The city bells began to toll, signaling the arrival of Albert and his small army, who stood near the city's main gate.
As the company reached the gate, Albert's assistant stepped forward and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Open the gate! Lord Albert Belmont, Protector of the Eastern Emirate and Governor of the Northern Citadel, has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, the guards began to heave the gate open inch by inch until it swung wide. The exhausted soldiers resumed their march into the city, the fatigue etched deeply into their faces.
At that moment, a sharp, rhythmic voice pierced the somber atmosphere. It was a female voice, crying out as loudly as possible: "Commander Kristin, where is my father?"
She was a beautiful girl, nearly fifteen years old, with vibrant red hair and wearing finely detailed armor.
Before Kristin, her father's assistant, could respond, Leon muttered audibly: "Is this Albert's daughter?"
Hearing him, the girl shifted her gaze toward the source of the voice. She shot Leon a suspicious, disapproving look before Kristin intervened to smooth over the situation. "Ah, this is Lady Alicia, daughter of Lord Albert Belmont, the ruler of this fortified city, Sir Leon," Kristin explained.
For a moment, Alicia was displeased by Kristin's polite tone toward Leon and felt something was amiss. However, she ignored it for the time being, shifting her focus back to her father.
"Sir Kristin, where is my father? Did the messengers not tell me he was coming with an army of hundreds? Why do I not see him? And what happened to your army? It looks as though you have been in the midst of a fierce war."
Alicia peppered him with questions that Kristin preferred not to answer in such a public place, especially with the common folk lining the streets to watch.
Being highly intelligent, Alicia caught on to his hesitation. "Fine, Sir Kristin," she said. "We shall meet at the palace shortly."
Before Kristin continued, he gave Alicia what sounded more like an order than a request: "Alicia, I believe you are tasked with tending to the soldiers and providing for their needs. I will join you once my work is finished."
With that, Kristin moved on, but this time without his army. The soldiers followed Alicia, while Leon and Helmud remained with Kristin. They were accompanied by a small, horse-drawn carriage covered in cloth to conceal its contents.
The truth was that Albert lay in that carriage, burdened by his wounds. Kristin did not want to bring him into his city in such a state or parade him wounded before his subjects, especially during a time when his presence was needed more than ever.
A minute later, Kristin stopped before a lavish and opulent house—clearly the residence of Albert, the city's ruler.
As soon as they arrived, they hurried to lower Albert and carry him inside. A medical team was waiting; as soon as Albert was placed on his bed, the doctor ordered everyone to leave, as he was about to perform an emergency operation.
Before exiting, Kristin grabbed the doctor's arm, a look of desperation on his face. "Doctor, please do your utmost for this man. He must live, no matter the cost."
The doctor looked at Kristin with a somber but not entirely hopeless expression. Before the silence could linger, a strange voice broke it.
"Hey, fat doctor," Leon chimed in. "Make sure you keep my piggy bank alive. I'd hate for all my hard work to go to waste in the end."
The doctor merely glanced at Leon, then turned and closed the door, leaving Leon and the others standing in the grand hallway.
"Ahhh, I'm starting to get really sleepy," Leon said, yawning. Kristin stepped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The servants will show you where you will be staying, Sir Leon."
With that, Leon and Helmud had fulfilled their task of bringing Albert home alive. All they could do now was wait at the palace until he recovered his health.
As they walked through one of the corridors, Leon turned to Helmud. "Hey, Helmud. Something's bothering me. Maybe you have an explanation for it."
Helmud asked, "And what might that be?"
Leon replied honestly, "That worm I sliced in half earlier... don't you think there was something strange about it? I felt a sensation similar to when I destroyed the Golem a few days ago. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I feel there's something common between them."
Helmud sighed before answering. "Ah, well, it is likely that what you felt was the magic of the Demon King."
"The Demon King?" Leon knew nothing of such a thing. Was it a monster from Wonderland? Leon thought for a moment, trying to recall his memories, but found nothing. There were no monsters like "demons" in the world of Wonderland that Leon had played once upon a time. This created a sense of doubt in Leon, who had believed he was in a world that was an exact replica of the game.
"Hmm, the Demon King? I've never heard of him before." These words were like a bombshell to Helmud, who was so annoyed by Leon's apparent ignorance that he wondered if the man had lost his memory: "Ah! You don't know who the Demon King is? Stop this nonsense. There isn't a soul on this continent who doesn't know of the demons."
It was a lecture and a reproach all at once. When Helmud looked up at Leon and saw his face, he gasped in shock. "Wait, are you actually serious?" Leon replied, "Yes," nodding in a way that further irritated Helmud.
Having no other choice, Helmud began to explain. "Fine. Since you are ignorant of the matter—and since you previously mentioned you know nothing of the continent's history for the last two thousand years—I will tell you briefly."
Leon was somewhat excited to listen; Helmud had become something of a living history book to him. "It began in the year 100 after the disappearance of the Masters, and in the same year the First Racial War ended, a great evil swept across the continent, affecting all races equally. This evil did not distinguish between Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Spirits, or even the Winged or Beast-kin. Even those races that had not been subject to the rule and law of the Masters took their share of the blow."
The beginning of the tale was fascinating, sounding like an ancient myth. Leon urged him on, "Go on, go on! What happened next?"
"That was the beginning of the Great Age of Darkness. From across the sea, the demons invaded this continent and spread ruin. Wherever they went, chaos followed. Rapidly, the demon armies swallowed the continent bit by bit, leaving the inhabitants no choice but to unite their strength to crush this common threat. Indeed, the inhabitants of the continent entered a devastating clash with the demons that lasted for nearly fifty years."
Leon shouted in shock, "Whoa! Fifty years!" Helmud replied, "Yes, those fifty years were many times worse than the hundred years that preceded them. But at the end of the fiftieth year of the invasion of Wonderland, the war ended in a crushing defeat for the inhabitants. Control of the continent fell to the demons, who spread corruption in the name of the first Demon King, Arnos."
Leon interrupted, "Arnos? He must have been a powerful demon to be able to invade Wonderland and rule those demons at the same time."
Helmud looked annoyed by the interruption, which Leon quickly realized. "Ah, sorry. Please, continue."
"After the war ended," Helmud resumed, "the reign of Demon King Arnos lasted for nearly a hundred years. His rule was not a beautiful thing; he is not remembered in history for his righteousness. Rather, the era of the Demon King is known as the worst of all. A hundred years of despair and chaos—until a bright light appeared to dispel that darkness with its sword, announcing the end of the Demon King's reign, leading the inhabitants to freedom, and ending the demons' presence in Wonderland."
Leon clapped enthusiastically. "Oh, that's a truly heroic story! But how does an event you claim ended so long ago have an effect on the present? What does this have to do with the suspicious magic of the worm and the Golem?"
Helmud looked slightly embarrassed. "Ah, I apologize. It seems my old habit has become quite annoying. I got too carried away with the lore, assuming you were as interested in these stories as I am, when your question was specifically about that suspicious magic."
Leon replied, "No need to apologize. I liked the story. And I can guess why some monsters are behaving with this suspicious magic—perhaps they've been influenced by demon magic. But didn't this happen in the distant past? What I find strange is its impact on the present."
Helmud sighed. "Ah, you're right. Your reasoning is likely correct, but it's not precise. The demons invaded Wonderland twice in the last two thousand years. Although the second invasion ended early, it left many negative effects, most notably the 'Demonic Beasts'—monsters who were enticed by demon magic and fell into their grip. As the books and legends say, this has only happened twice."
"Only twice," Helmud said with a tone of mystery that made Leon shudder. "The first was before the first demon invasion, and the second was before the second invasion. Since then, no cases of Demonic Beasts have been recorded. Ironically, the time between the first and second invasions was exactly one thousand years."
Leon scratched his head. "So, is this information supposed to be extremely dangerous, given your tone?"
Helmud slapped his own forehead. "Leon, it has been nearly a thousand years since the second demon invasion. If this theory is correct, we might be witnessing a historical event that won't happen again for another millennium! If the demons invade Wonderland again, I will be the dwarf who witnessed this great historical event!"
Helmud began to ramble about things Leon didn't understand. Leon cut him off: "So, are you saying those demons are linked to this unique magic clinging to the monsters?"
Helmud answered hesitantly, "Ah, I'm not entirely sure. It's just a hypothesis. So far, we have no real lead on those demons, and we can't determine when they might return—or if they will return at all."
At this point, Leon realized that Helmud's talk was mostly historical tales mixed with his own dreams.
As they reached their destination, a servant standing in the hallway spoke: "Welcome, Sir Leon, and Sir Iron Fist. This will be Sir Leon's room, and the one next to it will be for Sir Iron Fist. I hope you can get some rest before dinner."