Chapter 88 : Identity (2)

Why were they mentioning the name of Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union?

I already knew the reason.

Because the name of the Demon King who supposedly died fighting the Hero in the past was Stalin.

According to records, he had also suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so it was probably the Secretary-General himself.

I didn’t know who summoned him, but it must’ve been a case similar to the Hero Hitler.

But that was one thing.

Why were the demons clinging to Kalia?

As if they were witnessing some kind of savior?

“You.”

“Ah, Ishmael.”

“Lady Kalia? Who is that man—”

“…He is the one I will spend my life with. I’ll explain everything in detail later, so please step back for now.”

After she sent away the demons, who wore puzzled expressions, Kalia was finally freed from the crowd and let out a sigh as she leaned into me.

The feel of her chest pressed against me beneath the nomadic-style armor was soft.

“I thought I was going to suffocate. I couldn’t shake them off with force either.”

“…What on earth happened?”

“It’s nothing. They just lost their minds after seeing the shape of my horns.”

Her horns, huh?

Come to think of it, Kalia’s horns were quite unique in shape.

I hadn’t realized before, since she was the only demon I’d met, but they were far larger and more complex than others’.

Most demons had a clean pair of horns extending either upward or sideways.

But my wife had twice as many.

Even their thickness was abnormally great.

“Seriously? Just because of that?”

I realized this during the conquest of the Artium Empire.

Even though I had seen thousands of demons in towns and cities, none of them had horns shaped like Kalia’s.

But still, that alone shouldn’t draw such crowds.

No matter how large or beautiful the horns were, in the end, it was just a unique trait.

It might be curious, sure—but there’d be no reason to revere her over it.

Unless it was a trait of some special bloodline, or something symbolic.

“…Haa.”

I stared at her with an expression that asked, Are you really going to keep lying to your life partner?

She let out a deep sigh.

So there was a story behind it.

“Come to think of it, you’re someone from another world. Of course you wouldn’t know.”

“Know what?”

“This,” she said, pointing at her horns and settling down on a nearby wooden barrel.

Then, with a somewhat cynical tone, she began to speak.

“You know how demons worship the great Demon King Stalin, right? You saw it for yourself earlier.”

“Yeah.”

“He died in the final battle with the Hero, but his lineage still lives on. He had five children, after all.”

He killed his son in the German-Soviet War, sent his son-in-law to the gulag, and now he’s remarried in another world?

And even had five kids?

Well, as a monarch, continuing the royal bloodline must’ve been necessary—but still, what a buzzkill.

“The third and fourth children died without descendants.

The fifth remained single.

So only the descendants of the first and second children carry on the Demon King’s bloodline.”

“What’s the connection between that and the shape of your horns?”

“Those who carry the blood of the Demon King show signs of it on the outside. Through the shape of the horns that all demons possess.”

She phrased it vaguely, but I could still understand what she meant.

In the end, it just meant that those who inherited the Demon King’s blood walk around with more extravagant things on their heads than others.

“Then you too?”

“Yes… Though by now, it’s a bloodline with no real significance.”

Kalia clicked her tongue.

With a bitter expression, she looked off into the distance.

“My father and mother are dead, my relatives were massacred. The Demon King’s army has been destroyed, and demons are persecuted every day. What use is a noble bloodline in times like these? It’s just an unnecessary burden.”

“…”

“Perhaps I’m the only heir to the Demon King left. There was even a time when the descendants of the Demon King were hunted down intensively.”

Even if the kingdom had fallen and the people scattered, being the royal heir didn’t mean much.

On the contrary, it just became a good excuse for harsher persecution and slaughter.

And Kalia herself was the living proof of that—a war orphan who survived by clinging to scraps until she was taken in by Mahdi.

Maybe because her ancestors had suffered endlessly at the hands of humans for generations, she didn’t seem to hold any affection for her bloodline.

She probably saw it as nothing more than a bothersome shackle from the past.

“And yet, there are still so many demons who worship this damn bloodline. Just a moment ago, they were dropping to their knees the moment they saw me.”

“From their point of view, you’re the heir of a great hero. When reality is harsh, people cling to past glory or legend.”

“For me, it’s nothing but a burden… It’s not like I’m in a position to actually help them.”

Trying to lighten the gloomy mood, she threw a mischievous joke.

“Oh, but I guess this damn bloodline does have one perk.”

“What is it?”

“My horns are bigger and sturdier than everyone else’s. Perfect for you to grab onto at night. Whether it’s when I use my mouth or when I’m below.”

Normally, I might’ve blushed at that kind of dirty joke.

But this time, I just couldn’t.

Because the one saying it didn’t look happy at all.

She looked utterly downcast—how could I possibly laugh at a time like this?

Isn’t there anything I can do to help?

The real reason Kalia seemed disheartened… was probably frustration.

She loved her people as a demon, but her noble blood was a nuisance.

Because of it, she was likely overwhelmed by the unrealistic expectations placed upon her.

She was burdened by the excessive reverence for a bloodline she didn’t even take pride in.

If that’s the case, then I need to find a way to ease that burden.

Now that her horns were publicly revealed, rumors about a demon with two pairs of horns were bound to spread.

Which meant Kalia’s existence would be known far and wide.

And when that happened, more people would start clinging to her, hoping for salvation.

We can’t drive them away or defeat them.

They’re her precious kin.

It’s not like she doesn’t understand their expectations, either.

In that case, the best course of action is to give her the authority and position to meet those expectations.

“Hey, Kalia.”

I quickly ran some calculations in my head.

Once I was convinced that there was a solution, I cautiously made the suggestion.

“Have you ever thought about becoming the queen of a demon nation?”

“…What?”

*****

It might sound ridiculous, but my proposal wasn’t entirely out of the blue.

There had already been discussions in the past about establishing an independent demon nation.

I was just plugging Kalia into that existing framework.

“…You’re telling me to become a monarch? Someone who’s never even gone to a proper school in her whole life?”

“That’s true for most demons too, isn’t it?”

When I first came up with the idea.

I devised a strategy where, amid the chaos caused by our organization’s uprisings and acts of terror, we’d incite demons all over the land to rise up.

That way, attention wouldn’t be focused solely on the organization, and we could leverage the demon factions for our own ends.

But after meeting Mahdi and the nomads, my thinking changed.

“With 170,000 rocket cavalry, we might as well put them to good use.”

With their military might, I believed they could conquer lands and reshape the international order.

So I revised the plan to borrow their strength.

While the nomadic cavalry expanded territory with force, our organization would establish a new nation, supporting the demons to build a homeland.

And then the three forces would cooperate to resist external enemies.

The organization and the demons would benefit from a powerful ally, while the nomads would gain a friendly state and a solid support base.

It was a win-win strategy for everyone involved.

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it.”

“You’ll do just fine. I’ll be right there by your side to help you, always.”

“That’s a bit of a relief, at least…”

“When a nation is first founded, you need a symbolic leader. Just think of it as playing that role.”

All we needed now was to designate Kalia as the leader of the demon nation.

It wasn’t particularly difficult.

If anything, it would make things easier.

With someone universally recognized as the heir of a noble bloodline acting as the focal point, the demons would be able to rally together far more smoothly.

As for the tricky political matters or organizing the factions—that would be my job.

As someone who promised to marry her, helping in this way was the least I could do.

“I already got your father’s and your brothers’ permission, so don’t worry.”

“My father agreed to this?”

“He said it’s better to have someone you know ruling a country than a complete stranger.”

As soon as the idea came to mind, I discussed it with Attila and Subutai and got their approval.

I even sent word to Mahdi, who should be arriving in Charichin soon.

Since we’re founding a nation anyway, having a relative at the top is more reassuring—he agreed without hesitation.

There’s still much to discuss regarding territory… but that can wait.

It’s too early to talk about it when we don’t even know how far we’ll be able to conquer.

“If I become queen, then you’ll be the royal consort, right? Since you’d be the queen’s husband.”

“Probably, yeah.”

That’s something that can only happen once everything goes smoothly, but at least in theory, I’m set to become the royal consort.

After all, if your wife is the ruler, it wouldn’t make sense for her husband to have no official position.

“…Alright, if you’re pushing this much, I’ll give it my best shot.I’d like to see you sitting next to me wearing a crown too.”

“Good decision, you.”

“And maybe… sneak onto the throne together at night…”

Kalia clenched her fist with determination and declared her resolve.

I didn’t quite catch what she said at the end, but she seems enthusiastic, so it should be fine.

“So, what do we start with?”

“A speech.”

First step: stirring up the masses.