The scene changes to the Monarch palace, where the guests from the academy's inauguration ceremony are gathered in a particular place by the soldiers on orders from Raphael before meeting the Sacred Demonel. Be it the guests of the demi-human or the human region, everyone gathered in that place. Not long after, Queen Jasmine came with her daughter and explained what had happened to them.

"Jasmine, is what you said true?" The principal of the Piqmentia Grand Academy, Merlick, asked. His relationship with the Elven Royal family has been good since he was an adventurer. Therefore he did not use honorifics when speaking to Queen Jasmine.

"That's true. What I said earlier came from a reliable source. So, as long as you don't leave the Monarch Palace, then you'll be fine." Queen Jasmine had explained to Merlick and the guests from the human region about the guardians of the continent based on Ziel's story.

Unlike the people from the demi-human region, who looked calm because they thought Raphael would win against his enemy, the guests from the human region looked warier after hearing Queen Jasmine's explanation.

"Do you perhaps know where the other students from the human academies are?" Princess Aishia asked after looking around and couldn't find Ziel's figure anywhere.

Princess Aishia had also tried to contact Ziel and the other girls who went with him using the communication brooch she had recently gotten. But none of them answered. It was probably due to the barrier of the Sacred Demonel covering the entire area of the Monarch Palace and disrupting the magic connection.

"Ah, they are with my sister in a safe place. So you don't have to worry." Queen Jasmine smiled in response. She could see the worry on Princess Aishia's face. But Queen Jasmine didn't know who she was worried about. Was it Clara, Princess Iris, or maybe Ziel?

"May I know where they are now?" Princess Freya entered into their conversation. She knew it was a bit impolite. But Princess Freya had no other choice because she was worried about the situation of Ziel and the other girls.

"You don't have to worry. They are still within the Monarch Palace for now." Queen Jasmine replied calmly and paid no heed to Princess Freya's impolite attitude.

"What do you mean 'for now', Jasmine?" Merlick narrowed his eyes and asked seriously. He felt something strange about Queen Jasmine's words.

"Could it be that you're hiding something from us?" King Leonida saw that Queen Jasmine's behavior was suspicious, like she was hiding something from them.

"Hmm? What are you talking about? I don't understand." Queen Jasmine tilted her head and pretended to be confused.

"Okay. Suppose you don't want to tell us. But if it's important and concerns the safety of the people in this place, I ask you to tell us about it." Merlick sighed heavily and knew he couldn't force Queen Jasmine to speak if she didn't want to.

"I understand. I would say it if it involved the safety of many people." Queen Jasmine nodded and then left the place. She returned to the guest area of the demi-human region because she didn't want to bother them any longer. Queen Jasmine had come to meet them because Kalya had asked her for help informing Merlick and the Kings of the human region of this situation without telling them about Ziel's involvement.

"Mother, are we not going to tell them about the purpose of the guardian of the continent? Isn't that the crux of the matter?" Princess Seira asked in a low voice so as not to be heard by the people around her. Previously she had just been silent and watched as her mother conversed with Merlick and the kings of the human region because she was afraid that saying the wrong thing and interrupting their exchange would be rude.

"I don't want to hide it from them. But if I say it, your aunt's fiancé's name will be dragged, and Kalya doesn't want that to happen. Her fiance doesn't seem to want his true identity and power to be known by others." Queen Jasmine shrugged helplessly.

"If he's that strong, why should he hide his strength? If he showed it, wouldn't he be considered a hero instead of having to be the butler of a Duke's daughter from the Neigal Kingdom?" Princess Seira saw Queen Jasmine and asked curiously.

"You should ask your aunt directly if you want to know the answer." Queen Jasmine answered nonchalantly. Princess Seira could only purse her lips after hearing her mother's reply.

On the other hand, Merlick kept looking at Queen Jasmine until her figure disappeared from his sight. He felt that the current matter was odd because Queen Jasmine knew about the guardian of the continent, but she did not reveal the reason for her appearance in this academy and caused a commotion.

"What do you think, Merlick?" King Leonida asked seriously.

"She's hiding something. I'm guessing she's hiding the purpose of the beings called guardians of the continent coming here and the people who might be related to it." Merlick gave his opinion to King Leonida.

"But why didn't he tell us about the students' whereabouts who haven't returned yet?" King Raghnall asked in confusion. He pretended to show such a reaction in front of the other kings and Merlick.

(Could this have something to do with him?)

King Raghnall guessed that this matter had something to do with Ziel because he didn't find Ziel anywhere in that place. In other words, one of the students who had not returned was him, and Queen Jasmine deliberately concealed his whereabouts. It showed that Queen Jasmine knew something about Ziel.

"Do you know any students who haven't returned yet?" King Elrick looked at his daughter, Princess Aishia. He was curious about the students his daughter was worried about and why Queen Jasmine had kept their whereabouts a secret.

"Eh? That is…" Princess Aishia looked to Princess Freya for her help. She didn't know if she should say it or not. But Princess Freya responded by shaking her head as she was also confused.

"One of the students who haven't returned is my daughter, Iris, and her friend at the academy who is the daughter of my subordinate, Duke Castilene." King Jonathan answered before Princess Aishia could open her mouth.

"One of the heroes, Kyouka, hasn't returned either." King Gustave added. They didn't mention Ziel and Lilith because the two of them weren't very conspicuous in the academy and were not remembered by the teachers and principals.

"Should we look for them? Heroes are an important asset to humanity. In addition, there is the daughter of King Jonathan with her. I can't fully believe what Queen Jasmine said. So we must find them as soon as possible to prevent anything bad from happening to them." King Leonida looked at the other three kings and then stopped at Merlick. He couldn't decide the matter himself.

"I agree with your opinion. But who should we send to look for them? You guys must stay here to accompany the guests from the human region, and I must keep an eye on my academy students." Merlick couldn't act in this situation because he only brought Flavio with him, and they had to look after dozens of academy students.

"I will find them!" A girl's firm voice suddenly entered their conversation. The voice came from King Raghnall's daughter, Cordelia Cirlus.

"Lia? Is it okay if it bothers you to look for them?" King Raghnall raised his eyebrows as he didn't expect his daughter to volunteer to find Kyouka and Princess Iris.

"Of course! After all, you cannot act freely in a situation like this. So I think only I can go to look for them for now." Princess Cordelia nodded in confirmation.

"Then me too!"

"Me too!"

Princess Freya and Princess Aishia also volunteered to find Kyouka and Princess Iris. Although some of them already knew the true purpose of the two Princesses.

"Can I come too?" Hikaru also suddenly volunteered to help with the search. He was quietly listening to Merlick and the kings' conversation. Hikaru couldn't let Kyouka wander around the Monarch Palace in a dangerous situation like this. Megumi can't come with him because she has to take care of the seriously injured Sintaro.

"No! The three of you must stay here. We still don't know the real situation because we can't fully believe Queen Jasmine's words. If it turns out that the level of danger is higher than described by her and the enemy is not just one person, then you may also be in danger later. We'll leave the search to Princess Cordelia." Merlick firmly rejected the two princesses and Hikaru.

Merlick didn't allow them because he didn't want anything wrong to happen to the two princesses and heroes. Merlick judged that with Princess Cordelia's strength, she could move freely within the Monarch Palace and easily overcome enemies as long as it wasn't a Saint or a Sage.

"You don't have to worry. I will find them soon." Princess Cordelia smiled and winked at Princess Aishia and Princess Freya. The two girls looked at each other and could only sigh and accept it.

"Okay. We understand. Please find them immediately and bring them back!" Princess Freya answered in a weak voice. For some reason, she had a bad feeling after hearing the words the guardian of the continent from Queen Jasmine. Princess Freya wants Ziel and the other girls to return safely without having to fight the creature.

Princess Aishia also felt the same way as Princess Freya. She had seen how strong the guardian of the continent was and didn't want Ziel to fight such a creature again. On the other hand, Hikaru could only shrug his shoulders in disappointment after being barred from leaving by Merlick.

"I understand!" Princess Cordelia could sense the two girls were worried about Ziel and their friends.

"Be careful, sister!" Princess Rinne said worriedly. Princess Cordelia smiled and rubbed her sister's head. After that, she looked at Merlick and his father and immediately left the place.

***

Fornius looked at 'Oillet' in disbelief after she drew him close and attacked him suddenly. He didn't care about his missing arm, but he was saddened by what had happened to Oillet.

"You're sly! You used that body to lure him!" Azalia roared angrily at the Sacred Demonel, who was grinning like a true demon. She flew closer to Fornius to check on him.

"How are you, Fornius?" Azalia asked and looked at the severed arm of Fornius.

"I'm fine, Miss Azalia. Thank you for being so concerned, and I apologize for my rash behavior earlier. I didn't expect her to purposely release Oillet's consciousness to lure me closer." Fornius smiled bitterly.

"I didn't expect you irregulars to think about such a relationship. But that doesn't change my goal of eliminating you." The Sacred Demonel suddenly disappeared from Azalia's sight.

"Aghares! Take Fornius away from this place!" Azalia gave the order, and her figure disappeared from where she was.

"I understand!" Aghares quickly took Fornius away. At first, Fornius was a little rebellious, but Aghares added strength to his grip and carried him with a bit of force.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Azalia and the Sacred Demonel's battle was no less fierce than Raphael's previous fight. Their clash caused shockwaves and violent winds that ravaged the surrounding area.

"Hmm… you do feel stronger than the previous irregular… but you will still die and disappear from the Clorius continent." Sacred Demonel narrowed her eyes and added more power to each attack.

Clank!

"Ugh!" Azalia was pushed back after being hit by an attack from her opponent. Then she clenched her left fist, and a milky white light condensed around it. Azalia swung her fist, enveloped with dense divine power, at the Sacred Demonel.

[Void Blast]

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Azalia's attacks made consecutive explosions in the space around the Sacred Demonel and locked her in the center. The concept of this attack is similar to Queen Triana's attack but with far more terrifying destructive power.

The space explosion continued to spread until it engulfed the Sacred Demonel. Even though her attack hit her enemy heavily, Azalia didn't let her guard down because she knew that the guardian of the continent wouldn't die just from such an attack.

"No matter how you hit me, the result will be the same. Because that attack of yours won't kill me at all." The Sacred Demonel came out from the center of the explosion with half of its body missing and partially scorched.

[Extreme Reconstruction]

The Sacred Demonel's body was enveloped in white light and then returned to its original state in the blink of an eye. Then her figure disappeared and appeared right in front of Azalia. Sacred Demonel was already holding the black sphere in her left hand and slamming it into Azalia's head.

"Damn!" Azalia quickly dodged the attack. Even though the attack didn't hit her head, black sphere still hit Azalia's shoulder while dodging and made a hole.

The Sacred Demonel chased after Azalia and launched a follow-up attack after her previous attack was dodged. This time she created a black sphere big enough to swallow Azalia's body.

"What!?" Azalia was shocked after the black sphere of light covered her vision. She knew she could not dodge an attack of that magnitude. Just as Azalia prepared to take the attack head-on, a red laser beam suddenly appeared and pierced through the black sphere, tearing apart the Sacred Demonel's left hand.

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