"Um... would you like to get down first?" I said helplessly to the loli clinging to me, speaking her language naturally.

"...!" At my words, the loli—who’d been making faces at Nia—froze instantly. She glanced at me, then wrapped both arms tightly around my neck. With a little heave, she pressed her whole body against mine.

Hugging wasn’t enough. She coiled her legs around my waist like a koala. Her message was crystal clear: she had zero intention of letting go.

My stress levels skyrocketed. Sure, she was a *loli*—damn, that name suddenly felt ridiculous—but she was still a girl. Though small, she reached my waist, and her budding curves rubbed against me with every squirm. *Aefina, please believe me—it’s not what you think!*

Sensing my discomfort, Mira stepped over and lifted the loli off me. Perhaps because they were both demons, the loli obeyed Mira without fuss. She’d been reluctant to release me earlier, but seeing Mira’s face, she loosened her grip obediently.

"Wait," I blurted out. "Earlier you said you couldn’t understand her, but you clearly communicated something. How?"

【I used the Demon Realm’s common tongue. She spoke a dialect from one of the Death Bell Lands. I lived in the Cursed Lands—I’m not familiar with Death Bell dialects.】 Mira explained.

"Death Bell Lands? Cursed Lands? What are those?" I vaguely grasped that the Demon Realm had many languages, but these terms meant nothing to me.

Mira then outlined the Demon Realm’s structure.

The Demon Realm comprised eighteen territories: seven Death Bell Lands and eleven Cursed Sword Seals—essentially eighteen distinct nations. Each was ruled by a Demon King, who also held one of the seven Death Bells or eleven Cursed Swords.

Though in truth, no Demon King could wield their power. They merely hoarded these artifacts.

Legend claimed the seven Death Bells and eleven Cursed Swords formed the core pillars sustaining the Demon Realm. Whether true or not, their unimaginable power was undeniable. While Demon Kings couldn’t harness it directly, proximity to these artifacts greatly boosted their strength—which was precisely why they carved territories around them.

Demons operated like wolf packs. Demon Kings claimed the best resources but faced constant challenges from ambitious underlings. Victory meant seizing the throne—a brutal, unspoken law: only the strongest ruled.

As Mira described this, the loli’s expression turned scornful. She even let out a soft "*Tch!*" under her breath, as if all those Demon Kings were utter trash.

I hadn’t forgotten her words when I first found her: *"Let the seven Death Bells toll for me."* She’d chanted it like a spell. Combined with Mira’s explanation, her identity seemed... extraordinary.

Her status panel confirmed it. Her race was listed as "Death Bell Demon King."

"Death Bell" clearly tied to the legendary artifacts. And "Demon King" wasn’t a title here—it was her *species*. Unlike demons, this was intrinsic to her being. Her ability "Seven Sins Death Bell" only deepened the connection.

Others must have noticed too—they just hadn’t pieced it together until now. The loli’s "*Tch!*" snapped everyone’s attention to her. Mo Mo even cast a Scout spell on her.

Beyond a name change, her "Health" now read *Minor Injuries*, her "Affection" showed *???*, and her combat power had more than doubled.

"Aren’t you some prophesied Demon King?" Nia stared at the loli. "These stats scream ‘linked to the seven Death Bells’."

The loli ignored her, fixated instead on the glowing Scout panel Mo Mo had conjured. She looked deep in thought.

Just as I wondered if she could read Oranda’s script, she suddenly swiped her tiny hand at the floating panel—trying to shatter it. Her fingers passed right through; the hologram had no physical form.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, stroking her fluffy hair. (*I’d been itching to touch it.*)

"I’m not hurt! I can still fight!" she pouted, glaring at the "Minor Injuries" label.

"Don’t be silly. You were nearly dead when I found you. How could you fight?"

"That’s... that’s because..." Her eyes welled up. "Those *traitors* ganged up on me! Ambushed me! That’s the only reason I lost!" Tears threatened to spill.

"Shh, don’t cry... Who were these ‘traitors’?" Her story sounded like a setup. Ganging up on a child? Ambushing her? *How utterly low.*

"The eighteen Demon Kings Mira mentioned!" The loli’s tears vanished as rage flared. "Pigs! Vermin! Scum! *They* call themselves Demon Kings? And they stole *my* Death Bells... I *will* have my revenge!"

"Easy now. Rest first. Get stronger. Then we’ll settle scores, okay?" I soothed.

"...Okay. I’ll listen to you." She quieted instantly. *Kids aren’t so hard to handle after all.*

"What was that about?" Nia cut in. The loli’s mood swings had everyone curious.

I summarized our exchange. The others weren’t surprised—they’d guessed from her stats.

Aefina, however, kept silently glaring at the loli. (She’d never forgiven her for biting me.) The loli noticed the hostility too. Their eyes locked, tension crackling in the air—

—until the loli suddenly glanced at me, then back at Aefina. She beamed a sweet, disarming smile. Aefina blinked, thrown off guard. How could anyone stay angry at such an adorable, earnest child?

The loli skipped over, hugged Aefina tightly, and nuzzled her chest.

"Don’t worry," she whispered. Aefina didn’t understand the words—and even I, who did, had no idea what she meant.

Mira clapped her hands. Something about her claps always drew attention, making everyone instinctively focus on her.

【This loli might be the Demon Realm’s Supreme Ruler.】

"Huh? Supreme Ruler? What’s that?" Another unfamiliar term.

【How much do you know about the Demon Realm, Mr. Luo Sa?】

"Eh? Only that there hasn’t been an invasion in over a century. I know nothing about their world."

【Actually... over a century ago, most portals between realms were sealed by an unknown force. That’s why demons can’t cross over.】

"Really?" I recalled Aefina mentioning a Sage.

【A rumor claims the seals will lift only when the Demon Realm unifies. But with eighteen equally matched Demon Kings, no one dares start a war. So the stalemate continues.】

"Then how did *you* get here?" Mira clearly knew the Demon Realm intimately.

【An accident.】 Her reply was curt, shutting down further questions.

"Ehh~ So *that’s* the rumor..." Mo Mo fluttered back in. (Her tiny size made her easy to overlook.)

"Where’d you go?" Nia asked. Even she hadn’t noticed Mo Mo slip away.

"To ask about the loli." Mo Mo landed on Nia’s head, wings fluttering.

Nia: "And?"

Mo Mo: "Got answers."

Mo Mo cleared her throat. "There are two Creator Gods—sisters. The elder created this world and was its sole ruler. Back then, no need for Main Gods or Transmigrators to ‘balance’ things; Main Gods just assisted."

"But for some reason, the sisters quarreled. The younger one created the Demon Realm to sabotage this world. With half the management gone, chaos erupted. Only after Main Gods suggested it did the elder Creator God recruit Transmigrators to restore balance—and Main Gods got busy too."

*Such unreliable gods? Shouldn’t Creator Gods be emotionless orbs like in sci-fi? With leaders like this, is this world doomed?*

"Recently, the sisters seem to be reconciling. So letting the Demon Realm keep causing trouble isn’t ideal. The younger Creator God sealed the portals to stop demons from crossing. But it’s a temporary fix—hence the ‘unification unlocks the seals’ rumor."

"What if the unified ruler *wants* to invade? A single commander would be harder to stop!"

"If that ruler *likes* the human world... would they really lead an invasion after unifying?"

"You mean..." I glanced at the loli. Mo Mo’s implication was obvious.

She nodded. "Exactly. Someone else was supposed to guide you to find her in the forest. But Lord Ebia happened to pass by, so he told you directly."

"And if she doesn’t *want* to unify the Demon Realm? Will they force her to be Supreme Ruler?"

"No. The Creator God respects every being’s free will."

"Besides, plans always have unexpected twists. Creator God’s control over the world isn’t absolute enough to dictate every event, so plenty of backup options exist. This one’s the easiest—no extra effort needed." Mo Mo seemed to read my thoughts and explained.

The Loli at the center of attention showed zero awareness of being a realm’s ruler. The future ruler of the Demon Realm was blissfully snuggling into Aefina’s arms. Catching me staring, she even pulled a hand free to wave.

Well… if that’s how it is, I’ve got nothing more to say. But seriously, why does this Creator God feel so unreliable?