The Demon King and His Former Subordinate

The cold wind on the mountaintop seemed to freeze at that moment.

Himmel stared at Lowell's back as she stood between him and the Demons general, momentarily stunned. Then, a knowing look appeared on his usually cheerful face. He gracefully brushed the ice crystals from his shoulder, his tone tinged with helplessness yet also as if he had expected this:

"Lowell, are you going to make your move? Speaking of which, this general is a formidable foe. I feel like we're about to be over." As he spoke, Heiter quickly began chanting, and soft holy light enveloped Himmel, Eisen, and Ruby, healing their injuries and warming their almost frozen limbs.

The Demons general, Sam, fixed his sharp golden vertical pupils on Lowell, who had suddenly intervened. He neither attacked immediately nor responded to Himmel's words, but remained silent, as if scrutinizing and sensing. A rare look of contemplation appeared on his cold face.

Lowell had his back to Himmel and the others, facing Sam, and his face was far from as calm as his tone suggested. He first tried to wink, his lips twitching slightly, attempting to convey a signal of "we're on the same side, don't make a move."

Sam noticed Lowell's strange expression, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He remained silent for a while longer before finally speaking with a hint of uncertainty, his voice still icy. "Who are you?"

If it weren't for the indescribable yet vaguely familiar deep magical fluctuations emanating from the black-haired man before him, given his personality, he would never have wasted his breath on any human who stood in his way.

Seeing that his eye contact had no effect, Lowell sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm. He no longer deliberately concealed his aura completely, but slowly, as if unsealing an ancient glacier, released a trace of his original, profound, and abyss-like magical aura.

The aura wasn't ostentatious, yet it carried an indescribable weight and majesty, as if it could resonate with the surrounding magic. He continued to wink at Sam, and even coughed twice to remind him to cooperate, lowering his voice to say, "It's me, it's me, cough cough!"

Sam sensed the undeniable, soul-deep magical source. His golden pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, a hint of tremor appeared on his usually icy face. His hand, gripping the ice-blue longsword, paused briefly, and he almost blurted out:

"Is it His Majesty the Demon King... Lord Lorenz?"

Lowell slapped his forehead, making a crisp sound, his face showing utter frustration at his wasted acting skills and how he'd completely misunderstood the situation. All his efforts in giving subtle signals had been for naught; the guy was still so direct!

Behind him, the reactions varied.

Ruby, still recovering from the shock of her near-death experience and catching her breath, widened her large, emerald eyes instantly upon hearing Sam's words. Her mouth formed an "O" as she pointed at Lowell, her voice trembling. "The Demon King?! Lowell is... the Demon King?!" This shocking news nearly made her bite her tongue.

Himmel, Eisen, and Heiter also showed surprise, but not nearly as exaggeratedly Ruby.

Himmel chuckled softly, her blue hair fluttering slightly in the cold wind. "Although I had a premonition that Mr. Lowell was no ordinary person, I never expected... that he would actually be a Demon King." His tone was more of awe than fear. Eisen nodded silently, his bronze face showing little emotion, only his grip on the axe tightened.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, Heiter quickly took a swig of wine to replenish his strength, wiped his mouth, and while he was surprised, he didn't harbor much hostility. After all, they had traveled together and knew Lowell's character all too well. Ever since Frieren let slip that, they had already had a vague suspicion in their hearts.

The biting wind and snow were kept out of the abandoned hunter's hut that had been found on the spot. Inside, firewood crackled in the fireplace, and the flickering flames illuminated several faces with different expressions.

Ruby lit the fireplace with fire magic. Frieren wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, huddled in the corner closest to the fire, seemingly uninterested in the grand spectacle of revealing identities. Her head bobbed up and down as if she were about to fall asleep, only her pointed ears twitching almost imperceptibly. Lupa's eyes were resolute. She already knew Lowell's identity, but her trust in Lowell remained unwavering. She simply adjusted her breathing silently. Linié stood quietly to the side, her deep blue eyes recording everything.

Ruby finally couldn't hold back any longer and leaned close to Lowell, whispering, "Lowell... are you really... the Demon King?" Although she had already confirmed it on the way, she still wanted to hear Lowell say it again.

Facing the complex Ruby of the crowd, especially Ruby who was still in shock, Lowell scratched his head, trying to ease the awkwardness with a lighthearted tone. "To be precise, the former Demon King. I was defeated and overthrown by that guy Discal a long time ago. He's the Demon King now. So don't be nervous. Right now, I'm just an ordinary traveler."

"But... why?" Ruby 'Ruby blue eyes were full of confusion. "Aren't all Demon Kings... very, very evil, wanting to destroy the world? Like the one we're going to defeat now..."

Lowell shook his head, his expression becoming more serious. His gaze swept over everyone in the room, including Himmel and the others who were listening quietly. "Ruby, and everyone else, remember my words. Don't let my existence give you any unrealistic illusions about the Demons race. My view of the nature of Demons is actually not much different from Frieren's."

Frieren seemed to stir in the corner, but made no sound.

Lowell continued, "Demons, in their essence and way of thinking, are completely different from races like humans, elves, and dwarves. The vast majority of Demons see other intelligent life as 'food' or 'resources,' lacking empathy and struggling to understand the emotions and value of life. They follow the instinct of the survival of the fittest and the plunder of evolution. Therefore, if you encounter Demons on your journey—except for a very few exceptions like Sam, who can communicate with them for special reasons and have been confirmed to be temporarily harmless—the best course of action is still to remain vigilant and prioritize fighting and eliminating them. This is the only way to ensure your own safety."

Sam, standing beside him, spoke up bluntly, seemingly disagreeing with Lowell's earlier use of the word "defeated and overthrown," his tone carrying an undeniable certainty. "Your Majesty, you were not defeated by Discal. In that so-called 'decisive battle' a thousand years ago, you merely voluntarily left the throne."

Lowell choked for a moment, then glared at Sam angrily. "Can't you shut up?! You talk too much!" This guy, even after all these years, still has no sense of atmosphere!

Sam immediately shut his mouth, but his "I'm just stating the facts" expression remained unchanged, like a naive young man.

Lowell had no choice but to face the crowd again, shrug, and speak with a touch of resigned honesty:

"Alright, alright, I didn't lose, I just didn't want to do it anymore, okay? But anyway, Lorenz was my name when I was Demons, and I haven't used it for a long time. Now I'm just Lowell, a former Demon King who just happened to live a bit longer, hates trouble, and loves to travel. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Ruby's little brain was still struggling to process this huge amount of information. She blinked her big turquoise eyes, looked at Lowell's usual lazy demeanor, and recalled all the help Lowell had given her along the way. She subconsciously scratched her head, and although she didn't quite understand such a complicated matter, she still said intuitively:

"Regardless of what happened before, I know that Lowell is a good person now! She's been helping us all along! That's enough!"

Himmel nodded, a look of trust returning to her face. "Ruby's right. Whoever Lowell was in the past, we've truly felt your character and help during this journey with us. You are a trustworthy companion, and that will never change."

Heiter and Eisen nodded in agreement. Heiter even laughed, "Haha, I always thought Lowell was someone important, but I didn't expect you to be a Demon King. This journey is going to be even more interesting."

Frieren seemed to give a soft "humph" from the corner, rolled over, and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, as if to say, "I knew it all along, why are you making such a fuss now?" Lupa nodded vigorously, her trust in Lowell written all over her face.

Seeing his companions' reactions, Lowell breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something to ease the tension when Sam suddenly spoke up, asking a crucial question, "In that case, Your Majesty, why don't you reclaim the throne that rightfully belongs to you? Discal's rule has not been recognized by all the Demons. If only you were to return..."

Lowell couldn't help but rub his forehead again, interrupting him:

"How many times have I told you? Fighting and killing are such a hassle! And ruling the Demons is the most troublesome thing in the world. I don't have that kind of ambition, nor do I have that kind of leisure. Even now, there aren't many of the Seven Sages of Destruction who are truly devoted to Discal. Loyal ministers like Qual and Scharlach are a minority. Aren't most Demons still acting independently and scattered like a disorganized mess? Not everyone is as stubborn as you... Speaking of which, you haven't been looking for me all these past thousand years, have you?"

Sam's golden, vertical pupils stared directly at Lowell, his tone calm yet firm. "I am loyal only to you, Your Majesty. Finding your whereabouts is my mission."

Lowell, seeing his unyielding attitude, was utterly exasperated. "Didn't I already say? What I want is a peaceful life, gardening, traveling, researching little gadgets that interest me... The Demon King's throne and all that, really isn't for me. Sam, you deserve to have your own life too."

Sam was silent for a moment, seemingly struggling to grasp the concept of "peaceful life," before speaking again, his tone still earnest to the point of stubbornness. "If this is the 'peace' Your Majesty desires, I am willing to follow you and protect this tranquility."

Lowell: "..." He looked at Sam's face, which was filled with "I'm serious, and I will never change," and was speechless for a moment. This guy's thought process seemed to be even more straightforward than it was a thousand years ago.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment, with only the relentless howling of the wind and snow outside contrasting sharply with the subtle and complex silence inside the small house.