Chapter 98: Ceasefire

Syrah’s summon, Blue Bird, was a 1-star, but it was actually one of the most shunned summons. Its combat power was even weaker than the most common 1-star summon, the Wolfdog.

In a world where you’re expected to head straight to the battlefield and fight, this thing is worse than an ant…

But that was only by the standards of people from this world. 

I knew the true potential of her summons.

“A date with Ian alone? It’s been a while, huh?”

“It’s not like that. Focus.”

“I’m just teasing you.”

Syrah pouted and complained. But despite her grumbling, she summoned her summon without interfering in any way.

Now, it had grown quite a bit—Blue Bird, once tiny, had become as large as a palm.

With a few cheerful chirps, the Blue Bird perched itself on Syrah’s shoulder, and she quietly followed me in that state.

“Got it? Don’t do anything.”

“I know, I know.”

She leaned back and silently watched as the summon fought. 

As expected of a 1-star summon, its experience threshold was low. 

Before long, the Blue Bird began to grow rapidly.

—Brreep!  

Blue Bird looked at its newly enlarged body and flapped its wings happily.  

Syrah, who was struck by the flapping wings, burst out laughing as if it tickled her.  

“Haha!”

I knew it.

Seeing that, I realized my theory was correct—if you brought a party member into the Infinite Dungeon, all experience gained would be prioritized for the party member.

I didn’t know the exact reason. It could be a design choice. Since only those with high-grade summons could enter the Infinite Dungeon—essentially, only key characters in the original story—it might have been to prevent people from exploiting that.

But that’s not what matters.

If even the experience I earned was diverted to the girls, effectively blocking my own growth, then I had to take advantage of it in reverse.

Her summon, Blue Bird, would acquire a buff skill upon reaching level 10—a powerful performance buff that increased the level of other summons equal to its own level.

—Brreep!  

Watching the rapidly growing Blue Bird, I picked up the pace of the hunt. After all, it was only a 1-star summon. Raising it to level 10 wouldn’t take long.

***

If you asked why humanity continued to battle demons endlessly, I would say it’s in their nature.

For demons, killing and consuming humans was instinctual—and they faithfully obeyed that instinct.

Just as a cow or pig wouldn’t stop humans from eating them just because they could speak, demons hunted humans despite their intelligence.

In other words, demons were as intelligent as humans, capable of speech and communication.

[Ceasefire, request.]

“…Am I finally losing it?”

This took place on the Western Defense Line, ruled by Duke Therra. There, two demons appeared.

What did the duke do? As always—he gathered summoners and moved to subjugate the demons.

But this time was different. The demons attempted to speak first.

—Summoner, don’t trust them. Demons are evil beings. You never know what’s in their hearts…

Thud!

[With this, is it done?]

The demons, who had been quietly listening to the duke’s summon, suddenly grabbed each other’s arms and ripped them off. Two pairs of arms flew through the air, blood pouring from their shoulders.

Seeing that they had instantly lost their ability to fight, the duke let down his guard and decided to listen.

“The demons are speaking first… What is going on?”

[I want to speak to your ruler.]

“I am the plenipotentiary representative of the western provinces. You can speak to me.”

[No. Someone higher.]

[Hwawawa King! Bring the Emperor!]

The ant-faced demon, who had been silent until now, suddenly screamed with passion. 

In response, a few startled summoners attacked. 

But the demons only winced, their expressions twisted in discomfort—they made no attempt to retaliate.

Realizing the demons truly wished to speak, Duke Therra found himself wondering—have demons grown a conscience? Not that it was necessarily a bad thing.

“…Wait a moment.”

Duke Therra then ordered the fastest summoner to retrieve a crystal ball—a communication crystal ball directly linked to the Imperial Family.

Within a few minutes, the crystal ball was brought from the castle. The duke wasted no time in connecting to the Emperor.

—What’s going on?

It was one of the few direct lines. 

The Emperor answered almost immediately. With the enemy standing before him, the duke couldn’t follow proper etiquette and simply knelt, beginning the conversation.

“Your Majesty, the demons have come.”

—Is it an invasion? Dispatch reinforcements immediately.

“That’s not it. The demons… are requesting a conversation.”

—…The demons want to talk?

“I believe you should see this for yourself.”

With that, the duke turned the crystal ball toward the demons. 

After seeing the bloodied, limbless demons, covered in burns, the Emperor gave a small nod—as if understanding.

It was a slight movement, but one the demons immediately caught.

[Emperor, we want to have a conversation.]

[Give it up! Give it up! Give me your neck!]

[This is a message from the Demon King: If our conditions are met, there will be no invasion of the human realm for several decades.]

“It is—as you said, Duke.” The Emperor nodded and signaled for the demons to state their conditions.

At that slight gesture, the demons grinned grotesquely and began to speak with horrifying expressions.

“[Give us the Hero.]”  

“[Kill! The hero! Kill him instead!]”  

“[Shut up! You’re not allowed to speak.]”  

“[Hey! I can’t fight without an arm, you idiot!]”

Watching the demons bicker among themselves, the Emperor pondered the conditions they had mentioned. 

Hero… Was it Noah Mellie or Ian Clark? Either way, it was not a piece he could discard so easily.

So the Emperor asked again, “—How long?”

“[Right now.]”  

“[Right now! Kill the hero now!]”

“That’s impossible,” the Emperor replied flatly. “As you all know, I am the only one capable of suppressing a Hero’s power. Right now, I am bound to the imperial family.”

“[Is the hero really that strong?]”  

“[Not sure, Moola—Isn’t this hero a dragon or something too? What’s the deal?]”

Listening to their chatter, the Emperor realized the demons didn’t know much about the Heros. That ignorance could be used to his advantage.

After quickly calculating in his head, the Emperor made a decision.

“—Come back in a week. By then, I’ll bring you the Hero’s head.”

“…Your Majesty?”  

“[Very well. We’ll return in a week.]”  

“[Hero’s head! The Hero’s neck!]”

“There is an agreement, isn’t there? You promised that if I kill the hero, you will not invade for decades.”

“[We don’t lie, human.]”  

“[Inaan! Stupid! Foolish!]”  

“[Not even a little bit.]”

With those final words, the demons vanished. 

It was the first time in his life that the Emperor had just stood there, watching the wounded demons without attacking.

“…Your Majesty, please explain. You’re making an agreement with demons—”

“Duke, didn’t you hear what they said? They won’t invade for the next few decades. It’s time for you and your children to enjoy peace.”

“That may be true… but I don’t think this is the right way.”

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Trust me.”

“…Very well.”

As the conversation ended, the crystal ball’s glow faded, and the communication was cut off. 

The duke silently stared at the crystal ball, recalling the Emperor’s face.

The Emperor was revered as a great saint who sacrificed himself for humanity. And yet, a sense of unease still lingered.

“…Return.”

The duke quietly dismissed the army.

***

“Fufu~ This summon has… awakened!”

Syrah, who had spent the entire day on a date with Ian in the Infinite Dungeon, returned with a radiant expression and began bragging excitedly to the group.

In particular, she showed off a Blue Bird that had grown from the size of a chick into an eagle-sized creature. She couldn’t stop attributing the bird’s growth to Ian’s love.

Stella, watching her glow with happiness, seethed with jealousy. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off her face. But as a noble young lady who had never learned how to resent others, even doing something petty was difficult.

“It’s forbidden to summon inside the academy. Don’t you even know that?”

“Eh? It’s fine! What are they going to do, give me a penalty?”

Syrah’s carefree reply made it clear that she didn’t really care about the penalty. With a top 5 ranking at the Academy and a powerful family backing her, penalty points were meaningless.

When her smile showed no signs of fading, Stella turned her sharp tongue toward the one responsible for that joy.

“What’s so special about it? Is it really that important?”

“You can see it, can’t you?”

“What can’t I see?”

At Stella’s cold response, Ian instructed her to summon her summon.

It hadn’t even been a minute since she had declared that summoning was prohibited within the Academy. Nevertheless, Stella summoned Ifrit, as if she had no recollection of her own words.

“…Ifrit.”

“—Heh. Hey, curly-haired kid. Didn’t I warn you? If you mess with our Stella, I’ll roast you alive.”

As soon as Ifrit, the king of fire spirits, appeared, he began hurling flames at Ian.

Ian calmly backed away, avoiding the flames, then turned to Syrah.

“Use your skill on Ifrit.”

“My skill?”

“Yes.”

“…I don’t know how.”

“Order the Blue Bird to use it.”

“Um… Blue Bird! Give that red-haired girl your blessing!”

“—Who’s hitting me?!”

Whether or not Ifrit protested, the Blue Bird flapped its wings and let out a chirp as it activated its skill.

Upon reaching level 10, the Blue Bird instinctively awakened its power. Its form shrank as if it had just been summoned again.

“Ah! Ian’s love!”

Syrah let out a mournful cry, staring in disbelief as her summon diminished. Her gaze turned icy as she glared at the shameless woman who had stolen her beloved’s affection.

Then she froze.

“…What’s that?”

“Ifrit…?”

Syrah whispered, “Ian’s love…”

As Ian had predicted, the Blue Bird’s level had been transferred to Ifrit.

Whoooosh!

The master of fire descended to the earth.

Now at Level 12, Ifrit felt the spirit power “she” had once wielded in the spirit realm.

“—Fire.”

She reached out toward the sun, and a powerful flare descended from the heavens.

Though it didn’t reach Earth, its strength was enough to reach into the universe.

Feeling an almost omnipotent power surge through her, Ifrit looked at Ian.

“—…Stella.”

“Ifrit… you…”

“—Marry that child.”

And at that moment, Ifrit genuinely wished to claim Ian, who had bestowed her with such divine power.