Six Demons had assembled within a powerful, specially constructed barrier near the center of the Demon Realm. All of them possessed power that bordered on the absolute pinnacle of their world, yet they were all focused on a single girl: Shaltier.
"And so, as you can see, most of the details are in the materials I’ve distributed."
Because Magnawell’s gargantuan scale made reading the documents impossible, Shaltier had recited the contents aloud for everyone’s benefit.
The five individuals—excluding Shaltier—could only stare in stunned silence, struggling to process the information.
The plan was nothing short of a Great Reformation of the Demon Realm. It covered a vast array of sectors, including production and infrastructure, but its most radical changes were twofold: the establishment of the Peerage-class system to clarify the hierarchy of power, and the selection of Kings to serve as the pillars of the realm. Looking at those points, it was easy to see why Shaltier had gathered this specific group.
And yet, they found it difficult to believe. Even Ein, usually the image of composure, could not mask her astonishment.
Their shock did not stem from doubt regarding whether such a plan could be realized. Rather, looking at the Shaltier standing before them, they were staggered by the undeniable feeling that she would certainly succeed.
In the hundred years since Shaltier had begun her move to reform the Demon Realm—a mere century—she had already secured enough power to spread her influence across the entirety of this vast world.
Shaltier had personally recruited only the Executives, but they had in turn expanded their own ranks. As a result, her followers now numbered nearly a hundred million.
Furthermore, she had systematically eliminated almost every existence that could have hindered her progress. In a sense, Shaltier had seized control of the sprawling Demon Realm in just one hundred years.
Ein and the others shuddered at her singularity—at an administrative talent that could only be described as diabolical.
"I’m sure you’ve already figured this out, but I want you all to become Kings. Including Kuro-san, that would make us the Seven Kings, I suppose? I’ll handle the negotiations with Kuro-san personally, so I’d appreciate it if the rest of you would consider the proposal favorably."
No one replied. Their thoughts simply could not keep pace with her words.
Finally, Lilliwood managed to force out a question.
"Shaltier... just how many Demons have you killed?"
"Who knows? I don't keep a tally of the trash I've cleared away."
"You are..."
Her response was chillingly detached. She spoke as if the lives of others were entirely beneath her notice. Lilliwood’s eyes filled with dread at her clinical, dry logic—a mindset that would commit mass slaughter without a second thought if it proved to be the most efficient path.
"Well, there’s no rush for an answer. I’m going to go out and begin cementing the concept of Peerage-class High-ranking Demons now. Please have your decisions ready by the time that’s settled. I don’t expect it to take even a year."
With that, Shaltier vanished. The remaining five—excluding Kuromueina—were left to ponder her words in a long, heavy silence.
In the end, everyone except Ein accepted the proposal. Ein declined by stating, "I shall remain Kuromueina’s servant for life," and she stood firm in her resolve.
Unfortunately, Shaltier had not yet realized the nature of Kuromueina’s true wish. It would be a long time before she understood that her own arrangements had ultimately wounded her benefactor, and the burden of that guilt was a story for another day.
The following encounter happened entirely by chance. Lilliwood, still unsettled by the unfathomable eeriness she had seen in Shaltier, happened upon a rare sight near her home.
"You are... Pandora, correct?"
"Lilliwood-sama. My respects to you."
As Shaltier’s confidante, Pandora had been personally trained by her and now spent most of her time executing Shaltier’s will across the Demon Realm. Consequently, she rarely visited the residence where Lilliwood and the others lived, and they had seldom spoken.
All Lilliwood knew was that Pandora was the person closest to Shaltier, and that she was missing an eye. Driven by a sudden impulse, Lilliwood acted.
"If I recall correctly, you have lost an eye, have you not?"
"Yes. I lost it long ago. What of it?"
"If you would like, please take this. If you eat this fruit, your eye can be restored."
"..."
Lilliwood offered her a Fruit of the World Tree, a relic capable of healing any wound unless the recipient actively wished for the scar to remain.
Lilliwood wasn't entirely sure why she had done it. Was it a simple desire to heal a tragic wound? An attempt to curry favor for information? Or perhaps, unsettled by the enigma that was Shaltier, did she hope to find a semblance of normalcy in the girl she had raised—a way to indirectly soothe her own mounting anxiety?
After staring at the fruit for a long moment, Pandora ate it without hesitation.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, Lilliwood-sama."
"No, please don't mention it. Even if we have few chances to speak, you are still like family to me—wait, what?"
Lilliwood began to smile, relieved that Pandora had accepted the gift so gracefully. But that relief was shattered a second later.
The moment her missing right eye was restored, Pandora reached up and, without a shred of hesitation, gouged it out with her own hand.
"What—what are you doing?!"
"Ah... finally. At last, I’m perfect..."
"What...?"
Lilliwood cried out in horror, but she froze when she saw the expression on Pandora’s face—a smile of profound, terrifying bliss.
"The wound given to me by that piece of filth has vanished, and I have crushed the eye given to me by Lilliwood-sama. Now, my entire body is composed only of things granted to me by Shaltier-sama! Oh, how wonderful! My body, my soul... everything is finally hers! Ah... the euphoria... I feel as though I might reach the heights of ecstasy. I am so happy."
"No..."
"Thank you, Lilliwood-sama. Because of you, I have finally been completed as Shaltier-sama’s true servant. I am truly grateful."
Lilliwood could not comprehend a single word. She could not understand the mind of the girl who stood there with a madness-stained smile, blood streaming down her face as she trampled her own gouged-out eye into the dirt.
Watching Pandora bow deeply and walk away, Lilliwood whispered, her face pale.
"Servant? Shaltier... what have you done to her? Is this your ideal soldier?"
Her trembling voice reached no one. In that moment, Lilliwood felt a definitive, bone-deep fear of Shaltier.
She had cultivated a loyalty that could only be described as madness. Lilliwood felt a visceral terror at the cold, rational ruthlessness of a person who would desire such an existence—someone who would gladly die for her sake.
Of course, this was a massive misunderstanding. Among all of Shaltier’s subordinates, Pandora was the only one whose loyalty was so utterly warped. In fact, Shaltier herself was often left clutching her head, wondering exactly how Pandora had ended up this way.
However, since Lilliwood didn't know that, it appeared to her as though Shaltier had intentionally bred a monster. It would take a very long time before this misunderstanding was finally cleared.
And so, despite several miscalculations and misconceptions, things proceeded largely as Shaltier had intended. Five years later, the pinnacle known as the Six Kings was born.
Having seized control of the world through her diabolical maneuvers, Shaltier—now identifying herself as the Nameless King, the Phantasm King No Face—finally began to move toward her true objective.
But that was the extent of her success. Her true goal would see no further progress for an almost staggering number of years—not until the arrival of the Otherworlder, Kaito Miyama.