As Andreas ascended the spiral stairway, he could already feel the presence of the beings gathered above. The pressure lingered like a heavy scent in the air. Overlords, the apex of demonkin society, were waiting at the top. Although he had recently joined their ranks himself, his strength was still insignificant compared to the existences he was about to meet.
Before leaving his territory, Arden had informed him of the northern border overlords and their personalities. Andreas had a general idea of what to expect from this week-long gathering, yet knowing something was different from standing at the threshold of it.
He reached the final step and came before the entrance of a spacious chamber known as the Emberlight Hall. It was a place where overlords could rest, speak, and socialize before and after official sessions. Family members, attendants, and chosen retainers were permitted here. This was not the meeting room itself but rather a social chamber where hierarchy relaxed slightly without ever disappearing.
Inside, he saw six figures at a glance, though two of them stood out immediately. One was a man with snow-white hair and a trimmed short beard, dressed in a refined dark suit. The other was a towering man whose muscles bulged as if they would rip through his skin with the slightest movement. From Arden's descriptions, Andreas recognized them immediately.
"Lord Ashspire, Lord Ord..." he began.
The muscular man lifted a hand and cut him off. His deep voice echoed across the hall.
"Stop right there, young demon. Call me Banza."
Andreas looked up at the massive archdemon before him. He had been warned about Overlord Ord's strong personality, so he simply accepted it without resistance.
"Then allow me to rephrase. Greetings, Lord Ashspire and Lord Banza."
Ashspire inclined his head slightly. His gaze was sharp but calm.
"You must be the new Lord of Valekor."
"You are correct. I ascended to the position three months ago."
Banza snorted and stepped closer.
"How old are you anyway? You look shorter than some imps."
Andreas fought the urge to shrink back. He swallowed quietly and said, "I am fourteen this year, Lord Banza."
Ashspire's eyes softened with a hint of sympathy.
"You have my condolences, Young Lord of Valekor. Your father passed far too early. It must have placed a heavy burden upon you."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Ashspire..."
Banza interrupted again.
"Oh right. That old man of yours died recently. What a waste. A body like that could have lasted another seven hundred years."
Ashspire sighed and turned toward him.
"Lord Ord, must I remind you to think before you speak?"
"Tch. You have barely two centuries left, old man. You think your brittle bones can keep up with me?"
The air grew heated, quite literally, as flames flickered faintly around Ashspire's shoulders. Before tension could rise further, another voice intervened.
"Enough, both of you. There is a child standing here. Try to behave like overlords instead of brawling beasts."
Andreas turned toward the source of the voice and felt a sinking sensation. If anyone here could knock sense into Banza, it was her. He recognized the figure at once: Overlord Adusius, a summoner whose lineage included numerous spirit ancestors. Her reputation was vast, and among the overlords present this week, her strength was rumored to be the highest.
"Greetings, young child," she said warmly. "Pay no mind to these two. They have quarreled like this for decades."
"Thank you for your advice, Lord Adusius. I will keep that in mind."
Adusius studied him for a long moment, her eyes sharp yet strangely gentle.
"You will adapt quickly, I believe. For now, return to your residence and rest. The journey here must have been tiring. The meeting begins in five hours, so you may relax until then."
Andreas bowed slightly and quietly left the hall.
As soon as he disappeared into the corridor, the remaining three overlords exchanged glances. Adusius was the first to speak.
"That child is a monster. He reached epic rank in magic at that age."
Ashspire nodded. "I agree, Lord Adusius. The new Lord of Valekor will become a remarkable magician in a very short time."
Banza crossed his arms and laughed loudly.
"You two are blind as always. Did you not see those muscles and the spear he carried? That kid is already fighting at elite level with the spear."
Ashspire frowned. "What nonsense are you speaking, brute. The child is clearly a magician."
"Who are you calling brute, you old twig. The boy has Valekor blood. Spears are in their lineage."
Adusius ignored their bickering and allowed her thoughts to drift. The child who had just left the room remained fresh in her mind. A prodigy had appeared again, the type that changed maps and rewrote histories. At least he did not seem foolish, unlike the two loudmouths behind her.
She let out a quiet sigh.
"At least the future seems a little brighter."
Meanwhile, Andreas rested in his assigned quarters, reviewing the impressions he had gathered.
'At least they were not hostile. That makes things easier.'
The official meeting was held at the highest floor of the structure. Layers of protective formations covered the entire level. A barrier prevented entry to anyone who was not an overlord, and breaking it required the strength of a grandmaster or mythical mage. Additional invisibility, soundproofing, and illusion spells ensured that no information ever leaked. There had never been an attack on an overlord gathering, but secrecy was considered a necessity rather than pride.
When Andreas entered the meeting hall, the other overlords arrived at the same moment. No one came early or late. They took their seats, and silence filled the room. Without any wasted words, the meeting began.
"The first topic of the gathering is the recent disruptions in our supply lines," Adusius announced. "As you all know, we have suffered several attacks by groups identifying themselves as bandits. I dispatched one of my primordial spirits, Agres, yet he was defeated. However, he returned with valuable information. The assailants are beastmen."
"Beastmen," a voice replied. It belonged to an overlord Andreas had never met, but he recognized the tone. It was the Lord of Augusyon.
"Yes. The human empire is currently at war with the beastmen, so they are likely refugees seeking to escape the conflict."
Ashspire spoke next. "Should we dispatch a force to subdue them?"
Banza clicked his tongue.
"That is not a wise idea, old man. If they can defeat a primordial spirit, they can crush any ordinary force we send."
Another overlord spoke. Andreas did not yet know which one. "What do you suggest then, Lord Banza?"
"You all are too hot-headed. Lord Adusius said they are refugees, did she not?"
"You are correct, Lord Banza," she replied.
"Then send a few envoys. Call them over. If they fled a war despite having the strength to defeat a primordial, then they clearly do not want to fight us. We can distribute them across all seven border territories. They will adapt, and some may even strengthen us."
Andreas was genuinely surprised. He had underestimated Banza, assuming him to be a simple brute. He had not considered how strict the ancient marriage laws of demonkin were and how that shaped Banza's perspective on population and alliance building.
"And if they resist even inside our territories we can just kill them."
Ashspire sighed. "I wish to refute you, brute, but I must admit your suggestion is reasonable."
"I agree," another overlord added. "There is no need to waste resources fighting them."
"I agree as well."
"I agree," Andreas said.
"I am in favor too," another voice chimed in.
Adusius appeared mildly impressed. The discussion had concluded faster than she expected.
"Then we move on to the next topic. Purges."
"What about the purges" someone asked. "They are progressing smoothly. There have been no recent issues."
"There is a problem," Ashspire said. "I have noticed that my fire spells grow slightly weaker in the middle of the Demonic Zone."
Banza raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by weaker, old man. Is it your own problem or a general one. Is it specific to fire."
"If you allow me to finish, you would know. It is not unique to me."
Another voice echoed from the shadows. Even in this bright rooftop hall, the figure remained enveloped in darkness. Andreas recognized the tone immediately. It was Overlord Berith. Almost nothing was known about him beyond the fact he was an assassin.
"I can confirm it," Berith said. "The human empire has lengthened the intervals between their purges. There must be a reason."
"So you believe the humans know something we do not," someone asked.
"No. I believe the humans are doing something we do not know," Berith replied.
Adusius leaned forward. "Are you suggesting this is the work of humans, Berith."
"Yes. They are acting strangely despite being neighbors to the demonic forest as we are."
"Do you have any clues at all."
"No. I must investigate further."
"Then you shall do so. We will revise this in the next conference."
"Now, for the next topic…"
It had been three hours since the meeting began and everything was progressing steadily. As expected, Andreas occasionally voiced his opinion, and that was the extent of his participation for the day.
"It seems we still have an hour left and we have already cleared today's agenda," Adusius said. "I planned to bring this up on the final day, but since we have extra time, we can address it now. It concerns the matter of your father's death, young Lord of Valekor."
"Oh, I nearly forgot about that," Banza replied.
"What is it you wish to discuss, Lord Adusius?" Andreas asked.
"The cause of your father's death. I reviewed the report, but it makes very little sense. He died suddenly without wounds and part of the castle collapsed at the same time. It feels too much like an assassination."
"I agree," Berith added. "It is far too suspicious."
"We are still searching for clues," Andreas said, keeping his tone steady. "There have been no meaningful updates so far. However, what I can guarantee is that I did not kill the previous Lord of Valekor."
What Andreas misunderstood was that none of them actually suspected him. Although the Overlords evaluated him highly, they did not believe he was capable of killing another Overlord yet. Their concern was whether this was caused by an outside force or if it was simply a strange and unexplained death.
"Please do not misunderstand us, young Lord of Valekor," Ashspire said. "We are not implying that you had any involvement. We are simply cautious because if this was an external influence, it affects all of us."
"Based on our information so far," Andreas continued, "there was no breach in the protective array and there were no sounds of a battle. There was only the collapse of the building and the Lord's sudden death. I do not think there is any force in this world that can kill an Overlord without wounds or traces."
"So what is your own assessment, young Valekor?"
"Just a strange death. There is no reason to believe otherwise."
The Overlords did not press the matter any further and the meeting concluded for the day.