What kind of person is Adriana?

She always thought of herself as very composed, believing that she could remain calm no matter the situation.

When she first joined the Hero's team, there were actually many chaotic situations.

For instance, A·Gedora was always overly enthusiastic, charging too far ahead and becoming disconnected from the team. Adeline, despite being considered an unprecedented genius among Alchemists, was still young and would panic during unexpected situations, screaming while clutching her head.

Charlette, the Saintess, was a woman overflowing with compassion, which led to many setbacks for the team. As for the reclusive Nephilim? She was a solitary and extreme woman who would unexpectedly cause explosions.

Back then, Adriana often wondered—what would happen to this team without her! Surely, everything would become a mess.

Instead of calling her the team's Mage, it would be more accurate to say she was the one always cleaning up after everyone else.

For example, casting defensive spells on the overly forward A·Gedora, building an earthen wall to calm the fearful Adeline, arguing with the overly compassionate Charlette to suppress her needless kindness, and constantly monitoring Nephilim's movements to prevent her from casting random curses.

She didn't think she was better than others; she just felt that she happened to excel in these areas. As a qualified noble, someone whose goal was the revival of her family, and always pursuing noble and magical practices, she was adept at observing others and focusing on minor details.

The other team members were simply too careless.

Their team advanced continuously in this manner until they stood before the Demon King.

Divine Art cast on A·Gedora ensured he wasn't corroded by curses or poisoned by toxins. The power of Magic simultaneously acted on both Hero and Demon King, restricting the Demon King's movements, adding the forces of wind and thunder to Gedora's sword. Alchemy Items would occasionally shoot arrows at the Demon King, and curses were continuously applied to him.

It was precisely because of the team's unity that the image of Doro defeating the Demon King was formed—

That was a mistaken notion.

At that time, everyone vaguely sensed something.

But nobody was willing to admit it; they even internally dismissed the possibility.

That was, those curses, magic, and Alchemy Items only seemed effective against the Demon King— because the Demon King was waiting.

The Demon King known as Modoh at that time was anticipating! He noticed A·Gedora stepping into his realm, so he pretended to be constrained, appearing to be pushed back by the team's unified efforts, because he was giving A·Gedora a chance, offering trust!

These powers made A·Gedora believe he had so many supporters, and that was the reason he continued to advance until now—the Demon King strengthened A·Gedora's will, ultimately waiting for him to complete his transition and reach a realm where he could duel the Demon King head-on.

By that time, all forms of power had already lost their effectiveness.

The initially effective Ice Prison, once the Demon King and A·Gedora displayed their true powers, became even more fragile than cotton candy. Even under the Demon King's eyes, which pierced illusions and distance, it lacked any significance in obscuring vision—all felt like nothingness.

Any form of attack, any kind of power seemed so fragile by the time the final battle arrived. It was laughably ridiculous—the entire world seemed to be made of paper mache, ready to be crushed with a light touch. Only the Demon King's fists and the Hero's sword held genuine substance.

The girls, at that time, watched from the special seats. They probably already understood...that A·Gedora was no longer the person they once knew. Or perhaps, they had never truly recognized him.

That realm was not a "human" realm.

Since then, Adriana didn't know the meaning of her existence. She realized clearly that even if the Demon King were truly dead, a Demon King would still remain in this world.

Call him Demon King, Human King, call him whatever you like.

The essence was the same: an eternal existence overlooking the world, continuously distorting it—perhaps, compared to this, the Demon King was better?

Such thoughts emerged in Adriana's mind because she noticed that the Demon King was actually stable.

The world, unacceptable as it was under domination, was an unacceptable fate, but speaking from another angle...the Demon King, who had ruled the world for such a long time, calculated to millennia, had not committed any substantial destruction to it.

She could clearly witness the battle between Hero and Demon King, seeing the world so fragile in their presence. Such an existence wishes to do something to the world; it would be far too easy. Hence, rather than letting a young man like A·Gedora ascend the throne, maybe letting the Demon King, who has lived through ages, stay remains preferable.

After all, even if the Demon King once destroyed the world, the reality is that older people tend to be more stable than younger ones.

These thoughts are meaningless.

Adriana was confused for a long time. The plan to kill Doro was equivalent to seeking death, and she was more aware of this than anyone else. Yet, she still went ahead with it. Ultimately, she had to live up to her noble honor. For someone as unsuccessful as her, the memories from her time in the squad were her lifeline, and in those memories, her noble status was the most important thing.

It was the key factor she believed distinguished her from other members and made her indispensable.

She had been scheming with all her might, even borrowing the Demon King's horn.

But that was the outcome. Then she saw the Wise King's plan, creating a pseudo A·Gedora from memories, but it turned out not to be the real A·Gedora.

She drank all over the place.

In truth, she wasn't genuinely drinking her sorrows away. She was experiencing something. If someone carefully investigated, they'd find that the places where Adriana was drinking were all places Doro had been before, where Doro once fell drunk, and she wanted to experience the same feelings.

She knew her feelings couldn't truly match Doro's.

But, what else could she do?

Doro didn't kill her. Did he have some kind of expectation for her?

To Doro, what exactly...

To herself, what exactly was Doro...

Old memories flowed past like a stream before her eyes as Adriana wobbly stood up.

Magic power surged within her.

...

Hidden Nephilim and Adriana arrived before Doro almost simultaneously.

"Isn't this just—Charlette and Adeline arrived together, yet you two also come together... Can't you meet me alone?" Doro had a frivolous smile on his face. "Lord Regulus, weren't we just discussing incorporating minority races? You should see to that matter now."

"Yes, esteemed Human King, Your Majesty."

Regulus then immediately withdrew.

Doro then turned his gaze back to the two of them: "What have you come here for?"

Adriana's eyes fell on Hidden Nephilim, indicating that this Curse Master could speak first.

Hidden Nephilim was not interested in what Adriana had to say; she was concerned with her own affairs: "I have met with the Demon King. The condition she proposed is to modify the curse at its origin, so that Curse Masters are no longer Curse Masters, becoming a profession that can stand proudly in the sunlight. If I were to pledge allegiance to you, what conditions would you offer?"

"...To modify from the source of the curse... What an exaggerated proposal in line with Mohe's character. At times, I even fear the Demon King's wisdom and knowledge. In her dwelling, she even taught me how to use Alchemy, Divine Art, and how to wrest people from the Goddess through the clash of various forces. Such conditions I cannot offer. The conditions I can offer are the same as back then, Nephilim."

"But those were the conditions you should have fulfilled back then." Hidden Nephilim said, heedlessly.

But Doro was not angered by this: "Yes, according to your words, those are indeed the conditions I should have agreed to back then, the conditions I offered when trying to win over you Curse Masters—but you did not trust me."

"At that time, our actions did not truly harm you. You still had the power to advance this matter, yet you did not."

"I suffered betrayal, yet am I to honor a contract with the betrayer? Do you think I look like a fool?" Doro said unhurriedly, "In your eyes, I perhaps indeed look like such a fool. I've always thought that keeping promises is very important... But, Nephilim, do you know? The first person to praise such a quality of mine was not you, it was Mohe."

Doro seemed to be recalling something: "When I first met Mohe, she offered me solace, took the drunken me home, cared for me meticulously, and even cooked me a Demon King's meal... To the extent that the favors she granted me afterward became incalculable... I asked her why she was so kind to me, and she told me that as long as she showed me kindness, she would surely receive a return from me, that investing in me would definitely be worthwhile. That moved me greatly."

However, Hidden Nephilim's expression remained unshaken. She stared steadily at Doro: "But the current fact is, you chose to become the Human King, standing in opposition to the Demon King. You haven't given her the so-called return. The Demon King's recognition of you, you haven't actualized her recognition. You've proven that you can't keep your promises, you can't reciprocate others' kindness."

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