Chapter 371
Idrinne continued, scolding him sharply.
“So you’re saying you can reach 9th Star Jin within a week?”
“No, even I can’t do that.”
After all, it hadn’t been long since he’d broken through the barrier of 8th Star Upper.
“Then why keep spouting such nonsense? This won’t do. As your friend, I can’t just stand by and watch. I’ll go take down Drenne myself—right now.”
Idrinne’s eyes turned icy.
She was truly determined to take down Drenne by any means necessary.
“Wait, calm down. There’s a way, I promise.”
“A way? What way? Just wait. Don’t underestimate me—I’m skilled in ambushes and underhanded tactics. At the very least, I’ll sever one of his arms so he can’t show up to the duel in one piece.”
“…No, I said wait.”
But Idrinne paid no mind, and Berling stood up as if to join her.
Then, suddenly, an unexpected voice rang out.
“Alright, everyone, hold on a moment.”
“!!”
A youthful voice.
Everyone’s faces turned surprised.
Before anyone noticed, a little girl had appeared.
She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale—adorable and innocent—but the entire room froze cold.
No one had sensed her arrival.
“…Who are you?”
With a sharp clang, Idrinne pointed her sword at the girl.
“You’re an uninvited guest, so I assume you’re prepared to die.”
Before Chris could say anything, Idrinne lunged with her blade.
‘Why the rush?’ Chris thought, bewildered.
Being around Idrinne more and more, he realized that despite her seemingly foolish personality, she was fiercely aggressive!
Perhaps from the long struggles at the Four Kings’ Castle, she had a mindset that any problem should be solved with bloodshed.
‘Even if she’s changed into a little girl and I can’t recognize her true identity, attacking outright like that? I guess I don’t need to stop her.’
Chris thought, still dazed.
Considering the little girl’s real ‘identity,’ such an attack was laughably insignificant.
But then—
Thunk!
“Ahhh! That hurts! That stings!!”
“……”
“I’m barely able to kill a single bug right now, and you just tried to kill me outright! Not that I’m weak or anything!!”
“……”
“If I weren’t half in a spiritual form, I’d be dead! I haven’t even experienced love yet, and I almost died! If I die, it’d be a continental loss—how do you plan to take responsibility for that?!”
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the little girl, who was making a fuss after being stabbed by the sword.
What was this? They all thought.
She didn’t seem like an ordinary being, but somehow she was incredibly unimpressive!
“…Um, excuse me.”
Lord Robinson looked on with a curious expression.
She reminded him of someone he knew—her appearance, her speech, even her fussiness.
“…Could it be, Your Highness?”
At last, someone recognized her, and the little girl stopped her fussing.
She straightened her chin, puffed out her chest, and tried to look dignified.
…Of course, there was not a shred of dignity to be found.
“Yes, Robinson, you recognize me. I am the great Demon Lord of Silver Snow. Bow before me.”
“!!”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
This shabby little girl was the Demon Lord?
They doubted her so much that instead of bowing, they just stared blankly.
The Demon Lord of Silver Snow pounded her chest.
“What’s with those looks? I’m not lying. Bow at once!”
“……”
“I’m serious! Not lying!”
When the Demon Lord of Silver Snow made a sorrowful face, as if about to cry, Chris gave a wry smile and stepped forward.
“She is indeed the Demon Lord. As for bowing… well, let’s just show some respect.”
Only then did everyone kneel and pay their respects.
By the way, Robinson gave a look from the corner that said, ‘Why don’t they believe me when I say it?’ but everyone ignored him.
“…We humbly welcome the great Demon Lord.”
“Yes, ahem. It’s good that you finally recognize me.”
Having seen her shabby appearance, no one’s voice carried any reverence, but the Demon Lord seemed satisfied nonetheless.
“…But what brings you here, Your Highness? And in such a young form, no less.”
Robinson asked, puzzled.
No one knew the current situation of the Demon Lord of Silver Snow.
“I came because of Christian.”
“??”
“Didn’t you say there’s an important duel in a week?”
The Demon Lord placed her hands on her hips with a proud gesture.
Though, due to her small frame, it looked more cute than imposing.
Whatever the case, what she said was no ordinary matter.
“I will guide Christian.”
“!!”
Yes.
This was exactly what Christian had been counting on.
Gaining the power to defeat Drenne with the Demon Lord’s aid.
“Ahem. Everyone, just trust me.”
…Though, honestly, trust was in short supply.
With no time to waste, they immediately began training.
But something strange happened.
“I will join as well.”
Idrinne followed them into the training hall!
It wasn’t just to learn alongside them—her expression toward the Demon Lord was icy cold.
“How do you intend to guide Christian?”
“[…Don’t you trust me?]”
“No, it’s just that Christian is my dearest friend. I’m curious about what kind of teaching you plan to give, especially with such an important duel coming up.”
In other words, she didn’t trust the Demon Lord.
Of course, she knew the Demon Lord was a great being. Without her, the Four Kings’ Castle would have gone berserk long ago.
But trusting her? That was a different matter.
Truth be told… the Demon Lord of Silver Snow was famous for being powerful yet clumsy in many ways.
Like today’s display.
Could she really provide proper guidance?
‘If this turns out to be nothing, I’ll have to come up with another plan. Maybe I should just ambush Drenne myself and cut off a limb or two—that’d be best.’
The Demon Lord’s face showed wounded pride.
“How dare you not trust me. How disrespectful.”
“Please tell us how you will guide Christian.”
“[…Right. How should I guide you, Christian?]”
The Demon Lord asked with a blank expression.
In truth, she hadn’t brought any special method. She’d only come because Christian asked.
“So, who is the opponent you must face in a week?”
“Drenne.”
“Are you crazy?! There’s no way you can do it with your current strength! Why did you call me then?!”
Idrinne’s eyes sharpened.
“It’s fine. With Your Highness’s help, it’s possible.”
“[…I don’t have that kind of skill. What method do you have? I’m curious.]”
The Demon Lord asked, puzzled.
Chris snapped his fingers.
Flash!
The surroundings changed.
A world of pure white.
“[This is? Your mental world?]”
“Yes, that’s right. Though it’s only a part of the surface layer.”
“[It’s unbelievably vast. Your mental caliber is by no means inferior to ours, the Demon Lords.]”
The Demon Lord looked impressed.
“Please show me everything you’ve learned here.”
“!!”
“Within my mental world, even if my powers are sealed, I should be able to manifest them.”
The Demon Lord looked confused.
“[What’s the point? Of course, just glimpsing my achievements will help you greatly, but the duel is only a week away.]”
Everything about the Demon Lord of Silver Snow—
You couldn’t learn it superficially.
She was a 9th Star Mid-level Demon Lord.
Aside from the four Demon Lords of the Central Rank, she and the Northern Magic Kingdom’s ‘Dragon King’ were considered the strongest.
Among the Star Lords, the strongest was 9th Star Mid-level, so her greatness was clear.
“I’m not trying to learn Your Highness’s achievements. Our paths are different from the start.”
“[Then?]”
“I want to gauge the trajectory Your Highness has taken.”
“[…What?]”
“Specifically, I want to learn Your Highness’s power, ‘Fighting King.’”
“!!”
The Demon Lord’s eyes widened.
“[Do you know what the power ‘Fighting King’ is?]”
“Yes, of course.”
“[If you do, then why say such nonsense? It’s absolutely impossible to learn it by imitation.]”
The Demon Lord of Silver Snow came from the Illusion Mage family.
A clan with no tradition of swordsmanship whatsoever.
In other words, she had never properly learned swordsmanship.
Even after being cast out of her family, it was the same.
Being the Illusion Mage’s Grand Princess always held her back.
No one showed her kindness, and learning proper swordsmanship was a dream she could never have.
Yet, despite all that, she became the continent’s greatest swordswoman.
Thanks to the power of the Fighting King.
“[Fighting King isn’t really a power. It’s just a name given to the strange way I got stronger.]”
She had many enemies.
After leaving her family, she had to fight endlessly to survive, always thrown into life-or-death struggles.
Her sword was forged in that blood.
“[People saw me getting stronger the more I fought and grandly named it the power of Fighting King, but it’s really nothing special. Isn’t it natural to get stronger by fighting? You’ll get stronger too if you fight to the death.]”
“That’s fine. I have my own thoughts on this.”
“[…Thoughts? I liked you quite a bit, but what if you die in the duel?!]”
“Trust me.”
The Demon Lord frowned.
“[I have no idea what you’re thinking. I even secretly gave you a chance to gain achievements, telling the Four Kings’ Lord to let you. But how do you plan to deal with the aftermath?]”
“……”
[Anyway, I understand. I’ll trust you. But remember this—if you die, I’ll make you pay. When I get angry, I’m truly terrifying, so if you don’t want to suffer, you have to survive!]
The Demon King of Eunsul drew his sword.
[So, where should I start? Shall I show you my primordial descent technique, ‘Sword Mountain’s Arrival (劍山降臨)’?]
“No, first please demonstrate the basic swordsmanship Your Highness learned initially.”
The Demon King of Eunsul tilted his head in puzzlement but complied.
[The first sword technique I learned was the Demon Sword (魔鬼劍), stolen from a demon guard employed by the Phantom Demons.]
It was a third-rate sword style practiced by wandering demons.
Yet, as the Demon King of Eunsul displayed it now, a fierce power emerged unlike any refined sword technique.
And this was without even channeling any demonic energy.
Truly, the continent’s greatest swordsmanship. Even a casual swing carried the utmost mastery of the blade.
[…But what’s the point of showing something like this?]
“It’s very meaningful. Please show me the other sword styles as well.”
With a confused expression, the Demon King of Eunsul continued to demonstrate the sword techniques he had learned in the past.
They all followed a similar pattern.
Though the sword styles he had learned were all utterly mediocre, each had been perfected and elevated to their peak.