Leip Barielle did not come to cause trouble again.
This was normal. If he had continued to actively seek his own demise after being thoroughly humiliated, Regulus would have to wonder if there was something physically wrong with his head.
Not long after the incident, the true commander of the Southern Front, Lord Kurumel—whom Bordeaux had mentioned earlier—personally came to visit Regulus's mansion.
He was completely different from Leip. Although Kurumel was also a high-ranking noble, he did not put on any insufferable aristocratic airs. He even took the initiative to apologize on behalf of Leip's foolish actions.
Given this respectful situation, Regulus had no intention of making things difficult for the commander. Instead, he directly stated his demands for ending the war.
If he were to step onto the battlefield and decisively resolve the Demi-Human conflict, then on a certain day in the future, three specific demands of his would have to be unconditionally met. If that was acceptable, he would act.
Of course, these three demands were not directed at Kurumel, but at the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Lugnica itself.
Kurumel breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least it was certain that Regulus held no lingering grudge over Leip's matter and merely wanted to secure his own compensation.
Kurumel completely understood. After all, having a walking demigod personally end the largest and bloodiest war in recent history would certainly require discussing benefits before setting out. There was no such thing as free goodwill in the world, especially from Regulus, who was not a native resident or sworn knight of this Kingdom. He had zero obligation to protect them.
As Kurumel prepared to send a fast messenger back to the Capital to consult the King, Regulus also handed Wilhelm over to his direct command.
Kurumel had heard about Wilhelm's disastrous situation with Leip as well. However, he didn't mind doing Regulus a favor by shielding the boy. Therefore, the commander personally promised that as long as Wilhelm worked directly under him, Leip would absolutely not be able to cause any fatal problems for the young Sword Demon.
The matter was resolved. After seeing the two men off, all Regulus had to do was wait for the Capital's response.
Not much time passed before Regulus received a formal, handwritten letter bearing the Royal Seal. The specific political wording was not important to Regulus; what mattered was that the King of Lugnica had officially agreed to his future demands.
Since the contract was struck, Regulus would now fulfill his end of the bargain.
However, due to successive, devastating failures on other battlefields, the Demi-Human alliance seemed to have been violently stimulated. The intensity of the fighting at the Ashira Wetlands became even fiercer in a very short time.
Upon arriving near the edge of the wetlands, what Regulus's group saw were caravans of wounded soldiers who had just retreated from the front, as well as exhausted infantrymen resting in the mud.
But the further they advanced, the worse the situation became.
Corpses were everywhere. Not only human soldiers, but also massive Demi-Humans. Combined with the blood-soaked ground and the murky puddles of the wetlands, just looking at it caused a strong sense of physical discomfort.
"Husband," Carol spoke up, riding near him. "A little further, and we'll reach the center of the main battlefield."
As a Knight of the Kingdom and Regulus's woman, Carol had naturally chosen to accompany him to the front. Aside from her, Julia and a select few of the other wives who possessed considerable martial prowess and magical talent were also present in the vanguard.
His wives were as concerned as ever.
"Are we really going to pass straight through the center of the battlefield?" Lycoris asked nervously. "You know, this time is different from the previous skirmishes. As the main battlefield, both the quality of the enemies and the scale of the traps are absolutely top-tier."
"Don't worry," Regulus smiled effortlessly. "Someone will come to greet us shortly."
"Greet us?"
The girls were all unable to understand what Regulus meant. Who would greet them in the middle of a blood-soaked enemy territory?
"You'll know in a moment," Regulus replied without giving a direct answer, continuing to walk forward casually.
But he hadn't gone too far yet when his eyes shifted.
Regulus lazily picked a few sharp leaves from a short wetland tree. With a flick of his wrist infused with Stillness, he threw them at a dense tree canopy ahead, a small submerged bush to their left, and a seemingly motionless corpse lying in the mud.
Thwack! Splash! Squela!
Three distinct sounds of impact echoed. Three hidden Demi-Human ambushers dropped dead, their skulls perfectly pierced by the reinforced leaves.
The battlefield was a lush, overgrown wetland. Compared to humans, the Demi-Human races were far more adapted to this treacherous environment. Hiding in natural camouflage to launch surprise attacks was a commonly used and highly effective combat method for them.
But unfortunately, their usual stealth tactics had absolutely no effect on Regulus whatsoever.
Because Regulus's five senses were enhanced to an extreme degree, detecting their minute breathing and heartbeats was an effortless task. A surprise attack was mathematically impossible against him. If they truly wanted to make a move, their only choice was a direct, open confrontation.
Continuing forward and effortlessly dispatching several more hidden obstacles along the way, Regulus successfully reached the specific coordinates he was looking for.
"The rest is up to you, Julia."
"Mm."
Julia, stepping forward, walked towards a massive, intricate magic circle that Regulus had pointed out in the mud. Her main reason for coming along in the vanguard was precisely this: to dismantle all complex magical formations along the way, preventing Regulus and the other girls from being annoyed by triggering massive area-of-effect traps.
However, the moment Julia's mana successfully disrupted and dispelled the magic circle, a few miles away, a girl in a black robe suddenly looked up sharply.
With very little change in her deadpan expression, her petite body floated into the air and immediately flew at top speed towards the direction of the disrupted trap.
Using the convenience of flight, she quickly arrived above the wetlands and saw the small group of humans who were clearing her magic circles.
However, instead of focusing on the girl destroying her magical handiwork, her gaze was instantly drawn to another person—the only man present in the group.
Regulus, sensing her gaze from the sky, looked up, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Sphinx.
He knew she would come to check personally. After all, her magical knowledge and techniques were inherited directly from Echidna, the Witch of Greed, who stood at the absolute pinnacle of this world's magical history. There were only a handful of people in the entire world who could effortlessly break through her complex magic traps. Once a major trap was broken so cleanly, her inherent curiosity would definitely compel her to investigate.
Regulus casually waved to Sphinx in the sky.
The next moment, the girl rapidly lowered her altitude, her black robes fluttering until she landed softly in the mud right in front of Regulus.
"Lord Regulus, I've finally found you," Sphinx's tone remained completely flat; absolutely no emotion could be felt from her words.
"Miss Ryuzu?!" Carol gasped.
"Ryuzu, why are you here in the wetlands?" Julia asked, completely stunned, looking at the familiar pink-haired loli.
"She is Ryuzu, and at the same time, she is *not* the Ryuzu you know. I will explain her origins to you all later," Regulus said.
After speaking, Regulus stepped forward and directly embraced Sphinx.
"Your mission is complete," Regulus whispered to her. "Next is Echidna's new mission. Just stay by my side and accompany me obediently."
"I understand," Sphinx replied mechanically.
While answering obediently, Sphinx instinctively wrapped her small arms around Regulus's neck to maintain her balance as he lifted her slightly.
Regulus, in a very good mood, looked closely at this expressionless Sphinx. Or rather, a Ryuzu clone who suffered from a severe degree of emotional deficiency.
'If she were to be bullied and teased a bit,' Regulus wondered with a wicked smirk, 'how exactly would this emotionless doll react?'
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