The stars and the moon were shining brightly in the sky. A cool wind blew through the air as a Gargoyle flew leisurely through the clouds. When Lulu regained consciousness, he was already in the castle of the Demon Lord. After he woke up, the first one to greet him was his sister, Luli.
He had become hooked on a drug made from the Petrification Herb, but his body was cleansed with Holy Water. Since it hadn't been that long, he didn't suffer much mental withdrawal. Only, he couldn't help but be disheartened by the fact that he was a burden on his first mission, according to what he felt. Luli noticed her dejected brother and shook her head.
"No, you did your best. Even Sir Tom praised you!"
"He… did?"
It would be a relief if that was true… Lulu asked about the village next and learned that the village of humans had been burned down.
After Tom returned to the capital, he got permission from Lily to use the Orc Army and pillage all the villages. They had used Lulu's capture as a pretext to weed them entirely, claiming that humans living secretly within demon territory was a problem in itself.
Any crops related to drug production were burned and destroyed. Tom also had the addicts separated from the innocent. Next, everyone was sentenced to a year-long period of servitude as a slave. This meant that they would have to spend a year working their hardest for the kingdom in order to escape their slave status.
After serving their time, they would be granted permission from the Demon Lord for them to leave the kingdom if they so desired. As the Halven Village Chief was charged with the crime of drugging Lulu through his granddaughter, he was sentenced to prison. His granddaughter, Fran, was allowed to recuperate with those that weren't addicted to the narcotic.
Once Lulu woke up, he got right to helping Tom. Cleaned up and wearing his servant outfit, he headed toward Tom's office. He did not forget to bring his tray, carrying a cup of tea.
Upon entering the office, Lulu handed Tom his tea.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, I heard that Sir Tom treated me with Holy Water. For that"—Lulu bowed—"I am grateful."
"No, it's fine. We are companions, after all."
"We are… companions?" Lulu's ears shot up and he nodded. "Yes! I am Sir Tom's loyal subordinate! Servant! Companion!"
"…I think you misunderstood me, but if that's more comfortable for you, it can't be helped."
Tom laughed awkwardly. He looked over the policies put together by Nordin Wood and Lily, which they'd finished during the time he had been at Halven Village. He frowned, however, he wasn't unhappy. Rather, he was pleased with the results. He wasn't sure how to run a kingdom, but those he had left the job to should have some experience. Lily and Nordin Wood, along with the combined wisdom of the Treos, were capable of restoring the kingdom to a stable state. However… It was a long term plan. It would take between one to three years at the very least.
'I'm the one who's strange, thinking that everything would return to normal after a mere three months… The Demon Kingdom might be small, but controlling such a large number of powerful demons isn't an easy task. Other kingdoms or empires would take at least 3 to 5 years, if not longer.'
The problem was that the Demon Kingdom could not purchase Dwarven slaves, as the ones that enslaved them in the first place were the humans.
'That means we have to buy the Dwarves as humans…'
He had the identity of the 'Apprentice Holy Knight Tom', which he could use to operate within human territories. It wasn't a problem as Karakul had prepared documents proving his identity, but he predicted that he would need to purchase hundreds of Dwarves to satisfy their needs. He wouldn't be able to escape notice with that kind of order.
"…What did you decide to do with those mages?"
Lulu recalled Belve as he asked. Tom looked at him and replied with a smile,
"Ah, we decided to hold him for now. We never know when he'll be useful."
"Hold him?"
Lulu tilted his head in curiosity.
***
It was a musky and suffocating underground prison. The air was damp here, a place where only pitch-black darkness resided. The screams of the necromancers, restrained by their arms and legs in steel chains, pierced the surroundings, conveying their agony. They screamed to be freed and to be left alive. However, there was no one there to hear their desperate pleas.
Belve was no different. One side of his arm was tied up and his legs shackled. His magic power was entirely sealed, preventing him from escaping. At the moment, he was staring dumbly at the prison ceiling.
Before he was led into this place, he was fed the Petrification Herb. Currently, his drug-addled mind was fuzzy, yet it was strangely pleasant. Befitting the situation, he thought of the one that had put him into this whole ordeal.
"I will keep you as my chess piece."
'Chess piece. Chess piece? Me…? Why? For what purpose…?'
These questions swam around in his head, but they didn't last long. Since his idol had told him so, all he had to do was follow. He had to move as ordered, for he was nothing but a puppet. He was a follower, and the other was the God of Spirit Magic; a being that deserved worship!
His life goal and ultimate objective had always been to 'lay down his life for the mission'. There was only one way to leave this place, and that was to await his orders.
***
Lulu, who had heard the story regarding the Necromancers, swallowed drily.
"I-is that so?"
"Yes, I have already received permission from Her Highness."
'Of course, she wasn't all that happy with it…'
Tom looked bitter before moaning, thinking about the administrative work once more.
"Even so… should I stop by personally to figure it out?"
Tom crossed his arms and turned to the side. There was the report listing the details of the human territories obtained through the weak information network of the demons. Tom grabbed and sipped his tea as he narrowed his eyes, looking over the report.
"…Still, it wasn't like there was no way entirely. Also, the next objective was this place, so we'll begin in three months, after proper preparations."
Tom placed the report on the floor. The title read: [Declaration of War between The Holy Kingdom and the Aylans Kingdom.]
It was a report regarding a war between the Magic Kingdom of Aylans and the Empire of Faith, the Holy Kingdom.
— Ω —