As they conversed freely, another presence approached.
Lumbering down the nearby staircase was Dolda, the wolf-headed Demon King.
Upon seeing them, he slung his axe over his shoulder and spoke.
"Are you going to war? Don't tell me you're planning to use me as a sacrifice?"
Dolda's question carried a hint of pressure.
The battle aura pricking their skin emanated from his entire being.
In the distance, an unrelated civil servant walking by let out a small cry.
Ignoring the collateral distress, Logan shook his head and explained to Dolda.
"This is not war. It is merely a family dispute. Besides, the forest is not your battlefield."
"Indeed, that is so... What a shame."
Dolda grumbled, looking dejected.
He scratched his fur-covered neck and let his wolf ears droop.
He must have been itching for a fight.
The shift in his mood was quite pronounced.
Over the past five hundred years, Dolda had completely regained his reason.
His everyday speech was now fluent, and he had established a stable sense of self like Logan and Grom.
He now bore the alias "Sea Demon King."
The Demon King Dolda waged war on a stage without any land.
"Say, Great Demon King."
"What is it?"
That fellow who calls himself a god of the sea has appeared—would it be alright if I subdued him? It seems like a perfect chance to test the new battleship.
Dolda spoke in a voice brimming with anticipation.
He had been told to report beforehand whenever engaging in large-scale battles.
He kept that promise faithfully.
There were times he couldn't contain his battle lust and rushed off, but that was within acceptable limits.
"Let me know once you’ve subdued him. I’ll collect the corpse."
"Right! You’re always so straightforward—it’s a relief. My subordinates are all lecture-happy, it’s a real pain..."
Dolda sighed as he grumbled.
He was fundamentally a rough-and-ready personality, prone to acting on instinct.
Naturally, his subordinates often got dragged along.
Complaints short of outright protests reached me with some regularity.
However, his subordinates never gave up on Dolda.
In fact, they placed immense trust in him.
For all his problematic behavior, he was a man of character who more than made up for it.
His reputation among the troops was excellent.
Truly worthy of being called a great pirate.
Even after becoming a Demon King, his temperament remained intact.
That’s when I remembered what I needed to tell Dolda.
I immediately relayed the information to him.
"Kenny and Lana have been looking for sparring partners. Would you mind obliging them?"
"Oh, those twins have come as well! Good, good—it's been a while since I've had the chance to test my strength!"
Dolda said cheerfully, then walked away, tapping his axe against his shoulder.
He probably intended to invite the two to spar.
Watching his retreating figure, Grom muttered with a wry smile.
"He really is quite the doting old man, isn't he?"
"That's right."
It was only after he began interacting with Henry's descendants that Dolda regained his rationality.
Apart from fighting, he must have had a caring personality.
Perhaps he felt like he was babysitting his grandchildren.
As he was pondering this side of Dolda, Yura abruptly raised her hand.
She spoke with quiet fervor.
"Confirming with Master—I will also execute the same task as the individual named Dolda. Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah, count on you."
As I nodded, Yura levitated.
Just when it seemed she would fly off, she began to stare intently at Logan.
Logan asked, looking perplexed.
"...What is it?"
"Inviting the individual named Logan—you should come along as well. The more sparring partners, the better."
It was an unexpected action.
Usually, Yura didn't make such invitations.
Perhaps she feels a sense of camaraderie with Logan, now that he has become a spirit like her.
Logan considered the invitation.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he smiled.
"I'll head over once I've finished my business."
"Individual named Logan's response accepted—I will await your arrival after conducting drills first."
Yura performed a backflip on the spot, then flew down the corridor at high speed.
As she passed us, she created a fierce gust of wind, and her form vanished from sight in the distance.