Aside from the Dark Emperor and the Labyrinth Fairy, Frey had actually considered the other options as well.
For example, there was Rimuru Tempest, the leader of the Jura Tempest Federation, whose domain was currently flourishing with remarkable order.
In a remarkably short time, he had managed to unite all the monsters of the Great Jura Forest, and under his rule the region had prospered to an astonishing degree. That alone spoke volumes about his capability—both as a ruler and as a strategist.
Moreover, judging by the deep respect his subordinates showed him, and by the way he had taken in Clayman's former followers without hesitation, it was clear that Rimuru possessed the qualities of a wise and benevolent leader.
However, Frey wasn't particularly familiar with Rimuru.
And because of Clayman's scheme—and the destruction that had once befallen Rimuru's city—Frey knew she bore at least part of the blame. Under such circumstances, she hardly dared hope that Rimuru would be willing to accept her and her people.
As for Ren Kuroda, he had also originally been among the options Frey had considered.
Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he commanded numerous formidable subordinates. He also appeared to share a close personal relationship with Milim, and most importantly, there was no personal grudge between Frey and him.
Yet to Frey, Ren Kuroda was as unfathomable as the depth of his strength.
No matter how she looked at him, he was a figure shrouded in mystery—impossible to fully understand.
After thinking it over again and again, Frey ultimately decided that pledging loyalty to Milim would be the safer choice.
At worst, it simply meant she would have to work a little harder in the future and handle more responsibilities herself.
Besides, Milim had excellent relationships with both Ren Kuroda and Rimuru.
In other words, by aligning herself with Milim, Frey would effectively be securing three powerful pillars of support at once.
Karion, being a beast-type magic-born, wasn't quite as sharp-minded as Frey.
But he knew one thing for certain:
Frey was an extremely shrewd woman.
If he followed the choice she made, it was almost guaranteed to be the right one.
"So in other words," Rimuru said slowly, "from the original Ten Great Demon Lords, one—Clayman—has died. Frey and Karion have voluntarily withdrawn."
"And because of the previous battle, both Ren Kuroda and I have been acknowledged as Demon Lords."
"That means we gained two, but lost three…"
"So the Ten Great Demon Lords have now become Nine Demon Lords."
Rimuru hadn't meant anything by saying it aloud.
Yet the moment his words left his mouth, every Demon Lord present—aside from Ren Kuroda—suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning.
Serious expressions spread across their faces.
Seeing this reaction immediately made Rimuru nervous.
Had he said something he wasn't supposed to?
"Wait… don't tell me the title 'Ten Great Demon Lords' has some special meaning?" Rimuru asked cautiously.
"Like… if the number isn't exactly ten, the world will collapse or something?"
Seeing Rimuru glance toward him, Ren Kuroda simply shrugged and played along, wearing the same confused expression.
The other Demon Lords really did look extremely serious.
In fact, their expressions were even more tense than when Ren had fought Milim earlier—or when they'd learned that Kazalim might still be alive somewhere.
"This is troublesome," one Demon Lord muttered.
"If the Ten Great Demon Lords become nine, then we can't keep calling ourselves the 'Ten Great Demon Lords' anymore."
Another sighed deeply.
"Not this headache again… We already held several Walpurgis banquets just to decide that name before."
"Well, we can't help it," someone else added.
"We're Demon Lords. If we don't have a proper, impressive title, how can we face monsters and humans without becoming a laughingstock?"
Hearing the others discuss the matter so seriously, both Ren Kuroda and Rimuru fell silent in utter disbelief.
Just how bored did one have to be to become a Demon Lord?
At this point, both of them had the same thought.
Was it still too late to withdraw?
Because honestly, any normal person probably wouldn't want to join a group like this.
"Oh, right," Guy Crimson suddenly said with a grin.
"Since you two are the newest Demon Lords, do you have any ideas for our new title?"
"After all, the reason we're short on members now is ultimately because of you two."
"So the honor of coming up with a new, impressive name… belongs to you."
Guy and the others had suffered greatly the last time they tried to decide on a title.
To avoid sacrificing more brain cells this time, they decided to shamelessly dump the responsibility onto Ren and Rimuru.
"Uh… couldn't we just call ourselves the Nine Demon Lords?" Ren said flatly.
The moment those words left his mouth, Guy and several of the other Demon Lords immediately showed expressions of dissatisfaction.
Milim, in particular, began shaking her head so vigorously it looked like a rattle drum.
She marched right up to Ren, raised a finger, and declared seriously:
"Ren, do you even understand how important a title is?"
"It represents our dignity!"
"So of course it has to sound both cool and imposing!"
"A lazy name like that is totally unacceptable!"
"That's right, that's right," the other Demon Lords chimed in.
"Other matters might not be important, but a title absolutely requires careful consideration."
"If the name is too ordinary, we Demon Lords would be laughed at."
Listening to their discussion, Ren Kuroda could only stare at them speechlessly.
Clayman's conspiracy was apparently a trivial matter.
Kazalim's possible resurrection was also a trivial matter.
Even the fact that he and Milim had nearly destroyed the Demon Realm during their fight wasn't considered a big deal.
But deciding on a title?
That was the truly serious business.
So in other words…
Were the Demon Lords of this world all secretly a bunch of goofballs?
And now he was about to become one of them?
Ren also couldn't help thinking about something else.
Even the title they had previously spent several banquets brainstorming—
"Ten Great Demon Lords."
To be honest, it didn't sound particularly impressive either.
And really, what was the difference between Ten Great Demon Lords and Nine Demon Lords?
Why was the former considered majestic while the latter sounded ordinary?
The logic of Demon Lords was truly impossible to understand.
"Then who came up with the name 'Ten Great Demon Lords' last time?" Ren asked.
"Why not just have that person come up with another one?"
If goofballs understood other goofballs best, then surely the original creator would have the answer.
"The one who came up with that name was Clayman," Guy replied casually.
"But you two killed him."
"So now the responsibility naturally falls to the two of you."
Guy spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
The best person they had for naming things was already dead—thanks to them.
So logically speaking, both Ren and Rimuru had to take the blame.
"In that case," Rimuru said after a brief pause, "how about 'The Nine Zenith Demon Lords'?"
"The number nine often represents the ultimate peak, and 'zenith' means reaching the highest extreme."
"So it would symbolize the nine Demon Lords who have reached the very pinnacle."
As someone capable of naming hundreds of thousands of subordinates, Rimuru truly lived up to his reputation.
Within mere seconds, he had proposed a title that caused several Demon Lords to nod approvingly.
"The peak and the ultimate extreme, huh? Not bad!" Milim said cheerfully.
"As expected of my best friend!"
Then she turned excitedly toward Ren.
"What about you, Ren? Come up with a name too!"
"Shuna has said more than once that you're actually really good at naming things!"
Originally, the Demon Lords had already been fairly satisfied with Rimuru's suggestion.
But after hearing Milim's words, they now turned their expectant gazes toward Ren Kuroda as well.
Faced with the collective anticipation of several Demon Lords, Ren suddenly felt immense pressure.
Still… these people clearly had a strong case of dramatic naming syndrome.
As long as the title sounded dramatic enough—well, cool enough—it would probably work.
He cleared his throat lightly.
"Have you ever heard of the Nine-Pointed Star?"
"It's traditionally associated with the domain of demons—more broadly, with magic itself. It's also sometimes referred to as the Nine Pillars Diagram."
"In this case, the word 'pillar' symbolizes a supporting column—the foundation that upholds something."
"If the Nine-Pointed Star represents the realm of demons…"
"And the pillars represent those who uphold its pinnacle…"
Ren paused for a moment before finishing calmly.
"Then how about calling us the Nine Pillar Demon Lords?"
"It would mean that the nine of us are the towering pillars supporting the entire world of monsters."