After getting back to town, Theron has been training nonstop with the Holy Sword, itching for a chance to finally use it in real combat—since, to his dismay, he never got to fight the demons.
Speaking of those demons, Kyle casually asks what he thought of them. Theron admits that at first, he was terrified—after all, he grew up on horror stories of demons being nightmare fuel with horns. But while they were definitely powerful, they weren’t nearly as terrifying as he had imagined. Kyle agrees, pointing out that even Uruga had been surprisingly civil during their little interaction. That’s probably why Theron ended up letting her go, even though Kyle had specifically told him to kill her. She just didn’t feel like a direct threat at the time.
A few moments later, Liese and Urza join Kyle and Theron outside. Kyle asks how they’re feeling, and Liese happily reports that both she and Urza were checked by a doctor—no major injuries. Kyle praises them for doing a great job fighting Uruga, and both girls are so flustered by the compliment that they don’t even know how to respond. Meanwhile, Theron quietly fumes in the background, thinking, Men like me die of thirst while men like Kyle drown in attention.
Later that day, Kyle and Sildonia head over to Gazas’s house, where they’re greeted at the door by Gou. He informs them that Gazas is waiting in his office. But before they go in, Gou pulls Sildonia aside—he clearly has something he wants to say.
Inside the office, Kyle finds Gazas looking much better than before, even though he’d had to work overtime for days to prepare Kyle’s chain in time for his fight. Gazas has also heard that Kyle and the others are leaving today, so he has a little parting gift prepared. He pulls out two special sheaths—one for Kyle’s sword and the other for Theron’s Holy Sword. Kyle is genuinely grateful, since up until now he’s basically just been wrapping Sildonia in a cloth during travel (which, let’s be honest, is kind of insulting). Now, she’ll finally get the treatment she deserves—with a shiny mithril sheath.
Meanwhile, outside, Sildonia listens to Gou’s heartfelt confession: he wants her to stay with him forever. Sildonia is flattered but shakes her head gently. She still has a mission to complete, so she can’t just drop everything. Gou is crushed—not only because of his big crush, but also because he knows how much he could learn from her if she stayed. But Sildonia reassures him: he’s already learned enough to keep building golems on his own.
Desperate, Gou asks her one more time to reconsider, but Sildonia admits that her hands are tied—she belongs to Kyle now, so wherever he goes, she goes. Hearing her say that hits Gou like a hammer. In that moment, he realizes his crush doesn’t stand a chance against Kyle, and he has no choice but to accept it.
So, he agrees to let her go without a fuss, though he can’t help but feel a little salty—after all, Kyle already has Liese and Urza in his harem, while poor Gou is still painfully maidenless. Life’s not fair, Gou.
After that, Kyle heads to Miranda’s office to say his goodbyes. While chatting, he learns that Bax recently kicked the bucket. To be fair, the guy didn’t have much time left anyway, but after realizing the plan he worked so hard on would’ve ended up destroying Karen, his heart just… conked out. Before dying, Bax also confessed to being the mastermind behind all the kidnappings and murders in the city. So, that little nightmare is finally wrapped up.
But of course, one mess always replaces another. This time, it’s the massacre at the Gargan embassy. The Empire will almost certainly pin it on Zentos, and since Queen Mileina already called off the engagement, who knows what kind of ridiculous compensation they’ll demand. Kyle agrees it’s a big headache but cheerfully points out that it’s not his headache. He wishes Miranda good luck with that mountain of trouble.
On a lighter note, Miranda tells him that Gazas has officially been appointed the next governor of Karen. Kyle is shocked—mainly because, from what he’s seen, Gazas will probably just lock himself in his workshop and refuse to come out. But Miranda already knows this and admits she had to do some hardcore convincing to get him to take the job. His one condition? He won’t do any paperwork. (Classic Gazas.) So, guess who’s stuck with the paperwork instead? Yep, Miranda. Kyle finds that hilarious—it’s so on-brand for Gazas it hurts.
But speaking of Miranda and Gazas, Kyle suddenly brings up a delicate subject. Recently, Gou had some serious issues with a few cranky investors, and Kyle suspects Miranda was behind it. Her eyes widen in panic, which is basically a guilty stamp. Kyle explains: back when Gazas was ignoring her, she had no idea about the Bax situation. So, in a desperate attempt to weasel her way back into his life, she schemed against Gou. She didn’t get directly involved, of course, but she did point some impatient investors toward his project—knowing they’d eventually get mad when progress stalled. Once they inevitably attacked Gou, her big plan was to swoop in, play the hero, and win Gazas’ attention.
Miranda is rattled by how on-the-mark Kyle’s deduction is. She asks if he has any proof. Spoiler: he doesn’t. But honestly, it doesn’t matter—he never planned to rat her out. When she asks how he figured it out, Kyle casually explains that he knows her well enough to expect some occasional shady scheming. Miranda admits she’s not proud of what she did, but if Gazas found out now, it could ruin everything. So, she nervously asks what Kyle wants in exchange for his silence.
His demand? Surprisingly simple: make sure no one learns about Gou’s golem research. That includes both the Gargan Empire and Zentos.
Miranda agrees to keep the whole golem thing under wraps—for now. But she warns Kyle that if the golems ever reach completion, they’d be such a massive asset to the Zentos army that hiding them forever would be impossible. Kyle isn’t expecting an eternal cover-up anyway; he just wants the secret safe for at least three years, or at least until they hit the “mass production” stage. (Basically, no sneak previews before the grand release.)
With that, Kyle and his group leave Karen, since it’s time to head back to Zentos and deliver their report. But Liese and Urza are understandably worried—after everything that happened in Karen, the relationship between Zentos and the Gargan Empire is looking shakier than a chair with three legs. Even if the demons were the real culprits, the death of one of the Empire’s top figureheads is bound to stir trouble. Kyle, however, insists he won’t let things spiral out of control. The demons are obviously plotting something, and if they launch an attack soon, the only way for humanity to survive is if all nations team up like an awkward but necessary group project.
Meanwhile, back in Zentos, Queen Mileina receives an urgent report: the Gargan Empire is demanding the presence of all three princesses at a peace conference following the embassy massacre. It’s dead serious business. So, she appoints August and Kieran to handle the matter.
Back in Kyle’s village, his mom is peacefully hanging laundry while worrying if her son is surviving his adventures. Just then, Ila shows up, announcing she’s about to head out on a mission. She offers to say hi to Kyle if she happens to run into him (small world, right?). Before leaving, she also reminds Sarah not to overwork herself—after all, she has a baby to look after now.
As Kyle’s group heads toward the capital, they’re surprised to find carriages waiting by the roadside, with August and Kieran there to greet them like VIP chauffeurs. Long story short: the two came to ask for their help with the peace conference. After explaining the situation, everyone climbs aboard, and off they go.
In one carriage, Theron, Liese, and Urza sit together, with Theron feeling pretty darn relieved they don’t have to walk the whole way. To kill time, they play cards—though it’s less fun when Gou can’t keep a poker face to save his life. (Seriously, if his hand is good, his grin gives it away faster than a spoiler headline.)
Meanwhile, Kyle is in the carriage up front with August and Kieran, and honestly, it’s nerve-wracking for him. First, Kieran thanks him for agreeing to speak at the peace conference on their behalf. But for Kyle, it’s no biggie—he knows the demons were behind the massacre, and since he personally slew one of them, he can testify that Zentos wasn’t responsible. Kieran is relieved but reminds Kyle of one tiny detail: the entire future relationship between Zentos and Gargan rests on his shoulders… so, you know, try not to mess this up.
Kyle tries not to freak out, but Avis pipes up: worst-case, if Kyle says the wrong thing at the conference, war breaks out and either Zergus or Gargan could get wiped off the map. Thanks, morale boost. That doesn’t make Kyle feel any better. Kilan snaps at August that this is not the time for jokes; August shrugs, saying he’s been through “almost-war” drills before and is trying to lighten the mood.
Naturally, Kilan and August start bickering (they never do get along), and Kyle sits in the middle like a human referee with nowhere to go. Please let them arrive at the Empire soon, he prays silently.
After a few days’ travel, they reach the Gargan Empire. Kyle is secretly hoping he might meet someone important while he’s here. In the Gargan royal court, the family is deep in discussion about the embassy massacre. Zergus insists the demons did it, but everyone is skeptical—demons haven’t been seen in over 300 years. Zergus also claims that whoever slew the demon that attacked the embassy is on their way here. That alarm bells—because the demon killed Alzard, the second-strongest court wizard; whoever defeated that demon must be ridiculously powerful.
Some courtiers call Zergus’s claim an obvious attempt to undercut Gargan’s authority. The youngest prince—Miser—is oddly calm. He says maybe they’re overreacting; after all, rumors of a hero appearing have been floating around, and maybe that hero killed the demon. When others demand proof, Miser only shrugs: it’s a hunch… but his hunches tend to be right, so they take it seriously.
That evening Kyle and the group arrive at the Gargan capital and get invited to a banquet. Theron actually scores a girl who likes him (congrats, Theron), so Kyle slips outside for a breather. By the fountain he meets a beautiful woman mid-flirtation—she’s leaning in for very suggestive conversation—when Prince Miser suddenly appears. The woman excuses herself, giving the two privacy.
Miser gets straight to the point: would Kyle serve under him? Kyle is about to decline politely—same polite decline he gave Mileina earlier—when Miser interrupts. If Kyle refuses, Miser threatens to have him taken out right now. Translation: Kyle is too talented, too dangerous, and too independent for Miser to allow him free reign. If Kyle won’t be an ally, Miser would rather eliminate a potential enemy before he becomes one. Not subtle. Not flattering. Very, very threatening.
