Inside the room, rlin sat on the edge of the bed with a serious expression.
The girls—Catrine, Luna, Nysera, Nivis, Margaret, Liora, and Monica—stood in front of him.
Lisa sat in rlin's study chair, a curious look on her face.
"So, what do you want to talk about? Is it related to that treasure trove?" Luna asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
rlin nodded. But instead of answering, he asked, "Do you believe in the existence of the Demon King?"
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden question. They didn't understand why rlin was asking sothing like that.
"I don't believe in him," Margaret replied casually. "Isn't the Demon King just a figure from legend?"
The others nodded in agreent. The Demon King hadn't been seen in thousands of years.
Not only the Demon King, but even the demon race itself had never been seen on the surface.
There were only rumors and scattered reports of their appearances, but no one had ever actually seen them.
However, Lisa, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up.
"I believe."
The girls gasped and turned toward her.
"I once t a demon," Lisa continued calmly. "It was exactly one year ago, near the eastern forest."
Her expression grew somber. "That demon was tall and massive. Its strength was on par with the Seventh Awakening. Although I was stronger than it at the ti, I didn't dare attack. After all, I knew nothing about the demon race. Who knows if it was hiding its true power?"
She paused briefly before continuing. "Still, it was an interesting experience. That's why I believe the Demon King truly exists."
Upon hearing that, everyone fell silent. The demon race did indeed exist—at least, that was what the ancient chronicles recorded.
However, as ti passed, those records gradually turned into legends. Later generations began to doubt them, including the girls.
"I've also t a demon—more precisely, an extraordinarily powerful one," rlin added.
"You've t one too?" Luna and the others were stunned.
"Mhmm!" rlin nodded, then explained his encounter with the archdemon Malphas.
Everyone listened intently. Their expressions quickly turned grim… and fearful.
Sothing they had once dismissed as re legend had turned out to be all too real. That realization left them bewildered and unsure how to react.
"So, what's the point of bringing this up?" Nivis asked. "Could that treasure site be the Demon King's tomb?"
She had only ant it as a guess—half a joke. However, rlin's next words shocked them all.
"You're right. That place is the Demon King's tomb."
The girls and Lisa: "…"
"T-The Demon King's tomb!?" Nivis exclaid in fear. "M-rlin, you're joking, right?"
She desperately hoped rlin would say, "Yes, I'm just joking."
But rlin didn't. He shook his head and replied, "No. I'm not joking. This is real."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. The girls fell silent, exchanging confused and fearful glances.
The Demon King… It was a terrifying title.
The human race was led by many kings, from great kingdoms to small ones.
But the demon race was different. They were ruled by a single absolute sovereign—the Demon King.
Because of that, one could only imagine just how terrifying his power was.
"How do you know?" Nysera voiced her doubt.
rlin paused for a mont, as if pondering whether to tell them.
Then, he made up his mind and spoke honestly. "I received that information from my Guardian Spirit."
"Guardian Spirit?" The girls were surprised.
rlin nodded and explained, "Perhaps many of you don't know this, but I once summoned a very special Guardian Spirit. She cos from an unknown ancient era, and she once t the Demon King."
He then explained what Lyserra had told him. Of course, he didn't reveal everything.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them—he simply believed not everything needed to be shared, not even with those closest to him.
After rlin finished, they finally understood the gist of it.
"So that's how it is… I understand." The girls nodded and sighed in unison.
The information they had received was too difficult to believe. However, they knew rlin wouldn't make things up or joke about sothing like this.
"Anyway, we won't be passing through that place again. I've already placed many magic circles there. Not even fish will dare to get close. At the very least, that place is completely safe, and no one will approach it," rlin said, trying to reassure them.
The others agreed and said nothing more.
After a few more brief exchanges, they decided to return to their respective rooms to process everything rlin had just told them.
However, Luna, Catrine, and Margaret remained.
rlin smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Luna walked over, held his right hand, and asked gently, "You're still hiding sothing from us, aren't you?"
Catrine and Margaret looked at him with concern as well.
rlin maintained his smile and shook his head.
"You're overthinking it. I'm not hiding anything… except the fact that the Demon King's head is incredibly strong."
"How strong?" Margaret sat beside him and pressed herself against his arm.
That impertinent gesture displeased Luna and Catrine. Still, they chose to ignore it and instead stared deeply into rlin's eyes.
"Hmmm…" rlin stroked his chin, as if lost in thought.
"Very powerful…" he replied cautiously. "Not even five people at the First Spirit Core level could defeat it."
Luna: "…"
Catrine: "…"
Margaret: "…"
They hadn't expected it to be that powerful. The First Spirit Core was considered the highest level in this world. If even five people at that level couldn't defeat it, then how many would it take?
Fortunately, they hadn't asked rlin too many questions about their retreat from the graveyard of statues.
If they had, they would've been in serious trouble.
"I understand." Margaret swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around rlin's. "You really are amazing, my dear. You saved , so I'll give you a reward. What do you want?"
rlin was startled for a mont, then gave a faint smile. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I want…"
Margaret's face flushed instantly. It was as if white smoke were about to rise from her head.
"A-Are you sure?" she stamred.
rlin chuckled softly and lifted her chin with his index finger.
"Why? Are you afraid? If so, then… that's very disappointing."
He wore a dismissive expression, and Margaret imdiately felt displeased.
"Fine!" She gritted her teeth, her gaze filled with determination and resolve. "I'll do it!"
rlin nodded approvingly and pinched her cheek affectionately.
"That's the Margaret I know," he said.
Luna and Catrine exchanged confused glances. They had no idea what the two of them were talking about.
***
Two hours later…
"Look—there's the island!"
Margaret pointed into the distance with a delighted expression.
The girls, who had been chatting casually by the ship's railing, were startled. They imdiately ran over and looked in the direction she was pointing.
"Wow! The island is huge!" Nivis murmured in amazent.
The others nodded, their faces filled with the sa admiration.
At first, they had thought the island would be small or dium-sized.
But who would have thought it was so big?
What caught their attention even more was the row of coconut trees neatly lined along the island's shore.
Catrine stared at the fruits hanging from them with a hungry gaze.
"Do you want to try one?"
A soft voice ca from behind her. Catrine was startled and turned around, only to realize it was her brother.
She smiled shyly, then gave a small nod.
"Um… I'd like to taste one. I've never seen a coconut tree, not in the kingdom or at the academy," she admitted honestly.
rlin stood beside her and gently patted her head.
"I'll get one for you later. It tastes delicious, especially the water. I'm sure you'll like it."
"Huh? You've eaten one before?" Catrine looked surprised.
rlin nodded. "Yes, I have."
Of course, that was in his previous world.
In that world, finding coconuts was incredibly easy—unlike in this one.
Most people on this continent considered coconuts poisonous, especially the water. This belief ca from a famous incident in the past known as the "Mass Coconut Poisoning."
It was said that around a hundred people drank coconut water and suffered severe diarrhea. So even lost consciousness.
Although a hundred years had passed, the story still persisted to this day.
As a result, people avoided coconuts and considered them unfit for consumption.
With no buyers, the price of coconuts plumted, and rchants were no longer interested in selling them.
Catrine shifted her gaze back to the coconut trees in the distance, anticipation clearly visible on her face.
The ship drew closer to the island. Finally, it ca to a stop at the water's edge.
"Miss Lisa and Young Master rlin, we've arrived," Gerhan announced as he approached.
"Good." Lisa nodded and turned to the others. "Let's get off."
The nine of them quickly disembarked. As they stepped onto the sand, joy was clearly visible on their faces, especially Liora's and Monica's.
"Is this sand? It's so soft!" Liora exclaid, swaying from side to side.
Monica did the sa.
rlin simply smiled at their adorable antics.
"They're so innocent," he murmured.
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