Chapter 122: Not a Living Being Anymore

Daemon stared at the notification floating before his eyes.

For a moment, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

[Congratulations, Host! You have recently become a grandfather.]

"What?!"

His sudden shout startled everyone nearby.

Sylphie, who was standing directly in front of him, immediately placed a hand against his chest and looked up at him with concern.

"Lord Husband? What happened?"

But Daemon barely heard her.

His eyes remained fixed on the translucent System screen.

Grandfather?

He read the notification again, then silently questioned the System.

System, is this information real? Or are you playing some kind of joke on me?

[Host, this information has been verified with 100% accuracy.]

[Furthermore, regarding your—]

That’s enough!

Daemon immediately interrupted the System.

He didn’t want to hear another explanation just yet.

His mind was already struggling to process the first notification.

I’ve become a grandfather?

He slowly lowered his gaze toward Sylphie.

She was still looking at him with concern, her beautiful eyes searching his face for an explanation.

Daemon hesitated before asking something that had suddenly become very important.

"Sylphie..."

"Yes, Lord Husband?"

"Did we have a child together?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Sylphie’s expression changed.

Her eyes widened slightly before an overwhelming wave of emotion spread across her face.

Happiness.

Pure, unmistakable happiness.

"Lord Husband..." Her voice trembled. "Have you recovered your memories?"

Daemon gently shook his head.

"No. I haven’t. I just wanted to confirm something."

Sylphie stared at him for a moment before a beautiful smile appeared on her face.

"Then you’ll have to come with me."

She gently held his hand.

"I’ll show you everything. Not today, though. Come with me tomorrow, and I’ll explain everything properly."

Her smile carried a mysterious warmth.

Daemon looked at her for a few seconds before nodding.

"Alright. I’ll come with you tomorrow."

Sylphie smiled even more brightly.

"Thank you, Lord Husband."

Meanwhile, Morwenna and Zephyra approached the newly married couple.

"Congratulations, Sylphie," Morwenna said with a warm smile.

Zephyra also stepped forward and hugged her.

"Congratulations, Aunt Sylphie! I’m really happy for you!"

Sylphie’s cheeks turned slightly red.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Zephyra."

Watching the three women exchange their congratulations, Aelther stood a little farther away, quietly observing everything.

His eyes occasionally shifted toward Daemon.

So this is how my father-in-law handles these things...

He remembered his initial thoughts about Daemon.

I should never become like my father-in-law.

That had been his original conclusion.

However, after witnessing everything that had happened, his opinion was slowly changing.

Wait a minute. He creates a problem, then somehow solves it. That’s all there is to it!

Aelther nodded to himself as though he had discovered some profound secret.

Perhaps I should give it a try too.

An unconscious smile appeared on his face.

BONK!

Something struck the top of his head.

"OW!"

Aelther immediately clutched his head with both hands.

He turned toward the person responsible and found Zephyra glaring at him.

"Don’t even think about trying any funny ideas!"

Aelther blinked.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"I know that expression! You’re definitely thinking about something strange!"

Aelther hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no! I was just admiring my father-in-law. That’s all!"

Zephyra narrowed her eyes.

"Admiring him? What exactly are you admiring?"

Her glare became even sharper.

Aelther immediately looked away.

Damn it. Why is it so difficult to admire someone in peace?

The rest of the day passed pleasantly.

Daemon spent considerable time with his family, talking to everyone and learning as much as he could about their lives.

Since his memories were still incomplete, he wanted to understand the people around him through their stories.

He listened patiently as they explained various events from the past, asked questions whenever something caught his attention, and tried to connect the information with the fragments of memories he already possessed.

Although he couldn’t remember everything, he was slowly becoming more familiar with the family he had once known.

Eventually, Aelther departed from the palace.

After spending some more time together, Sylphie also excused herself and left the chamber.

She had promised to show Daemon something important the following day, and he was already curious about what she intended to reveal.

Soon, only Daemon and Morwenna remained.

Morwenna looked at him with a familiar smile.

"Finally, some time alone with my husband."

Daemon chuckled.

"Have I been neglecting you?"

"Of course you have."

She approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to spend time with you like this?"

Daemon gently brushed her hair.

"I know. And I’m not going anywhere."

Morwenna looked into his eyes.

"Then don’t complain about what happens tonight."

Daemon raised an eyebrow.

"Should I be worried?"

Instead of answering, Morwenna pulled him closer.

What followed was a long, intimate night between the two of them.

Morwenna showed no intention of giving him a moment’s rest, and Daemon certainly wasn’t going to complain.

After everything they had endured, he wanted to enjoy this life with her.

And he was looking forward to every moment of it.

By the time morning arrived, neither of them had much interest in leaving the warmth of their bed.

However, an important training session was waiting for them.

The following morning, everyone gathered at the training ground.

The spacious area was surrounded by sturdy stone walls, with enough open space to accommodate powerful combatants.

Aelther had also arrived, bringing his squad members with him.

There were five people in total.

Three men and two women.

They stood behind him, waiting for instructions while occasionally glancing toward Daemon.

Morwenna stood beside her husband.

"Daemon, today I want you to unleash Requiem’s power at its full potential."

Daemon looked at her with a slightly troubled expression.

"At full potential?"

"That’s right."

He glanced around the training ground.

"Are you sure about this? What if I lose control and destroy this beautiful Silverheart Palace?"

Morwenna smiled.

"Don’t worry about that."

Daemon wasn’t entirely convinced.

He had already experienced the destructive nature of Requiem once before.

During his first attempt at using its power on Earth, he had destroyed an enormous building.

The memory was still fresh in his mind.

Although he now had more confidence in his ability to control Requiem, unleashing its full power was an entirely different matter.

He didn’t want to repeat that incident.

Morwenna seemed to understand his concern.

"Don’t underestimate my power, Daemon. I’ll show you what I can do."

She gently placed her hand against his arm.

"You only need to concentrate on taking control of Requiem and using its power according to your own will. That’s the entire purpose of today’s training."

Daemon looked at her for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Alright. I’ll give it a try."

While Daemon and Morwenna were discussing the training session, Aelther was explaining the situation to his squad.

He deliberately avoided revealing Daemon’s true identity.

There was a reason for that.

In Elarion, humans were generally disliked by the other races. If his squad members knew Daemon’s true identity beforehand, their reactions might be completely different.

A little hostility would make the sparring session more interesting.

Besides, he wanted to see how they would react after witnessing Daemon’s actual strength.

One of the squad members, a tall and heavily built man, stepped forward.

His name was Thalorien.

He looked toward Daemon, then turned to Aelther.

"Commander, are you seriously asking us to fight that human?"

Aelther glanced at him.

Thalorien continued.

"He’s only at the Awakening Stage, while all of us have already reached the Evolution Stage. How is he supposed to compete against us?"

He folded his arms and gave Daemon another dismissive look.

"Honestly, I think I’m more than enough for him."

A confident grin appeared on his face.

"After this, we’re supposed to prepare for the mission involving Nocturnia, the Vampire Kingdom, aren’t we? Let’s not waste too much time here. I’ll finish him with a single blow."

The other squad members exchanged glances.

Some appeared amused by Thalorien’s confidence, while others simply waited to see what would happen.

Aelther didn’t bother correcting him.

Instead, he smiled faintly.

Let’s see how long that confidence lasts.

Thalorien walked toward the center of the training ground.

He stopped in the designated sparring area and turned toward Daemon.

"Hey, human! Come here!"

Daemon calmly walked forward.

He had no idea what kind of opponent he was about to face, but he wasn’t particularly concerned.

Thalorien looked down at him.

"I don’t know who you are or what your background is, but I do know one thing. You don’t belong among the people standing beside our Queen."

He pointed toward Daemon.

"Today, I’ll show you how an Elarion warrior fights against humans. You’d better pay attention because you won’t get another lesson!"

With that, Thalorien extended his hand.

A massive axe materialized in his grasp.

The weapon was enormous, with a thick handle and a broad, intimidating blade. Despite its size, he held it effortlessly in one hand.

He swung it once, producing a powerful gust of wind.

"Now, stop wasting time and come at me!"

Daemon looked at the axe before returning his gaze to Thalorien.

"Very well. I don’t like wasting time either."

His expression remained calm.

Then he silently addressed the System.

System, activate Requiem.

Deep within Daemon’s soul space...

The sealed Requiem suddenly opened its eyes.

A terrifying presence stirred within the darkness.

Its eyes shone brilliantly.

Then flames erupted around its body.

The seal that had restrained its power began responding to Daemon’s command.

Outside, Daemon’s body underwent an immediate transformation.

Black lightning spread across his entire body, crackling violently against the air.

Dark flames emerged around him, twisting and swirling like living creatures.

The ground beneath his feet began to melt.

The temperature across the training ground increased rapidly, forcing everyone nearby to feel the sudden wave of heat.

Even the air seemed to distort.

Daemon’s body gradually disappeared beneath the overwhelming flames.

His face was completely concealed, replaced by a terrifying mass of living fire.

Then, through the darkness and flames, a single pair of dark-red eyes opened.

They were staring directly at Thalorien.

Thalorien’s confident expression vanished.

His grip tightened around his massive axe.

He had expected to fight a human Awakener.

He had expected an opponent who would struggle against someone at the Evolution Stage.

But what stood before him now was something entirely different.

His instincts screamed at him.

What... is that?

He took an involuntary step backward.

"This... this isn’t human!"

His voice trembled.

He stared at the terrifying figure surrounded by black lightning and dark flames.

"I can’t even sense a living being anymore..."

For the first time since entering the training ground, Thalorien felt genuine fear.

And the sparring match hadn’t even begun.