The three generals exchanged glances with one another. In the next moment, Kharos drew a long black sword, tore open a spatial rift in front of him, and ordered,
"Follow me."
Naturally, his generals followed closely behind their lord as they stepped into the spatial rift.
....
A spatial portal opened high above the sky of the royal capital, Vaunis. Nova, Nyxara, and Velena stepped out of it.
Nova looked down at the city below. It was large and prosperous, yet completely different from the Royal City of the Zarok Clan.
The buildings here were grand and luxurious as well, but they lacked the dark, eerie atmosphere of Zarven. Instead, the city carried a more structured and lively human presence.
The streets were crowded. With the Grand Youth Tournament drawing closer, the capital had become especially busy.
Only two days had passed since the battle between the demon generals and the human army in the eastern region not far from the capital. Because of that, security was extremely tight.
Royal guards patrolled every major street. Holy knights and members of the Twilight Order were also working together, which Nova found rather interesting.
Nyxara and Velena observed the same scene. Having already heard about the recent battle, they immediately understood the implications of such heavy security.
After a moment, Nova asked,
"Nyxara, do you have any idea where Demon Generals Voren and Azren might have gone?"
Nyxara raised an eyebrow at the sudden question.
"I don’t know. They may have returned to the Abyss. Though I doubt they went back to the Third Level. Most likely, they’re hiding on the First or Second Floor."
"Hmm."
Nova hummed quietly. Nyxara added,
"Don’t bother thinking about them. They’re far beyond your current level."
Nova understood. From the aura those two had released before, they were clearly stronger than even General Lorcan — most likely Level 8 or 9 Emperors. He decided to set the matter aside for now. His family came first.
Still, a problem remained.
Should he continue lying to Nyxara and Velena about his wives... and especially about his parents, who were currently in the city? He had tried to keep Nyxara from following him, but she had insisted. Now he no longer knew how to handle the situation.
{ Telling her about your wives earlier might have been manageable, } Liya said. { But now that your parents are here, and you’ve already given her a completely different story about your life... it will create problems. }
*Then what should I do?* Nova asked inwardly.
{ For now, create another lie if you must. But before it becomes too late... you should tell them the truth. }
"What’s the matter?" Nyxara asked. They had been floating in the sky for several minutes, and Nova was still staring down at the city, lost in thought. "Where are we going now?"
Nova turned to look at both women. After making a decision, his expression became completely serious — a look neither of them had seen on his face before. Both Nyxara and Velena immediately tensed.
Without warning, Nova stepped closer to Nyxara and took her hand.
The sudden contact shocked her. A deep flush spread across her cheeks as she stammered,
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
Even Velena was surprised by his actions, and the seriousness on his face only made her more uneasy.
Nova did not let go of her hand. Nyxara could have forced it free with her strength, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to hurt him.
Looking her directly in the eyes, he asked,
"Tell me, Nyxara... do you really plan to follow me everywhere?"
Her cheeks were still red. Despite her usually domineering personality, she was clearly not good at handling intimate moments.
"Y-Yes! I won’t let you get away with what you’ve d-done!!"
Nova studied her for a moment, then released her hand. However, he did not break eye contact.
"And do you really plan to kill me?"
Nyxara was growing more and more tense under the sudden questions. Still, she answered,
"Y-Yes... but not now!"
Nova chuckled softly at the obvious reply. Outwardly he appeared calm, but inside he had already made a clear decision. He wanted to live peacefully.
He did not want to destroy the fragile relationship he currently had with Nyxara and Velena. That meant discarding his earlier plan and choosing a riskier, but more honest path.
Looking at both of them, he spoke in a serious tone.
"If I told you that I have been lying to both of you... would you kill me?"
Nyxara and Velena’s eyes widened in shock. Nyxara quickly grasped the meaning behind his words.
"...It depends on how big the lie is."
Nova gave a small, humorless chuckle.
"Then you can kill me now. Because I’ve been lying to you from the very beginning."
Nyxara felt as though she had misheard him. Velena also looked surprised, though she had harbored a few suspicions before.
Nova continued without looking away.
"I could have continued hiding this from both of you... but I don’t want our relationship to turn rotten."
"I only lied because I wanted to stay alive. I never had any intention of hurting either of you... or your feelings."
Nyxara could hardly believe what she was hearing. A tight, painful sensation gripped her chest, as if something were squeezing her heart. A terrible, suffocating feeling began to rise inside her.
Why... why was she feeling like this?
He was just a man who had become entangled with her by pure accident. She had used him for her own freedom.
She was a Sovereign Realm powerhouse, the daughter of a Demon Lord, a princess who could kill him in an instant.
If he had lied about everything, then the entire story he told her had been false. She had foolishly believed every word that came from his mouth — even if those lies had only been meant to save his life.
Her throat felt dry. Although she had repeatedly claimed she wanted to kill him, the thought of him actually dying made her heart tremble.
When Elaris had kissed him, the anger she felt had been the same kind of rage she experienced only when she learned of her mother’s murder. Whatever feelings she had unknowingly developed toward him were now clouding her mind completely.
She stepped closer until she stood directly in front of him. Nova looked down into her eyes — and froze.
Tears were streaming down her face.
A sharp ache spread through his chest at the sight of a mighty demon princess shedding tears because of him.
Velena simply stood behind them, her expression blank. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Then—
SLAP!!!
A loud, sharp sound echoed through the air, so clear that it seemed to reverberate across the sky. Far below, many people in the city looked up, wondering where the noise had come from. They were too high above the clouds to be seen.
Nyxara had slapped him.
A vivid red mark appeared on Nova’s cheek. The force behind the strike was strong enough to destroy the face of an ordinary peak King Realm expert. Yet Nova only felt intense pain. He took the slap in silence.
Tears continued to slip from Nyxara’s eyes.
After striking him, she turned away, walked over to Velena, and said in a cold voice,
"Stay with him."
"But Princess—"
Velena could not finish her sentence.
"I said stay with him!" Nyxara shouted.
In the next moment, she tore open a spatial rift and disappeared into it.
Nova watched Nyxara disappear through the spatial rift. A heavy feeling settled in his chest. He didn’t know where she had gone, or whether she would return at all.
Still, a quiet sense of relief also remained — at least now, he no longer had to carry the weight of that lie.
Continuing to deceive people like Nyxara and Velena, who had unknowingly helped him escape the Abyss, would have stained his character. Even if she hated him for lying, he believed she might forgive him someday.
Velena noticed the sadness on his face and felt a faint sense of pity. She stepped closer and spoke in her usual calm voice.
"Don’t worry. The Princess will return... sooner or later."
Nova nodded, then looked at her and asked,
"Aren’t you angry at me?"
Velena answered simply,
"I am."
She continued in a quiet tone,
"Wouldn’t anyone feel bad? When you start considering someone a decent person, share your thoughts with them... and then discover they have been lying about everything? Even if the circumstances forced them to do it, it still hurts."
Nova couldn’t argue. Her words were true, and they weighed on him.
Velena let out a soft sigh.
"Lord Nova... I still believe you are a good person."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"But that little girl... I have watched her grow up. Even though she has a cold and domineering side, she is very sensitive when someone she considers close ends up hurting her."
"She used to love her father deeply... until she started hating him for doing nothing even after learning the truth about her mother’s death."
"So let’s leave her alone for a while. She will come back on her own. She may not realize it yet... but she has already become attached to you. She will return."
Nova had not realized Nyxara possessed such a sensitive side. Hearing Velena’s words only made him feel worse.
{ For humans, a thousand years is an extremely long time, } Liya said. { But for demons, that length of time is not so significant. She is still not fully mature yet. Velena is right — focus on other things for now...you did what you had to. }
**
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