I greeted Phisovia, who came along with thousands of elves in a large field near my base.
"Are you okay?" I stroked the cheek of the red-haired succubus.
She wore a faint smile, although her face looked tired. "I'm okay, my lord. The trip went well. Even though monsters and rebels were blocking us, we were able to repel them."
"Good." I turned to look at the elves sitting on the grass to rest, then said to them. "Welcome to my place. Relax. You don't need to stand up. Just sit down and listen to me. I know you are exhausted from the long journey."
I looked at them with a big smile, even though I felt fragile. "We are building a settlement for you, but the completion is still a long way off. So, you will live in the tents we have prepared for a while. But don't worry, you will get all your needs. If there's anything else you need, tell the guards."
The elves gasped when suddenly a colorful flower grew rapidly among the grass. Velvet came with several bodyguards while holding the baby fairy.
"Who will be your representative?" I asked those elves.
An elf with short blue hair advanced toward me. I remember she was a woman who once prevented me from killing their leader.
I took over the fairy baby, then handed it to that elf. "Take good care of her because this is a gift for you. In return, help us with farming in this place."
The baby chuckled at that elf.
The blue-haired elf nodded with tears in her eyes. "We promise we will do well, oh my great lord. With her, the elves will rise to their former glory again."
The elves knelt down and bowed to me, then said in unison. "We will swear allegiance to you, lord Vorn!"
I waved, and they cheered loudly. In my heart, I felt a great relief.
I really have to do this.
"Take them to the camp." I gave an order to one of my underlings, then spoke to Phisovia again. "I hope you're not too tired. I want to show you something."
The red-haired succubus tilted its head. "You didn't talk about this before via long-distance communication."
I just chuckled at her confused face.
***
"This is wonderful, my lord." Phisovia's gaze wandered around the white and red decorations that adorned a large hall at our base. The chairs are neatly arranged, although workers are still finishing their work.
"Do you like it?" I asked her. "If there's something you don't like, we can still make changes."
"No, my lord." She shook her head. "You really understand my taste. It's so perfect."
Yeah, different from Velvet and Emily, Phisovia really likes festivities. I will throw a big wedding party that no one can ever forget.
She put her arms around my neck and looked at me deeply. "Finally, my dream has come true, my lord."
"I just want you to be happy, honey."
We then linked our lips together. As usual, I feel her tenderness and warmth.
But it didn't last long.
Instantly, the sound of the demons working disappeared. Not only that, this time, I only felt the cold on my lips.
When I opened my eyes and took a few steps back, I found that Phisovia was still in her position, and her body had turned as gray as stone.
"What?" I looked around and found the same thing happened to the worker demons. Meanwhile, the human workers could only be as confused as I was.
After a few seconds, I get a long-distance call from Emily.
"Do you see this, my lord?" The supreme undead said in a quick tone. "They all became statues."
Even though panic hit me, I still tried to think clearly. "Gather all those who are still standing, especially the higher-ups! Then meet me in the meeting room!"
"Very well, my lord."
As soon as the connection was cut, I stroked Phisovia's cheek again with a trembling hand. I could move her somewhere, but I'm afraid to damage her body.
"Wait, Phisovia." I hissed with rising anger. "Whoever does this will be rewarded."
I hurriedly ran out of the hall, intending to check on the others. However, just a few steps from that place, a person with a hood on his head jumped at me.
I blocked his kick, and he jumped again to get away.
"Who are you?" I asked the thin, brown-haired man. "Are you the one who made all this happen?"
"You forgot about me, uncle Vorn?" He lowered his hood, showing the two little horns on his head. "Well, the last time I saw you was when I was a baby. It's only natural that you don't know me."
I frowned, feeling a familiarity with that man.
"It's me." He stretched out his hands. "Ethan Jr., You gave me this name."
My heartbeats suddenly jumped. I couldn't believe my own ears.
"No…." My gaze got sharper looking at him. "Don't play games with me."
"I come from the future." He grinned. "As the prophet, my job is to kill you, uncle."
Suddenly that man's body emitted thick white smoke. Then the figure that came out of the smoke was not a man, but a horned figure with an orange and red body. Her big, flaming eyes confirmed that she was a demon.
But something is different. A white halo hovered over his head.
"Come on, uncle." He spoke with his mouth full of tiny fangs. "I want to defeat you with your ultimate form."
"Don't make me break my promise to your mother." I hissed. "That is if you really are Ethan Jr."
"Whatever." He stepped forward and tried to punch me, but I caught his fist with one hand.
"Hmmm…. Turns out you're still not bad even though your body is so weak, huh?" That man laughed.
I kicked him in the stomach, causing him to roll backward. "Is that so, huh? You attacked me at my weakest. You claimed that you're a prophet. How can you use such sneaky methods?"
Slowly, my body emitted black smoke. I concentrated on changing my form.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m