The next morning, Feria, the Elf Queen, decided she would try working at the convenience store. She floated toward the counter with the same regal poise that had earned her kingdoms and armies, her long silver hair flowing behind her like a river of moonlight. Her golden crown caught the fluorescent store lights and sparkled—so much so that the first customer blinked, startled.
"Peasant," Feria said, her voice rich with disdain, "do you truly require this… inferior snack?"
The customer blinked nervously. "Uh… I just want a soda?"
Feria's lips curled into a slight sneer. "A soda? You call that a preference? In my kingdom, only the finest nectar is fit for consumption. How dare you sully the honor of this establishment with such mediocrity?"
Nyx peeked from behind the shelves, stifling laughter. "Ohhh, this is going to be amazing!" she whispered to no one in particular.
Arthos, still slightly drunk from the previous night's "team-building exercises," stumbled toward the register. "Queen… maybe… uh… maybe tone it down a bit?"
Feria waved a delicate hand in dismissal. "Silence, mortal! I am here to enlighten these humans about the proper standards of taste."
The first few customers recoiled, unsure how to respond. The man holding a soda gave her a nervous smile and stepped back, while a woman clutching a candy bar muttered, "What is happening?"
Within minutes, complaints began piling up.
"This lady was rude to me!" shouted one customer.
"She told me I shouldn't buy instant noodles!" wailed another.
"She mocked my choice of candy! I can't believe this!" yelled a third, holding a pack of chocolate bars protectively.
Even Nyx was laughing so hard that she almost toppled behind the counter. "This is perfect! She's the first retail casualty!"
The manager appeared, clipboard in hand, storming down the aisle. His expression was pure exasperation. "Feria! Step away from the register—now!"
Feria turned slowly, eyes blazing. "And why is that, mortal? I am teaching these… uncultured humans the meaning of refined taste!"
"By insulting every single customer!" the manager snapped. "You're scaring people, insulting their purchases, and generally making a scene. That is not how one works in retail. You… are fired."
Feria gasped, hand flying to her chest. "Fired?! After only minutes of service?!"
Bella, leaning against the counter with an amused smirk, muttered, "Welcome to the human world. The rules are different here. And rude behavior gets punished."
The Demon King, still jittering slightly from the Blue Bull energy drink, let out a chuckle. "Even royalty is not immune to retail discipline. This… pleases me."
Feria's hands trembled in outrage. "Banished by mortals! I have traversed dimensions for the finest delicacies, and instead, I am humiliated by a petty manager and inferior snacks?"
Arthos, still trying to regain his balance behind the register, muttered, "At least… the store is safe again…"
The manager waved his clipboard toward the door. "You will leave. And do not return without proper training."
Feria turned on her heel and floated toward the exit, her cloak flowing dramatically behind her. "I shall not forget this injustice! I came seeking culinary wonders, and instead… I am exiled by mortals!"
Nyx squealed in delight. "YES! Fired already! That was fast! And I love it!"
Garruk muttered, holding a mop like a spear, "At least the chaos will settle… maybe."
Bella sighed, rubbing her temples. "I survived dungeons, cursed relics, and armies of demons… and this? This is what truly breaks me."
As Feria disappeared through the automatic doors, muttering about mortal incompetence, the convenience store slowly returned to its chaotic normality. Soda towers were slightly crooked, noodles were still on the floor in some corners, and Nyx had hidden a Pokémon card behind the counter—but somehow, customers began to cautiously return.
The Demon King stirred his Blue Bull and muttered, "Perhaps… retail is more brutal than war."
Nyx grinned. "And I'm going to make sure every royal visitor learns that lesson!"
Bella shook her head. "We are all doomed. And that… includes me."
Somewhere, in the corner of the store, a stray cup noodle teetered on the edge of a shelf, silently promising that chaos would return the moment someone looked away.