“I see. So you haven’t heard anything new,” Airia said with a sad sigh.
“I’m sorry, Demon Lord. But don’t worry, I’ll rush over if anything happens,” Firnir responded, impatience clear in her voice.
Firnir was waiting in Lotz’s harbor along with a contingent of Demon Army elites. If the situation took a turn for the worse, she’d gallop to Kuwol at top speed. The kentauros soldiers of the Demon Army had been outfitted with horseshoes that let them walk on water, allowing them to cross the ocean much faster than a ship could.
“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you if it comes to that...” Airia turned off the transceiver and placed it on her desk. She understood she was abusing her power by mobilizing Firnir here considering how many responsibilities Firnir had as the viceroy of Thuvan. Despite how strong Firnir was, Airia knew full well that she wouldn’t be able to accomplish much against a Valkaan.
“I’ve gotten much worse at waiting over the years...” she mused.
Back when Veight had gone to Rolmund or Wa, Airia had been able to wait patiently for his return. Even when she’d been pregnant and he’d had to go to Kuwol, she’d managed to keep her cool and focus on her work as Demon Lord. But this time, she felt like she had to do something. After all, it wasn’t just her husband who was out there now; her daughter was too. She couldn’t bear to lose both of them.
Airia looked out of the window facing south. This was the same window Veight had broken through when he’d attacked Ryunheit as one of the Demon Army’s generals. Thanks to the Black Werewolf King plays, most of the continent knew this was how the romance between Airia and Veight had blossomed.
“You can break all the windows you want... Please just come home safely, both of you...” Airia muttered softly.
Just then, she heard a creaking noise above her.
“Huh?!” Airia jumped to her feet, grabbed the sheaf of documents she’d been working on and leapt away from her desk. A second later, the ceiling above her desk caved in.
“I can’t do iiiiiit!”
“F-Friede?!” Airia exclaimed, surprised to hear her daughter’s voice.
“I told you I was going to stop using my levitation magic! Why’d you stop using yours too?!”
“I can’t control my mana as well as you can, Dad! This is supposed to be the hardest strengthening magic spell, isn’t it?!”
“Fine, I guess I’ll have to give you some supplementary lessons starting tomorrow.”
“Noooooo! Not more lessons!”
Veight gently lowered Friede to the ground, then turned to look at Airia. He glanced up at the broken ceiling and scratched his head awkwardly. He was a decorated general, a master of strengthening magic, and Meraldia’s werewolves’ elder, but he was still scared of angering his wife.
“Sorry, Master teleported us back here, but...since this was such a long distance, she needed to factor in the curvature of the planet to get accurate coordinates, and it seems she made a small mistake.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Airia beamed as she brushed the dust off Veight’s shoulders. “The first time we met you came through a window, remember?”
“And this time we came through the roof. So, uh, how much is it going to cost to fix that?”
“You’re not going to like the number, but since this is the Demon Lord’s office, we can ask the Demon Army to fix it. Look, some of them are already on their way.” Airia pointed to the intact window. Peering through, Veight saw a platoon of Demon Knights running towards the manor in a panic, accompanied by Ryunheit’s regular guards.
Veight gave Airia an awkward smile and said, “They must think a Valkaan is attacking.”
“It’ll be easy enough to clear up the misunderstanding. But more importantly...” Airia hugged Friede and Veight.
“Welcome home. Thank goodness you’re both safe.”
“That’s right. We made it back safe and sound,” Veight said, hugging Airia back.
✦ ✦ ✦
