Chapter 186: Secret of the Demon Kings
Ryan stood there observing Ophelia in light of her response.
He maintained a heavy silence for a few moments, processing the demon queen’s fixed gaze before simply nodding his head.
Then, Ophelia sighed.
The woman’s exhalation was deep, causing her prominent chest to rise pronouncedly beneath the fabric of her dress.
The movement adjusted the fall of the garment over her thick thighs, revealing the tension she was trying to hide with her false calm.
"Tell me something Ryan, how much do you know about the origin of the demon kings of this generation?"
Ryan closed his eyes for a moment to think about her question.
He tried to remember how much he actually knew; after traveling through many places, even wandering through three nations under the domain of the demon kings, he realized that despite all that, he didn’t have much information about them.
’Considering that until now I only know of a few, Rigal, Rohan, Ophelia, perhaps I heard of another one, but I don’t remember it.’
His line of thought advanced in a logical and cold manner, discarding what was known so far through the murmurs of humans.
’Anyway, it’s best if she just tells me what she has in mind, there is no point in trying to force information that I do not possess.’
He opened his eyes once again, locking his pupils directly onto those of the demon queen without showing any weakness.
"I know what any adventurer would know; of course, the perspective and knowledge of humans will be completely different from what the demons possess."
His voice sounded steady, devoid of any hint of doubt or excessive curiosity.
"So, why don’t you just tell me everything you want without beating around the bush?"
"Alright, but it is a long story, I hope I don’t bore you." The demon queen commented.
A slight smile devoid of joy formed on her pink lips as she leaned the weight of her torso backward.
Ryan nodded his head, making himself comfortable.
He rested his back firmly against the structure of the cabin, without diverting his attention from Ophelia’s movements.
"This is not a secret, but it is very rarely spoken of, and also very few people actually know the truth."
The woman adjusted her body, pressing the flesh of her thighs as she slightly shifted her posture on the seat.
Ophelia paused and adopted a serious tone.
The playful atmosphere and the touch of seduction she gave off a moment ago disappeared completely.
Her eyes acquired a dull shine, reflecting memories of a distant era.
"Several years ago, when neither Rohan nor I were demon kings."
She looked down toward the wooden floor, as if she could see the past through the planks.
"No, we weren’t even high-ranking demons yet."
Ryan looked at her with attention as she began to narrate the story.
The mountain wind continued to batter the exterior of the cabin, creating a rhythmic background for the demon queen’s words.
"At that time, we were friends, or to put it another way, rivals."
Ophelia let her hands drop onto her lap, intertwining her slender fingers.
"We were at the service of the former demon king in the city of Demons Hells."
The mention of the former capital caught Ryan’s interest, who stored the information away in his mind.
He kept his muscles relaxed but alert, observing how Ophelia’s breathing became more deliberate.
"At that time, Rohan was in love with a demon named Liz, of the principality rank."
The queen paused briefly, moistening her lips before continuing with the tale.
"Rohan also held that same rank, and they always trained together looking to get stronger. Over the years they fell in love and were together but, unlike Liz who had stagnated, Rohan was getting stronger and stronger."
’He fell in love? Well, I have already verified that it is possible, but it still seems strange to me. I mean, they are demons; of course, I treat Beatrice as if she wasn’t one.’
Ophelia’s tone became flat, describing the harsh reality of power evolution.
"When he reached the Infernal level, Liz had only managed to reach the archdemon rank. And one of the weakest in that category, at that. That depressed her because Rohan was the most promising candidate to become the new demon king."
The queen’s fingers squeezed tightly together, showing the frustration of evoking the memories of others.
"And if Rohan became a demon king, the power he would obtain would be incomparable, and that would not allow them to be together."
Ryan remained perfectly still, comprehending the gap in power that exists between an infernal and a simple archdemon, but he still didn’t understand why that would be a problem for them.
So he simply continued paying attention to Ophelia’s words.
Ophelia looked up, searching for some reaction on the human’s face, but she only found complete indifference.
"Even though she went away to train, she did not achieve any advancement and Rohan became a demon king. When he succeeded, he went looking for her. And somehow he managed to convince her to stay together."
The demon queen exhaled a breath of hot air, shifting her gaze toward the window for a brief second.
"It was like that that they conceived Zelyn. Even though they knew what that would cause."
’I have heard that name before...’
"What do you mean by that?" Ryan intervened as he leaned forward just a bit.
"You know exactly what I mean." Ophelia sighed and swapped the leg she had crossed on top, generating a slight friction of skin, and began to recount in more detail.
A demon king possesses incredible power, and carries with him a very powerful lineage, due to the sheer density of his mana.
If he were to have a child with a demon woman who does not possess the power of a demon king, then the child born from her would contain the power of the king in his lineage, but his body would not be able to withstand it.
Such an existence is treated as a bastard, and those bastards usually die due to the lack of control over their own power.
They are like a very fragile shell housing a massive power.
But they didn’t give any importance to that; they only thought about being together and still conceived a defective child.
"When Zelyn was born, the demon king was forced to return to his duties in the castle. The war with the heroes was growing larger, and they were constantly losing ground. The demon king spent about five years at the front, fighting to keep the heroes’ power at bay."
The queen’s voice dropped in volume, acquiring a much darker and sharper nuance.
"But one day he received a message from one of his subordinates. It was Liz saying that she had found a way to become a demon king herself, and that their current child was not a defect but a tool that would help them."
Ryan slightly tensed his jaw upon hearing the turn of events.
"Furthermore, the demon king received another note."
