The inky night was pierced by the howling wind and snow. Silvery moonlight streamed through the gaps in the heavy clouds, scattering across the snow-covered ground.

The golden lightning in the wind and snow reminded the demons of only one thing—

Their powerful ancestors.

Their boundless strength.

As demons, even with the daylight gone, they could still choose to die in the afterglow of the sunset.

Count Gregory’s laughter cut off abruptly.

His face rapidly shifted from joy to pallor, his lips trembled, and panic seemed to cloud his vision like a dark storm!

He stared up at the radiant demon, aghast.

“Loki McCarthy… just what are you?!”

Why was a Brant Empire citizen, an obscure royal craftsman, actually a great demon from the Demon Realm?

Gregory could imagine a thousand different directions today could take, but he never expected that this weak human was just toying with him.

Before the count could continue his offense, Lieutenant Colonel Luca rushed forward and brought his weapon down on Gregory’s head.

“How dare a mere vampire count insult this lord!”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca’s attitude changed instantly, he roared.

If the vampire count attacked a great demon first, and the great demon captured him in retaliation, according to the "North-South Treaty," the vampires would be fully responsible!

A seventh-order vampire count dared to treat their great demon as a human and try to capture him? He was courting death!

In addition to the marks bestowed by other great demons, possessing at least one mindset mark and one martial force mark was required to become a great demon and inspire submission in other ordinary demons.

The mindset mark represented extraordinary mental characteristics, capable of overcoming strength with weakness, while the martial force mark represented at least the eighth order and a specialty in combat.

However, Luca was certain that the aura of this radiant great demon, whether martial or magical, was imperceptible. He even felt that this great demon posed no threat!

That was precisely what chilled him to the bone.

He couldn't quite discern whether the other party was an eighth or ninth order demon.

Ultimately, Lieutenant Colonel Luca severed Gregory’s head and kicked it far away. The vampire count’s voice faded almost entirely.

“How should we address you?”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca resheathed his sword, knelt on one knee, and asked Rancy.

In today’s Demon Realm, every great demon came from a family of unreachable prestige.

Even the generals of their Second Army Corps didn't possess six title marks.

The demon before him, with six unfamiliar marks, might not be a demon active in this era.

"..."

Rancy paused, as if asked a question he hadn’t heard in a long time.

According to demon customs, he could be respectfully addressed by his title, like Truth Planae, whom Rancy could call Truth Lord.

But he had no title.

“Just… call me Nameless Lord.”

Rancy replied softly.

Planae had told him that this was how he should answer if he encountered other demons.

“…?”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca shuddered and cautiously raised his gaze to the demon from under the brim of his military cap.

It was his first time seeing a living nameless great demon.

If the three marks included the Ancestral Soul Trial, or if he obtained the current Demon King's approval, he would further receive a title. Otherwise, even if he became a great demon, he would be an unacknowledged "nameless great demon."

For demons, the "nameless great demon" was a taboo existence in itself. A great demon that even the demons were unwilling to acknowledge was often more dangerous than a regular great demon.

Especially an ancient demon with a full six marks.

Even the current ruler of the Demon Realm, the Fallen Cariera, had only seven marks.

“Rest assured, I am not an enemy of the Demon Realm. I have important business here.”

Rancy smiled helplessly at the demon officer’s reaction.

The main reason he was a nameless great demon was due to the times. He simply couldn't pass the ancestral trials or obtain the approval of the previous Demon King.

“I see…”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca immediately understood the intention of this mysterious great demon.

Earlier, this great demon had concealed his identity, pretending to be a human and living outside the Demon Realm for many years. He had even clearly risen to a high position in the Brant Empire.

Now that the Northern Continent was in chaos and the old Demon King had died, he wanted to take the last princess into his possession.

Although as an ancient great demon, his generation might be quite different from the princess, demons had never cared about age differences. Engagements with differences of hundreds or even thousands of years were common.

“Lord, is there anything we can do? I will do my best to make amends.”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca knew he wasn't qualified to question him. He had even offended this great demon earlier.

But he believed that since this great demon hadn't returned to the Demon Realm for many years, he would definitely need a guide. Moreover, if his goal in returning to the Demon Realm was the princess, he naturally wouldn't start a massacre and violate the Demon Realm's rules.

“I don’t want to trouble you. This is your job, which I can understand.”

Rancy waved his hand in a friendly manner, not blaming them and not needing them to make amends.

“But have you ever thought that as a lieutenant colonel and officers on this border, you might frequently encounter this kind of trouble in the future? After all, from my perspective, the human kingdom is currently not peaceful, and the vampires are already restless. The "North-South Treaty" will leave you in a dilemma.”

He glanced at the count’s corpse in the distance.

Rancy had already seen that this Luca officer wasn't so decisive about the count’s demands. Every step he took was filled with hesitation, and his heart was full of unwillingness.

According to Rancy's understanding of demons, even a patient character like Planae would be furious if the "North-South Treaty" was shoved in his face.

“…”

Luca fell silent, gripping his sword hilt more tightly.

“Don’t you think the demons are too pathetic like this?”

Rancy continued to ask.

He didn't seem to be interrogating him, but simply felt puzzled from his perspective, having not returned to the Demon Realm for many years.

“…”

Lieutenant Colonel Luca couldn't answer the great demon’s words.

To be honest, he also wanted to be as enlightened as this lord, not having to be so obsequious to the vampires. But this wasn't something he could change. He was just an officer of a middling rank.

“Think carefully about what kind of demon you want to be.”

Rancy patted Luca’s shoulder with one hand, without saying anything more.

He felt that this Lieutenant Colonel Luca was quite worldly. It might be too wasteful to spend his time on the border. He would communicate with him and his subordinates on the road later to see if he could give them some inspiration.

Afterward.

Rancy looked in the direction he had come from.

Now there shouldn't be any danger on the snowy plain. He just needed to borrow a skeletal warhorse from the demon officer, and Sigrid should be able to reach Little Night City in ten hours.

(End of chapter)