Chapter 169

"Good evening, Teacher Shaya...! I’ve finally earned the rightful chance to become your apprentice! Ah... eh?"

"Miss Shaya, why is everyone crying...?"

"You blockheaded fool..." Sheffy sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. She really wanted to give Livra a good knock on the head.

But she held herself back.

Because in this kind of situation, openly attacking Livra’s head would only deepen everyone’s sorrow and stir public outrage.

Know when to stop, know when to stop~

As far as Sheffy was concerned, she had gained the lordship over a territory with great catches, snatched away some delicious delicacies, and even picked up a kingdom princess along the way—one could say it was a bountiful haul, no?

Sheffy shook her head and signaled Xiarette with her eyes, ready to leave.

Ah, in the end, she really didn’t like these heavy and solemn settings.

But just as Sheffy turned to call for Livra to go...

From within the ranks of the gathered crowd, a voice rang out—nervous but tearful—a passionate noble raised his arm and shouted to halt her!

"Please wait...! Your Majesty, please allow me a word! Princess of the Demon Clan, please don’t leave yet! May I ask! Our kingdom has already made so many concessions! Even Princess Livra has...! Ah! Can you guarantee the sincerity of cooperation with the Kingdom of Aurus? Can you guarantee that the entire Demon Clan will support the decisions we’ve made at this assembly?!"

As soon as the question was asked, similar doubts spread like ripples.

Even the king, weak and grieving, made an effort to signal toward the Wright Family’s side—urging that Princess Sheffy must answer this question before leaving—because it was, indeed, a crucial matter.

The old king’s heart was heavy, and he no longer had the strength to maintain control over the situation.

Hmm?

Sheffy paused in her steps. After a brief moment of thought, she immediately understood the implication behind the final question.

The noble had phrased it politely, but the meaning he conveyed was quite clear.

Simply put, it meant this:

—You’ve been away from the Demon Domain for so long—do you still hold real power? Can you still represent the Demon Clan as a whole? You talk about cooperation with the kingdom and even took away so many benefits... but if it turns out you can’t represent the Demon Clan, and the Demon King’s army comes attacking again—how will this be explained?

Ugh... this question was rather difficult to answer.

Sheffy could certainly influence the Demon Clan’s decisions—after all, her old man held real power, and she could yell at him however she pleased—so it should be fine.

But she couldn’t exactly say, “Let me go back and talk to my father for a bit before giving an answer,” now could she?!

Ah, if worst comes to worst, she could just bluff her way through—say “no problem,” and then have her old man find a way to officially relay an agreement to the kingdom later.

Still, that would be a bit of a hassle...

Just as Sheffy was rapidly thinking up a countermeasure, a wave of gasps sounded behind her—the nobles’ shocked exclamations were as if they had seen a demon.

At the same time, the sound of the royal palace’s several-ton council hall doors slowly creaking open echoed throughout the hall.

"You can’t go in…! No one is allowed without an invitation, no matter who they are—damn it… how is she so fast?! Please stop!! Protect His Majesty the King!"

Although there were guards trying to block the way outside, the approaching presence behind them hadn’t been hindered in the slightest.

Even without turning around—

Sheffy had already sensed that familiar magical aura approaching from behind.

Sigh...

Didn’t I tell you to stay home and watch the place?

And yet, you still followed me here...

Belith.

---

77. Submission

Belith appeared in a flowing black dress, a faint, calm smile on her lips. In her eyes, there was nothing but Sheffy’s reflection as she turned around—nothing else existed.

The Second Demon Princess had appeared without warning, her steps as if walking through an empty realm, unimpeded.

The royal guard knights who rushed in from behind attempted to hurl their spears to intercept her, but around Belith’s body was already a faint purple barrier—impenetrable. Weapons clashed against it with a crisp sound before falling powerlessly to the ground.

The faint purple barrier transformed into an invisible wall, standing in front of the grand hall’s entrance.

Now, not just weapons—the knights outside the council hall themselves were completely blocked out of the chamber.

Separated by this invisible magical wall, they could not advance even an inch further.

The scene erupted in commotion!

The kingdom’s knights were, indeed, no match for a Five-Winged Demon.

But the Wright Family members who had been guarding inside the hall remained unfazed.

They raised their weapons and encircled the royal family, displaying just what it meant to be the kingdom’s most reliable sword and shield.

And this time, even Xiarette moved together with them!

Hmm... she knew that Belith wasn’t here to start a fight—at least not at this moment—but as the Hero, she had to put on a bit of a show, right?

Besides...

Ugh... I know you’re Sheffy’s biological little sister and all, so you have some special privileges—but can you not cling to her so closely all the time...? I was hoping to chat with Sheffy alone on the way back, and now you’ve come to steal your sister away again...!

Thus, the act of raising her sword was not born from her duty as a Hero.

It was an instinctual act of possessiveness as a woman!

Go away, go away—begone, evil spirit!

Not that it mattered.

Belith didn’t care for the uproar, the shouting, or the drawn swords.

She simply continued forward, her pace steady and uninterrupted.

Her elegant steps bloomed like lotus petals with every move—an innate manifestation of her royal bearing.

"Livra... step aside for now. I think Belith might have some kind of plan... Livra?"

Sheffy originally intended to tell Livra to move aside a little, so as not to get in Belith’s way. After all, the girl had always been clever since childhood.

But just as the words left her mouth, Sheffy turned her head—only to see Livra already shrinking back into a corner with a wry smile, waving her hand to avoid the spotlight.

You... you sure run fast!

There's nothing I can do, Miss Shaya! Princess Belith is just too terrifying! Every time she sees me, the look in her eyes is like she wants to tear me apart with her bare hands!

Ah... well, that couldn’t be helped. Sheffy figured it must’ve been because when Belith appeared, Livra felt unsafe and instinctively grabbed her hand.

Who else would Belith want to tear apart if not her?

Belith walked along the red carpet, heading straight toward Sheffy.

She paid no mind to the commotion or the clash of blades.

Belith stood face-to-face with Sheffy—like two exquisitely crafted dolls, one tall and one short, carved from the same mold.

Sheffy had no choice but to look up at her.

The silver-haired bun-headed little girl blinked hard, seemingly asking what Belith was planning to do.

Belith continued smiling silently.

She had no interest in speaking to others.

And when it came to her royal sister—she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

After all, wasn’t action faster than words?

Sheffy’s upward gaze—slowly shifted to a downward one.

Belith’s black dress flowed onto the crystal floor like spreading ink, a stark contrast to her silver-white hair.

In front of Sheffy, Belith lowered herself onto one knee.

She gently raised Sheffy’s fingers and leaned forward with deep affection.

Without hesitation, she placed a graceful kiss on the back of her hand.

"Belith Harl, Second Princess of the Demon Clan, in the name of the Demon God, hereby pledges eternal submission to Sheffy Harl."

"...?!"

Sheffy froze completely.

She was someone with considerable intelligence, and rarely did she find herself stunned.

But... but Belith, what kind of sudden stunt is this?!

Someone unfamiliar with Demon Clan customs might not understand, but among the nobles of Aurus, there were many who had traveled widely and were well-informed.

Very soon, someone grasped the meaning behind Princess Belith’s earlier action and voiced what it symbolized.

It was a ritual unique to the Demon Clan.

You see, demons were innately competitive—their culture was one where strength defined status, in short: combat.

As such, their definition of "status" was extremely strict. If you wanted another demon to acknowledge you as stronger, you basically had to beat them half to death.

Only then... could a ritual like the one just now take place.

The side that admitted inferiority and accepted the other’s strength from the heart would lower themselves, kiss the back of the stronger party’s hand—symbolizing an oath of submission, even eternal subservience.

Rituals like these were relatively common among demon nobility and served to maintain order across the various ranks within the Demon Clan.

But for something like this... to occur between members of the Demon Royal Family?!

And the Demon King had only two daughters.

What did Belith Harl’s action just now signify...?

The first nobles to understand had already shown rather shocked expressions.

"The successor to the Demon King... it seems that’s already been decided..."

"This was far too sudden..."

"The Second Princess gave up her claim to the throne?! Hey, hey... this kind of ritual isn’t something you can take back, especially not in such an official setting..."

"Looks like... this was exactly what Princess Belith came here to say. The question we asked earlier... is now meaningless."

"That’s indeed the case... sigh, hard to say whether this is a blessing or a curse for the kingdom."

Blessing or curse, there was no longer any need to press the question.

—Did Princess Sheffy’s promise hold any weight?

Ha... if even the words of the unmistakable next Demon King carried no authority, then whose words would?

None of the nobles could have imagined that this assembly—far from grand—would end up witnessing so many events of such monumental historical significance.

This trip... was worth it.

..........................................

"Hey... Belith, I’m telling you... even if you were just helping me out of a tough spot, wasn’t that a bit too extreme? Ugh, it’s one thing if you joked about this kind of thing in private, but in front of that many people! Now it’s going to be a huge hassle to explain everything away, you know?! Tsk tsk tsk, what, has your personality mellowed out a bit, but your brain gotten duller?!"

At the edge of the royal capital, beside a gently flowing, colorfully shimmering stream—

Under the starry midnight sky, Sheffy was sternly lecturing her own little sister!

Because she had something to say to Belith privately, Sheffy had already entrusted Livra to Xiarette, asking her to take Livra back to the suburban residence first—she would return shortly after.

Sheffy was genuinely grateful that Belith had stepped in to help her out.

But the way she did it was far too extreme. It could hurt Belith’s future prospects!

Doing something like that would heavily damage her prestige within the Demon army, and ruin her public reputation too. Had she even considered her own future? Wasn’t she the one who really wanted to be acknowledged by everyone?

It wasn’t that Sheffy was worried Belith couldn’t become the next Demon King.

She was more worried that she herself would end up becoming the next Demon King.

Then how the hell am I supposed to slack off anymore?!

In the end...

Belith stood with her hands behind her back, patiently listening to her royal sister’s earnest lecture, nodding again and again, looking like she was genuinely taking it all to heart.