"Enter this gate. Beyond it lies the frozen continent I rule."
The place we reached after following Guy was the abyss, even deeper than Hell.
To prevent the invading races—the Phantoms, Insects, and Cryptids—from reaching the material world, Guy had formed a gate beneath the realm teeming with demons.
Noir was currently holding back the Phantoms, but Guy judged that there was no telling when that demon's whim might end in the future.
"..."
As I watched the deep-blue gate radiating a chilly cold, I silently stepped through the gate Guy indicated.
With a tiny sense of anticipation for what the present-day material world might look like.
**
The sight beyond the gate far exceeded my expectations.
"Wow..."
The frozen castle, the White Ice Palace, was too magnificent to be described by the word "splendid."
Before my eyes stood the residence of a Demon Lord, boasting beauty enough to rival Blanc's castle.
The dark crimson castle made it abundantly clear who ruled this place, while the crystals of ice encircling it evoked the image of an enormous dragon.
Faced with a sight I could never have understood from manga panels alone, I could not close my mouth.
"You were prepared in advance."
At Guy's words, three women appeared.
"Yes. I happened to sense your magicules."
The blue-eyed woman standing at the front looked like a girl, yet carried herself with the mature, relaxed air of a woman. She wore a kind-looking smile, but the way she stirred a demon's survival instincts spoke of just how formidable she was.
"..."
Of the two women behind her, the one with long green hair wore a classic maid uniform. Her beautiful grass-green eyes shone serenely, and her flawless curtsy—holding the hem of her skirt as she bowed—showed that she was a consummate professional at serving others.
"..."
The woman beside her, with short blue hair and striking scarlet eyes, wore the same maid uniform and held the same curtsy. Unlike the woman next to her, however, her slightly awkward pose seemed to reveal her easygoing nature.
So those three are Velzard, the [White Ice Dragon], and the Primordial Demons [Blue] and [Vert].
All three were breathtakingly beautiful as well, to a degree that could not be compared to the manga. They were no less beautiful than the Demon Lords of Hell.
"By the way, Guy. Who is the demon beside you?"
"Oh, this guy? He's my new subordinate."
At Velzard's question, as she glanced at me with interest, Guy threw an arm around my shoulders and continued cheerfully.
"This works out perfectly. I'm going to name him right now. Velzard, you and I need to give this guy his name together."
"What?"
At Guy's casual remark, Velzard and I both asked at the same time.
"My name—"
"—what do you mean I have to name him with you?"
"Ah, come to think of it, I never told you."
The answer Guy gave next was absurd—no, incomprehensible.
"He's a demon, but he has a [Hero's Egg] inside him, along with an unusual [Factor] resembling that of a True Dragon. To properly awaken those, he needs not only my demonic magicules, but your True Dragon magicules as well."
I could understand the part about having a [Hero's Egg] inside my body. But...
What the hell is a Factor...?
This was the first time I had heard of a [Factor].
I was at the point of wondering why such bizarre things as a Hero's Egg and an unusual Factor were inside me, a demon, in the first place.
"A [Hero's Egg]? How could a monster possibly..."
"I don't know either. But one of my kind happened to acquire an ability like this, and it would be a waste not to use it, wouldn't it? So I made him my subordinate."
Guy Crimson grinned fiercely, as though it were something to brag about. Velzard, meanwhile, sighed like a wife exhausted by her husband's eccentricities.
"...Sigh. Fine, I understand for now. Since it's something you chose, you must have your reasons. How exactly are the two of us meant to name him together?"
But in the end, Velzard permitted it with a bitter smile.
As long-standing partners, they both knew without needing words that Guy would not give up.
"Simple. You give him his first name, and I'll give him his surname. Just as I did."
After receiving the name Guy, Guy had evolved into an Awakened Demon Lord, a [Devil Lord], and when Rudra, the first Hero, gave him the surname Crimson, he had grown even stronger.
It was a loophole technique bordering infinitely close on the impossible, but Guy and Velzard were both immortal beings among the highest ranks in the world, so such a loophole was possible for them.
"...Then shall we name him right away?"
"Yeah. Ah, don't give him some ridiculous name. I need him to work as a Hero."
"Don't worry. I'm not someone who tosses out names carelessly like you do."
For reference, the origin of the name Guy was supposedly that whenever people died, they screamed, "Gyaaaah?!" as they perished, and he assumed that was his name.
.........
......
...
"Then let's begin."
As soon as Guy finished speaking, Velzard approached me.
Velzard swept her gaze over me once with blue eyes that gleamed like jewels submerged in the deep sea.
Then, apparently having decided on my name, cold magicules began to frost over her entire body.
"From this moment onward, your name is Adelio. Please become a noble retainer worthy of that name."
"...!!!"
The moment I received my name, my soul began to convulse.
[Report. Having acquired a name, evolution into a Named Monster... successful. You have evolved from an [Arch Demon] into the Demon Lord species, a [Demon Lord]. In addition, the [Hero's Egg] has begun to stir. The body of a sage has formed... successful. You have acquired [the body of a sage]. Next, the mind and body have been combined for evolution... successful. Your species has evolved into a [Divine Demon].]
...?!
A vast energy unlike anything I had ever felt before overflowed from within me.
Such immense magicules permeated my soul and body that I could feel it in real time, to the point that I questioned whether this truly was my power.
It would not happen, but I even worried that I might lose control like this.
"Then it's my turn. Hmm... Adelio. From today onward, your surname is Ruber. Be grateful. It was the alias I used back when I traveled."
Before I had time to rejoice at my evolved body, the dark crimson magicules pouring from Guy's body were immediately absorbed into me.
[Report. Having acquired a [Full Name], you have obtained the Extra Skills [Demon Lord's Haki], [Heroic Aura], [All-Around Perception], [Spatial Movement], [Multi-Layer Barrier], and [Chant Annulment]. In addition, the Unique Skill [Sword Demon] and the Extra Skill [Fighter] have combined and evolved into the Ultimate Skill [Ru-Lawather], [Sword Emperor Heavenly King]... successful.]
...Huh? ...W-wait!
An Ultimate Skill all of a sudden...?
As I stood there stunned, the Voice of the World continued speaking regardless of my reaction.
[Next, you have acquired [Physical Attack Nullification], [Natural Effects Nullification], and [Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance]. In addition, the Unique Skill [Answerer] and the Unique Skill [Seeker of Learning] are being combined into an Ultimate Skill...]
But then, the Voice of the World—
[...has failed. Acquisition has failed because this skill cannot be borne by the body of a sage.]
—suddenly came to a complete stop, as though it had run into an obstacle.
...
......
.........
...Did it... stop...?
The endless stream of notifications had finally ended.
Hummm...
Though my magicules showed no sign whatsoever of calming down.
"Oh... remarkable. To think you surpassed a [Demon Lord] and even obtained a body. An entirely new, complete species has been born."
Perhaps his curiosity as a demon had been stirred, for Guy's eyes sharpened as though he were looking at an intriguing life-form.
"..."
But Guy Crimson soon muttered, "Well, it hardly matters if one more derivative species appears at this point," before his face turned serious.
Taking on the dignified bearing of a Demon Lord, he slowly extended his hand toward me and spoke.
"Welcome, Adelio Ruber. With this, you have become my full-fledged subordinate. I look forward to working with you from now on."
.........................
From that day onward, my name in my new life became [Adelio Ruber], meaning nobility and red.
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