He was dreaming. It was a sweet and happy dream. There was a tranquil forest, with a lone cabin in a clearing. Butterflies were fluttering about the flowers, and he could see two people that he missed very much: Ellie and Ellin.
Tom reached out toward them with his hand. He reached out, but then the sweet dream suddenly turned into a nightmare. The scenery disappeared into the dark and next thing he knew, he was trapped within a dark coffin filled with spikes. His arms and legs were bound and his eyes were covered. All he could hear from nearby were screams. After an eternity of solitude, the coffin opened and a smiling man whispered into his ear.
"Know your place!"
It was none other than Salem Gatteschuranche.
'Why does he resent me so much? Is it because I was a slave? Or that a slave had become a Hero? Whatever it is, I will never forgive you. I will curse you with all the rage and hatred in my heart; my grudge will never end. I'll curse you! Curse you to death! Even after your body decays, I'll torment your soul!'
***
"Oi! Are you ok? Oi!" someone asked. "This guy's condition is no joke! Someone wake him up! Huh? What the―?! What's this black liquid…? I-it can't be blood, right?"
Tom opened his eyes to an unfamiliar voice. What he saw was a beast's head that was a mixture between a dog's and a fox's. Next to that creature, he saw the head of a giant Ogre. From a distance, he saw Orc soldiers approaching. However, they all seemed to be frightened and hesitant to come too close.
Tom, who was still groggy from his sleep, realized that something was off.
'Oh…'
He could feel a dark red liquid flowing out from his body. It was the source from which he called upon the soldiers of Arrtark. The pool of demonic power decomposed anything it touched, granting absolute death. However, the Gnoll and the Ogre before him were unharmed even with their feet in contact with the liquid. Tom didn't have any intent to harm them. If he wished for it, they would have begun to rot from the feet upward, falling into the lake of death to join the ranks of undead waiting below.
'… Be calm.'
Tom took a deep breath and recalled the liquid. The black liquid seeped back into his body. Seeing that, the Orc soldiers from a distance were shocked. They shouted from where they stood.
"…Unbelievable!! I recognized it when I first saw it, but are you a high-class demon?"
"If a mixed-blood is at this level, what level are the pure-bloods at? Isn't this demi-human more powerful than a Vampire?"
"What tribe do you belong to? This is the first time I've seen your kind!"
At the Orcs' admiration, Tom dodged answering their questions and looked toward the Gnoll and Ogre.
"Oi! Demi-human! Are you ok? Were you having a nightmare?"
A nightmare sounded like the perfect excuse to give them, so he ran with it.
Tom scratched his head as he spoke.
"Yes. It was… a terrible nightmare. Thanks to that, I couldn't help myself."
"Aren't you a wild one? Oh right! The Orcs said that we can enter now!"
"Pardon?"
"The Orcs gave us permission!"
Tom looked toward the Orcs. They were looking at each other awkwardly.
"We've received an order. There were concerns about demi-humans camping in the wild, so we were ordered to let them in."
Tom wondered who could have made such an order, but as there was only one figure that could order the Orcs around, he came to one answer.
'Karakul…?'
As if they read what Tom was thinking from his curious look, the Orcs spoke.
"The Queen has ordered us to accept all of you in!"
***
The encampment of the Orcs was a clearing with barriers in the front and tents in the center. In the rear there was a village for the soldiers to relax. It had formed organically due to so many humans tyrannically crossing the national border of the Demon Kingdom. There had been so many demon refugees as a result that a new village had been needed in order to accommodate them. It was named 'The City of Twilight'.
While it was far too lacking to call a city, it was also too large to be written off as a simple village. It had all manner of weapons and general shops, and it also had a diverse culture from all the various tribes living there. For a fortification made on the battlefront due to the invasion of the Hero's Allied Forces, the village was in a surprisingly festive mood. This was mostly due to the fact that none other than the Queen herself had come to visit in order to raise morale. It was very rare, even among the past Demon Lords, for a ruler to think so much of their soldiers.
'I didn't really plan on coming…'
Tom was sitting on a second story balcony of some bar, holding a glass filled with beer. In reality, he didn't think it was time for him to meet with the Demon Lord just yet. However, he couldn't help himself. In the end, he had entered the village and decided to watch the Demon Lord from afar. To see the existence known as Lily Golt, the reincarnation of Ellie.
"It's quite dull."
Various demons were wandering the streets. There were many that looked like humans, but there were others that looked like beasts and goblins, most of whom were filling the streets with cheer. All of them, with their various appearances, were gathered here to watch the passing wagon. The Ogre Royal Guard served as protection. They were wearing armor made entirely of bones and wielding gigantic maces. The eyes of the crowd grew wide as they were awed by the imposing Ogres and their weighty footsteps. The crowd was even more shocked to see a pair of unicorns with white fur and silvery manes pulling the wagon.
The wagon opened to reveal a female sitting upon a comfy sofa holding a wobbling slime in her arms. With her wavy silvery hair, her pair of petite, helical horns, her smooth, copper, chocolate-like skin, her wonderful ruby-red eyes, and her beautiful white dress laced with frills, anyone that laid their eyes on her felt her regal aura. However, the person in question was not accustomed to such treatment, causing a nervous smile to be plastered across her lips as she waved awkwardly with a stiff arm.
"Ohhhh! It's the Demon Lord!"
"Look at her regal horns!"
"Sniff Sniff… Ah, that fragment smell! Deserving of the noble Mountain Goat!"
"That silvery hair is simply beautiful!"
Tom saw Lily in such a state and smiled bitterly.
"… She's supposed to be a reincarnation, but she's too similar."
In reality, those who were reincarnated had their flesh and memory completely destroyed. She, in her current state, would know nothing of the present Tom. They were no different than strangers. However, Tom could see her soul. The pure white soul shining within her was just like that of Ellie's.
I've heard it's been quite a while since she first took up the position as Demon Lord. I guess she's still not used to it? Haha…." Tom laughed emptily.
"…How awkward."
As Tom suspected, Lily began to mutter to herself with a sigh. Her shoulders and waist were stiff as a board due to her nervousness. She continued to fidget with the slime in her grasp as she tried desperately to acclimate to the jubilant atmosphere of the village.
The elastic sensation that gave in to her fingers as she squeezed was pleasing, but it still wasn't enough to completely calm her nerves.
'… How strange. I thought it would be very chaotic here?'
She had heard that the City of Twilight, situated at the battlefront, was on the brink of destruction due to the Hero's Allied Forces. However, despite such a predicament, not a single building within the village was damaged. She could see wounded Orc soldiers, but they were filled with vigor. It was hard to see how they had suffered a loss by the Hero's Allied Forces.
'Were the reports wrong?'
Lily tilted her head out of curiosity. Regardless, she believed that this place being so peaceful was a good thing.
Tom watched Lily as he drank his beer. As demons brewed their beer differently than humans, it had a unique taste. It was bitter, but had a sparkling taste that made him feel good.