Chapter 739: Completely Joining the Demon Race?

“Well, I agree.”

When Shien uttered these words of resignation, the atmosphere in the conference room didn’t improve much.

Although Airi looked satisfied, as if saying, “Good, you know what’s good for you,” the other Demon Lords had mixed reactions.

Sara wasn’t surprised, but a slightly sour expression appeared on her face, as if lamenting that her “precious cabbage” had been “stolen by a pig.”

Lid also felt emotional. After all, the six Demon Lord sisters had lived together for over ten thousand years, always single, never considering marriage.

The reasons were simple.

First, as naturally transcendent Demon Lords, capable of surpassing even two of the Three Goddesses, they didn’t think they needed a partner.

Second, those who stood at the apex of this world were mostly women, only Heroes being male, and Heroes were their natural enemies. Not trying to eliminate them was already considered good, how could they possibly fall for one?

In short, the Demon Lords believed that no man in this world was worthy of them.

Therefore, they simply weren’t interested in men, from any race, even their own.

And yet, today, one of the six sisters finally had a man, and it was their youngest, Airi.

This feeling…

How should they put it?

It was complicated.

Of course, if Shafney knew Lid’s thoughts, she would definitely retort inwardly,

“I also have a man, and he’s the same one as my soon-to-be-married younger sister.”

How exciting.

As for Millu, she probably didn’t understand the “severity” of this matter yet, simply whispering and playing with Lilith, who was sitting on Shien’s lap, closest to her.

They were still children, too young to participate in such a discussion.

As for Kamina, she remained silent and calm, her thoughts unknown.

Under such circumstances, Sara’s gaze swept across her sisters.

“Since he has agreed, then my sisters, are your opinions still the same as last time?”

Last time, when Shien wasn’t present, and Sara first proposed the engagement between him and Airi, everyone had different opinions.

Lid supported it, believing that Shien and Airi had already developed feelings for each other, so it was better to let nature take its course.

Kamina opposed it, partly because she wouldn’t agree to her most beloved sister marrying someone she hadn’t even met, partly because Shien was the Hero, and she didn’t understand his special nature as well as Sara and the others, so she harbored the usual hostility towards Heroes, and partly because of Airi’s defiance.

Millu abstained, her opinion not counted.

Shafney neither supported nor opposed it, saying she wanted to meet Shien and see his abilities first.

Therefore, at the previous meeting, the feedback regarding this matter was two votes in favor, one against, one abstention, one pending, and Airi tacitly agreed. In the end, they only announced the news, without finalizing the matter.

Today, Sara was here to re-evaluate her sisters’ opinions.

“As the one who proposed this, I naturally wouldn’t oppose it, although I’m starting to regret it a little…” Sara muttered the last part softly.

“I still support it,” Lid immediately said, nodding, “Since both Shien and Airi have agreed, I think we, as older sisters, shouldn’t object.”

This was Lid’s consistent stance. Clearly, this Beast Demon was optimistic about their future. She even intended to use this to change the Demon Race’s image. Everyone saw Heroes as the natural enemies of the Demon Race, the trump card of the God Race, and the strongest of the Human Race. The relationship between Heroes and the Demon Race should be irreconcilable.

But Lid believed that in this era of peace, such a fixed image shouldn’t continue.

Who said Heroes couldn’t coexist peacefully with the Demon Race?

Who said Heroes had to side with the God Race and the Human Race?

Couldn’t a Hero be a member of the Demon Race?

If even the Hero could coexist peacefully with the Demon Race, it would definitely impact Omnipotence, telling the world that the past war was truly over.

This was a good thing.

Lid felt that Sara must also have this in mind, which was why she proposed the engagement, right?

This was a signal to the God Race and the Human Race, showing that the Demon Race wouldn’t cause trouble because of a Hero, but would instead win him over.

Thanks to this, the chaos within the Demon Race would be quelled, as their perceived threat had become one of their own, the Hero’s summoning a blessing, not a curse.

And the God Race and the Human Race should be nervous, right?

Regardless of whether the Hero’s summoning was their doing, securing the Hero himself would solve everything.

If it was their plot, they would be panicking now.

If it wasn’t, then even better.

This win-win situation was what Sara sought.

Lid, seeing through part of Sara’s plan, and also not wanting to object to her younger sister finally finding someone, consistently voted in favor.

Millu… well, she abstained.

Therefore, only Shafney and Kamina’s opinions remained.

“Shafney, what are your thoughts?” Sara asked Shafney, who had abstained last time.

Shafney glanced at Shien, then became slightly annoyed. Shien was whispering to Airi, seemingly making up for lost time, not caring about the Demon Lords’ discussion at all. No, he genuinely didn’t care. Through the connection of [Ripple Heart Demon], Shafney could somewhat sense his thoughts.

“I don’t care whether you agree or not. I’m not marrying you. If you push me too far, I’ll just take her away. Why all this fuss…”

This was probably also Airi’s thought, right?

Seeing Airi also seemingly ignoring their discussion, whispering to Shien, Shafney knew that this girl didn’t care whether her sisters agreed or not.

She only wanted Shien’s consent. As long as he agreed, even if her sisters opposed it, so what?

She wasn’t called a rebellious girl for nothing.

“If they push me too far, I’ll just elope with him back to the Human Realm. Why all this fuss…”

Shafney could almost hear Airi’s thoughts.

This made her feel uneasy.

“I’m actually being shown affection…”

Shafney almost couldn’t believe it. Usually, upon seeing her, even couples who had sworn eternal love would be captivated by her.

Now, she was being shown affection by her own man and her own sister, her opinion even being ignored.

If not for the occasion, she would have slammed the table and shouted,

“Although you met him first, I’m the one who enjoyed him first!”

Fortunately, she held back.

She wasn’t ready to reveal her relationship with Shien yet. It would be earth-shattering news.

Unlike Airi, who was only worshipped by the Dragon Race, Shafney’s admirers were everywhere, and she was seen as an unattainable goddess by the entire Demon Race.

If it were revealed that she had been “conquered” by Shien, the resulting chaos wouldn’t be something a mere marriage alliance could quell.

Moreover, Shafney considered her relationship with Shien to be still undefined, and revealing it now would be detrimental.

Thinking of this, she said with a bored tone,

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter.” Her voice was resentful.

“???” The others tilted their heads in confusion. Why was this usually mischievous Succubus acting like a neglected wife? It wasn’t like her husband had been stolen, why was she sighing like this?

The Demon Lords were puzzled.

“Well,” Sara, also puzzled, ignored the sulking Shafney and turned to Kamina, “What about you? Do you still oppose it?”

After all, among the six Demon Lord sisters, only Kamina explicitly expressed her opposition. Shafney, although not in favor, didn’t object either, and with her playful nature, even if Airi really married Shien, she wouldn’t likely cause trouble. Kamina, however, if she truly opposed it, with her temper, she wouldn’t be easy to deal with. If they ignored her feelings and proceeded with the engagement, she would definitely cause trouble.

Therefore, Sara valued Kamina’s opinion the most, wanting to at least understand her stance and prevent her from causing trouble.

Unfortunately…

“You want my approval?” Kamina didn’t immediately object like last time, but said these strange words, glancing at Shien, her purple eyes flickering, then she suddenly smiled.

“I can agree,” she said, but then added, “This Hero must publicly announce that he’s joining our Demon Race.”

These words instantly made the atmosphere tense.

“What did you say?”

Kamina’s words finally caught Shien’s attention.

“Completely join the Demon Race?”

Sara, Shafney, Lid, Airi, and the others also didn’t expect Kamina to say this, momentarily stunned. They had anticipated her continuing to object, or reluctantly agreeing for their sake, or even secretly causing trouble, but they never expected her to set a condition, especially such a condition.

“Is it strange?” Kamina asked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Since he’s planning to marry our little sister, one of the apex beings of the Demon Race, announcing his joining of the Demon Race is only natural.”

Although it sounded reasonable, Shien found it ridiculous.

“Natural, my ass… no, you’re an idiot!” He almost cursed, but Airi’s sharp glare made him change his words mid-sentence. However, his feelings remained unchanged.

“Marrying one of your apex beings means I have to join your Demon Race?” Shien asked, exasperated, “You mean I’m not worthy of Airi and have to marry into your family, is that it?”

To put it simply, this was the meaning of Kamina’s condition.

“Is that so unacceptable to you?” Kamina asked, her expression unchanged.

Shien was silent for a moment, then prepared to stand up, clearly about to flip the table and argue with Kamina.

However, before he could act, two people stopped him.

“Don’t be impulsive,” Shafney said, appearing behind Shien and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’re not done talking yet,” Airi also grabbed his collar, preventing him from standing up, shaking her head at him.

Sara and Lid also frowned.

“Kamina, your condition isn’t very realistic,” Lid said.

“The God Race and the Human Race won’t agree,” Sara also shook her head.

They knew Kamina wasn’t deliberately making things difficult for Shien, just being too blunt. As sisters for so long, they could tell that her attitude had shifted, showing some approval of Shien. Therefore, she no longer opposed the marriage as strongly as before. However, it was precisely because of this change in attitude that she wanted more, wanting Shien to completely join the Demon Race, to become one of them and be used by them.

She also wanted to weaken the God Race and the Human Race by turning this Hero against them. If the God Race and the Human Race had a Hero, they would have the confidence to challenge the Demon Race. But if the Hero they were so proud of not only didn’t work for them, but even joined the Demon Race, then with the already powerful Demon Race further strengthened, would they still dare to challenge them? The God Race would probably have to ask the Supreme God to return.

This Poison Demon’s way of thinking was always this simple, direct, and forceful. She probably saw the chaos caused by the Hero’s appearance and thought that instead of trying to quell the conflict, it was better to increase the Demon Race’s strength and deterrence, using power to make the other two races apprehensive.

This wasn’t ineffective.

Without the Hero, or if the Hero joined the Demon Race, how could the God Race and the Human Race, already wary of the Demon Race’s power, still want to start a war?

And with the Hero on their side, the Demon Race wouldn’t have to worry about him being a threat.

This was Kamina’s thought process, leading to her condition.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t realistic. Perhaps, considering the difference in strength, the God Race and the Human Race might endure this and not openly confront the Demon Race, but they would definitely remember it. If that happened, although the current chaos and conflict might subside, the relationship between the three races would be further strained. At that time, any peace would be temporary, and this rift would eventually lead to a true war, completely shattering the balance maintained for a thousand years.

Therefore, although having the Hero join the Demon Race was tempting, it couldn’t be implemented.

“Having him become one of our own is enough. We can’t be too greedy, or it will backfire, understand?”

Sara looked at Kamina, her gaze deep.

Kamina wanted to say something more, but seeing Sara’s gaze, she closed her mouth. She didn’t understand these complicated matters or Sara’s concerns. In a sense, her thinking was as simple and direct as Millu’s innocence. She was a typical demon, although not entirely brawn over brains, her first solution to any problem was force. She believed that power could conquer, consume, erode, and devour everything.

This nature was like—poison.

Based on this mindset, the first things Kamina considered were always power, strength, and combat ability. This was also why she attacked Lilith upon meeting her, suppressed Shien with her aura, poisoned him silently, and then wanted to see how long he could last while touching her.

This was Kamina, the Poison Demon, a very simple Demon Lord.

This was also why she was considered the most ruthless.

Of course, such people also had a merit: as long as one displayed sufficient strength, they could earn her recognition.

This was the main reason why Kamina changed her attitude towards Shien. If Shien couldn’t withstand her aura and poison and still stand here talking to her, she would have already driven him away.

For such a Kamina, understanding Sara’s thoughts wasn’t impossible, but it wouldn’t happen quickly.

But Kamina at least knew how intelligent and resourceful her older sister was. Since she stopped her, it meant Sara had considered something she hadn’t.

Therefore…

“…Let me ask you a question,” Kamina said, turning to Shien.

Her next question was surprisingly familiar to Shien.

“If the Demon Race and the God Race truly go to war, what will you do?” She asked seriously.

Shien was startled for a moment, then glanced at Shafney. She had also asked him this question before.

“Pfft,” Shafney chuckled, then said to Kamina, “Kamina, I’ve already asked him this question.”

“Really?” Kamina wasn’t embarrassed, but asked Shafney, “Then what did he say?”

“It’s simple,” Shafney said with a bright smile, as if genuinely amused, “He said, ‘What’s that got to do with me?'”

Kamina blinked.

Sara and Lid were also speechless.

Only Airi glanced at Shien and said,

“That sounds just like something you would say.”

Saying this, she actually smiled. This was the Shien she knew, always surprising and unpredictable. However, his attitude towards the God Race and the Demon Race could also be seen from these words.

Clearly, he wasn’t like those Heroes of the past, who saw the Demon Race as irredeemable evil and naturally sided with the God Race and the Human Race. His relationship with the God Race wasn’t that close, and his connection to the Human Race wasn’t as strong as others imagined. He didn’t have a savior complex, feeling responsible for maintaining world peace.

He was just an ordinary person. He treated those who were good to him well, and those who were bad to him even worse. He didn’t have a fixed stance, only judging people and events based on his own experiences and only caring about those around him.

As for strangers and unfamiliar forces… what did they have to do with him?

Therefore…

“If the Demon Race and the God Race truly go to war, then you will…?” Kamina asked, looking at Shien, surprised.

Shien rolled his eyes and said,

“I’ll immediately grab my people and run as far away as possible.”

His blunt words made Kamina fall silent.

But after a moment, she laughed, her laughter growing louder and louder.

“He actually said he’d run away?” She muttered to herself, both surprised and amused, “This is the first time I’ve seen such a Hero.”

“Right?” Shafney chuckled, covering her mouth, “This Hero is quite interesting, isn’t he?”

“He is quite interesting,” Lid also couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hee hee.” Millu, although confused, also giggled happily, seeing everyone else amused.

“?” Lilith tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

Finally, even Sara chuckled.

“That’s enough,” she said to Shien, “For now, that’s enough.”

Only Sara herself knew the deeper meaning behind these words.

“Do you still object, Kamina?” she asked, turning to Kamina again.

Kamina glanced at Shien, then at Airi, and finally shook her head with a chuckle.

“No, I agree.”

The only objector among the Demon Lords thus became a supporter.

“Good!” Sara declared immediately.

“From now on, the Hero Shien and the Dragon Demon Airi are officially engaged.”

“A marriage witnessed and recognized by us, the Demon Lords.”

“May the Demon King above grant us her blessings.”

Upon hearing this, the Demon Lords stood up and said,

“May the Demon King above grant us her blessings.”

Thus, the engagement between Shien and Airi was officially established.