At dawn, at the border of the Eastern Outer Gate's lower levels, Ren Kuroda stood atop a towering mountain peak.
From that height, he could see the distant residential district of the Eastern Area spread out beneath the morning mist. He watched in silence for a long time, his gaze lingering as if trying to carve the sight into memory, before finally turning away.
"Given Master Ren's abilities," a soft, youthful voice spoke from behind him, "I believe returning here—to 'No Name'—would not take long at all."
Ren glanced over his shoulder.
Standing there was Leticia.
She now wore a classic maid uniform—black dress, white apron, lace headband—standing perfectly upright behind him with impeccable posture. Her gestures, her tone, even the angle of her lowered gaze—it was all flawlessly professional.
The Leticia Ren had first met had carried herself like a proud noble vampire.
The girl before him now was every inch a devoted maid.
Even the way she addressed him had changed—from "Ren-sama" to "Master," spoken with effortless naturalness.
And as for why things had ended up like this—
That could be blamed entirely on Asuka and the other two "problem children."
Since Ren and Leticia were set to leave the Eastern District the following morning, everyone had returned to "No Name" that night. Leticia had spent hours reminiscing with Black Rabbit and the others.
Throughout the evening, Leticia repeatedly expressed her guilt. Because of rescuing her, Ren had gone so far as to become a Demon King of Little Garden.
He had sacrificed so much for her.
And she felt she had done nothing in return.
That anxiety weighed heavily on her.
Which was precisely when Asuka and Yo—sharing the same bed—had begun whispering mischievous "advice," insisting that no man alive could resist the allure of a beautiful blonde maid.
Apparently—
Leticia had taken that advice to heart.
And once she put on the maid outfit, she discovered something unexpected.
She… rather liked it.
Ren had, of course, protested.
"I'm not those three headache-inducing problem children," he had said flatly. "I don't need a maid. And if I walk around with a loli maid constantly trailing me, what happens when people start calling me a creep?"
Unfortunately for him, his objections had carried approximately zero weight.
Leticia had clearly decided to walk this path to the end.
In her mind, this was one of the few ways she could still support him.
—
Little Garden's surface area was vast beyond imagination. Even the lower levels alone stretched across enormous distances. Traveling from one region to another on foot could take years.
That was why "Gateways" existed.
For the price of a single gold coin bearing the Twin Goddess seal, one could transfer from the Eastern District's lower levels to another region within seconds.
However, the only Gateway in the Eastern lower levels belonged to a branch store of "Thousand Eyes."
Considering Ren had just thoroughly antagonized Whiteyasha, voluntarily walking into her territory would be asking for trouble.
Besides, Leticia had quietly reminded him that most of their funds had been left behind with "No Name."
Their current finances were… modest.
Using a Gateway was a luxury they could not comfortably afford.
Thus, instead of instant transfer, they chose the frugal route: traveling north by participating in Gift Games along the way.
Yes—their destination was the Northern District of the lower levels.
The reason was simple.
Unlike the Southern District, which was dominated by the powerful alliance Community "Dragon Horn Gryphon," the Northern District's political landscape was far less centralized.
Rumor also had it that a Community led by a former Demon King resided there. Furthermore, the Northern District's Floor Master was rumored to be preparing to formally ascend and host a grand festival soon.
Ren and his group figured they might as well join the excitement.
During their journey from East to North, they continuously participated in various Gift Games.
There were two main reasons.
First: team coordination.
Second: money.
As Leticia had pointed out, they needed operating funds.
Ren's current "team," including himself, consisted of only three people.
The number might have seemed laughable.
But the quality?
Terrifying.
A three-person group containing two former Demon Kings and one current Demon King.
And the weakest among them was at the peak of five-digit strength.
If that lineup were announced publicly, quite a few Communities would probably faint on the spot.
—
One more thing deserved mention.
After winning Algor from Luos, Ren found it unbearable that a Star Spirit had been suppressed in such a degraded state.
So—over Leticia's objections—he completely removed the restraints binding Algor.
He even crushed the pendant that shackled her soul with his bare hand.
The infamous "Most Vicious Demon Star" of Little Garden—Algor—was fully released.
A blinding white light enveloped her enormous body.
And then—
Her massive frame began to compress.
Minutes later, the light faded.
Standing before Ren and Leticia was a petite girl with porcelain skin, lustrous purple hair, and large, luminous eyes. She wore a gothic-style violet dress. Her height was roughly equal to Leticia's current form.
Ren stared.
Of all the Demon Kings he had encountered since arriving in Little Garden, Algor's previous form had been the most fitting of the title.
Powerful.
Savage.
Violent.
Granted, those weren't exactly flattering descriptors for a woman—but weren't they precisely what one expected of a Demon King?
And yet now—
After regaining her full strength—
Algor had turned into a purple-haired loli.
Was "Demon King equals loli" some kind of unspoken law in Little Garden?
Whiteyasha had been one.
Leticia had been one.
And now Algor too?!
Meanwhile, having completed her transformation from muscular berserker to gothic doll, Algor blinked her enormous eyes as rationality returned to her.
In the next instant—
She vanished.
Reappearing directly in front of Ren and Leticia at a speed so fast Leticia couldn't react in time.
She shoved Leticia aside without hesitation.
Ren instinctively prepared to defend—
But he sensed no hostility.
A split second later, something hit his abdomen with the force of a cannonball.
A surprisingly soft sensation pressed against him as two small arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Algor… likes you…"
Her voice was soft.
After fully regaining her power, Algor had leapt from five-digit strength into the four-digit realm. Not top-tier among four digits—but far from the bottom.
In other words—
She was now stronger than Ren in his normal state.
Her body may have shrunk—
But that affectionate tackle nearly gave Ren internal injuries.
As they continued interacting with her afterward, Ren and Leticia gradually learned the truth behind why Algor had become a Demon King—
And why she was known as one of Little Garden's most infamous "problem children."
..
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