Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 57: Amrita
There are up to 15 chapters ahead at p@treon.com/theogbasilisk so give me your money, or don't it's up to you.
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- Granbell -
He relaxed back in his chair as Kagali and Damrada left. He met Damrada's eyes for a moment before Damrada turned away and left.
He sighed as he thought back to his old friend.
Time truly was a powerful force and unforgiving to turn two close friends into bitter rivals. Part of Granbell wished he could return to the good old days, with him and Damrada by his teacher's side, laughing and making jokes.
But Time waited for no one.
Now, things had changed. He needed to eliminate Demon Lord Rimuru, Demon Lord Felix, and even Demon Lord Luminous, who had proven herself to be a threat to his goals.
He had spent over a thousand years dedicated to Humanity to make sure Humanity thrived in this challenging world.
While his goal had seemingly changed into wanting to rule and dominate Humanity, he still wished for Humanity to thrive, and that had never changed.
If Demon Lord Rimuru has his way, then Humanity will be incapable of thriving on its own; they will always be under the whims of a Demon Lord, and anyone who wants to help Demon Lord Rimuru in his goals will be his enemy.
His resolve was unquestionable. He had faced many setbacks over the years, lost trusted friends, and faced betrayal, but he was Unyielding.
After planning with Mariabell, he knew his plans were one step away from coming to fruition, he would have finally been successful.
But then everything fell apart, and now he was practically hopeless, all his dreams riding on a single course of action that many could call suicidal.
If Mariabell had been born even a decade earlier, then everything would have been different. The Western Nations would be under his rule, and Humanity would be at true peace and prosperity. But no, the world was just that cruel.
And now, the Nine Sovereigns, that group of Demon Lords, had practical domination over the Western Nations. Almost all the land on the Main Continent that did not belong to the Eastern Empire belonged to the Demon Lords.
The Barren Lands, though that area is not habitable for normal Humans, there is The Holy Empire Ruberious, The Great Jura Forest, Azeroth, The Beast Kingdom Eurazania, The Harpy Kingdom Fulbrosia, and The City of the Forgotten Dragon.
Humanity was cattle, restricted to a small portion of the world. Even the land Humanity had claimed wasn't even fully used.
Even Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion, and The Armed Nation Dwargon could not strictly be considered part of Humanity.
Not to mention, Kingdoms were small, the vast majority of a Kingdom's territory was filled with mountains and forests, large-scale terraforming was a very difficult thing to do, and so cities, towns, and the like were only built on somewhat even ground.
Kingdoms claimed the territory around them because if they did not, then another Kingdom would. However, that did not change the fact that Humans were very restricted when it came to creating tows.
Things were incredibly dire, and he knew he needed to do something.
Even though the Ten Great Demon Lords were no more and their numbers were reduced, they had still grown stronger than ever before.
The Daemons in the North, let loose by the Lord of Darkness, Guy Crimson, rampaged all around as if this entire world was their playground.
The Continent's Wrath Dagruel and Queen of Nightmares, Luminous Valentine, were always at each other's throats.
Against all these threats, Humanity was practically hopeless.
He was getting old. Eventually, he would pass on, and Humanity would have no one to take the reins, and when that happens, Humanity would show its true nature.
They would slaughter each other for personal gain, ignoring the threats right at their borders.
He refused to allow all his hardship to be for nothing. No, he would either free Chronoa and give Humanity its hope, or he would die trying.
That was his promise as a Former Hero.
- Damrada -
"Thank you for your assistance in gaining Granbell's cooperation, Damrada."
He sighed as he turned to Yuuki's second in command. They had just finished fine-tuning the plan with Granbell and had just returned to their current primary base.
"It is no problem, Kagali. It is the least I could do for Yuuki."
Hearing Yuuki's name, Kagali grit her teeth. "Indeed."
He was disappointed in Kagali's shortsightedness; her rage blinded her to the fact that Granbell was using them for his own ends.
Or perhaps Kagali was deliberately ignoring such a fact and hoped to make use of Granbell in return, but he could not say so.
To think that Luminous had that Hero in her possession. Now he understood why Yuuki had him sacrifice his relationship with Hinata, all for the chance of gaining possession of the coffin Chronoa was sealed in.
Any sacrifice would be worth it to gain someone of her power on their side.
He was quite upset and even sad at Yuuki's death. Yuuki had incredible charisma and desire. He truly believed that Yuuki would be the one to finally end Emperor Rudra's suffering.
He had even sworn loyalty to the young man, something he had done to only one other.
But he was wrong, and now he would have to continue to look for someone who was capable of neutralizing his best friend's suffering.
He had a promise to fulfill. He still remembered that day very clearly.
"Hey, Damrada, can I ask you for a favor?" Rudra asked with his usual smile, though it seemed more distant than before.
"Hmm? Sure? Just don't involve me in your marital issues. Lady Velgrynd is scary. I don't want her to come to me looking for answers." He had joked, trying to bring his friend out of his thoughts.
Rudra laughed at hearing that. "No, it's nothing like that, my friend. No, it's something else."
Damrada could tell that things were getting serious, and so he sat up in his seat. "Then what do you need?"
"Well, the thing is, you know I've been reincarnating, right? Due to the strain, my Skill puts on my soul?"
Damrada nodded.
"Well, it turns out that according to Guy, my soul wears down, little by little, even with my reincarnations. There will come a point where I won't be me anymore." Rudra explained, his eyes regaining their focus as he spoke.
Damrada's eyes widened upon hearing his friend. "What?!"
Rudra still had his normal happy smile on his face, as if none of this was his issue. "Yeah, so I'm going to need you to do me a favor."
"What is it? I am willing to do anything to help you!"
"Haha, you're always like this huh?" Rudra chuckled.
"Well, I think that's my strong suit."
Rudra nodded. "Yeah, even Velgrynd says she respects you for that, though please don't tell her I said that. She'll skin me alive!"
He rolled his eyes at the Emperor's antics.
"Anyways, it seems every time I'm reborn, I lose a piece of myself. So in the case that I lose myself completely, I order you this Damrada, kill me or find someone else capable of killing me."
His eyes widened at hearing his Emperor's unreasonable order. "Rudra!"
Rudra laughed sheepishly. "I can't ask Velgrynd such a thing, ya know?"
He didn't want to promise his best friend such a thing, but seeing the look in his eyes, he had no choice. He sighed. "Very well, I will make sure you are taken care of should you lose yourself."
Hearing him, Rudra smiled. "Great! I knew I could count on you."
Ever since that day, he has felt a burden in his heart.
Time passed, and eventually, he spoke with Rudra about the same thing again.
"I think I'm going to reach my limit soon, Damrada. Controlling Michael, Lord of Justice, is just too much. Perhaps my ideals were wrong from the start? What is absolute justice? Is it not as evil as tyranny and injustice?" Rudra sighed.
He clenched his fists, hearing his friend. He had never sounded so… broken before.
"That promise from some time ago, will you keep it?" Rudra asked.
He nodded, no matter how much it pained him to do so.
Rudra sighed in relief hearing him. "Good… good, I can leave it to you then. I am sorry for asking you such a thing, my friend, but while I am still in control of myself, I must make sure the appropriate countermeasures are taken. I do not know what will happen after I truly lose myself. I wish to prepare for the worst."
Rudra looked to the sky. "It seems the Skill entrusted to me by my friend was too much for me. No matter how this game with Guy and I goes, I know I will not be able to continue to use Michael. Heh, I wonder how far I would have gone if I had kept Uriel."
That day, the burden in his heart grew manyfold, and he had been suffering ever since, trying to find someone capable of defeating his Emperor should the worst happen.
He had even left the Eastern Empire and wandered the Western Nations as a merchant in order to pursue this goal; it had been centuries since he had left his home. And while he was still technically part of the active military as the number 002 of the Single Digits, with command over all of the Digits below him in ranking, he was nowhere near as active back in the Eastern Empire as he used to be.
The excuse that was given to the higher-ups of the military in the Eastern Empire was that he was in the West selling weapons and causing chaos, prepping everything for when the Eastern Empire would invade the Western Nations. While that was true, his primary goal was still to keep his promise to Rudra.
Rudra was a great man, a man who wished for peace, a man who would unite the world in everlasting peace.
He wanted Humans to understand each other and cooperate with each other for the good of mankind. He wished to create a better world with the help of everyone, and even became a Hero for Humanity to one day see the world he envisioned.
Even the mighty Star King Veldanava saw the allure of such a dream.
He was infuriated that Yuuki's arrogance had gotten him killed, Yuuki's foolishness had made Emperor Rudra's fate more uncertain than it was before, and just when he finally found a hope.
Yuuki's Anti-Skill was the solution to his problem, he believed that with it, Yuuki would be able to defeat Emperor Rudra should the worst happen.
An ability that was capable of suppressing Skills, even Ultimate Skills, was just the kind of unpredictable ability that would allow Yuuki to take out Emperor Rudra.
But it seems his vision would always remain a dream.
If only Yuuki had used the artifact that he had given to him.
Long ago, in ancient times, he had gotten the Scorch Dragon Velgrynd to imbue an artifact with her vast amount of power. She was a master of Spatial Manipulation, capable of connecting two points in Space from a vast distance. It was child's play for her to imbue an artifact with the power to teleport anywhere within a reasonable distance, even ignoring Barriers and Space Locks.
He had asked Kagali why Yuuki had not used it, to say he was angry was an understatement when he heard that Yuuki had given the artifact to Laplace due to his own arrogance.
He truly believed he was unbeatable. A misunderstanding he paid for with his life, a foolish misunderstanding at that.
As the man he pledged his loyalty to, he should have done better to explain the true ins and outs of their world, but his hands were tied, his loyalty to Emperor Rudra conflicting with his loyalty to Yuuki, and in the end, his loyalty to Emperor Rudra would always win out.
He sighed. At the very least, Yuuki seemed to have had Hinata Sakaguchi properly dealt with; Laplace had ambushed her, and Ruberious had recently announced that Hinata Sakaguchi would be taking a leave of absence.
That could either mean she was injured and needed time to recover or that she was dead.
Damrada was betting on the latter. Laplace was a powerful man. In the Eastern Empire, he would have easily been a part of the Single Digits.
He looked to Kagali, who was walking deeper into the compound.
He only decided to help Kagali one last time by arranging her meeting with Granbell, but the things talked about in the meeting gained his interest.
Since Yuuki was no longer able to assist him in fulfilling his promise, he needed to find someone else powerful and with potential. Enough potential to be capable of eventually at least matching Emperor Rudra.
There were some individuals he had considered, including the two newest Demon Lords, Rimuru Tempest and Felix White, but in the end, he did not know enough about those two, nor did he think it would be a wise decision to meet them in person.
The Masked Hero Chronoa did fit the bill. Even with his resources from the Eastern Empire, he was unable to learn of her origins when she first showed up.
Though eventually he had seen her in action, during one of Emperor Rudra's regular Tenma Wars, he had watched her massacre Angel after Angel. She radiated an incredible amount of power, which seemed as endless as that of Emperor Rudra's.
Perhaps she wasn't as strong as Emperor Rudra, perhaps both Emperor Rudra and Chronoa were so far beyond him that they both seemed almost infinite to his perception, but one did not seal the Storm Dragon by being a slouch, no only true monsters were capable of such a thing.
Even he, with all his experience and power, would struggle to even survive against the Storm Dragon, let alone seal him.
Velgrynd had made it very clear how powerful the True Dragons truly were. When in her presence, Damrada felt like an ant in front of a tiger.
The True Dragons were the unbeatable monsters of this world, no being could stand up against them. Only exceptions, such as Demon Lord Guy Crimson, Emperor Rudra, and Princess Milim, were capable of matching them, and those three were truly the insane ones.
Even a truly Awakened being could not hope to understand the sheer power those beings possessed.
Even Damrada, who was a Saint, couldn't begin to understand the mindset and willpower of beings at that level.
It was not normal for there to be beings that were capable of matching the might of the supreme True Dragons, and yet there were.
And if Chronoa was capable of sealing Veldora, then perhaps she would be capable of defeating Emperor Rudra? If, at the very least, she could seal him, then he would get even more time to search for someone who could defeat him.
While Veldora was beaten by his sisters many times in the past, he was still a powerful figure that almost none could hope to defeat.
He would need to meet Chronoa to find out if she was capable of assisting him with his goal, but it was as good a lead as any, that was his reason for his continued cooperation with Kagali at this point.
If Kagali did manage to extract Chronoa, then he could make contact with her and begin to understand her. If Kagali failed, then no harm done. He would cut her loose and figure out how to gain Chronoa's cooperation on his own.
Just like Granbell, he would use Kagali to accomplish his goals, no matter what his previous relationship with her was.
One did not become a Saint without having willpower, and he was willing to do anything to fulfill his promise to Emperor Rudra.
"Come, let us hold a meeting and inform the others of the plan." Kagali said.
He nodded and followed her to the meeting room in their secret base.
He took his seat and looked around the room.
There was Kagali, Tear, Misha, and Vega. Of course there were others lower in the chain of command, but Kagali felt it wise to keep the amount of people in the know small, something Damrada agreed with.
Kagali folded her hands on the table. "I have just returned from a meeting with Granbell Rosso." Kagali announced.
Vega looked disinterested. The only thing that would interest that beast was fighting and suppressing those weaker than him.
Vega was a pathetic and warped creature. However, he had potential, something Yuuki only increased with his experiments on Vega.
"What happened in the meeting, President?!" Tear asked excitedly.
Kagali sighed. "Calm down, Tear, I will explain everything."
"Is it about the Boss?" Misha asked as she sanded down her nails.
Kagali nodded. "It does relate to Yuuki. As you all know, he has… passed away, and I refuse to allow those responsible to be let go scott free."
Misha nodded. "The Boss helped me when I was at my worst. At the very least, I'll try and help avenge him since he's gone." Misha replied.
"Hahaha, who knew a man as powerful as the Boss would kick the bucket?!" Vega laughed out.
Kagali glared at Vega. "If you have nothing else to add, then keep quiet."
Vega mockingly saluted Kagali. "You got it, Boss lady."
Damrada sighed, seeing what was happening in front of him. Vega was a man who only seemed to respect the powerful. Without Yuuki or Laplace to keep him in check, he was a loose cannon, a powerful loose cannon, but a loose cannon nonetheless.
Vega was testing what he could get away with now that the true powerhouses of their group were gone.
He would consider what to do with Vega; one answer was neutralizing him, but that would possibly announce his own true strength to his colleagues. They would then question why they hadn't been informed of his power beforehand. Saints are fearsome figures in their own right.
That line of questioning would be bothersome at this point in time.
It was best if he laid low until he made contact with Chronoa. He considered ambushing Vega in secret, but their forces were already very low. They now lacked high-level fighters.
Before they had Footman and Laplace amongst them, both were powerful, Laplace especially.
Now it was down to just Tear as their main fighting force, as well as Vega.
Both, while powerful, would not be a match for an Awakened being. Still, for Kagali's and Granbell's insane plans to work, they would need all the high-level fighters they could get.
Eliminating Vega would be a waste. For all his faults, he was a useful grunt.
"So what's your plan to avenge the Boss, huh?" Vega asked.
All of a sudden, an Aura pressed down on Vega. "Did you not hear the President? Keep quiet and just listen."
While Vega was strong, he was not yet capable of resisting Tear.
"Gah! Fine, fine!" He grunted.
He noticed Tear eye Kagali, who nodded slightly. It seems they had planned to kick Vega down a peg or two. To make a show of power to get him to submit.
Kagali likely had the same concerns as him. With Yuuki and Laplace gone, Vega may attempt to rebel against them, reminding him that Tear was still clearly above him in the power hierarchy should be enough to get him to cooperate.
If there was one thing that could make Vega follow orders, it was strength.
The man craved strength and venerated it in equal measure. As long as someone was more powerful than him, he would follow them like a lost puppy.
It's what made Vega so easy and difficult to control at the same time. He was a simple man, but he was by no means loyal.
Damrada wouldn't be surprised if Vega jumped ships the moment someone more powerful than Tear appeared.
"Thank you, Tear. Now, Granbell and I have formed a temporary alliance of sorts. As you all now know, the Goddess of the Western Holy Church is the Demon Lord Valentine. Granbell was once one of her most elite subordinates, the leader of the Seven Luminaries, who were said to train heroes. Thanks to his position in the Western Holy Church, he was able to find out that Demon Lord Valentine has possession of the sealed Hero, Chronoa." Kagali said.
"You mean that Hero that was active all over the Western Nations?!" Misha asked.
Kagali nodded. "The very same. With that information, we came up with a plan to gain ownership over the sealed Chronoa. Granbell will serve as the distraction while we sneak into Demon Lord Valentine's palace, which is hidden in the underground city of Night Garden, the home of the Vampires."
"I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty difficult to me. How will we even enter Night Garden, not to mention find the palace of Demon Lord Luminous?" Misha asked.
Misha, while arrogant in her abilities, was fairly cautious. She did grow up on the streets, after all.
One does not survive the black market of the Eastern Empire by being a fool.
"Granbell informed us of one of the hidden passageways he had created that leads into Demon Lord Valentine's Inner Sanctum." Kagali responded.
Misha nodded in understanding.
"Granbell hypothesized that Demon Lord Valentine was somehow controlling Chronoa. If we can manage to do the same, then Chronoa can be our weapon against Demon Lord Rimuru and Demon Lord Felix. She managed to seal the Storm Dragon, a True Dragon. With Chronoa on our side, it will be easy for us to negotiate for Laplace back at a minimum. Ideally, we can use Chronoa to get rid of those two Demon Lords, once and for all." Kagali finished with a predatory grin on her face.
"So the plan is to basically invade a Demon Lord's most private place, gain possession of the Hero, and then leave?" Misha questioned.
Kagali nodded. "Indeed, we do still have some time to prepare. In order to aid Granbell with his distraction, we will have some of your tamed Monsters assist him, as well as some of Yuuki's failed experiments."
Misha nodded in understanding.
The majority of the Monsters and Magic Beasts Misha managed to Charm were fairly insignificant. On average, they were on the lower end of the A Rank, with the strongest among them barely reaching the Special-A Rank.
Strong for the majority of Humanity, but fodder for the exceptional.
Damrada assumed that her tamed beasts would be useful for dealing with the Western Holy Church's combatants; the Temple Knights and Crusaders would have a tough time with them.
There were tens of thousands of Temple Knights stationed in Ruberious, though the majority of them couldn't hope to even reach A Rank. Misha's beasts would be sufficient to kill them and keep the stronger ones occupied.
Then, there were many experiments that Yuuki had sponsored. Some were similar to the Magic Inquisitor program of Ingrassia. By incorporating a Monster Factor in a Human they can grow in strength drastically. However, Yuuki took it a step further by having Lesser and Greater Daemons Summoned and then incarnating them into the Magic Inquisitors.
It was a fusion of beings with a strong Spirit and the strong body of Magic Inquisitors, leading to beings that were easily in the Special-A Range.
They were by no means a failed experiment. It was just that not many could handle the process of becoming a Magic Inquisitor. Having a Monster Factor forcefully imbued into your being was an incredibly painful process, let alone the process of Incarnating a Daemon.
Thanks to that, they only had six successful improved Magic Inquisitors, as Yuuki called them.
Each of them had basically been programmed to obey Yuuki and Kagali, so betrayal was not possible for them.
Damrada eyed Vega and sighed. If only Yuuki had the foresight to do something similar to Vega.
"Do any of you have any questions?" Kagali asked.
"Will Damrada be joining us in the attack?" Vega questioned.
Kagali looked at him oddly and shook her head. "No, while he does have vast connections and has helped us quite a lot, he has no combat power."
Vega nodded with an off-putting smile on his face. "No combat power? I see."
The way Vega said that made Damrada somewhat suspicious. Was Vega able to see through his disguise? Was he able to tell that he was suppressing his strength and presence to the absolute limit?
With all the experiments done on Vega, he may have gained and honed some combat instincts of his own.
Instincts that may have been reacting around him, confusing Vega.
"If that is all then this meeting is finished. I will inform you all of when exactly we will enact our plan later." Kagali announced.
He left the meeting room and began to make plans of his own. Perhaps he should discreetly follow behind Kagali when she conducts this operation?
He had managed to replicate a fraction of the power Emperor Rudra gave Jiwu, who is number 009 of the Single Digits.
Each of the single digits is rewarded with God Grade Equipment as well as Alternative, an Ultimate class ability.
The Single Digits were Emperor Rudra's personal guard and attack force; they needed to be strong and well-equipped to fulfill such a duty.
Emperor Rudra, of course, had no need for guards, but if a ruler had to make a move himself, it would shame them and their territory.
Each member has a different ability, like superiority over Magic and Unique Skills, Enemy Identification. He had Soul Protect, which granted him protection against any kind of spiritual attack with an impenetrable psychological barrier.
Complete Concealment of Own Powers is the Ultimate power Emperor Rudra bestowed upon Jiwu, which, through time and effort, he managed to somewhat replicate, allowing him to hide his presence.
Though Damrada did not believe it would work on Ultimate Awakened, even Vega was able to see through his disguise slightly, though that was likely only Vega's instincts warning him of the threat he was.
It should still be more than enough to follow Kagali, and if she fails, then he could take advantage of the opportunity to secure Chronoa himself or retreat if he felt it too risky.
There was no real downside to tailing Kagali.
He knew he was getting desperate; normally, he would almost never take action himself, but he could feel that his time was running out.
He needed Chronoa in order to have insurance against Emperor Rudra should the worst happen.
- Vega -
He stared at Damrada's back as he left.
He could feel the craving to consume Damrada, to eat his entire being and take his power for his own.
His Unique Skill: Scavenger, which he acquired after his time on the streets of Ingrassia, allowed him to gain the strength and properties of any prey he consumed.
He could even consume Equipment and absorb their power and properties.
However, his instincts were warning him that it was a bad idea, that he would die if he tried to absorb Damrada.
Damrada was not the merchant he played as. He was strong, so Vega left Damrada to do his business, and he had no right to question him. The strong could do whatever they wished.
Tear was also out of his range. He would be incapable of taking Tear down on his own, so while he wanted to consume her, he held off.
He smirked as he walked out of the meeting room. He now knew exactly what he had to do.
With Laplace and the Boss gone, there was no reason for him to stay in Cerberus.
Yuuki was the one who staged his death back in Ingrassia and experimented on him, but he did not hate the man for it.
After all, everything led back to his core ideology, which was that the strong could do whatever they wished to the weak. He was the weaker party, and so he was at Yuuki's mercy, as was right.
The Boss was apparently killed by one of those two Demon Lords, or at least his death was related to them, Rimuru or Felix.
Even Laplace hadn't been heard from ever since he entered Tempest. Laplace was someone he was unable to see through. He was so powerful that Vega couldn't see through him at all.
And the Boss had beaten Laplace. There was a reason he had completely submitted to Yuuki. After all, he was powerful.
And if Yuuki was somehow beaten by those two Demon Lords, then that means those two Demon Lords are probably strong right?
He would see what Demon Lord Felix was made of, if he was strong he would beg to join his service as one of his subordinates.
According to Kagali, Azeroth, Demon Lord Felix's territory, and the Holy Empire Ruberious were allied.
If he had to he would use the information he gained from this meeting to win Demon Lord Felix over and serve under him.
He guessed that if Demon Lord Felix was allied with Demon Lord Valentine, then this information would be useful to him. Perhaps he can use it as leverage against Demon Lord Valentine, or maybe he will attack Demon Lord Valentine himself, causing even more chaos.
The Demon Lords were never known to be a peaceful bunch. While there was not much infighting amongst them, there were no rules against it either, as far as he knew. After all, they still planned against each other and attempted to undermine each other.
There was no other explanation for the very visible rivalry between Demon Lord Valentine and Demon Lord Dagruel.
Perhaps Demon Lord Felix and Demon Lord Valentine aren't as close as they seem, they may be allied for now, but it may be an alliance of convenience. While Vega could not think of something that could cause two Demon Lords to ally, he could fully admit that he wasn't the most intelligent man out there.
He was best at just listening to his superior's orders.
Vega hoped Demon Lord Felix would use the information he offered to attack Demon Lord Valentine; it sounded very enjoyable to slaughter his way through Ruberious.
Those fanatics always annoyed him.
If there was one thing that Vega knew, it was that to survive, he needed the protection of the strong. At least until he was THE strong.
Yuuki used to be the strong, but he was dethroned, and so Vega needed to look out for his own interest, and find someone new to serve under.
If Demon Lord Felix was weak, he would kill him and devour him, taking the Demon Lord's power for his own, and then move on to Demon Lord Rimuru to repeat the cycle.
He was Vega of Power, and he would become the strong.
- Felix -
I made my way to Sasha's laboratory. She was planning to explore the lower floors of my castle today, and I wanted to tag along for the early bits. I also still had to give her access to teleport around my castle as well, and it was best to do that in person.
I knocked on the door to Sasha's laboratory, and after a moment of not hearing a response, I walked in.
I spotted Sasha working on a Golem in the back of the lab. Huh, has she already begun working on that Golem design I gave her?
She works quickly.
"Sasha, are you ready to go?" I called out.
"Ah!" She shouted, jumping back and almost dropping one of her tools. "Boss! I didn't know you were here!"
I rolled my eyes. "I knocked on the door. You were probably just too focused on your work."
Sasha sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "That's probably true. Sorry for ignoring you, Boss."
"It's no problem. I forgot to ask earlier, but how are you settling in?"
"Everything's perfect! Those workers of yours were able to connect everything from my mansion to the land really fast!"
"Well, they were trained to do that. It would be a shame if they still failed. Ah! I forgot to hand you this. Arcueid thought it was best if you signed a Magic Contract."
Sasha nodded as if she was expecting this. "No problem, Boss! I thought you would have had me sign one way earlier. Most similar jobs have very strict Magic Contracts that are signed before anything else."
I shrugged my shoulders. "To be honest, I didn't really care for it, but Arcueid suggested it," I said as I handed Sasha the contract.
"Hmm, this is pretty basic stuff, keep everything I've learned secret, do not help an enemy Nation, yada yada. Hmm? Don't break any laws without consulting Miss Arcueid?"
I nodded. "Yeah, if you want to do anything less than legal, just double-check with her, and she'll give you the go-ahead if she thinks it's fine."
"Huh. Well, that's a new one. Well, alright then!" Sasha quickly took out a magic pen from her breast pocket and signed the contract.
She handed it back to me. "Excellent, now are you ready to go?"
Sasha nodded. "Let me just grab a few things. I don't plan to do any deep excavations today, so I'll be traveling light."
I watched as Sasha got a headband with an inbuilt flash light and placed it on her head. She grabbed her backpack, which seemed to be filled with the essentials.
"I'm ready!"
I nodded. "Great." And with that, I snapped my fingers, teleporting the both of us to a gate located at the side of my castle.
"Ugh, I still need to get used to that." Sasha groaned. She then focused on the large double-door gate in front of us. "It's kinda weird that there is just a gate located at the side of your castle, you know?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Don't ask me why it's located here. It's probably just some remnants of when Demon Lord Kazalim ran the place. She didn't seem to be the smartest cookie of the bunch."
Sasha looked at me curiously. "She? I thought Demon Lord Kazalim was male."
I shook my head. "She was originally female. Anyways, let's not focus on that right now."
Sasha seemed unwilling but nodded nonetheless. "You always keep the best secrets, Boss." Sasha whined.
"Maybe I'll tell you some stuff another time as long as you do good work."
Sasha gave me a salute. "Don't worry, Boss! I'll work harder than I ever have before!"
I just gave her a nod. I then gestured to the gate in front of us. "Beyond this gate lies some of my territory's citizens. Originally, this was the primary residence of the majority of my people, but once I got a capital city built around here, they began moving out, though there are still some people who wished to stay here."
Sasha nodded. "Ah, that's right. I remember hearing that Demon Lord Clayman's territory didn't have many cities or towns."
I nodded. "Yeah, it really killed the vibe around here, so with Rimuru's help, I had the entire surrounding area terraformed and got rid of the Curses that Demon Lord Kazalim left behind."
Kagali was playing no games. She had a deadly fog surrounding the entire perimeter of the castle, which made it nigh impossible for most to navigate.
"I'm beginning to become desensitized to all these crazy things you're sharing with me, Boss, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing." Sasha sighed.
"That's a good thing… I think?" I turned towards the gate. "Anyways, in order to get through this gate, you need to be pre-approved."
I took out a bracelet from my Infinity Space and handed it to Sasha. "That will allow you to freely pass through all the gates down below."
Sasha put the bracelet on her wrist and nodded.
I snapped my fingers, causing the gates to open in front of us. I gestured to the gate. "Ladies first."
It didn't take us long to reach the main settlement on the top level.
"Woah! This is beautiful!"
I nodded. "Yeah, the Dark Elves really made something great here. Anyways, welcome to Amrita, the home of the Dark Elves." I gestured out grandly.
"This entire floor is powered by an older Magic Core that keeps everything running." I continued.
"There are even day and night cycles!" Sasha said with excitement.
I nodded. "Yeah, it seems Kazalim set up some permanently active Magic that syncs with the day and night from outside. She was pretty damn good at Magic."
"Can I go investigate?!" Sasha asked with what almost seemed to be stars in her eyes.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Do what you want."
And with that, Sasha ran off.
"Lord Felix!" I turned to the voice and smiled as one of the Dark Elves approached me.
"Hello, Cena." I greeted.
Cena bowed to me. "Welcome back, Lord Felix. Did you wish for my assistance with anything?"
I shook my head. "No, I was just showing one of my newer subordinates around. I'll introduce her to everyone later since she'll probably be down here somewhat regularly."
Cena nodded in understanding.
Cena was the Dark Elf, the mayor of sorts of this underground portion assigned her to me. Her job was basically to keep me happy and fulfill all of my desires, no matter what they may be.
I couldn't blame the mayor for what he did. Keeping me happy was the best way to keep his people safe. He was practical about it.
It was quite sad how Clayman stifled the potential of the Dark Elves under him. According to the mayor, under Kagali, they were the primary military force she relied on. They were pretty damn powerful. The majority of them were easily in the A Rank, a good chunk were in the Special-A Rank, and one or two could qualify for Disaster Class.
And Clayman tucked them all away under his palace, filling his army up with random Majin and Demi-Humans instead.
If the original Dark Elves were part of Clayman's main force, then perhaps things would have gone differently. I doubt he would have lived, but who knows? Sometimes a butterfly is all it takes to cause massive changes. It doesn't matter now, anyway.
Under Clayman's rule, as the Dark Elves were slowly phased out of the main military, they were posted more towards the rear forces of the military, like being in charge of supplies.
Thanks to this, less and less powerful Dark Elves appeared, leading to the current era, where the Dark Elves under Clayman were a shell of their former selves.
Of course, I couldn't have that, so I had those who were willing to join the military and told Megumin to begin training them.
Raiden also trained some Dark Elves as part of my Maid Corps, and slowly, the Dark Elves began to shine once more.
"If you need anything, Lord Felix, just call for me, and I will be there." Cena said.
I nodded. "I got it."
"Do you mind if I ask you something, Lord Felix?"
I looked curiously at Cena. "Go for it."
"Thank you. How are the Dark Elves settling up on the surface world? We have lived down here for so long that it may be a bit of a stress to switch all of a sudden."
Ah, right, Cena is one of the Dark Elf Elders. It's only right that she is worried about her people.
"From what I've seen, they've been thriving. Some have even opened shops where they sell their wares. Quite a few of them opened up Enchantment shops, it seems Enchanting is something you lot are good at."
Cena nodded. "Enchantment does come easy to us Dark Elves for some reason. Thank you for answering my question, Lord Felix."
I waved her off. "It's no problem."
I sensed Sasha was messing around with the lenses that helped transfer the sunlight down here.
"Anyways, I'll see you around Cena."
I appeared next to her and grabbed her shoulder. "You can check that out a bit more later. Let me show you around first, then, you are free to do what you wish."
Sasha jumped slightly. "You scared me there, Boss! But fine, I'll listen to you."
I nodded. "Good."
I transported us to the second gate that led to the Middle level.
The gate opened in front of us. I led Sasha deeper down the corridor until we came across multiple possible ways to go.
"Now, I'm sure there are plenty of traps along the place, and I don't want you to die while exploring, so I'll make you a map of the place."
Sasha's eyes widened. "You can do that?!"
I nodded. "Yeah, it should be easy."
'Odin.'
'It has been done.'
An image of the middle level, and lower level appeared in my mind. Kagali had placed some Spells to counteract anyone's attempts to map out this entire floor, but her Spells stood no chance against Odin.
"Alright, it's done. Now come here."
Sasha nodded and came towards me. I placed my hand on her head and transferred the necessary information.
"Woah! That felt really weird. Oh wow, Demon Lord Kazalim really placed a lot of traps." Sasha pointed to the right down one of the corridors. "There is a poison dart trap down there, a pitfall trap over there. Oh man, it would have taken a long time to navigate this on my own. Thanks, Boss!"
"No problem. Anyway, that's all I wanted to show you. If you need some men to help you with this, then just ask Arcueid. She'll assign suitable people."
Sasha nodded. "Got it!"
I gave Sasha one final nod and then teleported back to my office, hopefully, Sasha can discover some interesting stuff down there.
I could probably single-handedly loot the middle level and bottom level on my own, but I'd rather not.
I'll leave all that work to my minio- cough to my subordinates.
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, we got another chapter of Daemon. Sorry about all the pov switches lately, some more action will be happening soon and I wanted things to be explained so people aren't confused when shit goes down, that's the reason for the pov switches.
Granbell is currently on the fuck it we ball mindset, who knows how that'll work out for him. Damrada is coping and hoping for the best. Kagali is still raging, and Vega is doing idiotic things, as usual.
Someone needs to kill that guy already in the LN. He got so many power ups, he went from insignificant to being able to slap around Luminous and Leon.
Scavenger really is broken as hell.
Anyways, thanks for reading y'all, peace.
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