Sensing the change in his surroundings, the cub groggily opened his eyes. His round, golden pupils gazed blankly at the world around him before he moved his hand to his mouth, sucking on his thumb.

The little one didn’t seem to grasp the situation yet, staring dumbly at the several demons. His fingers, like white jade, were exquisite and small, with pink, rounded tips—entirely lacking any hint of aggression.

Lance closed his eyes tightly. “I don’t think I’m fully awake yet. Must be hallucinating.”

Bode rubbed hard at his tiny eyes. “Me too.”

Nick refused to accept reality. He picked up the two halves of the broken eggshell and tried to place them back over the cub, as if attempting to reassemble him.

Bazel removed the eggshell pieces. “It’s not a hallucination. This cub is definitely Eris’s kid.”

The resemblance to Demon King Eris was uncanny—the same black hair, the same eye shape. The only difference was the cub’s golden pupils; Eris’s were a darker shade.

Thinking back on all the years they’d been hunted by Demon King Eris, then looking at the Demon King’s son currently sucking his thumb, the four demons felt incredibly conflicted.

The atmosphere was painfully awkward. They had painstakingly incubated this egg for over five months, even planning to bring the little one along to fight the Demon King, only to hatch his son.

Nick was still trying to make excuses: “Maybe the resemblance is just a coincidence. Like how all slimes in Bode’s clan look exactly the same. Besides, look at this cub’s tail and wings—they kind of resemble those of the Succubus/Incubus race. Eris doesn’t have a tail, and he’s… what race is he again?”

Demon King Eris had appeared out of nowhere a thousand years ago. No demon knew his family origins or race. He was the strongest demon in the Demon Realm, the current Demon King, with legions of loyal followers. Whatever his race, it didn’t diminish the demons’ reverence for him.

Lance kept his eyes shut, avoiding reality. “I think I heard a rumor once, saying Eris is a Chaos Spawn.”

“Chaos Spawn? You mean this?” Bode pointed to a black, flaky patch on the ground that looked like a stain. With a light tap, the black patch dispersed like dust.

Chaos Spawn demons were the lowest-ranking demons in the entire Demon Realm. They lacked intelligence and often appeared in places rich with demonic energy. A simple tap turned them to dust. Many demons regarded Chaos Spawn as mere trash—useless and unsightly.

How could the mighty Demon King possibly be a Chaos Spawn? It had to be a baseless rumor, like how they often called each other slugs during arguments.

Bazel brought the conversation back on topic: “An egg taken from the Demon King’s Palace, and he looks so much like Eris—those two points are enough to confirm his identity. The question now is, what should we do with him? Secretly return him, or…”

Everyone understood the unspoken implication. Their current miserable state, while partly their own fault, was primarily due to Eris hunting them down relentlessly.

Now, the enemy’s cub was in their hands. Returning him was absolutely out of the question—they were demons, not saints. If they had known earlier it was the enemy’s kid, the demon egg might have already become egg-drop soup. The best way to retaliate against Eris for their suffering was to get rid of his cub.

The cub was still lying on the ground, blinking and observing his surroundings. Even though no demon paid him any attention, he didn’t cry or fuss, appearing remarkably well-behaved.

Bode felt a pang of reluctance, hesitating, “Do we… have to kill him?”

Bazel immediately jumped in: “Then I’ll leave this task to you.”

Bode: ?

Good grief. Bazel, that cunning fat dragon, must have been waiting for him to say exactly that.

Egged on by his three companions, Bode, forced to accept the grim task, slowly approached the cub.

Lying on the ground, the cub had absorbed their demonic power and wasn’t unfamiliar with them. He lay there obediently, watching the large blob of blue jelly approach.

The little demon flashed a sweet smile, his big, round golden eyes squinting into crescents, the small triangle at the tip of his tail twitching a few times.

First kill attempt: Failed!

“I can’t do it!” Bode fled in tears, squeezing himself into a crack in the palace wall corner and refusing to come out.

Slimes expressed affection by nuzzling close to their kin; it was common to see clumps of slimes sticking together and wobbling in the Demon Realm. Having snuggled with the big white egg every day for five months, Bode naturally adored the little guy. How could he possibly strike?

Lance ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Let me do it. I’ll use my powers to let the little one pass away in his sleep. It’ll be painless.”

He stepped forward, crouched down, and carefully lifted the small cub from the cold ground. Recognizing the familiar aura, the cub didn’t struggle at all, letting Lance hold him obediently.

Lance’s sky-blue hair and eyelashes were strikingly noticeable. The cub stared at him curiously, moving his little tail from his belly to tentatively wrap around Lance’s wrist. The cool, black, slender tail instantly wrapped around Lance’s heart.

Second kill attempt: Failed!

Lance’s heart pounded, his face flushed red. Flustered as if drunk, he awkwardly shoved the cub into Bazel’s arms, simultaneously, reluctantly, catching the little tail wrapped around his wrist and placing it back on the cub’s belly, sneaking in a few extra pats. “You do it. I can’t.”

Suddenly transferred, the little guy was a bit confused. In his momentary panic, he clutched onto a button on Bazel’s clothes.

Although fallen on hard times, Bazel, as a former Greater Demon lord, still maintained a certain standard of dress. His soft, ornate clothing was very comfortable. The bare-skinned cub found it pleasant too, pressing his tender cheek against Bazel’s chest and then looking up at him.

Bazel had never held a cub before. He stood rigidly, meeting the cub’s gaze. Seeing the cub nestled dependently in his arms, tiny hand gripping the button, big golden eyes sparkling—more beautiful than any gem.

Third kill attempt: Failed!

Bazel stared for a long time, growing increasingly bewildered. “You know, I don’t think he looks that much like Eris. He has golden eyes; my eyes and hair are also golden. Isn’t that exactly the same? I remember a cousin of mine lost a dragon egg once… maybe this is it? See how similar we look!”

Nick laughed dryly out of exasperation. “Are you blind? Besides the eye color, you two have absolutely nothing in common! Let me do it! You bunch of weaklings, can’t even handle this simple task.”

He had brought this thing back from the Demon King’s Palace, so he should be the one to dispose of it cleanly.

Nick coldly instructed Bazel to place the cub on Lance’s makeshift bed. Then, he walked coolly over to the bed, slowly reaching his hands towards the cub’s neck.

Placed on the crude bed, the cub hadn’t yet had time to observe his surroundings. Upon seeing Nick, he seemed puzzled by this dark entity, staring wide-eyed at the Shadow Demon who nearly blended into the darkness.

Then, he tilted his head and uttered his very first sound since birth: “Hm?”

The head tilt was adorable, and it conveniently exposed his neck. The little fellow was a bit thin; his neck looked slender and incredibly fragile, as if it could snap with the slightest pressure.

Facing the demon intending to kill him, the innocent cub was completely defenseless.

Fourth kill attempt: Failed!

Nick’s hands froze.

“My, my, truly worthy of being a Shadow Demon. Not just black on the outside, but black on the inside too. Even his heart is blacker—black through and through.”

“Indeed, so ruthless, cruel, treacherous, and stone-hearted. A true model among demons.”

“Tsk tsk, laying hands on even a cub. I think this kind of demon is worse than a slug.”

Nick: “…”

The three demons behind him were dripping with sarcasm, their voices loud as thunder, practically shouting right next to his ears.

He lowered his hands, turning around irritably. “Then what do you suggest we do? If Eris finds out we stole his cub, we’ll definitely die horribly.”

Lance shrugged, stating the obvious: “Even if we hadn’t stolen the cub, wouldn’t we die horribly if Eris found us anyway?”

Uh… right. Nick blinked his ringed eyes. “So, no revenge?”

Bazel craned his neck to look at the cub, replying nonchalantly, “If you want revenge, go find Eris. What does it have to do with the cub? He was just born; he’s just a baby who doesn’t understand anything yet.”

Nick: …This guy certainly didn’t have this attitude earlier; he was practically hinting they should kill the cub. Dragons really are capricious.

Bode had long since emerged from the crack in the wall. He was now crouching by the bed, touching the tips of his feelers together happily. “As long as we don’t leave the Forest of Calamity, this cub won’t be discovered! So, from now on, he’s my son.”

The other three demons simultaneously whipped their heads around to stare at Bode. What nonsense was this slime talking? This cub was clearly my son.

In that instant, the thoughts of the four demons achieved perfect synchronicity.

To fight over who got to be the father, they started brawling again. On the bed, the cub, covered by Bazel’s clothes, drifted off into a sweet sleep amidst the noisy clamor of angry shouts, fighting, and the familiar auras surrounding him.

Cub: zzz