(Ren POV)
One month had passed since the Red Dragon drama, and things had finally started to settle. Surprisingly, we were already heading back to the human world for a mission. I didn't think Uwe would greenlight something like this so soon, not with everything that happened, but hey, maybe this was another test. He liked those.
Still, I wasn't worried. I had no intention of leaving my new life behind. I actually liked it here. I had siblings. A giant house. And, though I wouldn't say the words out loud, I enjoyed the chaos.
Even Hendrian and Julia, as difficult as they could be, had started growing on me. Julia had figured out who I was, who I really was, but instead of trying to kill me or spitting venom, she'd done... nothing. No hatred. Just cold indecision. She stood on the edge of accepting me as family or seeing me as a threat. Honestly, I didn't blame her.
Leah and Lina had been excellent for advice. Uwe... well, he tried. That counts for something.
"So, are you all ready?" Leah asked, looking at us with the soft pride only a mother could manage.
"Yes, Mother," Hendrian said with a stiff nod. He looked nervous, and not without reason.
"It's okay," she assured. "You'll do great out there. And remember—Ren and Marasuki are with you. If anything happens, rely on them."
"Hey, what about me?" Lucas asked, clearly offended.
"Yes, yes, you too," Leah added, waving him off with a smile. "Now, I gave you all the translators. You know how they work?"
"Yes, ma'am." Hendrian said, glancing at the group, "I have just one question. Who's taking point?"
A pause.
"...Ren?" Sara offered after a beat.
"What?" I blinked at her. "Why me?"
"You know the human world best," Marasuki said, nodding in agreement. "You've got experience, and you know how we work."
"So do you."
Marasuki shrugged. "Sure, but you've got more leadership presence. Like a grumpy older sister."
"I'm younger than all of you."
"Still fits," she replied flatly.
I groaned. "Why do I keep getting saddled with more crap?"
Nyx walked up behind me and gently rubbed my back. "Because you'll do great."
Damn it. She knew my weakness.
"Alright, kids," Uwe said, stepping up beside Leah. "Do well out there. Don't cause another war with the humans. That would be annoying."
He handed me a thick folder.
"What's this?" I asked, flipping it open. "Mission info... of course." I sighed and closed it. I'd go through it during the flight.
"Okay, get in the carriages! You're going to be late," Leah called, already shooing us forward.
"Good luck!" Karl waved as we piled in.
"You better come back," Nyx muttered, giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah, we won't be able to look after that mansion forever," Arty added. She looked up at me with tired eyes, just a few centimeters away from my face.
"Don't worry. I'll be back before you even miss me." I leaned in and kissed her cheek before she could react.
"Hey!" Arty yelped, her whole face turning red.
"Heh. Try not to miss me too much, you two."
"Pah, don't flatter yourself," Arty grumbled.
Nyx just nodded quietly, eyes softer than usual.
"Lovebirds," Marasuki muttered. "We need to go."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving her off.
"Not you. Them." She pointed at Sara and her barn boy, still locked in some romantic bubble of their own.
"Yeah... the process might take a while," I muttered as I climbed into the carriage.
The month hadn't just been quiet—it had been healing. Arty had resigned from her post as Chief of Police. Nyx lost her general status, as expected. And weirdly, Duke White hadn't said a word about me courting both his daughters. I figured Uwe had something to do with that, but he wasn't talking.
Either way, it worked out for me. Arty and Nyx had grown closer, finally acting like real sisters. I was happy for them. Sort of. The downside? When we argued, Arty and Nyx teamed up against me.
They'd also sat me down and had "The Talk" about our relationship. Arty was hesitant; Nyx was all-in. Nyx even admitted it brought her and her sister closer, which wasn't the only reason, she emphasized. They mutually agreed we'd take it slow.
Fair, I guess. I was young. Arty was 45, Nyx a bit younger. They were still considered young for demons, but the age gap was significant. Massive.
Now that I think about it... what would Doc say if he knew I had two demon girlfriends? Be proud? Or horrified?
"Hey, Ren, what are those files Uwe gave you?" Hendrian asked, breaking the silence.
"Mission details. Nothing to worry about."
"How long until we get to the human realm?"
"About an hour. After that, a cargo plane went to Europe. We meet with the Saintess there. The trip will take seven hours, so you might as well sleep." Marasuki explained she was the only one who had made this trip before.
[1 hour and 30 minutes later.]
I felt the atmosphere shift.
Looking up, I met Marasuki's eyes. "We just passed through the Sazanami," she said quietly.
I nodded and closed my eyes, reaching out with my senses.
The warehouse is gone. Must've self-destructed.'
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and Duke White stepped in.
"Oh. Hello, sir."
"Good morning. Your plane leaves in ten minutes," he said, not breaking eye contact.
"Do you want to talk?"
"Yes."
I turned to the others. "You guys go ahead. I'll join you in a bit."
"What if you don't?" Sara asked.
"I will. Don't worry."
A few minutes of walking in silence passed before Duke White stopped at the edge of a stone landing, his posture straight and arms folded behind his back. The early morning mist curled around us as he turned slowly to face me.
"Both?" he asked flatly.
I met his gaze without flinching, but I could already feel a tight coil forming in my stomach. Not from fear—well, maybe a little—but more from the weight of knowing what this meant. "Yes. Both."
He didn't move. Didn't even blink. "Explain."
"...I didn't plan for the incident to happen," I said, choosing my words carefully. "It just did. I like them, Nyx and Artemis. Genuinely. And I think they both like me, too. We talked about it. We're taking it slow. But it's real."
His jaw twitched slightly. "You are young."
"I am," I admitted. "Compared to them, I'm practically a kid. But I've experienced more than most people my age. And I'm not playing games with them."
He stared for a long moment, as if weighing every syllable I'd spoken. "Do you even understand what it means to be with them? They are not ordinary women. They are my daughters. One is a former general. The other was the city's enforcer. They've bled for this country, and they've sacrificed more than you can imagine. The affair isn't just some petty courtship."
I swallowed carefully. "I know. I've seen what they're capable of. I've seen what they carry. And I want to stand beside them. Not just as a lover. As someone who understands the burden they carry and shares it."
"You're a half-demon. Former human. Political pawn. You bring complications to their lives."
I felt that way. Deep. But I didn't let it show on my face. "Yeah. I'm all of those things. But I'm also someone who would fight the world for those I care about. Who already has. You want to talk about complications? That family name you carry nearly got me killed. But I still walked back into this castle. And I stayed."
He narrowed his eyes. "You're arrogant."
"Maybe," I said, exhaling slowly. "But I'm not lying. And I'm not walking away. Even if you hate me, even if everyone in this realm thinks I'm beneath them, I'm still going to be there for them. I just hope that you can understand my feelings about this.
Silence. Long and cold.
Finally, he spoke again. "Uwe told me if I laid a hand on you, he'd kill me."
I let out a short laugh, not unkindly. "Sounds like something he'd say."
"But don't think that means you're safe. If you break either of their hearts, I won't care if Uwe himself stands in front of you. I will come for you."
"I'd expect nothing less," I said, softer now. "They deserve someone who treats them right. And I want to be that person. I know I've got a long way to go, but… I'm trying."
He looked at me again, longer this time. Then his gaze lowered, as if he were sizing me up—not just my strength, but the weight of what I carried inside.
"…So this is the version of you they chose," he said at last. "Tch."
He turned and began walking again. "Come. You'll miss your plane."
I blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt end. "Wait—does that mean you're okay with this?"
"I'm not okay," he said over his shoulder. "But I will wait and see. If you're lying—if this is some illusion you've cast to win them over—I will know."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, a small, nervous grin tugging at my lips. "Fair enough… father-in-law."
He stopped. Didn't look back. Just raised one hand in a dismissive wave and kept walking.
"… You really let me hang on that handshake, huh?" I muttered, trailing behind.
But inside? I felt lighter.
Not accepted. Not yet.
But acknowledged.
And that was more than I expected.
We walked the rest of the way in silence.
The cargo plane loomed at the end of the tarmac, its engines already spinning up in preparation. Marasuki stood near the ramp, arms crossed, nodding toward me as I approached. Hendrian, Lucas, Sara, and the others were already aboard, stowing bags and settling in.
I paused at the bottom of the ramp, looking up one last time toward the palace in the distance. The wind tugged gently at my coat.
"Guess that's it," I muttered.
Marasuki tilted her head. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," I said. "Just got a very intense talk with my maybe-future-father-in-law."
"Oh?" she spoke with a smirk. "Did you survive?"
"Barely. I think he doesn't want to kill me. For now."
"Progress," Marasuki said, motioning for me to get moving.
I climbed into the plane, found an empty seat near the center, and dropped into it with a sigh. The others were still settling in, chatting quietly. Hendrian was already fake sleeping, nervous about the start of his first mission, leaning against the window with his arms crossed.
I reached into my backpack and pulled out the thick folder Uwe had handed me earlier. The weight of the folder felt heavier now, like it understood how much was at stake for this mission.
"Alright," I muttered, flipping it open and scanning the first page. Top-level clearance. Several redacted names are included, along with an image of the saintess at the front of a briefing document. Multiple points about how the monsters have been acting over the last month since the previous meeting about this mission.
So it begins.
As the cargo doors closed behind us and the plane began to taxi down the runway, I leaned back in my seat and stared down at the file in my hands. Outside, the demon territory faded behind us.
And ahead?
The human world.
Again.
But this time, I wasn't going in as a human soldier, a prisoner, or a ghost, into the territory I knew most.
I was going as myself.
Ren Diamonas.
Half-demon.
Royal problem.