“Well… Hm.”

Louismond, who had been frozen, regained his wavering voice and asked once again.

“What do you mean, General?”

“Exactly as I said.”

Kalia stood up and picked up the wine bottle that Louismond had set down.

It was her first attempt at purification without Gaia, but she felt like she could manage it to this extent.

Well, it wasn’t like purifying an entire village like back then.

Kalia closed her eyes and focused her power.

She sensed the murky black magic swirling inside the wine bottle and released her power to purify the wine.

It happened in just 1 to 2 seconds.

There were no visible changes outwardly, and there were no clear indications, but Kalia felt that the demonic energy inside the wine had disappeared.

“…Is it done?”

“Yes.”

Kalia calmly replied and placed the wine bottle back on the table.

Louismond alternated his gaze between the wine bottle and Kalia with eyes full of disbelief.

Janice, who had been silent, took the wine bottle and examined it, then looked at Kalia with a surprised expression.

“Really… The demonic energy has truly disappeared.”

Upon her words, Louismond’s face became even more astonished.

Kalia could purify demonic energy… How was that possible?

Seeing the expression of Louismond filled with questions, Kalia smiled and spoke.

“There might be an even more shocking story than the day my child suddenly appeared. Will you be alright?”

“What story could be more shocking than the child of you and Simon suddenly appearing?”

“It could be, or it couldn’t be.”

With her vague words, Louismond became even more bewildered.

Kalia extended her arm with the Amuntia bracelet filled.

“To be honest, you’ll be far from being surprised, Your Highness.”

In the end, Louismond groaned and held his forehead.

“…Please, be gentle, General.”

Despite his exaggerated complaints, his expression contained anticipation and excitement.

If she could purify magic, she could have saved the people of the Empire.

In other words, it meant being able to resist the spreading dark influence without even realizing it.

And perhaps, it even suggested the possibility of salvation for the entire continent, not just Rojas.

Nathan’s princess standing by his side also had the same thought, and her face flushed with excitement.

Underneath her cute freckles on the bridge of her nose, a pink blush emerged.

Louismond couldn’t help but find it adorable when he saw the excitement that seemed to catch his attention above her always calm face.

‘…Why am I thinking like this? Pull yourself together, Louismond.’

He scolded himself for having strange thoughts in the midst of it all.

“It’s the Amuntia bracelet. It’s a treasure of the Fairy clan. It contains a spirit within it.”

“A spirit?”

“Yes. A part of the fairy who was my mother became the spirit of Amuntia.”

“What…?”

Kalia, who threw a bombshell statement at Louismond, murmured quietly, ‘Gaia.’

“So, please don’t be too surprised that I resemble her.”

“No, wait. What does that…!”

Before Louismond could react, the light flickered noisily and Gaia emerged with the light.

Gaia, with sparkling lemon-colored hair, stretched herself with a bright smile.

“Ah!”

With a roar of energy, Gaia took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide.

She widened her eyes at the sight of Kalia, Simon and Sasha, who wes lying asleep in the baby carriage, and smiled widely, her eyes round.

“Oh? They’re new faces?”

Bounding towards Louismond and Janice, she raised her hand to greet them.

“Hello?”

“…Ah.”Kalia told him not to be surprised, but how could he not be surprised when he saw this appearance?

Louismond was frozen in place, looking at Gaia, who had the same hair color as Kalia but seemed more innocent and bright.

Janice was the first to react.

“Hello, Spirit of Amuntia.”

“Well, that’s a bit awkward… Just call me Gaia, pretty lady.”

“Oh, yes. Gaia, then.”

Gaia smiled as if she understood and jumped towards Kalia.

“It’s nice that you’ve been calling me often! I don’t want just stay inside the bracelet for so long”

“Didn’t you say you’d get weak if you do that?”

“Yeah, it feels like I’m starving. But I still want to be close to you often! It’s a bit boring inside. Call me more often, Kalia.”

Kalia nodded with a smile, as if understanding.

Then she introduced Louismond and Janice to Gaia.

She also briefly explained that they were searching for a way to counteract Akan.

Having heard the whole story, Gaia tapped her chin with her fingertip and spoke.

“Well, here’s the thing. Even if Kalia and I join powers, it’s impossible to purify the entire Empire. Moreover, from what I’ve heard, it seems like magic has spread to other countries too…”

Gaia made a regretful face and turned to the four of them.

“I can’t release that much power all at once. Then one of us, either me or Kalia, would die!”

“You don’t have to do it all at once. We can purify it step by step. Besides, it’s not just the two of you who have to do it. The priests of the temple can join too.”

Janice hastily added to Gaia’s words.

Gaia widened her lips in surprise at Janice’s words, then spoke with a positive expression.

“Well, if there’s no need to do it all at once, it might be possible.”

“But the problem is the black magic, isn’t it? We need to deal with the magic-spreading demons first… We need to eliminate the source.”

Simon spoke, and Louismond bit his lip in thought.

“You’re right. We have to get rid of the demons. Should we try negotiating with Akan, using the prince of Akan as a hostage?”

“The prince of Akan won’t blindly enter the enemy’s territory without any countermeasures. Probably… he knows how to open an escape gate at any time. And even if we manage to capture him and attempt negotiations, remember, the enemy is a demon, Louismond.”

“What do you mean?”

“The chances are high that they won’t care whether the prince of Akan lives or dies.”

‘Ah.’

Louismond’s brow furrowed.

It was foolish to think of demons from a human perspective.

Then how on earth do they eliminate those demons?

Not to mention eliminating them, even capturing them was difficult.

It would be hard to attack Akan in the current situation, but even if they were to invade Akan, could they capture them?

The longer he thought, the deeper his sigh became.

But no matter how difficult it was, these were problems that had to be solved.

Louismond clenched and unclenched his fist as he pondered.

Gaia, who had been quietly observing them, raised her hand like a diligent student and spoke.

“I have a question.”

“Please, speak, Gaia.”

“Can we call someone else to discuss this issue? Someone who knows about demons… Someone who knows much more than anyone here. Besides, it’s an area we can’t solve on our own.”

Louismond hesitated at her words.

“Do you know someone who knows about demons?”

“They know much more than us, much, much more. Probably… I heard he is also preparing for a similar war as we are.”

Simon’s expression changed upon hearing that.

Somehow, he felt like he knew who she was referring to.

He looked at Gaia, wondering if it would be okay, but Gaia shrugged her shoulders and was too immersed in satisfaction to notice him.

“A similar war…! Could it be a prince from another country? Anyone will do. As long as we can borrow their wisdom.”

“Well, not a prince from another country, but more like a king from another race…? Anyway, he is an excellent individual!”

“What? Ah, you mean royalty?”

A king from another species…?

A person crossed Kalia’s mind as if brushing past.

Gaia nodded energetically, as if she knew who Kalia was talking about.

“Yes, exactly. That person!”“General, do you know him too?”

Louismond looked at Kalia with a brightened face.

Kalia ambiguously smiled as she met his hopeful gaze.

It felt like she was about to witness the Crown Prince fainting again.

“Gaia, but didn’t you say last time that person was quite busy?”

“Oh, when I sent a bluebird to ask while he returned to the spirit realm, he said he is gradually preparing and asked us to call whenever we’re curious or need him! He also said he wants to see Kalia and Sasha!”

“Ah, I see.”

Louismond, who was listening to their conversation, asked with a puzzled expression.

“So, is that person from the spirit realm?”

“No, more precisely, the fairy realm. How about it? Shall I call him now? It seems like an urgent matter anyway. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Just wait a moment.”

“Wait, Gaia…!”

Kalia tried to stop her, but Gaia had already disappeared into the fairy realm.

What should they do now? They couldn’t afford for the Crown Prince to faint again…

With a concerned expression, Kalia turned to Louismond.

“Your Highness… I mentioned this earlier, but please try not to be too surprised.”

“Well, is there something more surprising here?”

Simon chuckled at Louismond’s words and spoke to Janice.

“If it’s not impolite, may we ask the princess for assistance to support our Crown Prince?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Just as a precaution. Since you fainted even after seeing our baby…”

Louismond blushed and swiftly delivered a swift blow to Simon’s throat.

Compared to an elbow kick from Kalia, it was nothing, so Simon stoically endured the pain.

Meanwhile, the space shook once again, and light flickered.

The light seemed even more ominous than when Gaia appeared earlier.

Louismond and Janice exchanged bewildered glances as they felt a much stronger current shaking them.

As Kalia briefly contemplated whether she should tell them that the one about to appear is her grandfather and the Fairy King, the light split, and a gate opened.

“We’re here!”

With Gaia’s lively voice, the dazzling figures of the two persons appeared.

Just their appearance caused the atmosphere to ripple, and even Louismond, who had no magical or divine powers, could feel their tremendous pressure and presence.

With their graceful stature, mysteriously enchanting appearance, and unsettling aura, the two fairies captivated the attention of both Louismond and Janice, leaving them speechless.

“It’s been a while, Kalia.”

“Hello, my granddaughter.”

Kalexia and Leah appeared simultaneously and warmly greeted Kalia.

“It’s been a long time, Kalexia, Leah.”

As Kalia awkwardly greeted them, the two approached her with excitement and planted a kiss of joy on both her cheeks.

“…Granddaughter.”

Louismond’s eyes widened as he pondered their words, while Simon respectfully bowed to them.

“It’s been a while since we last met, Fairy King.”

Upon Simon’s final words, Louismond quickly turned his head and looked at Simon in astonishment.

His trembling pupils dilated, and his mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Fairy… King?”

As the unfamiliar words stumbled off his paralyzed tongue, his head began to spin.

‘No, Louismond. Pull yourself together.’

He tried to gather his resolve firmly…

“Are you the Crown Prince of this Empire?”

As Leah gracefully turned her head and looked at Louismond, her radiance was so dazzling that he felt blinded.

Oh, no… I’m going crazy.

It was only then that he realized he hadn’t been breathing all this time, but his mind was already drifting far away.

‘No, I can’t. I need to snap out of it. No…’

Louismond mumbled, his lips trembling, trying to shout silently, but it was already too late.

Thud.

His body collapsed into the soft embrace.

“Y-Your Highness Louismond…!”

And so, in the arms of Nathan’s princess, Crown Prince Louismond succumbed to a second bout of fainting.