Even though Ceres deeply wanted to meet the Demon Lord, to strike a deal with him, she couldn't bring herself to leave Aquilonis in its current state.
Despite the undeniable comfort she felt around Tuf, she couldn't deny that Aurelian was right.
It wasn't that she feared something bad would happen to her, after all, she couldn't die, no matter what dangers came her way, but abandoning the kingdom like this… it didn't sit right with her.
After all, everything that happened, the destruction, the trauma, the panic, was because of her.
"Are you hesitating, Your Highness," Tuf asked quietly, the edge of hurt and disappointment poorly concealed in his voice, "because you think I'll hurt you?"
Ceres looked at him, her expression softening.
"No. It's not that," she said sincerely. "But Aurelian is right. I can't leave until the kingdom is rebuilt. After all… it's in this state because of me."
Tuf was silent for a moment.
Then asked...
"So you're saying… Once Aquilonis is restored, you'll come with me? To meet my father?"
Ceres paused.
She still couldn't understand why Tuf seemed so eager, so urgent, for her to meet the Demon Lord. But…
She nodded.
"Once everything is stable again. Once the people are safe, once we've recovered... yes. I will go. I do have business with the Demon Lord, after all."
Her smile was calm. Resolute.
Tuf's eyes lit up with something fierce and boyish.
"It's a deal, then," he said with a grin. "I'll help you rebuild this kingdom, and help your people recover. It won't take long. A month… maybe less, if everyone cooperates."
Gasps echoed softly around the canopy.
Even Ceres blinked in disbelief.
"A month? To rebuild the entire kingdom?" she asked, stunned. Was he trying to use magic?
"Tuf, I don't know if you're aware or not, but we can't use magic to rebuild Aquilonis."
"Of course I know," Tuf replied with a half-offended pout.
"Even if magic speeds things up, once the caster dies, the spells holding the buildings together unravel. They collapse, no warning. I've lived over a thousand years, Your Highness. I'd have to be an idiot not to know that."
Ceres exhaled with a small shake of her head.
"That's not what I meant…"
"I know," Tuf interrupted with a teasing smile.
"Don't worry. I'm not using traditional magic."
He leaned forward, grinning like a child with a secret.
"I'm using magitechnology. It's a fusion of magic and technology. Even if, by some miracle, I die, the structures I build with it will still stand. For a million years, if needed."
"Magitechnology?" Ceres echoed, intrigued.
"Yup! You've seen my Nyx, right? The floating vehicle I rode when I first arrived?" he said proudly. "That's magitechnology."
Then, as if sensing her hesitation, he added...
"To ease your worry… let me show you something."
He raised his hand and activated his dimensional ring, projecting a glowing image into the air, a shimmering illusion.
The warriors gathered instinctively around to see.
The image stabilized.
And everyone stared, speechless.
A city bathed in glowing lights.
No brick-and-stone castles.
No carriages.
No swords and shields.
Instead, towering structures, sleek and majestic.
Flying transports zoomed between buildings.
Pulsing roads. Clean, impossible surfaces. Machines they couldn't name or begin to understand.
Even Delphine gasped.
Legion's eyes narrowed, stunned.
And yet, Ceres recognized it immediately.
It was like a more magical, fantastical version of Earth's New York City. But richer. Brighter. Breathtaking.
"This is Duskborn," Tuf said proudly. "The city of Elves and Faes, under my direct rule. It's just beyond Aquilonis, actually. You would've seen it already if not for the Blinding Mist my father created."
Ceres's chest tightened. Her breath caught.
The projection shifted slightly, zooming in on the tallest, most radiant structure.
"This is Lightning Peak," Tuf continued, as the gleaming tower came into view.
"I own that. Well, technically, I own about half of all structures in the city." He winked at her. "Not to brag, Your Highness, but I'm the richest man in all of Solmara, as far as I'm concerned. And Lightning Peak? That's the second tallest building in the entire realm."
"In all of Solmara?" Ceres repeated, stunned.
Tuf nodded, beaming with pride.
"And what's the tallest?"
The image shifted again. This time, to a massive black tower, distant and impossibly tall. Though the projection made it seem small from their vantage point, everyone could feel its scale, monolithic and ancient.
"The Black Tower," Tuf said reverently.
"Is it constructed with magitechnology too?" asked Prince Azul, awe softening his voice.
"No," Tuf shook his head. "It was built with pure manual labor, from every demi-human race, except the Narfs, of course."
The air seemed to quiet as he spoke.
"After the Great War, and after Father cast the Blinding Mist, the demi-human races who swore loyalty to him lost their homes. But instead of despairing, they united, grateful, and built the Black Tower. It was both a tribute and a promise. A sign that they recognized him as their Lord."
"For a hundred years, the tower became shelter to the surviving demi-humans, until Father founded Velrathis and began rebuilding every race's city."
Ceres continued to study the image.
It was overwhelming.
Tuf considered showing their family portrait, him, his siblings, and Caelum, hoping it might finally trigger Ceres's memory.
But no matter how many times he tried to project it…
It wouldn't appear.
He frowned. Even his will couldn't pull the image forward.
"What's the catch?" Ceres asked suddenly, her voice sharp and cutting through the air like a blade.
Tuf blinked.
"Come again, Your Highness?"
"The catch," she repeated. "What's the price of your help? What's the cost of rebuilding Aquilonis and aiding my people?"
Tuf smiled faintly.
"Everyone cooperates so we can finish quickly. And of course, you'll come with me to Velrathis to meet my father." His smile widened. "That's it."
"That's all?" Ceres asked, clearly skeptical.
"Yes. That's all." Tuf nodded, solemn as a priest. "Promise."
He even drew a dramatic cross over his heart.
"Empress… don't tell me you actually believe that's all he wants," Aurelian said quietly, stepping closer and gently pulling her arm back toward him.
Tuf's jaw ticked.
"Oh, I do have one more condition," Tuf added casually, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "You'll allow me to sleep with you."
"What the fuck?!" Aurelian and Legion roared in unison, both drawing weapons, ready to charge.
"Stop!" Ceres snapped, raising her hand before they could so much as lunge.
Her tone left no room for argument.
They froze, but barely. The air sizzled with fury.
She glanced at Tuf, who, of course, was grinning smugly, sticking his tongue out at the two men like a child who just got away with murder.
Even Seiryu's eye twitched, watching the Panther's antics with growing disdain.
"I thought you said you weren't attracted to me?" Ceres asked, arching a brow as she turned to face Tuf.
"Of course not!" Tuf's eyes widened. "Shit, wait, that's not what I meant!"
He slapped a palm to his face.
"What I meant was… you'll let me sleep beside you. That's all! No touching. No weird stuff. I swear!"
A beat of silence.
Ceres blinked at him, unamused.
Aurelian looked like he was about to combust.
Legion still hadn't lowered his sword.
"Just sleep?" Ceres asked dryly.
"Yup!" Tuf said quickly. "Like a pillow buddy. Totally innocent."
Ceres sighed.
Was this her life now?
She had stopped an empire from falling.
Subjugated a Holy Beast.
Inherited a crown meant for a woman she never chose to become.
And now…
Now she was negotiating sleepover terms with a godlike demi-human prince who had just leveled her kingdom and called her his human.
What the hell had her life become?
But Ceres knew she had no choice.
And truth be told, she wanted to meet the Demon Lord as soon as possible.
If Aquilonis hadn't been reduced to rubble, she would've left with Tuf without hesitation.
"No monkey business," she said coldly, narrowing her eyes at him in warning.
"Your Highness!"
"Empress!"
Legion and Aurelian's voices overlapped in stunned disbelief.
They couldn't believe what they were hearing, couldn't believe she was accepting Tuf's outrageous condition.
Ceres turned to them, her gaze sharp, especially toward Aurelian.
"We don't have the luxury of being choosy, Duke," she said. "We need to rebuild this kingdom fast, for the people. Or have you forgotten? We still have the dead to bury."
Because even if none of her soldiers had fallen, there were still casualties.
Prince Augustus and his men.
Ceres hadn't expected Augustus to strike first.
By the time she had cast the invincible barrier around Delphine, it had already been too late.
She couldn't risk Delphine joining the battle, not even with her Saintess Knights by her side. Delphine's safety was one line Ceres would never cross.
It was a loss they simply had to accept.
And yet, judging from Aurelian's face, you wouldn't even think his brother had died.
Not a single twitch. Not a trace of sorrow.
As if Augustus's death meant nothing to him.
But truth be told, it didn't.
Aurelian had long since stopped seeing Augustus as a brother.
They were merely civil at best.
Ever since their father named Aurelian as heir, Augustus and his faction had plotted his death.
Why should he mourn a man who spent years dreaming of his downfall?
And more than that, Augustus had gotten cocky.
And in battle, arrogance gets you killed.
Aurelian knew that better than anyone.
"I accept Tuf's condition," Ceres said firmly. "And unless I'm mistaken, I still hold the highest authority in this kingdom."
Her voice turned cold.
"Which means my decision overrules everyone else's."
She looked directly at Aurelian now.
"Unless you plan to strip me of my crown, Duke… in which case, I'll leave with Tuf right now and travel to Velrathis."
Her tone was a blade.
"You know very well that going to Velrathis has always been part of my plan."
Ceres knew she was playing dirty.
She knew Aurelian would never revoke her title.
Because her position as Empress was the only string tying her to him.
The only way he could still keep her here.
Even last night, he'd said it himself...
He would take no other Empress but her.
This was the only way to fulfill her duty, to rebuild Aquilonis quickly, and still reach the Demon Lord in time.
To finally cast the Dream Spell.
Because she couldn't wait any longer.
Not when the thing she had craved the most… was finally within reach.