Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hammering rang out across the ground.

With Syltanaro—now in sword form—strapped to his waist, Clay walked to a site not far from Barungenia, where he gazed at the newly constructed outposts rising outside the canyon.

Thwack!

It was none other than small goblins erecting the pillars and nailing planks into place for those outposts.

The moment they noticed Clay’s presence, the goblins froze mid-hammer stroke.

Their eyes turned toward him, and silence descended over the area.

Shuffle.

Like puppies tucking their tails, the goblins lowered their heads and quietly backed away. Watching them, Clay spoke.

“It’s fine. Carry on.”

Only after receiving his permission did the goblins resume their work.

『It seems Beatrice has been training them.』

“Is that so.”

He had heard Beatrice was educating the demons who had gathered in Barungenia. Naturally, teaching them how to properly conduct themselves before the new Demon King would have been part of that.

‘Though ironically, the ones closest to me lack any such formality.’

Still, Clay didn’t want to impose strict decorum on those near him.

‘Hmm. There’s not that many.’

Since goblins were tribal creatures, they should’ve swarmed into Barungenia in droves. But what Clay saw now didn’t amount to anything resembling a horde.

Even more, there seemed to be a mix from various clans—judging by the differing tribal bracelets they wore.

Clay decided to walk a little farther. Since he had returned to Barungenia after a while, he intended to thoroughly inspect everything before resuming outside activities.

That was when something caught his eye: a crystal-clear wall of ice.

This wasn’t naturally formed.

‘This is…’

Selimia’s doing.

It seemed she wasn’t just laying traps around the area but had gone so far as to construct proper defensive barriers.

‘She didn’t need to go this far.’

Barungenia was already tucked away in a spot difficult to attack. Unless some foolhardy opponent tried a frontal assault, the main concern was receiving allied demons, not fending off invaders.

Completely blocking the path of demons who were trying to enter could actually prove to be a poor move.

‘Wait…?’

But Clay soon realized there was more to the situation.

‘This…’

Inside the translucent barrier—

He could see the frozen remains of countless demons.

Crunch!

Not far from where Clay stood, a white flurry danced as a lone woman walked through it.

“Is that everything?”

The ice wall she’d created stretched out endlessly.

“Well, at least the bugs won’t get in easily.”

That was the end of her preparations. To keep the barrier intact even in her absence, she had installed mana-supplying pillars at regular intervals.

These pillars would absorb ambient mana from the land and keep the wall firm and intact.

“Hmph.”

At first, being sent outside alone had irritated her. But now she found herself surprisingly satisfied.

“It actually looks… pretty good.”

The view was far more pleasing with the barrier in place than it had been when things were just barren and bleak.

“Still… I don’t like being alone.”

She turned her gaze back toward Barungenia.

Everything she was doing was for Clay. Just so he might pay a little more attention to her.

If it were up to her nature, she would have driven away everyone around Clay and claimed the spot by his side.

But the others around him were all disasters in their own right. If they fought for his side, Barungenia itself might end up in ruins.

“Whew.”

Destroying Barungenia in a fit of jealousy would be the dumbest thing she could do. She’d only lose points with Clay.

Selimia.

Once known as the Witch of the North, she exhaled deeply, trying to compose herself as she turned back toward the barrier.

A swarm of green-skinned goblins had gathered outside the wall, pacing restlessly.

“Pests…”

Her face turned ghostly pale.

“Why are they always buzzing around here?!”

Snap!

The moment she snapped her fingers, frost blossomed along the barrier. Ice flowers bloomed and then branched out like thorns, skewering the goblins like kebabs.

Screeeee!

Screams, more like shrieks, rang through the air, but Selimia didn’t stop.

“Insignificant vermin! The only one he needs is me!”

She had endured Hanumayer with only her hope of reuniting with Clay. He was the one who had acknowledged her true self, smiled at her warmly when she lived a fake life—yet now, he seemed indifferent, buried among others.

“All he needs is me! Just me!”

Clay needed time to recover. If he needed someone to lean on, she could be that support.

Whether he killed or spared someone—it didn’t matter to her. She was willing to accept all of him, just the way he was.

But—

“…There are just too many damn flies.”

For someone who had lived solely for him, this current situation was insufferably disgusting.

Crunch!

She couldn't express her feelings in front of Clay, so she vented them by tearing apart and crushing the demons who approached the barrier.

Tap.

Someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

“!”

Startled, Selimia turned around—only to find Clay standing beside her.

“C-Clay… sir?!”

“Selimia.”

He stared at her quietly.

“Working by my side doesn’t seem to suit you much.”

“Ah!”

Selimia frantically waved her hands.

“N-no! That’s not true!”

Panicked, she opened her mouth wide and shouted,

“I-I was just fooling around!”

“For play, you killed far too many.”

“U-uhm…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to blame you.”

With that, Clay walked toward the barrier. Selimia, frozen with a troubled look, hurriedly followed him.

Clay reached out and ran his hand lightly along the barrier.

“Selimia.”

“Yes?”

“Return to the north.”

At those words, her heart sank.

“What do you… mean…?”

“There’s little left for you to do here.”

Clay looked at her with a dry gaze.

“I’m telling you to go back to where you belong.”

“!”

Selimia swallowed hard.

Where she belonged—he meant Hanumayer.

“Clay, I…”

“Selvaro is likely waiting for you.”

The man who had treated her as real family.

Even though he must now know who she really was—

“He won’t be able to let go of you easily.”

Even if she was a fake, there were people who couldn't let go. Clay knew Selvaro, the Emperor of Hanumayer, very well.

He was a man pathologically attached to his younger sister. Though capable enough to guard the harsh lands of the north, it was unlikely he was completely unaware of Selimia’s identity.

He must’ve sensed something off. And yet, the reason he didn’t try to expose her truth could only be explained by one thing—

The desperate hope that something shaped like his sister would stay by his side.

That was what he had wanted to protect most.

“Clay!”

Selimia went pale.

“What are you saying?! I’ve already chosen to stay by your side! Is this because of what I just did?! I was wrong to lash out and cull the numbers! I just… I just didn’t want you to be buried among all those other demons!”

“If you remain here, Hanumayer is more likely to make a move.”

He had already heard from Selimia herself that she had fully revealed her identity to Selvaro and severed ties with him—so he couldn’t think of it any other way.

So he understood her frustration. But—

“Selvaro will try to come for you.”

“Don’t worry!”

Selimia clenched her fists. A powerful chill emanated from her hands.

“I was planning to build a barrier around Hanumayer anyway! I’ll make sure it never breaches into the Demon Realm again!”

“By guarding the border forever, is that it?”

At his question, she gulped dryly.

“…Do you really think he’ll come for me?”

“There’s a chance.”

He might not. But after provoking the Holy Alliance, any extra variable was a liability Clay could not afford.

“I don’t want Selvaro involved in this war. If I destroy every country, it’ll only make managing humanity harder later. There’ll be no one left to act as a middleman.”

“You’re hoping for a cooperative relationship?”

“If you want to call it that, yes.”

“Clay…”

Selimia groaned softly.

“He’ll never cooperate with you. He sees you as an enemy.”

“Which is why you’re going.”

Clay placed his hands on her shoulders.

“You’re going to make Hanumayer my ally.”

The land may have been barren, but Hanumayer’s military might couldn’t be underestimated. It was home to elite soldiers hardened by harsh terrain and brutal conditions.

“As I said, Selvaro wants you to return.”

“But…”

“Barungenia is not our final staging ground.”

It was the starting point.

“Now that we’re prepared, it’s time to move. As part of that process, your destination is Hanumayer.”

Just like the former Demon King, he now had to confront the entire continent.

“Do it for me.”

Clay said to Selimia,

“Even someone who knows your true identity—take them into your hands and play them like a puppet. That’s the task I entrust to you.”

“…And what about your side?”

Selimia looked toward his waist, where Syltanaro remained in sword form.

“I’ve been waiting this whole time just to be with you. That’s why I’ve been working so hard here too. So I wouldn’t be a burden to you.”

“…Then you shouldn’t have done that.”

Clay finally raised an eyebrow.

“You built a barrier, and in your boredom, killed the very demons coming to join me. That wasn’t helpful.”

“I was angry.”

Selimia admitted honestly.

“They didn’t even assign me a proper room in Barungenia. And I wasn’t one of the ones you were constantly calling for…”

“…”

“I didn’t even know what I was supposed to do.”

She had only lived her life mimicking humans. She had never truly learned how to manage her own emotions.

“But now you’re telling me to go back to Hanumayer…”

“Selimia.”

Clay spoke softly.

“I’ll tell you what I need.”

He held both her shoulders.

“I want calamity.”

A disaster so great it would hang the ones who had driven the Hero to the execution stage.

“So become the kind of calamity I desire.”

In Selimia’s eyes, Clay looked like a man who lived for one single, unwavering purpose.

“And I’ll treasure you more than you ever hoped for.”

(End of Chapter)

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