Chapter 389: The Halloween Pact

Edwin stood frozen in place, staring at him in great surprise. He certainly hadn’t expected anything like this from the young man he had spoken and done business with earlier.

"I cannot believe what my eyes are seeing..." the merchant leader murmured, trying to process that he had been dealing in person with the ruler of Kowarre himself.

He immediately bowed and showed reverence before Ryan. Iris, who was also present in the place, bowed to Ryan.

"Stand up, forget those formalities for now, Edwin," Ryan said with serenity. He only wanted the merchant leader to feel at ease and not think he was being held hostage or that his life was in danger.

Edwin, although astonished by the news, obeyed and stood up.

Seeing how shocked his companion was, William approached with a calm smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Believe me, I understand you perfectly, but from now on try not to be surprised by every little thing you see; when you’re with Ryan... I mean, with the demon king, there is no way to get bored," the hero commented in a friendly tone to help the man calm down.

Behind Ryan, every girl in the group heard that comment and nodded silently, completely agreeing with William’s words.

At that moment, Eva, Alicia’s assistant, entered through one of the side doors and instructed the demon maids to bring drinks for everyone present.

As everyone chatted and enjoyed their drinks, a familiar feminine laugh suddenly echoed from the main entrance of the hall.

"How interesting, so everyone had already gathered. I hope I’m not late to this party," the newcomer spoke, advancing with a calm pace toward the center of the place.

’Late? Party? To begin with, she invited herself,’ Ryan thought, looking toward the entrance upon seeing who had just interrupted the meeting. Ophelia, the Demon Queen, stood there with a charming smile, accompanied by Ivis and Janina.

Much further behind the three of them, still embarrassed by the incident in the hallway, came Roxy, approaching timidly to reunite with her master.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan asked, puzzled to see Ophelia show up personally at his castle at that hour of the night.

For Edwin, seeing another Demon Queen enter with such powerful subordinates was too much to take in at once. The merchant clearly didn’t know how to react, but William intervened again, speaking quietly to calm him down.

"That’s exactly what I was talking about a moment ago, try to calm down," William told him, assuring him that he was in no danger.

For her part, Ivis looked toward where the women of Kowarre were and raised a hand in greeting, smiling slightly at Ryan’s group as a sign of courtesy.

Seeing her, Helen clicked her tongue in annoyance, remembering their past frictions, while the rest of the group greeted each other normally.

Alicia then approached Ryan and explained the reason for the visit: Ophelia intended to formalize their alliance by signing a pact between the two nations. That was why she had come all the way to Kowarre, hoping to get it done before Walpurgis began.

Understanding the situation, Ryan looked first toward the merchant and told Edwin that there were very comfortable rooms in the castle where he could relax, drink, and eat as much as he wanted to rest from the journey, and that because of how late it was, they would talk at dawn about the business he wanted to present to him.

Ryan then turned to make the same offer to William and his people, but before they could retire, Ophelia stepped forward and interrupted him.

"No, this is too good to go to sleep. We will have a huge party to celebrate this moment; that’s why I’m here," the demon queen declared enthusiastically.

"A party? Right now? I’m exhausted, you know?" Ryan complained, without much desire to organize a celebration after having spent a couple of days away.

"Don’t be so serious, dear Ryan," Ophelia said, approaching him confidently and clinging directly to Ryan’s arm.

"What do you mean ’dear’?!" Helen and Mirian complained at the same time, immediately getting in the middle to separate Ophelia from him.

"Calm down, calm down. We’ll just have a celebration with all the people of the city," Ophelia said with amusement after stepping back, and then looked toward Alicia. "You informed everyone as I asked, right?"

Alicia lowered her head a little and nodded under her lord’s gaze.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, she ended up convincing me while you were away, but I also believe it will be a good thing for everyone," the assistant explained, admitting that the preparations were already underway outside.

Seeing that they had already organized the entire city behind his back, Ryan let out a sigh and finally agreed to hold that party.

Many hours passed as everyone ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together. For this occasion, Eva suggested that each race prepare the best foods from their traditions, and so they had done.

Every inhabitant of Kowarre had the chance to taste dishes prepared by elves, demons, and beastmen. Since there were no human cooks, the only cuisine they couldn’t offer was human cuisine.

But Ryan didn’t care; he thought that would be like going to a luxury restaurant and only ordering what you usually eat at home.

"Are you having fun, Ryan?" Ophelia asked with a smile. The moonlight illuminated the entire area outside, creating a beautiful contrast with the light coming from the castle’s relics, crafted by the dwarven blacksmiths.

"Yes, I must say it isn’t bad at all," he replied with a smile, observing how all the people were having fun without looking down on each other across races. Even Edwin ended up drunk at a table surrounded by demons and elves.

Pleased with his response, Ophelia looked at all the representatives gathered in the main hall and raised her voice.

"Since this alliance will usher in a new era, we will sign our pact in the presence of human heroes, elves, beastmen, the half-spirit, the merchant leader, and, of course, demons and dragons. This great moment, this celebration, we shall call Halloween," Ophelia announced with a smile under the glow of the full moon illuminating the place.

Ryan immediately frowned at that peculiar name, which was so familiar to him from his previous world.

’This cannot be real,’ he thought, looking at her in disbelief.

But unlike his reaction, all the people around him got genuinely excited upon hearing the proposal; those present really liked that name and the meaning it represented for the union of the races on that night.

"Are these kinds of agreements common among demons?" Ryan asked, addressing Ophelia amid the enthusiasm of the hall. "I mean, naming it specifically that way."

"Nope, I just came up with that name," Ophelia said, looking at him with a carefree smile.

’This really seems like a joke...’ Ryan thought before letting out a soft sigh. ’It’s not a bad thing either. In fact, I should be happy; having the merchant leader see in person how we get along among allied nations will make my offer tomorrow impossible to refuse.’

Seeing how convenient this entire celebration was for his own business plans, Ryan laughed to himself and, without raising any more objections, they kicked off the long Halloween party throughout the capital of Kowarre.