The journey back across the suspension bridge felt quieter. The sight of the simple demon nests, dark caves, holes in the ground, and tree crevices contrasted sharply with the magnificence of the obsidian palace that now loomed before them again.
The new Demon King strode with an upright posture, his robe fluttering lightly in the wind that carried the scent of sulfur from the chasm below. His face remained hidden behind the three-horned red mask, his expression unreadable.
Valeria walked slightly behind him, observing the King's back in silence. After the brief tour that revealed the reality of the Blackfix Kingdom, the black-haired adjutant knew that a crucial moment would soon arrive. As soon as they passed the heavy main gate and returned to the dimly lit palace corridors, Valeria stepped forward.
"My Lord," she said in her usual respectful tone. "After seeing our condition firsthand, perhaps this is the right time for your first official meeting. The Five Pillars are waiting in the Throne Room to receive directions."
The King paused for a moment, then simply nodded slowly before continuing his steps toward the heart of the palace.
I know, as the Demon King who is the leader of this kingdom, my duty is to give orders based on every plan I make and to oversee that plan well so it runs smoothly.
I walked toward my throne, passing through corridor after corridor that looked slightly dark due to the minimal lighting from the torches burning every few meters on the black stone walls.
Do you know what I'm thinking about right now? Not about what specific plan I have to make, or what I have to do later in detail. The general duties of a king, to be honest, I already know most of them from the comics I've read. I'm sure it won't be much different from that.
Then what am I thinking about? I'm thinking, will every plan I have go well? And will every plan I convey later be accepted by those Five Pillars? That's what's constantly spinning in my head right now.
Why am I thinking about that? Because the demon mindset and traditions are clearly very different from human mindsets and traditions.
Like the way they live in trees, in caves, even in holes in the ground. For them, it's normal or not a problem at all, even though they basically still need a place to nest.
What makes this kingdom the weakest? Or unable to develop, causing this kingdom to make no significant progress, even falling deeper into ruin?
Maybe the quality of the previous government was poor, and maybe the citizens are already too resigned and don't want to develop. The example is just that, living in holes. Even though the citizens might be aware it's not a comfortable place to nest.
How do I know that? The proof is, their ancestors or previous events show they tried to invade other places to live. Automatically, that means they actually want a more proper place too, right?
But their way of invading a place, whether it's a village or another kingdom, might be a common thing for a demon. Even the reason Valeria gave earlier was very illogical from a human's point of view, remember?
She said, "Initially, we only try to scare them, just to take over their territory as a new place for us to live, but if they fight back, of course we kill them."
From a modern human's perspective: Imagine a country invading your country with tanks and drones. Then they say, 'No, we just want to scare you, there's no danger.'
What would you do? Fight back, of course, right? "Hey, this is my land! Scaring us like that won't make us just leave!" That's probably what would cross your mind, and then you'd fight.
It's this difference in perspective that will be my main consideration. Will every input, command, and rule I make for this kingdom be accepted or not?
Okay, let's get back to the story. I won't think about it too deeply right now. We'll just face it as it comes, okay?
Right now, I've arrived in front of the magnificent door to the Throne Room. The black-armored demon guards opened the double doors for me. Inside, several demon nobles and the other four Pillars (Grakthos, Nyx, Terrax, Carmilla) were standing in wait, welcoming me. They made way and invited me to sit on my throne.
The Throne Room was a very spacious rectangle. Several giant obsidian pillars supported a high vaulted ceiling adorned with classic carvings of ancient battles, making it look very luxurious despite the dark atmosphere. A thick red carpet stretched from the entrance to the base of the throne at the end of the room.
I stepped onto the red carpet, walking with a proud and dignified gait (at least that's what I felt from this mask), without showing any fear at all. I sat on my throne, a large black stone chair filled with intricate gold patterns. A soft blood-red cushion supported my back and served as the seat. With luxuriously carved gold armrests on the left and right, this chair indeed looked very fitting to be sat on by a King.
"So, what should I say now after sitting down?" I thought. "Should I make small talk first or get straight to the point?"
It seems thank-yous or small talk are too lowly for a Demon King's image. So, I'll get straight to the point.
Elvar looked forward. All the demons present in the room, the Pillars and a few nobles, knelt in unison and bowed their heads.
"Raise your heads, then stand straight," Elvar's voice sounded deep, firm, yet still carried a flow of gentle authority.
All the demons raised their heads and stood, following Elvar's direction. Their eyes were fixed on him, full of anticipation.
"I have looked around the environment of this kingdom," I began, my tone firm and echoing throughout the room. "And I judge that this kingdom is in a very bad state! And it is not worthy of being called a kingdom!" I deliberately insulted it a little to see their reaction.
The second Pillar, Grakthos the Dragon Demon, flinched. He turned his head quickly toward me, his jaw tightening, clearly not accepting what I said about his kingdom.
"Looks like someone doesn't agree with what I said. But no matter, I will convey all my opinions and plans to them."
"I will make this kingdom worthy of being called a kingdom," I continued, "and make it the center of change on the Demon Continent, to be emulated by other kingdoms!" I paused for a moment, letting my words sink in. "First step, I will carry out the development of proper housing for the demon citizens!"
"WHAT?!" Grakthos shouted, unable to hold back. "I disagree! How can Your Majesty say this kingdom is not worthy?! And build a settlement?! Demonkind does not need the kind of housing you mean! To this day, we who live in caves, trees, or holes are just fine!"
"I knew he would object." I saw the other pillars just staying silent or nodding slightly. "This means they might accept the reality and the facts, and will follow my instructions."
I saw Carmilla beside Grakthos whispering softly, trying to calm him down. "Maybe Carmilla is explaining that my anger could destroy this kingdom; fear is forcing her to agree with my plan."
"Then, what is your solution, Grakthos?" I asked him directly, my tone cold.
"The solution? Defeat me!" Grakthos challenged, pounding his scaled chest. "Then I will follow all your wishes! I will not accept my ancestral kingdom being insulted just like that!"
"Eh? Defeat him? Impossible, impossible! How can I do this so I don't have to fight him and make him accept my plan?" I thought in a panic.
"If only I could teleport to Grakthos's side, then say 'Defeat you?' and punch him hard enough to send him flying to the wall over there. Maybe he would acknowledge me and follow all my requests. Fear is something my subordinates must have for me."
Suddenly, a transparent holographic panel appeared in my vision.
- Notification -
Skill Aura of Destruction Active.
Skill Description:
Aura of intimidation "ignites" the Demon King's Aura. The aura floods the body with pure demonic energy to drastically increase physical strength, speed, and endurance.
- This notification will disappear after two uses of the Skill. -
Instantly, a demonic aura of mixed purple, black, and red exploded from Elvar's body, resembling thick smoke enveloping him. Automatically, his body moved according to his wish from moments ago. In the blink of an eye, Elvar disappeared from his throne and appeared right beside Grakthos.
"Defeat you... like this?" Elvar said in a low but extremely firm voice, just before his fist slammed into Grakthos's stomach with incredible force.
DHUARR!!
Grakthos was thrown like a rag doll, flying across the room and crashing into the stone wall at the far end by the throne until it cracked. He coughed up blood and immediately weakened, collapsing on the floor.
In that same instant, Elvar was already sitting back on his throne, as if he had never moved. The demonic aura that had exploded from him immediately vanished without a trace. The entire room froze in total silence, all the demons staring in horror at the collapsed Grakthos and their calm, seated King.
"Eh? What did I just do?" I thought, confused, then a terrible sensation began to creep over my entire body. "Arghh! What is this? Why is this?!"
"Aaaaaa.... It hurts so much!"
"Help..."
"Aaaa it huuurts...!"
"My insides feel like they're being crushed! The pain is so sharp! Mom, help, it hurts so bad..."
"My whole skin feels like it's burning... my head is spinning... Nauseous... aaa it hurts..."
"My muscles are spasming, even my ears are ringing!" I muttered in terrible pain behind the mask, but my physical body remained still, sitting calmly on the throne as if nothing was wrong.
"There are no wounds on my body. No blood or any physical cause for all this pain. My body remains calm as usual. What is this?"
At that moment, I realized. I had accidentally activated one of the skills possessed by the previous Demon King through my strong desire. I didn't even expect that I could use the Demon King's real power.
But... this pain I'm experiencing? Is this the price? Why is this happening? Let's discuss this in the next chapter.