Floating beside them, the spirit of the magical staff — MS Eli — pointed at her right eye.
"Your right eye is a demon's eye.
Judging by the color, it belongs to an ice demon."
Anita raised an eyebrow.
"And who exactly is this floating spirit?"
"Long story," Andras replied.
"I'll explain after the battle."
"Yeah, okay." Anita turned back to him.
"So after I killed the first Fire Demon, my vision changed.
I mean… only in my right eye."
"I noticed," Andras nodded.
"Fire Demons have red‑tinted demon eyes.
Ice Demons have blue ones.
Yours is clearly the latter."
"And my left arm changed after I killed the Clan Leader," Anita added, sounding a bit unsure.
Eli floated closer, as if examining her more carefully.
"That arm is a demon's arm.
Judging by the skin tone, definitely an ice demon's."
Andras folded his arms.
"So your demon‑slayer sword was likely forged from the heart of an Ice Demon.
Based on what you've described, the more demons you kill with it,
the more your body transforms…
and the stronger you become."
Anita's lips twitched.
"Getting stronger is one thing.
But does that mean I'm… turning into an Ice Demon?"
Andras turned to Eli.
"That's a good question.
Is this transformation permanent?
Or can it be controlled?"
"If it works similarly to the Dragon Knights' Dragon Force," Eli explained,
"then you can learn to control it.
You choose when to activate it,
and when to remain in human form."
"And what does that mean exactly?" Anita asked.
"It means," Andras said,
"that you decide whether you appear human…
or in demon‑skin."
Anita's eyes lit up.
"Oh, then that's fine!
By the way… you into demon girls, Young Wolf?"
Andras smiled, as if she had asked something completely innocent.
"Oh, absolutely.
That ice‑blue color is especially attractive."
Anita nodded in satisfaction.
"Then making a soul‑contract with this demon‑slayer sword was definitely the right choice."
Reinforcements Arrive
Botond carefully helped Apollonia sit on the fallen tree trunk.
Her face was pale, every movement radiated pain — yet she still tried to maintain her dignity.
The fifteen minutes passed quickly, and soon Noelle, the half‑elf maid, arrived —
with what looked like a small army behind her.
At the front strode the massive Earth Golem,
with Floralys, the wood‑elf lady, sitting on its shoulder.
Behind them came Christina, Captain of the Silver Knights,
with the Princess at her side.
At the end of the line walked Jula, the Wolf Knight,
Lady Carla,
and finally Ironclaw, scanning the burning forest with tense focus,
as if expecting demons to burst out at any moment.
Anita stood with her arms crossed, waiting.
"What took you so long, Noelle? I got here first."
Noelle shot her a tired look.
"Shut up. The teleportation wave threw me way farther than you."
Andras smiled.
"I see you saved the Princess's ass too."
The Princess lifted her chin with elegant pride.
"For which she will be generously rewarded."
"How much gold did you squeeze out of the Princess?" Anita asked casually.
"Business secret," Noelle replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
The Princess stepped over to Apollonia, examining her with concern.
"What happened to you? You look worse than after the knightly tournament."
"Hey!" Apollonia protested.
"I fought a Clan Leader heroically."
"Noelle, can you heal her?" the Princess asked.
Noelle knelt beside Apollonia and began examining her with quick, practiced movements.
"Let me see… Your right shinbone is shattered into splinters.
It'll take at least three hours to put every piece back in place — maybe more.
Three of your ribs are broken, and your whole body is covered in bruises.
Right now I have neither the time nor the spare magic to fully heal you."
Apollonia nodded, though the pain made even that difficult.
"Understood. I'll be happy just to make it back to the castle alive."
"You'll get a quick first aid treatment," Noelle continued,
"and after the battle, we can do a full healing at the castle."
Apollonia forced a faint smile.
"That's more than I expected."
The Fusion Breaks
Noelle moved with quick, practiced motions as she began her healing water magic.
The glowing blue energy flowed along Apollonia's leg and ribs,
then over Botond's wounds as well.
It was only first aid,
but enough to keep Botond standing —
though he was in no condition to face Fire Demons again.
Meanwhile, Carla and Jula pulled Andras aside
and told him what had happened to Xaba.
At the news, the young mage clenched both fists so tightly
his nails nearly broke the skin of his palms.
Pain and fury flickered in his eyes,
but after a deep breath he forced the emotions aside.
The battle was far from over —
he couldn't afford to falter now.
A few minutes later, more allies arrived at the camp,
following the deep footprints left by the massive Earth Golem.
The two Fire Mages, Master Albert and Master Florian, stepped out from between the trees,
with Lightburp and Amelia behind them.
Amelia, the noble girl of Silverwood,
immediately threw herself into her aunt Christina's arms,
clinging to her with tearful relief.
Ritta, the Silver Knight, visibly relaxed
when she saw the young lady unharmed.
Master Albert hurried to the Princess,
while Master Florian and Lightburp walked straight toward Andras.
"Young Wolf!" Lightburp cried, practically sparking with excitement.
"Look at my new form! I am the Golden Dragon, Lightburp!
What do you think? You love it, right? Of course you love it!"
MS Eli's spirit form trembled in the air.
"Aurelyndra?
You're still alive?"
"Eli?!" Lightburp stared at her in shock.
"What's with this ghost‑form of yours?"
Andras rubbed his forehead.
"Eli, would you mind explaining the situation?"
"Certainly," the spirit nodded.
"Aurelyndra, the Golden Stag, has merged with another being.
If she became a Golden Dragon, then…
perhaps with a dragon?"
"Yes!" Lightburp declared proudly.
"This temporary form is the fusion of Fireburp and Aurelyndra!
I even defeated a Clan Leader with it! Hahaha!"
"Then all three Clan Leaders are dead," Andras concluded.
"Only Wildfire remains."
"Leave the Demon General to me!" Lightburp puffed out her chest.
"With this power, I can take him on al—"
But the sentence never finished.
The fusion time had expired.
The radiant golden light shuddered,
then split apart,
and the dragon‑girl's form separated into two bodies.
On one side stood Fireburp, panting, exhausted.
On the other stood Aurelyndra, the Golden Stag,
stepping gracefully onto the ground
as if waking from a long dream.
The camp fell silent for a moment,
everyone watching the two beings.
The end of the fusion meant the power was divided once more —
and with it,
the outcome of the battle became far more uncertain.
The Hunt Splits in Two
As the camp slowly settled, another figure emerged from between the trees.
This time, only one man arrived: David, Captain of the Green Hawk Knights.
He stopped, breathless, the moment he saw Aurelyndra.
"The Golden Stag!" he shouted in shock.
"You captured the Golden Stag?!"
Aurelyndra snorted indignantly.
"No one captured me!"
"She says she's the protector of the forest," Fireburp translated,
"and she's here to help fight the demons."
Floralys let out a weary sigh.
"This entire Royal Hunt was such a foolish idea."
The Princess lowered her head, as if only now grasping the full weight of the situation.
"We tried to hunt the Golden Stag…
yet she's our ally in the fight against the demons."
David then pulled Floralys and Andras aside
and told them of the Demon‑Toad,
Beela Hawkeye,
and the fate of Eagle Claw.
The weight of the news settled heavily over the camp.