In the large inn that we had temporarily kept the demons in, a loud voice boomed.
"A temporary solution?" One of the demons in the guise of an old human man spoke up. His countenance of maturity made me believe that he was likely the spokesperson for the demons.
Well, that didn't matter.
"I promised you that you will live without hiding your horns, didn't I?"
The people on my side shook at those words.
Glasses, Albert, Keith, Irina, Lethe and oddly enough, Hoya and Anatolia were the only ones here.
Except for Irina and Lethe, all of them seemed surprised to their cores.
"H-horns?"
Glasses murmured.
Hoya and Anatolia couldn't move after hearing my words.
Slapping his face, Keith broke into a burst of laughter.
"Hilarious. Just fucking hilarious, it's as I expected from you, young master."
I grinned too, the demons were likely confused at this reaction of ours.
"Crazy bastard," Albert said, "You fucking brought in demons? What are you planning?"
"Probably the same thing you are," though even glasses was here, I honestly trusted Albert the least. I knew he would never go behind my back or that he would ever betray me, even if he did it would be something that I could rely on him for, but the fucker was just as smart as me if not smarter.
I could never really tell what he was thinking.
I hoped he would spill his plans from such ambiguous statements and ease my life a bit.
"Our… horns, liege?"
"Correct, Glasses, go call the mayor and all the guards."
"Sir!? Yes! I am going right now and reporting you for blasphemy—"
Glasses was slapped.
"Sir! Yes, I am going to bring them and have them do whatever you ask."
Glasses shot off and I stretched my hands.
"Let's go out too, all of you." I pointed at the demons. "You guys too, come along."
We stepped out of the tavern and moved toward the back of the city, near the Ediab forest's entrance where all the noble mansions I had had built. Those fuckers wanted property so I gave them some, albeit too far from the city to enjoy.
It was then that someone else came over to us from the sides. A man with a stubble and whitening hair donning long robes.
"My liege," he called.
"C-court Physician!?!" Hoya screamed. "What is this—"
The person gave a glance towards Hoya and bowed in front of me.
"Raise your head, Bathym."
""B-bathym…?""
The two regressors both muttered while Albert started laughing this time.
"Damn it, you always go one step extra. You really brought a whole demon lord along my sides…"
I patted Albert's back as he continued laughing on my shoulder.
And then, Glasses came back too, huffing and puffing like a big bad wolf. Behind him the old man mayor and the many guards and knights of the city.
"Can't you tell me if you're changing spots?"
"Skill issue. Move."
Glasses was pushed aside and I stared at the ones behind him. The mayor lowered his head and stuck his palms as he walked over to me.
"Lord… whatever might be the case? We'll assist you in any way—"
"Are there any nobles living in that place right now?"
The place deep into the Ediab forest was rarely taken over by the citizens of this town anyway. With the nobles being in place too, almost no one ever went in there.
"About 10 different noble families are inside right now…"
"What!? How many noble families did you give land to?"
"Around sixty, lord. Excluding the royals, of course."
I pressed my head.
"Whatever. All you knights, raise your spears."
Some of them were probably ones that were with me when I fought the Dark Moon, and the others must have heard of my accolades since all of them were brimming with enthusiasm.
"Now, rush in, and kick out every single noble living in there."
"M-my lord!?" The mayor squealed. "W-we can't do that, there's a margrave and a noble from the empire here too."
A smile etched itself on my face. It wasn't going to be the margrave of Mirxa, that man was still on his way here.
"Go! Now!"
"Sir yes sir!"
The knights all screamed.
"Kick out every single person inside! Show no mercy!"
The knights laughed and hooted as they went in. They held their spears above their heads like barbarians and chanted 'blood' 'blood' over and over.
"Huh?" I muttered, shocked.
"Wow, your knights are just as crazy as mine," Albert commented.
"Hehehehe!" Keith, the likely criminal, scratched the back of his head and moved away. Well, as long as they worked well chanting blood wasn't that problematic—
"AAAAH!"
My line of thought was interrupted by a loud scream, following it was the sounds of battle and the louder laughter of the knights.
Bams echoed, a tree thudded down to the ground, a cloud of dust followed, and running out came the nobles and all their servants.
They stopped in their tracks when they saw me. Most of them came over to me with angry faces and started babbling out.
"Lord Eugene! What is happening!?"
"Monsters, barbarians have attacked."
"Right right, shut up for a second—"
"This is not done, you have to take care of our safety—"
Annoying fucks.
I placed just the teeniest, tiniest bit of ancient pressure on them and all of them fell to their knees. A few in the back started puking, but who cared?
"I ordered them too. I am taking this land back, go home for now and you buy some other stuff at some other place."
"T-that's insane! Are you not in your right mind, how can you do this—"
I pointed simply at Anatolia and Hoya next to us. I wasn't going to get violent.
"Their orders. Do you care about your houses more than your relationship with the princess of the kingdom and the empire?"
This was the only reason I had brought them along.
The nobles all shut up, and the barbaric knights returned.
"Escort them away."
The nobles stood up at my next command to the knights.
"There's no need!"
"Haha, we'll do it! Let's go, let's go!~"
The nobles and their servants disappeared from sight within minutes. The knights left with them too.
I sent the mayor back and walked into the path, gesturing at the others to follow along. The demons and my people were the only ones to come inside, even the mayor was sent back.
Past the thicket of trees, deep into the forest of Ediab.
Another small city had been erected. A place for the nobles and the nobles only. The vast buildings and the spreading trees took all of their attention as they gazed around at the now-emptied place.
At last, I turned to the demon gang and crossed my arms.
"Go. This is your home now."
"My… liege?"
Bathym spoke.
"No one comes here, even if someone does, I'll silence them. You can live here as yourselves."
"Home…?"
"No need. To hide?"
The demons were stunned and confused.
Tears dripped from some of their eyes, while others only kept murmuring the same words.
"These people are easy to cry, right Eugy?"
I agreed with Titania.
"You should give them a proper reason to cry."
I gently poured out some of my pressure once more. Instead of making them kneel, this only increased my presence.
The demons all looked toward me.
"One year."
My voice boomed in the forest.
"In one year, you will not have to hide even in this city. In one year, you will not have to fear showing your horns. In one year…"
"I will make this a world where you can roam free."
The demons shuddered.
"This is just temporary, don't get used to it."
I turned away and started walking out of the forest.
My goals.
My responsibility.
My strength.
I was to take all of it.
The outer gods.
I wouldn't let them trample on anything. A power that protects, that was what I held now.
"A lot better will come."
Behind my back.
Every single demon revealed its horns again, and all of them kneeled, their horns almost touching the ground.
But I didn't look back.
I only had to move forward.
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