ã€ŠAscensionã€‹


 Prologue

    Prologue

    The world is cruel.

    Because...

    I am cruel.

    As I came to, the very first sensation to welcome me was excruciating pain. Every inch of my body stung and throbbed as if being ripped to pieces, clued back together, and crushed under a rock yet again. Horrible nightmarish images of death, of dying, of torment flashed inside my mind.

    I could endure it, easily even, as I have actually experienced and lived through such things before. I''ve experienced a fair amount of torture on myself, as well as seen it done to others. It''s not like I approve either of those cases, but, well, such things happen, and quite often to myself.

    When most of the pain had subsided, only a dull ache remained throughout my body, and this coldness, this odd chill at the very core of my body.

    ''Well, well... that was one hell of a way to start a day off...''

    But there I was, alive and well, at least to some degree.

    Unfortunately, I was incapable of moving. I was stuck in a fixed position, my arms and legs curled close to me, all nestled up.

    At the same time I had no sense of orientation, there wasn''t any pull towards any direction, and I couldn''t sense any movement either. When I tried to stretch my arms and legs, I couldn''t put any force into them. It didn''t feel like my movement was restricted by some physical barrier, the problem came from inside, as if I couldn''t send impulses to my limbs at all.

    I couldn''t open my eyes either, so my surroundings were left undetermined, too. And it was silent, absolutely no sound, not even the beating of my heart was detectable. Yet, I was aware of myself, I could think and feel, and reflect on how this situation came to be.

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    Oddly, even my own sense of time was somewhat strange. Even if I subconsciously counted and kept track on how much time had passed, I felt something was off. It was as if time around me passed by much faster ¨C if I counted 10 seconds, it felt like a millenia had passed. However, at that point I had been there for a few minutes already, which soon turned into an hour.

    Then, the point when I had counted an hour seemed to be some sort of a checkpoint, as small changes occurred. The space I was floating in was disrupted, some sort of disturbance ran through it. I also started to feel invigorated ¨C strength, power.

    A loud boom resounded throughout the place, the space twisted, and it felt as if my soul was being dragged out to somewhere.

    Then, there was the heavy pull of gravity, the cold hard touch of a stone floor, the dusty air tingling my nose, a deep rumbling echoing everywhere around, and the ground shaking. As I lay there, I knew that the time had come, that I was finally unsealed, and could start living in this new world.

    As I stood up, balancing myself on my legs, and opened my eyes, I could inspect my surroundings. It was a dark, dusty room, with some braziers illuminating the place. There were many coffin-like caskets, sculptures of various creatures, not any of them human, and what seemed to be a shrine with two broken halfs of an orb lying on it.

    I noticed a group of 10 people, wearing armor and brandishing different weapons, swords mostly, but two of them had long staffs. And they were in their battle stances, menacingly, the weapons pointed towards me.

 Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C Unbound

    Part 1

    "The last boss is a demon!?"

    "What monster is that!?"

    "I''ve never heard of a demon with such characteristics!"

    ''Em, being called a monster at first sight is a bit hurtful...''

    They were shouting and seemed a bit hesitant. However, their hostility was evident and apparently I was the one being confronted.

    Well, I hadn''t had a chance to examine myself yet, so I didn''t exactly know what I looked like, but I had a pretty good idea that I was probably some sort of a unique demon, as I concluded from the human''s conversation. One thing I noticed though, was that I was about half as much taller than them, making me a giant of over 2.5 meters compared to them.

    "If we defeat this guy, the treasure of the Tomb of the Ancients will all be ours!" One of them, who looked to be the leader of the group, announced to increase their morale. They were single-mindedly in their own world, dreaming about whatever riches they could obtain from here.

    "Hey, umm, let''s talk this out. I don''t really want to fight," I tried to persuade them, fighting and straining myself straight off after waking up was a bit disagreeable. But whether the language I used was incorrect or for some other reason, they didn''t listen.

    "Attack!" the leader shouted.

    ''Ughh... Humans and their rash and inconsiderate judgement.''

    Though on one side I was reluctant to engage in combat due to unfamiliarity to this world, my blood still ran hot from the prospect of a good fight. So, if someone was keen on taking me on, I''d gladly accept the challenge. There was nothing to lose... Well, except my life, possibly.

    After they all had gotten into formation, combat was initiated by the two mages, as they shouted out, "Firebolt!".

    I was almost surrounded ¨C the swordsmen blocking the sides, while retreating backwards was obstructed by a large statue. Since I couldn''t dodge the incoming balls of fire in time, I had to bet on defending by using magic myself.

    However, I was still far too unfamiliar with this world, as I had actually been able to move for just about a few minutes. I had no idea how the magic system of this world worked.

    Fortunately, to my pleasant surprise, but to the others'' distress, as the fireballs hit, they just made a soft puff and disappeared. There wasn''t any damage, only the spot where they hit became a little warm.

    "Wha-! It negated the spells!?"

    "Mages, use stronger spells!"

    After seeing the result of the first strike, the commander, I presumed, ordered them to increase the damage of the spells.

    Apparently, either I had such tough skin that low-level spells have no effect, or I might have quite good magic resistance. A little experimentation was still required to confirm those speculations.

    As I was mulling over my body''s abilities, one of the swordsmen saw an opening and dashed forward. Well, I probably had openings all over, as I didn''t really pay attention to close combat at that point. Still, the man took the chance and went in for the attack.

    However, the man''s movements were unexpectedly slow, at least they seemed to me as such. I could observe every step, every shift in weight, and the slight motions of his body and arms that telegraphed the sword''s path.

    As a result, though the man had actually covered a distance of a few meters in an instant, I evaded the downward slash effortlessly. But I had also judged it to be best to use minimal movement, as to not run out of stamina, which I had yet to verify how much I had.

    From the attacker''s and the others'' viewpoint, however, I had barely managed to dodge the blade. So, if they were to combine their attacks, they could easily overwhelm me. At least, they thought, they hoped as much.

    Their teamwork was quite good, I must say, as were their individual skill levels. With well organized switches between them, they attacked in quick succession and left me no chance to retaliate. When the swordsmen had circled through their own strikes, they slightly retreated backwards, leaving me in the open and thus giving the mages a chance to attack. They finished a longer chant than what they had used before and shouted, "Fire Dragon!".

    A ball of light, which was actually condensed mana, appeared at the tip of their staffs, which were pointed towards me. It burst into flames and, with an appropriate form, that of a dragon, flew towards me at a high speed.

    Even at distance I felt the heat the roaring flames emitted. However, having become more confident in my abilities, I resolved to take the hit head on.

    It ran into me with the force of a... small gust of wind. As the blaze enveloped me, it merely felt warm to touch, incomparably feeble against the permeating chill inside my body.

    While engulfed in the flames, I noticed, with my untouched eyes, a look of victory appear on the mens'' faces. However, it was instantly replaced with that of terror as the flames simmered away.

    "H-, how could this be!? It even negated that!?" one of the mages stuttered, shaken by the sight.

    The rest of them stood firm, however, as they prepared for the second assault. Seems they had experienced a fair deal of unexpected situations and knew how to deal with them ¨C by not getting distracted, that is.

    Since I had confirmed the opponents'' abilities, I decided to go on the offensive myself.

    I dashed towards the nearest enemy, only needing two steps to close a distance of a few meters. Even I was amazed by the acceleration. Well, as physics and inertia command, I was unable to stop the rush and rammed right into him, throwing him against the wall with such force that he made a "Guah!" sound and coughed up blood. His internal organs were probably seriously damaged by it.

    The others recovered from the moment of stupor faster than me, allowing one of them to have a clear opening for a sword thrust. Still bewildered by my body''s capabilities, I only came to my senses when something stung the side of my body, as if a mosquito had bitten.

    Looking at the wide-eyed, open-mouthed men, I couldn''t grasp what had happened immediately, but only when I saw the weapon of the man closest to me ¨C the sword was bent, totally flexed like a folded knife.

    ''Eem... seems like I''m impervious to all damage.'' I thought, at least to the degree these adventurers, which was how I settled on calling them, were capable of producing.

    "No way!?"

    Even they were truly startled by it, seen from their dropping morale, as they inadvertently backed a few steps away from me.

    Having recovered from the daze of that impressive rush, I determined myself to not get surprised by anything my body has to offer anymore.

    I continued my advance.

    I also had an advantage ¨C my strong arms reached well the length of their twohanders, and with the addition of my height, I could get a hit in without much difficulty, if we were already facing off.

    So, with just a step I closed the distance between another one. My great speed gave me a superior position, as I also sidestepped and got behind the opponent without him being able to react.

    I brought down my heavy fist and smashed into the guy''s head. Though actually I was holding back, trying to stun him, the poor man was still squished, folded together, as his armor bent and his spine shattered.

    During the impact for some reason the ache and chill in my body were relieved slightly. But right now I had no time to ponder on it, there still were others to deal with.

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    "Don''t falter! There must be a weak point! Surround it and keep attacking!"

    The leader commanded with a loud voice that erased the others'' anxiety. How charismatic.

    However, I didn''t give them a chance to reform their encirclement, as I went on to the next person.

    Once more I managed to get behind him faster than anyone could react. With a clap, with the motion of clapping, I squashed his head. ''Too much power again...'' I had tried give him a shake, to knock him out, however, the helmet offered no resistance, as the man''s head was made into porridge and bits of it splurted out from the openings.

    Again, as I held onto what remained of the man''s head, I felt a comfortable sensation run through me, the cold inside me was soothed. Interesting, now enough so that it requires investigating straight away.

    The chance came when I dodged the attack of one of the men. Stepping closer in, I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up.

    ''Aaahh... this feeling...''

    "GRAAAHH!"

    As I held onto his neck the discomfort inside me was continuously being eased, while at the same time the man was screaming in pain, more so than what my grip could have caused. In moments he quieted down, became lethargic, and didn''t resist anymore, while I myself felt more and more invigorated.

    "It has ''Drain life'' ability!!?" The men despaired.

    ''Drain life, is it? Seems something like that, however, it feels a bit different...''

    The problem was I couldn''t control it, not right now at least.

    When I turned my gaze towards the next target, his sword visibly shook as he unsteadily started backing off, terror in his eyes. The others, too, were disheartened, unable to hold their ground. Seems that the ability is something quite terrifying, as it decisively broke their spirits.

    They didn''t run away, however, only kept a longer distance. Did they still think they had a chance, or perhaps were their minds so clouded that they hoped for some kind of a miracle?

    ''I shouldn''t let my guard down.''

    The reason for why they didn''t escape was revealed when the commander called out,

    "Kh! I''m going to summon the fire elemental! Protect me!"

    At his behest the others quickly took action, fire lit in their eyes yet again, and formed a protective blockade around their leader. He was probably going to use something that would only be used as a last effort.

    I stayed put and decided to observe. Though I was a bit hesitant on allowing him to finish and uncertain whether I could defeat whatever he was about to summon, I still chose to see through it.

    The man took out a scroll from his breast pocket, unrolled it, and started chanting barely audibly, however I could still make out what he said. When he finished he yelled out, "Summon, Greater Fire Elemental!".

    The temperature in the room rose sharply, the space in front of me rippled, and suddenly an intense flaming vortex 3 meters wide burst into existence. The air around was sucked into it as it revolved, and it started shrinking slowly. However, it wasn''t disappearing, but actually condensing together and forming a figure.

    It took a diabolic shape ¨C its body was made of fervent flames, with two arms and two legs that extended into burning blades, and a distorted demonic face with two horns growing out of the sides of its head.

    It immediately made a preemptive strike, as a fireball, much larger and searing than what the mages had used before, appeared above it, without the delay of chanting, and shot towards me.

    That I didn''t dare to take head on, so I tried to evade by jumping backwards. When it landed at the spot I just recently was, it exploded into another whirling fire, as if the flames of hell had suddenly erupted in the middle of the room.

    I was thrown back against a wall. The impact of the latter didn''t do much, however, there did seem to be slight damage on my frontside, as some of the skin was a bit scalded. This opponent was definitely one to be aware of and not take lightly.

    However, then I saw the collateral damage it had caused, as the three men in front of the leader had also fallen in the area of effect of the attack. They weren''t as lucky as I, though. Their bodies were almost incinerated and even their metal armor had started melting.

    The leader and the two mages behind him had been hurled away by the shockwave.

    Was there a miscalculation somewhere? Was it due to such a close distance, or this enclosed space, or perhaps they didn''t know the creature''s power when they planned to summon it, thus resulting in such a situation.

    But then the fire elemental, as it was called, just unannouncedly sizzled away, leaving nothing behind. The room became quiet, almost quiet, as only some faint groaning remained.

    Heedfully I approached the three, going around the smoldering molten rock floor the inferno had generated. I walked past the man I had attacked the very first, the one I accidentally had ended up ramming into the wall, and noted that he, too, was dead. The reason probably being that very rush and the impact.

    Two of the remaining three, including the leader, were beyond help, as their skin was completely charred with pieces of metal armor melding into it, and could be deemed to be among the dead already.

    The now dead commander was still holding onto a partially burned paper, the scroll which had been used to summon the elemental. It seemed quite resistant, presumably due to being an enchanted scroll. Still, it had no use anymore.

    The third one, however, was still alive. With rasping sounds he managed to take only short gasps of air, desperately holding on to his life.

    Unfortunately, I didn''t know any healing magic, otherwise I might have healed him up. I could''ve experimented, true, and possibly even created some sort of method of healing, but that thought just didn''t cross my mind at that point.

    He passed on shortly.

    ''Aah, how unfortunate... Noone survived...''

    I surveyed the surroundings, but, besides the already confirmed coffins, sculptures and lights, there wasn''t much else that had any impression of significance. However, one thing piqued my interest ¨C a miniature chest just beside the shrine at the back of the room. Though it had no visible lock, its distinct engravings caught my attention. Interested, I walked up to it, and as I was about to touch it, a black miasma surged out from an opening on its cover and enveloped me wholly.

    However, nothing malign happened, and in seconds it dissipated. The chest was now open. Inspecting it, then peeking inside, I found a piece of fabric, and as I picked it up, it unfolded into a dark, almost pitch-black long robe, clean and in good condition, untouched by the wear of time. How convenient! Naked thus far, I at least now had something to cover myself with.

    With all business done, it was time to depart... -what place was it again?- The Tomb of the Ancients, according to the men. I had no other information nor even the slightest idea of what this place actually was besides its name.

    I found only a single exit. So I entered and trudged the path of the dim, eerie corridor leading to whatever my preordained destination would be.

    - - -

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    Best wishes to all!

 Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 2

    Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 2

    It was a quite big crypt, I had to acknowledge when I finally managed to escape it.

    It wasn''t hard to find my way out, as I only had to follow the corpses... of the undead, as i started to refer to them, that the men had presumably defeated before making into the place I was in. It was quite intruiging, seeing the half-decayed bodies of the undead completely smashed into pieces to prevent all movement, because if not done so the body would revive again.

    Actually, as I found out after inspecting them a bit, the undead were all powered by a magic crystal inside their bodies. If that or the body was not thoroughly destroyed, the bones and the flesh would recombine together again and it would be able to move once more.

    Wonder which was more difficult to do ¨C to accurately break the crystal hidden inside their body, or to continue smashing it until it lost all its drive? Well, the group had obviously chosen the latter, but I question the efficiency of that way, concerning the expense of stamina. Nevertheless, I had no doubt the undead were formidable enemies.

    Still, the corridors were extensive and split up many times. I chose not to explore any of those, lest there were more enemies that even now wandered the dark labyrinth.

    Without any breaks it took about two hours to traverse the long hallways and finally reach outside.

    The final passage was straight. Light at the end of the tunnel. "Don''t go into the light!", as some would say for a certain situation. However, this one more like represented being born anew.

    The moment I stepped out of the cold and damp tomb the scenery made a turn to the complete opposite ¨C the pleasant breeze on my skin, the fresh, tasty air, the warming rays of the sun ¨C all was so delightful that it made me want to snuggle up and have an afternoon nap.

    It would have been lovely, but alas, yet again I remind you, the unexplainable dull pain and penetrating coldness both still lingered in my body.

    With a glimpse I grasped the location. High up in the clouds, overlooking tens of kilometers of dense forest, the entrance of the tomb was situated on the side of a mountain. There was much greenery down below, while from the point upwards only barren rocky ground remained.

    From the forest one wouldn''t probably notice the place, nor was it easily spottable from air either, as the place was in ruins. There was an indication of a once glorious site. However, what remained was only some broken pillars, fallen buildings, and collapsed monuments. The entrance archway, as well as everything else, were overgrown with various plants, which hid the place and blended it with surroundings quite effectively.

    I found a small encampment nearby, likely left behind by the men when they went to explore the tomb. Nothing notable, just four relatively small tents, a heap of baggage under a blanket, and a smoldering campfire.

    The dead won''t mind if loot their bodies or stuff, right? However, there was nothing of interest I discovered from rummaging through their belongings. There was just the camping equipment ¨C sleeping bags, firemaking tools, a pot and some bowls with spoons, and also a few trekking sticks lying around.

    With no reason to stay there any longer, I uttered a small farewell to the tomb, to my birthplace, as it also was, and set forth, a bag of some foodstuff over my shoulder.

    I didn''t just start heading in a random direction, I must say, as I caught sight of a faint trail, probably what the adventurers had left on their journey there, so it was a straightforward first step.

    - - -

    One week later. I was lost.

    Naturally, the trail the men had left in their coming faded away and became undiscernable from the rest of the ground fairly quickly. In the end there was no path at all.

    The men probably had some sort of a map with them, otherwise them finding the tomb would have been extraordinary sheer luck. Perhaps one of them had it on their body, the leader probably, so it could have been a mistake not to search them.

    Also, they didn''t give the impression of being some sort of hunters, their equipment, teamwork and battle experience unquestionably suggested that they were something else. "Adventurers" would be the right word, as I had been calling them from the very beginning.

    It was an interesting week, actually, as I learned quite a lot of things about the world and myself.

    First a thing about the world.

    As evident from before, the world had magic. Since I had absolutely no idea how it worked, I needed to experiment. Presumably, hopefully it had some sort of a system, so if I were to at least get one clue, I could work from that.

    Well, surprisingly it came out very well. After merely a single trial and error, while testing another method, I felt a bizarre flow throughout my body that also accumulated into a one form. I chose to name them mana and mana pool, respectively, as it just seemed appropriate.

    The system of magic, as I concluded from my experiments, was relatively simple ¨C first feel the mana inside you, direct and collect it to a specific point, usually the palm of the hand, by imagination give it certain properties and, woosh, release it.

    ''Huh? Didn''t the mages chant before casting a spell?... Well, apparently they are not required, or perhaps I have talent and can do without...''

    I could only speculate, as I had noone to teach me or have something to compare to.

    As for what I learned about my body.

    When I felt it was time for a meal, I took out a piece of bread from the bag. However, after eating it, I didn''t feel at all even slightly more satiated, so I gulped down another, which gave the same result. Perhaps it was due to my size, I wondered. So I ended up gulping down all the food, all the bread, a lot of meat, and some odd fruits.

    Yet the hunger remained, as if the food had just disappeared from my stomach. It was just slight hunger, however, basically negligible and possible to ignore, at least at that point. Slowly, at an insubstantial pace it still increased.

    I didn''t need any sleep either, apparently, as during the week I never felt tired, no physical exhaustion nor mental fatigue. In some... okay, in most situations both of them are tremendously advantageous, so I was content with that blessing.

    Contrary to that, however, there was that ceaseless ache and chill still pervading my body. I didn''t chance upon nor couldn''t come up with any solution to the problem. Not food, no activity or rest, no warmth spell, nothing could alleviate it. Only that one way, which the adventurers had referred to as "Drain Life".

    ''"Curse" is perhaps a better term for it...''

    My appearance was that of a demon. Well, for one, that''s what the men had called me, and two, it had rather particular characteristics. I couldn''t call it neither exceptional nor freakish, as I hadn''t met any other races besides humans and had nothing to compare to. I just presumed from my own distinctness that there would be some other races besides humans.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.So, the result of examining myself, as far as I could ascertain without a mirror, was ¨C a quite muscular, fit, low in fat, sturdy body; pallid skin, near pure white even, but not the appalling pale skin with visible veins, but smooth milky kind; two thick horns on the sides of my head, curving upwards; four fangs, which also seemed to produce some liquid from their tips, perhaps poison; straight, blade-like fingernails that were so sharp that I could effortlessly slice through wood, while the toes had claws; and finally also a tail, which I discovered when I unintentionally sat on it, thick as my forearm and length about the same as my height of 2.5 meters with a harpoon point like end, flexible, and so tough and sharp that it could penetrate into rock.

    Also, the black robe I had found at the tomb adjusted itself according to my shape. Meaning, though initially comparably small, it grew in length and width to suit my body. In addition, when imbued with mana, it was possible to manipulate its form and properties. I could make it as a whole or only a specific part stiffer, tougher, and stronger, giving it armor-like qualities, as well as use it as a weapon, a whip for example. Finally, since it could be separated into pieces, I arranged it into a shape I was most comfortable with ¨C a set of clothes, namely, pants and a jacket. Like that, both my lower parts and torso were sheltered from cold and rain whenever they would befall, and my tail was not restricted and had an ample range of movement. I wondered if there were some other specific applications for it, but right now I couldn''t determine.

    Since I didn''t get tired mentally nor physically, I could literally keep walking without stopping. I truly had a significant amount of stamina, perhaps an excessive amount even. Still, it wasn''t at all troubling, rather, it was wholly beneficial and welcome.

    I must have covered a considerable distance in that week, if I didn''t keep going in circles, that is, not that I seemed to be. And, thankfully, it marked the checkpoint where at long last I seemed to have reached some civilization, at least drawn closer to it, as the fated encounter with another intelligent being occurred.

    However, unfortunately, only disastrous events transpired from that meeting.

    So, as I was leisurely strolling through the woods, without a specific purpose but keeping a single general direction, during the early morning twilight, the grass covered with dew gently brushing against my legs, a howl echoed throughout the forest.

    I hadn''t met any wolves during the past week, any kind of animals as a matter of fact, didn''t even spot any in the distance, as far as the horizon went in a forest, so I got moderately thrilled at the off chance of finally coming across another living being.

    However, it was immediately followed by a scream, a shriek, or a cry for help, as I sensed from the wailing and forebodingly urgent tone.

    I promptly took off at high speed, which didn''t surprise me anymore at that point, towards the origin of the two voices.

    I couldn''t help but become uneased, to some degree at least, as the nearer I got, the more the smothering, suffocating the stench of blood became.

    At last, through the trees I noticed a figure standing. It looked like it was standing, it was tall, but also seemed to be attending to something as it crouched down, picked something up, and ate it.

    Wary of the creature, I halted in my steps and laid low, observing it. Conclusively, simply, after merely taking a short glimpse, I labelled the creature a "Werewolf". When it was standing up on its two legs, it very much resembled a tall bulky human, however, only if not for the fur covering its whole body, and when it crouched down, leaning on its front limbs, or paws, you could easily mistake it for a large wolf. The warning features, however, were its bloodsoaked arms and dark red colored maw.

    After taking a step closer, I caught sight of what it was so busy with. On the ground lay the body, the corpse of a half devoured being, a humanoid of sorts, but with some other differing characteristics. Namely, the werewolf was eating a demi-human.

    But with that approach it also noticed me. By scent or hearing it didn''t matter, it was on to me, focused on me, glaring at me with its bloodshot bright yellow eyes, and bearing its incisors dripping of blood.

    It attacked right away. It was a mad, careless, intense rush full of killing intent.

    But... Was it in a frenzy and had clouded judgement, and basically saw me who appeared out of nowhere as an enemy, or perhaps it was so bold, so confident in its abilities that there was no need to observe or determine the threat level of the new supposed enemy?

    Well... Obviously the former, because as it made a powerful leap, kicking dirt off the ground, towards me, I merely dodged to the side and, in an attempt to grab its slightly protruding snout, ran my 10 centimeter long knife like nails right into its skull. My hand dug into and through the head with ease, killing him instantly.

    I didn''t mean to, really! However... The werewolf had perchance been crazed from battle, or perhaps from something else, considering the demi-human''s corpse and a few fresh wounds on the creature itself, so it was possibly incapable of gauging my strength, thus ending in such a wretched state.

    The demi-human''s body was torn apart beyond recognition, not that I could have known them anyway, but it was still pitiful.

    I gave both of them, the werewolf beast, too, a funeral. I ignited their bodies with a fire spell and burnt them to ashes in a second.

    Burial wasn''t to my liking. I preferred complete annihilation, as gruesome as it may sound, of the body, lest the soul was still attached to it and couldn''t pass on to afterlife.

    There was one thing that bothered me for some reason. Namely, why were the two this deep in the forest in the first place. Or perhaps, this wasn''t that far from civilization, from a town or a village at least?

    Looking at the scene, I speculated, correctly as I soon found out, praise and applause to my great intelligence, that there was a village somewhere nearby. Its inhabitants were a mixture of different demi-humans and other races, and during the night, when they were asleep, a group of werewolves attacked the place. Incapable of resisting the werewolves with superior physical prowess, the village was utterly devastated, and the few survivors who managed to escape the initial attack were hunted down through the forest as a game.

    Those despicable monsters! How could they attack innocent villagers who just want to live in peace! ...Was not how I thought of it. There must have been a reason for the attack, surely...

    However, following the trampled path the two had caused and pursuing the increasing intensity of the smell of something burning as I advanced along the path, I eventually came upon what I had surmised before ¨C a village.

    And the sight that welcomed me was... carnage

    - - -

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 Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 3

    Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 3

    There was a certain village, a peaceful village, located south-west of the Great Wilderness, near the edge, but still hidden inside, of one of its many ancient forests.

    It was a quite suitable place for living ¨C the climate was temperate, seasons were well-defined but not extreme, with warm, decently wet summers and mild but still snowy winters. The land was fertile and relatively flat outside the forest, thus perfectly suitable for agriculture. In truth, many different animals inhabitated the forest, their roaming area also being quite large. And of course there was plenty of timber.

    However, the people, the inhabitants of the village couldn''t verily venture out of the woods, not that they weren''t capable, but it was for general safety, thus agriculture had been dismissed. However, that in no way caused adversity, they superbly lived off of the hunted game, the plants, mushrooms, berries and the like supplied by the forest.

    As said, it was a peaceful village. Despite the different races mixed together, there weren''t many clashes between them, the occasional dispute was solved, of course, without any bloodshed.

    However, even though human territories were quite far off, they were still all non-humans, and not from a single race, it must be said. There was a variety of races residing in the village, all humanoids still, however, there were those with demon characteristics, demi-humans, and those with beast, or animal characteristics, half-beasts.

    There was a specific, special underlying cause the assortment of different races had assembled together like that. Namely, it was a refuge for them. You see, while demons were enemies and full, pureblood beast races cooperated and assimilated into human society, halfs of those races, half-demons and half-beasts, that is, were severely discriminated against, but we''ll get back to this later.

    Thus some of the singled out groups came together and founded a secret settlement far away from human lands. It was one of many, in fact, as such villages, but no larger than towns, were naturally established in other parts of the world, too.

    As mentioned, for safety reasons they didn''t venture too far out of the forest and got their sustenance for the woods. Against wild animals, packs of dire wolves, raging bears, and some other certain reptilians, a perimeter had been set up ¨C a low but effective wooden fence and a moat around the boundary of the village, as well as some inhabitants assigned and trained as protectors who would patrol and be on guard duty.

    It was adequate enough to ward off those wild beasts and ensure the safety of the villagers. However, noone could have imagined the calamity that would befall on them one certain day. The day when they encoutered a band of crazed werewolves, leading to thorough annihilation.

    - - -

    Not averting my eyes, nothing compelling me to, I had a good look at the havoc that''s been wreaked upon the place.

    The broken wall, split in half in various places. A guard tower broken and fallen to the ground. Buildings, houses ablaze, collapsing due to becoming unable to support their own weight. A temple in a whirling vortex of fire that grows high into the sky.

    And then.

    Countless bodies lying on the ground, dead. Some impaled on the spikes of the fence, others crushed under the collapsed houses, some charred and burnt to death. And, of course, many torn up, minced to pieces, those who''ve fallen prey to the insatiable hunger of the werewolves.

    Yes, them, too, were there. Many, with a brief glimpse counting around 30, scattered around the village, overshadowing the corpses beneath them, and voraciously consuming their flesh.

    It was an abhorrent sight, lamentable, for any survivors of the village were they to see this, that is, but I solely overlooked the spectacle. Not that I was dispassionate, devoid of all emotion before the sight, however, it didn''t excite any stronger feelings or arouse me to action either, because for me it was merely another dissociated location.

    However, naturally I wouldn''t stay put if the werewolves'' attention was drawn to me and they were to attack, which was exactly what happened.

    My presence was quickly detected despite being in the middle of their meal, and I was deemed hostile, or perhaps a prey, immediately.

    Was it due to still being in a frenzy from attacking the villagers, or is the rashness and seeming incapability of judging others'' strength an inborn characteristic?

    As the swarm of werewolves all focused and started coming at me like predators, I didn''t stay an observer and acted. However, I could take my time, for in my eyes they were moving in slow motion.

    The fight, or one-sided extermination, wasn''t difficult, if I were to skip to the end.

    It started as one of the werewolves got closer and leapt towards me. I could''ve perhaps dealt with it straight away, however, another was right behind the first and already mid-air, so I evaded that one too.

    As they instantly turned 180 degress on the spot they landed, from their snarl, bloodshot foggy eyes, fur standing on its ends, I comprehended that there would be no reasoning with those berserk werewolves who had lost their sanity. From that realization my intention changed to handling them appropriately, though a bit reluctantly, by killing them, that is, as obviously nothing else could''ve worked.

    With my heightened senses I could perceive the whole battlefield and determine the position of every enemy, so I was very well protected with basically no openings.

    By instinct one of them snuck behind me, well, I was already surrounded so it didn''t really matter, and tried to attack from there. However, as I felt the approaching werewolf, without turning or looking I nimbly manipulated my elongated tail so as that he couldn''t avoid it and jumped right into the spiky point. One down.

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    The others didn''t waste any time and pounced on me in quick succession.

    One by one, werewolf after werewolf, I started slaughtering them. I couldn''t help it, it was a massacre. Well, perhaps I could''ve knocked them unconscious and restricted them, but I had already judged that to be meaningless.

    Even after 20 of their comrades -were they comrades? they didn''t really cooperate with each other- had been killed in front of their eyes, not even the slightest did their morale, if they had such a thing, drop nor did they get disheartened. They just kept on charging at me and dying in futility as a result.

    It was a quick battle, according to my inner clock it lasted around 15 minutes.

    It could''ve perhaps been even shorter. They died fast, their life extinguished with a single smash or stab of my tail, with a single slash or strike of my hand. However, they were nevertheless quite fast and agile, which in their luck managed to save their life by a hair''s breadth a few times.

    How meaningless... I thought, as I stood amidst the heaps of werewolf corpses.

    The whole village had now become bloodsoaked. The corpses of the first victims of the werewolves laying around, partially eaten with their entrails loose from their bodies, and then the assailants, casualties to a certain overpowered demon.

    ''So, what now...''

    There wasn''t much I could do, considering the state of the village. Remembering my previous mistake, I decided to investigate the houses that hadn''t burned down and were still accessible. Perhaps, with the smallest of possibility, the village had a map of the nearest surrounding lands, or at least a book or two that described the world I was in, so that I could come up with some sort of a plan for my future actions.

    One of the buildings still in an okay condition, amazingly, considering its significance, was what seemed to be the town hall, or village hall in this case. Made out of wood like every other structure, however, it looked much sturdier. Burnt in a few places, but hadn''t gone up in flames. A roof of straw and tiles soaked with tar. Thick, insulated walls and two large windows of glass, however those were made, on the front and the backside. And the door, engraved with symbols and giving off an intense impression. It was the grandest, fanciest, if suitable to call it like that, building in the whole village. My first destination.

    I pushed open the heavy doors, a stuffy, irony smell puffed into my nose. Inside this house, too, there were torn up bloody corpses of various races and gender.

    At first sight there wasn''t much there, aside from the bodies, only a large table at one side of the room and a podium, towards which many chairs and benches were directed, to the left. There were some shelves, but they were empty. Looking at it, the stuff on them had fallen on the ground probably during the scuffle. Well, there was nothing of interest amongst those things.

    Then I noticed in the center at the back a cupboard. It was difficult to distinguish at first since it was built inside the wall.

    ''Hm? The way they''re placed around it... Were they trying to protect something?''

    One of the villagers, wearing light armor, a sword in hand, probably one of the guardsmen, was still standing, leaning its back against the cabinet. Even as he bled to death, he tried to keep it closed, or keep others away.

    When I shoved him, gently, not disrespecting the dead, away, a small whimper sounded from inside it. Curious, I naturally tried to open it. There was a little resistance, so I used a bit more force and pried it open.

    There was a person hiding inside, backed into the corner. A young, almost an adult woman.

    Her simple yet refined dress didn''t at all hide, or rather it accentuated her tall lean, suntanned body. She had a slim waist, a well-rounded but not very large bosom, beautifully formed hips, straight legs, and thin but firm arms. Her blonde wavy fluffy hair that reached to the middle of her back well showed her delicate facial features ¨C full lips, straight nose, almond-shaped hazel eyes, and of course, an elf''s characteristic elongated pointy ears.

    The moment I laid my eyes on her I couldn''t help but be mesmerized by her beauty. I stared at her, she back at me. A few seconds passed until I could finally regain my bearings. Then, appropriately, I did what anyone would do when meeting someone the first time.

    "Hello, nice to meet you," I greeted with a well-managed gentle smile.

    However, in my trance of admiring her beauty I hadn''t at all noticed her expressions, the way she was wary of me, afraid. I hadn''t noticed the fear, the terror, the dread in her face, the shivering of her body, the trembling of her legs. I wonder how she saw me when I opened the doors of the closet, when I stood there gazing at her with my piercing eyes, and then spoke.

    Well, as if all tension that had been held together for hours was released in an instant, upon hearing my light, easygoing words, she lost her strength and simply suddenly collapsed.

    ''Woah! What''s this?!'' I worried if perhaps my voice, too, had some sort of life draining effect. However, after taking a closer look -might be bad for my heart-, I understood that she wasn''t in any danger. She had simply fallen asleep, now quietly and softly breathing.

    How unfortunate that I couldn''t take her to some more comfortable place, as I dared not to touch her, lest I hurt her due to the detrimental effect of my curse.

    So, I could only wait.

    - - -

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 Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 4

    Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 4

    Rarely would you find someone capable of sleeping soundly with stress, and she was no exception to that, considering whatever horror she must''ve gone through. It was just a short nap to destress and correct body functions, so she woke up quite soon, after around 20 minutes.

    However, since I wasn''t expecting her to wake up, yet again I frightened her by having her first sight be that of a pale, ferocious demon looming over her.

    "Woah there! Relax, I''m not going to hurt you," I tried to calm her and seem as amiable as possible. It worked, as her breathing settled down.

    "Wh- Who are you?" she asked, even the small tremble couldn''t mask her sweet silvery voice.

    "Me? I''m just a wanderer. As I was walking around the forest, I sighted smoke rising into the air and came upon this little village."

    "And what about the werewolves? Are they gone?" she asked, fearfully glancing over my shoulder.

    "Aa, well, they''re gone... I killed them," Answering honestly and straightforwardly is best if you don''t have an ulterior motive and just want to befriend someone.

    "Really?!" Her face brightened, she was relieved, however, it then turned into disbelief. "Wasn''t there a pack of them? Even a demon shouldn''t be able to handle them alone..."

    "Well, what can I say, I am strong."

    "..."

    Since whether she believed me or not was irrelevant, I changed the subject. I was new to this world and had many things to inquire about.

    "Anyway, I''m in sort of a predicament right now. You see, I just recently woke up from my slumber and I''m rather unfamiliar with the current world." Earlier I had said it was good to be honest, and I still was, however, it wasn''t the whole truth either. I didn''t lie at least. Continuing, "Let''s see, how about this ¨C become my retainer and I will protect you, follow me and you will become powerful."

    It was a bizarre thing to say, out of the blue and unsuitable for the situation, as she blinked her eyes in befuddlement. However, there was certainly a reason for that.

    "Well?" I prompted, waiting for her response.

    "Aa-, well..." What was she hesitant about? When she averted her eyes, her gaze fixed on something behind me. It was a person, one of the dead. And as she looked upon the person, seeing their face, tears started streaking down her cheeks that had lost their color.

    It was a delicate mood, and I fathomed what the reason was. Being tactful, I left the sobbing girl by herself for a moment and went to check out a few books that were lying on the ground.

    I returned when she quieted down and recollected herself. I had found nothing of significance amongst the books. There were just some diaries and recordings about the village life and some books about hunting and gathering.

    "...You okay?" It was perhaps a rhetorical question, but I still wanted to initiate a conversation.

    "Yeah, I''m sorry about the unsightly behaviour," she said, wiping her soft cheeks and drying her reddened eyes.

    "No, no, it''s nothing, I understand... However, about what I said earlier..."

    "..." She was silent for a moment, meeting my inquisitive look. "I have lost my home..." she began, "I lost my family..." Her thus far hazy gaze turned steadier. "I have nowhere to go." Though sorrowful, her tone was also implicit.

    "Then, travel with me, teach me about this world, and I will protect you. You''ll have a new place to call home some day." My words were clear, strong and sincere. She resolved herself and replied,

    "Yes."

    Unfortunately, as appropriate it would have been, there wasn''t any touching goodbyes, as we didn''t depart immediately. My familiarizing with this world''s workings and the location came first. Well, at least I looked for a more becoming place away from the burning houses and the stench of blood to take a break.

    She talked about her village ¨C what kind of place it was, how peaceful, how friendly and gentle the people were, what they usually did and how they lived their tranquil self-sufficient lives. But then, in the middle of the night, when everyone was sound asleep, the village was suddenly surrounded by howling on all sides. The guards on night shift had not noticed signs of any sort of creature. First, since it was howling, it was presumed to be wolves. However, what was disquieting was that it was coming from all around.

    Hair-raising screams resounded from one of the gates. When the attention was drawn towards the other side, from behind after quick low thumping of steps the sentries were pounced on by an incredibly heavy, furry, ferocious creature. With the sounding of the second scream both the gates had fallen and the village was left unprotected.

    The loud shrieks and turmoil that echoed throughout the village woke up the sleeping residents. Though a bit disoriented, people understood that the situation was dire. However, they had no idea what the danger was.

    The state escalated into madness as a myriad of hostile creatures flowed in and indiscriminately started attacking everyone they came upon. When identified as werewolves, the situation didn''t improve from the knowledge, rather it become woeful, as the people realized the futility of trying to fight them off. The werewolves were overwhelmingly powerful and spared no mercy.

    So, thus the rather unfortunate, horrid situation came to to be, the result of which you can now see.

    She talked a little about herself also.

    At the time of the attack she was first at home, a house at one of the corners of the village. Though she didn''t specify, she did mention that the people she was living with weren''t her real parents, they weren''t connected by blood, however, both held the other side very dear.

    Her father, one of the village''s guardsmen not on night duty that time, urged her and the mother to quickly run and gather at the village hall as the conflict outside was intensifying. The village hall was designated as the last point of defense in case the village was under attack and in a dire state.

    Running through the village towards the hall she couldn''t help but catch sight of the calamitous condition everything had fallen in. Houses on fire and broken apart, fellow villagers, her friends dead on the ground, shredded to pieces, and the cause for it ¨C savage creatures dressed in bloodsoaked black fur voraciously slurping on the innards of their victims.

    The village hall was in a forlorn state. From one perspective it had a slightly more positive atmosphere compared to outside, but only an insensitive soul would have such an opinion.

    The large double doors were barricaded in hopes to hold back the werewolves and protect the ten families residing inside. However, as we already know from the final state of the hall, evidently it was in vain.

    There wasn''t much else to say about that. Since she hadn''t actually recovered from the shock and grief, I understood the reason though I didn''t empathize, her words became a bit incoherent with a few weeps and cracks in her voice. I apologized and said there wasn''t any need to talk about that anymore.

    Well, it was readily apparent ¨C while they were barricaded inside, the doors were smashed open and entered by the werewolves who began their slaughter there. The few guards, her father included, couldn''t compare against them with their meagre equipment against the werewolves'' overpowering physical abilities. During the meaningless last stand she got shoved inside the closet by her mother to hide her, from where she could only watch through the cracks how everryone, men, women, children alike, fell to the claws and fangs of the monsters. However, as her father with his last bit of strength stood covering the cupboard, the werewolves'' attention was abruptly drawn somewhere else and they ran outside. Then, a bit later I arrived.

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    Silence ensued.

    It was all good and nice... No, no, it was rather tedious listening to her reciting the events from her perspective. That''s not what I was interested in at all, but... I guess allowing her to speak her mind served some purpose. I wasn''t much for consoling, but at least she got someone to shed and share the burden from her heart.

    "Thank you for saving me," she mumbled, breaking the silence.

    Wouldn''t it be more probable to burst out and yell, "Why didn''t you come sooner!?"... Well, at any rate she, wasn''t hysterical and was quite level-headed, and had the decency and manners to respectfully express her gratitude towards her saviour. ...Not that I cared about any of that.

    Still, I responded, "Mhm, no problem."

    "What are you planning to do?" she continued.

    My plans? She probably asked because earlier I had declared she''d be under my protection were she to follow and aid me.

    ''Fuehhh... So I can finally get to the point of learning about this world! No, no, don''t sigh, got to be nice... Wait, who am I supposed to be in this world? A demon! Act correspondingly!''

    "I have a certain objective in mind, but that''s still far off. However, everything begins with the small first step. So, tell me about this world ¨C where are we, the proximal nations and territories -there are such things, right?-, what races there are -I''m a demon and you''re an elf I presume, so there must be other different races as well-, on what kind of footing they are with each other. I want to know about the society, hierarchy, state of nations and their hostilities, everything."

    ''Was that perhaps too much? How would I explain my need to inquire about all that? ...Well, none of that matters. I want, therefore I will!''

    "Umm, I can tell you about some things, but I don''t know if it''s sufficient enough. I''ve lived in this village my whole life so the things I know about the world only come from telltales and few story books. And I know little magic, I''m only capable in nature magic, so..." she hesitantly explained.

    "Anything''s good," I said. There was one thing on my mind though, "...There''s something I''d like to know ¨C though I did save your life, you seem to be excessively trustful of me. Why?"

    She averted her eyes, then glanced at me, looked away again and pondered about something. A moment later she seemed to come to some sort of decision, as she resolutely met my stare and said, "...Well, I have this ability of sorts. I can see other people''s auras, with first sight I can determine their true nature, what kind of person they really are."

    "I see... And what about me then?" I asked, trying to maintain a straight face.

    "Well..." She began, and I noticed from my intent observation her cheeks reddening slightly as she tenderly squirmed. ''Why is she shy?!'' She continued, "Your aura is unique. I''ve never seen such an aura before... It''s almost colorless, even transparent, and it''s calm, without even the slightest of fluctuation that reveal the temperament and everyone should have. Yet, it''s tranquil, gentle. Somehow it''s very comforting."

    "...Hah? Really?!" ''How ludicrous! I know myself the best.'' "Are you sure there''s nothing wrong with that ability and it''s accurate?" I asked, suppressing myself from bursting out laughing. ''Also, I shouldn''t have asked that, lest she doubted it and suspected my character.''

    "Absolutely! Heeey-, even you reacted the same as my father," she remarked jovially. "Though you may doubt it, it has never lied to me. I''ve learned what the different auras mean, though yours is new to me, but I can judge a person''s character very well, don''t mock me," pouting.

    ''Well...'' "Okay, okay, I believe you. You''ll come to know my personality as we go along." Now that the issue of trust was elucidated, it was time to get to the matter at hand.

    For hours, until the darkening of the skies she described the nearby surrounding lands and simplified her knowledge about the world in general. We''ll delve into those when they matter and there''s a need to clarify.

    Her speech slowly became slightly slurred as she tired from continuosly articulating the important points I was more interested in. And, just as her expressive illustrations lessened, by her yawn my attention was drawn to the fact that it had already gotten dark. Well, it probably wasn''t as dark for me as it was for her, since I was using what I named "Nightvision" magic, its effect self-evident from its name, allowing to see better in the dark, that is.

    "It''s gotten late," I said, "Are you tired?"

    "It''s- *grooooaaaaa--*" Just as she was about to respond her stomach growled and broke her line of thought. I couldn''t help but smile at her adorable wriggling with a blushed face in an attempt to cover up that insignificantly disgraceful feedback from her belly.

    "Hungry?"

    "..." She cutely lowered her head. "Yes, just a bit."

    "Then go search yourself, you know the place better than I."

    "Ah, thank you... What about you?"

    "I don''t need anything," I replied, however, I didn''t exactly disclose my absolute unnecessity for food and water at the moment. As well, unless required to reveal, the cursed "Drain Life" ability remained a secret. At least during combat I had gotten some relief for my strain from the brief contacts with the werewolves.

    As she scurried off, I was left to contemplate on the acquired information and make my plans accordingly.

    We were sitting opposite of each other, inbetween a small fire crackled. She had cooked herself a bowl of thick vegetable and meat soup and to the sides munched on a piece of bread.

    By that time it was already night, the bright twin moons illuminating the small clearing in the garden that had become our resting spot.

    Though unfortunately many houses had burned down, since it seemed to be summertime and the air was, in addition to the heat of the day, also warm throughout the night, sleeping outside was no trouble. With a few patches of hay a makeshift bed was complete. Well, that was merely made for her, as no fatigue ever overcame me.

    "So you really don''t need sleep? At all?" she inquisitively questioned.

    "Hn, yeah. So far I''ve gone a week without a wink of sleep."

    She looked at me curiously and mentioned that something like that was unheard of, but regretfully admitted that she wasn''t very knowledgeable about the world either.

    Giggling, she said, "You really are unique. Besides not requiring food nor rest, your character, your personality itself, too, is preposterous. Aah-, I mean in the good sense! You see, demons are known to be wicked and ruthless, only caring about themselves, but you..." Tilting her head, face blooming with a kind smile, "You''re a nice person."

    Well, though I disagreed and thought it to be too early to make such a judgement, but she had already revealed and explained her abillity, so I remained silent and responded with a perhaps slightly troubled smile.

    Starting to doze off, it suddenly dawned to her, "Ah! We haven''t actually introduced each other, right? My name is Lessa''El, a half-elf and... half-demon. From now on I''ll be in your care and as well try to be of use to you."

    "Aa, you can call me Hax, a full-fledged demon, and... the one to become the god of this world."

    - - -

    Thank you for reading! With this the first chapter is finished. Before the chapter 2 there''ll be an interlude chapter, after which the main story will continue (in a week or so).

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 Interlude 1 - Rising Awareness

    Interlude 1 - Rising Awareness

    A large kingdom, enough so to become an empire at the current continuing rate of expansion, right in the middle of the main continent of Luheim, at the eastern part of the western half bordering right at the edge, next to the Dragon''s Spine mountain range that split the enormous continent.

    The Kingdom of Freydal, and it''s methodically named capital Freydal, a city of a million residents. Located in the middle, situated on a hill, surrounded by an additional high wall, is the royal palace.

    A moment ago an exalted carriage stopped in front of the main gates.

    The doors forcefully shot open as an imposing figure in magnificent sanctified robes proceeded to hastily march towards the throne on the opposite side of the hall.

    Standing, not kneeling, unlike the accompanying 2 priests and 2 priestessses, before the person in regal attire sitting on the throne, the rushed and flushed, out-of-breath head of the church, with a grave expression on his face, uttered the following words,

    "My King, the Gods have spoken! They themselves personally appeared and gave myself the most important and urgent of revelations thus far!" He paused, inhaled and exhaled deeply, steadying his breath.

    The king''s, the one appopriately on the throne, attention had already been fully drawn the moment the pope had entered the auditorium, but now, heard about the message, he grimaced and made all preparations to receive whatever was about to be announced. He spoke,

    "Proceed!"

    "Yes, my King! By the Great God''s divination we have been informed that just a week ago there was a great disturbance in the world. The implications of it are all but good. Something appeared. A great evil has decended on this world, a demon, and it will do nothing but bring utter devastation and destruction upon the whole world unless handled immediately! It is the greatest imperative to track down this demon and eliminate it at all costs! Thus have the Gods commanded, and they will aid us and make our nation prosper!"

    The gasps and exasperated vociferation by everyone present, including the king, following the proclamation was expected, but nevertheless quickly quieted down by the pope''s imploration.

    The importance and the beneficial return of this task was keenly made clear, and by the king''s behest the rare, once in a decade gathering of the round table was announced. After council, every person of importance scattered off to their relevant assigned duties, leaving only the king, the royal guard, and the pope and his entourage discussing other, more private details of this recent forewarning.

    - - -

    Another nation, but far from similar to the Kingdom of Freydal ¨C known as the Elysian Empire.

    And just like what happened in the Kingdom of Freydal, the emperor''s throne was approached by a figure. However, contrary to the former, the throne room was nearly empty, calm, eerily quiet.

    There were just two presences. The one who just arrived ¨C standing tall in front of the throne, a figure clad from head to toe in pitch black robes, not a speck of skin visible, the face concealed by a deeply dark fuzzy shadow resembling mist. And the one seated on the throne ¨C a black gown veined by silvery lines covering the otherwise unpredictably burly body, shoulder length gray hair, but a clear complexion and strong bone structure, and in the middle of the face dimly glowed two argent eyes still full of vigor, yet listless at the same time, the Immortal Emperor.

    "Your majesty," the figure clad in black addressed his monarch. Though he received no answer, expectedly. He continued, "I discovered an anomaly in the essence of the world, a great disturbance ran through the world a week ago, and I have now determined the cause. A powerful demon seems to have carnated into this world, one yet unobserved, but I''m sure the gods have also taken note of it''s appearance and no doubt informed those contemptible zealots. Though unsure of their objective, both the demon''s and the gods'', I''m confident that gaining the demon as an ally would no doubt be beneficial."

    The figure proceeded to explain his discovery and give some of his insights into it. In the end, the only reaction was,

    "Interesting..."

    - - -

    Now, at another place.

    It''s still a nation, however, its kind is somewhat of a rarity in the world. It''s a nation ruled by elves, the majority of its residents also elves. The peculiarity comes from the fact that nonhuman races tend not to form any kind of collaborations much larger than tribes and such, very much so for forming whole countries. Well, true, there are some.

    Situated at the sweltering climate of the equator and near the monster infested tropical forests, the elven nation has grown unexpectedly large. However, on the other hand, the expansive territory can mostly be contributed exactly to the presence of many hostile creatures and to the fairly inhospitable conditions.

    It is due to the characteristic survival abilities that the elves have thrived in such a region ¨C one thing is the survival skills, but the other factor is no doubt their proficiency in nature magic.

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    Thus we''re looking at the humongous capital. Though the sheer size of it can be intimidating, the amount of residents is not that great, compared to the population density of most human cities, that is. Well, elves tend to covet more personal space also, so it works out pretty well.

    Like all nations, this one also has a government, naturally. However, different from the sprawling human kingdoms, there''s no single ruler or a monarch, but an assembly of sorts, the Council of Elders.

    The senate hall was not in so much as an uproar, but definitely apprehension and dismay were present.

    The same topic that was examined elsewhere in other upper echelons, was being discussed here as well.

    "A week ago the Ancient World Fragment picked up a ripple in the all-pervading, ever-present World Magic Essence, and we have now tracked down its source," a youthful-looking ashen-skin man dressed in a bluish tinted toga spoke. "It seems that a powerful being has appeared in this world. Since its likely location is far in the northern wilderness, the being is likely a demon."

    The listeners, 20 odd similarly dressed men, all with the same characteristic pointy ears, gasped almost in unison.

    "However," the spokesman stated in a way that the reverberation subdued the place, "Though it requies further investigation, we''ve determined that the being is not the reincarnated Demon God."

    After additional clarification a discussion commenced. And the result, as the most age-worn, experienced-looking, yet still youthful individual stepped onto the central podium,

    "The decision is that we will continue investigation with a small scout unit. However, there''s no need to mobilize the armies, as any certain threat has yet to be confirmed."

    Meeting adjourned.

    - - -

    A week ago, there was also another reaction to our protagonist''s awakening.

    In the distance emerges second of the five highest mountains in the world, the Thransis. Situated on the eastern half of the main continent is the Titan''s mountain range, where we''re currently looking.

    Hundreds of peaks in every direction, pointing out from the layer of clouds beneath, thus a very high altitude.

    Basking in the glow of the setting sun, standing on a ridge separating two valleys is a figure.

    Though covered by clothes, the figure is no doubt tall and slender, and at the same time harmoniously toughened by numerous experiences of combat. From the prominent bosom you judge that the figure is female.

    As her chest heaves from earlier strain and the dark red long ponytailed hair sways in rhythm with gushes of wind, she looks down into the valley upon another humanoid form. However, that which lays down there like a corpse, is far from anything human, or is reminiscent of any other race to any degree. It''s a colossus.

    A stone colossus of 50 meters sprawled on the ground, dead. One of the greatest, strongest colossi, an exceptional type II magic creature, lies motionless, tranquil before her eyes. If ranked, this colossus would be class 2. Meaning, the colossus whose remains now lie still, was second only to the chief of the colossi.

    From the marks and signs of battle ¨C the damaged terrain, burnt, smashed and sliced body of the colossus, and the ragged equipment of the survivor ¨C, it''s quite straightforward to conclude that namely these two beings had just been engaged in combat. And the victor was the comparably tiny human.

    How was such a thing possible? How did this come to be? Or, the correct question would be ¨C how powerful is this female human, to have defeated an opponent many times larger than herself and who belonged to the top of its group? However, we will not dwell on this inquiry at present time.

    So, while having a rest amidst the aftermath of extensive devastation, she suddenly perked up and turned westward towards the setting sun. And she mumbled to herself,

    "Huh? What''s this? Isn''t this a familiar presence?... Just as I had come to this world some time ago and was enjoying myself here, he also happens to come here... A coincidence, maybe? No, can''t be. Or perhaps really so. He is that sort of guy anyway, so he must have coincidentally reincarnated into this world... But this aura no doubt belongs to that beloved, whimsical friend of mine. So I guess I''ll go take a look some time or another..."

    The moment she finished, a ripple formed in front of her, expanded into an oval, opaque window, and as she stepped into it, she just up and disappeared without a trace, the portal closing behind her.

    - - -

    Thank you for reading! Though this chapter is a bit short, it was a necessary part. The main story will continue in a few days, so look forward to it.

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    Best wishes to all!

 Chapter 2 - Onto the stage Part 1

    Chapter 2 ¨C Onto the stage

    Part 1

    The very next day, after the one when I had arrived at a certain village and saved a certain girl, a young half-elf, from some rampaging werewolves. It was a nice, fresh, cool morning, grass and plants covered in dew, the sun glaring down through the foilage of the trees and creepingly but steadily warming up the ground.

    Right after waking up and having breakfast, both for the other''s sake, not mine, mind you, we set off. We were heading northeast right through the woods, as no path was bound towards there.

    "You-!" looking at me wide-eyed, with disbelief, and perhaps for the first time some distrust in her natural ability, Lessa''El stopped her movements midstep when I had revealed her my future plans.

    I don''t know what she thought of me the evening before, when I proclaimed that I would become a god, as at that time she merely silently nodded and dozed off, weary from the stress from the midnight onslaught of the werewolves. But now, as if I had declared something even more profound, she stared at me flabbergasted.

    "You plan on going to the demons'' territory, gathering them under your rule, creating an army and your own nation?!" short of breath, she almost choked on her words.

    "Yeah, that''s what I said. Though it''s merely the first objective from a grander project," I replied just as lightheartedly as when I had described my plans earlier.

    "Isn''t that what a demon lord would do!"

    "Umm, yeah... I am demon, you know..."

    Staggering, as if she just had a revelation, she sought support from a tree to lean on.

    "Eem, is it really such a shock?" I asked.

    ". . . Eehh, no, sorry," she seemed to regain her composure, "It''s just that I didn''t quite expect such an ambitious goal." It was more as if she was perturbed by how much my desire encompassed, rather than the objective perchance being evil, villainous as you would say. Did she not for a moment doubt her perception of my personality? If so, then she''s quite assured and confident in her assessment.

    "Alright, we''re moving on then."

    Continuing eastward, we should enter demon territory at some point during a week, and by the week''s end or so should at least reach a road, perhaps even a settlement or an outpost.

    How about some details about the surrounding lands that are of relevance?

    The general location was that of a deciduous forest, a temperate climate, perhaps about 45 degrees of latitude. It was fairly in the middle of the continent, thus seasons were well-defined, with adequately hot and humid summers and respectfully cold and crispy winters. As mentioned before, currently it was summer. To the south was a mountain range, behind which expanded vast plains, while in the north were sweeping ancient forests with gigantic and voluminous trees. East and west was the inbetween ¨C a mixture of great woodlands and verdant grasslands.

    As for the relating territories, likewise it was an assortment of various nations. You see, just as geographically it was on the border of two biomes, it was also, or rather exactly because of it, in the central neutral region between different countries. While the northern ancient forests and the southern mountain ranges were justifiably uninhabitated, apart from a few rare indigenous tribes, to the east spanned human races and their countries, whereas to the west extended the land of demons and their jurisdiction. Two perfectly opposing, hostile forces.

    Because I, as well as my companion, a half-elf, would certainly be unwelcome in human lands, we opted, or more accurately I designated our direction to be the demon nations, as that served my aim more suitably and comfortably.

    Lunchtime.

    Lessa''El had brought along a small supply of foodstuff she gathered at the village, since finding edible plants or hunting a wild animal wasn''t always assured. A gentleman as I was -a demon gentleman... like, what?-, I helped her and carried an additional bag as well.

    As she was enjoying her a meal, some meat, a piece of bread, and broth, she brought up a certain topic. Also, apparently good manners didn''t include not speaking while eating in this world, or maybe that just applied to the community she came from.

    "I noticed something odd, not that it''s bad, but rather it''s quite nice. Namely, that we haven''t come upon any wild animals or magical beasts. ...Now that I think about it, there''s hardly any birds singing as well."

    "Yeah, I''m aware. It was the same back when I was venturing on my own..."

    Tilting her head, "Do you perhaps have an idea as to what might be the reason? These forests should in fact be quite densely populated, but..."

    "Isn''t it because of my presence?"

    "Ee, what do you mean?"

    "Animals should be capable of sensing danger, right? So when a powerful creature, me, is in the vicinity, they''d run away ¨C in that sense."

    With a confused, somewhat amused expression she looked at me, "You? A dangerous beast?" She couldn''t hold back, and a minute, high-pitched, girly giggle came out.

    She''s really underestimating me, isn''t she? But... She sure is cute,'' such a thought crossed my mind.

    "Aah, no offence," she continued, "but I can''t quite imagine you being dangerous or ferocious."

    ''Hohoo, should I demonstrate some of that fierceness I shouldn''t have?...'' "Your ability to see auras, huh? Well, naturally, let me make it clear, I''m not responsible for any illusions you might have or any disappointments I may or may not be the cause of at some point in the future. Understand?" Though I said that, trying to sound stern and reproaching, she didn''t take me seriously, as she merely responded carefreely,

    "Yes, yes, I understand. My ability does not lie, that much I''m certain of. I can see your true nature, however, I''m also aware and of course keep in mind that not everything is visible. Some acts might be cruel, but they''d also be inevitable, such is the world. But, I can say, it''s the inner self that matters, and from that I know you''re a good person," finishing with a heartwarming, tender, bright like the sun, smile.

    ''Really now... Well, no matter...''

    Lessa''El had mentioned that, aside from wild animals, magical beasts also resided in the forest. Thus, unfamiliar with that term and interested, I inquired about it.

    From what she told me, magical beasts were creatures that came into existence through magic... Well, that would be quite obvious, deriving from the name. How they appeared was more precisely an effect of mana.

    You see, as I requested her to clarify that also, mana was supposedly, theoretically, however, also without doubt due to observation and practicality, everywhere. In the ground, in the air, in rock, in all lifeless things; in grass, bushes, trees, all plants, and also animals, from bugs and small rabbits to giant mammoths, ultimately in all living things and beings.

    By the way, mana in sentient living beings was innate and comprised what you would call a mana pool ¨C a certain amount of mana that one could freely use to employ magic. We''ll perhaps get back to this some later time.

    So, the way magical beasts could emerge was from two phenomena. Firstly, if mana concentrated into a lifeform, which wasn''t that rare, as the size of the mana pool and therefore available mana could be increased, but then went out of control, it could induce mutations and deformations, leading to the development of a living being originated magical beast. The type I magic creature.

    The second way a magical beast could appear was from condensed mana, which, exactly as it sounds, meant that in some areas of higher environmental mana concentration an exceedingly dense accumulation could spontaneously give rise to a mana formed magical beast. This was the type II magic creature.

    Coincidentally, or for whatever reason, the shape and appearance of both the kinds of magical beasts was for the most part the same. They were, still, essentially both creatures of magic. The difference, however, came from the quality of their strength. While animal origin magical beasts retained their physical abilities to some extent, only having their vitality and endurance enhanced, and gaining instinctive magic power, but not strength or intelligence, the ones you could perhaps call real magical beasts, those emerged from pure mana, could have a broad degree of power. The reason was unknown as to why sometimes one could be a simple, for example, bird, while other times, and most commonly, it could be equivalent or slightly tougher than its counterpart. And finally, seldom, an immensely powerful, aggressive and robust magical beast could appear.

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    That''s all for now. We''ll come back to it as go along or when we meet, most assuredly, some kind of magical beast, as not all were violent and could be tamed and utilized in everyday life.

    In the evening, after Lessa''El had eaten dinner, while I, still not hungry, merely watched and pondered about my own things, mainly about magic.

    She had kept up with my pace fairly well. Except stopping for a meal, we didn''t have any breaks at all, so she, too, must have quite good stamina. Or perhaps... She''s using magic to augment her robustness and endurance? Interested, I asked about it.

    "Ah, yes, I''m using a fundamental self-reinforcement spell. It enhances all physical abilities, stamina included, so it helps during long journeys."

    Apparently there was such a thing. I hadn''t yet thought about it, but now that I was aware, might as well ask her to teach me, or improvise and formulate one myself. I was able to practice magic at night while Lessa''El was asleep.

    Actually, now that it would be time to make camp, it reminded me of something. Since I didn''t sleep, but she needed a night''s rest to recover, thus staying still for hours, our overall pace of advancing was cut almost in half, so I had developed a useful spell the night before.

    "Hey," I began, "there''s something I''d like to try."

    "Hm, what is it?"

    "It''s a spell. I came upon it yesterday night, and it would greatly help to increase our pace, since, you know, I don''t need sleep."

    "Yes, and what does it do?"

    "Come here for a second."

    Standing before me, I could smell a lovely, faint whiff of an aroma emitting from her. Yet again, I couldn''t help but become hazy from her refreshing presence. Why was she so bewitching?! I was returned from my stupor as she looked at me inquisitively, tilting her childishly cute but feminine head, and expecting for some magic.

    Shaking my head to clear my thinking, I raised my arm, pointed my hand towards her, and concentrated on the effect that I wished for. A dim, bluish light formed at my palm and surged towards her, enveloping her whole body.

    "Chantless magic!? She blurted incredulously.

    Not paying attention to that, I continued, and in a moment the desired effect was achieved.

    "Wah-! Aaaah!" Lessa''El cried out, startled, because she was now floating in the air. "A levitation spell!?"

    "Yeah," I replied, "How is it?"

    "You cast a levitation spell, which in itself is a high level technique, on another person! Such a thing was deemed to be impossible, according to my knowledge at least. Moreover, you didn''t use any chants! Amazing!"

    "Umm, thank you?... But that''s not what I meant. How does it feel? Comfortable?"

    "Aa, yes, it feels as if I''m floating in the clouds, like a perfectly soft feather mattress. I feel like I could fall asleep against my will at any moment."

    "Then it''s a success. You see, I created this spell so that during night when you have to sleep, I could keep moving, with you floating beside me, that is." I cancelled the spell and let her down.

    "This is..." she looked at me wide-eyed, with a glint of respect, "quite incredible, I must say. You just don''t cease to amaze me. But all in the good sense, of course."

    "Mhm..." Perhaps I would''ve been embarrassed by such an earnest compliment in different circumstances, however, at the moment I didn''t really care. Such magic, which supposedly was complex and quite high level, was almost effortless for me, only having required a bit of focus when creating and during its first uses.

    Lessa''El had stimulated my curiosity in this world''s magic system, mentioning that levitation should have been unfeasible to cast on others, and something about chanting. I remembered that back in the Tomb of the Ancients, when I had woken up, the mages I battled chanted each time before using a spell, or rather, they chanted to use a spell, whereas I''ve always been using magic without chanting.

    I turned to her, "Tomorrow you''ll teach me how magic works, though I can use it, I don''t really know the theories, okay?" ...It came out a bit demanding, however, she nevertheless acceded cheerfully.

    So, meal finished, discussion over, and otherwise a would-be time for camp, I proceeded with the idea.

    "Well, ready now?"

    "Yes, if you would, please."

    Once more I cast the levitation spell on her, and subsequently she started to float.

    "Well..." Looking at her floating 2 meters off the ground, settling on a cosy posture, curled up on her side, in delectation I marvelled at her easy-going, trustful disposition. Or perhaps it was because I was the one in her company?

    No, no, don''t get ahead of yourself!'', I reprimanded myself. "I guess... Good night!"

    "Good night! ...Don''t let the bugs have a bite."

    Amusing.

    - - -

    Moving about in the forest during the night posed no difficulty to me, as I could use the "Nightvision" spell. Otherwise, even if the sky was clear, allowing the starry heavens and the twin, one reddish and the other bluish, moons to illuminate the surroundings, the dense foilage permitted little light to permeate through, thus, consequently, without enhanced sight, it would''ve been almost pitch-black. For that reason, as I trudged onward, never did I stumble on any protruding roots or rocks, and easily, untroubled, avoided all the trees.

    And in that manner a week passed. Lectures, as well as remarkably jolly and elated idle chatting and topics during the day, and solemn marching during the night for me and harmonious, undisturbed sleep for Lessa''El. At least, with her new teachings, I could progress with improving my current magic and spells and creating new ones.

    Lessa''El could sleep truly soundly, and, refreshed, she had a habit of waking up with a "Fuaaa--" sound, stretching her arms high and twisting, curving her body like a feline. Cute indeed, insofar as tempting me to pinch her, presumedly soft, and rosy, cheeks. She really praised the comfortability of the spell, appreciating the much more serene dreams it bestowed compared to sleeping on a makeshift bed made of branches and leaves.

    The levitation spell was of use even more. Besides not having to carry the bags of however little food that remained, because my pace was ostensibly too much for her, for some periods so that she could rest I added her under the spell''s effect during the day also. She said that she couldn''t maintain the buffs, the self-reinforcement spells, that is, indefinitely, due to depletion of mana, and was amazed by how lavish I was with my use of magic, never exhausting my mana pool. Thus, sometimes the lectures and idle talk was carried out as she was drifting in the air beside me.

    So, just as predicted, by the week''s end, on an unusually sultry day, we came upon a faint but clearly trodden trail. Coursing on the path towards a randomly picked direction, after half an hour the forest at long last ceased and the sight was changed to that of vast plains, seemingly farmlands, and a small but extending castle town in the distance.

    We had arrived at demon territory.

    - - -

    Thank you for reading!

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    Best wished to all!

 Chapter 2 - Onto the stage Part 2

    Part 2

    Before we move on, I''ll expand on the topic of the intelligent sentient species, those regarded as higher level, not animals, you could also call them humanoid races, that live in this world. By the way, I hadn''t yet mentioned that the world is called Luavheim, the name of the planet, that is, so here you go.

    In reality, if scrutinized close enough, there were countless highly intelligent different races, besides the millions of species of other creatures. However, generally, by those who weren''t specialists in that area, humanoids were fundamentally, liberally classified into four groups.

    Human race. The most abundant, prevalent and dominant race of the world of Luavheim. Capable of adapting to all living conditions and found in almost all corners of the world, the exceptions being only due to the residence of other greatly hostile races, demons to be exact. A very collaborative race, which lead the first initially small communities to establish their own governing bodies, that leading to the formation nations, which in turn diverged into spawning kingdoms. And the expansion and power of some kingdoms have made them worthy to be labelled as empires. By abilities they''re the average amongst others ¨C decent physical strength and adequate magical talent.

    Beast race. Comprises humanoid races with a variety of animal characteristics. Humanoid in the sense that they have a similar skeletal structure, thus their body shape resembles that of humans, and they are bipedal -mostly-, such things. However, they are usually covered in fur, some reptilians have a scaly skin, they might have claws, talons, wings even, and great physical capabilities, though generally below average magic, all depending on their base animal. To clarify, for example ¨C a tiger beast race individual is bipedal, has paws but also opposable thumbs, fur with a specific color pattern, and is quite strong physically.

    Demon race. Alongside beast races, it''s a moderately diverse category. They as well are humanoid like the beast races. However, they have extemely great magical affinity, and their origin is unknown. By their abilities they resemble type II magical beasts more than humans or beast races. Quite sparsely situated, usually congregated around areas of higher mana concentrations. For one, due to their hostile nature and general aggressiveness, but mostly because of fundamentally different religion and gods, they''re regarded as enemies by all others, labelled as evil, and waged wars, so called holy crusades, against.

    Halfs. The most diverse category of races, simply due to comprising of all the non-pureblood races. Bloodlines are a complicated matter in this world. The thing is ¨C even if individuals of different races, say a beastman and human female, were to produce offspring, the progeny would typically have the racial traits of only one of the parents. However, sometimes one might be a half, not have the full characteristics of a race, that is, but a part of each. The cause for that is unknown ¨C many see it as a curse, sometimes it''s thought as a defect, but always interpreted as a consequence of magical interference. Also, naturally, the descendants of halfs are also halfs. So, since halfs are seen only as a negative result, they''re greatly discriminated against, as mentioned before, and thus tend to form their own communities away from other races'' territories, but not always though. Besides discrimination, they''re also treated as articles of slavery. In the end, their status and conditions are certainly on the low end.

    There are some races that don''t belong to any of the four categories, but are nevertheless quite populous. For example ¨C elves, which in turn divide into many variants, such as wood elves, desert elves, high elves, night elves, and more; dwarves, who are most abundant on a separate western continent; gnomes; fairies; and more. Generally they have their own habitats, and depending on their nature they either collaborate with others or tend to seclude themselves.

    So, finally we arrive at the point that''s relevant to our current situation. Because not always do halfs isolate themselves from other races, they can sometimes coexist, to some degree at least. Namely, the disposition towards half-demons, or demi-humans as they''re called, is most lenient in demon territory. Meaning, full-fledged demons treat demi-humans, somewhat ironically, considering the name, better than most other races. Better, but not well. One of the reasons being that demi-humans comprise a part of demons'' armies, serve as foot soldiers usually, they''re the expendable meat shield, so to say. And in turn they have some protection and are allowed to live in demon territory.

    A little before we arrived at the castle town, I noticed from the corner of my eye Lessa''El fidgeting slightly. Or maybe not really fidgeting, but she had a minor anxious aura about her.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked.

    "Oh, umm... I''m just wondering about how I''ll be seen here. I''ve talked about halfs of different races are seen, right, how they''re treated generally. So... I doubt I''ll be very welcome here..." She had quite the insecure expression as she said that.

    However, I resolutely responded, "No worries! Whatever happens, at the very least I won''t let you get hurt." Finishing with a reassuring smile.

    "A-, I-... Thank you... Ehehee--," With a girlish giggle, her cheeks blushing red, she coyly averted her gaze, trying to hide the otherwise jubilant mood. ". . .Hey, I''ve been meaning to ask, back when we met, and just now too you said the same, that you would protect me if I follow you. What do you mean about that?" She asked, her eyes sunny, gleaming with auspicious anticipation.

    "Of course, just as my underlings serve me well, as the master, I also have to attend to my subordinates'' well-being. ... There''s no king if there''s noone to serve him. And a true ruler is one who, in turn for his vassal''s service, also ensures the vassal''s welfare and safety!" It was a splendid, admirable speech, if I dare say so myself. However, my exquisitely honorable monologue was met with an unexpected declination.

    She came to a full stop. "A subordinate... Haaahh--. . ."

    ''What?! What?! What''s with that somber sigh? Why in a sullen mood suddenly?''

    Disregardid her reaction -I wasn''t as thickheaded as it might have seemed, I had adequate comprehension of her behaviour-, I prompted her to move on, which, after a scathingly bitter and resentful stare, she slightly grudgingly did. We were just fifteen minutes away.

    The gatehouse of the all-surrounding walls of the town was as menacing as the almost 3 meter ogre that guarded the checkpoint. A thorned drawbridge to get across the moat full of wooden spikes; just as barbed gate; spearpoints on the wall allowing only a single narrow passage; and sculptures of sinister gargoyles looming over the entrance.

    "Stop right there! Announce yourselves, or you won''t be allowed inside," a burly, with copper colored skin, two small horns on the forehead, and eardrum quivering booming voice, towering ogre clad in dark green metal plated armor and equipped with a just as long glaive halted us in our steps and requested, no, demanded us to state our business.

    I was not daunted by his imposing presence. However, glancing beside myself, an involuntary tremble had run over Lessa''El, and my companion retreated a step or two, now trying to block the sight with me in between. It seemed a bit of an excessive reaction, such fright, that is, but perhaps there was a deeper reason for that.

    So, being the man of the situation, I responded, "I have important affairs to handle at the castle. Make way!"

    "An official? No, the lord is busy, and noone''s allowed inside unless they go through inspection. What rabble are you if you don''t know a simple thing as that?"

    My plan to impersonate some authority had failed. Well, it was just a trial, and I had no earlier knowledge to base my act on. Alright, let''s see how a polite and affable approach works.

    Conjuring up the most refined smile I could, though I had no reference as to how it looked on my face, I began,

    "Greetings! Good work guarding the city gates. My name is Hax and this here" I almost patted her head, but managed to retract my hand at the last moment, thus pointed towards her, "is my companion Lessa''El. We''ve been travelling for quite a while now, so would it perhaps be possible to apply for some accommodation for a day or two at this lovely town?"

    From his expression, as he looked at me eyes slitting, in suspicion and derision, it would be safe to presume that again my little act was ineffective. After he ran over me with his characteristic golden hued eyes, assessing both my strength and credibility, the moment Lessa''El entered his vision, his sight fixated on her. Eyes flaring up, a creepy grin forming on his face, revealing two small lines of black decaying teeth, with repulsive movement his tongue running over and wetting his lips, he ogled her body, in all likelihood envisioning some vile actions. My comparably short and frail companion flinched at his intent gaze, shrinking back even more.

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    "Give her to me! She''s mine now!" the ogre declared in a dominant, impertinent manner.

    There was only one way I would answer to that, "Hah?! Pft, no way, go to hell."

    "H- Aah?!" Dumbfounded at my response, the imminent foe could only gape his jaw and groan some incomprehensible croaks.

    "Didn''t you hear, you dipshit? Get to the gutter where you belong."

    His copper colored face flushed crimson, distorted and went up in fumes, and with a trembling voice containing extreme ire he squawked, "YOU!", and fiercely plunged towards me. The battle was on.

    However, since a moment ago this course of action had already become evident, and thus, anticipating his attack, by this time I had prepared my counter. Just by lifting my arm and pointing it towards him, the ogre''s life was in my hands. As if kicked from nowhere, the ogre suddenly flew backwards, crashing into the guardpost which then collapsed onto him.

    I had used non-lethal magic, however. It was an experimental spell, a mere shockwave of compressed air.

    "Wooah! Was that an "Air cannon"? So powerful..." Lessa''El blurted in awe.

    I didn''t care to explain what it actually was. Seems that in essence it was very similar to a spell called "Air cannon", so might as well name my version the same.

    There was no movement in the rubble. By some remote odds, perhaps the ogre wasn''t as resilient as I had estimated and was knocked unconscious in a single blow. For my mental peace I bet on the chance that he hadn''t actually died, but was not concerned enough to bother verifying it.

    "Come, let''s get going," I started valiantly marching into the town, Lessa''El hesitantly following a step behind.

    A foul putrid stench entered our noses as we stepped through the gates. The bustle and throngs of people one might expect from a city, as well as a town, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the denizens were lethargically plodding about. There were was a variety of races, but, at first sight, they were all only demi-humans, no demon was visible. Their height about that of human''s, some had small leathery wings, some had different horns, some tails, an assortment of skin hues ¨C in the end they were all half-demons, mostly of imp variants, while the characteristics of the human part were the general body image and facial structure -in other words, they looked like humans wearing costumes-.

    From the very gates until the end of the street the sight was nothing but miserable and gloomy. For one, noone had come to check the commotion I had caused at the entrance. The few stalls that checkered the streets were occupied only by the salespersons, who, not invitingly, but despondently were merely sitting on some worn creaky chairs, their faces scruffy and shoulders hanging low, and not at the slightest trying to attract the very few viable customers wandering around. In the houses, tailor''s shop, a blacksmith, an alchemy shop, an inn, there was also minimal activity ¨C a single person rearranging some textile; languid, sluggish banging of a hammer; no brewing or any distinct smell of herbs from the apothecary; and but a single drunkard with his nose down on the ground. In the murky alleyways dwelled almost unrecognizably squalid creatures.

    It was clear that not from the sweltering weather were the residents so listless, but from a whole other reason. As they looked at the strangers, at me, I saw no care about the newcomers, merely woe and resignation to whatever would befall on them. Yet, their eyes still cried for help.

    I made my way towards the castle where the lord of the area resided.

    In front of the massive doorway of the looming enormous castle two fully armored sentinels stood at watch. Before approaching, I surveyed the place. It was quite dreary, as opposite to how most human fortresses were made, this one had very little outcrops, few towers, and no openings or windows. It was just a simple immense wall, like a block of stone. Vines creeped up on the crumbling wall. The top edge was worn and falling apart. If it were under siege, it would no doubt fall fairly quickly. And totally unsuitable for some great lord. At least, that''s how the outer appearance was.

    "I have come for a meeting with the lord. Let me pass!" I self-importantly demanded from the two.

    They glanced at each other, befuddled by my sudden approach and declaration. Then one of them stepped forward and, in a husky and guttural voice, stated,

    "The lord is having a meeting right now. And who are you anyway? We''re not expecting visitors."

    It was pretty much the same reaction as the town gate guard''s. However, considering the importance of the authority from this point on, I could not make do with polite manners to gain passage. On the other hand, I was aware, courtesy of Lessa''El''s lectures, of how demons'' hierarchy operated. Might makes right! And so, through strength, domination is established as well in these lands. It was time I used that method.

    However, in a turn of events, at the moment I prepared for hostile action, the gates leading to the castle opened, and from inside, with a bellow, ringed a man''s voice,

    "What''s the commotion here?"

    From the dark, compared to the bright outside, a figure manifested. Wearing exquisite regal garments, a gold-embroidered blood-red robe that extended from the neck to down to the feet. About a head shorter than me, while he similarly had two horns on the side of the head, curving to the front, and, likewise, a tail, though thinner, whipping side to side in rhythm with his gait from under the vestment. His visible skin, his face, was dark gray, while from its depths two radiant amber eyes glowed.

    "My lord?! It''s just-, this person here arrived a moment ago and requested audience with the supreme ruler."

    From the conduct and the words of the guards I safely presumed that this new, unfamiliar individual was the local lord.

    "Is that so?" he said, running his eyes over me. But merely finished with a sneering, disdainful look, doubtlessly having judged me not worthy of any further attention.

    Then, just the same as at the town gates, when Lessa''El caught his sight, his demeanor straight up changed. Similarly, to the extent as declaring ownership over her, he approached her with the impudent proposition,

    "Hohoo, what a woman we have here! How about it," addressing Lessa''El, "become my concubine, and you''ll have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life." His eyes turning cold and drab, "And this is not a request."

    Haaahhh--... I could only sigh at the audacity, a possibly ingrained, or inherent, trait that these demons exhibited. So, again the same course of action was required. Well, it was necessary as the next step anyway, so there was no problem.

    "Hey, you," nudging the hem of the arrogant master''s sleeve, nearly touching him, "Since I''m running for lordship, to succeed you, the only way is through defeating you, right?"

    With a face crumpled from utmost rage, he glanced back at me, and scoffed me off, squalling,

    "Don''t you dare touch me you worthless trash! Kill him!"

    However, just as the two guards were brandishing their towering glaives and I was preparing to shoot off two shockwaves in retaliation, another figure appeared from the darkness and brought the space to a still with her golden, honey-like, sonorous voice,

    "Stop right there!"

    The moment she appeared before us, my sight fixated on the comparably short, adolescent girl. A body that of a developing teenage maiden, nigh unnoticeable but still outlined curves. Velvety lavender hair flowing past her shoulders. And as her willful eyes that accommodated a sharp glare met with mine, my heart was taken by storm as my insides spiraled into an unfathomable ardor, and a mysterious will surged forth, telling me with a feral tinge, "I want her!".

    - - -

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 Chapter 2 - Onto the stage Part 3

    Part 3

    The adolescent girl stood there, glaring with visible contempt at the silenced lord, and with a somewhat, oddly, different slant at me. However, contrary to what I expected the reason for her intrusion would be, she continued,

    "Spare me from the petty scuffle. Take your dogfight somewhere else or wait until I''ve left, I want no part in any fights over power."

    Yeah, it was like that. I had reckoned she didn''t want us to battle lest there would be some damage to the immediate surroundings, including the already almost collapsing castle, but in truth she merely didn''t want to be bothered by it. It would have merely been an annoyance, a hassle, "petty" as she said.

    "A-, but-" The lord''s expression had turned awfully lenient with her arrival. He seemed to want say something, object to something, but apparently opted against it. "Most certainly Lady Tricia." He turned towards me and, now in vexation, uttered, "You, rabble, get lost unless you want to die!"

    However, I paid no heed to the background murmuring, coming from the riled lord or my dismayed companion, I couldn''t distinguish, but solely watched with some inscrutable longing at the delicate back of the departing petite womanchild, Lady Tricia, as she was addressed. With a minute rotation of her neck she glanced back and returned my gaze with her piercing upturned eyes. It was but an instant, however, the world did indeed stay still, and by some cryptic means the intercourse of our sights well communicated a profound understanding of both our inner realms.

    "Wait!" I couldn''t help but blurt out. The inexplicable attraction from earlier had been unraveled with that brief but somewhat passionate eye contact, and we both recognized the utility of collaboration. She halted in her steps, a magnetic smile on her face.

    "Lady Tricia?" the current lord uttered in puzzlement.

    "I''ve reconsidered," she declared, turning towards us. "Lord Arone, fight with that demon!"

    "Huh? But why?"

    "Does there have to be a specific reason? You know well that here everything is decided with power. Even you usurped this region under your rule by killing the previous lord, did you not? If someone contests for the position of lord, the only course of action would be combat, right?"

    Thus we came to this situation. By request for a proper faceoff, generosity of Lady Tricia, the reason behind it was irrelevant to me, the town''s rather shabby but still functional arena was procured, and here we were confronting each other, the lord at one end while I in the other. He was glaring daggers at me.

    He had deemed it, probably, not necessary to change into battle equipment, or perhaps that robe of his provided some enhancements to strength and reinforcements to defense, similarly to my black vestments. Either way, he was opposing me still in his regal clothing, though one addition to his gear was that of a dark grey, glossy, and veined with vibrant blood-red lines, sword. Whereas my armor was my thus far impenetrable skin and my weapons were my razor-sharp bladed fingers and spear of a tail. Was I at a disadvantage, considering our respective equipment, mainly the weapon? There was no way to tell just yet, since we hadn''t actually begun. And victory isn''t solely dependent on the tools available. Namely, though in the dark about my opponent, I had magic at my disposal, which, according to my associate, wasn''t that widespread, at least to the extent I was proficient in it.

    However, you can''t win by speculation and staredown either, so it was necessary for the battle to commence shortly. But just as I was charging up mana into my palm to shoot off a fireball, my opponent slashed the air in front of him with the sword and...

    Huh? What the?

    The world turned around, accompanied by a sharp pain in my upper body, or more specifically in my neck. With a spin my face hit the ground, I rolled slightly, and as I directed my gaze, I was staring at my body from under it. It was headless.

    Huh, headless? Was I decapitated? Am I already dead?...

    As the throughts ran through my detached head, comedically that possibleness was quite entertaining, I was overcome by a sense of impending doom. It was surreal, the whole situation. Because of the unnatural sensation of seeing my body from another perspective, yet at the same time still being aware, alive, I willed my body to move. For some odd reason, I had the urge to duck, and so I tried.

    The discolored world returned to normal. I was crouching and the enemy was right in front of me, seemingly having just finished a sword swing. He was looking at me wide-eyed in surprise.

    Though confused by what had just happened, I let my instincts guide me and retaliated with an uppercut from my position. But he managed to evade it, though by just a hair''s breadth. As expected from a demon capable of keeping his reign over a territory, he''s certainly strong.

    I backstepped and gained a bit of distance between us.

    While grimacing, the lord said,

    "To have broken out of the illusion, impressive..."

    Illusion? Was that what it was? But there I was, alive and well, and my head firmly attached to where it belongs. Still, I wonder what would have happened if I didn''t dodge. I mean, would the sword have cut? Better not count on the toughness of my skin, just in case.

    But there was no time for pondering, as the lord dashed forth, kicking dust off the ground, and came in for another strike.

    It was no illusion this time.

    I targeted my hand at him and chantlessly, it was almost a reflex, generated a force field between us. However, even if only for a moment he was startled, he was still a demon lord, so he halted his advance and made a right angle turn instantaneously.

    I evaded the attempted slash to my side now already almost effortlessly. I was getting used to his speed and was getting the rhythm of the battle down.

    So, how do I approach this?

    Do I continue with trying to gain distance and using magic to fight? Though I could''ve used some close range spells, I didn''t know many of those, just a few utility ones actually. But the opponent''s speed made him immediately cover the ground I gained by backstepping, so it wasn''t that viable of an option. Still...

    I decided on a few more attempts to make this at least midrange combat, where I''d certainly have a bit more of an advantage.

    The duel continued as I then waited for the right moment.

    He slashed horizontally and I evaded it. There was quite a lot of momentum behind that strike, apparent from wind blade that followed. Luckily, there was no magic in the latter, but the sword would have surely managed to cut into me, were it to land a clean hit.

    If precise attacks would be dodged, I thought, then I should perhaps use something with a shockwave or even an area of effect magic all the more. Or, maybe a magical weapon? That''s an interesting idea, why didn''t I think of it earlier. Ah, yes, I''d have to create such a spell first.

    While I was thinking how I''d go about it, before the lord managed to close the distance made from the previous attack, I swiped my hand in front of me and fired a continuous flame out in a horizontal arc, like a flamethrower. He jumped to evade it, but he was a tad bit too late and was burned slightly on his legs.

    After landing, he didn''t retaliate immediately. Instead he looked in alarm at his legs and then at me with a threatening, yet cautious expression, and he became much more prudent, too.

    It seemed to me that the instant and chantless casting of magic was of great concern to him, as if he hadn''t encountered it before. Maybe my magic proficiency really was a class or ten above the average, as Lessa''El had commented before. Still, by all means it was to my advantage.

    The retreat created an opening for me to use a more complicated spell, though for me it was still almost effortless.

    Crouching, I placed my palm on the ground. The earth rumbled and a small shockwave surged forth towards the lord. The effect wasn''t perceptible, but it had actually manifested already.

    He looked at his feet in confusion and before he comprehended my intention, the earth dropped from under him into a five meter chasm below. I had hollowed the ground beneath him to trap him.

    However, yet again it was useless. When the puff of sand settled and I was about investigate the result, a tornado formed inside the hole, lifting the lord up very quickly. He attempted to strike from above ¨C using the momentum gained from the push of the wind, he flew directly towards me. Fast!

    I jumped to the side and rolled away.

    "You''re quite good with magic," he said, almost growling, as a small pause appeared between the back and forth attacks.

    "Thank you, you''re quite good with the sword yourself." I was not one to flaunt, so I replied humbly, though in return he scowled, as if I had been shameless instead. Or perhaps he just didn''t like my face... That may be it, too.

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    I glanced to the sides. The intriguing woman, who I''d later insist on having a comprehensive chat with about the mysteriously conveyed figments of our motives and intentions, Lady Tricia to my left and my cherished friend, if it''s appropriate to already call her as such, a half-elven, half-demon girl named Lessa''El to my right. If a week of travelling were to have any meaning, we''d certainly formed some sort of bond, a companionship.

    So, cheer for me, okay?

    Well, seems that deviating your attention towards women, and to happily, all smiles ask for mental support -to which I must note that she curiosly averted her eyes, all the while blushing faintly-, in the middle of a battle between men was far from honorable. Or perhaps it was due to something else, but either way my opponent''s frown intensified to the extent of a first-rate diabolic expression.

    Heh, get it? A demon and diabolic... Anyway...

    Woah!

    He really must not have liked that, using such a preemptive attack. Well, the battle has been going on for some time now, so it should be considered a normal attack.

    In truth, I had been holding back, to some extent at least. In the sense that, while the lord was undoubtedly both strong physically, as seen from the fierce slashes and stamina intensive relentless onslaught, and skillful with the sword, judging by the quick and precise strikes, his abilities weren''t great enough to make me unable to perceive and keep up with his attacks. I could see his movements, and though it wasn''t as slow as the werewolves'' back in the day, I still comfortably had time to plan my next actions in advance.

    So, why not take it up a notch?

    After dodging five consecutive slashes, noting the end of the combo as I had memorized it, I exploited the ever so slight opening in between, as I rapidly and forcefully created a spherical magic shield around me and then immediately, though its original effect was meant to absorb projectile attacks, poured another enormous amount of mana into it, making it explode outward.

    The generated shockwave smashed into the lord and propelled him up into the air and over 10 meters away. As he landed somewhat bumbling, perhaps due to having been taken off-guard by the spell, I had by then prepared my next attack. It was a combination of spells, actually. To my sides appeared two floating orbs ¨C one blue, water attribute, a floating ball of water, the other bluish purple, crackling, lightning attribute, something like a charged crystal orb.

    Like a waterhose, the blue orb started spraying vast amounts of water towards the lord. He just stepped aside. Harmless by itself, the water by itself was just one part of the plan, and the lord recognized it, seeing as the water flooded all the ground around him not soaking into the soil, while the lightning orb remained yet to be used.

    Hastily he jumped away backward out of the water. However, to his misfortune, he exactly fell into the trap I had laid. Another part of the plan included the usage of a spell manipulating earth. Concurrently with the two orbs to my sides, I had spawned a multitude of orbs with the earth attribute, or dirtballs simply, just behind the lord, but mindfully out of his field of view. And when he was about to jump, they formed into spears and struck into the ground, blocking his retreat and structuring into half of a prison.

    So, the lord''s only way of movement was forward, towards me. However, that required traversing through a sizable puddle, all the while electricity was ready to discharge into the pool from my side.

    What will you do?

    But, of course, I didn''t wait for his reaction, as I straightforwardly shot the lightning both towards the mass of water and towards him. It was called Dual Casting ¨C gathering mana and using two spells at once, something that by Lessa''El''s introduction to magic was supposed to be fairly difficult and complicated, considering that spells usually required an incantation. Well, I was already, what, octa casting? With the two orbs to my sides and the rest behind the lord, that is...

    He could only jump. But that, too, was in vain, as the lightning bolt''s trajectory adjusted in the middle and coursed right at him. He was hit by the full brunt of the magic attack. Sizzling, he limply plummeted to the ground.

    Oops? Did I use too much power?

    Worried that I might have aimlessly extinguished a life, I went to check on him. The thing was, I was reluctant to kill, but not because of some senseless conviction for the sanctity of life, but rather due to him possessing more merit and utility while alive. At least I presumed as such ¨C he had been the lord of this area for some time, so he should have had some overview over the workings and state of the place. Unfortunately, well, he was fried, deep-fried...

    "Well done... Both you and him..."

    One of the spectators, Lady Tricia approached me with uncalled-for humor. Well, what is done is done.

    "Having defeated the current lord, the throne now belongs to you," she declared.

    There wasn''t much to it, seizing the position had been my objective in the first place. Now just to get my plans going, but first...

    "If I may," I began, "would you care enough to introduce yourself? Earlier some acute interest in you arose, so I would very much like to make your acquintance. My name is Hax, a demon, by the way."

    When wanting to know someone''s name, it''s appropriate to introduce yourself first.

    "Hmm, yes, likewise. The name''s Tricia," her mouth forming into a captivating smile, "It is indeed rather curious how earlier some of your hidden, more private motives seemed to have been somehow revealed to me. I somewhat presume that the same happened to you?" She said, slightly questioningly, but also with a speck of reluctance and regret. Noone probably prefers to have their thoughts openly revealed, even if it''s to the extent of just an idea, as was this time. However, this time it came out benign, or even propitious.

    "Indeed," I responded, but following that my curt reply caused a somewhat awkward pause to result. We kept gazing deep into each other''s eyes, looking for and trying to comprehend the reason for that named phenomenon. It proceeded to create a fuzzy, pink atmosphere, quaintly, and if not for the desirable intrusion by the third person present, I don''t know how this situation would have evolved.

    "Ahem!" Lessa''El faked a cough to extract us from our two-person private world.

    "Ah-, yeah, sorry about that," I apologized. "Now, where were we... Ah, yes, nice to meet you, Lady Tricia. Do I call you that, or how should I address you?"

    "Just Tricia is fine."

    "And this here is Lessa''El," I introduced the person beside me, "my travelling companion, and also my retainer." Those were the official standings.

    "Before we get down to any discussion, we should change location," Tricia proposed and started heading for the exit of the arena.

    "Follow me," she said, so we did. "... I''ll mention that, while the position of a lord is authorative, the rank of this territory is of the lowest, and the position of lord is also of the lowest rank. But I, however, have quite a high-ranking position in one of the kingdoms, so for the moment I''ll assume control to avoid any inconviences. I don''t think that''s of any bother?"

    It wasn''t. Actually, it was rather fortuitous to have initially someone else assume control until I get an overview of the state of affairs. Besides, the place was quite decrepit, and there weren''t many guards or such either, just the few on posts, but no patrols.

    So we made our way back to the deteriorating castle.

    The guard there amazingly was just slightly surprised by our return, but without his lord -yeah, we just left the body there, Lady Tricia said not to mind-. He seemed open-minded about it, or perhaps oppositely he was unconcerned by the change in leadership. Tricia''s company no doubt had an effect on it.

    However, contrary to the outer appeareance of the castle, the inside was well kept. Well-lit by chandeliers, opulent carpets, intricate sculptures, gilded wares of all kinds on display. It''s not the appearance, but what''s inside that matters, was it? What does this kind of balance say about the previous lord?

    The throne room was extensively luxuriant ¨C but rather than a throne and the court, the room was smaller, a long rectangular gold-lined mahogany table in the middle, towards one end of which an extravagant throne was placed. But for now, the office for our conference.

    - - -

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 Chapter 2 - Onto the stage Part 4

    Part 4

    Can I trust her? Can I trust Lady Tricia, a person I had basically just met and known for like, what, not even an hour?

    However, well, it''s not really a matter of trust anymore, as we''ve both confirmed that somehow, against both our wills, we had seen each other''s thoughts, or at least taken a tiny peek into our inner realms. The problem right now was laying it all out directly.

    What does she really want, what is she aiming for? She''s not merely content with a high-ranking position in a demon nation, there''s more to it. And as for me, my motives are clear and unambiguous to me, but she requires some illumination into them for the purpose of expedient collaboration.

    Eehh, nothing to it, have to just up and say it.

    "My aim is the whole world. I want it, I need it. Just two weeks ago I was released from my prison and awakened in this world. It''s an interesting world, really, swords and magic and stuff, you know. ...Or maybe you don''t. But anyway, as I went along I came upon a village and met Lessa''El. She described to me some rather fascinating things about this world ¨C the different races and nations and their relationships, that is. An idea emerged ¨C I was a demon, so isn''t it appropriate to seek strength and power, and to rule over the world -every proper demon''s dream, I imagine-. And so I did, declared my intentions, and we set forth towards the demons'' realm. Finally, here I am, having acquired my first territory. ... Well, also, given the shoddy conditions the people live in, as I saw outside, I think the way I plan to rearrange things would be really welcome. They don''t deserve to live in such sordidness."

    There wasn''t much more to say right now, only when Tricia asked direct questions. Since we were revealing our intentions and motives in rotation, it was Lessa''El''s turn, though she didn''t have much to say.

    "Well, as for me, Hax saved my life when he arrived at my village, and I''m very grateful for that, no, even more than grateful. When he asked me follow him and teach him about the world in return for protection, just then because I had lost my home I was very blessed that moment. So now I''m following him whereever he goes. There''s not much more to it..." Lessa''El glanced at me with an oddly compelling expression, hinting against her words, that perhaps in truth there was something more to it. Namely, I thought, what does she think of us as a duo... of travellers, of course?

    Then, thirdly, it was Tricia''s turn. So far, sitting opposite to us at the other side of the long table, she had been keenly listening to our explanations. So, will we now hear her point of view and what her objective is? Though seemingly there''d be no reason to reveal that, there is a cogent notion to do just that in the interest of future collaboration.

    "Well," she began, "The demon nations are dilapidated. The ruling caste is depraved, they''re disgusting. Everyone only thinks of themselves, looking ways to splurge in riches and indulge in worldly pleasures. The people have been left to their own devices, and at the same time they''re unreasonably taxed and flattened, living mostly in squalor. . . . But, it''s not that I''m purposefully looking to change that, I don''t even care anymore. However, if the opportunity were to arise, I''d certainly take the chance transform the world even if just a tiny bit."

    And that opportunity was me ¨C was what she was implying, and I understood it well myself, too. This was the mysterious sense that was transferred, that our objectives to some degree coincide ¨C I was to aim and seize positions and territories, grabbing them under my control, and she were to, so to say, hitch a ride with me. She was certainly a beneficial ally to procure, given the following statement.

    "While I myself don''t aim for high positions, to be the lord and directly govern a region, I''m not exaggerating when I say that I''m fairly knowledgeable about ruling in general and proficient in regulating order. ... And, if that''s not enough, I''m quite strong, too, stronger than the lord you killed at least."

    She was almost appealing to become my companion, but I knew better not to misunderstand... Well, astonishingly, I was immediately convinced of the opposite.

    "Having revealed my thoughts about the current state of the demon realm and listened to your current goals, it''s quite apparent that partnership is very beneficial, it''s a win-win situation. Here''s my proposal ¨C allow me also to accompany you in your travels, and in return I''ll help to manage the regions that you conquer."

    Straightforward, eh? Not that I mind, rather, it''s just like me... There wasn''t much to consider.

    "Sure, it''d be delightful."

    But then, as she returned a gratifying smile, quite suitable for her dainty face, an abrupt urge overcame me. My eyes focused on her gaze as time slowed down. A pinching hunger, thirst for some thus far presumed unnecessary nourishment. An almost irresistable hanker, impelling me to reach out and grab her tightly into my arms. My hands started shaking as I attempted to oppose the uncanny desire to embrace her. My heartbeat increased, almost rattling, and blood pounded onto my eardrums. The world turned around, I was losing balance, but nevertheless managed to stay upright, still affixed to Tricia''s stare. That beautiful nape, how juicy it would be. Something inside me screamed. It was incoherent and I couldn''t make it out, but they were certainly words. I didn''t like the thought, but I fathomed they were telling me to grasp what''s in front. If I were to succumb to the impulse, the consequences would without doubt be dreadful. But I succeeded in enduring what felt like hours of utmost deprivation. I was in control.

    What was that? What was that ravenous hunger? Why did I want to reach out and grab Tricia? And those voices... Hunger and desire for contact, huh? It''s as if...

    However, as it had simply passed for the moment, and because Tricia brought attention to another matter, I let it go, for now.

    - - -

    By Tricia''s order to one of the many servants that attended the castle, the town''s small and continually declining population had been gathered into the courtyard of the keep. I was standing on the balcony, Tricia by my side and Lessa''El just behind me, but more out of view of the people.

    Daring not to lean on the crumbling stone handrail, lest it completely falls apart, dragging me with it down 10 meters, I prepared to give my speech standing, but just slightly slanted so that the citizens could have a good view of their new lord.

    As hours had passed, the sun started to shine somewhat low, so I had to squint my eyes in the face of the sun''s red rays to have any look over the scene below. The throng in the courtyard contained perhaps an amount of 500 odd, about a tenth of the whole population. I could now get a clear look over the kind of people, or beings, that resided in a demon governed town. The variety was... riveting, to say the least. All the denizens were demi-humans ¨C human-looking beings with one or two peculiar characteristics from their demon half. While the guards, who also comprised the military, which, according to Tricia, amounted to about 100 soldiers, were one of the lesser demons, all copper-skinned imp brutes, that is.

    Tricia began first,

    "Listen up, citizens! Today is a good day, a new era begins. Just hours ago, the shameful and vile Lord Arone was defeated, and by law the victor has now usurped the throne. Lord Hax!"

    Her voice blared over the courtyard -it was probably loudened with magic- as I stepped forward. There was no applause, even as I, an intimidating and towering demon of over 2.5 meters stood beside the comparably short, no more than teen bodied Tricia. She continued,

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    "Listen up," she repeated, "This is an important announcement! From now on, under the rule of Lord Hax, the laws and principles of behaviour will be changed. What was allowed and normal yesterday, will not be prohibited any longer."

    Some murmurs arised from the crowd, but they still stayed unenthusiastic. What does it matter if one or two laws are changed? Their daily lives wouldn''t be affected by a few changes in regulation, surely. People still need food and shelter to stay alive, that much remains unchanged. However, that''s when it was my turn clarify some of those points. So I began,

    "I am Lord Hax," compared to the womanly high-pitched voice of Tricia, mine boomed over the audience, "Having seen the state of living conditions in this town, it is indeed of utmost importance to have a number of things changed."

    The people looked at me with dead fish eyes, uninterested. I inhaled deeply, unaffected by the populace''s lack of interest, not that any was expected straight away, and continued. I laid it all out.

    First of all, the main culprit behind the fallen state was no doubt the ludicrously and pointlessly high taxes, following that were no doubt the neglect by government officials and corruption of the so-called police force.

    The people may have been able to get by to some degree, to work the land, make produce, sell it and earn a living, but if all of it were to be taken away and no money would be left for personal spending, then consequently national development by the means of personal blooming was impossible. Therefore, by lowering taxes -I personally had no use for money anyway-, people could start advancing private businesses, which in effect would impact national welfare.

    Then came the problem of corruption. Thus far, any profit that had been managed to be put aside would easily be discovered and then extorted by patrol guards and such for their own selfish purposes. Constraint and control over such actions was necessary. Actually, the idea of even dispanding the current security force came up during our discussion, but was judged unwarranted, as losing law enforcement for even a short while is detrimental. So, the deterrent that was decided upon was thus ¨C anyone caught or judged performing prohibited actions, and the victims and witnesses are advocated to report such actions, would simply be executed. There, that should erase some inclination towards oppression. Little did we comprehend that such a punishment would give rise to a whole another issue ¨C paranoia ¨C, but that''s a story for another time.

    Now, about the town''s economy. For one, with the wealth accumulated from the high taxes, an assortment of servants was concentrated in the castle. But it was just that ¨C they served the lord and fulfilled his demands, however, just as the lord didn''t care about the welfare of the people, nothing was done that would aid them. Meaning, a workforce was readily available at the castle, one that comes into play in the next subject.

    Agricultural and industrial development. Initially, the farmlands bordering the town would be started to be rigorously worked on. With the protection of guards and wards that I intend to establish, bandits, vandals and wild animals will be driven away, thus farming can be performed in safety. Next, the produce from crops would be invested in local manufacturing sectors, thus leading to industrial progress.

    Such was the general outline of my plans ¨C my ambitions and Tricia''s direct detailed proposals, actually. The people listened closely. By the end, silence extended over the public. They were flabbergasted.

    Huh? What?... Was it not to your fancy? But we spent so much effort to make it as beneficial as possible for the citizens. Surely, you can''t be displeased by the future prospects in case the plans succeed. So, why no approval?

    My reflection over the people''s reaction was interrupted as they burst into boisterous cheers. So they couldn''t just believe at first that I was sincere and meant to follow through with what I just presented, huh?

    The reactions were encouraging, the civilians'', that is. The guards'', however, were of the opposite ¨C their shouts evidenced condemnation. Understandable, of course, both the reactions, that is. Fortune bestowed upon the civilians and free, inconsiderate selfish actions prohibited to the security force.

    "Well, that''s how it is, that''s how things are going to run from now on. If you are dissatisfied with the leadership, then you''re welcome to contend for the throne ¨C that''s how world works."

    Finishing with that, Tricia started marching away while beckoning me to follow, thus we left the applause and merriment behind us.

    Surprisingly it was rather tiring, mentally, that is. While the fight with the previous lord was actually refreshing, some physical exertion got the blood flowing and cleared the mind, the discussion and consideration about future plans, and the following presentation in front of a crowd the largest I''ve yet seen in this world, were fairly cumbersome.

    Man, I really need a cold be-, no, a nice cup of tea.

    "So, what was it now? We were supposed to..." I wondered out loud, as I simply couldn''t remember what was next on the list to do.

    "Gathering the castle servants and confronting them, right?" Tricia expounded. "Though, it''s not much of a problem, or a confrontation. More like, we''ll explain their further orders, what they''re going to be doing mostly from now on. ...Well, not much will change for them, I think."

    All who served the lord directly, had any duties in the castle, that is, were assembled in front of us three. The other side amounted to exactly 25. Not many, but the castle wasn''t very huge regardless, so they probably managed it well.

    We were in the main gallery leading to the throne room. Since the latter was comparably smaller, we had gathered in the former, which fit everyone quite nicely, with even room to spare. Somewhat interesting how the throne room itself wasn''t as sumptuous as the grandiose gallery. Well, the previous lord must have enjoyed taking walks in here, seeing all the paintings in their ornamental frames.

    Wait, those are portraits, aren''t they? Of... himself. ...Quite the narcissist, eh? Anyway...

    I listened to the introductions and Tricia''s explanations without really focusing on the words. In from one ear, out of the other.

    Stay open, eyes!

    Still, I made mental notes about the appearance and names... What were their names again? Well, I remembered the outward aspects and demeanour of the head main and chief butler at least, I''ll surely hear their names again some time.

    Everyone took the news and orders with respect. They were appreciative, more so than I expected, since, you know, I replaced their previous master. Apparently nothing much changed for them, so they''ll mostly go on with their duties as is.

    With that, finally I had officially assumed control over the town and the bordering territory. From now on, hands-on action and management will follow.

    ---

    Thank you for reading!

    With this, chapter 2 is finished. Next chapter will come in a week or so, maybe a bit later because I''ll be a bit busy. Still, it''ll be more about the characters themselves (a few interesting scenes that I''d like to write), rather than action or plot develoment, so look forward to it.

    Any feedback is appreciated. Please rate the fiction.

    Best wishes to all!