“You’re saying you’ll act alone?”

After Clay finished explaining everything, the first to speak was Athanasia.

“Not exactly. I wouldn’t call it acting alone.” Clay gestured to Syltanaro standing beside him, “My weapon must remain by my side at all times, after all.”

At those words, the others seated in the chamber looked around, unsure how to respond.

“I know it puts you in a difficult position,” Clay said, “What I’m saying is that I’ll be traveling without an army, and naturally, you’ll think that’s dangerous.”

The Demon King was the sovereign of all demons. Even the previous Demon King had mostly appeared on the battlefield alongside other demons. As the central figure and main power of the army, he had maintained his position no matter how strong he was.

“But I’m not used to this kind of warfare.”

As a Hero, Clay had functioned more like a special operations soldier within a small party, executing strategic missions. He had taken down the previous Demon King’s strongholds one by one that way.

“I intend to leave command of the army in capable hands, dispatch the Demon King’s Castle’s officers to key locations, and lay the groundwork for continent-wide conquest. Of course, unless it’s an emergency, we’ll avoid all-out war.”

The idea was to divide and expand their zones of operation, while Clay himself would focus on executing high-impact strategic tasks.

“Is that clear?”

No one immediately responded to his question. With Beatrice staring fixedly at Clay, the others merely glanced around, reading the room.

“So you’re leaving the Demon King’s Castle in my hands again.”

Eventually, Beatrice broke the silence.

“You always wanted me by your side, didn’t you?”

“Well, this is awkward,” Athanasia added, stretching her hands behind her head, “If the castle’s master keeps roaming around like that, I wonder what kind of treatment that leaves for outsiders like me.”

“I object to this.” Even Geshkafor raised his hand and interjected, “I believe it’s best to preserve Your Majesty’s power! If necessary, you should be deploying us, the Four Generals!”

The other General seated beside him nodded in agreement.

“I’ve already said. I understand your concerns.” Clay’s voice remained calm, “But fundamentally, I’m the type who only grows through trials and hardship. Sitting on a throne doesn’t suit my nature.”

Then, Clay turned his eyes to Beatrice.

“Beatrice. I’m not saying we’ll be apart forever. Barungenia will still be our base. I’m only asking you to endure the wait between our meetings—for the sake of the cause.”

Beatrice gazed at him for a moment, then sighed.

“If you’re that stubborn, what can I do? I’ll just have to go along with it somehow.”

“Thank you.”

“Hold on a second!”

At that moment, a blue shimmer appeared in the air.

“You’re taking Syltanaro with you, so that means you’re taking me too, right?”

It was the Water Spirit King—Naiad.

“What are you talking about? You’re not even a weapon,” Beatrice said, bewildered by her sudden appearance and demand.

Naiad scowled.

“I’m basically a weapon! Last time, I possessed Syltanaro’s body and got hammered along with her by the blacksmith, remember?!”

That part was true. Beatrice, who had already heard the story, turned to Clay with a dissatisfied look.

“So she says.”

“……”

“If you two really can act as ‘one,’ I suppose it’s fine to bring her along.”

At those words, Naiad lit up.

“Really?!”

“Clay hasn’t given his answer yet,” Beatrice cut in, pressing him for a decision.

“So? What’s it going to be, Clay? Are you taking her?”

Clay fell silent for a moment. It was slightly awkward to answer while Beatrice looked less than pleased, but in the end, he made up his mind.

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

Naiad spun through the air with a tiny fist pumped high.

“Then I’ll go pack!”

With that, Naiad excitedly flew out of the chamber, leaving behind a heavy silence.

“…Must be nice,” Beatrice finally muttered, “I envy those who’ll have more time with you. But I’ve got a duty to fulfill here, I suppose.”

“Thank you, Beatrice,” Clay said quietly.

“When this is all over, I’ll make sure to repay you properly.”

Just as the strange air between them began to spread unease among the others, Clay quickly moved the meeting forward.

“Well, that’s settled for my part. Now, let’s talk about how we’ll assign our personnel.”

Just because he was leaving didn’t mean everything would fall on Beatrice. What he asked of her was only the overall management.

“Athanasia. You’ll go to Yaphenon, where Neville is.”

Athanasia blinked in surprise.

“Huh? Yaphenon?”

“I’ve already explained everything to Neville. Just show up, and he’ll welcome you.”

“Wait, hold on…”

She made a troubled face.

“If you’re not there, it’ll be hard for me to stay here alone... but even so, would there be anything good for me if I go there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yaphenon is part of the Holy Alliance. There are a lot of people there who follow Elhaen. I don’t think that’s going to be good for me.”

At that, Clay let out a dry chuckle.

“W-Why are you laughing?”

“Athanasia. What happened to that ferocity when you came charging to kill me? You didn’t seem the type to shrink away at something like this back then.”

“Oh, that!” Athanasia’s face flushed red, “That was because I didn’t know how strong you were at the time, okay? It’s already in the past, so let’s not bring it back up. I said I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t bring it up to get an apology. I said it because I don’t want to see you shrinking back like that again.”

Even if they had once been enemies, they were now allies.

“Even if Yaphenon is part of the Holy Alliance, what’s left of it is just a husk. While Neville restructures the nation’s system and redefines its ties with Krata, your job is to expand your following.”

“My following?”

Athanasia asked, her voice sounding less than pleased.

“You suddenly trust me that much?”

“I do,” Clay replied softly, “Because I’ve already put the best safety mechanisms in place.”

“Safety... mechanisms?”

“Athanasia, I’m not telling you to gather followers solely for yourself. Guide them in a way that they become both your followers and mine.”

He had already instructed Cardin to assign someone to monitor the process.

“Whether you’re doing your job properly or not will be judged by the ones I send.”

“Tch.” Athanasia furrowed her brows, “So you don’t trust me completely.”

“I do. At least, I trust in your abilities.”

Athanasia was an ancient god. Unlike others, her power absolutely required the faith of her followers.

The fact that she had survived all this time—despite countless incidents—meant she had more than enough strength to gather and maintain followers.

“You may have made a few misjudgments, but I know you have what it takes to handle this role.”

“Hmph.”

“Can you do it?”

At Clay’s question, Athanasia paused for a moment before nodding.

“Haah, fine. I can’t stay like this if I’m going to face Elhaen again later anyway. Just don’t complain if I get too powerful, okay?”

“Don’t worry. If you do your job well, I’ll grow just as strong.”

With that half-joking remark, Clay turned his gaze elsewhere.

“And Geshkafor.”

Startled more than his size would suggest, Geshkafor looked up.

“Y-Yes, Demon King!”

“No need to shout so loudly.”

“Y-Yes! I mean... yes…”

“You’ll serve as a recruitment officer. Go gather external forces—not from the Demon Realm.”

“Huh?”

Geshkafor’s face twisted with confusion.

“By ‘not from the Demon Realm’... do you mean from other races?”

“Yes. I don’t care where they come from, as long as they have talent. Work with Lin and Goltche to identify potential.”

Lin and Goltche, seated at the end of the chamber, looked toward Geshkafor. Meeting their gaze, he swallowed nervously and turned back to Clay.

“M-My Demon King! Isn’t recruiting outside the Demon Realm too risky?! Most of them are hostile toward demons!”

“Then find ones who aren’t—or convert them. That’s your task.”

Clay stepped forward and stood in front of Geshkafor.

“Are you saying you can’t even manage that?”

“I—uh—that’s...!”

Geshkafor paled and stammered before managing a reply.

“N-No, I’ll do it!”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

“But, Demon King! May I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“At least for the beginning... may I work alone? I’ll collaborate with those two later...”

He glanced toward Lin and Goltche. Clay observed the hesitation in his face for a moment before answering.

“Just cooperate from the start.”

“Ah...”

As Geshkafor sighed in despair, Lin and Goltche giggled.

“Looks like we’ll have a lot more test subjects now. On top of the ones we already have.”

“Kuhuhu, this’ll be fun.”

Watching them, Geshkafor’s eyes lost focus as if haunted by bad memories, while Clay moved to conclude the meeting.

“Well, I think I’ve shared everything necessary. Let’s end the meeting here. Everyone else not mentioned, assist Beatrice and devote yourselves to the management of Barungenia.”

His crimson eyes swept over everyone in the room.

“Make sure none of you fall short of expectations. I ask you all to give your utmost.”

The journey—was about to begin.

♧

“Valuel.”

Holy Krata.

Despite the recent instability threatening the foundation of the Holy Alliance, Lutan, the sovereign of its central nation, sat on his throne with a calm expression.

“Things lately seem to be moving beyond my intent. What are your thoughts?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Kneeling before him was none other than Valuel, First Seat of the Guardian Knights.

“Though we followed the orders given by Kadis and Ravi, we failed to produce the necessary results.”

“I expected as much.”

Lutan rested his chin on his hand, elbow propped on the throne’s armrest.

“I didn’t have much faith in them to begin with. All I asked was that they break the seal of the ancient god.”

“We’ll prepare to release the next seal soon as well.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

He wore a disinterested look.

“No need to rush. The Holy Alliance isn’t going to collapse so easily.”

Many nations still had ties to the Alliance. The issue was that neighboring countries had fallen—but that didn’t pose much of a threat to Lutan.

“After all, I am the strongest in this land.”

Even when that detestable Saintess resorted to military displays, he could only laugh. There was, however, one thing that gnawed at him...

“The Demon King.”

Clay.

“Valuel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It’s about time we put your strength to the test.”

A slow smile crept across Lutan’s lips.

“Prepare the Guardian Knights for Armament.”

(End of Chapter)

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