“How was it, Clay?”
Beatrice looked at Clay as she asked.
“Did you have a good talk with the tailor?”
“Yeah. He's got impressive skill.”
At Clay’s reply, Beatrice let out a soft laugh.
“Really? I thought you'd be surprised when you saw it was a slime.”
“I was,” Clay admitted.
After all, slimes were among the lowest-ranked monsters. While rare variants did exist, they were generally not powerful.
“He seemed pretty clever. Is he a variant?”
“No,” Beatrice shook her head, “He’s a slime the previous Demon King captured and personally trained.”
“The previous Demon King…”
Clay trailed off, his voice unsure. Beatrice simply shrugged, “Don’t think too hard about it. He didn’t end up that way because of you.”
“Is that so.”
“It is. He chose that path himself,” Beatrice’s gaze then settled firmly on him, “Just like you are now.”
To become the Demon King meant becoming the enemy of the world. Clay was well aware of that.
The previous Demon King must have known that too.
He wouldn’t have taken that title without understanding the consequences. Clay gave a dry laugh.
“You’re right, Beatrice. Everyone has to be responsible for the path they choose.”
“I like how easily you accept it.” She smiled. “Now, let’s figure out how to remove that sealing circle carved into your body.”
“My seal? Isn’t Lin Siart trying to neutralize it?”
“Lin’s working to let you use your power despite the seal. I want to explore if we can erase it entirely.”
“Hm.”
Clay turned his gaze to the side and sighed softly.
The sealing circles placed by the priests of the Holy Alliance were inscribed through potent divine incantations.
They were unlike standard magic. And to erase them, they’d normally need the priests who created them in the first place.
“It’s not like I’d be shocked if you can’t remove them. They're designed to be permanent.”
“It will take time. But since you’ve agreed to become the Demon King, we can’t have divine shackles lingering on your body, can we?”
Beatrice clapped her hands once and called out.
“Cardin!”
From the darkness emerged a glint of green light, followed by a tall man clad in black like an assassin.
“You called for me.”
“Starting now, you’ll act as Clay’s escort. I’m going to visit the Biotech Specialist.”
“…Biotech Specialist?”
Clay muttered, the name sounding ominous. Beatrice smiled softly.
“Don’t worry, Clay. I’d never do anything that would harm your body.”
“Well… I want to believe that.”
“Believe it.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. Clay parted his lips slightly but said nothing more. Beatrice turned to leave.
“If you have questions, ask Cardin. He’s the Demon King’s guardian knight here in Barungenia. He’s seen and heard quite a bit.”
“Lady Beatrice,” Cardin turned swiftly to her, “He hasn’t had a coronation yet. Is it all right to share everything with him?”
“This is an emergency. He’ll be officially enthroned soon enough. Share everything. I’ll vouch for it under the authority of the Dark One’s proxy.”
“Understood.”
Cardin bowed deeply.
Beatrice waved lightly in farewell, then disappeared down the corridor.
Now, only two men remained.
“…What should I call you?”
Cardin asked carefully after a brief pause.
Clay replied in a low voice.
“Clay. Just use my name. Until the coronation.”
♧
Rumble!
Emelon, a small southern territory near the Marfane border.
The ground quaked repeatedly, making it indistinguishable from an actual earthquake. The entire area was in chaos.
“Wh-What the hell?”
“What’s going on?”
“It doesn’t feel like a normal quake…”
As people panicked, the guards stationed on the ramparts fell into even greater disarray.
“Dammit!”
A soldier dropped the spyglass he was holding as he scanned the southern border.
“No way…”
BOOOOM!
The border wall crumbled. An earth-shattering boom rang out, and clouds of dust billowed outward like a tidal wave.
“The border’s been breached!”
The same soldier who was frozen moments ago now rushed to ring the alarm bell, shouting orders.
But everyone already knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Not far from him, the defense captain of Emelon stood atop the wall, swallowing dryly.
A high-level spell…
His hands trembled as he gripped his sword.
There aren’t many who could cast something like that… and if it’s coming from the south…
He recalled the recent rumors—rumors that after the Hero’s execution, the remaining members of the Hero’s party had descended into degeneracy.
But few believed that.
Everyone knew that those people wouldn’t be able to live normal lives after what happened.
No… it can’t be…
It was a terrifying thought. If the Hero’s elite companions became enemies, the destruction they could cause would be unimaginable.
It can’t be that bad…
The defense captain forced himself to believe it, reminding himself that the party hadn’t acted out when the Hero was executed.
Sure, strict precautions had been in place back then—but still.
They wouldn’t… not now…
He looked up again, just in time to see a streak of ice flying toward him.
“Guh?!”
The blade impaled his chest. His heart seized violently as blood burst from his lips.
“Captain!”
“We’re under attack!”
“It’s an enemy—!”
The soldiers couldn’t even finish their sentences.
Dozens of ice blades materialized in the air and tore through their ranks.
“Gaaaah!”
“Aaaagh!”
Cries of pain rang out as Yuru, Master of the Blue Tower, appeared above them.
“Out of the way.”
With magic steps, she landed atop the wall, extending her hand toward the soldiers.
Finger Snap Explosion.
A snap of her fingers detonated compressed air midair, blasting soldiers off the wall.
Yuru ignored them and leapt down into the city.
She landed softly, facing a crowd of wide-eyed civilians.
“A-A mage…”
“She was in the Hero’s party…”
“What is someone like her doing here…?”
Confusion flooded their faces.
But Yuru had no explanation for them.
She didn’t want to explain.
Damn it.
Irritation flashed in her eyes.
I need to move faster.
Erasing all witnesses had already failed. It was never going to be easy. No national defense would be that lax.
No doubt someone elsewhere had seen the events unfold and was already spreading word.
Only one option remained now:
Speed.
The royal banquet, where the royals of Krata would gather, was set to be held—not in Krata’s capital—but in a nearby region of Marfane.
It was meant to promote goodwill between the two nations.
It would be the rare occasion that Krata’s young crown prince left the capital.
Clay’s revival ritual hadn’t been prepared yet, but the materials had to be collected.
Even if a few Guardian Knights are already in place… I still have a shot.
Yuru was the pinnacle of magical power. Unless other Tower Masters appeared, she had few equals.
Sure, the holy nations had priests, but they focused on healing, sealing, and ceremonial rites.
Unlike Clay, who had once weaponized divine power.
All I have to do is get the prince.
As long as she didn’t tip her hand too early, escaping with just the prince was feasible.
At least, in her judgment.
“G-Get back!”
But the people in front of her had already sensed something was wrong.
Whatever her intentions, what they saw was sheer madness.
“Run!”
BOOM!
Before they could move, Yuru leapt into the air. The ground beneath where she had stood shattered—swallowing the fleeing civilians into the collapsed earth.
“Faster. I need more power, even if it breaks me.”
Behind her, dozens of magic circles lined up in formation.
“Magnum Transcursus.”
At her chant, light burst from the centers of each array, propelling her body forward like a living projectile.
BANG!
All that was left behind was the afterimage of her shooting through the sky like a comet.
♧
“…Unlike Lin, the Biotech Specialist may be able to find answers from Lord Clay’s physical structure rather than through magical theory. After all, the priests’ seal magic isn’t the same as ordinary magic. I believe Lady Beatrice moved to explore every option.”
Cardin explained when Clay asked about the Biotech Specialist, assuming he was worried.
“I was just curious who they are.”
Feeling a bit awkward, Clay clarified. Cardin coughed lightly.
“My mistake. The Biotech Specialist refers to Goltche the Butcher. You may have encountered him before… during your days as a Hero.”
“…Goltche?”
Goltche the Butcher.
A massive, grotesque figure with stitching scars running across his entire body, like he’d been sewn together from multiple corpses. He carried a massive bone saw and radiated madness.
“…You mean that butcher? With all the stitches?”
“Yes. That’s him.”
Unfortunately, Cardin confirmed it. Clay let out a long sigh.
“Sorry, but he didn’t exactly strike me as the ‘researcher’ type. More like a torture expert.”
“I completely understand, Lord Clay. His appearance doesn’t help.”
Cardin, however, spoke with a tinge of defense.
“Despite the impression he gives, he’s incredibly knowledgeable about human anatomy.”
“Knowledge, huh.”
“Well… most of it was acquired through torture, to be fair.”
“…”
“But rest assured—he only experimented on people who truly deserved it.”
It was unpleasant, but Clay had already committed to the path of the Demon King.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with a deep breath.
“…Still, maybe I’ll wait before meeting him face-to-face.”
That decision, however, would soon be rendered meaningless—thanks to Beatrice.
(End of Chapter)