"I don't think the citizens need to know that. Also, how can they find out about it as long as none of us says anything," High Duke Oris said as he looked at everyone.
"I would need everyone who's here to take a blood oath before they leave. No one would be allowed to disclose any information about this meeting and about Hades to anyone," He further added.
"Indeed, That would be better for the whole Demonic Realm," High Duke Mila agreed with Oris' statement.
"Since that's handled and all the doubts are clear, let's talk about what happens next," she continued.
"It's clear that His Majesty wants to live his life not bound by the kingdom's chains, but we all know that we need him. Our Demonic Realm is peaceful at the moment, but there are many problems that can appear and destroy our whole realm. We can handle things for now, but we would need him when the challenging times like that come," High Duke Oris said in a low voice, but everyone was able to hear his words.
"I have a suggestion for this problem, and I think many of you have also been thinking about it. How about we make Ryder our Prince?" He continued.
He noticed the surprised look on the faces of the others.
"His Majesty will always be our King even though he doesn't want to rule over us, but I have a suggestion. We will create a new position for his Majesty; he will be the Supreme Emperor! His position shall be above that of a King always. As for the King, I recommend giving that position to Ryder in the future. We need leadership, after all. And who better than the person chosen and liked by His Majesty, " He said.
The Dukes started talking amongst themselves as soon as they heard the suggestion.
"Now, You might be worried about his potential and strength, that's why I didn't suggest making him the king instantly, but if he is able to complete the ceremony of Kingship, he would have proven his strength. He can become the king of the Demon Realm," He said.
"What are your opinions about it? Those who support my suggestion can raise their hands," He announced as he looked towards everyone.
25 amongst the 34 Dukes raised their hand instantly, and 8 more raised their hands after watching the others. Only Duke Orisis didn't raise his hands, but no one minded him since he wasn't conscious at the moment.
"I agree, as well. I wouldn't mind making him the King as long as the proper respect is given to His Majesty," The High Dukes also agreed.
Only Magna hadn't spoken yet.
"What about you? Can you please think about this rationally and leave your prejudice aside? We're doing it for the betterment of our home after all," High Duke Oris said to High Duke Magna.
"Fine! We'll do it your way," High Duke Magna agreed, though he didn't look happy.
"That's better. We'll have the ceremony after 7 days right here, and that's when we'll make him the Prince and introduce him to the citizens. And when he completes the Kingship trial, he'll be made the king!" High Duke Oris said.
"Alright. Now that it's done, I'll be taking my leave," High Duke Magna walked out of the palace and flew away.
"You can all leave as well," High Duke Oris told the others. Everyone started leaving one after another. A few Dukes picked up the unconscious Duke Orisis and took him with them.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Prince. I'll meet you after 7 days," High Duke Mila said with a slight smile on her face and left as well.
Soon, there were only three people left in the palace. High Duke Oris, Ryder, and Duke Devilia were left.
"Thank you for all the help. I thought that he would kill me after the orb turned red," Ryder thanked High Duke Oris for saving him from Magna.
"It was my duty, Prince. Also, I hope that you won't think bad of Magna. He's just a little too serious. It's just the history of the Blood Demons. He lost control of his emotions," High Duke Oris explained.
"I can understand. I myself didn't know that I was from the Blood Demon Clan. Can you tell me more about them?" Ryder asked.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. It would be better if His Majesty talked to you himself. Since he hasn't yet, it must not be the right time," High Duke Oris said with a smile.
"Ahh, Ok. Can I at least know about the Kingship trial that you talked about?" Ryder further inquired.
"Hahahaha, Yeah. I can talk about that indeed. It is like a tradition that has been passed down for centuries. Even the King himself can't make the Crown Prince the King without him passing the Kingship Trial," High Duke Oris replied.
"To pass the Kingship trial, you must go to the land of our enemy. You'd need to enter the Death Domain, go to their Royal City and kill a hundred citizens of the Royal City and bring their heads back to us," High Duke Oris said.
"Are they weaker than us?" Ryder inquired.
"Not at all. If I were to guess, I'd say that the Death Domain is almost as strong as our Demonic Realm," High Duke Oris said.
"Oh, So I need to go there and kill their citizens? Even if I was able to do that, won't their King or their leadership catch me? You're literally asking a King Candidate of the Demon Realm to go against the King of the Death Domain! I can't believe the previous Kings had managed to do that," Ryder said with a weird look on his face.
"The previous Kings did achieve that. Some used their brain, while others used pure Strength to do it. Your master is amongst the latter. Anyway, there's no hurry. You can take as much time as you need and only go when you think that you're ready," High Duke Oris replied.
"Anyways, I need to take my leave as well. You can ask Devilia what other questions you might have," He said politely.
"Devilia, Take the prince back. You can bring him here on the 7th day," He said before he left as well.
Devilia took the confused Ryder with her and left.
Devilia left with Ryder and went back to her place.
Ryder felt like the journey to the back was much faster than when they came. Or maybe his mind wasn't focused after everything he found out.
Devilia and Ryder landed on the balcony of her room. Strangely enough, she didn't say anything on the way back.
She only started talking when they got to her room.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were a demon as well? I was in the illusion that you were a human from the moment you told me that you were from the outside, " She asked him.
"What can I say? You never asked me, so I didn't say. I thought that you would know about me being a Demon since you were so knowledgeable," Ryder replied with a wry smile on his face.
"Cheh, I'm not a god. How can I know about that? Whatever I'm glad that everything went well. In 7 days, you'll be made Prince," She said.
"Yeah, I think now should be the right time to tell you that I'll be spending the next 6 days inside your hunting forest. I think staying there would be good for my growth. I'll come back on the 7th day, and we can complete the preparation for the big day," Ryder suggested.
"Alright. I won't try to stop you, but I'll come with you as well. Although no Duke other than Orisis voiced their opinions against you, I feel like there were a few that were not happy with the decision. They might try to target you if they find out that you've left. I'll stay with you for your protection," She said to him.
"There's no need for that. I don't need a babysitter. What would my master think about me if I kept you with me for my protection?" Ryder straight away rejected her suggestion.
"I'd much prefer to keep Bulga with me, but you don't need to come. Also, no one will target me. Who would be stupid enough to think that you would let me leave the palace in times like these? Even if someone comes, I can take care of myself. It's not far either. If there's a problem, I can message you, and you can get there in 4-5 minutes. So there's no need for you to come. Stay in the palace and let me have some fun on my own," He further added to his statement.
"Ahh, but..."
"No, buts! Please respect my wishes," Ryder insisted.
She looked at him for what seemed like an eternity before she ultimately sighed.
"Alright. I'd let you leave, but you must contact me if there is any problem. Also, you must disguise yourself before you leave. Take this," She said as she brought something out of a Spatial Portal.
It looked like a plastic mask that could only cover the left half of someone's face.
"It's called Mask of Change. You can wear it, and others will see you as a different person. You'd look like an average 7-foot tall demon. This way, no one would be able to recognize you when you leave," She said.
"Thanks. This mask will be a great help," Ryder took the mask and held it in his hands.
"When will you be leaving?" She asked.
"In the night, There are only a few hours left. I'd go tell Miyali that I'm leaving. You can tell Bulga about this plan in the meantime. He'd have to stay with me for 6 days," Ryder said as he turned back.
He was just 2 steps away from the door when he heard a sound that made him stop in his path.
<Ding... System upgrade successful. Starting it now>
'Sigh, it was so fun while he was silent. Why did he have to wake up? Also, why does his voice sound different?' Ryder thought with a wry smile on his face.
<I thought that the host would be happy to hear my voice again. I got to say; I'm somewhat heartbroken,>
Janus answered him.
'Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm indeed happy that you're up. Anyways, why is your voice more feminine now?' Ryder inquired.
Janus did reply to him, but he didn't answer his question.
<You have been assigned a mission.
Mission: Tell Devilia your most embarrassing secret.
Rewards: An Invisibility talisman
Punishment: You would be teleported to the Death Domain,>
'Sigh, you just woke up, and you're back to your usual tricks,' Ryder thought.
"Is something wrong?" Devilia asked as she saw Ryder standing still right before the door.
"My first crush was on my Math Teacher when I was only 11 years old. I proposed to her as well, in front of the whole class," Ryder looked back and said to her, and before she could react, he hurriedly left.
<Mission Succession. Rewards Given> Janus said.
<I must say, that wasn't as fun as I thought it would be> He further added.
"It feels like you've grown worse after your upgrade. Now you want to enjoy my misery as well," Ryder said in an annoyed tone, and he continued walking to his room.
As Ryder left, Devilia was still standing in her room with a confused look on her face.
"What is a math teacher?" She let out as he looked towards the door.
Ryder entered his room and saw Miyali sitting on the bed. She had a paper and a pen in her hand and seemed like she was writing something.
"You're back. It took you a long time," She said as she placed the paper down on the bed and used the pen as the paperweight.
"Yeah, I had to go outside for something. I'd be leaving again in a few hours. I won't be back for like 6 days, I think," Ryder said as he stepped towards the bed and sat beside her.
He was surprised as he saw the paper. It looked like a drawing that looked like him.
"Oh, Ok," She answered.
"Yeah, Devilia will take care of you. You can ask her if you need anything," He said smilingly as he stood up and walked towards the shower room.
After 10 or so minutes, he left the place. He had changed his clothes, but his hair was still somewhat wet.
"I'm leaving," He said before he left the room.
He walked back to Devilia's room and saw that Bulga was already there. She had told him everything, and he was ready to leave.
Bulga got down to his knees as he greeted Ryder after he entered the room.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked Bulga.
"Yeah. I'm ready," Bulga said in a determined voice.
"You both should remember. You must contact me if there is trouble," Devilia said one last time.
They both nodded their head before they left on the flying beast of Bulga.
It didn't take much time for them to reach the Hunting Forest.
Ryder once again ordered Bulga to wait outside while he entered the forest alone. Since it was an order, Bulga agreed and let him leave.
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