A True Warrior

The next day, it was time for me to learn the magic of the "Declaration."

"The former chieftain of the Orgi clan, Count Oalg, will be teaching you."

Platifia came to my room early in the morning to give me this news.

…'Chieftain' and 'Count'—what a strange combination.

In my head, I imagined a muscle-bound old man wearing the frilly clothes of a noble. I wondered what kind of person this Count Oalg really was.

Still, I was surprised at how easily she had arranged for someone of such a high rank to train me, despite the usual rivalries between the clans. I had half-expected the Demon King himself to handle my training…

"The Demon King is quite busy, you know," Platifia said with a hint of frustration as we shared a light breakfast.

Later, I heard from Sophia that some of the other mothers had interfered, saying things like, "A child of unknown parentage requesting an audience with the Demon King? How preposterous!"

We headed to the training grounds.

It seemed like the magic of "Declaration" was taught in quite an open setting.

The vast plateau at the foot of the Demon King's castle, carved from a mountain of marble, served as the training grounds. Warriors from all kinds of races—demons, beastmen, night elves, even ogres—were practicing their combat skills, engaging in fierce mock battles that looked more like real warfare than training.

"Hey!! You finally came!!"

But today, the usual warriors were pushed to the sidelines. In the center of the training grounds, a man was standing proudly, clearly waiting for us.

He wore clothes that looked like a noble's outfit—frilly and far too tight for him.

He held a spear made of bone with an obsidian tip.

His face was painted with menacing red-black war patterns.

His shoulders were adorned with shoulder armor made from the skulls of large carnivorous monsters.

And to top it all off, he wore a necklace made of shriveled ears from various species.

This muscle-bound, bearded old man…

…was Count Oalg.

Except for the frilly noble's clothes, everything about him screamed barbarian! I had never seen anyone in the Demon King's castle embrace the barbarian look to this extent.

"…Count Oalg is 280 years old, a seasoned warrior of ancient times. He deeply values the old traditions of the demon race," Platifia muttered, her gaze darting awkwardly.

It seemed like younger generations, like Platifia, weren't fond of this barbarian style. Maybe they didn't want to be reminded that just a few generations ago, demons had been a primitive race.

"Oho! You must be Zilvagias!!"

Ignoring our shock at his appearance, Oalg strode toward me, towering over me as he looked me up and down.

"—I heard you were five years old, but you're much bigger than I expected!!! No wonder people doubt your lineage!! Gahahahaha!!!"

The sheer volume of his voice made my head throb. It was the kind of voice that would carry well across a battlefield…

"Thank you for taking the time, Count Oalg," Platifia said with a respectful bow. Even she was being polite in front of such a seasoned warrior.

"Gahahaha! Is that sarcasm, Duchess Platifia?! Ever since I retired, I've been bored out of my mind without any battles! I should've died gloriously in combat rather than wasting away in peace!!"

Whether he was laughing or angry, it was hard to tell, as he pounded the ground with the butt of his spear.

"But since I have nothing better to do, I'm happy to help! Besides, how could I refuse a request from my beloved granddaughter-in-law?!"

"…Count Oalg's grandson is married to my younger sister," Platifia explained as I tilted my head in confusion at the term "granddaughter-in-law."

So that's the connection…

"I'm Zilvagias. Thank you for taking the time today," I said, giving a slight bow.

"Very good! You're polite! Let's get started immediately!!!"

Oalg gave some sort of signal toward the edge of the training grounds, then turned back to face me.

"Now then, Zilvagias, let me show you the power of the 'Declaration.'"

He took a deep breath, and Platifia quickly stepped back to a safe distance.

I sensed something ominous and tried to follow her lead, but I was too slow.

And because of that, I took the full force of it.

"I am OALG!! Former warrior chieftain of the Orgi clan, the one and only—OALGGGGGG!!!!"

A deafening roar shook the entire training grounds.

Beastmen and other races with low magical resistance were knocked unconscious. Even the seasoned demon and night elf warriors turned in alarm, startled by the sheer force of his voice.

Before me, Oalg seemed to grow to an enormous size.

The overwhelming presence! This was exactly like the Demon King that day!!

…Only unlike the Demon King, Oalg's magic overwhelmed his noble outfit, which tore apart and exploded into shreds!!

"Gahahahaha! Clothes from the 'outside' may look fancy, but they're too fragile!"

Suddenly, the old man was half-naked, slapping his exposed belly as he laughed heartily. His skull armor and necklace of shriveled ears remained intact, along with his fur undergarments.

…Am I supposed to learn this?

"Do clothes normally explode like that?"

"Not for the Demon King," Platifia said, sounding uncertain.

"Don't worry!" Oalg reassured us, laughing. "Once you've mastered your strength, your clothes won't burst apart like this!"

Still chuckling, Oalg glanced at the tattered remains of his noble outfit on the ground.

"They look nice and feel alright, but clothes from the outside world just don't suit me! Gahahahaha!!"

After he had his fill of laughter, the old warrior finally grew serious.

"Now then, Zilvagias. The magic of 'Declaration' is a spell for true warriors."

True warriors? What does that even mean?

"In other words, as one who carries the blood of the Orgi clan, you must become a 'warrior' yourself. …Zilvagias, why do you fight? What is your reason for fighting?"

He looked deep into my eyes as he asked the question.

"Are you fighting just because your mother ordered you to aim for the throne?"

His tone was both probing and slightly mocking, as if testing me.

I didn't know what kind of response he was hoping for, but for me, there was only one answer.

"I don't want to become the Demon King."

Both Oalg and Platifia frowned at my answer.

"However," I continued, speaking my truth.

"—I want to surpass my father."

I wanted to surpass the current Demon King.

"…Hahahahahaha!! Splendid!! That's the spirit!!"

Oalg roared with laughter and smacked my shoulder so hard it hurt.

"Good! You understand the essence of it, Zilvagias! Titles like Demon King, Duke, Count—they're all just decorations! A true warrior doesn't need such things! All that matters is strength!!"

But then, he turned his gaze toward the far end of the training grounds.

"However, having the right mindset isn't enough to make you a warrior. Battle is the act of taking lives. If you wish to call yourself a warrior, you must first undergo the necessary ritual… Duchess Platifia, is Zilvagias still a virgin?"

"Yes. He hasn't even claimed his own spear yet."

"I see. Then today will be a memorable day for him."

…I had a very bad feeling about this.

Chains rattled from behind me.

I slowly turned around—

'Sooner than I expected,' came Ante's whisper, as she laughed softly inside me.

'This is your chance, Alexandru. To claim power…'

The forbidden demon god was practically licking her lips.

"As you can see, Zilvagias, we've prepared some prey for you."

Lined up in front of me were men from the human race, shackled and bound.

They were all gaunt and wounded, but their eyes burned with hatred.

"These are human soldiers we captured on the battlefield. If you wish to become a warrior, you know what you must do, don't you, Zilvagias?"

Oalg pushed me gently from behind, like a grandfather encouraging his grandson.

"—Kill them."