After Yaiger had made a declaration that was nothing short of a threat, all of the servants who had been helping me on the orders of Godmother Diana were sent elsewhere.

On top of that, all the guards were replaced.

In the past, the guards blocked the access of outsiders, but now the guards are blocking the door so that we cannot go out of the room.

The intention was to lock us up until tomorrow’s meeting.

I and Andras struggled until evening, but we couldn’t find a solution.

Andras is from the Schnarfe family, if he did something radical, it could escalate into a conflict between the families.

If that happens, many people will be in trouble, so I should avoid such a thing as much as possible.

If only the boss had been here at this time…

I missed the presence of Kaneff, who doesn’t bow down to anyone and does things the way he likes without worrying about others.

In the end, the only thing I came up with was to run away with Grify and Finny out of the Barbatos territory.

A little conflict would be inevitable, but this was the only way to keep the children safe.

It was time for Andras and me to have dinner under the strict surveillance of the soldiers Yaiger had deployed.

A maid with a stiff expression came into the room with a cart carrying food.

She was followed by soldiers with grim expressions.

THUD

“Sir, I’ll prepare the meal.”

The maid was very nervous, so even her hands were shaking while preparing our meal.

I thought it was because of the soldiers who put pressure on her and looked at her with pity.

– Wink!

The Maid, who was preparing the meal, winked one eye and sent a signal to avoid the soldier’s surveillance.

Andras also noticed the signal from Maid.

“When you’re done eating, please call me back. Then…”

Maid left the room under surveillance again.

We waited quietly until all the soldiers went outside the door.

Checking the situation outside, I looked at the bowl that the maid had sent a signal to.

And it was not difficult to find a note hidden underneath the plate.

After looking outside once again. I read the contents of the note quietly with Andras.

– Don’t fall asleep until dawn and be ready to move right away.

Godmother Diana’s note contained short instructions and the name Diana.

We understood her intention to help us, but it was hard to predict how we would be getting away because of the short note.

But we didn’t have a choice.

It seemed more likely in many ways to get help from her than to try to escape on our own.

Andras and I quietly exchanged glances and finished dinner.

Night fell on Barbatos’ mansion.

I saw the red moon rising in the sky from the window.

The red moon rises periodically in the Demon world, and today must have been the day.

It was a time when we would be in deep sleep, but today it was only Grify and Finny who fell asleep in the room.

Andras and I were watching the situation outside the door, refraining from making any noise.

As the dawn was about to approach, I started to get nervous little by little since there was no signal.

I felt anxious and a lot of strange thoughts kept popping into my head.

‘Did they forget about the plan?’

‘Did something go wrong with the plan?’

‘Maybe they sent a signal and we didn’t notice it?’

In a state of anxiety, I endured trying not to talk to Andras.

Time kept passing, and I was about to get sleepy.

-You guys…

-what?! Ugh!

DUD DUD

I heard soldiers falling from outside the door.

And after a while…

KNOCK KNOCK

A knock on the door echoed through the room.

I quickly recognized that this was a signal and quickly got up from my seat.

I took my luggage that I had packed in advance and hugged the baby Griffins, who were still in deep sleep, in the basket.

SQUEAK

I slowly opened the door and went out, the guards were already completely knocked out.

A knight approached us and whispered in a low voice.

“Follow me. We’re running out of time, so I’ll show you the way.”

“Wai.., wait a minute. Where are we going now?”

“We’re going to where Madam Godmother is. You’ll find out what you’re curious about when you get there. Please follow me as quietly as possible.”

While the rest of the soldiers were tying up the knocked-out soldiers, we followed the knight and quickly walked down the hallways of the house without a single light.

There were guards patrolling in the middle of the corridor, but the knight skillfully led us.

We escaped from the guards and arrived at a little cottage or something.

As we opened the door, Godmother Diana and several knights were waiting for us.

Godmother Diana smiled as soon as she saw us.

“You’re finally here. I was worried.”

When Andras and I tried to be polite, she stepped up and stopped us.

“We don’t have time for that. When they find that the soldiers on the guard were knocked out, they’ll start looking for you.”

Godmother Diana bowed to us.

“I’m sorry. I’ve caused trouble to you who came to help because of my inability.”

“That’s alright, Godmother.”

“I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I’ve got a wagon and a guard in the back door  for you to get you out of here.”

“Then… Can I take the baby Griffins with me?”

“Yes. I think it is right to leave the children to Sihyeon as they will be harmed once again if they were to be left here.”

“I, really? Thank you, thank you!”

I was delighted and grateful to hear that Grify and Finney could come together with me.

Andras also smiled hearing the news.

Godmother Diana, who was explaining the escape, paused and gave a sad look.

And with a desperate expression, she grabbed Andras’ hand and my hand.

“I know it’s really shameless… …but can you do me a favor before you go?”

“What kind of favor?”

I asked back with a puzzled look.

“Can’t you meet my collapsed son with the little griffins just once?”

“……”

“If you refuse, I won’t force you. But this may be the last chance for my collapsed son. You can think of it as the senility of an old woman. Just for a moment… …please… …so that a miracle can happen… Please!”

Tears trickled down the wrinkles around the eyes of Godmother Diana.

A slight tremor felt through her hand that conveyed her desperation.

I remembered the terrible feeling I had when my mother collapsed.

No matter how deep the filial piety of a child is, can it be compared to a mother’s heart that cares about her child?

Perhaps Godmother Diana was feeling several times more pain compared to the misery I felt.

Because of the urgency of the situation, she couldn’t even cry as much as she could, and she couldn’t force herself to cry.

“Andras,”

I waited, just calling his name and he replied as if he understood what I was thinking.

“It’s fine by me.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Fufu, doesn’t that mean we’re close enough to communicate without words?”

He showed a playful look on purpose so that I wouldn’t feel pressured.

I could not help smirking.

“So you already know what I’ve decided?”

“Of course. I think we’re lucky that Mr. Kaneff isn’t here. If he were here, you would have got an earful.”

“Hahaha!”

Andras’ slick reply made us laugh at the same time.

We looked at each other for a moment and exchanged glances.

If this was a scene in an Anime or a movie, I would have said, ‘Let’s have a drink together after this, partner!’

But we didn’t need such an old-fashioned one-liner.

A short glance was enough for us.

I clasped the hands of Godmother Diana, who was still shedding tears.

She looked at me with round eyes.

“I’ll meet the Lord. Please show me the way.”

Fortunately, the room of the Lord of Barbatos was not far away.

The knights and guards guarding the door were quickly overpowered.

SQUEAK

When I opened the door, I saw a man lying on a large bed.

He was breathing very shallowly, but there was no blood on his face, hands, and feet.

I could not feel the warmth of the living being in him.

“Son…”

Godmother Diana cried as she stroked the man’s face.

While looking at the sad figure of Godmother Diana, I felt a wiggling movement in the basket.

– Biip… Biii…

Biip… Biii… Biii.

Grify and Finny, woke up and held out their heads with a faint cry.

I carefully took out the baby griffins and put them on the bed.

Grify and Finny looked around for a moment in bewilderment.

If the two refused to approach the lying man, I thought I should immediately move them back to the basket.

Surprisingly, the baby griffins began to show interest in the Lord of Barbatos family.

Biip!

Biip! Biip!

I don’t know why, but they didn’t feel repulsed at all and wandered around the lying body of the Lord.

It was like they were looking for something.

The sight reminded me of an incident that happened a long time ago.

The memory of when I arrived at the Demon World and met Hermosa.

The warm and pleasant feeling of that time was still clear as if it was carved into each cell all over my body.

I understood why I recalled those memories.

This is because the appearance of the Lord, who was now lying down, overlaps with the appearance of me suffering from [Incomplete awakening].

Of course, just because the Lord was suffering from similar symptoms, it cannot be concluded that he is in the same situation as I was in the past.

However, Godmother Diana said that Griffin’s help is needed to cure the incurable disease.

What if it’s the same way I achieved a complete awakening with the help of Hermosa?

Wouldn’t I be able to help the collapsed Demon in front of me in the same way?

‘How?’

‘In what way?’

The whole thing was just speculation.

But somehow, in my head, the speculation was gradually turning into a conviction.

While I was deep in thought, time continued to pass.

“Madame Godmother, we don’t have much time. We have to move now to get them out of here safely.”

“Is that…so? Okay.”

Deep sadness and disappointment permeated her face.

But soon she returned to her usual self and spoke to me and Andras.

“I guess I had too much vain hope. This is enough. You two, get out of here.”

Godmother Diana tried to let us go as she promised.

She swallowed her deep sorrow while letting go of the last hope of her dying son.

Maybe she thought it was the last consideration she could give us.

“Wait a minute!”

“…Sihyeon?”

“Just a little more time, please.”

Everyone’s eyes were on me.

“Sihyeon, we don’t have much time now. If you feel sorry for me…”

“It’s not like that.”

I flatly denied the words of Godmother Diana.

“Maybe it’s possible.”

A new wind began to blow in the room filled with nervousness and anxiety.

“Maybe… I can wake up the Lord.”