Chapter 5

“Ah… That title doesn’t sound very nice, does it… Once we’re back in the capital, I’ll figure something out and get them to stop calling you that.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Eh?”

“That title sounds so cool! Why change it? You don’t even know—in the Demon Clan’s territory, all I have to do is hide and cheerfully shout, ‘The Princess of Calamity is here!’ The little kids outside the Demon King’s castle all scatter in terror! It’s so majestic! So don’t you dare interfere with that! If you do, I swear I’ll throw a fit!”

“…”

Her rapid-fire response left Xiarette dumbfounded.

Sheffy, you’re really… optimistic, huh?

Or maybe it’s just that the customs of the Demon Clan are a bit… simple?

Xiarette might have a somewhat dopey personality, but when it came to thinking things through, she was absolutely clever enough.

Just like how Sheffy brought up the title “Princess of Calamity” as an example just now.

She was clearly trying to tell her—she really was as powerful as the rumors claimed.

However… such vague wording wasn’t enough to convince Xiarette.

Of course, just from the sky-filled flame magic earlier and the reports of Sheffy’s battlefield feats in recent years, it was clear she wasn’t just strong—she was very strong.

It was quite possible that she was even stronger than Xiarette herself, who was hailed as the strongest Hero in human history.

But even so—none of this had been seen by Xiarette with her own eyes.

Even that fiery curtain across the sky—Xiarette couldn’t determine if that was truly a miracle constructed by Sheffy’s own magic alone.

Because it was so overly dramatic and extravagant, Xiarette grew even more concerned: was there some hidden truth behind it?

In the history of this world, it wasn’t unheard of for a race to fabricate or exaggerate the power of their so-called top warrior to intimidate other nations and prevent invasion.

Take the Elves for instance. For hundreds of years, they boasted that their World Tree barrier was invincible, that any who approached would perish.

—And yet, a few years ago, it got accidentally smashed open by a young dragon who hadn’t even fully mastered flying and got lost.

That young dragon was badly wounded by the guardians of the Elves’ World Tree.

But in the end, it still managed to escape alive!

The Elves lost face, and the lie their entire race had woven together was shattered by a single accident. That might be one of the reasons their situation is now so dire.

So, if possible, Xiarette wanted to hear it directly from Sheffy—confirmation of her true strength.

Not to be left guessing through unreliable hearsay.

Before she realized it, Xiarette’s slightly trembling hand was already resting over Sheffy Harl’s left hand.

Every thought, every word—sincere from the heart.

Every worry, every sorrow—for one person alone.

“Sheffy, from now on… we’re going to live together in the human capital. When that time comes, as a member of the Demon Clan, you might find enemies coming at you from every direction…”

“As long as you’re within my reach, I’ll always be by your side. I’ll do my best to hide your presence. If you want to put on an act, I’ll act with you—as long as you can live the life you want.”

“But you need to understand… there will be times when I have to leave.”

In Xiarette’s deep blue eyes, a glint of unwavering determination and protection flickered into view.

“So I want you to tell me honestly—can you really protect yourself? If I’d never known you existed in this world, maybe I could’ve let it go… but now that I do, I can’t accept even the slightest chance of losing you again. Sheffy, do you understand how your sister feels?”

“……”

Sheffy Harl blankly stared at those firm yet shaken eyes, filled with fear—fear of loss.

Seriously…

Wasn’t she just saying earlier that since she was older in this life, she was the big sister…? And now she’s calling herself “sister” again?

Since you’re the great Hero, since you’re the older sister… then don’t show such cowardice…

Honestly, that’s just not right.

This time, Sheffy Harl no longer acted carefree.

She properly set down her previously crossed legs, placed her hands neatly atop her thighs, and turned to sit upright facing Xiarette with formal composure.

Every gesture and movement radiated royal dignity.

In that moment, she finally exuded the sense of authority befitting the title “Demon Clan Princess.”

“Xiarette, you know that a demon’s strength is tied to the number of their wings, right?”

“Eh…? Yeah, I do know that.”

“Then on the battlefield just now, you must’ve seen how many wings I had.”

“Yes… just as the rumors say, I saw… six wings.”

Jet-black wings, glowing ominously, were laced with the demonic elements needed to activate Demon Clan magic, determining the quality of their mana.

To a large extent, it was precisely because of their innate wings that the Demon Clan stood at the pinnacle of magical prowess in this world.

“I remember what they say when the Demon Clan goes to war. ‘Three-winged black feathers, the army crumbles. Four wings in the sky, towns are doomed.’”

“That’s right. It’s similar on the human side too—any time a demon with more than four wings appears, it must be reported immediately to the king. The capital will dispatch elite fighters. No one is allowed to act on their own.”

“Yeah, speaking of four-winged demons… in the Demon Clan, that would be equivalent to a Grand Duke or someone of similar rank. They do have considerable strength.”

Let’s put it this way—

In the Demon Clan, a single wing on one side, or two wings in total, was most common.

Though such demons gave human warriors some trouble, with magic crystal cannons, various enchanted weapons, and support from spellcasters, they weren’t unbeatable.

But when it came to three-winged or four-winged demons…

Just as Xiarette said, you needed an entire army—or even an entire city—just to have a chance at fighting back.

Five-winged demons.

Those were limited to the demon generals serving directly around the Demon King’s throne. Their numbers could be counted on two hands.

If one of them personally joined the battle, aside from the Hero herself and her clan—the Sword of the Nation, the House of Wright—the humans would likely have to call in the ancient sages from the Elders’ Council, whose magical knowledge ran terrifyingly deep.

And above even them—

Stood the apex of the world’s power structure: the six-winged demons.

They were no longer describable as merely “exceptionally gifted.”

They were the embodiment of calamity, beings beyond conventional classification, absolute powerhouses among all races.

Due to intervention by other powerful races in the world—and to maintain balance between factions, as well as to prevent the conflict from escalating to the point of endangering other races—the Demon Clan was not permitted to deploy all their six-winged demons in this war against humanity.

At most, only one six-winged could be dispatched.

To avoid fighting a war on multiple fronts, the Demon Clan naturally accepted this not-so-unreasonable condition.

After all, six-winged demons revered strength and looked down on bullying the weak.

Thanks to this, the Kingdom of Aurus had not been forced to rapidly exhaust all of its national treasures and resources in a short period of time.

Among all known six-winged demons, according to Xiarette, there were only the Demon King, the Demon Queen, and two duke-ranked generals in the royal guard.

No…

If what she saw on the battlefield was real—

—Then there was also the one sitting in front of her now: Sheffy.

Sheffy was the only six-winged demon deployed in this conflict, sent by the Demon King himself under the pretense of a “trial by battle.”

Sheffy Harl was the Demon King’s eldest daughter. The Demon King only had two daughters in total, and he trusted the First Princess entirely to lead the battlefront.

This was precisely why the Human side had become so ecstatic when Sheffy was “captured” by Xiarette.

The enemy general had been taken alive!!

This was a historic event worthy of being written into the annals of history!

To have taken part in such a battle—of course it was an honor beyond words!

Yet Xiarette couldn’t have cared less about those trivial matters.

At this point, she was desperate to confirm one thing.

“So Sheffy… your six wings, they’re real, right? Don’t blame me for asking so insistently—because there’s no record in history of a six-winged demon this young… it’s just too unbelievable.”

Sheffy Harl’s deep violet eyes, swirling with what seemed like magic itself, glanced left and right before finally fixing on Xiarette’s gaze.

Then, shyly and naturally, she shifted her eyes away again, unable to keep staring directly.

Seriously…

How long had it been since someone last worried about her like this?

Sis, you’re still the same as in our past life—always needing to get to the bottom of everything. You worry too much.

But… it actually felt kind of nice.

Sheffy narrowed her eyes with a playful smile and snapped her fingers with flair.

“Wanna see the truth?”

“Yeah. I’ve been saying that from the start.”

“Alright, alright~ I’m planning to stick with you from now on anyway, Xiarette, so what’s there to hide? You guessed right—there is something I’ve been concealing about this.”

“?!”

So I really did guess it…?

“Sheffy, if you don’t have the ability to protect yourself… then we’re not going to the capital! It’s not safe! We could just go… go somewhere… uh… anywhere…”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant! Ahh, I don’t even know how to explain this…! Let’s just do this—I’ll show you. You’ll understand once you see!”

Sheffy Harl was the kind to act first and explain later.

If she said she’d show something, then it meant right now—this very instant!

Before she even warned Xiarette to brace herself, a beam of jet-black light suddenly burst forth in front of her!

Only the carriage’s isolation barrier barely managed to contain the dazzling black radiance within the interior.

Xiarette squinted—several seconds passed before she could manage to open her eyes again with difficulty.

And at the same time…

A weightless black feather slowly drifted down before her eyes.

Once Xiarette’s vision stabilized and she finally saw clearly the Sheffy sitting across from her—head tilting playfully, with the black wings of a demon now fully visible—

Xiarette’s eyes flew wide open.

Her mouth parted slightly in disbelief—utterly stunned.

She felt like either her own eyes or the very fabric of the world must have malfunctioned!

Otherwise, how could something like this possibly be in front of her right now?

“Ei… Eight wings…?”

**6. Following Through (A 6,000-character Chapter)**

“Eight wings… Sheffy! Eight—wait, I have to count again… one, two, three, four, five… yep, it really is eight wings!”

You even managed to count them again while in shock.

Clearly, you’re not the brightest.

Sheffy Harl nonchalantly lowered her hand, gesturing for the Hero before her to stay calm.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it. But don’t be so surprised. You’re a Hero—you need to keep your composure.”

“How can I stay calm…?! Sheffy, do you even know what eight wings *mean*?!”

“Eh? I really don’t. What does it mean?”

“I don’t know either!”

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