Inside the city, Jelrai stood on top of a tall building, silently watching Yuki and Tiyara leave through the city gates in their carriage.
Suddenly, Jelrai's body melted into liquid and disappeared from the rooftop.
A strange place was shown next.
A puddle-like liquid slowly trembled on the ground—
then suddenly, Jelrai emerged from beneath it.
His teal-colored body rose from the liquid while a crystal floated in front of him.
Jelrai spoke respectfully,
"I found that kid, milord."
The surface of the crystal shimmered.
Soon, the image of Sumaru appeared inside it.
From the reflection, it looked as if Sumaru was sitting inside a luxurious room on a large chair, almost like an office.
Sumaru calmly replied,
"Hm... good. Then kill him after contacting me."
Jelrai lowered his head slightly.
"As you command, milord."
The image inside the crystal vanished.
At the same moment, Jelrai's body melted back into the ground and disappeared.
Some days later—
Sumaru was sitting alone inside his throne room.
No other demons were present.
A crystal-like mirror floated before him as he stared at it with growing tension and curiosity.
After waiting for too long, Sumaru finally clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Why hasn't Jelrai contacted me yet?!"
He suddenly punched the armrest of his throne.
"It's already been two days!"
Then suddenly—
his eyes widened.
"Wait... don't tell me that kid actually killed Jelrai?!"
For a moment, silence filled the throne room.
Then Sumaru shook his head sharply.
"No... impossible. There's no way a mere child could kill my left hand."
Still tense, Sumaru stood up and walked down the stairs of his throne.
"Where is TAIJU?! Come here!"
A hurried voice immediately echoed from outside.
"Yes! Coming, sir!!"
A thin demon came running through the throne room entrance and stopped before Sumaru.
"Yes, milord... you called for me?"
Sumaru spoke coldly,
"Hm... go and find Jelrai. He hasn't contacted me for two days, and even my attempts to contact him receive no response."
He paused for a moment before continuing,
"And if you can't find Jelrai... then find that kid instead."
Sumaru narrowed his eyes while trying to remember.
"What was his name again...?"
After a brief pause, he spoke again in a dominating tone.
"Yes... Yuki."
A dark aura filled the room.
"Find that kid and bring his here ALIVE."
Taiju immediately bowed.
"Yes! Yes, milord!"
His voice trembled slightly from fear.
Slowly stepping backward, he turned around and quickly ran out of the throne room.
Meanwhile, Sumaru thought calmly,
Jelrai... I don't know what happened to him.
But Taiju... after Jelrai, he is the most capable demon in my army.
Sumaru turned back toward his throne while continuing his thoughts.
He doesn't look impressive... but in reality, he's extremely powerful.
Powerful enough to clear half of a Magicarf Tower by himself.
Sumaru sat back down on his throne in a stylish manner and crossed one leg over the other.
Then, with an arrogant smile, he muttered,
"Let's wait and see..."
Meanwhile—
Yuki and Tiyara had finally arrived at the main entrance of OHILO City.
The two of them were about to enter when several guards suddenly stopped them.
"Wait. You cannot bring horses into this city without permission."
One of the guards paused before continuing,
"And if you do have permission, show it to us."
Yuki answered normally,
"No, we don't have permission for the horses. But Lord Kalvasu sent me to this city."
The guard's expression instantly changed into suspicion and curiosity.
"What is your name?"
"I am Yuki."
The moment the guard heard that name, his eyes widened in excitement.
"Sir! We've been waiting for you!"
Yuki forced out an irritated smile.
"So... can I take the horses inside now?"
The guard immediately straightened his posture.
"Sorry, sir! But rules are rules. Without permission, you cannot bring horses into the city!"
Tiyara, who was still sitting on the second horse, looked toward Yuki.
"Let's just leave the horses here."
Yuki nodded lightly.
"Yeah..."
Both of them got off their horses.
Then suddenly, one of the guards noticed the dead body tied to the horse behind Yuki.
His expression instantly turned pale.
"S-Sir... what is this?!"
Yuki calmly looked at the body before answering,
"This is our carriage driver. While we were traveling here, a demon attacked us. He died during the attack, and the carriage was destroyed."
He lightly patted the horse beside him.
"These horses were the only reason we managed to reach this city."
The guard stared at Yuki silently for a moment before speaking in a quieter tone.
"I... see..."
Then he lowered his head slightly.
"Anyway, I'm glad you two are safe. I'll make sure this man's body is returned to his family."
Tiyara softly replied,
"Please do..."
After that, Yuki and Tiyara took their belongings from the horses and entered the city.
The two walked through the busy streets of OHILO City.
Compared to Samuru City, this place was far more crowded.
Carriages moved along the roads, horses passed by constantly, and massive buildings towered over the streets.
Yuki looked toward Tiyara with an innocent expression.
"You said we'd reach this place in one day if we ran... but it still took us two days."
Tiyara instantly defended herself.
"Huh?! When did I say that? I said it would take two days if we traveled at that speed!"
Yuki immediately responded,
"Yeah... same thing."
Tiyara loudly protested,
"That's not the same thing at all!"
Then she continued in a teasing tone,
"And besides, normally it takes about a whole week to reach this city."
She proudly puffed out her chest.
"But we got here in only two days. Hehe~"
Hearing that, Yuki looked at her with a shocked and innocent expression.
Meanwhile, Tiyara simply walked ahead with a smug, girly attitude—
leaving Yuki standing there speechless.