“What were you thinking? This is an important meeting, and she is someone who is going to be your fiancée, this needed to be handled carefully and gently, not greeting her and her clan buck naked!”

“You are making it sound way worse than it was”

“Because it really was that bad! I am afraid to even ask, but…”

Aijasyl looked at Akjan who now woke up.

“What were you even doing all night long? Considering you came out unclothed….Could it be…?”

“Ehm, I was, ehhh….”

“Young Master, please take this seriously, this meeting is crucial for our clan, not only will Draco clan shall become your subordinates, but it will also set a precedent for the other demons to join under your wing. It is not a matter that can be thread lightly”

Shaula thought on the inside.

‘Why are you acting like this? During the Second Trial I saw for myself how powerful and effective leader you are when you are serious, so why act like a fool now? Everybody knows by now that you are, without a sliver of a doubt, a great demon, the only one worthy of being the leader of Tengu clan. So why are you doing this? Could it be a split personality that is dormant? In that case…’

Shaula tried to test her theory by bonking Ren on the head with a hand chop.

“Ouch! Shaula, what was that for?”

“It appears it is not a case of split personality. But maybe if I hit a little harder…”

“Whatever you are thinking right now, please stop! I am already worn out after the arduous training Sento and Grandpa gave me yesterday”

“Arduous training? Is that why you chose to spend the rest of the night relieving you lust with her? I know you are trying to build a harem, but do try to be a little more discreet, Ren”

Aijasyl put her hand upon her brow; it was obvious she was under the impression that Ren was having a liaison with Akjan, who could only awkwardly smile while Ren was bombarded with accusations.

“Relieving my what? And harem? What do you…?”

Then, a certain Demon Lord entered the room.

“Ha ha ha, grandson, you have truly outdone yourself!”

Master Korgan was uncharacteristically jolly. Aijasyl and Shaula who got used to seeing the Master of the Tengu clan in serious mood, were shocked to see him laughing to his heart’s content.

“Uhm, grandpa, did I screw up by any chance?”

“On contraire, you did a splendid job of showing who the dominant party was. I would never have guessed you would use such a bold tactic to demoralize and dominate them! Though the Draco clan girl did end up passing out, she should wake up soon enough.”

“A Tactic? Wait, Master Korgan, are you saying Ren did that intentionally, just to freak them out? Is that true, Ren?”

“Yeah?” Ren ended up saying when his name was called, but he didn’t realize he just ended up confirming her thoughts.

Aijasyl sighed.

“I see. So it was all part of your plan from the start. In that case, I apologize for my earlier outburst, but next time; please warn us, many women including me were not prepared for such a display. You almost gave me a heart attack”

“Uhm, ok” Ren nodded.

“As someone who wants to become the Demon King, you should act accordingly, Young Master. With clothes on, this time” Shaula’s words caused Ren to nervously chuckle.

‘Right, I forgot. Everyone thinks I am aiming to become the Demon King, or something. If they find out I am not, I will be ostracized, and maybe even exiled from the clan….I can’t let that happen… I have nowhere else to go! I can’t let them find out I am not what they think I am. I need to play it cool. Relax and act natural….How do you act natural? Anyways, I need to make the best impression of a leader I can manage, which means I need to lean on my strengths….Though, I wonder…What are my strengths?’ Every thought Ren had of himself ended up being counted as a weakness, except one.

Focusing on Akjan, he smiled.

“Akjan, I need you to help me in the kitchen”

“Ok, anything specific you want to make?”

“How about a warm soup for the occasion, sous chef?”

“That sounds delightful, but please follow the recipe”

Seeing Ren and Akjan playfully conversion while heading to the kitchen, Master Korgan laughed out loud.

“Oh, that kid truly makes my life worth living. And with how things are going with those two, I can expect our family to become bigger soon~”

‘Just wow, the strict and serious Master Korgan is acting like a plain old grandpa. Of all demons, I never expected him to act so mushy, I understand Ren is his grandson, but…just wow’ Shaula couldn’t help but think.

“He was a very strict teacher to me, or anyone he ever taught, and according to Jop, he was equally strict with his sons, so why is he so carefree when it comes to his grandson? Has he gone senile?” Aijasyl asked Shaula.

“I think it’s just him enjoying being a grandpa, I certainly would never have thought I would see Master Korgan so happy. Ever since Ren joined our clan, he made so many miracles happen one after another, making Master Korgan genuinely happy might be just one of them”

“I guess you are right, but it’s just a little annoying that I can never tell what he is thinking”

“He is full of surprises, that is for sure”

* * *

Laughter that sounded too much like a cackling of a demonic hyena.

Glowing demon eye that seemed to pierce into her very soul.

Hands capable of deflecting swords blow to blow.

And the killing intent that was beyond that of a Demon Lord.

Such was the fiend that Lotus Draco had the misfortune of encountering during the Second Trial of the Selection. He was unlike any demon she had ever seen before, faster, stronger, and by far more deadly.

When she and her two subordinates faced off against him, he quickly proved that he was more than a match for them.

Despite being outnumbered, he managed to easily overwhelm them. With a single stab of his hands, one of Lotus’s subordinates was given a fatal injury. Not content with just that, this demon proceeded to behead her subordinate with a single sweep of his other hand.

Lotus herself barely survived the encounter, during their fight; he managed to stab her in the abdomen, not to mention couple dozen bruises and several broken bones she received after facing off against him.

Lotus knew for a fact that she was lucky to be alive.

That man….he was definitely someone at the level of a Demon Lord, and a high tier one at that. He may not have been someone who held the title of a Demon Lord, but he sure possessed power on par if not beyond them. Allowing someone like him to participate in the Trials almost felt unfair, yet Lotus could only blame herself for being unable to step into the realm of Demon Lords.

Ever since that encounter, Lotus saw that man’s face each time she fell asleep. Each night she would wake up, holding on to her abdomen, the very place he stabbed her, breathing heavily, her dreams were too vivid for her comfort.

One minute he would be right in front of her, and as she opened her eyes in terror, it would take at least a couple of minutes for her to calm down and realize that it was only a dream, no, a nightmare.

Within her dream, Lotus saw this demon, and once more, he proceeded to plunge his razor sharp claws into her, stabbing into her flesh as her body was quickly losing its strength.

As her eyes locked with his, he smirked.

“Death is the only fate for weaklings”

Surrounding her now were countless corpses of her clan members, of all the subordinates she was supposed to protect. She was drowning in the puddle of their blood.

Then, he started to laugh non-stop.

Lotus’s body grew cold; she couldn’t breathe, almost as if she was stuck under the depth of the cold ocean.

‘Please stop…Go away…Please let this horror end!’

As Lotus opened her eyes, she saw a blurry light.

She was surrounded by familiar and unfamiliar faces. They were Tengu clan members and her Draco clan’s escorts, looking at her with nervous expressions.

Her head was resting upon a small pillow.

‘It seems like a passed out. Right… I needed to meet Tengu clan’s leader…but where is he?’

Then, someone emerged, carrying a pot of soup at the level of his head, making Lotus unable to see his face.

“I hope you have nothing against soup?”

“It would be my pleasure” she replied to the demon carrying the soup.

One of the Tengu clan members put a small table in front of Lotus, and the demon carrying the soup put the pot on top of the table.

“While you were sleeping, I thought I could whip up something, and personally I think it’s very good, but as they say, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder”

His face was still hidden behind the large pot.

The host proceeded to pour soup into a bowl and offered it to Lotus, who hesitantly took it, and took a sip.

“Delicious” she found herself uttering.

“Really?! Awesome! Finally something that actually tastes good! Thank you, thank you so much, I knew my efforts were not wasted!”

“You are welcooo…”

Lotus found herself with wide open eyes as she saw who it was in front of her, the empty wooden bowl ended up falling off her hands.

He was no longer unclothed but wearing a black kimono with a symbol of Karatengu Household. Not a single horn adorned his head.

But what made her heart grow cold from fear was his face. It was the exact same face as she saw in her dreams.

She could not talk, nay, she couldn’t even move a muscle; her entire body seemed to be frozen in place.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ren, Ren Karatengu, and it seems I am your fiancée.”

His statement was like a mighty slap to the face. Not only was he the very same man who killed one of her dear subordinates, and managed to give her a critical injury, but he was also the man whose concubine she agreed to become.

“Considering you guys are joining the Tengu clan…” Ren proceeded to put his hand on top of Lotus’s head, gently patting her hair.

“Welcome to the family!”

As soon as he said that, the Tengu clan members started to cheer and it quickly evolved into a party, with the Draco clan members who came with Lotus also joining in the fun.

Only Lotus remained there, with an undeniable expression of complete loss and despair. Lotus’s subordinate, the one who survived the encounter with Ren, was currently at the Draco clan’s territory, protecting the ones left behind. But had he been here, no doubt, he too would have been in for a big shock.

“What have I done?” Lotus whispered. She may have surrendered her body and soul for the sake of her clan, but she could never have imagined she was surrendering them to him.

Lotus’s wings and tail trembled, as she realized that she just gave her and her clan’s fate to the one she came to fear. It was a disastrous decision, but now that she was in the lion’s den, she knew, she no longer had the option to refuse.

Once she gave her word, she knew there was no way to go back. But had she known who he was beforehand, she knew that she would not have agreed to this so easily.

“What have I done?” Lotus couldn’t help but repeat her words under her breath as the Tengu clan started a feast.