Chapter 58 - Selimia
"Now, let's end this!"
At the southern tip of the long, horizontal North, Clay stopped and released her. Selimia immediately raised her ice sword and spoke.
"Lord Clay! Put that sword down!"
"I won't."
Clay sighed.
"Selimia. Don't you want to help me?"
"Pardon?"
The unexpected question made Selimia hesitate.
"What do you mean?"
"You saw it too."
With Tia and Selbaro.
"While you know Selbaro well, the Saintess, a being on par with a hero, revealed her true self. You must have felt something then, which is why you formed a temporary united front with me."
That was something that even Selimia, an incomprehensible being, couldn't immediately overcome.
"And now you want to eliminate one of my key strengths to face an even greater crisis? Just how foolish do you want to appear?"
Foolish.
At the blatant reprimand, Selimia's expression hardened.
My Lord, wouldn't it be better not to provoke her too much?
Even Shiltnaro secretly advised Clay through a magical telepathic message.
"…You're right."
However, contrary to Shiltnaro's concerns, Selimia soon admitted her mistake.
"In this situation, I alone won't be enough to achieve your great work, Lord Clay. I'm sorry."
"At least you know how to reflect."
Clay said in a low voice.
"Selimia. This should be obvious, but I have no intention of keeping anyone who doesn't suit me by my side. If you're to be my companion, you'll have to meet an even higher standard."
Selimia was merely an incomprehensible being; she was far from enough.
"There is only one way for someone like you, who isn't even strong enough to run wild on your own, to get me to fulfill that absurd promise."
"Huh? What…?"
"Prove your worth."
That was the new rule of the Demon Realm.
"'Worth,' not 'strength.' You, who spent so long pretending in that palace, will understand what I mean."
"…"
"If you can't, you're free to turn me into your enemy as well."
To the silent Selimia, Clay extended his hand and spoke in a gentle voice.
"But I already know your greatest worth."
"My… worth?"
"Your unwavering heart for me."
That was something no one could easily possess.
"The way you aren't confused between the past me and the current me feels like a luxury to me now."
"Ah."
"Selimia. Trust me with that heart."
Clay looked directly at Selimia.
"At the very least, I won't deny your true self."
The affirmation of her existence.
That was the greatest worth Selimia and Clay could offer each other.
"…Does that mean I can stay by your side?"
"As long as you don't die, of course."
For Selimia, who had set her sights on becoming his companion, it was the framework that would provide the beginning of a relationship.
There was no answer.
Instead, Selimia simply nodded, her eyes filled with strong resolve. Soon, Clay's hand was placed on her head.
Like a gentle touch smoothing over a snowman.
Watching the scene, Shiltnaro, who was in Clay's hand, thought,
The Demon King might have a talent for captivating people.
It might have been a sacrilegious thought, but it was what he believed.
At the square in front of Barungenia.
When Clay returned with Selimia, the surroundings became chaotic.
"The Calamity of the North?!"
"Wasn't she supposed to be contained?"
"I don't know what she is, but she's definitely a terrifying presence."
Those who knew Selimia's identity and those who didn't each spoke their minds. Among them, the one with the most shocked expression was none other than Geshkafo.
"What is that?"
Having already suffered a mental blow from his battle with Demon King Clay, he sighed at the unbelievable situation before him.
"He defeated that and brought her back, too?"
Stories of the Snowfield Witch were already well-known among the demons of the North. She was a great calamity that covered everything in ice, a being that didn't easily submit to anyone.
However, where she was born or what her purpose was remained unknown.
They could only infer her actions from the records left by a previous Snowfield Witch.
But those predictable actions were all about destroying everything.
"How…?"
Geshkafo muttered blankly and then fell silent.
No, he might be able to do it.
Clay.
He was different from what Geshkafo had imagined. Geshkafo thought it was impossible for him to live as a true demon because he had lived as a hero. He was certain it would be much harder for him to adapt to the position of the Demon King, the leader of the demons.
But he was wrong.
A clear plan was evident in Clay's actions. He wasn't a ruler driven solely by rage like the previous Demon King, nor was he too soft to work for the demons.
If that's the case…
Geshkafo brooded.
Then I, too, must make a clear decision.
By even bringing the Snowfield Witch to his side, Clay was continuously gathering strong individuals. Anyone could see that Clay was properly consolidating the demon forces.
Thump-thump.
As Geshkafo walked forward, the surrounding demons' gazes turned to him.
"Geshkafo."
Lynn followed and spoke to him.
"You remember, right?"
She and Golche had branded a collar-like tattoo on Geshkafo's neck.
Geshkafo saw Lynn make a motion as if to slit his throat and then he opened his mouth.
"Hee hee hee, heh heh heh!"
Seeing him suddenly laugh, Lynn looked puzzled. But her question was soon answered by Geshkafo himself.
Thud.
Geshkafo knelt on one knee before Clay.
"I, Geshkafo, will lend my strength to your reign if you accept me, Demon King."
A declaration.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings candidates had sworn his loyalty to Clay.
"…"
Everyone's eyes were on the silent Clay.
He was looking down at Geshkafo with a cold expression, as if he would freeze everything.
However,
"I accept your loyalty, Geshkafo."
He didn't bring up the disrespect Geshkafo had shown earlier. He wasn't a ruler who would question something he had already dealt with.
"From this moment, I appoint you as the fourth of the Four Heavenly Kings."
"!"
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
While overlooking his past mistake was one thing, granting him a position so quickly was something no one had expected.
"However,"
But before those around him could react further, Clay spoke.
"If you fail to meet the qualifications for it, I will take back everything I have given you."
That included the life he had spared.
Geshkafo, who was well aware of this, placed his fist over his left chest with reverence rather than fear.
"I will obey."
"Lynn will show you to your place."
With that, Clay walked into Barungenia first. The Snowfield Witch, who had been receiving everyone's attention, also toddled after Clay.
All that remained were Geshkafo kneeling on the ground, Lynn, and the spectators.
"…"
Seeing Geshkafo look back at her, Lynn made a difficult expression and then drew her finger across her throat again.
"Even if you're a Heavenly King now, do a good job!"
Another commotion passed.
Hanumayer's northern expeditionary force.
The knights moved with weary steps, unable to hide their feelings of despair.
"The Princess was the Snowfield Witch…"
"The former hero is the real Demon King?"
"I can't believe it."
They still looked dazed, as if they couldn't grasp the reality of it all.
But the one facing the greatest despair was none other than the Emperor of Hanumayer, Selbaro.
"Selimia, why…?"
Even though she was confined to the palace, Selimia had been affectionate with her brother. She didn't just say nice things. At times, she would offer harsh criticism and point out his actions sharply.
But was all of that just to seem normal?
Selbaro clutched his throbbing head, overwhelmed by the rush of questions. And beside him, another person was deep in thought.
Clay…
Tia.
She kept looking back, thinking of Clay even though he was no longer in sight.
You've ended up walking down a path I thought you would never take.
She hadn't killed Clay. But upon confronting the Clay who had returned from death, Tia realized.
It wasn't just his life that Clay had lost.
In his final moments, he had been more alone than anyone.
Squeeze.
She tightened her grip on her clothes.
If she had genuinely believed in him, even if she couldn't have made a declaration at the execution grounds, or resisted the Holy Kingdom Alliance, would it have been better?
But at that chaotic time, she could only have shown a mimicry of sincerity.
Clay couldn't have failed to notice that. He knew her all too well.
Haa.
Her breathing became heavy again.
She barely held her breath and slowly began to move her legs once more.
I've truly lost you.
Her vision blurred.
It wasn't because she had been designated an enemy by him, but because of the loneliness she felt from her existence being denied.
You must have felt this, too.
Tia just walked.
That was all she could do now.
The Demon King's office.
With Clay seated at his desk, the room once again descended into chaos.
"You're a sword, aren't you? Shouldn't you go to the armory?"
"And why did you follow me into the office? I told you to go with Cardine."
Selimia and Shiltnaro started bickering again. Clay sighed as he watched them.
This is going to be a long road.
It wasn't bad that Selimia, one of the Six Calamities, had fallen into his hands more easily than expected.
However, integrating Selimia into his organization was another matter. She was, after all, hoping to be his companion.
A companion.
Clay thought of Tia, whom he had just met.
In the past, she had been his closest confidante. Tia was a member of the royal family, and Clay was the son of a gardener who worked in the palace, but the difference in status wasn't a significant barrier.
Tia had fully supported Clay when he became a hero. There was clearly goodwill in it. However, Clay had never over-interpreted that goodwill.
He was simply happy with things as they were.
The life of a hero was arduous, but bearing the mission didn't feel frightening or heavy.
Perhaps he was content with just getting closer to her by taking on that role. He could do things with her that would have been impossible if they were merely a royal and a commoner.
"…"
Clearing the lingering image of the one who had walked the same path but had now diverged, Clay faced the present again.
"You punk!"
"I told you to let go~?"
Seeing them unable to properly fight within the office, Clay finally spoke.
"It seems the two of you should share a room."
Both of them looked at Clay, their eyes wide. To the two of them, frozen in surprise, Clay swallowed a laugh that he couldn't help but let out and said,
"Even if it's a mess, you'll be walking the same path together."