Ryan fell silent, letting the names Aedan and Igniel drift through his head as he analyzed the implications of facing the children of a Demon King.

’Igniel... if I remember correctly, he was the one who killed S-rank Hero William’s entire party years ago,’ Ryan reflected internally. ’But Aedan doesn’t ring a bell at all.’

Before he could open his mouth to ask for more details about Rohan’s family, Ophelia let out a soft laugh and waved her hand, brushing the matter aside.

"Though don’t worry, I’m not saying you’ll become their best friend overnight, but if we take care of Rigal, the landscape will change drastically for all of us," she remarked with a confidence that was almost contagious.

Ophelia adjusted her posture on the sofa, crossing her legs with a slow movement that made the fabric of her clothes pull taut.

"Demon King Rohan won’t dare to question your rise if I am backing your position from the other side of the border. No one in their right mind will oppose you taking everything that belonged to that fool Rigal once we eliminate him."

The queen paused, and for a brief instant, a look of annoyance crossed her perfect face as she thought about the formalities of the demonic world.

"Naturally, after that happens and you take control of his lands, you will have to present yourself to the entire world under the official title of a Demon King."

The announcement dropped like a bombshell in the small living room of the house, triggering an immediate and noisy reaction from all the girls present.

"What?! Ryan, a Demon King?!" Helen shouted, stepping forward, her face twisted in shock.

"He is a human! He is our king, not one of those monsters!" the warrior added as she sought support from the gazes of the others.

Karol also intervened. "Why would Ryan do something like that? Being a Demon King implies renouncing his humanity in the eyes of the human nations; it’s a statistical madness," the mage declared with a furrowed brow, trying to process the logic behind the proposal.

Ophelia observed them all with a mix of patience and amusement, as if she were explaining something obvious to a group of restless children.

"Well, the conditions for a human are different, I admit. Something like this has never been seen before—a human becoming a demon king."

"But the world will indeed consider you a Demon King regardless of your race, Ryan," she continued, locking her red eyes onto him.

"And you must accept that title if you truly intend to govern at this level of power and maintain order. On this continent."

Ryan finally intervened, trying to steer the conversation toward the details his developer mind was already calculating.

"I understand the point about the title, but let’s talk about the population. I understand that in Rigal’s territory, there are not only demons, but also many beastmen. He is a beastman himself, isn’t he?"

"Yes, he is, but that shouldn’t cause any problems," Ophelia replied, bringing her right hand to her chin in a thoughtful gesture.

"Rigal is a tyrant who rules purely through fear and treats his own people terribly, without distinguishing between races or levels."

She let out a sigh of disgust before continuing with her description of the territory she intended to hand over to Ryan.

"He forces them to participate in twisted magical experiments where most die in agony or turn into strange things that no longer have souls. His territory is a giant laboratory filled with corpses and despair."

Ophelia looked at Ryan with a victorious smile, knowing she was hitting the right notes to convince him.

"So they would be more than happy to have another Demon King take his place, especially one who seems to care about his people. For demons, power is the most important thing of all."

"If no one in those lands can physically challenge you, they won’t interfere with the fact that you are becoming the new sovereign of those lands," the queen explained naturally.

"And best of all, you’ll be able to take all your people with you. Isn’t that a brilliant plan?"

What the woman said seemed logical to Ryan, although the idea of being a Demon King still caused a strange sensation of discomfort in his chest.

Beatrice, who had been listening in silence, decided to step in to offer her perspective as someone who knew both worlds well.

"Well, if we analyze it a bit, Ryan is currently already considered something worse than a demon by the church and the holy knights of the human kingdom," she commented in a soft voice.

"If he obtains that official title of Demon King, his status will change legally before the system of nations," Beatrice added, looking at Helen and Mirian.

"He will no longer be just a wanted criminal that anyone can try to hunt down, but someone they must be very careful with and respect."

Ophelia nodded her head, looking satisfied with the intervention of the demon girl she herself had.

"Exactly. Plus, you will have a formal and public alliance with my own kingdom, which will serve as a shield against any invasion attempts."

"It will be very difficult for anyone, whether human or demon, to want to attack you lightly knowing," Ophelia declared in a tone of voice that admitted no argument.

Ryan stared at her for several seconds, trying to find the hidden trap behind such generosity on the queen’s part.

Ryan finally intervened, rising slightly from his seat to emphasize the seriousness of his next question.

"I understand everything, Ophelia. The benefits for me are obvious, and Rigal’s territory is a considerable upgrade compared to this dungeon, but something doesn’t add up."

He crossed his arms, maintaining an analytical posture that did not yield to the woman’s aura. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"It all sounds too good to be true, and it makes no sense that you want to help me so much in exchange for so little. Why are you really doing this? You could handle Rigal by yourself if you wanted to, couldn’t you?"

The question hung in the air of the living room, heavy with the suspicion of a man who knew that nothing in this world came free.

Ophelia maintained her smile, but her red eyes gleamed with a different intensity, one that suggested Ryan had finally reached the real core of the entire negotiation.