The Minister of the 9th City bowed deeply. "My Lord, population growth remains stable. All essential positions are filled."
I nodded absently, "Crime statistics?"
The Security Minister beamed. "None since the Great Pickpocket Incident fifty years ago!"
"Excellent," I said, though I distinctly remembered that particular thief.
The Prime Minister—a stubborn dwarf who'd somehow become my de facto conscience—cleared his throat. "Industrialization progresses well, but..." He hesitated. "We're facing an energy crisis."
A chorus of nervous murmurs filled the chamber.
I snapped my fingers. A blueprint materialized above the conference table. "This generator should power the continent twice over."
The ministers erupted in applause—until the Prime Minister dropped his bomb.
"And when will Your Majesty be taking a wife?"
My floating documents caught fire.
"I— That's— There's simply been no time!" I stammered, desperately patting out flame.
The Prime Minister's beard quivered with barely contained triumph. "Perfect! Then you'll begin your mandatory vacation tomorrow. The people worry about succession."
"I could vaporize mountains with a sneeze! Why would I need—"
"No excuses!" The entire cabinet shouted in unison.
Eve's voice was the final nail: <
I slumped in my throne. Defeated by the one force even a Demon Progenitor couldn't conquer—
Concerned bureaucracy.
The moment the last minister's footsteps faded, the air in my office warped. A towering door materialized—its frame carved with screaming demon faces.
'Subtle as ever, Guy,' I mused, watching a particularly detailed carving.
The door creaked open to reveal a green-haired woman in a maid outfit that somehow managed to look both elegant and threatening. She kept her eyes dutifully lowered.
"My Master Guy Crimson requests—"
Her rehearsed greeting cut off mid-sentence as she finally glanced up. Recognition hit like a thunderclap.
"C-Creator...?" Her voice cracked like thin ice.
I snapped my fingers. "That's me. Now, let's see what trouble Rouge is stirring up this time."
Stepping through the portal, I was greeted by the members of a Walpurgis banquet.
Seven pairs of eyes locked onto me as I entered, the air thickening with palpable tension. Misery silently gestured to the empty seat directly across from Guy Crimson.
I settled into the chair. "So," I began, "to what do I owe this... unexpected invitation?"
Milim's fist slammed onto the table, cracking the surface. "You want this weakling to join us?"
Guy completely unfazed. "Now, now Milim. There's more to our guest than meets the eye."
I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting proposal. Though I don't recall asking to join your little club, Rouge."
Guy's smirk never wavered. "Consider it... an invitation befitting your title."
My gaze swept the silent table.
"It seems the others don't share your enthusiasm," I observed dryly.
Guy leaned forward. "Then perhaps an introduction is in order?"
I chuckled, locking at Dino. "Why bother? I'm certain Sleeping Beauty here will lose control of his bladder when he hears who I am."
Dino's grip tightened. "And what makes you so sure of that?"
With deliberate slowness, I rose from my seat.
"Nice to meet you all. I am the Demon Progenitor - the first demon to ever exist."
The reactions came in waves:
Kazalim snorted into his wine. "Never heard of you."
"Yeah, me neither!" Milim chirped, kicking her feet onto the table.
Dagruel shrugged. "Me neither."
Ramiris giggled. "Yeah! Total fake name!"
Roy simply nodded along, though the maid behind him had gone pale, her hands trembling.
But Dino -
His wineglass slipped from suddenly shaking fingers, shattering against the floor. "Progenitor?" His voice cracked. "You're joking."
The table fell silent as all eyes turned to their usually lethargic comrade. His entire body trembled, knuckles white where they gripped the table's edge.
"Dino?" Ramiris tilted her head. "What's wrong with you?"
He ignored her, slamming his fist down hard enough to crack the table. "ANSWER ME! Are you really HIM?"
The sudden outburst sent a ripple of shock through the room.
I met Dino's desperate gaze and smiled.
"Now why would I lie about something like that?"
Dino collapsed to his knees, his entire body trembling like a leaf in a storm. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto Guy.
"Guy!" His voice cracked. "You let this monster out of the underworld?!"
Guy swirled his wine with deliberate nonchalance. "That flimsy place was never going to hold him."
The confirmation hit Dino like a physical blow. His breathing turned ragged, fingers clawing at the stone floor as his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
In a whisper only he could hear, I materialized behind him. "Now... what exactly did Veldanava tell you about me?"
"Kyaaa!" Dino's scream echoed through the hall as he scrambled backward - before his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.
I straightened up, looking down at his unconscious form with amused detachment. "Oh my. He passed out." My lips curled into a wicked smile as I turned to Milim. "Now, does that satisfy your requirements?"
Milim's wings burst forth in a shower of pink energy, cracking the walls. "That proves NOTHING!" she roared, launching herself across the table with enough force to shatter it.
The air itself screamed as she closed the distance, her fist blazing with enough power to level mountains -
only to stop dead an inch from my face, frozen mid-air by my raised finger.
"Now now," I chided gently. "Is that any way to greet your elder?"
Milim's fist hung frozen in the air, her knuckles trembling against my raised finger.
"Elder?" she spat, energy crackling across her skin. "I'll show you elder!"
Her other fist came around in a devastating hook -
Snap
only for me to catch it effortlessly in my palm. The shockwave blasted outward, reducing what remained of the banquet table to splinters. The other demon lords scrambled back as:
First Exchange
Milim's knee shot toward my ribs
I twisted, letting it graze my coat
Her own momentum sent her crashing through marble pillars
Aerial Assault
She recovered mid-air, wings flaring
"DRAGON NOVA!"
I yawned, absorbing it into [Void God Azathoth]
The Counter
My finger flick connected with her forehead
The tap sent her rocketing.
Silence. Then -
"BORING!" Milim's voice echoed as she shot back through the smoke, her clothes torn but grin wilder than ever. "Fight serious!"
I sighed. "If you insist."
[Authority Override]
Milim's wings snapped shut against her will. She dropped like a stone, eyes wide as her own body betrayed her.
"That's... not fair!" she pouted, struggling against invisible bonds.
I crouched beside her. "And what exactly is 'fair' between monsters like us?"
Guy finally spoke from the sidelines, voice dripping with amusement: "I believe that's checkmate, Milim."
Milim pouted, kicking the leg of her newly-restored chair. Though she'd never admit it, we both knew I hadn't even begun to try during our "fight."
A single clap. The shattered stuff reassembled itself - walls reforming, dust reversing its fall, even the wine stains retreating into their glasses.
Guy cleared his throat. "With that settled, I believe we have no objections to his membership?" His gaze swept the table.
Dagruel shrugged. "No objections here."
Kazalim ground his teeth but nodded. "Same."
Roy. "None here."
Milim crossed her arms. "I approve! But we're finishing our fight later!"
I leaned back in my chair. "When did I say I wanted to join?"
The silence was deafening. Even Guy's smirk faltered.
Guy began carefully, "Are you certain? l could help your evolution to True Demon Lord"
I laughed - a sound that made the castle foundations tremble. "I evolved past that stage millennia ago. What else can you offer me?"
Guy's fingers steepled. "What would interest you?"
My smirk turned predatory as I pointed to Roy's silver-haired attendant. "How about her?"
The room collectively held its breath.
<
'What are you—' The realization hit like a thunderclap. A surge of emotion flooded our mental link - something raw and vulnerable.
'You've always been my number one, Eve.'
The responding wave of warmth nearly knocked me from my chair.
Guy's smirk returned full force. "She's yours - but you'll need Roy's approval."
All eyes turned to Roy Valentine, who sat frozen like a deer before a predator. His fingers twitched toward his sword, then thought better of it.
I leaned forward, the shadows stretching unnaturally long behind me. "So? Yes... or no?"
Before Roy could stammer a response, the Silver-haired maid stepped forward.
"I accept."
A beat of stunned silence.
'...Well that backfired spectacularly,' I thought, eyeing the woman who'd just called my bluff. Eve's mental snicker echoed in my mind.
"And may I know your name, young lady?" I asked, maintaining composure.
She curtsied with perfect poise, eyes gleaming with hidden depths.
"You may. I am Luminus Valentine."
'Well, damn. Either she called my bluff, or she's sacrificing herself to save Roy.'Not that I ever planned to hurt the guy—just rattle him a little.
"So, are you prepared for the consequences, then?" I grinned, leaning forward.
She hesitated—just a flicker in those crimson eyes—before squaring her shoulders. "Yes. I am."
"Wait, Lady Luminus—" Roy cut in, but she silenced him with a raised hand.
"Quiet."
I let out a dramatic sigh, propping my boots on the table. "Well, this backfired spectacularly."
Guy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I wanted to see you flustered, but she agreed. Now I've got a problem." I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, feigning nonchalance.
Luminus tilted her head. "And what might that problem be?"
"I was planning to join in 700 years."
Guy snapped his fingers. "Perfect! Luminus stays with Roy now, and you join later."
"Haaa, fine." My smile sharpened as I locked eyes with her. "But when I do join? I want my prize."
"Your prize?" Guy echoed.
"Don't think you can weasel out of our deal, Guy." I wagged a finger at him before turning back to Luminus. "Though before that—turns out you're the real Demon Lord, huh? Guess I'll have to convince you instead."
Her gaze didn't waver, but I caught the faintest tremor in her breath. Good.
"So, mind telling me why you agreed so easily?" I tapped my chin. "And how'd you know I was bluffing?"
"You defeated Milim easly," she said coolly. "If I refused, what's to stop you from turning that power on my country? And your expression when I agreed... it told me you never needed me to begin with."
I burst out laughing. "Haaa! Sharp as a blade, aren't you?" With a flick of my wrist, I tossed her a golden pendant. "The deal stands. Seven hundred years to get acquainted. Show this to my guards—they'll bring you straight to me."
She caught it, blinking at the sudden shift. "O-Oh. Okay."
Puzzled. Flustered. Adorable. I smirked. Mission accomplished
I rose from my seat. "Well, with that, I leave you to your business. But before I go—"
A snap of my fingers. Five threads of energy lashed out.
Guy's chair clattered backward as he surged to his feet. "What the hell did you just—?"
"Relax," I waved a hand, already dissolving into shadow. "Same treatment I gave you. They'll wake up remembering nothing past the first course. And Rouge?" My voice echoed from the empty air. "Don't enlighten them."
Silence. Then—
CRASH
Milim kicked the table. "BORING! He didn't even let me finish our fight!"
Luminus's nails dug into Roy's unconscious shoulder. "Explain. Now."
Guy sighed, massaging his temples. "He erased the last thirty minutes of their memories." A bitter chuckle. "And did it so casually, the bastard."
'To erase memories itself...' Guy's fist clenched. 'How many millennia until I can match that?'
Back at the Castle
The throne room's walls hummed with energy as I materialized.
"Haa... Well, that was eventful, wouldn't you agree?" I flopped onto the throne, legs dangling over one armrest.
Eve's form appeared into existence beside me. White hair cascaded over her shoulders as she leaned against the throne, crimson eyes gleaming.
"You could say that," she mused, tracing a finger along the armrest. "But what did you mean when you said I was your 'number one'?" Her smile was all sharp edges and hidden warmth.
I caught her wrist, pulling her closer until her breath ghosted over my lips. "I think you know exactly what I meant."
She didn't retreat. Instead, she hopped onto the table beside me, legs swinging like a mischievous child's. "Oh? Please do enlighten me."
In one fluid motion, I closed the distance—caging her between my arms, our faces inches apart. "Are you sure**?" My thumb brushed her jaw. "Because once I start..." A deliberate pause. "...there's no going back."
Eve's cheeks burned crimson, but her grin never wavered. "I'd very much like to see you try."
The challenge hung between us—a spark in the dark.
Then—
I kissed her.
And the castle's foundations trembled.