In the end, the outcome of who would become the new Four General was easily decided.

“Ugh… urgh…”

Renya’s decision to confront Selimia in close combat had been a grave miscalculation.

She had assumed that, as the famed Witch of the North, Selimia specialized in magic. And naturally, magic excelled at long-range combat. So if she closed the distance, she might have a chance—at least that was what she'd believed.

But what was this?

Crack.

Renya was frozen in place, still mid-lunge with her dagger aimed at Selimia. Selimia herself hadn’t moved a single step.

This... this can’t be happening.

No matter how fast the freeze, her dagger should have reached Selimia first.

Renya was faster than most dark elves when it came to close-quarters attacks. Her swift charges and lunges were her pride, bolstered by stealth and aura suppression.

And yet Selimia had simply frozen everything around her in an instant—including Renya.

“Haa…”

Selimia exhaled, releasing visible frost as she murmured,

“All done?”

Renya couldn’t respond. Her entire body was frozen like a statue with severe frostbite. Only her eyes remained mobile, barely able to look at Selimia.

“…Impressive. You really are the Calamity.”

Beatrice, who had been watching nearby, commented with a look that was anything but pleased.

“Not happy to see me back?”

Selimia smiled faintly, as if amused.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not unusual for someone like me—who carries fire—to avoid someone like you, who drips with cold.”

Renya, watching the two locked in subtle verbal warfare, began to panic.

H-Hurry…

Even her internal organs were starting to freeze. The chill Selimia had unleashed hadn’t just coated her in ice—it was pushing under her skin, trying to freeze her from the inside out.

Selimia glanced down at her and smiled knowingly.

She knew.

She was doing it on purpose.

Renya felt it in her bones. if Selimia wished, she could kill her instantly. Fear made her bloodshot eyes twitch as she struggled in vain.

“Let her go, would you?”

Finally, Beatrice stepped in.

With a snap of Selimia’s fingers—

Crack!

The ice shattered, and Renya collapsed onto the floor.

D-Dammit…

She couldn’t think of anything now but escape.

I have to get out of here…

As Selimia’s mocking smile burned in her mind, Renya began to quietly crawl away.

“Wait.”

Beatrice stopped her.

“You came all this way and fought in the finals. You should get something for your effort, don’t you think?”

Renya hadn’t come expecting anything but the seat of a Four General. She awkwardly shook her head with a forced smile—she didn’t need a consolation prize.

Then Selimia approached her and crouched down.

“Well, considering you survived after being frozen like that, it’s a shame to just send you away. You deserve something.”

Renya’s pupils trembled.

She tried to refuse, even with her still-frozen jaw—

“Serve under me.”

Selimia’s proposal hit like a hammer.

“I’m a Four General now. I can’t go around without any subordinates, right? Picking from the general population would take time. But you? You’re verified.”

“N-No, I—”

“You’ll do it, right?”

Selimia smiled again.

“…Yes?”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Selimia’s smile vanished, her eyes narrowing sharply.

“I have a lot of work to do for the Demon King. I don’t want to waste time here.”

The temperature dropped again as her gaze fixed squarely on Renya.

Without thinking, Renya nodded furiously.

“I-I’ll do it!”

She, who had once scoffed at joining the Demon King’s elite Darkmoon Knights, was now pledging herself as a direct subordinate of one of the generals.

“P-Please let me serve you!”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried out.

“…How pitiful.”

Beatrice murmured under her breath.

To Renya, it sounded like a small kindness.

♧

“You’ve changed a lot, you know?”

Inside the carriage heading back to Yaphenon’s capital—

Athanasia sat across from Clay.

“You seem to control your magia more stably now.”

Clay had always possessed enormous power—but his control wasn’t refined. It was like sailing on rough seas; unpredictable, overwhelming. That kind of magic always risked backlash on the caster.

“It’s because of this.”

Clay raised his hand. On it was a ring.

“Ring of Luanac. It acts as a magia storage vessel and helps stabilize my output.”

“That’s… incredible.”

Artifacts like that were rare.

“It’s perfect for high-ranking demons, right? But ever since Elhaen came down, those kinds of artifacts have practically gone extinct.”

“Hm?” Clay’s brow furrowed in thought, “Were there demons even before Elhaen arrived?”

“Huh? Well, yeah?”

“How were the power dynamics back then between demons and humans?”

When he pressed again, Athanasia’s expression twisted slightly.

“Hmm…”

She furrowed her brows a few more times, then finally answered.

“I’m not sure.”

“Not sure?”

“I’ve lived too long. Some parts of my memory are fuzzy. This must be one of them.”

“But you remember when Elhaen descended, don’t you?”

“Well, that was unforgettable.”

Athanasia frowned, clearly displeased.

“It was an era where no one expected a god to descend from outside. And then she came. Wiped us out completely.”

“A calamity, then.”

“Exactly. That was the first time we ever felt fear. But what was even scarier…”

Athanasia sighed.

“…was the suspicion that Elhaen might not be the only god from the outside.”

“There are others?”

Clay asked, his voice tense.

By the time Elhaen appeared, she had become the supreme god of this world. Even one such being was enough to cripple the native pantheon. The possibility that there were more…

“I don’t know for certain. But based on a few things Elhaen muttered after conquering us… I think so.”

“What did he say?”

“Something like… ‘Those worthless things keep meddling.’”

Worthless things. Not quite how one would refer to other gods of equal standing. It suggested disdain—but also familiarity.

“Anyway, I got the sense he didn’t get along well with them. That’s all I know.”

“…I see.”

“Well, in any case, can I ask more about that ring?”

Athanasia pointed to the ring on Clay’s hand.

“I want to get my hands on something like that myself.”

“I stumbled on this by chance.”

Clay had heard Yaphenon possessed the ring back when he was still a Hero. He even knew why it was so poorly guarded.

It was a demon-exclusive artifact. Humans couldn’t use it—so they didn’t think much of it. To them, it was just an unusable trinket.

But Clay had recognized the symbol engraved on Ring of Luanac from illustrations: it signified high-ranking demons.

Having frequently entered demon dungeons, Clay knew just how powerful Ring of Luanac really was.

“I didn’t spread the word at the time. There was no urgent need.”

Aside from his party, no one else knew about it.

He had feared that if word got out, high-ranking demons might be drawn to Yaphenon. And since the former Demon King didn’t seem to need it, it was best left alone.

“Never thought I’d end up needing it myself.”

Unlike the previous Demon King, Clay needed stabilization. He wasn’t born a demon—his nature had become demon-like. Which made artifacts like this invaluable.

“So you went and got it yourself?”

Athanasia asked.

But Clay didn’t give a clear answer.

“…Not quite.”

“Huh? Then?”

“Let’s just say it landed in my hands.”

Yuru.

She had remembered what he’d said long ago and found the item for him.

Tch.

It was unpleasant. But the artifact itself had done no wrong. If it was useful, Clay wouldn’t reject it.

Letting personal resentment ruin important matters would be foolish.

“Oh, we’re here.”

Before they realized it, the carriage had arrived at the outskirts of Yaphenon’s capital.

Clack!

They weren’t even checked at the gates. The soldiers standing watch simply raised their spears and saluted, recognizing the carriage’s crest.

Clay glanced at Athanasia and said,

“You’ve even got the soldiers under control?”

“Well, not all of them.”

She gave a sheepish smile.

“Oh! But don’t worry! I’m also pushing the narrative in your favor. We’re slowly spreading faith in the Demon King alongside mine!”

“How kind of you.” Clay replied flatly, “But Athanasia, didn’t you ever feel tempted?”

“Tempted?”

“To keep all that faith to yourself.”

At that, Athanasia swallowed. It sounded almost like he was testing her.

“Well… I figured you’d already put safeguards in place. I mean, I’m sure you’ve told Neville something too.”

“So you held back out of pure speculation?”

“Hmm…”

She scratched her head awkwardly.

“I kind of lost my mind right after I woke up from the seal, but… after fighting Elhaen, and losing to you, something came back to me.”

“What was that?”

“That no matter how strong you are, you can’t beat a real enemy alone.”

Even beings of overwhelming power could be crushed if something even greater came along.

“I need someone to move with.”

“And that someone is me.”

“Well, it’s more like I’m being dragged along, but yeah.” She shrugged with a smirk, “You’re the most reasonable among the unreasonable beings I’ve met.”

“Hm.”

“I mean it! You’ve seen Vald. And Elhaen, too. Compared to them, you’re practically sane.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment. You certainly didn’t think so back then.”

“Hey! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to say even this much after getting my ass kicked by you?”

Their exchange felt like a joke, like old times.

And just like that, the carriage reached the palace gates of the capital.

“You’ve arrived.”

Waiting for them was a man.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

As Clay stepped down from the carriage—followed by Syltanaro, Naiad, Marcia, and the others—the man bowed deeply.

The acting king of Yaphenon.

“Lord Clay.”

Neville.

(End of Chapter)

Note: I'm currently referring to Elhaen as female, though the text has been inconsistent, some parts suggest a male identity, others a female one. If it turns out that Elhaen is male, I’ll update the chapters accordingly. Just a heads-up so you’re not surprised if Elhaen suddenly appears as male later on.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.