Tuf grinned widely, ear to ear.
He was now seated across from Ceres inside the golden canopy Seiryu had conjured, because every structure in the capital, even the orphanage still under construction, had been reduced to rubble. The Emperor's Palace was gone. Even the Empress's own palace had crumbled.
The kingdom, just beginning to rise from a thousand years of endless winter, now lay in utter ruin.
It was nothing short of a catastrophe.
The only remnants standing amid the devastation were the sacred trees, the Holy Knights' apple trees, untouched and unbroken, just as Ceres had once mentioned. No one could damage them, except the knight who had planted them. The Tree of the Celestials, the Malvera Tree. And the Golden Cherry Blossom that Ceres herself had planted just months ago.
Ceres had ordered the warriors to rest within Seiryu's labyrinth, but not a single one obeyed, not while the demi-human prince remained so dangerously close.
They stood on high alert, forming a silent wall around the golden canopy.
The nobles, those who had scoffed at Tuf's threat not long ago, now said nothing. No questions, no arguments. They had seen the destruction with their own eyes, and many were still trembling in fear, their pride shattered as they silently made their way to the labyrinth for safety.
"Go to the labyrinth," Aurelian said softly to Aurora.
But Aurora shook her head.
For years, she had quietly resented her brother, believing he had cast her aside, that he no longer valued the bond they once shared as siblings. But today, she realized she was wrong.
Aurelian still saw her as his beloved sister.
If he hadn't, he never would've called the Saintess to heal her. Not when danger was high. And in the presence of death personified, in the form of Tuf, only near her brother did she feel truly safe.
Aurelian knew how stubborn Aurora could be. So he didn't argue.
"Stay close to Delphine then," he murmured. She nodded quietly in response.
Inside the golden canopy, Ceres faced Tuf.
"So," she began, her voice calm, though she still hadn't recovered from the absurd memory of this dangerously powerful being crying, no, sobbing, at her feet just hours ago. "What brings you to Aquilonis, Tuf?"
And now, in the center of the ruins he had caused, he sat there smiling at her like a child, like a proud little boy waiting for praise after wrecking his own house.
"You," he said simply, still smiling.
But this time, it wasn't a grin.
Just a soft smile, one that disarmed her.
'I think I'm going crazy,' Ceres thought. 'Why does his smile look so... innocent? Am I losing my mind, Ori?'
'I cannot answer that question, Your Highness,' Ori responded blandly.
Ceres sighed.
In the past few months, she was starting to feel like Ori was becoming more and more useless. Almost every question she asked now was met with the same line, "I cannot answer that question, Your Highness."
She resisted the urge to rub her temples.
"I know I was your intended target," she said, voice steady and patient, as if speaking to a toddler, even though she knew full well the creature before her was over a thousand years her senior. "You made that clear in the message you sent to the Magic Tower. But what I mean is, why do you want to see me? Did I trigger something when I subjugated Seiryu? Is that why you showed up?"
Tuf blinked, tilting his head slightly, as if genuinely trying to follow her logic.
"Not really," he said at last, his tone light, casual. "You see, I was assigned to keep an eye on Aquilonis. But I was playing when you subjugated Seiryu. I didn't even find out until three weeks later."
Ceres stared at him.
Playing?
"And then during the High Council meeting, we saw footage of your Celestial Knight in my secretary's report, one she compiled from the last Monster Run," he continued. "Which, by the way, my sister Luna didn't see coming. And neither did you, right? She couldn't see you in her foresight, just like I said earlier."
His expression didn't change. He was simply narrating, as if reporting what he'd done at school that day.
"And since this kingdom was supposed to be my responsibility…" Tuf leaned forward, resting his elbows casually on his knees. "Father punished me. He sent me here to observe."
He said it so plainly. So innocently.
Like he wasn't the very monster who had just torn down a kingdom.
Like he wasn't the storm that shattered the sky.
"This is what you call observing, Black Panther?" Queen Azura's sharp voice cut through the golden canopy like a blade, her brow arched in disdain as she finally inserted herself into the conversation.
Tuf turned his head, clearly unbothered by the sarcasm dripping from the queen's tone.
"Oh come on! You can't blame all of this on me alone," he said with a dramatic pout, casting a sidelong glance toward Ceres, like a scolded boy seeking sympathy.
"I came here smiling, didn't I? Literally smiling. And those vermin shot arrows at me. Everyone saw that."
Then he glanced back at Queen Azura, his expression halfway between mockery and sincerity. "And Queen, if I truly came for war, I could have killed your son the moment I saw him. Right there, when we emerged from the Blinding Mist."
His tone darkened.
"You were the ones ready for war. Ready for an all-out assault the moment I stepped foot in your precious kingdom. One against ten thousand? No one even pitied me. That's not very welcoming, is it?"
"Of course we were ready to fight!" Prince Azul snapped, stepping forward. His voice was calm but laced with restrained fury. "I know what I saw. You had a thousand demi-humans aboard that flying beast. That giant vessel of yours."
"They were never coming to Aquilonis," Tuf said plainly, waving a hand. "Those demi-humans you saw, Fish Prince, have another destination."
Ceres's voice cut in, low and sharp.
"Where?"
Had it been anyone else who asked, Tuf might have dodged the question. Lied. Misdirected.
But it was her.
He couldn't lie to her.
"Pyrrathis," he said.
Ceres narrowed her eyes. "And what exactly do you plan to do there?"
"I have business," he answered.
Her stare didn't waver. "Are you going to attack Pyrrathis as well?"
Tuf blinked, then grinned like she had just accused him of stealing candy.
"No. I have legitimate business in Pyrrathis. I own banks, stores… even brothels," he said, shrugging as the entire canopy fell silent in shock.
"What?" he added, feigning innocence. "You don't believe me?"
His eyes sparkled with mischief as he leaned forward, looking around.
"My bank's name is Shield. Ring any bells? Every member of any royal family should be very familiar with it. Most of the kingdoms do business with Shield Bank. Some take out loans to support their armies… others to fund their extravagant lifestyles. I've been expanding, that's all. Naturally, I brought more of my people."
He rolled his shoulder lazily. "And as for those demi-humans Fish Prince saw aboard my Leviacron, some of them are rebels. They're tired of hiding. They want to be seen. To finally let the humans know we are real."
"Then why are they with you?" Queen Azura asked coldly.
"Because," Tuf answered smoothly, "only Father and us, his children, can open the path through the Blinding Mist without triggering its defense systems. They needed a safe path. I gave it. That's all."
"And now that they're scattered across the realms?" Azul pressed. "Are you saying we should expect invasions from here on?"
Tuf's voice lowered, not menacing, but resolute.
"They are not acting under Father's command. He gave them permission to go Beyond the Mist, yes. But under one condition, if they ran into trouble or endangered themselves, he would not send help."
He looked directly at Ceres now.
"So if you hear of demi-humans appearing in this kingdom, or any other," Tuf said, his voice losing its usual playfulness, "know this, they are not acting under the Demon Lord's authority. They are on their own. And should anything happen to them…"
He paused.
"…the Velrathis Empire will not interfere."
A long, heavy silence followed.
The air was thick with suspicion. Eyes from all around the golden canopy narrowed at Tuf, filled with doubt, fear, and barely restrained hostility. And yet, none of that seemed to bother him.
What did bother him, what made his smile falter, was that Ceres didn't believe him.
"Come on, Your Highness…" Tuf tilted his head, his voice soft, almost pleading. "You still don't believe me? That I didn't come here to cause trouble?"
He let out a small, dramatic sigh, his tone shifting to something lighter.
"If you had just come to see me from the start, when I asked for you, instead of sending that lying Duke to handle me…" He shrugged with exaggerated innocence. "Then none of this would've happened. We could have been sipping coffee in your palace early in the morning. Having breakfast. Relaxing."
He smiled again, bright and unbothered.
Ceres's eyes narrowed, sharp as daggers.
"Okay, okay…" Tuf raised both hands in mock surrender. "I'll take half the blame. Just half. Let's be fair, Your Highness, what I said isn't wrong, right?"
Ceres let out a breath, a soft sigh escaping her lips. As much as she hated to admit it… he had a point.
If she had faced him the moment he arrived, arriving in that sleek, bizarre, sportscar-like contraption she still couldn't wrap her mind around, then maybe… maybe the battle wouldn't have happened.
She looked at him again. This reckless being who destroyed cities… and yet had the gall to pout and make excuses like a scolded teenager.
"So then," she said slowly, eyes never leaving his, "why did you stop?"
He blinked.
"Hm?"
"Why did you stop your attack on me?" she asked again, her tone firmer now. "Because I saw it, Tuf. You were ready. You were going to strike me. And then you didn't. Why?"
Tuf scratched the back of his neck.
Because the truth… was something he couldn't say.
He wanted to tell her. Gods, he tried, the moment he saw her face, his knees had buckled. He had fallen to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably in front of everyone, clinging to her like a child.
But the words…
They wouldn't come out.
Something was stopping him.
Stopping him from calling her what she truly was.
From calling her mother.
And so instead, he whispered something else. Something that still felt true.
"Because you're my human," he said softly.
Ceres furrowed her brow. "I'm your what?"
"You're my human," he repeated, this time louder, declaring it.
And to his horror, his ears turned red.
Bright, burning red.
It was the first time in his demi-human life that had ever happened. Ever since he, his siblings, and their father, Demon Lord Caelum, crossed into Solmara, nothing had ever made him blush.
Until now.
"The Empress is your soulmate?" Queen Azura asked, aghast. Even Ceres's breath caught at the suggestion.
"No!" Tuf said quickly, waving his hands. "No! Not that kind of human!"
He looked around, flustered, suddenly unsure where to put his hands, how to sit, or even where to look.
It was the first time anyone had seen him, this version of him. Awkward. Almost innocent.
"Not like that," he mumbled. "Not sexual, okay?"
And then he whispered, almost to himself:
"Father's going to kill me. And my Luna's going to kill me. I'm so dead."
He looked up at Ceres again, this time with something in his eyes that had never been there before, something raw, almost desperate.
"Please," he murmured, voice lowering in a rare plea. "Just… stop asking. Just take it as it is. You're my human. But not in that way. Just… not in that way, okay?"