Antic’s frightened expression quickly fades as she actually finds the situation somewhat funny. A few days later, the twins return from their journey. Upon their arrival, Atou is seen scolding Takuto for giving them too much freedom during the mission. She is furious that Takuto abandoned his pile of work just to monitor the twins through the eyes of the medics.
Takuto defends himself, saying he only did it because he didn’t want to be too strict and make the twins hate him. That excuse only fuels Atou’s anger. She reminds him that it is not his place to pamper the girls to that extent, since he is their king—not their father. Atou then turns her anger toward the twins, demanding to know why they conspired with King Takuto behind her back. After that, she directs her scolding at the medics, calling them out for skinning a human alive right in front of the mayor. The medics, however, show no remorse, claiming that such actions bring them one step closer to becoming human themselves.
Hearing that, Atou explodes and screams at them to shut up. Following this, everyone—including King Takuto—kneels before her as she orders them to reflect on the poor decisions they made. Takuto admits that the medics may have been a bad influence on Maria and Caria, since they were the ones who gave the order to kill in front of the mayor. Atou continues her lecture, saying this is exactly what happens when they are sent on missions without proper supervision. She then declares that none of them are to move until they finish writing statements acknowledging they understand the consequences of their actions. Hearing this, everyone just sighs in defeat.
A few hours later, they gather for a meeting to discuss what should be done about Dragon. However, Takuto interrupts by handing candy to Maria and Caria, which causes Atou to snap again, shouting that they must not feel any regret at all. But Gia and the other dark elves redirect her focus, saying they understand her anger but believe the meeting should take priority. Realizing the sense in their words, Atou calms down and tells them to continue.
Moltar then speaks up, asking the twins if their investigation in Dragon went exactly as written in the report. Caria confirms, adding that King Takuto himself reviewed it, so she is certain it’s accurate. Moltar looks it over and concludes that the city seems very unstable. Emle joins in, saying Dragon lacks the resources to maintain proper order, which is why crime has been on the rise. From her perspective, it’s only a matter of time before the city suffers a major disruption.
Atou reviews the report as well and notes that, on top of everything, Dragon is also facing outside attacks from barbarians. According to the report, the city is dealing with monsters such as goblins, orcs, and hill giants. Gia says the goblins and orcs aren’t much of a problem, but the real issue lies with the hill giants. They’ve started appearing in groups near the city, and worse, their numbers seem to be steadily increasing every day.
Atou asks what they mean by “suddenly appear,” but Moltar explains that the monsters don’t literally materialize out of nowhere. It only seems that way to Dragon’s people because of their weak detection abilities. Beastmen are known for their sharp senses when it comes to detecting approaching enemies, but Moltar guesses the ones in Dragon aren’t putting their abilities to use—likely because they’re exhausted.
Gia concludes that no matter how you look at it, Dragon is on the verge of collapse. Because of this, he suggests dispatching a large force as quickly as possible to support the city. Emle agrees with Gia’s suggestion but points out that splitting their forces would leave them short on manpower for important tasks like construction and farming.
In response, Gia suggests sending most of their warriors instead. But before Emle can share her thoughts, Atou interrupts, declaring that no matter who they choose to dispatch, she herself will also be going. Moltar hears this and assumes it’s because of her ability to steal skills. Atou confirms, saying that if she goes to the battlefield, she should be able to acquire some very useful abilities.
King Takuto agrees, adding that it would also be a good chance for Atou to grow stronger, which is why he had already planned to send her with the troops. Moltar responds by saying that if that’s the case, he should be entrusted with providing the retinue. Atou agrees, confident she can trust Moltar with the negotiations and coordination. Still, she stresses the need for more men on the ground. Hearing that, Moltar suggests bringing some of his apprentices along, since they’re skilled enough to handle routine attacks. Atou is pleased with the idea.
However, Emle remains concerned, noting that until now their national defense has depended heavily on Atou’s presence. Hearing this, Gia clenches his teeth and admits he can’t deny it. Takuto then speaks up, saying he’s aware of the issue, which is why they’ll be creating a new hero—Isla, the new cornerstone of their defense.
Everyone is shocked at the announcement. Moltar rises to commend King Takuto, calling it another brilliant decision. Emle agrees, saying Takuto must truly be wise to have anticipated this situation back when he first began production. Takuto admits that while the timing worked out perfectly, it wasn’t the result of some master plan—it just happened by chance. The elves bow in respect at his honesty, but in that moment Takuto realizes that as a king, sometimes pretending to be almighty is still necessary. Even so, he knows he made the right choice in allowing the dark elves to participate in these meetings. His current life is nothing like his past, when he had to carry the weight of every decision alone.
Atou asks if he has anything more to add, and Takuto stands to declare that everything is perfect just as they’ve decided. The dark elves feel honored to receive praise from their king and promise they will not let him down.
A few hours later, everyone gathers outside, and Atou is especially excited—they’re finally about to create the new hero. Takuto shares her excitement, admitting that although they had to ration heavily to secure the resources, it was completely worth it. Caria asks Takuto what kind of person the summoned hero will be. Takuto admits he has no idea, saying it will be a surprise he’s looking forward to.
After that, Takuto and Atou begin speaking telepathically. Takuto asks her what will happen with Isla. Atou replies that since Isla will be the very first hero they’ve summoned since arriving in this world, there’s no way to predict her nature. She adds that if Isla rebels and tries to attack, she will protect Takuto with her life. As Takuto begins the summoning process, he continues telepathically, telling Atou not to risk her life.
If Takuto were to lose her, he wouldn’t be able to resummon her. A purple cloud forms and condenses into a cocoon, out of which Isla emerges. Atou isn’t sure how Isla will react, though she believes the chances of hostility are slim.
Isla appears in the form of a giant mantis, and the moment she rises, she unleashes a deafening roar, forcing Takuto and the others to keep their guard up. But then, Isla walks straight to Takuto and acknowledges him as her king. Thanking him for summoning her, she says she’s overjoyed to serve Takuto once again.
Excited, Takuto asks if she actually remembers him. Isla confirms, even calling him by name to prove it. Atou steps forward, demanding Isla vow to serve Takuto without rebellion. Isla simply pats Atou’s head in a playful manner, saying she doesn’t need to be so serious. Of course, she vows to serve King Takuto. She adds that the time she spent with him before arriving in this world has been etched into her very being.
Hearing this is proof enough that Isla remembers him from before. She explains there’s no way she could ever forget him, since he was the only one capable of drawing out her full power. After that, she asks Takuto to explain the current situation.
Takuto takes her into the palace and gives her a full breakdown of everything that’s happened. He admits there’s still much she doesn’t understand, but thanks to Atou, he’s managed to get by. Atou blushes, saying she’s only here because of him anyway. With that, Isla says she understands her role is to protect their nation.
Takuto confirms, telling her she’s their defense hero, while the attack hero will be the one to destroy the barbarians in Dragon. Atou knows going on the mission is the best call, but she can’t help feeling sad about leaving him. Takuto admits he’ll miss her too, but reminds her she’s the best one for the job. Realizing this will be their first time apart since arriving in this world, they hug tightly, confessing how much they’ll miss each other.
Meanwhile, Isla simply watches them and remarks that she should probably give them some privacy. The next day, Atou waves goodbye to Takuto and the others as she heads off to Dragon with the warriors. After she leaves, Isla finally speaks up, saying it’s about time she got to work. She bows respectfully and tells Takuto to leave everything to her.
A few hours later, Isla notices Takuto isn’t as sharp as usual without Atou around. Earlier, she even caught him sleeping, so she asks what has him so tired. The twins chime in, explaining that Takuto always sleeps in until noon, even when he hasn’t done anything tiring the day before.
Isla sighs and teases him, saying he’s acting like a baby standing in front of her. She reminds him he’s the leader of a great nation. If his people ever found out he slept until noon and had to be woken up, what would they think? She tells him to start waking up early from now on. Takuto just nods and says he’ll try his best.
Caria comments that Isla is really different from Atou, since Atou always let Takuto do whatever he wanted. Isla ignores the remark and instead asks to borrow the twins for a while. She wants them to show her around since she’s still unfamiliar with Mynoghra’s main facilities. Takuto assumes Isla wants to see things firsthand instead of just reading a map, so she can form a clearer picture of the nation. With that in mind, he agrees, and the twins eagerly scurry off with Isla to give her the tour.
Just then, Emle walks over to Takuto with a revised report, asking for his approval. As Takuto accepts it, he realizes this might actually be the first time he’s spoken to someone alone without Atou. After looking it over, he tells her the report is solid, but he wants some changes. Starting next week, he wants her to reduce the manpower in gathering and redirect it elsewhere. Emle bows and says she’ll follow his orders immediately.
Gia then walks in, asking for his approval on their report. Takuto just rolls his eyes, realizing it’s going to be a very long day.
Meanwhile, as the twins guide Isla through the facilities, she asks them to explain everything they know about the place. Just as they begin, they bump into Emle, who’s clearly upset. She complains that Gia has broken their training equipment again. It’s been frustrating having to scrape together the budget to replace things each time. Isla just pats Emle’s head and promises to scold Gia later. Judging by Emle’s expression, she’s definitely enjoying the head pats.
At the training ground, Gia is once again showing off his strength, breaking everyone’s weapons in a single slash. He turns on his team, scolding them for their sloppy form, saying they’ll never be able to protect Mynoghra at this rate. That’s when Isla suddenly appears behind him. She tells him to think twice before destroying the equipment. Gia apologizes and tries to explain himself, but Isla simply pats his head and says that forgetting himself so quickly just proves he’s still a child. Embarrassed, Gia politely asks her to stop patting him, since it makes him look less intimidating in front of his soldiers.
Suddenly, a loud banging sound echoes nearby. Isla stays alert and asks what it is, but the twins quickly run over to tell her it’s just the signal for dinner. They all head to the dining area, where the dark elves are already gathered and eating. Some of them bring out a table and find dishware for Isla to use since she outranks them, but she refuses. Instead, she sits on the floor and says she’ll use the same dishware as everyone else. As a defense hero, she believes she can only do her job properly if she shares the same perspective as the people.
Maria and Caria are moved by this. They run off for a bit and return with a special wooden plate they made themselves, offering it as a gift. Isla finds the gesture adorable, so she hugs them both and gives them head pats. The girls admit they were starting to feel jealous seeing everyone else get pats while they didn’t.
Later that night, Isla is on patrol when she hears someone crying. She goes to the door and finds Caria crying, with Maria trying to comfort her. Maria explains that Caria woke up from a bad dream. Isla praises Maria for being such a good big sister, then asks for details. The twins confess they often dream of their mother. Caria knows there’s nothing she can do about what happened, but sometimes she can’t help reliving those painful memories. Still, they reassure Isla not to worry, saying those dreams happen much less often now. Tonight was the first time in a long while.
Isla gently comes up with an idea: from now on, she’ll sleep beside them. That way, when they wake up, she’ll be right there and they won’t have to be scared. She embraces them warmly, promising that she’ll always be there for them.
The next day, Isla reports to Takuto. After discussing with Emle, she recommends building a learning institute as their next project. Takuto agrees, adding that after that, they’ll construct the living reeds. Isla notes that the forest terrain already gives the dark elves an advantage, and the cursed land strengthens all evil beings. Takuto agrees, saying that since they’re not at war, there’s no need to rush strengthening their defenses.
Finally, Isla asks how things are going with Atou. Takuto smirks, saying she seems to be in a rather amusing situation. Using telepathy, he peers through Atou’s eyes and sees she’s just about to slaughter the barbarians.
