Understandably, Kizilkoz two days and two nights locked away in her room; crying. Of course she did realize that no matter how much she grieved, her loved ones will never come back.

Master Korgan instructed everyone to leave her be while she is in that state. Everyone complied, save for one weirdo demon.

Ren was tasked with delivering food to her three times a day. He usually just put the food in front of the door and left it there for her to pick up. She didn’t let anyone enter her room so that was his only option.

On the third day however, he was greeted by Kizilkoz, who now was wearing a plain smile on her face. Unbeknownst to him, it was a fake smile concealing so much sadness underneath. But she had to force herself to keep going or she would feel that she is being ungrateful towards her gracious host.

So, in a sense, she was allowed to walk around the Karatengu territory and get used to her surroundings. Ren left her to explore by herself while he went back to his duties.

Kizilkoz was amazed by the variety of demons she saw in Karatengu territory. There was a succubus named Shaula, a crystal horned white fox demon named Akjan, a large four armed demon named Orin, and many other types of demons. There were some demons who were humanoid looking but none were to the same extent as Ren, after all they all had horns, while he lacked them completely.

Kizilkoz observed them for a while and concluded that there were many newcomers joining the Karatengu clan for some reason. Common demons who did not belong to any other clan willingly joined Karatengu clan as servants. Even lizard demons, who prided themselves for independent lifestyles chose to join the Tengu clan. It was rather unusual, considering Kizilkoz heard that Tengu clan was declining. If it was declining, it would make sense if members started to resign in order to join stronger families, but instead there were more common demons joining each day.

Kizilkoz has exceptional sense of hearing, enabling her overhearing a conversation three demons were having while plowing the field. Two demons had long ears and furry tails while the other one was a blue skinned lizard demon. It was a rather unusual company.

“You heard what Master Korgan said the other day, right?” one demon asked from his companions.

“I have, Demon King is dead, I am rather scared what the future will bring.” The demon resembling a fox replied, while scratching her ears.

“No need to worry, as long as we have the heir of Karatengu protecting us, we will be safe.” Lizard demon replied in confident voice.

Kizilkoz thought ‘Heir of Karatengu? Who is he talking about? It couldn’t be Master Korgan, he is far too old!’

“I agree. The real reason I joined the Karatengu clan was because I was told that heir of Karatengu is an ambitious demon aiming to become the next Demon King. With such a demon, I can feel safe anytime.”

“UHm, uhm” both demons nodded in agreement.

‘Become the Demon King? Who in the world are they talking about?’ Kizilkoz now was filled with fascination as to who this ambitious demon was. These demons sure were talking highly of him.

“He truly is something else, hiding his identity while accomplishing so many deeds in order to accomplish his ultimate goal.” Lizard demon spoke proudly. “The chiefs of my tribe were not sure of his integrity at first, but he has proven himself to be a worthy leader. Because of him none of my tribesmen starve and each one has shelter, and what he asked us in return? Just our loyalty and old skin! Such a generous demon! I have never seen anyone like him until that day!”

“More than his generosity, I am astounded at his audacity! Master Korgan told us some time ago what he has done before revealing himself.” The fox demon smiled. “No matter who was in his path, whether it was Jou clan of frost wolves or Kas clan, young master did not hesitate and struck them mighty blows! Now both clans have lost their heirs by his hand!”

“Korkau Jou and Jar Kas were defeated by young master?” the other long eared demon asked.

“Indeed. And do you know what that means?”

The long eared demon shook his head.

The fox demon flexed her arms in show of strength. “Silly, it means young master is far more powerful than even the strongest demons partaking in the Selection. If someone like young master desires the title of Demon King, I believe nothing will stop him!”

‘Now I have to know who this ‘young master’ is! If I can get his help then I might be able to achieve goals of my own. It will be great to have an ally who is so powerful.’ Kizilkoz thought.

“Unlike the other clan leaders, young master desires to protect any kind of demon under his banner, he did not persecute or enslave us. He offered us fair jobs and comfortable lives. We owe him a debt of gratitude.” Long eared demon said.

“Very true” Lizard demon replied.

“Indeed.” Fox demon said with a sly smile. “Young master is so young, he didn’t even grow his horns yet, but his leadership skills more than make up for his youthfulness. I believe none else could have united lizard demons and so many types of common demons (demons not affiliated to clans) under his banner.”

Lizard demon opened his jaws wide and made a loud chuckle. “With such a leader, the Tengu clan will surely prosper! And to think he wants the throne of the Demon King! Such an ambition! I believe he has a grand plan that will allow him to seize the victory!”

Fox demon “All of his actions up to now seem like a part of an intricate plan that only a genius demon could develop. Uniting and strengthening his own clan and getting rid of competition for the throne seems to be parts of his master plan. Having such a cunning young master makes my skin crawl from excitement!” Fox demon said ecstatically.

“Feeling is mutual.”

‘He did all of this? What an impressive mind! I have to find out who he is!’ Kizilkoz thought, not realizing she was seconds away from getting her answer.

“All hail young master, Ren Karatengu!”

“All hail, Ren Karatengu!!” the other two demons echoed.

All three of them laughed and continued with their jobs, leaving the demon that was spying on them quiet dumfounded.

‘Ren Karatengu? Ren Karatengu? No way! It can’t be!’ Kizilkoz’s red ruby-like eyes were spinning from horrifying realization. “This Ren can’t possibly be the Ren Karatengu these demons were talking about! There is just no way could that complete idiot of a demon be their wonderful leader! There just can be no way that is true!”

Kizilkoz calmed down a little. “Calm down Kizilkoz, you can do this. Remember what father said, demon’s appearance can be deceiving.

So does that mean he has been deceiving me this entire time?” Kizilkoz shook her head as if to avoid such a possibility. “No, no, no, I just didn’t ask his name! And other demons were bowing to him as well! Then that means he is…”

“Master Korgan’s illegitimate son!” Kizilkoz came to such a conclusion after pondering her memories. Her father told her Korgan Karatengu only had two sons who both died, and there were none else other than him left of Karatengu clan. But he bore Karatengu name as well, so that meant he was Master Korgan’s illegitimate son!

Thinking her conclusion was correct, she ran towards where Ren currently was. It was the courtyard, drinking tea with Master Korgan.

“REN KARATENGU! I finally know who you truly are!” Kizilkoz came in unexpectedly, causing Aijasyl to freak out and spill her tea.

“You do?” Ren asked in a confused voice.

“Of course!” She turned to face Master Korgan. “Master Korgan, I am glad you are here as well.” She turned back to Ren. “I couldn’t place who you were or what relation you had to this place until now.”

“Master Korgan, admit it! Ren is your illegitimate third son, isn’t he?” Kizilkoz declared with a look like she made a huge discovery.

Master Korgan just sat there with a jaw dropped from shock and making “Eh?” sound from confusion.

“Kizilkoz, you got that completely wrong. Master Korgan is not my father, he is my grandfather.” Ren said calmly.

The brave expression on Kizilkoz’s face suddenly became red, out of sheer embarrassment. When her face turned so red it resembled a tomato, she bowed in Master Korgan’s direction. “I am very sorry for the disturbance I caused, please excuse me.”

She quickly hurried away as fast as her feet could carry her. She hid behind the wall of a certain house.

‘He is Master Korgan’s grandson! I had no idea!’ She sobbed “I completely embarrassed myself, how can I show my face again?”

“There is nothing wrong with your face you know?” A voice from behind her made her yelp in surprise. It was Ren, who apparently followed her.

‘He was right there, but I couldn’t sense him. My sensing skills aren’t rusty, which means he is a master at concealing his power. That would explain why I thought of him as a fool without realizing his true power.’ She thought without realizing how wrong she was in her opinion of him. He was not strong at all; in fact he was so weak that his energy signature was extremely dim, comparable to an insect or even a plant.

“Have you been lying to me ever since you met me?” Kizilkoz asked of Ren, with a furious look on her face.

“I don’t recall concealing any truth from you, not that I know of” Ren said with an easy shrug.

“Then, it is true, then. You are Master Korgan’s descendant, heir of Karatengu clan, Ren Karatengu, aren’t you?” Kizilkoz had to verify for herself the true identity of the demon before her. She made a mistake of underestimating him, now that she knew of the true power he held she had to make each step count, or else she will be caught off guard like before.

“That’s me alright. But you already knew who I am, so why ask me again?”

“I had no idea you were a Karatengu, this… this changes everything!” Kizilkoz said somewhat excitedly.

“Changes?” Ren asked confusedly, Kizilkoz ignored the fact that he was confused and said.

“I know of your true goal, and I can help you, in exchange for helping me, of course.” She presumed that his goal is to become the Demon King. If that was the case he might need her as an ally. For her-she needed a backing of someone very powerful and he just happened to fit the bill, in fact he was the only one who is not her enemy that fits that bill. In order to survive, weaker demon will join a clan led by a stronger demon, that is just the way of the nature.

“You mean like becoming allies?” Ren asked.

Kizilkoz nodded.

“That sounds rather nice.” Ren inwardly thought ‘What exactly is my true goal? Hmm … maybe she meant helping with gardening and cooking, that would make sense, but how can she help me, what can she offer that would make my cooking actually be edible for once for a change?’

Ren then asked “But what can you offer me in return?”

Kizilkoz staggered at his question. ‘Just as I thought, he is no fool; he calculated his move and asked me a critical question. I have to make him a suggestion he can’t refuse.’

“I am a blacksmith, I know how to make armors and weapons, and I can make custom made ones as well…”

“Oh, that’s kind of disappointing.” Ren thought ‘I can’t cook with an armor on, can I? Or maybe she meant cooking food inside of armor? Orin told me how some demons cook soup inside their metal helmets, but is it really practical?’

‘Disappointing! Is he meaning to tell me that my skills are not good enough? Not good. I have to offer him something else, or I will not make an essential ally. This ally is my only chance at ever aiming for throne of Demon King; it’s a chance too enormous to pass up!’

“I can also take care of domestic work, strategic thinking, and any type of metal work.” She extended her right hand. On tips of all her fingers appeared a small orange flame. The heat from the flames was obviously in the extremely high range; it was no ordinary flame type- Transforming Flame, a flame that was hot enough to melt metal on contact easily and allowed for her to manipulate the metals in order to make various objects. It was one of her best talents.

“I also wield the Transforming Flames” in her last ditch effort, she picked up a piece of rock with her left hand and demonstrated how she melts it by making it come into contact with the flames in her right hand. The rock turned to liquid merely after few seconds of touching the flames.

Ren just looked at it with bored expression. ‘Lava, huh, how exactly is that good for gardening.’ The lava streamed down from her hand before solidifying into a stick like object. It was as if it was an icicle made of rock. Then it hit him.

“Kizilkoz!”

“Yes!” she thought internally ‘Please don’t tell me that this is not worth his time either! Is he going to ask him to repay for his help with my body? It can’t be!’

“Can you make knives from the metals you melt?”

“Yes, I usually specialize in making weapons and armor, but common kitchen appliances shouldn’t be a problem.” She sighed in relief ‘So he wasn’t going to ask for that after all, that’s a relief.’

“Why do you want knives?” She asked.

“It is for personal reasons.” Ren suddenly got reminded of how he managed to shatter several knives in the kitchen by misusing them. He was trying to crack a very durable surface of a certain vegetable, so he thought to use a knife as a chisel while hitting it with a hammer. Needless to say, it was a very bad idea. He broke a total of four knives in the process.

‘Personal? Does he mean he has some diabolical master plan involving the knives?’ Kizilkoz thought about it for a second and said.

“Keep in mind, the objects I make are better than anything you have ever seen. I will make knives that a tougher and sharper than any knife you have ever seen!”

“Oh! That would be wonderful.” Ren said with a smile.

“So in exchange for making tools for you, you will be my ally, right?”

“You got yourself a deal” Ren cried out excitedly. ‘This demon girl saved my skin, if Aijasyl finds out I broke so many knives, she is going to butcher me alive!’

“Wonderful!” Kizilkoz internally thought ‘Yes, I finally convinced him! But I have to be careful with him… if only I can make it very clear.’

“Keep in mind, we are going to be allies until we reach the final stage” She said while referring to the Selection of the Demon King. The Selection consisted of four stages-four trials. One who succeeds through it all becomes the Demon king. “Then we shall part our ways, and the better demon shall triumph.”

“That sounds reasonable” said Ren without truly knowing what she was talking about.

“Then” She extended her hand. “Let us make a deal- the Spell of Promise.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“This is a serious matter, and both of us need to keep our ends of the bargain, so I would be happy if there was some sort of guarantee of the deal.”

“Alright.” Ren extended his own hand, taking hers.

“I Kizilkoz, shall be loyal to you, Ren Karatengu until we reach the final stage, in exchange for your support and alliance. Do you promise me to uphold your end of the promise?”

“I promise.”

“Then, I declare this contract to be established.” She finished the spell. Now if either of them betrayed the other, the betrayer would find his or her body completely paralyzed, as if death had taken all of the mobility away, a very gruesome way to go.

Ren took his hand back. “Well, then, if you are a blacksmith, then I should probably show you where the forge is.”

He showed her to a place that contained many equipment needed for her to effectively make tools. It was a place she could call “Metal Works Paradise”

With her eyes shining at seeing so many familiar tools, he said “I am glad you are enjoying the view.”

“This is beyond great! It had everything I need in it!”

“Glad you like it” Ren muttered. ‘What exactly is so good about this run down shack that looks like it wasn’t used since the last century?’

As Ren watched Kizilkoz rummaging through the forge in an excited manner; examining pincers, hammers, and other strange tools he had no idea how to name, he thought ‘I think I may have found myself a very weird demon to befriend.’

Ren’s expression turned somewhat down after he saw Kizilkoz hugging the forge. She was hugging the walls of the forge as is it was her old friend with whom she reunited. “She is beautiful!” She said after lovingly embracing the forge.

‘Forget about weird, that’s just perverted!’ Ren thought internally. ‘Why the heck is she snuggling the tools in here? Is that by any chance her happy place?’ Ren shuddered.

“Well, I will just go now.” Completely freaked out at Kizilkoz’s enthusiasm at being in such a place that reminded him too much of a dungeon, Ren proceeded to slowly get out of the forge.

“Ren” the voice called out to him.

Ren stopped completely in his tracks. “Yes?”

“Thank you. I will make sure to keep my end of the bargain. That I swear.” Kizilkoz said while still holding several bars of metals in her arms in a tight embrace.

“Looking forward to it.” said Ren.

Then, Ren got out of the forge, towards the open air.

“I can’t believe she feels like home in such a spooky place! Why do I always meet such weird demons?” Ren exclaimed. A green haired short-tempered maid, exploding four armed mercenary, and now a pervert blacksmith. Not to mention that every demon he met managed to weird him out in one way or another.

“There is just none normal in this place.” Said Ren, without realizing he was the weirdest one of them all. The Tengu clan members all thought of him as most strange and unpredictable, ironically not realizing the feeling towards each other was completely mutual. Due to this, everyone in the Tengu clan called him by a nickname “Weirdo demon”, a nickname Ren was aware of but knew not of how he earned it.