After the death of the Lizard King, Shisha took it upon herself to ride around on a horse, dangling his head for all to see.
Those from the Farglo nation who saw the head of their king immediately surrendered and were taken in by the Darkin forces.
Of the two thousand men that came to the war, only seven hundred survived, and even then, five hundred of those were severely injured.
Days passed, and the effects of the war soon faded, leaving time for Vani to finally address the aftermath.
He was seated on a pillow, a basket of fruit arranged before him.
To his side, his three top generals were present, along with Alice, who was standing right behind him.
On the opposite side sat the council: two top men who were in charge of overseeing the nation's internal affairs.
First was Sinao, an old demi-human said to be in charge of the nation's budget and trades.
The second was Akil, a young male Snakeite in charge of national communications and other political business within the Darkin nation.
And then finally, right in the middle of the entire group, was Luhar, the current representative for Farglo.
His arms and legs were chained, making it difficult for him to move.
He knew he was currently in the nation's meeting room, and outside the building were multiple guards.
Escape was the last thing on his mind.
"Filthy lizardman. You should be thanking the gods we chose not to strike you down the moment you set foot in our country," Akil uttered bitterly. One would think he wanted to spit on Luhar.
Right after that, Sinao turned to Vani.
"Lord Vani, why have you chosen to imprison these people? We should hold a public execution and turn the other seven hundred into slaves for trade. Why are we treating their wounds? Please think this through."
Vani didn't say a word. His eyes were solely fixed on Luhar, who, for the most part, did not look intimidated.
"Councilor Sinao, I'll advise you to watch your tone. The generals do not take disrespect to His Lordship lightly," Alice uttered from behind Vani.
Sinao, for one, acknowledged her warning after he took a quick glance at Shisha and saw the death stare that nearly pierced his heart.
Scared, he averted his eyes, choosing not to say anything more.
Vani sighed. "What is your name, young warrior?" he asked the man before him.
Luhar slowly raised his head and answered, "Luhar. Luhar Cilama."
'He is not even scared. As I thought, he is most likely the brains of Farglo. He knows there is a reason I haven't killed him, and he is waiting to find out.' Vani sighed internally. 'This Demon Lord role is really stressing me out. Having to project this powerful aura with every word I say is not healthy.'
Settling his mind, Vani uttered out loud, "Who is meant to succeed the throne after your king, Agis?"
"The king has no heirs. Following our law, as his brother, I am currently the one leading the nation."
"Hmm, is that so? So whatever decision you make here is absolute?"
"Y-yes," Luhar replied hesitantly.
"Very well. Farglo is a prosperous nation. I hear you people have plants and herbs worth investing in. You may know nothing of their true value, but that's okay; it happens. I wish for that land to keep growing. As such, I have an offer."
Luhar gulped.
"Are you going to ask me to become your brother by title?"
"Wow, very good. You did think ahead."
Hearing this, everyone instantly had shocked expressions on their faces.
"My Lord! Please rethink this!" yelled Rebecca, her wolf ears twitching. "Lizard people are not the type to yield to a new leader. They will betray us down the line."
"I agree," added Terra, throwing a disgusted look at Luhar. "As much as I hate to admit it, their loyalty to their own people far exceeds the norm. They won't submit. We should just kill them all."
Vani, however, remained calm.
'I understand their concerns, but I have measures to prevent that. Luhar has most likely already weighed his options. The question is, which one will he pick?'
Luhar finally replied, "If I refuse, what then?"
That question struck a chord within Shisha, but she chose not to say anything. Unlike Terra and Rebecca, she tended not to question Vani, not even for a second.
"If you refuse my offer, then you leave me with no choice. You witnessed what I am capable of firsthand. I will burn Farglo to the ground and exterminate its people from the face of the earth. This, I call mercy. Enslavement without loyalty is a waste of time."
Luhar bit his lower lip in contemplation.
He had feared that the Demon Lord would threaten him, but to think he would go as far as wiping out an entire nation…
The scariest part was that he had the power to do so.
How on earth did Darkin gain so much power in the blink of an eye?
There was no use fighting it; nothing could be done. It was a choice between survival and servitude.
"C-can I state a few conditions? If I am to agree to this, I would like to ensure that no one from my nation is undermined or devalued," Luhar said calmly.
Vani smiled. "Of course. I treat everyone under me with love and compassion. Agreeing to be my little brother comes with that package; you need not worry."
"Then I accept."
"Excellent. Now then, to make sure you don't end up betraying me down the line, there are a few measures to take before you sign the contract for the brother title."
Vani stood up from where he was seated and slowly walked towards Luhar.
Everyone had their eyes on him, wondering what he intended to do.
Then suddenly, he stopped.
"Tell me, how do you think demons are made?"
Vani's eyes glowed with red intensity as he stared down at the young lizardman.