The plan was quite simple.

Because he lacked the knowledge that came with becoming a demon lord, Adrian wanted to wait it out until he had gathered everything he needed.

As such, he was willing to offer them a simple excuse in the meantime.

"I will return once I have finished what I set out to do."

No matter how unconvincing it sounded, the only thing that mattered was whether it bought him enough time to leave the forest and return home.

The more pressing concern was that the demons would likely resist the idea entirely, given that they had already begun treating him as their lord.

Adding to that was the fact that he still needed to form a contract with their current leader.

Which was, in itself, a considerable risk.

With a calm expression, Adrian held Kara’s gaze. She was watching him in kind, her face unreadable and still.

Then, after a stretch of silence, she spoke.

"You are right. I did not intend to rule your people just yet."

A frown pulled at the corners of Kara’s mouth.

"Why is that? Do you think us unworthy? Or are humans simply more important to you than we are?"

The hostility forming behind her eyes was difficult to miss.

Still, Adrian remained as composed as ever.

"Most people my age would never find themselves doing what I am doing today. The reason behind it is not something that shifts with circumstance or bends under pressure."

He began slowly, his gaze lowering to his own open palm.

"What I want is to build a world I can call entirely my own. Something far removed from what exists around me now. A place where humans, demons, and elves alike can be ruled under a single banner. A nation built for all races."

The hostility in Kara’s expression began to dissolve, replaced by something quieter and considerably more surprised.

"If I am to see that vision brought to fruition, then I cannot afford to move carelessly. That means I will not take in those who stand against it."

Kara’s frown deepened, the look of someone caught between two conclusions and unable to settle on either.

"My lord... you truly wish to build a nation for all races?"

"That is correct. When the time comes, I intend to be the strongest ruler this world has produced. Not simply feared, but respected by every race that exists within it."

Of course, Adrian had constructed the entire thing on the spot.

But he had good reason for it.

If Kara was willing to pledge her loyalty after hearing that humans would stand alongside demons under the same roof, then she was worth binding to a contract.

If the opposite proved true, then the answer was already clear.

His eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.

’If she refuses, a fight is unavoidable. I cannot afford to leave a demon clan of this strength without resolution, not while the county is still in its current state.’

To his surprise, Kara dropped to one knee without hesitation, her head bowing forward in a single clean motion.

"If this is the dream you must walk, then I and every demon beneath my command have no choice but to follow."

"Why?" Adrian asked.

"Because you are the demon king," she said plainly, as though the answer had never been in question. "It would be an honor to stand at your side and watch you rise."

Adrian studied her face for a long moment.

There was not a single trace of deception in it.

No calculation, no performance.

What sat on her features was something closer to conviction, the particular kind that did not require maintenance because it had already decided.

Demons truly were a different breed.

’As long as I remain undefeated, their loyalty is effectively guaranteed.’

He rose to his feet and placed his hand just above Kara’s bowed head.

"Very well then. I will take you as my servant, as you have so earnestly requested."

[Would you like to form a contract with this demon?]

The runes flashed before his eyes in a clean pulse of light.

Without delay, a thread of red light unraveled from somewhere within him, curling outward across his body and down through his fingers before slowly winding itself around Kara like smoke finding a vent.

Adrian was certain the strings had never burned this brightly before.

’Yes,’ he answered.

The threads latched onto Kara in an instant, sinking into her skin and drawing from him at a rate he had not anticipated. His mana began to empty, steadily at first, then all at once.

With a composed expression, he held his ground and watched it through.

’Hmm. I wonder if she already knew I was capable of forming contracts. She submitted without me even having to ask.’

Before the thought could develop any further, a tremendous weight settled over his entire body, immediate and absolute.

[Contract has been completed.]

[All mana has been drained from you.]

’What?’

Adrian dropped.

The ground came up fast, and the darkness followed immediately after.

...

[Congratulations on making your fourth servant.]

[A new skill has been acquired.]

[Mana Coven: You may draw simultaneously from the ambient mana of the world and from demonic aura, granting you an effectively unlimited supply of mana at all times.]

’What... did I pass out?’

[10,000 SP has been obtained for recruiting a new army.]

[All soldiers have undergone evolution via the artifact, Horns of the Nation.]

’That quest completed on its own?’

[A new title has been obtained.]

[Demon Lord: As the ruler of demons, you may now speak their language and comprehend their ways.]

[Count of Vane: So long as you remain the leader of your county, your presence may be felt across every corner of your land.]

Bam.

His eyes snapped open.

For what felt like hours, he had been reading through one system notification after another without a single moment of rest.

The sheer volume of it pressed against his skull like a dull weight, and he reached up to grip his head as the ache made itself known.

"What happened?" he managed, his voice rougher than intended.

An answer came immediately from somewhere ahead of him.

"You lost consciousness, my lord."

Adrian blinked and took in the room around him.

He was back in his chambers. How he had gotten there, he could not immediately say.

What he could say was that he was not alone.

Closest to him was Valentina, her expression carrying the strained composure of someone who had spent a considerable amount of time holding their worry carefully in place.

Near the door on the opposite side stood a woman he had never seen before. Long pink hair. A white gown. A small black bow pinned at the side of her head, sitting at a slight angle as though placed there in haste or habit.

Across the room, Liora leaned against the far wall with her arms folded, her eyes fixed on him with the particular stillness she wore when she had been watching for a while and had decided not to announce it.

All three of them had their attention on him.

But the unknown woman was what held his focus.

"Who is this?" Adrian asked, his gaze settling on the pink-haired stranger.

---