The last thing she remembered was Ren riding on the back of the hydra and then…that beast opened its mouths wide, big enough to swallow her whole.

And then, everything grew dark.

"What happened?"

"You pa.s.sed out, apparently. According to the crow, you fainted after he told his pet to smile at you."

It was a female voice, as Lotus looked up, her eyes opened wide.

"Kizil!" Lotus immediately recognized the demon who was in the same room as her.

Kizilkoz Ras, a red haired eagle type demon of Ras clan, the second daughter of the Demon King Akil Ras.

"It has been a long time, Sister Lu"

"It sure has. I am surprised you remembered me"

"To tell you the truth, I didn't. But my older sister sang so many praises of you and told me so many stories of how you used to visit us….Before I was told your name, I didn't even recognize you. You have changed so much from what I remembered."

"Where am I?"

Lotus looked around the place. There were multiple beds but it did not resemble a bedroom.

"In the Tengu clan infirmary"

"Ahh, that makes sense"

Lotus smiled and tried to start up a conversation.

"Is your sister here as well?"

Lotus knew Kokjan Ras, who was akin to a younger sister to her. Back then, when their parents got along, they were quite close.

"No"

Eagle demon gave a very cold reply.

Kizilkoz's eyes were full of undeniable fury as they squinted.

Immediately, she looked away, but Lotus already caught a glimpse of her face.

There was no mistaking it.

She was enraged.

"Kizil, is something wrong? What happened? I know your father has pa.s.sed away but…."

"My father did not pa.s.s away."

Kizilkoz's red eyes locked with Lotus's purple eyes.

"He was murdered"

"Murdered? By whom?"

As far as Lotus Draco knew, Demon King Akil Ras was dead, but she a.s.sumed he simply pa.s.sed away from old age.

But Demon King was the strongest ent.i.ty within the Kalkan kingdom.

Just who could be strong enough to take his life?

"The very same demon that brought you here on his back"

"What?"

"It happened when we were least prepared. Humans, the Pishak Priests attacked my clan when my father was away, when we were at our most vulnerable. They seemed to appear out of nowhere. We were caught off guard as they began the slaughter. My clan members were powerless against their silver weapons, Holy water, and Holy Magic."

She continued.

"Before I could rush to aid my family, I was captured and put in a chest. They must have wanted to use me for their experiments…."

Kizilkoz paused and continued.

"…And that is how I met Ren Karatengu. He found me inside the chest after killing the humans that kidnapped me with a trap. At least, that's what I thought back then…How naïve I was…"

Kizilkoz shook her head from side to side while holding on to her face with her palm.

"Sounds like he rescued you"

"Aye, that's what he wanted me to believe. In my desperate need for an ally, I made a contract with him, pledging him my absolute loyalty. But, as I soon found out, he was not the one who saved me, nay; he was the one who led the attack on my clan in the first place!"

"You must be joking"

"Am I? My sister does not seem to think so. She revealed the truth to me. That Ren Karatengu was the one who orchestrated the attack on my clan and killed my father. But by then, I already was contracted to Ren, unable to exact my vengeance upon him until the condition of the contract is fulfilled."

Looking at Lotus, Kizilkoz muttered.

"What I do not understand is how you, Big Sister Lu, ended up as his fiancée. What the h.e.l.l were you thinking?!"

"I just wanted to save my clan"

"And you think pledging loyalty to my father's murderer is the way to do so?"

"Kizil, please, I didn't know!"

Kizilkoz finally calmed down a little.

"I suppose I can't blame you. He did trick me as well…That crafty fiend. It is understandable that you, as someone who never met him before would be unaware…"

"I did meet him though, during the Second Trial"

Kizilkoz's right eye started to twitch as though she slightly lost it.

"WHAT?!"

"We fought him, and he easily bested all three of us. One of my clan members was killed, and I ended up injured" Lotus showed Kizilkoz the injury on her abdomen, it was almost fully healed, but it still hurt when she moved.

The scar on the spot where she was stabbed through was most prominent.

"If you encountered him back then, why did you let yourself become his?"

"I did not know he was Ren Karatengu before I saw him for the second time. All I knew was the fact that my clan members arranged a meeting with the Tengu clan that somehow evolved into an offer of alliance through becoming concubine of the leader of Tengu clan. My clan was at the brink of destruction. No crops left to grow on barren land, no food or cattle to eat, our numbers had dwindled to the point that we were reduced to one of the weaker clans."

Lotus's sadly looked down.

"My clan was dying, Kizil. There was no other way. So, I decided to sacrifice myself. I thought, if it would let my clan live, then it would be a low price to pay"

"So that's how it was, huh. And considering what the other power holding clans, especially the Altyn clan would do to your clan, it was the only option you had left. That crafty, vile, crow fiend! It is obvious he manipulated the events to make you desperate enough to become his concubine. Just how many plans does he have in that evil head of his?"

"But so far he has not harmed anyone in my clan or me for that matter"

"Because events are going exactly as he calculated. If anything, that crow is a master strategist. You must never underestimate him."

"Kizil"

"That crow…He ma.s.sacred my clan, murdered my father, and enslaved me. That's all there is to it. Big sis Lu, be careful. This fiend is fond of breaking the wills of others. I am afraid; he will try to break you as well. No matter what, you must not trust him. If you do, then you will not even realize how deep in water you are in before you drown."

Lotus gulped. Seems Ren Karatengu was far scarier demon than she imagined.

"I understand."

"But predicting what he will do next is next to impossible. But there is one thing I am sure of. He has a plan. Even the current events are most likely going according to that plan"

'If that is the case….I wonder what he plans do to my clan?' Lotus Draco imagined the possibilities, with each one being worse than the previous.

Not knowing what that crow demon would do next was far scarier than anything else.

* * *

"Young Master, we must be diligent. With the way things are going now, the food supplies of the Tengu clan will last only for the next two months. The time of harvest for most crops has not arrived yet, and by then, with so many demons within our territory, we will have a ma.s.sive food shortage"

'Why are you telling this to me of all demons? How the h.e.l.l am I supposed to take care of that?' Ren thought on the inside while simply nodding to Shaula.

"We could find the alternative food sources, but we don't have that much cattle…and with the seasonal monster migration we will have even more problems to deal with…."

With the weather becoming warmer, the monsters would migrate, and the barrier around the Tengu clan territory only repelled enemy demons and humans, it had no effect on monsters, meaning they could enter the Tengu clan territory any time they wanted.

To Demon Lords, those monsters were mere pests, but to everyone else, they were walking catastrophes.

Listening to Shaula, Ren couldn't help but scream on the inside.

She kept listing so many problems that needed to be taken care of. And as the leader, he needed to find the solutions to them.

'How in the name of Kalkan kingdom, am I supposed to do that? So many demons joined one after another, there are almost two hundred fifty by now if not more….'

"In addition, we need to be cautious of the clans that have Demon Lords leading them, namely: Altyn clan, Aiu clan, Palak clan, Kanat clan, and k.u.mis clan. Our clan might be safe from them, for now at the very least, due to having two Demon Lords in our ranks, but the strengths of those clans cannot be underestimated."

Shaula continued.

"Due to the constant conflicts, several clans are currently holding the most power and influence. Among their ranks are: Ormek clan of Spider demons, Mai clan of Ape demons, k.u.mis clan of Snake demons, Kanat clan of Bat demons, Bukka clan of Ox demons, and Altyn clan of Phoenix demons. Among them, Altyn clan stands at the very top."

"Uhm, Shaula, where exactly does our clan stand in this?"

"Our Tengu clan is a formerly declining clan, but with your rise, it has become one of the Mid-tier clans, among many others, such as: Baris clan of Tiger demons, Palak clan of Owl demons, Aiu clan of Bear demons, Sarhayan clan of Scorpion demons, Merion clan of Chameleon demons, and Bakara clan of Toad demons."

"That sounds pretty bad"

"To be completely honest, we are doing better than the other clans, which are in decline or are extinct. Draco clan wouldn't have agreed to join our ranks if they weren't so desperate, and Ras clan is practically extinct after the humans committed genocide in their territory. Aris clan might be following the Draco clan's suit, and Kas clan is currently scattered after you have defeated them and their members have been taken in by other clans. And as you already know, the only two remaining Jou clan members have joined us, which effectively dissolved any possibility of revival of their clan."

"Oh dear"

"While our clan's biggest foe is without a doubt, Altyn clan, the other clans must not be underestimated. Those that have not joined our side are all our enemies by default. And since the Selection will determine which clan shall rule over the entire Kalkan kingdom, all clans are desperate to snuff out the flames of their rivals."

With each new information Shaula provided him, Ren felt colder and colder on the inside.

It was a sickening feeling of having a frog stuck on his throat as he struggled not to throw up.

'I am dead'

Ren's body was s.h.i.+vering as he realized just how bad the situation truly was.

Tengu clan was up against all the other clans that were out to kill them, and Ren was supposed to somehow handle the situation and lead his clan.

Just the thought of it was absurd.

Ren wished it was just a very sick joke. He desperately hoped someone would pop up out of the corner and say 'Just kidding!'

But alas, the reality refused to change.

Looking at Ren whose face had gone pale all of a sudden, Shaula thought.

'Why does he look so scared? It's not like he didn't know about this before, so what is the big deal? It couldn't be…No. He led us this far. He took our declining clan and made it one of the Mid-tier clans…Without a doubt; he knows what he is doing. But as his subordinate, I must make sure I can help him to the best of my ability. Still, why does he look so uneasy? Could it be…Is he planning something big but is having doubts about it? In that case, I must help him achieve this plan of his.'

Meanwhile, Ren was lost in his thoughts as everything in his mind seemed to be spinning in circles.

'How in the world did I end up in this situation?'

Ren clutched his head as he comprehended the true magnitude of his predicament.

'Can someone else please take over the lead of this clan? Anyone?! Please, I am begging you! Anyone will do at this point!'

Ren wished that someone else, strong, tall, and gallant would come up and offer to take command of the Tengu clan.

But alas, fate was not so kind in his case.

"Young Master, not matter what kind of plan you have, I, Shaula Tengu, will do my best to aid you"

'What plan? d.a.m.n it! Uuuuuuuhhhhhh….'

At the moment, Ren just wanted to cry.

"Of course, I have everything under control"

Ren replied with a thumb up; s.h.i.+vering and sweating all over, as he wished for someone to put him out of his misery.