Elder Vincent was unexpectedly tense.
He had heard that the affairs in the capital had somewhat concluded, so he knew that Lucart would return soon.
However, he thought that the homunculus group would arrive much later. Why?
‘Of course, there’s no way the Demon King would bother with them!’
But that assumption was wrong.
Lucart had returned to the Demon King’s castle, personally bringing the homunculus with him!
Why?
Not too long ago, didn’t the Demon King clearly say:
– You take care of the homunculus yourselves.
– Do I really need to bother with such things?
And entrusted all the authority to us!
But now…
‘Did something change his mind?’
Vincent narrowed his eyes.
The elders, including himself, had been working hard to kill Shekina and her group.
The reason for eliminating Shekina was simple.
She interfered with their wager.
Moreover… they felt a fundamental sense of crisis. There was an eerie sense of threat that if they allowed the homunculus to grow further, they might end up endangering them.
Of course, they were confident that no mere homunculus could surpass the elders. However, they couldn’t ignore the warning bells ringing from deep within their instincts.
Thus, they tried various methods… but all of them failed. The reasons for failure were threefold:
1. Arthur was stronger than they thought.
They knew he was crazy, but they had only thought he was mentally unhinged. They didn’t realize he was also physically powerful. Why does that matter?
If someone’s only mentally unstable, they only trouble those around them. But if they’re also physically strong, it becomes a problem for everyone, not just those nearby.
In any case, because that crazy guy was stronger than they expected, the elders’ traps kept failing. So, they tried a different approach.
But that failed too.
2. The 1st Legion demons caused a ruckus.
These guys have no sense of hierarchy. How dare mere demons challenge the elders! They’re as reckless as their commander of the 1st Legion.
So, the elders ordered Martin to rein them in, but Martin responded in his usual slow tone:
– Why me?
– Do I have to?
Even thinking back on it made their blood boil. They wanted to crush him immediately as he blinked and shrugged his shoulders, but the elders gritted their teeth and held back. Not because they were afraid of Martin. No. It was only to maintain their dignity.
In any case, the elders carefully planned to kill Shekina while avoiding Arthur’s interference and the 1st Legion demons’ chaos.
However, once again, they failed.
3. The Demon King personally took action.
He ordered his party to ensure that not a single hair was harmed.
Thus, the elders had no choice but to withdraw their efforts to target Shekina.
While doing so, they ground their teeth. They would wait for Shekina’s return to the Demon King’s castle!
‘But why, why is the Demon King with that homunculus?’
Ugh, this is driving me crazy!
Vincent felt the heat rising at the back of his neck and exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Second Elder! Second Elder!”
At that moment, the Fifth Elder, Muller, approached. Vincent quickly regained his composure, as if his expression had never hardened, and turned to face Muller.
“Did you see? Outside! The Demon King and the homunculus!”
“I saw it already, so stop being noisy. What matters is figuring out how to respond.”
“Oh! Right!”
Muller nervously glanced at Vincent, rolling his eyes.
‘Is everything okay?’
He had only joined forces with the other elders because the faction supporting the homunculus Shekina was weak. Even if the First Legion demons were included, their power was nowhere near that of the elders.
But now?
The Fourth Legion, Calvin, had joined that side. Even Lyat, the de facto second-in-command of the Demon King’s castle, had aligned with them. If that was all, they might manage somehow, but rumors said that even the First Elder, Nord, favored the homunculus.
And if the Demon King himself sided with the homunculus?
Muller’s scraggly goatee quivered nervously.
‘I must find a way to survive quickly.’
Muller gulped dryly, nodding to himself as if making a resolution.
“Yes… This plan should work.”
Unaware of Muller’s thoughts, Vincent smirked and muttered.
“Inform all the elders.”
Vincent confidently issued an order.
“Pretend that we are unaware of her return.”
“…Excuse me?”
Muller wondered if he had heard wrong, but no, Vincent’s confident expression made it clear.
“Why do you think she left the castle? To resolve the situation in the capital? Yes, that’s true. But isn’t that something the homunculus should naturally handle anyway? So, there’s no need for us to congratulate her. We have no reason to welcome her return.”
“But, the Demon King…”
“As always, the Demon King has merely returned from a brief trip. We’ve never made a big deal of his returns, and this time should be no different.”
“So, you’re saying we should ignore their accomplishments and pretend it never happened.”
Though Muller was a sly character, he was still a demon who had risen to the rank of Fifth Elder. That meant his mind worked quickly.
“If we do this, our position within the castle won’t change…”
“We are acting as if nothing happened. Understood?”
“Yes!”
This would do the trick.
After all, homunculus were merely lifeforms created for the sake of demons.
There was no need to acknowledge a creature grown in a flask, was there?
Vincent and Muller chuckled, wearing similar expressions.
But little did they know, they were being watched.
***
“Damn it.”
Nisha, who had summoned her spirit, clicked her tongue in frustration.
Now that Shekina had arrived with Lucart, Nisha had been quick to follow the Second Elder. She knew they had been targeting Shekina, so she expected them to make a move.
And her judgment was correct.
“These grown-ups are shameless. They won’t stop at anything, not even against a little girl. I can’t believe they haven’t killed her yet.”
Nisha sighed deeply, lost in thought.
What should she do now?
How could she make their plans futile… Nisha pondered for a moment.
“What are you doing?”
“Kyaaaa! Ah!”
But that thought was cut short because of Yurian’s floating head that suddenly appeared in the air.
“You crazy fool! If you’re going to appear, show up completely! What’s with your floating head?”
“Well, moving my entire body takes effort. Just floating my head around is much easier.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and get yourself together!”
“Nisha, you have such a sharp tongue. Just like Shekina…”
With a sad expression, Yurian’s body started to appear beneath his floating head. Only then did Nisha relax her tense shoulders and drop her head. Ugh, she was still so startled that her heart was pounding.
“So, what were you doing?”
Nisha didn’t want to answer, but since it wasn’t only her problem, she had no choice but to speak.
“I was spying on the elders, why?”
“The elders?”
As soon as he heard this, Yurian’s eyes sparkled.
“Because of Shekina? Are you trying to help Shekina?”
“…No?”
Nisha flinched and shook her head.
“Why would I help her? Absolutely not. Not a chance.”
“Strong denial means strong affir…”
“Didi! Yurian is here! Come take him!”
Boom!
Didi rushed in and hugged Yurian around the waist.
“Master Yurian!”
“…You’re too much. You know why I was just floating my head.”
“Quiet. That’s your punishment for scaring me.”
Hmph! Nisha snorted, while Yurian looked defeated. Only Didi remained cheerful.
“Why, why? What were you two doing? What’s going on? Shekina just arrived, so why are you two together? Huh? Huh? Huh?”
Ugh, crazy fool. Nisha stepped back in annoyance as Yurian explained.
“Didi. Calm down. Nisha just found out that the elders are planning something weird, and we were talking about it.”
“Ohhh! I see! Yes, yes, I’m calm now. But what weird thing are they planning?”
Both Yurian and Didi turned their gaze to Nisha.
Nisha shrugged her shoulders and responded.
“They plan to collectively pretend that they don’t know Shekina.”
“What?”
Yurian narrowed his eyes.
“They’re going to ignore Shekina’s achievements and just brush it off?”
“Probably.”
“…Then Shekina’s influence will significantly decrease.”
“That’s probably what they’re aiming for.”
Nisha clicked her tongue, looking resigned.
“They made their decision, so there’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll just have to watch.”
“I guess so… But still, the kids went all the way to the capital and worked hard.”
“What can we do? The elders decided this.”
Yurian and Nisha exchanged sighs.
But Didi didn’t follow suit.
“Um, I don’t really get it.”
Didi tilted her head in confusion and raised her hand.
“So, the elders are going to deliberately ignore Shekina’s return and not welcome her, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then, why don’t we just make it impossible for them to ignore her?”
“…Hmm?”
Both Yurian and Nisha’s eyes focused on Didi at once.
“Do you have a plan?”
Didi’s face brightened.
“Of course I do!”
***
“…….….”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The wind howls fiercely.
A wind carrying cold snowflakes.
A wind that can rightfully be called a blizzard.
“………..”
Standing in that wind—though thanks to Lucart’s magic, she wasn’t really affected by it—Shekina stood still.
Shekina’s gaze was fixed on something slightly above the front gate of the Demon King’s castle.
Large balloons and ribbons adorned the gate, along with a huge banner that read:
[★Congratulations!★ Welcome, Shekina!]
Whoosh!
The wind blew the ribbons stuck to the banner, sending one flapping into Shekina’s face.
“Are they crazy, seriously?”
