What did Clay want?

As Lilien watched her knights fall one by one to Cardin alone, she clenched her teeth.

‘The Demon King…!’

Wasn’t he supposed to be seeking vengeance against all of humanity?

‘I was too naïve…!’

Because everyone had turned their backs on Clay, they naturally assumed he would retaliate by plunging the entire world into ruin.

But that wasn’t it.

Clay was moving with precision.

Rather than charging straight at the core of power, he had chosen to win over the "non-combatants" first—to dismantle the foundation before toppling the pillar.

‘Damn it!’

It was a calculated deception.

Once the main forces were gone, there was no telling when these non-combatants would be deemed enemies too. And yet, to the villagers right now, Cardin—Clay’s envoy—looked like their shield.

“No…!”

Lilien cried out at the sight of the villagers cowering behind Cardin.

“They’re just using you! He’s not here to save you!”

But it was a hollow cry.

To the villagers, who saw Lilien and her soldiers as the ones who had set their homes ablaze, the demon who now stood against them seemed more trustworthy.

Hope.

That faint sliver of belief—maybe, just maybe, this one was truly here for them.

“Ah…”

Lilien exhaled bitterly.

She had remembered, just who Clay was.

The Hero.

The one who once stood for humanity.

He understood people better than anyone. He knew exactly how to move their hearts, how to win their trust with nothing but a word.

“You’re the only one left.”

All her knights were down. Only she remained standing.

‘He’s strong…’

Not at Clay’s level, but it was clear why Clay had sent him alone. Cardin's power was overwhelming.

“…The Demon King truly seeks humanity’s annihilation.”

This wasn’t petty revenge.

Feeling the weight of Clay’s deep-seated wrath, Lilien muttered in despair.

“To be precise, only the annihilation of those who deserve it.”

Cardin’s voice cut in, loud enough for the nearby villagers to hear. He drove the final nail into the moment.

“If you came here to claim the lives of innocents, then your destruction is inevitable too.”

There was no point in arguing further.

Lilien drew her sword and charged at Cardin. He, too, rushed at her.

Steel clashed violently, echoing through the burning village. They exchanged blow after blow in a storm of motion too fast for the villagers to follow.

Slash!

But a fierce exchange didn’t mean they were equals.

Slash! Slash!

After a dozen wounds, Lilien staggered heavily.

‘He’s… holding back…’

Cardin wasn’t finishing her off intentionally. He was faking intensity—staging the fight to leave a stronger impression on the villagers.

‘I…’

Even in this orchestrated play, Lilien was the one being overwhelmed.

‘Is this what I became Her Majesty’s sword for?’

She had wanted to give her all for Tia—the woman who had recognized her when no one else had. Even if her actions didn’t feel right now, she had intended to remain loyal to the end.

But her strength wasn’t enough. Though she held the title of Royal Guard Captain, she still couldn’t match someone like Rexton.

—“Are you really sure about that?”

Suddenly, she remembered what the Hero Clay had once told her.

—“Don’t become a sword that breaks just by following orders, Lilien. You’ll need time to awaken your potential—even if it means losing your honor and retreating from battle.”

Whip!

Cardin’s sword grazed her neck—just missing an artery as blood gushed from the wound.

“Gah…!”

Of all moments, why now? Why did the words of a man who had become the Demon King come back to her now?

‘Maybe… I’m just a weak human too.’

One who couldn’t help but waver—like everyone else.

Clang!

Cardin’s next strike was forcefully deflected by Lilien’s blade.

“Ugh!”

And then—she turned and ran.

She could feel the villagers and Cardin shifting their eyes toward her, startled by her sudden retreat.

But she didn’t stop.

She fled.

Leaving behind the bodies of knights who might hold evidence that could be used against Tia.

Huff, huff…!

Back when she stood by Clay’s side, Tia never selected companions lightly. Even if she sought loyalty above all else, she didn’t choose blindly.

Lilien had been a rough gemstone.

At least, Clay had said so.

‘Damn it. Damn it!’

When hope collapsed, the first thing to pierce her heart was the memory of that brief moment—when Clay had believed in her.

‘Damn it all!’

Cardin didn’t chase after her as she fled in broken pieces.

♧

“W-What just happened…?”

“What… what was all that…?”

After everything settled, the villagers still stood in the midst of the burning wreckage, stunned. When Cardin returned from briefly pursuing Lilien, they flinched at first—

“Don’t worry.”

Cardin spoke gently to them.

“I really did come to save you.”

To save them.

Those were not the kind of words one expected to hear from a demon.

As the villagers glanced at one another and swallowed nervously, Cardin opened his mouth again.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

“What…?”

“The fire.”

Cardin pointed toward the nearby flames.

“I’m saying it’d be best to put it out before it gets worse.”

“Ah.”

Startled, the villagers quickly sprang into action.

“R-Right, the fire!”

“We need to put it out first…!”

Determined to save their village before it was reduced to ashes, they grabbed their water buckets again. Their first priority was the fire engulfing the tree that bore Elhaen’s mark.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“W-What?”

As Cardin approached, the villagers quickly formed a barrier around the mark.

“T-This is the mark of our god!”

“We can’t let a demon take it…!”

“Have you already forgotten who saved you?” Cardin’s retort left them speechless, “The Demon King wishes to speak with your god.”

He pointed at the tree with his sword.

“Can you really put out that fire cleanly?”

The entire tree was already glowing red-hot, on the verge of collapse.

“If you’re confident you can extract the mark intact, then go ahead and try.”

Cardin spoke calmly.

“Do it—before it’s too late.”

“……”

The villagers held their breath.

The tree was already engulfed in flames. Getting any closer would be a risk. If they insisted stubbornly, they might end up with nothing.

“D-Damn it…”

Finally, after exchanging uncertain glances, one of them broke the silence.

“I-Is it true? Does the Demon King really want peace?”

Cardin only nodded.

Gradually, they stepped aside, parting to make a path for him.

“We have no choice… but to trust him, just this once.”

With their hesitation slowly fading, Cardin approached the tree, facing the blazing fire.

Slash!

With a single swing of his sword, he cleanly severed the part of the tree that held the mark.

“Thank you.”

He lifted the detached mark into his hand.

“Let’s hope you can manage the flames.”

And before the villagers could ask any more questions, Cardin disappeared into the distance.

“Wha…”

All they could do was stare blankly at the space where he had been.

♧

“Where did Selimia go?”

In Barungenia, Clay was walking down a corridor, searching for Selimia.

“She left a few days ago and hasn’t returned.”

“She said she was securing the north.”

His demon attendants answered him. Clay paused for a moment in silence.

‘She didn’t even tell Beatrice she was going out?’

Selimia wanted a bigger role. Simply laying traps around the Demon King’s Castle to repel intruders didn’t satisfy her.

‘It would’ve been good if she’d helped Cardin.’

If she had been there, she could’ve easily suppressed the fire. Though considering Cardin’s mission, fully extinguishing the fire hadn’t been strictly necessary.

‘Using others, huh.’

Divide and conquer—that was the most effective strategy when dealing with humans. The previous Demon King had tried the same, but lacking trust from humans, he could only go so far. At best, he had managed to sneak a few demons into human societies to incite rebellion.

But it didn’t yield much.

At the time, humanity had clearly defined the demons as their enemy, led by the overwhelming divine power of Holy Krata.

And at the center of that trust, stood the Hero.

But now things had changed.

The Hero’s virtue had been called into question. That pedestal had collapsed. And Clay—now the new Demon King—understood humanity’s nature better than anyone.

It worked.

His efforts to divide them.

Even if suspicion had led to his execution, the legacy he left behind had not disappeared.

Given time, humans would doubt and rethink. And in that spiral of reflection, they would arrive at their own conclusions.

All Clay had to do was give that spiral a nudge—add just enough momentum to keep them questioning why the Hero had become the Demon King.

“Demon King?”

A voice suddenly called out. Clay looked up.

It was Athanasia.

“Why are you just standing there like that?”

“Nothing.”

Clay answered softly as she approached.

“I heard you took care of Bloody. Why didn’t you call me?”

“I wasn’t sure you’d enjoy hearing about slaying another ancient god.”

“What?”

Athanasia scoffed in disbelief.

“We’re not even friends or anything. Besides, if you fought something that grand, we should’ve at least thrown a proper welcome.”

“It won’t be the last time. No need for theatrics.”

With that, Clay resumed walking. Athanasia followed.

“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but you’re really stiff, you know?”

“……”

“You don’t have to be serious all the time just because it’s revenge, you know?”

Clay suddenly stopped.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well…”

Athanasia hesitated.

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

“What’s not?”

“This place.”

She glanced around as she spoke.

“It’s a bit gloomy, but everyone actually seems to get along pretty well. And you… for someone with the title of Demon King, you’re surprisingly… normal. Just doing your job as their ruler.”

“What else is there?”

“Were you like this even when you were a Hero?”

Athanasia tilted her head.

“Was there never anything you just wanted to do?”

That question caught Clay off guard.

‘Something I wanted to do…?’

He had spent his life fighting for others, living by his convictions. That was everything.

Now that it had all been denied… he was just—

“I am doing what I want.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Athanasia sighed softly.

“I know that’s not really true, but… try to take it easy. I lost to you because I didn’t have that luxury either.”

“If you disappear again, let me know.”

“Hah!”

Athanasia burst into laughter.

“Haha, so you can joke after all.”

“……”

“Clay.”

She took a step closer and looked up into his eyes.

“I’ve lived a long time. Seen a lot. I know how unfair this world is.”

Her gaze met his evenly.

“This could end up being a longer war than you think.”

“Yeah.”

“And those who regret… they might not be so easy to manipulate.”

Clay silently stared at her.

Athanasia smiled faintly.

“Well, let’s keep going. Together.”

And in that moment—for some reason—Clay felt at ease beside her.

(End of Chapter)

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