Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A section of the forest was shrouded in darkness.

The thick scent of burnt flesh permeated the air.

Sizzle.

The crackling of fire mixed with the acrid stench of charred skin, stinging the nose.

“Tsk.”

Spitting to the side, I casually waved my hand. A slight shift of my internal energy swept away the foul stench.

The breeze carried it away as I turned my gaze forward.

“……”

The man had already breathed his last.

What was once the Fire Artisan Demon was now nothing more than a blackened husk.

“Hmm.”

I lightly stomped my foot.

Crunch.

With just that, the body crumbled into dust and vanished.

“Maybe I overdid it?”

It was my first time conducting torture after gaining this much power.

Maybe that’s why I had a hard time controlling myself.

“Looks like I’ll need to practice this too.”

I had to refine my control. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up killing my targets before getting any information out of them.

Like just now.

I narrowed my eyes in frustration.

There was still much I wanted to hear, but I never got the chance.

The Fire Artisan Demon simply couldn’t withstand it for long.

‘In that case, I should’ve just demonized him.’

Yes, I should have forced him into demonic transformation and extracted the information that way.

But instead, I wasted time playing with torture.

“Tsk.”

Clicking my tongue, I dusted off my hands.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss.

‘At least I found out why he was here.’

The Fire Artisan Demon.

One of the Four Demonic Monarchs, infamous for his murderous nature.

Or rather, he used to be.

‘Because the moment he met me, he was already dead.’

Not just him—his entire title of Demonic Monarch was in the past now.

From what I knew, the Fire Artisan Demon…

‘Was supposed to have been killed by the Martial Alliance on the frontlines.’

After raping the daughter of a famous merchant guild leader,

He fled to the battlefield to hide, only to be discovered and executed by the Martial Alliance.

His death had been pitiful, disgraceful, and well-known to all.

I had thought he was nothing more than a foolish brute.

But now…