Chapter 18: Prepare for War

“How was your training? What level are you now?” The cloaked little girl kept jumping around me like a bunny, asking one question after the other. “Are you strong now? Did you have fun? Who’s this? Is this your familiar? Mount? Slave?”

“Yes, yes. Nice to see you too, Lureschka,” I said, half chuckling, half trying to stop the little devil from skittling.

“Come on~ Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!” she said, making a cute face.

“I will. I will, but won’t you let them stand up first?” I pointed to Shiki and Bria, who were still genuflecting on the chamber’s hard floor.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry ‘bout that. You can stand up now, Shiki, Bria.” She showed her hand, palm up, then slowly lifted it. Bria and Shiki followed as it rose. “Now. Tell me. Tell me. Please~”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll tell you. I’m now…” I mentally opened my character window, checking my stats for the first time after the battle on the cliff. 

I leveled up three times? Hmm… Oh yeah. It’s probably because I somehow subjugated the Nighthowls. How did I even did that?

Lureschka leaned closer, breaking my thoughts.

Nodding my head, I looked at Lureschka’s eager face. “Well, I’m level 23 now. I can also use Wind Cutter, Wind Walk, and a Pseudo Crescent Slash that is way below the real Crescent Slash. And I have a new pet.” I brushed Rihoku’s soft, black fur. Rihoku made cute noises in response. “His name is Rihoku.”

Lureschka’s eyes glowed. Propping her head beside me, she asked, “Can I pet him?”

“Sure.” I nodded.

Lureschka placed her hand on Rihoku’s head, gently giving him a pat. Then, a white aura suddenly blanketed Rihoku. My hand instinctively hovered towards Gale, wary of what was happening, but Shiki quickly stopped my hand.

“Hihi sorry about that, Kaito. I’m just petting him. They like this soothing spell, you see.”

“Oh is that so… I’m sorry.” Embarrassed, I withdrew my hand.

“Why are you apologizing?” With furrowed brows and knitted forehead, she looked at me as if I’d done something weird. But when she didn’t find what she was looking for, the glow in her eyes returned. “Tell me about your adventures. What did you see out there? Tell me. Tell me!”

I chuckled, then told her about what I had gone through the past month. I told her about Shiki’s demonic training, as well as Bria’s torturous lectures. Then, I told her how Rihoku ended up being my pet. I also told her about Castel, the weird old woman, Garr and his pub, and restaurant mishap. Of course, my subordinates, the goblins and the Nighthowls, were also present in the story. 

All the while I was telling Lureschka my adventure, she was laughing, asking, and eagerly listening to my tales of adventures. It was as if I was talking to an old friend rather than a Demon Lord. Talking to her made me feel warm and soft inside. It was a feeling I seldom felt in my old world.

However, the conversation took a drastic turn when the Golden Sun’s name was brought up.

“Lureschka, I have a serious matter to tell you.” My expression immediately became serious.

Seeing my reaction, Lureschka’s smile vanished, and a more serious expression came out, which was very unfitting of her current image. Nevertheless, I didn’t dare point it out in that situation and continued, “The human that was leading an army in Bria’s aura, the Golden Sun, is brewing something big. The entire town was scrambling to prepare themselves for his arrival. According to Garr, him coming signals another expedition. He would be recruiting adventurers and creating another army.”

Lureschka’s expression turned grim, her body growing a few years older. “Not good. Not good… Did you see him, Kaito? How strong is he?” She looked at me, her eyes sharp and threatening. 

I quivered, feeling fear that I hadn’t felt before. Her cute, young form made me forget that she was the Demon Lord. Albeit she had only grown a bit bigger, her terrifying eyes were enough to remind me of her status. “Ahh… no, unfortunately. If what Garr said is correct, he should have arrived at Castel by now. But with our cover being blown, there’s no way we can infiltrate their ranks.”

“Your cover was blown? How?” Lureschka tilted her head, eyes scrutinizing. 

A shiver went down my spine. Just as I was about to reply, Bria came out and knelt on both knees. “It’s my fault, my lord.” Even with her head low, I could see her biting her lip so hard that a knick of blood was dripping down her chin. “I was abducted by humans.”

“Abducted?” Lureschka’s voice was flat, but I could sense the air getting heavier. “A general being abducted by humans. I presume you know what this means, Bria?”

“I do…” Bria’s voice trailed off.

Seeing her in that state, I couldn’t just continue watching. “Lureschka, don’t… don’t punish her. She was exhausted making sure we were safe.”

“Oh ho, but that’s her mission, Kaito. Besides, she shouldn’t have exposed a weakness. That’s unbecoming of being a general.” 

“But still!” I bit my lip, anxious that I wasn’t actually helping Bria. “We– we’ll make up for it.”

“Make up? How? Have you decided to finally be my champion, Kaito?” Her right eyebrow rose.

“No…” My voice trailed off. “I– I won’t…”

“Then, how?” Lureschka looked at me, serious and threatening. “You don’t have to do anything, Kaito. It’s not your fault. Bria just has to be relieved of her–”

“We’ll stop the Golden Sun!” I cut her off even before she could finish. I whipped my head and saw Bria’s hand trembling. There were a few drops of blood on the back of her hand. I grit my teeth. “Don’t punish Bria. In exchange, we’ll fight the Golden Sun.”

A crisp tiny laugh echoed throughout the chamber. Looking at the throne, Lureschka started to shrink, deaging to her tiny form. “Why are you so serious, Kaito? I was just mocking you a little hehe.” She came running to me, but it felt different. “Come on, don’t be like that. I wasn’t serious. Right, Bria?” She turned her back towards me and looked at Bria.

Bria stood up, wiped the blood off her lips, and laughed. “Hahahaha we got you good, didn’t we?” Her face was bright with no hint of fear. She smiled, her hands on her back. No hint of fear or worry.

Heat rushed to my face. I didn’t know what to feel. “What?” dumbfounded, I couldn’t help but ask. “Is all of that a prank?”

“Yes! Hahaha!” Lureschka kept jumping around, smiling from ear to ear. 

I slumped on my butt. I caught myself slack jawed. Lureschka came closer and patted my back. Her face finally turned serious. “It was fun, but that Golden Sun sounds like trouble. If we just sit and wait, numerous villages might be attacked.” She bit her lip again and furrowed her brows. 

I composed myself and stood up with Bria’s help. Pretending that none of those happened, I asked, “Then, what should we do?”

“We must fight them. But there’s a problem. I can’t leave my dungeon vulnerable.”

“How about your generals?”

“I cannot do that as well. With Bria and Shiki away, sending another general will greatly chip away our forces.” Her tiny hands tightly grabbed my shoulders and looked at me in the eye. “There’s only one option we can choose.”

I gulped audibly. I didn’t have a good feeling on what was about to come, and I was right. 

“I will hold you accountable to what you said. Please defeat that Golden Sun.” 

Still locking eyes, I could see the begging and seriousness on her face. I sighed. “Fine. What choice do I have?”

“Really?” Her face lit up. 

I nodded. 

“Hooray! Uruq-ai!” she shouted and gestured for one of the generals to come. “Even if I can’t send another general, I could at least lend you some help.”

A frail young boy came close. Two beetle horns were sticking out of his head. When he came near Lureschka, I also noticed two shiny carapaces on his back. The boy struggled to kneel, I imagined from the carapace’s weight, but still managed to do a formal gesture. 

“Uruq-ai, can you please give Kaito some help?”

“Yes…” Uruq-ai responded in a low buzzing noise. He struggled to stand up. He waved his hand in the air, and a black mist came out of his hand. At first, I thought it was the same aura Bria emitted when casting spells, but the mist separated and flew towards me. Ten small, gray, puffy balls surrounded me.

“These are Mossquitoes,” Lureschka explained.

I laughed. Mossquitoes? Really now? 

“Why are you laughing, Kaito?” Lureschka looked at me in confusion. “They might look like that but they are useful. Uruq-ai can control, share their senses, and use them to communicate within a certain range. Of course, it’s not without weakness. Uruq-ai can only control them within a certain range, so even if he stays here, he can provide some support. Control those Mossquitoes as you see fit.”

My eyes widened. “So, they’re just like walkie talkies! Cool!”

“Walkie talkies? What’s that?” she asked.

“Ahh… Uhmm, nevermind.” I gave up when my mind failed to grasp a reasonable explanation, then hurriedly changed the topic. “How can we fight the Golden Sun with just these? I’m still too weak!”

A mischievous smile similar to Bria’s appeared on Lureschka’s face. “If he’s building an army, then build one yourself!”