In Ciella's Magic Laboratory, Aya was lying on a cold metal recliner wearing only tight-fitting clothing. Their limbs, waist, and neck were all restrained by sturdy metal rings, allowing only limited movement as they obediently let the instruments manipulate them.

"There seems to be no change at all, it's still the same," Ciella glanced at the scan results in their hands and helplessly shook their head. "Originally, the Divine Lamp was not composed of 'substance' in the true sense. It was just a manifestation of the sacred energy produced by a big Angel. Now, it has formed an energy particle within your body, and it's not easy to remove it."

"So, you're saying we can't just cut me open and take it out?" Lucius frowned.

"Hey! What the hell are you saying in front of me, you bastard!" Aya widened their eyes and their wine-red pupils were filled with alarm. "I'm panicking here!"

"I was just speaking casually, but Aya Miss... no, Aya Mr.," Lucius spread his hands and sighed. He almost twisted his tongue trying not to make a mistake. "But this situation is indeed difficult for us."

"Don't worry, Aya. As long as I'm here, they won't be able to do anything to you," Tiran stood by the recliner, affectionately rubbing Aya's head and smiling tenderly.

"It's because you're here that I'm panicking! And you, Ciella! What are you doing? Stop!" Aya protested.

The academy's principal, also a well-known painter in the industry, finally put down the sketchbook and pen that were somehow found from nowhere and raised their hands while sticking out their tongue. "You suddenly seemed to have an inspiration, I couldn't help it... Oops."

They cutely tilted their head.

"You and your nonsense!" Aya struggled to lift their head and glanced at their own condition. They had changed into a tight shorts and vest that covered the vital areas for the purpose of the scanning examination. It looked somewhat like sportswear, exposing fair skin that would make any girl jealous... It felt fine when putting it on, why does it suddenly feel so provocative now that they were locked up here?!

Aya, who already had a bad feeling about this, quickly glanced at Ciella's sketchbook. Truly worthy of being a famous tentacle artist in the industry, they had already completed several rough line drawings in a short time. Although they appeared simple and were not colored, those seemingly crude lines perfectly depicted the helpless and terrified expression and posture of the girl being restrained on the metal bed.

"Oh oh! Truly a master of fetish! Does this, does this mean it will become the content of your next work?"

"Well, not the next work per se, the inspiration from earlier is not enough to support a long story. However, it can be drawn as an independent short story and given as a limited edition gift at the signing event," Ciella closed the sketchbook, revealing a satisfied expression.

When did you two become so close to each other? Aya was already too lazy to comment and simply laid back down in resignation.

Lucius couldn't stand it anymore and walked over, delivering a karate chop to make Ciella settle down, then turned to Aya. "For now, we can only let Aya stay in the academy and inform the great sage Diah. Let's see if he can come up with any solution."

"It's impossible, impossible. If we can't solve the problem, then that old man Diah definitely can't either!" The academy's principal waved their hand disapprovingly.

"In that case, you will have to protect him constantly and stay in Milt," Lucius stared.

"Well... Ahahaha, the great sage Diah is so powerful, he will definitely be able to figure it out... That, that, I will go inform him now!"

Upon hearing that Aya needed constant protection, the expression on the academy head's face immediately became conflicted, and he stomped his feet as he ran out. Aya's expression also became strange, and she couldn't help but ask, "By the way you're talking... does that mean you don't plan on letting me go?"

"Sorry, if even the grand sage can't find a way, then I can only inconvenience you," Lucius nodded and spoke without any politeness.

Tiran sneered and said, "That's going too far. After all, this is my lady's mount. Besides, Aya has been freely roaming outside without your knowledge for so long without any issues. Is it really necessary?"

"Mount..." Aya's eyes filled with resentment.

"It was my negligence before, but now that I know the truth, I really can't let the Lantern leave my sight. Please forgive me," Lucius seemed to feel some remorse, but his tone was resolute. "Also, sealed inside the Lantern are the souls of three Archangels and the most powerful demon breed. As long as there are no complications, Aya's life may be at stake."

Well, that's true... thinking back, I've been carrying around this ticking time bomb for decades without knowing it. It's impressive that I've been able to run around so freely without any accidents. But now, just thinking about it makes my stomach ache. Maybe it's a psychological effect.

Tiran didn't show too much opposition either—she wouldn't leave Miette City within Milanía until the turmoil within the country was settled or her power was restored to Holy Rank. And achieving both of these tasks in the short term was also unlikely.

As for after her powers were restored... with her and little Fei working together, there was no way Miette City could stop her from making a move if they didn't want a big fight, right?

But above all else, she was curious about something else.

"By the way, Lucius, that irritated look on your face earlier... it couldn't be just because one of the academy's treasures was lost, right?" Tiran stared into Lucius' eyes.

Lucius's expression froze for a moment. Subconsciously, he touched his face and scratched his nose, revealing a bitter smile. "Is it that obvious? I suppose I haven't had a chance to vent in a while, so my self-control has weakened."

"Are you saying... there's a story?" One of the people and the dragon suddenly became excited, with a look of impatience, as if saying, "Tell, tell!"

"Hey..." Lucius sighed. Was gossiping a human nature? Did it have to infect dragons too?

But it wasn't a story that couldn't be told. It was just that he usually couldn't be bothered to talk about it. Lucius silently smiled. Since someone was willing to listen, there was no harm in telling it.

Rarely ever truly angry, of course, it wasn't just because something he was supposed to take care of went missing.

"That lantern, I was the one who entrusted it in the first place."

...

This is a story of saving the world.

... This opening is so edgy. Let me add something. This is just an ordinary story of saving the world.

... Why does it sound even more silly?

Okay, well, even though it's a bit edgy and silly, there was indeed a man who went unnoticed and saved the world.

In fact, most of the people who eventually save the world didn't start out wanting to save the world, including this man. He was just a lazy nobleman at first.

The only thing that set him apart from other nobleman was probably the fact that he came from a prominent family in the magical city of Heartland.

Because he had the blood of high-level demons flowing through him, he was born with exceptional talent. Even without much training, he had already become one of the top experts at a young age.

"Talent, isn't it just the ability to achieve more results with less effort than others?" After winning a duel for a beautiful girl, this guy boasted arrogantly, with a smug expression on his face, really deserving a beating.

Oh, I forgot to mention, that girl was a human, and the person he accidentally killed in the duel was not just some nobody, but the prince of a certain human country.

Of course, for that man, there was no difference between a human prince and a beggar on the street. After all, they're all humans. Besides, he didn't even spare her family in his ruthless pursuit of the beautiful female. It doesn't matter if this scum of a person gets killed.

Don't get me wrong, he doesn't have any hatred towards humans. Generally, when demons from Devildom come to the world in the Main Dimension, they usually have two emotions: either discontentment over the fact that the races in this realm are weak yet occupy such a beautiful world - the First Legendary War was caused by many of such individuals - or they become attached to this place and refuse to return - like a certain demon king back in the day.

And that man belonged to the latter category.

Despite having astonishing strength and talent, he was just a hopeless romantic who abandoned his family duty to elope with a human girl.

At first, the family sent people to try and bring him back, but one by one, they were beaten and sent back with their heads beaten to a pulp.

He was worried that his father or some other old monster would appear, and was fully prepared to fight to the end, but Devildom remained silent.

Time passed peacefully for a year.

After one year, the man's first child was born - there were no supernatural phenomena, just a normal half human-half demon, but it held great significance for the family.

Watching the child's tiny hand desperately grabbing his finger, the delicate touch that hit him right in the heart made the man's nonchalant attitude subside, and for the first time, he felt a sense of responsibility towards a family. He finally understood the expectations that the elders in his family had placed on him.

"Well then... It's been a while, but I suppose I should go back and take a look."

After settling down his wife, who had become a mother, and their baby, the man casually bid farewell, leaving his wife with the explanation of a "short trip." Well, considering his abilities at the time, coming and going to Devildom would only take three to five days, after all.

Hmm, that's what he thought before.

However, the girl ended up waiting for a whole year.

No one in the human world knew what had happened in Devildom during that year. All the portals connecting the two realms were suddenly closed without any warning, and all non-Devildom creatures were expelled from the realm. The different races in the Main Dimension felt uneasy, and it was almost as if they were on the verge of forming another alliance.

Fortunately, the portals reopened before that happened, and everything went back to normal. However, no one knew the reason behind the closure of the portals, not even most of the demons, as they were confused as well.

And on a certain morning, eight years later, the girl found the disheveled man on the sofa in their home.

"Well, well, my dear, long time no see. I'm sorry, this trip took a bit longer than expected..."

The girl wanted to know what the man had experienced, but he uncharacteristically kept his mouth shut. As time passed, the girl also forgot about this incident, and everything seemed to return to the normal course of life.

Eight years later, the man's second child was born, but unlike the first one, this child inherited not only the father's hair color but also a pale pink color that didn't belong to either parent.

When the first child grew up a little, the man began to teach him the techniques of cultivation. The child inherited the man's talent, and everything went smoothly. Whether it was magic or martial arts, he could learn them all at once, and his strength improved at a visible speed.

The teenage girl, who was now a mother, was naturally happy to see her child growing up day by day. But the man's gaze became increasingly anxious as time went by.

The perfect life of the family of four came to an abrupt and calm end on an ordinary day, without any warning signs.

On that day, the man suddenly disappeared with their first child, leaving no trace or even a word. The ordinary human girl naturally had no way to find him, hoping that one day in the future, the man would suddenly reappear just like he had disappeared.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

...

"It's so plain and lacks any plot twists." Tiran yawned and nodded. "It really is just an ordinary story."

"Not every story about saving the world has to be thrilling..." Aya nodded and then rolled her eyes. "But where is the plot about saving the world? Just finish the story!"

Lucius couldn't help but cover his face. "Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you're not a good listener?"

"Sorry, sorry," Tiran giggled and winked meaningfully. "So, that man is..."

"My father." Lucius confirmed her guess. "I am his first child."