The Elf Journey In The Western Fantasy World-Chapter 89: The Demon King’s Age Crisis

"Don’t be fooled by how easygoing Sebastian seems. That guy really knows how to hold a grudge. Believe me, Ke’Oth and N’zall are in for it after this. The way they embarrassed Sebastian today? He will get them back. That’s just how he is. There was a demon who crossed him once, and the poor thing’s life afterward was miserable beyond belief."

"Choking on water, tripping over flat ground—those were just the mild parts. But I’ve realized something—it’s not just Sebastian. All demons are like this. Seriously petty, every one of them."

"So I’ve been wondering... is there even a single normal person—uh, I mean, normal demon in the demon race?"

Illiya was forced to listen to the Demon King complain about his own people, though his attention wasn’t actually on him. As a result, he missed the Demon King’s little slip of the tongue at the end.

"...I guess there might be one or two?" Illiya didn’t want to bluntly say, ’You demons are all kind of nuts,’ so he gave a vague and ambiguous answer instead.

The Demon King didn’t seem to mind Illiya’s half-hearted response. He looked delighted—mainly because he had been holding all this in for so long. In his eyes, there just weren’t many "normal" demons around. Every single one was absurdly passionate. Since arriving in the demon realm, he hadn’t even washed his own face once!

As a perfectly healthy former human turned demon, he just couldn’t get used to it.

Wiping away imaginary tears, the Demon King sighed inwardly. After reining in his emotions, he quickly bounced back into his usual upbeat self.

He nudged the elf next to him with his elbow and started introducing himself.

"My name is Anos Velverosa Ghalaztox," said the Demon King, revealing his name and some personal details. "I’m eighteen years old."

"It’s really just eighteen!" Anos emphasized again, worried Illiya wouldn’t believe him.

Illiya was utterly confused, but thankfully, he was a very good listener. Even when puzzled, he wouldn’t immediately question things.

He simply nodded and said, "Mm. You’re eighteen."

Anos: Feeling extremely brushed off.

During his time living among demons, Anos had learned a vital skill: thick skin. Unfazed by Illiya’s casual response, he carried on with the conversation as if nothing happened.

"My current occupation is Demon King. My biggest role among the demon race is basically being a mascot."

"What about you?" he asked.

Illiya thought for a moment before deciding to follow Anos’s format for introductions.

"My name is Illiya Faelorien. I’m... around one hundred and fifty years old, I guess?"

Anos’s eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembling as he stammered out, "Y-You’re actually one hundred and fifty?!"

Now it was Illiya’s turn to get a headache.

With Anos staring at him like he was some rare, exotic creature, Illiya felt a bad premonition stirring in his heart. He quickly began explaining the way elves calculate age.

"One hundred and fifty is really young for an elf—we’re a long-lived species. Also, even though I’m one hundred and fifty, I’m technically still a minor. That’s by the standards of long-lived races, of course."

After finishing, Illiya looked straight at Anos and added, "And if we go by human standards, I’d be about sixteen or seventeen. So no matter how you look at it, I’m still a minor."

Anos: ???

Wait—people can calculate age like that?

Illiya quietly chuckled to himself, but when Anos looked over, he quickly straightened his expression, pretending nothing had happened. Then, while Anos was still trying to wrap his head around it, Illiya delivered another blow.

"Actually, Your Majesty... if we apply the same lifespan conversion to you, you’d also be considered a minor. You’d be about two or three years old."

Anos clutched his chest with a dazed look on his face, completely thrown off.

Help. His proud identity as an adult was collapsing before his eyes.

Anos had just learned a shocking truth from the elf’s mouth—so shocking that it left the entire demon stunned.

So how exactly was age calculated in this world? How could he possibly be two or three years old when, by his own count, he was clearly a full-grown adult? Was it really possible for a three-year-old to be nearly 1.8 meters tall?

Was that even logical?

He was absolutely sure he was an adult. But now, a terrifying thought crossed his mind—what if everyone else had been treating him like a kid all this time? frёeωebɳovel.com

As Anos considered this horrifying possibility, he froze, starting to recall how everyone had treated him since arriving in the demon realm...

Who would ever say to a grown man, "You’re still young, you need more nutrition"? Who would tell an adult, every single day, "You’re still too young, there’s no rush—wait until you grow up to handle these things"?

Help—how could this be the demon folk showing concern for their Demon King? This was clearly the way one would pamper a little cub, wasn’t it?

Illiya remembered how the way the demon race looked at him had changed—from reverence and faith to warmth and affection. Everything that had happened before could now be explained in a completely different and logical way.

Was it really possible for someone to look at a man who stood over 170 centimeters tall and still see him as a child?

Anos confirmed that yes, it absolutely was possible. He was living proof.

With his entire worldview utterly reorganized, Anos felt completely drained. Specifically, he didn’t want to see any of the demon folks’ faces again—because each time he did, he’d remember all the dumb things he’d done before, and would die of embarrassment all over again.

It was truly soul-crushing.

And Anos’s thoughts were as clear to Illiya as an open book.

It turned out the world truly could produce a ruler so pure-hearted—and it was just Illiya’s luck to encounter him. He couldn’t deny that fate worked in the most curious ways.

Moreover, Anos’s words had revealed a few important clues. These points had deeply caught Illiya’s attention.