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The Annulment Zone, a land of death, frozen to the core by a murderous cold that chills even the lungs. It’s hard to imagine now, covered in snow and ice, but it was once a thriving land, even home to a kingdom.

The story of that kingdom was first mentioned in the original work through the song of a wandering minstrel.

To summarize the song:

Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom, there lived a kind princess. Beloved by the king and queen, she suddenly fell ill one day.

The kingdom’s healers did their best to cure her, but her condition only worsened.

Finally, the king spent a fortune to summon a magician from the southern lands, said to be able to cure any ailment.

However, the southern magician had no intention of curing the princess. His goal was to use her as a sacrifice to summon a demon and, through it, rule the kingdom.

The one who stopped the magician was none other than the princess’s knight. Realizing the magician’s sinister plot, the knight executed him and succeeded in preventing the demon’s summoning, saving the kingdom—or so the short story goes.

At first glance, it sounds like a heartwarming fairy tale, but the aftermath is actually quite grim.

To cut to the chase, the princess’s knight did not save the kingdom.

The magician died, but the dark magic formula he had prepared for the demon summoning began to affect the entire nation. Those exposed to the magic went mad. In their frenzy, the king, queen, ministers, and even the citizens turned on each other, killing one another.

Their corpses soon turned into undead, and a deathly aura engulfed the kingdom. The once fertile land began to freeze as if cursed, transforming into a place where no living being could survive. That place is what we now know as the Annulment Zone.

In this story, the knight who stopped the southern magician was, of course, Aaron. He too became an undead, a wandering ghost in the Annulment Zone.

Aaron serves the Snow Princess, Arisa, a being who can only survive in cold regions like the Annulment Zone or Northern Garden. Aaron harbors a grand plan to make her the next Demon Lord and freeze the human world.

In the original work, he almost succeeded but was thwarted by the protagonist.

Though there’s no protagonist here to stop him, I am here. As long as I’m around, Aaron’s plan will never come to fruition.

Aaron was ultimately defeated by the combined attacks of me and Bella.

Especially Bella’s strike, infused with light magic, was enough to deal a fatal blow to Aaron, an undead.

“I… cannot die here.”

Suppressing his frustration, he turned and retreated.

We tried to pursue him, but the blizzard he summoned and the skeletal army he called forth as a last resort forced us to give up.

In the final moment, Aaron, half his bones exposed, glared at me and Bella. The madness in his eyes was unmistakable. He must have vowed to remember this.

If today’s battle was phase one, next time it’ll be phase two.

Aaron was a formidable foe.

Among all the opponents I’ve faced, he was the first to make me feel such a wall.

I also keenly felt the limits of “Jealousy.” Surpassing the original is impossible. No matter how much I “envy” Aaron’s swordsmanship, I can’t surpass him with it.

If it weren’t for Bella, I might have struggled… no, I might not have won at all.

Once the blizzard completely cleared, Bella finally sheathed her sword.

The sky, which had been dark, began to take on a bluish hue, signaling the approaching dawn.

“We lost him after all.”

“Yeah.”

Bella brushed her hair aside. Her silver hair fluttered slowly in the morning breeze.

“…Why are you staring so intently?”

“…No reason.”

“Hmph? Then why are you making that ‘I’ve fallen for you’ face?”

For a moment, I wondered if I really had such an expression, but that couldn’t be. It’s been months since I became Tristan, and managing my expressions is basic.

“I didn’t make that face.”

“Well, you wouldn’t know. There’s a face only I can see.”

“Only you?”

“Yes. Right now, your face is saying you’ve fallen for me.”

“That’s absurd…”

“Hehe… Cute. I did make quite the entrance. Did you fall for me?”

“No.”

I frowned and shook my head.

She seemed genuinely pleased that she had saved me.

In truth, her arrival did help defeat Aaron. So, reluctantly…

“Still, you were helpful.”

“…What? What did you just say?”

“I said you were helpful.”

“……”

Bella hesitated for a moment, then cleared her throat.

“Ahem! W-well, I’m glad I could help!”

Maybe I shouldn’t have thanked her. It seemed so out of character that Bella looked visibly awkward.

I felt awkward too and quickly changed the subject.

“So… are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, um. I think… I’m fine…”

I carefully examined Bella. Then I noticed a faint scratch on her cheek.

Maybe she got grazed by Aaron’s greatsword.

I gently reached out to touch her cheek. Bella flinched and tried to step back.

“W-wait?!”

“…Stay still for a moment.”

I grabbed Bella’s wrist to keep her from running away. I needed to check if she needed healing. But in the dim morning light, I had to get closer to see clearly.

I leaned in to inspect the scratch on her cheek. Then…

“……”

For some reason, Bella closed her eyes softly.

Her trembling eyelashes and lips showed her nervousness. The tension in her wrist began to fade, as if she was now entrusting everything to me.

Thanks to Bella’s cooperation, I realized the scratch on her cheek was just a blush.

That’s a relief. If she had been injured, I would have felt bad.

Ah, come to think of it, someone else was more seriously injured than Bella.

“Patrick. Are you okay?”

“?!”

Bella, who had just opened her eyes, noticed Patrick nearby.

“Ah, yes. I’m… more or less okay.”

“P-Patrick?! W-when did you get here?”

“I’ve been here since before you arrived, Princess.”

At that, Bella’s expression darkened.

“Is that so? I didn’t notice at all.”

“I was hiding in the snow, injured.”

“I see. Hey, Patrick. About earlier…”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. *cough cough*… By the way, Count.”

“What is it?”

Patrick, covered in wounds, spoke to me with a bitter expression.

“Ultimately… you won.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t seem to win at anything.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just venting a bit. But… um…”

Patrick scratched his cheek and muttered.

“Other than that… you really… unintentionally know how to charm people…”

“I wasn’t charmed, okay?!”

For some reason, Bella interjected, her face bright red.

*

After Aaron’s defeat.

For all intents and purposes, the Demon Forest’s sovereignty was as good as mine. The tribes Aaron led lost their power and scattered, with some voluntarily joining me.

It would take a few more days to deal with Aaron’s remnants and fully claim the vast Demon Forest, but it would be much smoother than before.

The Black Earth Tribe and Annihilation Maids expanded their territory day and night, absorbing various tribes. Additionally, the tribes under my command were also expanding their influence, so there was no need to worry about the Demon Forest anymore.

Now, the concern was how Aaron would return. Once he recovered from his injuries, he would immediately counterattack, so we needed to prepare, whether against the demons or the Imperial Army.

Aaron is a man of strong determination. He won’t give up until he dies. He will keep targeting us until he makes Arisa the Demon Lord.

Given this, I only have two options.

Either kill Aaron and Arisa outright, or become the Demon Lord myself and stand above them.

I prefer the latter.

Even if they are villainous characters, killing them recklessly is problematic, and more importantly, they are potential allies.

The problem is that I still haven’t found the final clue to becoming the Demon Lord.

There are three conditions to become the Demon Lord.

Gaining the support of many demons, the agreement of the highest-ranking demons, and finally, gaining the recognition of Lukaela, the God of Hell.

The support of the demons is practically secured, and gaining the agreement of the highest-ranking demons isn’t difficult. But gaining Lukaela’s recognition is tricky.

Lukaela acknowledges me but hasn’t fully recognized me yet.

Tristan’s past and being a descendant of demons are clearly plus points for her, but they’re not enough for full recognition.

Perhaps the hint Lukaela gave about finding despair is the key. In other words, I won’t gain her recognition unless I find my own despair.

‘So that’s it…’

I stroked my chin in thought while in the carriage. How long had I been lost in thought? A voice came from outside the carriage.

“Count.”

“Come in.”

*Creak*

“Sorry to disturb your rest.”

The one who entered was my bodyguard knight, Helga.

For some reason, seeing her face drained my energy.

“…Don’t worry about it. But if you’re going to apologize, at least pretend to be sorry.”

“Oh, come on. What a cold thing to say. I really am sorry.”

With that face?

Helga looked at me with a sinister smile. It was clear to anyone that she wasn’t sorry at all. With acting skills like that, I should have had Blanshe do it instead.

“…Anyway, get to the point. What is it?”

“Ah, well…”

Helga looked at the pointed tower visible in the distance.

“Preparations to enter the Castle of the Duke have just been completed.”

 

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