Only after the ice throne had crumbled into an unrecognizable heap did his movements cease.
As he turned around, he saw cracks like ice forming on the body of Janet, who was slumped on the floor, and black smoke began to envelop her.
"What is your name?"
"I have no name to give to a demon."
"Is that so?"
Atanas raised his sword. Seeming to sense her end, Janet closed her eyes and muttered in a small voice.
"Ah, my King. I shall return to your side someday..."
Before her final words could even finish, the merciless sword struck her down without hesitation.
As Janet vanished, the ice dolls that had moved according to her will froze in place. Then, not long after, they collapsed in a heap like puppets with their strings cut.
"I-is it over?"
At a knight's question, silence flowed through the ice banquet hall where they stood.
Atanas, who had been staring fixedly at the spot where Janet had disappeared, let out a long breath.
"It is over."
It was a short statement, but the lingering impact of those words was immense.
The knights raised both hands high and let out a loud cheer, "Woooah!"
At the boisterous noise echoing through the empty hall, Atanas let them savor their joy instead of trying to reform their ranks.
As soon as he confirmed that Janet was gone, he turned his body and moved hurriedly toward the place below where Flora was.
"Father..."
Benio, who had sustained wounds all over his body while fighting to protect Flora, did not show his pain and called out to him in a trembling voice.
"Flora's body is still so cold."
"Let me see her."
"Y-yes."
Benio slowly lowered his trembling hands and carefully laid Flora on his lap.
"Flora, it's Daddy. Daddy is here."
A warm hand, marked with wounds, grasped one of Flora's hands.
"Please, please open your eyes."
The surroundings fell silent again at the desperate, pleading voice of the man kneeling on the ground. The sobbing voice was filled with deep regret, and tears began to well up in everyone's eyes.
"Flora, please..."
Benio, holding her other hand, also began to pray as desperately as Atanas.
Yet, Flora did not budge.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was late."
Atanas was consumed by deep regret.
If he had known it would come to this, he never would have gone to the capital.
'It was because I didn't know my place and craved money that this happened.'
The determination to change for the sake of his family's happiness had led to the worst possible outcome.
'If only I hadn't left...'
The word "if" was like a curse that revealed an irreversible reality.
At the impossible wish, Atanas's eyes turned red, and tears began to fall, drop by drop, from one eye.
The warm tears fell onto the back of Flora's hand, which he was holding so desperately, and they wrought a miracle, as if by magic.
Flora's hand twitched.
At the movement felt from the hand he was holding, the eyes of Atanas and Benio widened.
"...D-daddy?"
The small voice that followed was clearly the one they had wanted and longed for so much.
"Where am I? Why am I..."
Before Flora's question could even finish, Benio pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Whoa."
And Atanas, without hesitation, hugged them both.
"Sob, h-hic."
At the sound of crying coming from Benio, Flora was startled and hugged him back, asking,
"Why are you doing that, Brother? Who is bothering you? Why are you doing that? Don't cry."
He shook his head from side to side without saying a word.
"Gasp, why are you so hurt!"
Flora looked at Atanas, flustered and not knowing what to do.
"D-daddy too!"
Flora's surprised face was truly no different from usual, so Atanas laughed in relief.
* * *
Flora felt a little regret at the sight of the two big bears shedding tears in relief at her safety.
'I should never do this again.'
It was a necessary scene for a dramatic effect, but it was obvious that doing this twice would leave them with immense trauma.
'There won't be any reason to do that now, anyway.'
She had the money now, so there was no need to pretend to be kidnapped.
Of course, even as she thought this, Flora was busily wiping the corners of Benio's tear-filled eyes.
"Don't cry. Hmm?"
Despite his larger-than-average frame and sturdy body, Benio looked strangely fragile when he cried.
'It's like he's been thoroughly bewitched.'
Unable to bear not comforting him, Flora continued to soothe him.
"I'm not crying."
'You should say that after wiping the tears from your eyes first.'
Of course, since Flora was the one who had caused those tears to fall, she kept her minor complaints to herself.
'Since he's so soft-hearted, I suppose I have to protect him.'
Unaware of what Flora was thinking, Benio smiled faintly at her tiny, delicate touch.
'I must train harder so that something like this never happens again.'
The two siblings, unaware that they were having similar thoughts, turned their heads at the sound of Atanas calling them.
"Let's go back home now."
She could feel the weary knights behind them brightening up.
They had defeated the demon and rescued Flora safely, so they must be eager to go home and rest.
'But it doesn't end here.'
There was still news left to be happy about, so she couldn't just let them leave.
While held in Benio's arms, Flora rummaged through her chest and pulled something out.
"Umm, but Daddy, I have this."
Atanas's eyes narrowed at the key carved from ice.
"What is this?"
When Atanas asked, taking the suspicious-looking object first, Flora said with a bright smile,
"I took it from that demon."
"What?"
"When the demon wasn't looking, *yoink!*"
And as she mimicked hiding it inside her body, Atanas and Benio looked back and forth between the key and Flora with bewildered expressions.
Atanas was conflicted about whether he should scold Flora for stealing someone else's property or praise her for the boldness of taking an item from a demon.
Flora, knowing full well what she was doing, said confidently with a bright smile,
"Lian said stealing is bad. But this isn't stealing."
She didn't forget to add a plausible reason.
"The demon said if she died, the person who killed her could have this. She gave permission, so it's not stealing. So this is yours and mine, Daddy."
Half for killing the demon, half for bringing the key.
At the sight of his daughter claiming ownership so brilliantly by distributing the rewards based on performance, Atanas blinked his only eye.
"But what is this key used for?"
At Benio's innocent question, Flora, as if she had been waiting, excitedly raised both hands and answered.
"Umm, ah! She said there's a basement here!"
"A basement? Does this castle have a basement?"
At Atanas's question, one of the knights standing behind them spoke up as a representative.
"We don't know that much yet. We couldn't explore the castle because we had to engage in battle as soon as we entered..."
"Ah, right. We came here in such a rush."
Atanas nodded, agreeing that it was only natural.
At that moment, a loud sound was heard from somewhere, and the banquet hall began to move.
The knights moved cautiously toward the sound, then shouted with surprised faces.
"It's a staircase leading to the basement!"
Delighted that the basement had appeared as soon as it was mentioned, they quickly followed up with a question.
"Shall we explore it right away?"
At the knight's question, Atanas pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, we don't know when this castle might collapse, so it's better to leave."
"N-no!"
Flora blurted out at the unexpected reaction.
When everyone's gaze turned to her, she was a little flustered, but she didn't lose heart and shouted with all her might.
"She said this castle won't collapse!"
"Did that demon say that?"
At Benio's question, Flora rolled her eyes and answered in a small voice.
"I heard her talking to herself. She thought I was asleep and just kept rambling on."
'Sorry, Janet. For ruining your image like this.'
Flora offered a sincere apology in her heart while telling a bold lie on the outside.
Anyway, Janet was on her side, so she would have said it was fine no matter what lie she told.
"She said this castle is the Demon Forest itself. She said it wouldn't disappear even if she died. She said there would be no one to take care of me if she died. She said she would die alone in this castle."
As Flora said this while on the verge of tears, Benio hurriedly hugged her and looked at Atanas.
"Father, the Demon Forest is a place that has been maintained from a very long time ago until now. This castle must be the same. If it has already absorbed the forest's Demonic Power, wouldn't it be fine as long as the forest doesn't disappear?"
At the serious voice, as if he were trying to persuade him, Atanas nodded just as seriously.
"Certainly... that is a plausible point. If it were going to disappear easily, it would have collapsed the moment that demon died. Since the Demonic Beasts won't all disappear just because the demon is gone, the Demonic Power must be overflowing."
At the two men's unnecessarily serious demeanor, Flora added her own opinion.
"And this castle is pretty. I want to have it."
She had added a bit of personal desire, meaning they should explore the castle, but an unexpectedly positive answer came back.
"Very well, let's make this castle yours."
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