My Girlfriend Is Stronger Than the Demon Lord – Volume 42
Chapter 1: Peace Is Surprisingly Exhausting
Peace, I discovered, was far more tiring than war.
When the universe stopped trying to end itself, I expected silence. Instead, I got meetings. Endless meetings.
"The demon trade routes favor humans!" one horned noble shouted.
"Your fire wheat explodes when baked!" a human merchant yelled back.
I sat between them, nodding politely, wondering how Aria used to deal with ruling divine armies without losing her sanity.
She sat beside me, chin propped on her palm, eyes half-lidded. To anyone else, she looked bored. To me, I knew better.
She was restraining herself.
"Aria," I whispered, "please don't solve this with violence."
She smiled sweetly. "I wouldn't. I'm retired."
The table cracked anyway when she leaned forward.
Instant silence.
"Let's take a break," she said gently. "Before I forget how fragile furniture is."
The council agreed immediately.
Outside, the sky of the demon realm shimmered with peaceful stars. No alarms. No portals ripping open. No gods passing judgment. It should've felt like victory.
Yet Aria's grip on my hand tightened.
"You feel it too, don't you?" she asked quietly.
I nodded. "Like something's… missing."
Since the Architect withdrew, reality felt looser—like a road without guardrails. Small anomalies had begun appearing. Crops growing where nothing was planted. Time slowing in random villages. Not dangerous.
Just uncertain.
"The future doesn't have a referee anymore," I said.
Aria exhaled slowly. "I spent eternity enforcing balance. Then I chose love instead." She looked at me, eyes soft but serious. "I don't regret it. But the world still needs guidance."
I laughed nervously. "You're not thinking about becoming a god again, right?"
She shook her head. "Never."
Then she smiled—the kind of smile that meant destiny was about to get complicated.
"But maybe," she said, "we can help the world grow up. Together."
I looked at the peaceful sky, then at the woman who once punched the Demon Lord into a mountain.
"…You know," I said, "normal couples just get a house."
She laughed, leaning against me.
And somewhere far beyond the stars, something ancient stirred—curious about the mortals who chose to shape the future without chains.
Peace, it seemed, was only the beginning.