The outcome had already been decided.

“Aaargh!”

The soldiers of Yaphenon were hacked, crushed, and reduced to pulp by the weapons wielded by the demons.

“Spare me!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The scene was nothing short of hell on earth.

Utor, too, charged at Clay, determined not to die like this.

“Die, traitor of humanity!”

But his fist never reached Clay.

Thud.

Clay tossed the Crescent Axe at him.

“Take it.”

It was a humiliating gesture, but Utor didn’t care and snatched up the axe.

“Aaargh…!”

Without the Origin of Prayer, the Crescent Axe was nothing more than a fancy-looking weapon. Enraged by the truth, Utor swung the axe wildly.

And then—

“Guh.”

He collapsed to his knees.

A large wound, left by the arc of a demon blade, had already been carved into his body.

“Without the Origin of Prayer, you’re no better than a toothless beast,” Clay sneered down at him, “That’s why I warned you before. I told you not to rely too much on that prayer.”

“Y-You bastard…” Utor spat out blood, eyes wide with fury, “You’ve forsaken the path. Elhaen will never forgive you!”

“I don’t think that’s something I should hear from someone who doesn’t even truly believe in the gods.”

Clay swung the demon blade and scanned the battlefield.

It was over.

With Geshkafor at the front, the demon army had crushed Yaphenon’s forces in a terrifying onslaught.

Now, all their gazes turned to Clay—the king who had led them to this battlefield and granted them victory.

“Utor.”

Clay spoke.

“I already know the answer, but I want to ask you something anyway.”

“W-What…?”

“Even before my death… did you think I had betrayed humanity?”

At that question, Utor’s expression went blank.

Then—

“Keuk… Kekekeke!”

He burst into sudden laughter and opened his mouth wide.

“Now, of all times?! What does it matter now?!”

“Say it anyway.”

“I don’t know!” Utor mocked him, “Your death wasn’t my concern! You were sentenced through a proper trial and executed! I just had to lead my nation! Why would I ever reconsider the case of someone who was already judged a traitor—!”

Thunk.

That was the end of his words.

The mouth that had shouted so confidently went still.

His head rolled to the ground.

“…Still, you should’ve thought about it.”

Clay lowered the demon blade he had just swung and looked away from the fallen head.

In the silence that followed, only the demons remained, their eyes glowing ominously as they looked at Clay. In that atmosphere of unrestrained satisfaction, Clay let a faint smile form on his lips.

“Victory.”

He raised his sword and shouted.

“It’s our victory!”

The hesitation in the eyes of the stunned demons vanished, and one by one, they all raised their weapons and roared.

“We won, aaaargh!”

“We tore them apart!”

“We did iiiiiit!”

All of their eyes turned to Clay.

“It’s all thanks to the Demon King!”

“Our era has returned!”

“Long live the Demon King!”

Thunderous cheers followed.

“Long live the Demon King!”

In the midst of the raucous uproar, Clay looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh.

“As it should be.”

This was the praise he had deserved long ago.

“I will enjoy it.”

Clay’s heavy voice settled like snow amid their roaring voices.

♧

“As expected.”

The Ezer Allied Army.

An elf soldier who had joined their ranks approached Yelena and reported.

“The Demon King’s army has joined the battle. We’ve also confirmed the death of Utor.”

A pursuit unit had tailed Utor’s retreating forces and relayed the information via signal to those stationed here.

Upon hearing the report, Yelena fell silent.

“Any other… news?”

She asked carefully, and the soldier swallowed hard before answering.

“Yes. The commander of the Demon King’s army has been identified as the former Hero. Though I suppose we should now call him the Demon King.”

He had personally led the Demon King’s army and crushed Utor.

‘Clay…’

Darkness clouded Yelena’s eyes. She struggled to steady her breathing. It had been she who pulled him out of the Demon King’s Castle.

She had told him that if he wanted to take something for himself by using the war between Ezer and Yaphenon, then so be it.

And yet, despite that—Yelena could only feel a profound despair.

‘I’m the one who made him this way.’

Not everything was her fault. She hadn’t been the one to accuse Clay of conspiring with the Demon King.

But still—

Clench.

Overwhelmed with guilt, she could only grip her collar tightly.

“Yelena.”

It was then that Tia approached and spoke.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Yelena nodded, and Tia led her to a quiet place before continuing.

“You sent Clay a letter behind my back, didn’t you?”

“W-What?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to hold you accountable.” Tia sighed, “I was planning to send him one myself anyway. When I found out you’d already done it, I simply let it be.”

“How did you…”

“I know how meticulous elves are when it comes to secrecy. But Yelena, you also know this. You’re not in a stable state.”

Tia met Yelena’s gaze and asked.

“It was you, wasn’t it? The one who said the Demon King didn’t die by Clay’s hand.”

“!”

Yelena’s eyes widened in shock, and she froze.

Tia leaned in and whispered into her ear.

“It was obvious. When the Demon King’s Castle collapsed and everyone was escaping, you were the last one to come out. Which means… no one but you could’ve known whether the Demon King was still alive at that point.”

The Demon King had later been found dead—but not at the same spot.

That discrepancy raised suspicion. It proved that the Demon King hadn’t died immediately. And that fact became key evidence, fueling the argument that Clay had intentionally let him live.

“Because of what you said, Clay was driven into a corner. Just as you knew he would be.”

“N-No, that’s not true.” Yelena shook her head, her voice trembling, “I… I only told the priest what I saw when he asked what happened. If the Demon King had escaped, we needed to recapture him. That’s all. I swear.”

“Hmm.” Tia’s expression turned icy, “Are you sure you didn’t say it that way on purpose, so it could be used as evidence?”

“N-No! Never! That’s not it! I swear it!”

“There’s no need to be so upset.”

Tia lowered her gaze and let out a deep sigh.

“I know you didn’t mean it like that.”

If she had meant to frame him, she wouldn’t have acted so carelessly.

“I’m just saying… that we can’t undo any of it now.”

Clay had been tried and sentenced to death. And he had actually been executed and buried. Whether it was intentional or not, what happened during that process was irreversible.

“I’m not here to blame you for what you did. Or for anything you’ll do in the future—if it’s for Clay’s sake.”

Clay could never go back to being the Hero he once was. Regret, anguish, and deep despair were the only things left for those who had once been his companions.

But that was their burden to bear—the inevitable outcome of having abandoned him to that fate.

“Don’t try to shoulder it alone. We’re all in the same boat.”

Tia took Yelena’s hands in hers. Yelena lowered her head and bit her lips, held gently by Tia’s warm grasp.

Drip. Drop.

Tears darkened the ground where Yelena’s shadow fell.

She spoke without showing her tear-streaked face to Tia.

“Thank you, Tia. Truly… thank you.”

Relief.

Her tension finally gave way, and her body slumped.

“Your Majesty.”

Just as Tia was quietly watching her, Lilien—the Royal Guard Captain—approached to report.

“The Demon King’s army appears to be heading for Yaphenon’s capital.”

“The capital?”

“Yes. It seems they intend to absorb Yaphenon into their territory.”

At those words, Tia fell silent and looked into the air. Lilien watched her pensive expression, visibly confused.

Then, Tia suddenly issued an order.

“Lilien, prepare to depart for Marfane at once.”

“…Pardon? To Marfane?”

The battle had only just ended. They still needed to gauge Krata’s response. Moving straight to Marfane now would be far too risky.

“Your Majesty, engaging in back-to-back military action is too dangerous. If Marfane realizes what happened to Yaphenon, they could rally Krata and the rest of the Holy Alliance.”

“I know. But we won’t be fighting.”

Tia turned to face Lilien.

“We’ll go under the pretense of seeking aid from fellow alliance members after being attacked by Yaphenon. Of course, since we’re bringing troops, Marfane won’t know how to react. That uncertainty is exactly the kind of wasted time we need right now.”

“Your Majesty, you can’t mean…”

The Demon King’s army needed time. Even if they slew the king and immediately moved on the heart of Yaphenon, if other alliance nations intervened too quickly, everything could unravel.

Which meant Tia was trying to buy time—for the Demon King’s army to secure their position in Yaphenon.

“We may be misunderstood.”

Lilien swallowed hard.

“If we’re seen as cooperating with the Demon King’s army, it could bring ruin upon us.”

“Lilien.”

Tia spoke firmly.

“I’m the Saintess.”

A savior equal to the Hero.

“One who appeared precisely when the Hero fell.”

From an outsider’s perspective, the reason for the Saintess’s emergence was blatantly clear.

“They’ll think I’m the one destined to face the Hero-turned-Demon King.”

The timing alone would tell the whole story.

“Even Krata would hesitate to make a move on me. Unless they’re fools, they’ll try to win me over.”

“I… I see.”

“So don’t worry about misunderstandings right now. Prepare to move. If we delay any further, we might lose our chance to do anything at all.”

Tia’s voice was filled with conviction. But Lilien couldn’t fully accept what she was hearing.

‘If Her Majesty is telling the truth… then this isn’t just a misunderstanding.’

It was fact.

Tia was already, in essence, allied with Clay.

“Your Majesty…”

Just as Lilien hesitated, unsure how to continue, Tia spoke first.

“Lilien. We’re going to use the Demon King’s army.”

Lilien looked stunned, and Tia offered a gentle smile, concealing her true feelings.

“So don’t misunderstand. This is nothing more than a tightrope act to ensure our survival. Understand?”

The uneasy feeling pressing against Lilien’s chest nearly slipped out of her mouth—but Tia’s smile, sharp as a blade, cut her off.

“…Yes.”

In the end, that was all she could say.

(End of Chapter)

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