"Heed my words, and deliver my message to your leaders."

Verc’s cold voice echoed throughout the clearing, it sent chills on the prisoners as they looked at him.

Though, they don’t really fear him now.

The prisoners had spent the last four days expecting the absolute worst, but the reality of their captivity had been completely different from their dark expectations.

After all, these past few days, they’ve been treated quite well; their wounds were tended, they were fed, and nobody attacked them. Even the prison cells they were staying at isn’t really that bad.

When they were first thrown into the dungeon after the battle, they fully believed they would be left to rot, starve, or face dark torture devices in the deep underground. But instead, the stone cells Verc had raised with his own power were completely clean, dry, and surprisingly spacious for a prison.

Every single morning and evening, a gnoll came down the steps to deliver large wooden bowls filled with warm, thick meat broth and pieces of freshly baked grain bread. The medical teams, consisting of quiet dark elves and polite beastwomen, visited them on a regular schedule to apply soothing herbal poultices and clean bandages to their various battle injuries.

They’re living like a normal commoner in a village, rather than prisoners!

They were forced to work, but it was better than being tortured and executed.

Every single day after finishing their morning breakfast, they were led out into the open air to help rebuild the outer structures of the growing village. They carried heavy wooden logs across the paths, cleared large rocks from the main walkways, and helped dig trenches for the new defense lines near the borders. It was hard physical labor that left their muscles completely aching by sundown, but every single soldier knew it was thousands of times better than facing a cruel executioner or being locked in heavy iron chains forever.

Well, one noble son did get executed when they tried to attack Tatum after seeing him unarmed. It happened on the first day while they were doing labors. Because of that, that noble son became an example, and the prisoners didn’t try anything else after that.

They weren’t tortured for information too, well, mostly because Verc isn’t interested in anything they know. The important things were probably already told to him by Elianna and the others when he visited them before.

Also, Verc didn’t visit them again after that—he isolated himself again in his room and immersed himself with swordsmanship training.

He had spent the last four days swinging his steel blade until his arms felt entirely numb, focusing purely on perfecting his physical forms without relying on his mana pathways. He wanted to ensure his combat skills were absolutely flawless and deeply ingrained in his muscle memory.

Anyway, back to the present—

Verc looked down at the crowd of humans, his red eyes reflecting the bright morning light as he stood perfectly still.

"The [Cursed Forest] is already occupied. I’ve already conquered it."

Verc continued, saying his message to the human leaders. Him and his people had barely conquered half of the forest, but the prisoners and the outside world don’t need to know that.

Bluffing was an incredibly necessary tool in diplomacy, especially when dealing with greedy human kingdoms and powerful churches that always sought to expand their borders. If the outside world believed that a single supreme entity had already taken absolute, uncontested control over the entire dangerous territory, the rulers would think twice before sending another small expedition force into the woods.

"This whole forest is mine. Set foot on it again without my permission, let alone attack my territory and people..."

Verc paused and looked at the prisoners.

The air in the clearing suddenly became incredibly thick and heavy, making it hard for the human soldiers to draw a proper breath.

SWOOOSH—!

A strong, yet calm killing intent radiated from his body. Then with a serious look on his face—

"Then I will consider it that you’re waging war with me."

Verc opened his mouth and declared that.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a terrifying weight that seemed to vibrate through the very stone ground they stood on, leaving no room for doubt.

"..."

Silent gulps spread among the prisoners, just the thought of that made them feel a bit nervous.

They looked at the village, the towering castle standing in the middle of it and the powerful monster guards positioned at the edges of the clearing. They knew that if this terrifying man ever decided to march his forces against their home kingdom, the resulting conflict would be an absolute nightmare for them.

"I... I have a question, Sir..."

Just then, the knight commander, the leader of the expedition group sent by the king of Halveron himself—raised his hand nervously. He was quite rowdy and aggressive when he regained his consciousness inside a prison cell four days ago, but after being isolated a lot and not being fed for his behavior; he calmed down.

"What is it?"

Moving on, Verc allowed him to speak. After all, he thought that he can just kill him if he spouts any nonsense.

He kept his right hand resting casually near the hilt of his own sword, ready to end the commander’s life in a fraction of a second if the question turned out to be an insult or a waste of his time.

"How should we address you as we deliver your message?"

The knight commander asked. Verc haven’t really introduced himself to them, they don’t know his name nor what to call him.

They had been calling him the lord of the castle or the monster leader among themselves during their labor shifts, but they needed an official title to present to the royal court of Halveron and the high priests of the church.

’Oh, right...’

Verc realized this. But instead of saying his name immediately, he stopped for a bit to think to himself.

He needed a title that would strike absolute terror into the hearts of the human politicians and keep them from organizing another attack.

He’s thinking of a way to make the humans stop attacking them, or at least—delay them for a while.

If he just gave them a regular name without any context, the human kingdom might view him as just another powerful variant monster that could eventually be hunted down with enough numbers and funding. He needed something grander, something deeply historical that would force the top authorities to halt all future military plans out of pure fear for their own survival.

’They already know that I’m a monster too, and this whole place is full of monsters as well... I guess this title erally fits me a bit...’

He accepted the reality of his current existence. He was no longer a simple office worker.

And so, after resolving himself, and accepting his fate—

"My name is Verc."

Verc said his name, then without a pause—

"Tell the world that a new demon king had appeared."

He declared that!

"...!"

The knight commander, Elianna, Kael, and the others at the back, and every prisoners—their eyes widened after hearing that!

A collective gasp ran through the long lines of prisoners as their expressions filled with absolute horror and disbelief.

After all, Verc had just identified himself as the 14th demon king!

The legendary title was something associated with global disasters, historical wars, and the ultimate enemies of Arcanis that required the kingdoms to unite just to face!

Normally anyone would scoff at this and think of such declaration as a joke—but the resident of this village is already a terrifying force that can devastate cities; and even though they haven’t seen Verc’s power and strength—his aura alone was enough to understand he’s the strongest among everyone in this place!

The sheer density of the mana surrounding his physical form was unlike anything they had ever encountered in their entire lives. The ground beneath their feet began to groan softly under the pressure, small pebbles vibrating on the dirt pathway as the atmospheric pressure dropped completely around Verc.

The sky above seemed to darken for a brief moment, mirroring the terrifying weight of his words.

Verc’s words aren’t empty—he can actually claim to be a new demon king!

... ... ...

... ... ...

... ... ...

*****

Anyway--at Verc’s silent signal, the orcs surrounding the prisoners approached them and removed their restraints.

With a single command, he let them free.

"You are permitted to leave. Go back to your lands."

Verc said, his voice flat.

And just like that—the sixty-six prisoners were given their freedom, they all immediately walked away and started heading outside the forest as soon as they got released. They didn’t look back a single time, their feet moving quickly as they left the open clearing, eager to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the master of the castle.

While Verc and the others confiscated all of their high quality weapons and artifacts, they let the prisoners keep their armor; they were also given decent weapons, and food rations that can last them for a few days.

The village leaders had carefully stripped the invading force of their enchanted steel swords, magical shields, high-tier bows, and precious storage rings, adding them directly to the castle’s growing treasury.

"..."

Verc and everyone in the village watched as the prisoners walked away, standing near the broken wooden gates as the long line of humans slowly disappeared into the thick green foliage of the forest.

And when they were out of sight, and Verc couldn’t sense them with mana anymore; he turned around and started walking back inside the village.

Tap- Tap- Tap=

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, extending his magical senses deep into the woods until the faint energy signatures of the sixty-six humans completely faded past his maximum sensory boundary.

The citizens all look at him; the orcs and the gnolls—Verc’s declaration earlier was still stuck in their heads. Then unconsciously—they all started cheering and smiling!

The entire place erupted into a massive, deafening wave of noise and excitement!

"Long live Lord Verc!"

An old orc warrior bellowed at the top of his lungs, slamming his large fist against his leather chestplate.

"The fourteenth demon king is our master! No human kingdom can touch us now!"

A group of gnoll workers cheered loudly, their tails wagging frantically.

The concept of serving a demon king didn’t terrify the non-human residents at all; instead, it filled them with an immense sense of pride and absolute security. To them, the grand title meant that their leader was strong enough to completely shield them from the aggressive human kingdoms that had hunted their kinds for generations.

Verc waved his hand at them, but he just mostly ignored their cheerings...

He raised his right palm in a casual, brief gesture to acknowledge their presence, but his face remained entirely stoic as he kept moving forward along the path.

*****

Verc got to the castle not long, and instead of heading straight to his room—he went to the meeting room just beside it.

He pushed open the heavy double doors of the 5th-floor hall, stepping into the quiet room where the long wooden table stood ready under the morning light. He walked over to his dark throne, sitting down with a soft sigh as he waited for the rest of the leadership team to arrive from the lower levels of the building.

"Fuuuh~"

And not long as he got there; the others did as well.

CREAAK--

The heavy wooden doors creaked open again.

Groo, Mamon, Kuma, Grainne, Aodh, Pwyll, Bernia, Tatum, and Jed.

The nine of them sat down when they saw Verc already sitting on his throne. They arranged themselves in their usual seats around the long table, their expressions a mix of deep respect and quiet anticipation as they looked toward the head of the room.

As soon as they were sat, Verc wasted no time--

"How are the people handling the situation outside? Is there any confusion regarding the release?"

He asked about the reaction of the citizen.

Then Groo and Kuma confirmed that there were no negative reaction from anyone about the release of the prisoners.

"The workers and the local hunters are completely fine with it, My Lord."

Groo stated, shaking his large head.

"Not a single person complained about the humans walking away alive."

Kuma added smoothly, his deep voice filling the quiet room.

Then Mamon spoke up, he said that everyone was actually happy and the morale was up after hearing his declaration about him being the 14th demon king.

"The warriors are incredibly excited, My Lord."

Mamon explained with a proud grin on his green face.

"Hearing you claim the title of the fourteenth demon king has completely fired them up. The overall morale of the populace has never been higher than it is right now."

He added.

Verc was glad to hear that.

A small sense of relief washed over him, though he made sure not to let any of it show on his outer features.

The declaration he made earlier was actually a part of the plan on how to release the prisoners without upsetting anyone in the village.

He knew that simply releasing the invaders would look like weakness to the common orc and gnoll warriors who had lost comrades in the battle. By framing the release as a deliberate act of psychological warfare from a newly risen "Demon King," the narrative changed completely.

In such way, they will just think that Verc freed the prisoners to spread fear to the Arcanis.

The citizens viewed the release not as mercy, but as a terrifying warning sent directly to the human monarchs, using the surviving soldiers as mere messengers of his supreme wrath.

And the plan actually worked like a charm!

Not that it was needed because everyone in the village will support Verc in his decisions no matter what, he just doesn’t fully know that.

Anyway, Verc told the leaders good job, then he thanked them for helping him decide such matters about the territory.

"You all handled your responsibilities perfectly over the last four days. Thank you for your assistance in managing this crisis."

Verc said, giving them a rare nod of approval from his throne.

The nine bowed their heads and happily accepted his compliments and words.

Then Mamon, opening his mouth--

"It is our absolute honor to serve you, Demon King Verc."

He declared that as they all lowered their heads in unison, their hearts filled with complete loyalty toward the master of the [Cursed Forest].