'A coronation is waiting for me?' Quinn thought, silence enveloping him as he stood there, still unable to understand what was going on. He still remembered the first notification he received, about a Reincarnation. Which only meant, he was in the body of a different Demon King? But now what?
"Sire...." Morgana broke the silence. "...in your absence, our troops were falling. We lost a lot of our men and our defenses have gradually fallen."
He was silent.
"To make matters worse, we lost Wintergreen to the mortals." She continued, her tone a bit reduced. "And most of our slaves were taken back into Gran'le."
Wintergreen. Gran'le. Like a window in his soul, he caught glimpse of something. Memories that flooded inside of him like water sinking into the soil. Wintergreen was one of the small towns that belonged to the human kingdoms. Gran'le to be precise. Back during the War, demons had managed to subdue the town, and for years, it has acted as fort for buying and selling slaves. 'So that's what it is?' he thought. "How many of our people have fallen?"
She was silent for a while. "About a third of the demon army."
'A third...? How big is a third...?' he bit her lower lip, trying to understand. And yet again, memories slipped into his mind. He remembered something about an army, all clad in armor, all wearing strange clothing's that looked like armor. "So what now?"
She looked at him. "Now, we celebrate."
"What do you mean?" He asked. "With you back after 600 years of falling, it's going to change the tables."
But how? He wasn't the demon king or whatever she thought he was. He was just a high schooler, and yesterday, he remembered being at school in Tokyo. But now that he was here, he had to at least play along. But one thing he couldn't quite get was the 600 year slumber. Who sleeps for 600 years?
As they walked, there was an eerie silence between them. Quinn couldn't stop the questions that was swirling in his mind. But before he could ask any, Morgana stopped in front of a magnificent temple. Or at least that's what the building looked like.
"Welcome to Heartfire, sire," she said, her eyes gleaming with pride.
Quinn's eyes widened as they entered. The inside was breathtaking – strange carvings adorning the walls, and the air was thick with the scent of incense. But what caught his attention was the dias at the far end of the room. On it stood a throne, flanked by two imposing figures. They were unlike anything Quinn had ever seen.
Each man stood at least seven feet tall, with muscular physiques and skin like polished bronze. Horns protruded from their foreheads, curved and sharp. Their feet ended in hooves, and they grasped spears that seemed to shimmer like gold.
Quinn's insides twisted as he gazed at the throne. It was familiar, stirring memories he couldn't quite grasp. He remembered sitting on that throne, ruling...
Morgana led him toward the throne, her eyes fixed on the two men. One of them stared down at Quinn, his spear pointing menacingly.
"Mortals aren't allowed in the King's Throne Room," the man growled, unable to ignore the law that governed the demon territory.
Morgana's glare was fierce. "Don't you know how to bow in the presence of your king?"
The other man, Thane, looked at his companion before turning to Quinn. "The Demon King is in his tomb!" he exclaimed. "That little thing can't really be your king. Just look at how weak he is, how sickly....and he smells like a mundane!"
'I'm just at the wrong place, at the wrong time...' Quinn thought. He couldn't blame them for being honest about what they saw.
Morgana's tone was gentle, but her words carried weight. "The king is risen... and look, he stands before you."
"Stands before us?" the other man asked, his tone bitter. "This...this vulgar little creature. He's nothing like the Demon King we remember!"
"I gladly agree on that one..." She said, her tone gentle. "...but it doesn't mean I don't know a king when I see him."
"Your love for the king has blinded you then, Morgana." Thane said, his tone stern.
«[ New Quest: Assert Dominance!]»
Words flashed in Quinn's eyes, and he stared at the letters, his mind numb. For a moment he was distracted from the tension between these folks, only wondering what was to be done. How could he assert dominance?
"How...?" he mumbled, unsure of what to do.
A new flash appeared:
«[ Spells ]»
His eyes scanned the list:
> Telepathy Lv1
> Presence of the Demon King Lv1
> Foxfire Lv1
He selected Telepathy, and the system responded:
> Telepathy Lv1 — [ User can hear the thoughts of people around him. They can only hear the thoughts of one person at a time, until further upgrade. ]
Quinn's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Let me use that."
«[ Telepathy Activated ]»
Words flashed, and suddenly, Quinn was bombarded with faint whispers of thoughts. The other man's thoughts were the loudest: 'Morgana is such a fool... no wonder she's never been able to lead our armies to victory... she's the reason why we're on the losing side!'
Quinn took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. He stepped forward, his voice firm.
"I assure you, it is I. I am your king."
The room fell silent, with all eyes fixed on Quinn. The two men stared at him, their expressions a mix of shock and curiosity. They weren't going to be buying this, especially when it was coming from a human. Morgana's eyes gleamed with pride.
Thane's thoughts whispered in Quinn's mind: 'But... but he's so young... and weak... how can he be our king? The Demon King is as good as dead.....hiding in that tomb.'
Quinn's gaze locked onto Thane, and he smiled, a plan forming in his mind. 'Let's see how this plays out!'
"The Demon King isn't weak." Thane said, his tone bitter.
Quinn cleared throat, his eyes steady as he said, "The problem with you Thane, is because you think I'm as good as dead, just because I was taking a little nap."
Thane's expression widened for a moment, unable to understand how he read his thoughts. Or was it a coincidence.
'Taking a nap whilst we were losing so much of our folks,' the man's thoughts were piercing, his tone stern. 'I had to marry three times because my wives kept getting killed....'
Quinn took a deep breath, before he started walking towards the dias. There was an air of silence, all eyes staring at him. He had to be careful....this wasn't a dream, but a new reality. And he had a mission to accomplish. Assert dominance.
He stopped just beneath the dias, staring up the couple of stairs, at where these two men stood. Thane's eyes were like scorching embers, burning brilliantly with an air of intensity. And the other man, he wasn't so welcoming.
"This is your last warning...." The man said. "Take one more step, and we'll be forced to kill you."
'Let's watch him sit on it....' The man's thoughts rang. 'Without God's blessing, he'll die in the blink of an eye...'
Quinn felt his insides tighten, his eyes staring intently at them. Sitting on the throne felt dangerous, and he couldn't help but gather up his thoughts. He didn't have to sit on it, it was a red flag all together.
"You can't sit on the throne, not before the council has approved that this...this little thing is the king reborn!" Thane said after a struggle.
Morgana cocked a brow. "Why wait for the council's approval, when we know who this is? Can't you hear it in your souls? Can't you smell his scent?"
"No." Thane said. "Your obsession with the Demon King is forcing you to reach these heights of insanity....if this keeps up, I'll be forced to restrict you from entering into the Fireheart."
Morgana, unable to believe what she was hearing, stumbled backwards...her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me..." Thane said. 'Have you forgotten I'm the one in charge of the Fireheart?'
Quinn took a deep breath, staring at them. "I'll be retreating for now."
«[ New Quest: Assert Dominance]»
"Serves you right!" The man said.
Quinn smiled, holding back his words. If he wanted to assert dominance, he had to do it in the presence of the Council. Maybe that way, he'd be able to inflict influence and gain their support. As king, he could build an empire of his own.
*
"Sire..." Morgana was bitter, her eyes staring into his as they stood outside the Fireheart. Her insides were churning with anger, her eyes like daggers. "....why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you use your mighty power to show them that you're the same as you were 600 years ago."
'But I'm not...who you think I am...' Quinn could only think. He was that same high school kid not so long ago, and now, he was waking up in a world different from what he had experienced, receiving commands from a system? A virtual system. "I had my reasons."
"Reasons?" She cocked a brow.
"Yes!" he said, his tone firm. "After all, I am your king and you'll not question your liege."
"S-sorry.... I got carried away." she said.
"Good...." Quinn wasn't sure about his plan. "...now, I want you to tell me everything that I've missed. Start from the beginning."