Supreme Castle, top floor meeting room.
When Shane, Chafne, and Lilith arrived here, there were already quite a few figures present.
"Finally decided to come?"
Sela sat at the head of a conference table, looking at Shane and his party brought in by Hette Yada, her face still full of displeasure.
"Lilith!"
Milu jumped down from her seat and rushed towards her friend she met in Elf Country.
"Hehe."
Lilith also began to smile brightly, placed down by Shane, she greeted her little friend.
The combination of Evil God and Ghost Demon, in every sense, was reassuring yet frightening.
"Welcome to the Demon Realm, Shane."
Lide stood on the conference table, greeting Shane.
"Nice to see you again, Lide."
Shane gave a slight smile to the plush little beast.
Lide didn't seem in as good a mood as Shane.
"Not much time has passed since we parted in Elf Country." Lide looked at Shane, speaking nostalgically and reproachfully: "I really didn't expect you to be the Hero."
During their last meeting in Elf Country, Lide wasn't aware of Shane's identity.
So, seeing Shane again, appearing as the Hero, Lide couldn't help but feel emotional.
Chafne went straight to her seat, where she sat down.
"Big sis already knew that guy's identity, huh."
Chafne smiled faintly at Sela, saying this.
"It's not that I didn't tell you all, but I needed to investigate some things." Sela shrugged, indifferent to Chafne's teasing, but looked at Shane, her eyes flashing, as she said: "Of course, I did not expect that even just after a short time apart, you've already reached our level."
Sela's remark received a roll of the eyes from Shane.
"Spare me." Shane retorted, "Don't think pretending to be melancholic will placate me."
Shane was not swayed by Sela's pretense.
"Placate?" Sela feigned confusion, "What am I placating?"
"Still pretending?" Shane immediately sat across from Sela, taking one of only six seats.
Seeing this, Hette Yada wrinkled her brow, while Chafne, Lide, and Milu each paused for a moment, then one smiled playfully, one sighed helplessly, and another giggled in amusement.
Hette Yada seemed like she wanted to say something but was stopped by Sela.
Sela didn't seem to mind Shane taking that seat, or perhaps felt Shane was entitled to it, she smiled without commenting.
But she still mentioned the meaning behind Shane's words.
"You're referring to the matter of the marriage contract with Ai Yi, right?"
Sela finally stopped pretending to be ignorant.
"Glad you know." Shane glanced at Sela, saying, "I really want to know what you mean by this."
"What?" Sela countered, "You don't want to marry Ai Yi?"
"This..." Shane was slightly speechless but didn't capitulate, continuing: "That's a different matter. Even if I want to marry Ai Yi, that decision is ours. Since when did the Demon Clan have the right to decide my marriage contract?"
Yes, that's Shane's sole dissatisfaction, and one of the reasons he came to the Demon Realm.
He certainly liked Ai Yi, felt he couldn't be without that little girl, but as he had only just made some progress in the relationship, only just started, he hadn't even had the chance to write the next step, when he was unilaterally informed by the Demon Clan to form a marriage contract with Ai Yi.
It seemed like Shane gained a significant advantage, but couldn't he openly and honorably approach, taking this step with Ai Yi together?
Choosing freely his own marriage contract, instead of having one imposed on him, doesn't mean the same thing.
Furthermore, this marriage contract appears to be a measure to calm the chaos within the Demon Clan, to settle the undercurrents among the Three Clans, appearing very much like a political marriage.
With such a change in nature for the marriage contract, Shane could not possibly have no opinions.
And Sela and others were clearly aware of this.
Especially Chafne, who had already established a preliminary mind-to-mind connection with Shane, spoke as if watching a show.
"That's what they said, huh? What's your plan, big sis?"
Her tone sounded like she was merely enjoying the turmoil.
Sela ignored her mischievous sister, only deeply looked at Shane.
Shane met her gaze without backing down.
Both stared at each other, causing the atmosphere on-site to gradually become heavy.
But in a moment, the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
"I knew it, you heroes are all single-minded, even you, a rather special hero, have stubborn traits that give people a headache." Sela sighed and straightforwardly said, "I can tell you directly, if it weren't for Ai Yi's non-opposition, we definitely wouldn't have announced this matter to the world. Do you understand what I mean?"
Shane naturally understood Sela's meaning.
This matter must have been approved by Ai Yi, or at least her tacit consent.
Otherwise, even for the Demon Clan and the world, Ai Yi would never allow herself to be sold by her own barrier as a pawn in a political marriage.
She is also a Demon, one of the pinnacles of the Demon Clan. While she respects Sela as the head, she is not Sela's subordinate. It is impossible for Sela to force her.
Of course, Sela has her own considerations.
"If it weren't for seeing that your relationship with Ai Yi is unclear, I would never suggest having you form a marriage contract to quell the unrest." Sela candidly said, "To marry off my own sister for so-called peace, I, Moon Demon Sela, wouldn't regard peace so highly."
Sela indeed wanted to see harmonious relations among the Three Realms and Three Races, to maintain peace.
However, if the price was her own sister's marriage, Sela would not only not uphold it, but might even actively start a war.
The Demon Clan is the strongest race, with naturally powerful life forces. In terms of power, even the Goddesses of the Divine Race can't compare.
Now that the Supreme God is hidden away, if war were to start, the Demon Clan would not fear the Divine Race or the Human Race.
At worst, Sela, as a renowned strategist and advisor of the Demon Clan, could propose several other plans to quell the chaos.
Those plans might not be as directly effective as having Shane and Ai Yi form a marriage contract, but there is room for maneuver.
"But I really had no idea this would happen. You announced it unilaterally. Did you ask me?"
Shane only felt somewhat displeased about this.
"There's no other way. At that time, if the news was released a moment earlier, the chaos would calm down a bit earlier. Otherwise, the chaos would grow, and it would be harder to handle in the end." Sela said, "If it had turned out that way, you wouldn't have peace even in the Human Realm."
At that time, Shane had already faced a difficulty from the Demon Clan, being surrounded once by the Demon Clan's army in the Imperial City.
If the marriage contract with Ai Yi hadn't been suddenly announced, he might have faced endless troubles.
At the same time, the Human Race would surely take some measures regarding this point.
Some would want to protect him, some would want to investigate the secret behind him, and some would have ulterior motives, intending to use Shane and his hero identity and status to achieve certain goals.
If things really turned that way, Shane would probably stir up quite a commotion in the Human Realm.
"Ai Yi likely consented to your marriage considering this point." Sela shrugged and said, "In any case, your marriage with each other is bound to be decided, the difference is just in the occasion, time, and circumstances. If you have any opinions, then go find Ai Yi. You two should solve this issue yourselves. If you can't solve it, canceling the marriage contract isn't out of the question."
Sela's words made Shane close his mouth sullenly.
Cancelling the marriage contract is impossible; cancelling it in this lifetime is impossible.
If he dared to say he wanted to cancel the marriage contract, a certain Dragon Girl would definitely dare to burn him to death with a Dragon Breath.
Shane originally had no opinions on the marriage contract itself; he was just displeased about it being unilaterally decided by the Demon Clan.
Now that Sela had laid everything out, Shane naturally wouldn't look for trouble anymore.
But...
"Not everyone agrees with your marriage contract with Ai Yi."
Sela suddenly smiled as if speaking earnestly.
Shane was first taken aback, then realizing something, he turned his head to look at the direction of the door.
There, a figure had appeared at some point, entering Shane's view.
It was a young Demon girl in the bloom of youth.
The girl's appearance was exquisite, her skin snow-white, her expression somewhat wooden, but her eyes exceptionally profound. The aura she exuded seemed sparse and ordinary, but to a keen person, it was possible to detect a hidden and unending feeling of danger within that aura.
That sense of danger was unnerving and frightening.
As if, in front of him wasn't a beautiful girl, but a black hole capable of devouring everything and taking away all life.
The girl appeared just like that, her gaze directly fixed on Shane.
Then...
"Hmm?"
Shane's expression suddenly changed slightly, a hint of purple appearing between his brows.
He had been poisoned.