Lucifer, the Demon of Pride, was the Grand Duke of the North.

The Demon Realm was a rigidly hierarchical society. At its summit stood the Devil King. Beneath him were the Demon Archdukes and the noble demons who had sworn loyalty to them, followed by the lesser demon tribes.

The demon who bore the epithet of Pride had earned recognition for his achievements during the invasion of the Middle Realm and was elevated to the rank of Grand Duke by the Devil King himself. The northern region of the human realm became his domain.

Afterward, plundering territories already ruled by another lord was forbidden. As a result, Lucifer’s lands had never once been invaded.

To demons, this was an alien concept. A territory with a lord that could not be seized? If desirable land already had an owner, wasn’t it only natural to kill the owner and take it for yourself?

But once the Devil King had spoken, obedience was absolute.

“So you’re saying we should simply stand by while some weakling elevates himself to Grand Duke without deserving it?”

“Precisely.”

“...?”

“Why is that so difficult to understand?”

“...”

“You are forbidden even from deciding who is or isn’t worthy.”

The Devil King answered calmly, almost kindly, but every demon present understood he was displeased.

The demon who had dared question him dissolved into a cloud of poison. After that, no one ever challenged the command again.

Why had such an order been given?

No demon cared enough to ask anymore.

The Devil King had no interest in conflicts within the Demon Realm. His attention was fixed solely on the Middle Realm. The Demon Realm had become a land where only the strong survived not merely because of demonic nature, but because the Devil King allowed it to be so. He enjoyed watching demons slaughter one another.

A cruel ruler.

No one understood why he alone forbade conflict in the Middle Realm.

The Devil King was an incomprehensible existence.

Perhaps he had simply lived too long and lost his mind. Even back when Lucifer had been nothing more than a wandering spirit haunting graveyards, the Devil King had already ruled the Demon Realm.

Lazy. Soft-hearted. Completely unlike a demon.

And worst of all—

He wore the form of an elf.

‘Why would he imitate a race that inferior?’

Demons were not creatures of flesh and blood. They were beings formed from demonic energy itself.

Just as Lucifer had discarded lesser forms countless times to ascend to his current position, all demons evolved by abandoning what they once were.

That evolution was shaped by will.

A demon’s appearance became the reflection of its desires.

No demon retained the form of its original race. To do so was an admission of inferiority.

And yet, because the Devil King had chosen to preserve the appearance of an elf, the ideal form among high-ranking demons became one with two arms and two legs.

The being who would eventually become the Northern Demon Archduke had once been a ghoul.

For Lucifer, being forced to resemble the shape of his rotten former self was unbearable.

He had slain the previous demon who carried the title of Pride and claimed that glorious position for himself, yet the demons who bore other epithets despised him.

Because he lacked a bipedal form.

“You’re trapped by your past as well.”

The Devil King had been the only one who never mocked him.

Yet somehow, that response had felt even crueler.

The pity in the Devil King’s eyes filled Lucifer with humiliation and rage.

“There is no fathoming His profound intentions.”

The Northern Demon Archduke concealed his true thoughts.

He was deep within a forest. The litter he lounged upon rested atop the shoulders of slave demons. Above it hung a canopy that shielded him from the sunlight, long tassels swaying beneath it and concealing the noble face of the Demon Archduke from prying eyes.

The tassels clinked softly together.

Noble demons marched around the litter in procession.

Those who had sworn loyalty to Lucifer eagerly echoed one another without even knowing whom they truly spoke of.

“Indeed. How could we possibly understand?”

“How could fools like us comprehend the thoughts of such a noble being?”

“It is beyond us. Unless the Grand Duke himself enlightens us, how could we even begin to grasp it?”

“That’s precisely why I like you. You know your place.”

Lucifer basked in their flattery.

One of the noble demons trailing behind glanced around nervously. Knowing full well how ungenerous the Grand Duke could be, he hesitated before finally speaking.

“But Your Highness... are you certain it is wise for us to be here?”

“What place exists that I cannot enter?”

“Your Highness is a mighty being. It is well known that the weak-willed ruler of the southern territories fears you. I merely worried that the cowardly Southern Grand Duke might be overwhelmed by Your Highness’s sudden arrival...”

“Your tongue is smooth. It has saved your life.”

The Demon of Pride burst into laughter.

Flattery always pleased him. Watching others tremble before him—watching them bow, freeze, and panic at his slightest breath—soothed the inferiority buried deep inside him.

“I shall educate you, foolish one.”

“I am honored by Your Highness’s grace.”

“That indolent Southern Grand Duke abandoned his territory long ago. The disorder there has become so severe even I have heard of it.” Lucifer slowly shook his head. “Would restoring order to such a place truly count as invading another’s domain?”

“No... certainly not.”

“His Majesty values order above all else. Acting before His command becomes necessary is the duty of a loyal subordinate. I have merely come to restore order to a land without a ruler.”

“Ah... I see it now. Truly.”

“All blame lies with the Southern Grand Duke who abandoned his post.”

“Your Highness is truly His Majesty’s most loyal servant.”

Praise rained down from every side. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Lucifer sneered inwardly.

‘A loyal servant?’

The Southern Grand Duke had vanished without a trace.

The Demon of Sloth, Ishter.

Whether Ishter had truly become as slothful as his title implied meant little to Lucifer. What mattered was the ownerless territory left behind.

And nothing stirred a demon’s greed more than unclaimed prey.

If a demon could resist temptation while prey stood before him, then he was no demon at all.

Lucifer had restrained himself for as long as he could.

Because the Devil King had ordered:

“Do not invade.”

But now the Devil King was gone.

Gula was searching for him. That vulgar creature—the sort of demon who would lick the Devil King’s boots if ordered to—had whispered slyly into Lucifer’s ear.

“The south is empty. Whatever happens there, His Majesty in his current state won’t care. Of course, I don’t know whether you possess the courage to disobey His Majesty’s command. ...Haha. You’re still as hideous as ever.”

Those words shattered the last of Lucifer’s restraint.

Courage?

Courage?

“I’m not afraid.” Lucifer ground his teeth together.

“You’re trapped ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) by your past as well.”

That pitying voice.

That condescending gaze.

How dare he look down on him?

Really... what was so remarkable about the Devil King?

That ancient demon had clearly gone mad after living too long. A true demon never revealed emotions so openly.

Among the proud and cunning demon race, the Devil King’s detached compassion was grotesquely out of place.

That was why the others despised him.

Why they mocked him.

Why they all dreamed of dragging him down and devouring him whole before claiming the throne for themselves.

And Lucifer intended to be the one who succeeded.

“But what if His Majesty does not acknowledge my loyalty?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Ah...”

“Indeed.”

Feigning reverence while caring only for their own survival, the noble demons laughed after hearing the information Lucifer had received from Gula.

One of the slave demons carrying the litter collapsed beneath its weight.

Lucifer swallowed the creature whole, forgiving its failure.

He was in too good a mood to ruin it with anger.

As the Demon Archduke approached, demons fled from their habitats in terror. Winged beasts took to the skies in panic, while four-legged creatures ran without daring to look back.

Among the fleeing shadows, Lucifer casually tore apart and tasted one particularly rare delicacy—a bipedal lesser creature with long ears.

Still, it did nothing to interrupt the procession.

The Demon of Pride had entered the south.

“They’re coming.”

Louise lowered the crude telescope. With eyesight sharp enough to rival an elf’s, he handled watch duty even better than most of them.

“Which direction?”

“They’ll likely pass through the elf village before heading this way.”

Ian lazily twirled a finger through the air.

“Spin it around a few times. You heard me, Genea?”

“Yes, Lord Ian.”

The wind spirit mimicked Genea’s voice.

Inside the bronze bowl Sema held, the surface of the water reflected Genea’s face. Around her stood Moiken, Hiikan, and several armed elves.

The elf village stretched behind them.

‘Good.’

The first strike would begin there.