Chapter 172

Alpha noticed the stunned expressions on the humans' faces, and smiled.

"Don't look so surprised," he said with an easy tone, walking back to his chair. "If I'm not mistaken, your Empress isn't originally from Aquilonis, but from Vaelundis, yes?"

Delphine nodded slowly. "That's correct."

Alpha's smile deepened. "Ceres Evadne is a very common name among the royal bloodlines of Vaelundis. Do you know that Vaelundis is considered a sister kingdom to the demi-human Narf? The water dwellers?"

He raised a brow, gauging their reactions.

"They're called sister kingdoms," he continued, "because the Narfs discovered long ago that they can procreate with Vaelundian humans without requiring a mate bond. That's very rare, you see. Demi-humans typically can only bear children with their fated mate. That strange compatibility made them kin in the eyes of every narf."

Alpha's voice lowered, becoming thoughtful.

"It's also the reason the Narf Queen refused to bow to our father. Not because she hated him, but because she didn't want to betray her sister kingdom. Though she promised neutrality in the war, she refused to fight against Vaelundis. That's why, when Father cast the Blinding Mist to isolate us from the human world, the Narf kingdom, Azur, was excluded."

"The Narf Queen told that story to our Empress," Delphine replied softly.

Alpha nodded, pleased. Then continued.

"When Azur froze, the sea that once fed Vaelundis' wealth froze as well. After the Holy Beasts fell into slumber, Vaelundis suffered. Their rivers turned to dust. Their lakes cracked open. They fell into ruin. Of course, that happened to every kingdom, to some degree."

He looked at each of them carefully. "The secret to a kingdom's fortune and protection lies in its Holy Beast. Aquilonis had eternal winter while yours was asleep. But the moment it woke… spring returned."

The humans nodded silently, listening intently.

Alpha smiled again. "The same was true for Vaelundis."

Cecilion frowned. "But Vaelundis is the second wealthiest human kingdom now. Does that mean… their Holy Beast has awakened, but they kept it a secret?"

"No," he said. "Their Holy Beast remains asleep to this day."

That surprised all of them. But Alpha was already pressing forward.

"And this… is where the name Ceres Evadne comes back into the story."

Delphine's breath hitched again.

"As you know, Tuf was assigned to monitor Aquilonis," Alpha continued. "Our other siblings were each given similar tasks. And our younger brother, Neko… he was the one assigned to watch over Vaelundis."

His eyes dimmed slightly, almost fondly.

"But when you live as long as we do, days blur together. Centuries pass like fleeting dreams. And boredom… becomes dangerous."

He paused.

"One day, two hundred years into the Holy Beast's slumber, Neko crossed the Blinding Mist without Father's permission. He entered Vaelundis."

Alpha's smile deepened. "You see, one of Neko's innate abilities is full command over water. So in a land dying of thirst, he brought life back. He refilled the rivers, restored the springs, returned water to every well and every dry riverbed."

The knights were still as statues.

"He was revered in Vaelundis. Hailed as a savior, a divine messenger of Solmara itself. Of course, he never corrected them." Alpha shrugged. "To him, it was a game. Something to break the monotony of immortal life."

Delphine swallowed. She could already feel where this story might go.

"Neko stayed in Vaelundis for years," Alpha continued. "None of us knew. Honestly, in our family… seeing each other every day can become suffocating. So when one of us disappears for a while, no one asks questions. We just assume they're off causing trouble somewhere."

He chuckled softly. Amusement in his eyes.

"But then Father found out. That Neko had crossed the Mist. And worse, he refused to return. Because he'd become attached… to a certain princess of Vaelundis."

Delphine stiffened.

Alpha's voice dropped lower, his eyes flicking briefly to hers.

"Neko didn't want to leave her," he said quietly. "Because he knew… if he left, the drought would return. The rivers would dry up again. And the girl… she'd suffer with it."

Then, he smirked, wry and self-aware.

"That's why Father sent me to bring him back. Not any of our other siblings, because, honestly? As much as I hate to admit it… they're all insane." He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Father believed I was the most rational. He thought the others wouldn't understand Neko's attachment, and worse… if any of them fought each other outside the Blinding Mist, the fallout would kill thousands of humans. And Father wanted to avoid that."

He paused, his eyes glinting with the weight of old decisions.

"So I went to Vaelundis," he said. "To bring him home. And when I got there… I saw why he didn't want to leave. The princess…" Alpha inhaled slowly, "She had a slight resemblance to our mother. Platinum-blonde hair. Golden eyes."

Delphine stiffened slightly.

"But resemblance wasn't the only reason," Alpha continued. "The girl was… kind. Fragile. Loyal. Neko didn't want her to suffer. But I couldn't allow him to stay, either. Because by then, other kingdoms had taken notice. Of Vaelundis. Of the so-called messenger of Solmara. They wanted to take him for themselves."

Alpha's smile faded. His tone sharpened.

"And forgive me if this comes across as insulting, but humans are greedy. Once they possess something powerful, they always want more. Even if Neko had been willing… my siblings are unpredictable. And when provoked, they don't just get mad, they go batshit crazy."

Delphine swallowed hard, eyes never leaving his.

"So I had to ensure things wouldn't spiral out of control. And because the only reason Neko wanted to stay was her, so that the princess wouldn't suffer, I made him a deal. I would create a chant, one the princess could perform once every year. When she did, she would be able to draw on a fraction of his power. A small tether. Enough to command the waters… to keep her people alive."

Delphine's breath hitched.

"But we don't use mana. We're not wired like humans. And frankly, a human's mana pool isn't enough to handle even a pinky's worth of Neko's true strength."

He gestured slightly with his hand.

"So, I carved the chant into a slab. Inscribed with Neko's blood. Bound by his will. That way, the princess, who looked like our mother, and every firstborn princess of her bloodline after her, could perform the ceremony."

Delphine's mind reeled.

"And as far as I know," Alpha added, "they still do. I believe it's now called the Bounty Festival."

The room was silent.

"And as for the name Ceres Evadne…" Alpha tilted his head, his tone softening with something almost like nostalgia. "Before we left, the princess asked Neko if there was anything she could do to honor him. Something to give back. And Neko, being the sentimental idiot that he is, just said… 'Name your first daughter Ceres Evadne.'"

Alpha spread his hands.

"And so it became tradition. The name passed down through generations. A name given to firstborn princesses as a symbol of Vaelundis's salvation."

He leaned forward again.

"So stop torturing yourselves trying to connect your Empress to our mother. Because the answer is, there is no connection."

Silence fell.

Then Alpha added, calmly, almost offhand.

"You see… my siblings, our parents, myself… we're not from Solmara. We came from another world. That's also why we look more human than any of the shapeshifters you've seen in the Black Tower."

The silence stretched taut.

Renee's eyes widened. "Ahm… Alpha, are you sure it's okay for you to say that to us?"

He glanced nervously around, only to find Cosmo already watching them, one brow arched like a silent warning.

Alpha laughed. "Relax. Father never forbade us from saying it. And Cosmo's been aware of it since the beginning."

He looked at each of them in turn.

"I'm telling you this because I know your minds are swimming with questions. Like, if we're so powerful, why haven't we just wiped out humanity in Solmara?"

He grinned.

"We could. But we don't. Because we're not here to conquer this world. We're not here to wage war."

He leaned back against the velvet chair, arms folded casually.

"Although some of my siblings do hate humans on principle…" He shrugged. "The truth is, we don't hold any collective grudge. And I'm sure by now, you've realized something else, something important."

His gaze swept across them.

"My father, though he's called the Demon Lord, is not a demon. He's not even a demi-human. He's a human."

Cecilion, Renee, and Robin froze in disbelief.

Their expressions were a blend of shock and confusion.

Only Delphine remained calm.

Alpha's eyes softened as he looked at her. "It seems you already know."

"Yes," Delphine replied quietly. "Seiryu told us… during the day we received Tuf's message in the Magic Tower. He said the Demon Lord is human. A human whose ability is, 'Instant Death.'"

"Instant Death?!" the three knights echoed, stunned. This was the first they'd heard of it. They hadn't been present during Seiryu's revelation.

"Yes," Delphine said solemnly.

Alpha confirmed it with a calm nod. "And not just any kind of instant death. My father's ability cannot be blocked, cannot be resisted. Unlike most abilities that can be countered with a strong enough mind, his cannot. It is absolute. So absolute… that he can kill a Holy Beast."

Silence. Heavy. Unsettling.

"H-Holy Beasts can die?" Cecilion whispered.

Alpha tilted his head. "No. By natural law, they shouldn't. They can be defeated, weakened, restrained. But never killed. Not even we can kill one. But Father… can."

Delphine felt the chill ripple up her spine.

Alpha exhaled slowly, gaze turning contemplative.

"We came to this world because our father made a deal. And once that deal is fulfilled, there's a very real possibility we'll leave Solmara… and return to our world."

He glanced toward Cosmo, not long, not obvious, but it was enough. Enough to see something unspoken pass between them. Something buried.

He said the words plainly, but in the briefest flicker of his gaze, Delphine saw it.

Pain.

"Pixie mentioned the Demon Lord made a deal with a Dark Angel," Delphine said gently. "To save the demi-humans from the humans?"

Alpha nodded. "That Dark Angel… is the creator of this world. Solmara himself. Though demi-humans know him as Samael."

He paused. "But to us, the Demon Lord's family… we know him by another name."

A long, thoughtful silence followed.

Then Alpha looked at Delphine, his voice soft and deliberate.

"You must be wondering," he said, "why I'm telling you all this. Why I'm giving you so much… truth."

Delphine nodded silently.

"Because you are a Saintess," Alpha said. "And not just any Saintess, a powerful one. And in this world, a Saintess holds authority equal to, or greater than, a monarch. When we leave... and the Blinding Mist disappears, humans and demi-humans will once again see each other. Fight. Fear. Hate."

He looked her in the eyes.

"But maybe… you can help stop that. Maybe you can remind them that coexistence is possible. That what happened a thousand years ago, won't happen again."

Delphine felt the weight of those words press into her soul.

But more than that, she felt honored. That a being like Alpha, son of the Demon Lord, had placed such hope in her.

"I will do everything I can, Alpha," Delphine said firmly, a slight quiver in her voice.

"Thank you."

Alpha smiled. It wasn't cocky or amused, it was grateful. Because even though the future was uncertain, knowing that there would be someone like Delphine… someone willing to treat demi-humans fairly and fight for peace, gave him enough reason to believe that the world they'd helped shelter might actually heal.

Then Delphine hesitated, her voice turning curious again.

"Can I ask one more thing, Alpha?" she said. "About the Vaelundis Bounty Festival ritual…"