Ophelia’s question lingered, echoing throughout the area and vibrating against the walls of the S-rank dungeon.

The silence stretched on a moment longer as Ryan processed the presence of the two figures standing before him.

Ryan took a step forward, breaking the tension that held everyone paralyzed in place.

"Yes, I am Ryan, and I presume you are the Demon King Ophelia." His voice was steady, even though the surrounding air seemed to have grown heavy from the sheer presence of the woman with white hair and thick horns.

"Yes, I am. I apologize for arriving so suddenly. However..." Ophelia left her words hanging in the air as she shifted her gaze behind Ryan.

Beatrice remained silent, her shoulders hunched and her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.

It was obvious that Beatrice was internally blaming herself for the Demon King’s presence here.

She didn’t dare look up, feeling as though her return had brought ruin to the new village. Noticing her state, Ophelia let out a soft chuckle that didn’t hide her amusement.

"Hey, Beatrice, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to see me here." Ophelia’s voice was melodious but carried an authority that didn’t need to shout to be felt.

Beatrice looked at her with obvious worry in her violet eyes, struggling to find the right words to respond.

"But... what are you doing here, Lady Ophelia? Didn’t you say you had important plans? Then how is it that you’ve come all this way..." Beatrice couldn’t fathom how they had managed to find them.

"I did say I had plans, and right now, I am fulfilling them," Ophelia replied with a smile that revealed absolutely nothing of her true intentions.

Helen interjected immediately with a complaint, gripping her sword’s hilt so hard her knuckles turned white.

"I don’t give a damn about your plans! Nobody gave you permission to enter this place!" Helen shouted, maintaining her combat stance.

Mirian wasn’t far behind, drawing her bow with an expression of total distrust.

"It seems some people don’t understand the meaning of private property," she added sarcastically.

However, the green-haired woman accompanying Ophelia stepped in to scold her mistress, completely ignoring Helen’s threats.

"Lady Ophelia, please stop being so careless with your words. You are only agitating them further," Iris said in a flat, tired tone.

"What are you talking about? I’m just greeting a dear friend," Ophelia retorted, dismissing the tension that continued to escalate in the room.

But the back-and-forth between the SS-rank dragon and the Demon King caused the aura around them to surge violently.

The density of their mana increased with every passing second, filling the dungeon with a pressure that was impossible to ignore.

Helen and Mirian interpreted this display of power as a palpable threat and an imminent declaration of war.

Without a second thought, both lunged into the attack.

On the other hand, Ryan remained analytical, observing every movement of the intruders without drawing his weapon yet.

’I need to study the situation better before doing something stupid. The Demon King hasn’t even moved to defend herself,’ Ryan thought as he kept his eyes fixed on Ophelia.

He decided not to attack recklessly, knowing that against enemies of that rank, a single mistake meant instant death for his entire group. While Helen and Mirian remained confident in their S-rank abilities, Ryan noticed the opponents didn’t seem to be taking the fight seriously at all.

Ryan thought he would seize the opportunity to land a critical hit if he saw a real opening in her defense.

But Mirian’s attacks were caught in mid-air before touching Ophelia, as if they were hitting an invisible wall. Helen’s thrusts, for their part, were dodged by Iris with minimal effort.

Ryan quickly deduced what was happening on the battlefield.

’It looks like one of them has the ability to completely neutralize magic. That’s why Mirian’s arrows aren’t landing.’

Helen, who was using only brute force in her slashes, wasn’t seeing her attacks affected the same way.

She simply couldn’t land a hit against the dragon’s agility. Ryan turned to Beatrice and asked directly if she knew Ophelia would try to follow her.

Beatrice shook her head frantically, a look of desperation on her face that Ryan knew well.

She apologized for her incompetence, saying she had no idea she was being followed and that it was her fault for not being more careful.

Ryan looked at her calmly before replying to lift that weight from her shoulders.

"No, she didn’t follow you here. That’s not what I meant. You don’t have to feel guilty about this."

"But why do you say she didn’t follow me?" Beatrice asked, not understanding how Ryan could be so certain of such a thing.

Ryan observed Ophelia, who continued to watch the scene with amusement.

"They teleported here. That’s how I know they didn’t follow you. I gather they’ve been here before."

Ophelia let out a clear laugh that echoed throughout the dungeon.

"You’re almost right, the infamous Ryan." The way she pronounced his title made Ryan frown with obvious annoyance.

"Stop calling me that."

"Oops, sorry. I just got carried away by the rumors circulating about you. But it’s too noisy here with those two fighting; let’s talk somewhere else," Ophelia said with startling casualness.

Ryan didn’t blink; he was sure he was keeping his perception at its peak, yet it happened anyway.

Suddenly, Ophelia was in front of him, invading his personal space in a way Ryan couldn’t predict.

Her intense red eyes looked at him closely, analyzing every feature of his face. Ryan placed the palm of his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to attempt a point-blank counterattack.

However, Ophelia placed her hand over his, applying a steady pressure that prevented Ryan from drawing his weapon.

She was clearly stronger in terms of pure physical strength. Ryan felt his arm become completely locked under the Demon Queen’s grip.

Ophelia spoke while increasing her aura in a controlled but terrifying manner.

"We have no intention of making enemies of you, Ryan."

He looked her directly in the eyes, refusing to yield to the pressure of the mana that threatened to crush him.

"And you expect me to believe that while you’re projecting all this energy?" Ryan questioned ironically.