."
"Now giants."
"They're targeting the strongest races first."
No one answered.
Because everyone understood the same thing.
This was probably only the beginning.
The elevator slowly descended.
After some time, we left the main castle and followed a side path near the enormous outer gardens.
That was when I finally saw the mansion prepared for us.
Compared to the giant castle, it looked small.
But by human standards, it was enormous.
The building stood beside an artificial lake surrounded by tall trees.
Its walls were light-colored.
Its roof was dark.
Large windows lined the structure, and a spacious veranda stretched across the front.
Durgan stopped at the entrance.
"The servants have prepared everything."
"If you need anything, just let us know."
"Thank you."
I replied.
The general nodded before heading back toward the castle.
I observed the mansion for a few seconds.
Even in that gigantic kingdom... they had truly gone out of their way to welcome us properly.
Scarlet placed her hands on her hips.
"Well..."
"At least we won't be sleeping in giant-sized beds."
Elara chuckled softly.
"That really would have been a problem."
Liriel slowly opened the door.
A wave of warm air flowed out from inside.
The mansion looked extremely comfortable.
For the first time since arriving in the Kingdom of the Giants... I felt that we would finally be able to rest a little before the real battle began.