Footsteps. Screams. The unending drip of blood.
Sary ran through the thick darkness, viscous like oil. The air felt frozen in place. Behind him was laughter — no, a gnawing sound, like a beast chewing on fresh flesh.
> "You will live. Live until it is born. And then… I will eat its body piece by piece in front of you."
Rip... rip...
The dream tore apart, as if shredded by some unseen force. In front of him appeared a face identical to his own — but the eyes had no whites, only pure darkness.
Sary jolted upright, gasping, sweat streaming from his forehead down his neck. His hands trembled. The room was deathly silent.
> "Just a nightmare... I'm still alive…"
Next to the bed was a glass of water and a small white pill. A neatly folded note lay beside them.
> "Fatigue relief – Servant."
Without hesitation, Sary swallowed the pill and drank the water, letting the bitterness coat his throat.
> "Looks like I passed out somewhere. If I've returned to the castle… then the hero must be dead."
He got up and put on his usual black attire — a long cloak, silver thread embroidered at the cuffs.
---
Castle Hallway
Sary walked past the demon soldiers.
Some averted their faces. Some bowed hurriedly. None dared to meet his gaze.
> "What's going on? Do I have something on my face?"
He continued walking, passing a group of Succubi. One of them blushed and turned away upon seeing him. The other two even covered their mouths.
> "Are the rumors about me really that scary? Or is it the way I dress...?"
The air around him felt strange. Cold. Tense.
---
Demon Lord's Council Room
The door to the meeting room opened.
Nine captains sat around the black stone table, their eyes all turning to Sary as he entered.
The Demon Lord — seated at the highest place — smiled, his voice warm but laced with something hidden:
> "What a surprise. I thought you hated meetings, so I didn't call for you. But since you're here… have a seat."
Sary gave a slight bow and walked past the other captains. Each look they gave him was a mixture of reverence… and fear.
He paid them no mind, quietly taking his seat.
The Demon Lord nodded:
> "Since the Captain of Squad 1 has joined, let's start from the beginning."
> "Thanks to your efforts, the monsters around our territory have been eliminated, and our soldiers have received further training. The situation is stable."
> "And… as you all know, Hero Mirisu is dead."
Sary paused briefly.
> "So he really is dead… Maybe the Demon Lord was the one who saved me."
The Demon Lord continued:
> "Now I declare: from this day on, Captain of Squad 1 – Sary – will serve as acting Demon Lord during my absence."
> "Lead in my place. I trust you." (Damn it… I forgot about that! He said he'd leave temporarily… and I completely forgot!)
---
Demon Lord's Office
The Demon Lord was gone. Sary sat alone in the grandest office in the castle. In front of him was a stack of papers reaching up to his knees.
On each sheet: requests from soldiers, citizens, captains, and even… personal complaints.
Sary stared at them in silence.
> "I… have to handle all this?"
An hour passed.
He leaned back in his chair, face pale, hair a mess, dark circles under his eyes.
> "Only an hour… and I'm already exhausted…"
He looked back at the stack of papers.
It had doubled in height.
> "WHAT?! DEMON LORD… YOU BASTARD!!"
---
At the Citadel of Avela
In the gilded grand hall of the palace, the last light of day shone through stained-glass windows, breaking into blood-red streaks. Amidst the utter silence, a sharp shatter echoed.
Clang!!
A golden goblet fell to the white stone floor, breaking into pieces.
King Anveo — the supreme ruler of Avela — roared, his eyes ablaze.
> "What did you say?!"
Below, a soldier knelt on one knee, trembling, his head bowed so low it nearly touched the floor.
> "Y-Your Majesty… Hero Mirisu… is dead."
Silence engulfed the hall.
King Anveo gripped the arms of his throne tightly, the wrinkles on his forehead etched so deep they looked ready to split his skin.
> (I suspected it… since five days ago when we lost contact. But to think… he's truly dead.)
He spoke in a low tone, but his eyes were sharp as blades:
> "Did you find anything at the scene?"
> "Yes, Your Majesty. We retrieved three items: the Holy Sword, a man's hand, and a woman's foot."
Anveo narrowed his eyes. In his mind, the Hero's party quickly took form.
> (The Holy Sword… The man's hand — could be Mirisu or Berry. The woman's foot — Hana or Yela… But what about the fourth one?)
> "There were four in the Hero's party. Why are there only three body parts?!"
The soldier broke out in cold sweat:
> "We searched the battlefield thoroughly, but those were all we could find…"
The air in the hall grew suffocating.
> "Enough. All of you, leave."
The courtiers and soldiers bowed and hurried out of the hall, leaving Anveo alone on his throne.
In the silence, King Anveo let out a bitter, derisive laugh, then roared like thunder:
> "A bunch of failures. I placed my trust, all my hopes… and what did I get in return?"
> "Hero?! Holy light?! Just a bunch of nobodies draped in divine cloaks!"
He clenched his fists until blood seeped from them, then took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
After a while, he turned toward the hallway, voice deep and gravelly:
> "Guards."
A soldier rushed in and bowed.
> "At your command!"
> "Prepare the carriage. And inform the crown prince to ready his assets for relocation. Quickly."
> "Yes, Your Majesty!"
---
Anveo stood still, eyes gazing up at the vaulted, silver-plated ceiling.
> (If the light has gone out… then darkness will return. The Church will exploit this chaos. The nobles will begin forming factions.)
> (No, I must move first. I have to seize the initiative before the whole kingdom becomes a battlefield between faith and power.)