"My lord, where are we going?" Lira asked.
"Going to see a friend," Raya replied.
Lira failed to notice the subtle way his fist clenched at those words.
"Huh?" She tilted her head, confused.
"I meant sightseeing," Raya corrected shortly and didn't bother explaining further.
Of course, Raya didn't notice the brief pause in Lira's steps, nor the faintly puzzled look that crossed her face for a split second.
They soon arrived at the gate leading into the middle district, where several guards were stationed.
The outer district was rarely guarded, but the middle and inner districts were always under protection.
Raya remembered this well. Back when he was still human, entering the middle district meant paying bribes, money he barely had, only to be mocked and bullied afterward for being a poor refugee.
"Standing here is boring," one of the guards muttered. A long scar stretched across his face. "That kid hasn't shown up for days now. Ever since he ran off."
"Think something happened to him?" the other guard replied. "He looked pretty shaken that day."
"I hope nothing bad happened," Scarface laughed. "I'm actually starting to miss him. My pockets have been dry lately, and I haven't bullied anyone in days."
"Relax," the other guard said with a grin. "There are always refugees in the outer district looking for excuses to enter. Someone will show up today."
Raya and Lira slowly approached the gate.
Raya heard everything, yet his expression didn't change.
He had no interest in pointless drama or cheap revenge scenes.
He simply walked past them.
The guards didn't notice a thing. Their conversation continued uninterrupted, as if no one had passed before them at all.
Then…Suddenly, both guards collapsed.
Their bodies hit the ground almost silently, eyes wide and empty. No one nearby saw what happened, nor did anyone understand how it occurred.
Panic spread through the street almost instantly.
By the time people realized something was wrong, Raya and Lira were already inside the middle district.
Lira glanced back briefly before facing forward again. Her lord was difficult to understand at times. Sometimes he spared humans, other times, he erased them without hesitation.
'His awakening is still fresh… his thoughts must be unstable', she concluded.
She didn't question it further. In truth, she felt no sympathy for the guards at all.
Within minutes, more guards and adventurers rushed to the scene, but Raya and Lira were long gone.
---
Inside the Middle District
Raya walked straight toward the location of the Blue Phoenix Guild.
"I would love to bring this city to ruin someday," he said calmly, "as a celebration of my rebirth as the Twelfth Demon Lord."
Lira's eyes shone with excitement.
She immediately dropped to one knee, bowing deeply, her expression fanatical.
"All demons exist to serve you, my lord. Give the command, and even the Arch-demons will obey."
Raya barely reacted. At least she wasn't drawing attention. That was all that mattered.
What mattered more was the man he intended to see.
The man who had taken everything from him.
No death would ever be too merciful for that kind of person.
"For now," Raya said casually, as if he hadn't just spoken of destroying an entire city, "let's enjoy the rest of the day here. We'll return to the tower tomorrow."
Lira rose and nodded. "As you command, my lord. But… is something bothering you?"
Raya glanced at her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because ever since we arrived in this city, you've been a little…" She hesitated.
"I understand, even if you don't finish your sentence," he said calmly.
"Since you asked," Raya continued, his voice low, "I have this urge to see someone kneel and beg before my feet. To crush everything he has… along with this city. I want to see him suffer eternal, cruel torture if possible."
He wanted to continue, but the system intervened, calming his thoughts before even a trace of killing intent could leak out.
At this point, Raya wasn't even surprised anymore. The system existed to keep him logical, to prevent unnecessary emotions from clouding his mind.
Lira, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. Newly awakened Demon Lords often harbored intense urges either for domination, destruction or annihilation.
Compared to the others, the current demon lord was remarkably restrained.
"Who is it you wish to see crumble, my lord?" Lira asked. "Give me a name, and I will ensure they pay."
"Hmm…," Raya said, "I want you to investigate the founder and co-founder of the Blue Phoenix Guild."
"The Blue Phoenix Guild?" Lira frowned slightly. She hadn't heard of such a guild before, perhaps it was newly established.
She normally paid little attention to the affairs of humans, dwarves, demi-humans, or elves unless she was ordered to kill or their is an ongoing war between other races and the demon race.
"I will report back before midnight, my lord," she said.
Raya nodded. "Be careful. They may have strong mages or warriors."
"I will be," she replied.
In the next moment, Lira vanished from his side without drawing any attention.
'Eh? Didn't I say we should enjoy ourselves first?' Raya thought, smiling faintly.
'I suppose carrying out her lord's orders comes before fun.'
Raya glanced around the district.
"There's nothing worth sightseeing," he muttered. "It's only been a few days since I was last here. Nothing's changed in this town."
With that, he decided to return to the inn.