After Ophelia sat down, Ryan accepted her request and also took a seat right in front of her on another of the available benches.

The wooden seat was firm, and he made himself comfortable while maintaining a prudent distance, facing directly toward her.

The cabin remained in complete silence following the dragoness’s departure, letting the sound of the wind outside be the only thing that filled the space between the human and the demon queen.

Ryan slightly adjusted his dark trench coat as he took his seat, maintaining his usual posture.

’I didn’t expect to find Irnina’s sister in this place; in fact, I didn’t even think she had a sister.’

The thought flashed rapidly through his mind as he processed the situation. He remembered perfectly well his encounter with Irnina and the level of danger that an existence of that caliber represented.

He didn’t take his eyes off Ophelia while he was thinking; she was simply relaxed and calm, looking in the direction where Janina had just gone.

The Demon Queen seemed to be in absolutely no rush to start the formal conversation, enjoying the stillness of the mountain and acting in a completely different manner than she did in front of her subordinates back in the Morrisen castle.

Her posture was entirely carefree, leaning against the wooden bench without showing a single trace of hostility.

The wind blew, making her beautiful hair flutter into her face. The long white strands moved with the mountain breeze, crossing over her pale face, but she didn’t even bother to brush them away.

She simply stared at the horizon for a moment, where the city in the valley stretched out under the bright sunlight.

’At least, thanks to having met that dragon’s sister, I have already been able to verify what level of power she is at; I won’t be surprised if I run into her again at some point.’

Ryan sighed. He let the air out at a slow pace, maintaining control over his own energy while observing the attitude of the woman sitting in front of him.

’Even though it is highly unlikely that something like that will happen.’

The stillness of the cabin remained for a few moments longer. Neither of the two seemed uncomfortable with the silence, but Ryan didn’t intend to stay there wasting time without resolving the main issue at hand.

It was Ryan who broke the brief silence.

"Since you only sent Ivis to the dungeon, I thought that only one dragon was at your service."

Ophelia brought her hand to her chin as if she were thinking, then made a small sound. She averted her gaze from the outside and fixed it directly on Ryan, listening to the human’s analytical tone.

She took a brief moment before responding, tilting her head a little with an expression of slight amusement.

"Hmm, you see. Janina is very powerful, but she is also quite lazy. She is always saying that she needs energy to be prepared, but she just uses that as an excuse to always be sleeping."

"And is it alright for you to rely on someone like that?" Ryan asked with curiosity.

"Ha, ha, ha, you might be right, but. When there are dangerous situations, I will always be able to count on her. After all, we are connected." She said with a smile.

Ophelia’s laugh was clean, but the way her lips curved at the very end showed for a second the dangerous nature that she hid beneath her calm appearance.

’She is referring to her telepathy, isn’t she?’

Ryan caught the message immediately. That kind of connection between a dragon and its master eliminated the need for messengers or intermediaries in the event of a real crisis.

It was an advantage that perfectly explained why the queen allowed herself luxuries like Janina’s laziness during times of peace.

The amusement on Ophelia’s face began to fade away, giving way to a much heavier atmosphere inside the wooden structure.

She leaned slightly forward, fixing her eyes right on the human, completely eliminating any trace of the casual chat from a moment ago.

"In the end, you accepted to come here. Then, can I take that as a confirmation that you will ally yourself with me to kill Demon King Rigal?"

The question dropped heavily, cutting through any other distraction. Ryan did not respond immediately; he simply held the queen’s gaze with total tranquility.

"First tell me one thing, why is it right now that you plan to attack, I mean. After so many years, what made you decide that this is a good time? Did something change perhaps?"

Ryan’s question was direct. He needed to understand the real motive behind Ophelia’s move.

The balance among the demon kings had been maintained for a very long time, and such a sudden change in the queen’s strategy indicated that a new variable had entered into play.

Ophelia remained in silence for a few seconds. Her eyes seemed to lose a bit of their usual brightness, fixed on the human but with her mind completely elsewhere, as if she were weighing how much information to reveal or recalling the events that had led her to make this determination.

Then Ryan added, seeing that the queen was taking her time to respond and making sure to make the conditions perfectly clear before receiving any sort of explanation.

"Depending on the outcome of this conversation, I will make my decision. I will not lead my companions to die if you don’t have a coherent plan."

He did not have the slightest intention of risking his party on a suicide mission based entirely on the whims or ambitions of a demon queen.

If Ophelia expected him to put his power at the disposal of her cause, she would have to demonstrate that every single step of the operation was carefully calculated.

Ophelia let out a sigh. It was a long exhalation, as if Ryan’s words had confirmed what she already suspected about his character.

She relaxed her posture backward a little, observing him with a mixture of respect and seriousness.

"Alright, it is clear to me that you are not a hero. You do not seek fame or glory; as the slayer of a demon king you would have a lot of renown but, that doesn’t interest you either, does it?"

"Assuming that I do forge an alliance with you, to the nations it will be as if a traitor to humanity helped Demon Queen Ophelia kill Demon King Rigal. It wouldn’t hold any merit; I would simply be considered an accomplice."

Ryan laid out the scenario with complete coldness and realism. The political implications for humans were evident; the outside world would never see his actions as the mastermind, but rather as a simple pawn moved by the ambition of another Demon King.

"Ha, ha, ha, seriously, you are not greedy at all, huh? But that is fine." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Ophelia’s laugh rang out once again, breaking the pressure in the atmosphere for an instant. She found the complete lack of conventional ambition in the man sitting in front of her to be fascinating, an extremely rare characteristic among both humans and demons alike.

Ophelia crossed her legs, passing one right over the other. She adjusted the dark fabric of her dress over the wooden bench and looked at Ryan with utter serenity.

"I will tell you what it was that changed, and the reason why I want to put an end to Rigal no matter what it takes."