The Garia Harvest Festival was a sensory nightmare.
There were too many people. The noise level was comparable to a torture chamber in the Seventh Circle of Hell. The smell of roasted corn and sweating bodies was overwhelming.
Zania, however, loved it.
"Ren! Look at that!" she squealed, pointing at a juggler tossing flaming torches. "Do you think I could do that with swords?"
"Please do not try," I said, adjusting the heavy picnic basket on my arm. "The clinic is closed for the holiday."
We were walking through the main square. Zania was practically vibrating with energy. She wore the yellow dress she had shown me yesterday, and the red ribbon I gave her was tied securely in her hair. She looked... nice. Normal.
If only she knew that directly above her head, about five thousand feet in the air, the fabric of reality was slowly thinning as Volcan prepared his invasion.
"Come on!" Zania grabbed my free hand and dragged me toward a game stall. "I want to win a stuffed bear! It's the 'Shooting Gallery'!"
We stopped at the booth. A bored-looking merchant handed Zania a wooden crossbow with a warped string. The target was a row of wooden ducks moving on a mechanical track.
"Three shots for a silver," the merchant grunted.
Zania slammed a coin down. She took the crossbow, narrowed her amber eyes, and fired.
Thwack.
The bolt curved left and hit the back wall.
"What?" Zania gasped. "The wind took it!"
She fired again. Thwack. It curved right this time.
"It is rigged," I whispered to her. "The bolt is weighted on one side, and the string is loose."
"That's cheating!" Zania whispered back, outraged. "I'm going to arrest him for fraud."
"No need," I said. "Let me try."
I paid a silver coin and took the crossbow.
I didn't need to aim. I just needed to apply a little corrective physics.
As I pulled the trigger, I cast [Spell: Wind Guide - Microburst].
The bolt flew straight, corrected its own trajectory in mid-air, and smashed the wooden duck into splinters.
"We have a winner!" the merchant sighed, handing me a lumpy, poorly stitched teddy bear.
I handed it to Zania.
"For you," I said. "A trophy."
Zania hugged the ugly bear like it was made of gold. "You're amazing, Ren! I didn't know you were good at shooting!"
"I have good eyes," I said.
And high-level wind manipulation, I added silently.
We spent the afternoon wandering. We ate candied apples… honestly, they are too sticky. We watched a puppet show that was also historically inaccurate. We threw coins in the fountain.
It was... pleasant.
For a few hours, I forgot that I was a Demon Lord. I was just a baker carrying a basket for a girl who smiled too much.
But as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of purple and orange, the itch returned.
"The sun is setting," Zania said, looking up. "We should go to the hill! The fireworks start in an hour."
"Lead the way," I said.
We hiked up the grassy hill overlooking the town. It was the prime viewing spot. Dozens of families were already there, laying out blankets.
Zania found a spot near an old oak tree, away from the main crowd.
"Here!" she declared, spreading out a checkered blanket. "This is perfect. We can see the whole town."
I sat down and unpacked the sandwiches.
"Ren," Zania said softly, sitting cross-legged and hugging her knees. "Thanks for coming with me. I know you hate crowds."
"It wasn't terrible," I admitted.
"I'm glad," she smiled. Then her expression turned serious. "You know... I'm going to miss this."
I paused, holding a ham sandwich. "Miss what?"
"Garia," she said. "The bakery. You."
She looked out at the town lights flickering on below us.
"The Inquisitor said I was only B-Rank. But... I still feel like I have to go. I feel like I'm supposed to do something bigger than patrol the market."
She turned to me, her eyes searching mine.
"Do you think I should leave, Ren? Do you think I should go to the Capital and become a real Knight?"
My heart sank.
This was the crossroads. If she left, she would enter the war. She would see the bloodshed. She would awaken.
"No," I said, perhaps too quickly. "I think you should stay."
"Why?"
"Because the world is ugly, Zania," I said quietly. "Here, you have friends. You have safety. You have... unlimited pastries."
She laughed, but it was a sad sound. "Pastries are great. But... what if I'm meant to fight? What if people get hurt because I stayed here eating bread?"
People will get hurt if you DON'T stay, I thought.
Before I could answer, a shadow lengthened near the tree.
It wasn't a natural shadow. It was Malphas.
I sensed him before I saw him. He was hiding in the branches of the oak tree above us.
Telepathy Link…
The sound of Malphas is on my head, "My Lord. It is time. The Grand Rocket is being loaded into the launcher in the town square. Volcan's mana signature is spiking directly above us."
"Is the barrier ready?"
"Yes. I have placed stealth wards around the hill. But Volcan is bringing the heavy hitters. I sense three High Demons."
I closed my eyes for a second. Three High Demons. This wasn't a raid; it was an execution.
"Ren?" Zania asked, tilting her head. "Are you okay? You zoned out."
"I am fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Just... savoring the moment."
I reached into the basket and pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider.
"Zania, look at the moon," I said, pointing to the east.
She turned her head. "It's beautiful."
While she looked away, I tapped the ground.
[Spell: Shadow Anchor].
A ripple of darkness spread from my finger into the shadow of the tree. It connected to the mana network I had secretly laid out around the hill.
I wasn't just planning to defend. I was planning to catch Volcan the moment he stepped through.
"Five minutes to fireworks!" someone shouted from down the hill.
The crowd cheered.
Zania clapped her hands. "This is it! I heard the finale is going to be huge!"
"Oh, it will be huge," I muttered.
I checked the sky. The first star had appeared.
Above that star, invisible to everyone but me, the sky was beginning to crack. A purple fissure was forming, silent and deadly.
Volcan was knocking on the door.
"Zania," I said, handing her a sandwich. "Eat this. You need the energy."
"For watching fireworks?" she laughed.
"Just trust me."
She took a bite. "Mmm. Good ham."
I watched the sky. My muscles tensed. My mana boiled just beneath my skin.
I hoped she enjoyed the sandwich. Because in about three minutes, I was going to have to fight a war without standing up from this picnic blanket.