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“Oh my… Please save me… Miss…”

The effect of releasing ‘Wrath’ around me was outstanding. The sensitive senses of the Earthkin detected the ‘Wrath’ and they scrambled out of their holes in a panic. There must have been over 200 of them, hiding who knows where.

Facing us, they didn’t even need to be told and immediately started bowing their heads to the ground, begging for mercy. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they had no intention of fighting and surrendered to me, Helga, and Blanshe. But for some reason, their appearance didn’t evoke pity—it just seemed unpleasant.

I adjusted my eye mask and spoke to them.

“First of all… I didn’t come here to take your lives, so relax.”

“Th-then… What can we offer you? If you wish, we can become your slaves!”

“…Slaves?”

I frowned at the sudden suggestion.

Seeing my reaction, the Earthkin clutched their heads and cowered.

“Eek…! A-are you not human, Miss…? It’s just… We heard that humans capture us and make us slaves…”

“Cough cough… Stop talking nonsense.”

At that moment, an elderly Earthkin stepped forward.

“Chief…”

“There’s no way a human could emit such an aura. Cough cough…”

The chief was an elderly Earthkin woman. She didn’t look well, her complexion was poor, and she kept coughing.

But unlike the others, she was trying hard to meet my gaze.

“Are you the chief? You seem like someone I can talk to.”

“Yes. As for you, Miss…”

“She’s the Demon Lord, bam!”

“Th-the Demon Lord?!”

As soon as Vanilla blurted that out, chaos erupted among the Earthkin.

“Eeeeeek!”

“P-please spare us!”

“Waaaaah… I’m scared!”

They were all trembling uncontrollably. Some even fainted.

They’re really something else…

The only saving grace was that the chief, though startled, wasn’t as panicked as the others.

“No wonder you didn’t seem ordinary. Cough cough… I had no idea you were the Demon Lord…”

“No. I’m not the Demon Lord yet, so stop making a fuss.”

“Not yet…?”

“I plan to conquer this forest and become the Demon Lord. So, you will assist me.”

“I-I see. Cough… But as you can see, we lack the will to fight, and even if we wanted to offer food, it’s all been taken by other tribes… We can’t be of any help. Cough…”

As the chief said, the Earthkin’s nutritional state didn’t look good. They seemed to be suffering from starvation, with no energy left in their bodies.

And to faint just from hearing the word “Demon Lord”…

“So, we’re truly sorry, but the only thing we can offer is to become slaves…”

“Right. That does seem to be the case.”

Every time they’re attacked, their food is taken, and now the only way to survive is to become slaves to other tribes. Their eyes were filled with deep resignation.

It was then that I realized the source of the discomfort I felt earlier.

It was the look in the eyes of those who had been humiliated. Their eyes, filled with resignation and defeat, had become so servile and devoid of self-respect that it was repulsive.

Especially for someone as prideful as Tristan, there could be nothing more disgusting than these servile Earthkin.

But then, I became curious.

“Did a knight in ice armor come here by any chance?”

“Yes… But he just passed by, saying we wouldn’t be of any help… Cough cough…”

So even Aaron concluded that the Earthkin were useless.

The Earthkin are harmless demons living in the Demon Forest. They survive on tree fruits and insects, avoid fights, and have a habit of digging holes to hide in. They’re even nicknamed “Moles” or “Earthkin.”

They’ve been ignored by both humans and demons. Humans shun them for resembling humans, while demons look down on them for being weak.

With tensions rising between races, their fate is either to become food or slaves for other tribes.

It’s harsh, but that’s the way it is. The law of the jungle applies whether in reality or the Otherworld.

But still…

“Hmm…”

I fell into thought for a moment.

If things continue like this, Aaron will soon conquer this forest inhabited by demons. Before that happens, I need to build a force to stop him. To become the Demon Lord, I naturally need a supporting force.

The problem is that at this crucial moment of choosing my starting race, these defeatist Earthkin showed up. They all scrambled out at the first sign of my ‘Wrath’ and begged for their lives.

Honestly, there is a ‘way’ to make the Earthkin useful. But that method could also be applied to stronger races like Polar Bears or Foxkin. In other words… it’s not cost-effective.

Yet, I find it hard to turn away from them, perhaps because of my past as Tristan, the villain, who went through so much hardship to survive.

I struggled to lose weight, learned ancient magic, and overcame this cursed body that couldn’t produce a single drop of magic power.

So, maybe the Earthkin can do it too.

Having made up my mind, I spoke.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. A few days ago, humans from the south reclaimed their castle.”

“Th-the humans?!”

“Yes.”

The Earthkin murmured among themselves. Already busy avoiding demons, if humans appeared too, they were truly cornered.

“What do we do…”

“This is bad. We need to leave quickly…”

“Thinking of running away again?”

“?!”

I removed the eye mask covering my face. The Earthkin gasped in unison.

I looked through the fear in their eyes and spoke.

“If things continue like this, your lives will only get more miserable. No… you might even be wiped out. Do you want that to happen?”

Vanilla, the youngest, shook her head vigorously.

“N-no, of course not… If we can do something…”

“We don’t want to keep running away. We want to resist, but we don’t have the strength…”

“Interesting. Are you saying you have no strength?”

I smirked, filled with ‘Pride,’ and sneered at them.

“Yet you had the strength to run away, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Look at yourselves. Kneeling before just the three of us without even putting up a fight. Pathetic. If things continue like this, your future is as clear as day.”

The Earthkin’s faces darkened at the cold rebuke. They were reflecting on their lives, filled with humiliation and disgrace.

I spoke to them with force.

“If you want to change that future, serve me, who will become the Demon Lord. Then…”

Even if they are the weakest among demons, there is still hope.

“I will show you that even the weak have their own way.”

Now, it’s time to see if they are worth placing my hopes on.

—

– Hold onto your malice.

– Don’t be servile, be cunning.

These were the two things I presented to the Earthkin.

I wanted to add that they should have a fighting spirit, but that’s not something you can just tell someone to have, so I left it out.

For a few days, the Earthkin followed my orders, carving wood and grinding stones to make weapons. They started hunting, living like primitive humans.

At first, I thought about training them. But that wouldn’t show results in just a few days, and the Earthkin’s immediate survival was more urgent.

So, I decided to put weapons and tools in their hands instead.

Humans created fire and tools, combined their strength, and built a great civilization. Their abilities far surpass other races. It’s no coincidence that humans hold the world’s hegemony.

The Earthkin are already heavily humanized demons. I had them follow the same path humans once did to survive in this forest.

And the results were even surprising to me.

Day 3:

The Earthkin successfully hunted squirrels and snow rabbits with their handmade bows. I was surprised they didn’t hesitate to hunt their own kind, the snow rabbits. Later, watching them roast rabbit meat left Helga speechless.

Day 5:

The Earthkin worked together to hunt a large reindeer. Watching them use spears and arrows to take down the reindeer was like watching a reenactment of ancient humans hunting mammoths. Even as the weakest demons, they had adapted to the harsh cold and had the mobility to move freely through the forest.

When they finally succeeded in hunting the reindeer after a relentless chase, I almost clapped. Blanshe, who had been watching them closely, looked the happiest.

Day 7:

Perhaps the most challenging day. After interrogating the Lycans who had attacked Vanilla earlier, we learned the location of their food storage. The swift Earthkin quickly raided the storage and took everything, prompting an angry retaliation from the Lycans.

I was worried they might panic, but the Earthkin seemed to have gained confidence in the short time. They had set traps all over the forest as we had taught them and waited.

Lycans fell into large pit traps and were showered with arrows. Others were crushed by rocks after stepping on traps. Some charged blindly only to be impaled by Earthkin spears hidden in holes…

The Earthkin systematically eliminated the Lycans. Their previously unseen malice was now evident as they repaid the humiliation and disgrace they had endured.

I thought Helga or Blanshe might need to step in, but it wasn’t necessary.

Some might call this cowardly, relying on traps and ambushes. But this is the right way for the weak to fight. The Earthkin, like humans of old, used traps and weapons to hunt stronger opponents.

The results speak for themselves.

In just a week of training, the Earthkin successfully defeated a group of Lycans.

And finally, on the night of the 9th day…

I made up my mind.

The Earthkin were worth placing my hopes on.

They still lacked a fighting spirit, but their cooperation, adaptability, and intelligence in setting traps and ambushes were superior to other races.

But defeating mere Lycans isn’t something to be proud of. This is likely the limit of the Earthkin.

No matter how well they set traps and ambush, they are no match for Foxkin or Polar Bears. To fight a single Foxkin warrior, you’d need a fully armed human platoon.

Of course, the current Earthkin, at the level of skilled primitive humans, have no chance of competing for dominance in this forest.

Yes, the ‘current’ Earthkin.

Returning to the wagon in the unit, I lay down and strongly thought about ‘something.’

I’m not sure if this is the right way to do it, but…

As sleep overcame me, the back of a girl’s head flickered before my eyes.

I whispered her name.

“Lukaela.”

“Huh? What?”

Startled, she turned around. It was Lukaela, seated on the throne of hell and my arrogant patron.

“What’s the matter, Count?”

“Take this.”

“?”

I threw ‘it’ to Lukaela.

What she caught in one hand was a coin resembling a black gem.

It was the so-called Miracle Coin, a special gift from the gods.

“Huh…? This is the one I gave you. I told you to use it when needed.”

“Right. That’s why I’m here.”

“What?”

I told Lukaela my request.

“I’m going to use this coin on the Earthkin.”

 

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