'That wretched woman!!!'
Clayman inwardly seethed, wishing he could tear Frey apart, but on the surface, he could only feign civility and negotiate with her.
After some back-and-forth, Clayman failed to gain any concessions from Frey.
"You actually succeeded?"
Laplace couldn't fathom why Frey would agree to help Clayman.
Yet, Frey's forceful argument... demanding the territories of two Demon Lords... dispelled Laplace's doubts.
After all, with such a brazen demand, it hardly seemed like Frey was joking!
Moreover, if Frey annexed Milim's and Carrion's nations, she would inevitably face scrutiny at the Walpurgis.
"She can't face the wrath of the other Demon Lords alone."
"Only by helping me become a true Demon Lord and having me stand by her side at the Walpurgis can we hold our own against the others!"
In Clayman's plan, he would awaken as a Demon Lord, gain control over Milim, and make her obediently support him at the Walpurgis.
With Frey, that would make three true Demon Lords... a force unmatched within the Demon Lord Alliance!
Such a grand vision was something Frey had no reason to refuse.
"Do you see, Laplace?"
Clayman boasted, "This is the growth I've achieved since leaving you all."
"That woman Frey is far wiser than any of you!"
"So, enough with your outdated views of me!"
Reaching an agreement with Frey instantly dispelled the frustration Clayman felt from his setbacks in the Jura Forest.
Once his plan succeeded, the combined might of three true Demon Lords would render the ogress of the wild forest utterly insignificant!
With this in mind, Clayman ignored Laplace, grabbed the bottle of red wine from the table, and took a hearty swig.
---
"Pfft!"
Meanwhile, in the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia.
Frey, having ended the communication, couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. "Sorry, I couldn't help it... it's just too hilarious."
"What happened?"
"Nothing, just… pfft, hahaha…"
Frey sat composedly in her seat, facing projections of Artoria and the Snow Empress.
After their battle, the three had grown closer, becoming confidantes who kept in touch privately.
Not long ago, the two women had accepted Frey's invitation for a telepathic call.
During their conversation, Frey had suddenly received a communication from Clayman.
Both women were curious... what could have caused the usually aloof and composed Sky Queen to laugh so uncontrollably?
"Clayman!"
Having laughed enough, Frey finally spoke. "That guy wants to ally with me to seize the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania and the City of the Forgotten Dragon."
She then relayed Clayman's plan: to manipulate Milim by exploiting a pendant and bring her under his control.
"Huh?"
Artoria was puzzled.
She wanted to ask... who was this Clayman, bold enough to attempt such a thing?
Controlling Milim?
Was he serious?
"Right, Artoria doesn't know about this."
"Let me explain," the Snow Empress said. "Clayman, 400,000 magicules, Demon Lord seed."
No wonder Frey was laughing so hard.
Even the usually stoic Snow Empress nearly cracked a smile at the absurdity.
"..."
"That's it?"
Artoria, expecting more details, looked confused again. "Just that?"
"Yes, just that."
Clayman, a mere Demon Lord seed with 400,000 magicules.
No further explanation was needed... that alone said it all.
"Well, then…"
Artoria began to grasp the Snow Empress's point. "That guy, a mere Demon Lord seed... how does he dare?!"
"That's the mindset of a fool."
Frey delivered her verdict on Clayman's suicidal scheme. "You'll never understand what they're thinking."
"Hold on."
Artoria said, "I don't get it... why does he think he can control Demon Lord Milim?"
"If I recall correctly, Milim is the daughter of Veldanava, the Star Dragon King, and sister to Velzard and Veldora, right?"
"Correct."
Frey nodded. "That girl possesses power comparable to, or even surpassing, that of a True Dragon."
"..."
Even without surpassing a True Dragon, just matching one would place Milim's magicules at 80 million or more.
Clayman controlling Milim?
With what?
A high-tier ultimate skill?
"One of the Seven Virtues or Seven Sins?"
"He doesn't think a mid-tier ultimate skill could challenge a True Dragon, does he?"
Artoria wondered if Clayman was secretly a formidable figure.
A Demon Lord seed on the surface, but perhaps wielding a terrifying ultimate power in secret?
Clearly, Artoria was overthinking.
"All he has is a Unique Skill."
Clayman didn't even possess a low-tier ultimate skill, let alone a mid-tier one.
"Heh…"
Artoria was genuinely enlightened.
Someone with just a Unique Skill was trying to control a dragon-species monster.
And this monster wielded a Seven Sins ultimate skill, a genesis equipment, and limitless magicules.
"Is he here for comic relief?"
Artoria's lips twitched, feeling her intelligence insulted.
This so-called Demon Lord Clayman…
Was there something wrong with his head?
"Frey, you agreed to ally with him... what are you planning?"
The Snow Empress, looking at the composed Frey, asked curiously.
As newcomers, they were still unfamiliar with the Cardinal World's dynamics and had much to learn from Frey.
"Simply put, I'm fishing."
"Fishing?"
The Snow Empress pondered for a moment. "That fish... besides Clayman, it's about 'souls,' isn't it?"
"Exactly."
Frey said, "Though we've only just met, you should have a sense of what kind of person our master is."
"Artoria, you're probably against growing stronger by plundering others, right?"
The three women had distinct personalities. Using D&D's alignment chart, Artoria was Lawful Good, the Snow Empress was Neutral Evil, and Frey was Lawful Evil.
Artoria hoped Damien would become a wise and benevolent ruler.
The Snow Empress followed a simple creed: whatever Damien asked, she would do.
Frey leaned toward proactive aggression... slaughtering cities or nations was fine, as long as it benefited Damien.
***
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