‘Well. This is not going well. Not at all.’

Ren observed his guests, the members of Draco clan, and his concubine to be, Lotus Draco.

By now, Ren had been around demons long enough to be able to recognize their emotions, even if they are hiding them as best as possible.

The most obvious indicator of demon’s emotion would be the demon’s tail, at least for demons that have tails.

Observing Shaula, Akjan, and Korkau, Ren could tell in what mood each one was in just by seeing the way their tails moved.

And by looking at the shivering tails of the Draco clan members, Ren knew that they were scared, no, terrified for some strange reason.

‘Maybe they are preparing to attack? But why? It’s not like I aggravated them.’

‘Did I say or do something wrong? I was simply trying to put my best foot forward. Maybe they will change their minds after trying the meat rolls I made.’

‘They are observing every one of my moves. It’s scary. Please don’t look at me so closely, I am not good at handling pressure! Please have mercy on my soul, I will beg while bowing on the floor, so please stop!’

While Ren thought these demons were trying to intimidate him, he was not aware that the Draco clan members were scared out of their minds.

Ren being completely quiet while he sliced up the ingredients with razor sharp knives did not help the matters.

‘I am a good cook who is aspiring to be a chef someday. I am cooking food and I am not food. So please don’t eat me.’

Ren was under an impression that these powerful looking Dragon type demons might eat him if they are dissatisfied with his food, which is why he tried to make it the best way he could.

After he was done, he put the food on plates and offered them to the Draco clan members.

For some reason, when he offered it to Tengu clan members, they politely refused or simply backed away.

‘I guess it can’t be helped. My previous attempts at cooking were not so successful. But this time, I am sure, I nailed it. Right, Akjan?’

Akjan simply smiled at him in response.

Lotus Draco looked at the food before her.

It was a simple meal consisting of a meat and vegetables wrapped in a roll, with a small dish on the side.

As she picked up her food, she saw Kizilkoz shaking her head from side to side.

‘Is she telling me not to eat it? But why? Could it be poison?’

She looked up at the one who made this dish, Ren Karatengu.

‘He is at such a dominant position. If he wanted to, he could kill all of us in an instant and be done with it. Considering how powerful he is, I don’t see why he would resort to using poison. It wouldn’t make any sense’

Lotus truly hoped she was right in her assessment of Ren’s intentions.

Hesitating a little, she took a little bite of the food and so did the rest of her clan members.

Contrary to what she expected, the dish was good.

No, it was not simply good, it was delicious. The meat and the vegetables combined with a specially made sauce created a unique blend that seemed to melt in her mouth.

It was so good that Lotus ended up taking another bite, and after a few minutes, she ended up finishing the entire dish.

‘It was so good….’

Due to the shortage of resources, it has been a while since Draco clan members had a proper meal. This generous gesture by Ren Karatengu was certainly most welcome.

“Yay! It seems you guys really enjoyed them, didn’t you? How did you like the Demon Rolls I made?”

Demon…

…Rolls?!

All of the Draco clan members’ bodies were frozen stiff.

Lotus’s reacted by putting her hand on her mouth, desperately trying to stop herself from throwing up.

‘Does that mean…he fed us…demon meat?!’

‘Oh no. How could I have been so blind? He didn’t want to kill us. What he wanted was to toy with us by making us eat our own kind!’

‘Ren Karatengu, you cruel fiend!’ Lotus was trying her best not to hurl on the spot.

“Honestly, young master. That is terrible name for simple meat rolls” Shaula Tengu chimed in.

‘Huh? Does that mean the food was not made out of demon corpses?’

“Ah, I see. I named it like that because they were rolls made by me, a demon. Sorry for the confusion. Ha ha”

‘Is he serious? Was it truly just a bad naming sense, or did he say this expecting us to react in such way?’

Lotus and her clan members were rather relieved that they did not accidentally become cannibals.

This Ren Karatengu…His personality is too hard to read.

Either he was a clueless fool or a very cruel prankster.

Lotus thought the latter was more likely. A fool wouldn’t be so crafty.

He gave off an impression of a master mind who thinks at least three steps ahead. There was no way he didn’t do that stunt on purpose.

After they were done with the meal, it was time for Lotus and Ren to enter into a covenant.

Looking into Ren’s eyes, Lotus declared.

“There is nothing I will not do for the sake of my clan. They are all I have left. If you will protect them, I shall serve you and will become yours and yours alone. But if you harm them….”

“I understand. You wish to protect your clan, the ones that you cherish. I understand that quite well. And I respect that resolve.”

With an air befitting of a true leader, Ren Karatengu spoke.

“If you and your friends join me, you shall become part of the Tengu clan. Therefore, you shall be my family, and I will protect my family as long as I am still alive.”

Ren extended his hand to Lotus.

“So rest assured. I will make sure your clan survives and prospers. I give you my word.”

Hearing his declaration, Lotus made her decision.

She extended her hand and shook his.

“I, Lotus Lua Draco, the leader of Draco clan, pledge my loyalty to Ren Karatengu. As long as you keep my clan safe, I shall obey you and accept you as my future husband.”

“Likewise, I, Ren Karatengu, accept your conditions, and I accept you as my future concubine” Just like that, the contract was complete.

‘Whew, that was intense’

Ren wiped the sweat off his brow. Luckily for Ren, his grandfather told him how to properly establish a contract. That truly was a life saver.

“I guess that’s that” Ren was about to stand up and leave, but he heard the voice of his fiancée.

“Wait, please tell me. What is your end goal?”

“To rise to the top, of course. I shall not stop until I reach the realm that none else has dared to reach before me” Of course, he was referring to how he was going to become the greatest chef or the greatest gardener in the Kalkan kingdom. That was his true dream.

“And to that end, you wish to become the Demon King?”

‘Demon King? Oh, right, they think I am trying to become a king or something. I can’t deny her, not in front of all of my clan members. Especially not in front of grandpa. It would be a disaster. I need to play it cool and make the best impression possible’

“Yes, after all, I am the man who will become the Demon King”

‘What the hell did I just say?! Demon King my ass! How did that slip out?! Me and my stupid mouth!’

Ren ended up blurting out something rather outrageous. As much as he wanted to take back his words, he knew that it was too late. As his clan members watched him with awe, Ren proceeded to exit the room. His confident words inspired admiration from all demons inside the room. Even those of the Draco clan found themselves in awe by his majestic display of leadership.

What those demons did not know was the fact that Ren was running towards the nearest well. He jumped into the well and screamed as loud as he could.

“What have I done?! Now I can never take back what I said! AAAAAAHHHH!”