You didn't hesitate.
You looked at the bound demon on the guild floor, then at Miya, Lukas, and Liora.
"We go to the palace. Now. And we bring the proof with us."
With a single snap of your fingers, the five of you (plus the chained, whimpering demon) vanished from the guild hall in a swirl of starlight and reappeared directly in the center of the royal throne room.
The King was already seated on his throne, surrounded by panicked nobles, the four terrified otherworldly heroes, and a host of royal guards and priests. The moment you materialized with the demon, the entire hall erupted into chaos.
Guards drew weapons. Nobles screamed. The four heroes stumbled backward in pure horror.
You stood tall, completely unafraid. Miya's hand rested on Starfang, eyes blazing. Lukas kept the demon pinned with living shadows. Liora stayed protectively at his side.
The King rose shakily from his throne, face pale.
"Lord Grim… what is the meaning of this?! You bring a demon into my throne room?!"
You spoke calmly, but your voice carried through the hall like rolling thunder:
"This demon was captured after the massacre at Eldenwood. It has already confessed everything. The Goddess made a deal with the Demon Lord. She promised him territory in the mortal realm in exchange for destroying the village and killing me and my family. She slaughtered innocent people — families, children — purely out of revenge because we refused to kneel before her or you."
Lukas forced the demon to speak again, loud enough for every ear in the throne room:
"The Goddess… ordered the attack… She blocked all information… She wanted revenge… This was only the beginning…"
The hall fell into stunned, horrified silence.
The King collapsed back onto his throne, face ashen. The nobles whispered in terror. The four heroes looked like they were about to faint.
You continued, voice steady and absolute:
"I do not kneel to you. I do not kneel to the Goddess. And I will not forgive this. The entire kingdom now knows the truth. The Goddess has betrayed you all."
Miya stood proudly at your side, tail lashing once in fierce approval.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm:
The Goddess was no longer in her throne room.
She had descended into the deepest, most forbidden archives of the celestial library — a place even the other gods feared to enter. Ancient scrolls and sealed relics floated around her as she searched frantically.
She was looking for the First Djinn.
Created long ago by the very first and most powerful god of this world, the First Djinn had been granted near-omnipotent wish-granting power. But over time it grew twisted and evil, craving destruction. In the end, the First God had no choice but to seal it away in an unbreakable prison of cosmic chains, hidden in the deepest void between realms.
The Goddess's eyes burned with desperate rage as she tore through the ancient seals.
"If I can find it… if I can unseal the First Djinn… its power is older and darker than anything that genie Grim possesses. I will use it to destroy him, his brother, and everything he loves. No matter the cost."
She was getting closer. One of the final sealing scrolls was already in her hands.
Back in the throne room, the King stared at you, voice trembling:
"Lord Grim… what… what do you want me to do?"
The captured demon still lay chained at your feet. The entire kingdom was now in uproar over the Goddess's betrayal.