After the chat with Luciano, we were set up in guest rooms, while most of Lord Lan Xin's guards returned to the castle. Generally speaking, things are quite stable now; Luciano accepted becoming a subordinate without a fight. With the return of the Great Demon King, any territory that accepts submission will be tax-exempt for 5 years, receive his protection, and even be provided with food.
Needless to say, the residents here chanted the name of their new ruler like he was some kind of intense savior.
"Long live Demon Dragon King Lan Atur!"
Yeah, that's what they call me. Since I'm already a Demon King, and a Demon Dragon King at that—super cool. So now my full title is Demon Dragon King 'Lan' Atur.
I only just learned that the 'Lan' in 'Lan Xin' is a title, not a name. It's a tradition in this Vasile region; anyone who achieves the title of Demon King gets 'Lan' attached to their name to show respect. Kind of like 'Don' for Italian Mafiosos. Usually, people would use 'Lan' instead of 'Lord,' but since Lan Xin is a Great Demon King, he likes being called Lord Lan Xin just because it sounds… cool.
It's the hobby of a strong person, I guess; I don't really know.
By the way, Luciano is also called 'Lan'. Actually, 'was called,' because now his territory of Gawl belongs to… me. Or rather, according to Lord Lan Xin, this entire Vasile region has been handed over to me by him. Managing, renovating, and helping its residents is my job, like a true Demon King, while he only provides support.
"Well, I promised I would help you, remember?"
He did say that. I should have forced him to promise 'to rule this place well yourself' instead. But oh well, I don't have Doraemon's time machine to fix my mistakes.
"But isn't this originally your territory?" I tried to salvage the situation. "Is it really okay to give it to me like this? Besides, people respect you more than me."
"Respect can be earned through action. You made me respect you, which means sooner or later they will respect you too."
That's true but why did you choose this exact moment to act all wise!? Aaaaaaa!!!
"As for whose territory it is, that doesn't matter. If I say it's yours now, then it's yours."
And why did you suddenly switch to being tyrannical right after that!?
"But… I still have to go home." I buried my face in my hands helplessly. "I can't stay here forever. I have a fiancée waiting for me…"
I've wasted nearly a year and a half here. That means in less than two years, Eris will turn 15—that's adulthood! Even though she might wait for me forever, I still want to return to see my fiancée as soon as possible!
"Who's forcing you to stay here forever? What the hell are you talking about, Baby Dragon named Atur?"
"Eh? What do you mean? Is there a way?"
"If you want to leave, just leave. You're the Dragon Demon King. No one has the right to force you to do anything!"
I completely forgot how irresponsibly Lan Xin lives regarding his own domain. I thought he'd offer some brilliant idea, but it turned out to be 'screw it'. Sometimes I wish I were heartless so life would be easier.
"I can't say I'll save people and then just wipe my hands of it and leave." I shook my head decisively. Whenever I run into situations like this, it seems my life is far from being peaceful. "Especially since, having just arrived, I understand how much the residents of this land are suffering."
The people are all skin and bones. The children are malnourished. There's no stable source of clean water, and the crops are pathetic. If an important town like Gawl is in this state, other places might be much worse.
Thinking of those scenes, I couldn't help but sigh. "If I ignore the lives and deaths of others just for my own happiness, I won't be able to eat or sleep well."
Yeah, I'm the type of character who likes to be a busybody even when no one asks. So what?
"Truly chivalrous! Ke ke ke!" Lan Xin patted my head loudly. "That is why I feel assured handing this land over to you, my Baby Dragon!"
It's just because you want to push the responsibility onto someone else.
But whatever. I will definitely do my best. In the meantime, sending a letter back to Roa to tell Eris and everyone that I'm still fine and will return before I turn 15 to get married should be enough.
Yeah. It's decided then.
…
That night, I didn't sleep.
Because Vamp—ah, I mean the Blood Tribe—aren't used to sleeping at night. So I spent that time reading Luciano's documents and grasping the situation in Vasile.
Roughly speaking, as mentioned, this region, which is nearly as big as Japan, is divided into 5 different major factions that doesn't bother to care about each others except some rare occasions. For instance, Gawl is also a small town under the 'rule' of a faction led by some Demon King named Fuzzie. I heard they are ruled by a guy from a boar-like race who is extremely strong, capable of defeating even a North King.
But he also have a weird habit of starting wrestling competition between buffed mans. It's not like Sumo as I first imagined, but more like this world version of WWE. Yep, purely for a show and somehow some funny guys would pay to see that stuffs happens.
"Basically, that guy is quite strong and has many formidable subordinates. Rumor has it he has nearly a thousand soldiers (wrestlers)!" Luciano said while wiping sweat. "Us folks in Gawl are too weak, so if Demon Dragon King Lan Atur intends to confront him, please remember to keep us out of the crossfire."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. And please just call me Atur."
"As you wish, Demon Dragon King Atur."
"That's not what I meant… but whatever then."
And honestly, I have no intention of fighting (or wrestling) anyone. If possible, I'd rather sit down and negotiate. But in negotiations, you always need to have something advantageous, right? Maybe I should show off a bit of power to scare the other side.
"If a fight breaks out, do you think we can take on a thousand warriors?" I looked at Lan Xin, who was filing his nails, and asked.
"Rest assured, it's a small matter." He said without taking his eyes off his sharp iron nails. "I can go there alone and punch that Fuzzie guy myself."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. I know Lord Lan Xin is strong, but I didn't think he was that terrifyingly capable.
"Don't believe me?" Lan Xin immediately stood up. "Then let me prove it to you!"
Then he leaped out the window and vanished into the night. Leaving Luciano and me looking at each other in confusion.
Five hours later. Yes, exactly five hours later, while I was still discussing rationing with support from the Great Demon King's castle, Lan Xin reappeared in Luciano's office with some fat guy who had a boar face. The guy still looked shocked pale. Not only that, the crotch of his pajamas was soaking wet, looking somewhat pathetic.
"Here! I went hunting and brought this back! Ke ke ke!"
"Ah! It's Lan Fuzzie!"
I had wondered if Lord Lan Xin would just pick up some random person fitting the description, but seeing the mayor of Gawl that terrified meant it was the real deal.
Holy crap, he just went and kidnapped a Demon King as if he were actually hunting a wild boar!
"What now, Baby Dragon named Atur?" Lan Xin threw the bound and gagged Fuzzie onto the floor and looked at me. He spread his hands full of sharp nails and opened his mouth, his two fangs glinting. "Kill him?"
"Mmph mmph mmph!!!" Immediately, the bound Demon King flopped around like a shrimp. "Mmph mmph mmph! Mmph mmph!!!"
I didn't know what the hell he was saying, but it was probably a cry for help. Even though I had just spent the whole night listening to Luciano list this guy's crimes, saying to kill him right now was a bit too cold-blooded. But before figuring out what to do, I needed to understand the situation more clearly.
"Ah… first of all, how did you catch this guy?" I frowned and asked, eyes not leaving the bound figure.
"I flew straight to his castle, punched the guards away, grabbed him by the neck, and brought him back! Ke ke ke!"
"Oh…"
I thought he had used magic or something to destroy an entire city. Turns out he just grabbed the specific guy needed.
"I think we should deal with him quickly," Lan Xin added. "Before leaving, I announced to his entire army that I was bringing him here to Gawl."
"WHY!?" Luciano and I shouted in unison.
"Because that is how a Great Demon King works! Ke ke ke!" Lan Xin crossed his arms and declared eloquently. "If you kidnap someone, you have to announce where they can come to rescue him!"
Dear holy Saint Millis in Heaven! How is that any different from declaring war? All the plans I wanted to arrange for a peaceful settlement have now been thrown into the trash can.
"So what now? Kill the pig, yeah?" Lan Xin pointed at the rolling Fuzzie. "Or do you prefer keeping a hostage to increase the drama?"
At this point, I don't know how much more dramatic it can get. Luciano was already foaming at the mouth and had passed out.
"I think I should talk to the hostage a bit." I coughed dryly and slowly walked over to where Fuzzie was struggling.
"If you harm me, my elite army will kill all of you!" As soon as I removed his gag, a shower of spit was fired straight into my face. "Let me tell you ignorant fools, my power in this Demon Continent is second only to—"
I immediately stuffed the cloth back into his mouth. "I think we should just kill him."
"Yeah, let's kill him." Lan Xin immediately extended his claws.
"Mmph mmph mmph!!! Mmph mmph mmph!!!"
Actually, we didn't kill him. Obviously, I'm not that cold-blooded. I just let Lord Lan Xin beat the guy half to death, then used magic to heal him, and repeated it until he had to beg for mercy.
After Fuzzie reached the begging stage, we talked reason.
"In short, from now on you will be a subordinate of the Great Demon King—"
"Demon Dragon King Lan Atur." Before I could finish, Lan Xin cut in. "You will be a subordinate of Demon Dragon King Atur, are we clear? If you dare try anything funny, I, the Great Blood Demon King Lan Xin, will make you wish you were dead. Understand?"
"Yes, yes, we are clear! Super clear!" Fuzzie nodded furiously and groveled on his knees before me. "This subordinate swears to be the most loyal servant of Lord Demon Dragon King Lan Atur!"
After gaining Fuzzie's submission, needless to say, the generals of that boar Demon King weren't convinced. So Lord Lan Xin made them all 'convinced' (by wrestling) on my behalf.
And so, I conquered my first territory by kidnapping and torturing their leader until he was terrified. Then letting someone else do the fighting in my name. Although it's not exactly the style I wanted to use, I guess it had to be this way. At least no war broke out and no blood was shed.
The next thing I needed to do was stabilize my territory and reform it.
BECAUSE NONE OF THESE PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO GOVERN A DOMAIN! ARGGGGGG!!!
Fuzzie's working style was imposing rule, then going to 'collect taxes' to feed the army without caring about governing a damn thing. As a result, this whole land was like a pigsty!
Although I'm not exactly a governance expert. But with over two years of being personally taught by Philip and Lord Sauros, I knew the basics. So I had to reorganize Fuzzie's 'protection racket' forces into security troops to protect the territory from monsters.
Additionally, resource allocation was a difficult problem. For a territory that had known only war and chaos for a long time like this, transport routes didn't seem to be maintained properly. So besides protection, road building was also prioritized. Of course, Fuzzie's grunts were the strongest objectors; they were warriors, not laborers. So I had to use the greatest power I learned in my previous life.
"Anyone who works hard and meets the quota will get one and a half times the food ration. Whoever works the hardest will be rewarded with a piece of magic crystal!"
And immediately, those corporate slaves—ah, I mean, my exemplary worker-peasant warriors—got into the groove and worked enthusiastically.
Furthermore, Lord Lan Xin shared his special farming techniques for areas with abandoned mines. Instead of letting them potentially turn into dangerous labyrinths, those dark places full of mana became the best vegetable gardens. Combined with the allocated monster hunting groups, the food issue was quickly resolved.
Administratively, I opened a crash course on management for those who were literate and quick-witted. Those with potential were promoted to various leadership positions. The village chiefs remained the same; experience taught by Philip dictated that the further away from the center of power, the less you should touch things. What I did was copy Asura, assigning two guards to be stationed at each village. Of course, prioritizing those of the same race as the village they protected.
Administrative zones were also divided more clearly. I couldn't manage everything at once, so I divided by hierarchy and had a promotion system for officials like in Japan. After all, from my meager political experience in Asura, the noble system is truly dangerous if it falls into the hands of worthless people.
So after six months of working hard together to solve each problem one by one, the territory I 'ruled' began to become much more stable. Not only that, two other Demon Kings who were former subordinates of Lord Lan Xin also submitted, and now I seemed to have become the strongest force in the Vasile region.
As for me, the one-eyed Demon Dragon King 'Lan' Atur suddenly became famous throughout the Demon Continent with the rumor that I had subdued the mighty Great Demon King Lan Xin as a subordinate. Surprisingly, Lord Lan Xin laughed loudly upon seeing this news and appeared very proud.
I don't know why he found it amusing, but as long as I don't get dragged into trouble, it's not a problem.
…
My workday as the supreme lord of Vasile starts at 12 noon. A strange starting time indeed, but since I am a blood tribe, my schedule is irregular like that. I would go to Gawl, located right in the center of the territory, to start dealing with miscellaneous things like what this area lacks or what that place needs. Then occasionally, I get carried like a sack by Lord Lan Xin to fly to where I need to be.
After resolving most of the work, I would be invited by Luciano to dine with him and discuss the next steps.
Yep, the mayor of Gawl is now my chief secretary. He isn't the most talented person, but clearly the most upright person I know. Unlike other leaders who were subdued, his family didn't have much property to speak of; generally, they were a bit broke. All his assets were savings for his daughter to study abroad later.
That's why I admired this man and let him help me resolve most of the work. Ah, of course, provided it wasn't related to Fuzzie's side. They seemed to hate each other, which is understandable.
Meanwhile, I would start planning for other large projects. Like expanding the mining operations, for example. The past half-year had cost me quite a bit of my own pocket money with a series of infrastructure enhancement projects. With the promise of 5 years without tax collection, perhaps in just over a year, my assets would hit zero. This would be the final problem I need to solve before setting off back to Roa with peace of mind. Either way, there must be money for things to run smoothly.
Well, I could borrow from Lord Lan Xin. But that would just be a sign of poor management, right? Therefore, we need to focus more on finding new revenue sources! Without realizing it, I felt like I had become some politician with a protruding forehead always looking for ways to reduce national debt.
And so a day ended. The sun rose, and I took the Lan Xin taxi back to the castle to prepare to sleep straight until noon. However, upon arriving at the castle gate, someone was already waiting.
Ah no, it should be a group of people, about eight of them. All of them wore black armor that looked incredibly cool. Although I didn't know who they were or where they came from, with this demeanor, they didn't seem ordinary.
Before I could grasp the issue, someone from within that group—a woman with blue skin, pure white hair, a pair of bat wings on her back similar to Lord Lan Xin's, and a horn growing from the middle of her forehead—suddenly spoke up with an extremely loud burst of laughter.
"Mu wa ha ha ha! Finally, you decided to show up again, you old geezer Lan Xin! Come out here and have a rematch with me!"
I've known Lord Lan Xin for over a year now. Maybe nearly two years. But this was probably the first time someone dared to speak to him as an equal like that. So, sweating bullets, I glanced at my temperamental Great Demon King, prepared to stop him.
"Ke ke ke!" But contrary to my concerns, he looked up at the sky and laughed so hard he forgot to use battle aura to coat his body, causing himself to burst into flames. "Thought who it was! Turns out it's you, Atofe!?"
"Mu wa ha ha!" The woman named Atofe also crossed her arms and laughed heartily. "It is I indeed! Cut the chatter and fight me now!"
"Ke ke ke!" Lan Xin continued to laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, Atofe!? Still as noisy as ever!"
"Mu wa ha ha ha!" The woman continued to laugh. "I am different now! I have a husband, you know! Now fight me!"
"Ke ke ke! Someone like you can actually get a husband? Who's the idiot?"
"Mu wa ha ha ha! It's the North God! Much stronger than you!"
"Ke ke ke! If that's the case, I must have a fight with him!"
"Mu wa ha ha ha! Too bad, if you had crawled out four hundred years earlier, it would have worked!"
"Ke ke ke!"
"Mu wa ha ha ha!"
"Ke ke ke!"
"Mu wa ha ha ha!"
"Ke ke ke!"
"Mu wa ha ha ha!"
What the fuck is going on here?
The two of them went on like that for five minutes, just laughing. No joke, really. And that was when I realized that any Demon King living over a thousand years is eccentric like that, not just Lord Lan Xin.
No wonder they lost to the human side three times.
"Greetings. You must be Lord Lan Atur?" While the two 'old friends' (probably) were catching up (maybe), a man in full black armor walked up opposite me and greeted me politely. His voice was a bit hoarse but still full of vitality. "I am Moore, Captain of the Guard for the Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe, ruler of the Gaslow Territory. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah yes, I am Atur. Likewise." I also bowed back politely, naturally not forgetting to drop the 'Lan' from my name. "May I ask what business Lord Moore and the Immortal Demon King have here?"
"Lady Atoferatofe and Lord Lan Xin are old friends. So when she heard news of his reappearance, our Lady immediately came here for a rematch."
"I see."
Ah right, she did mention fighting Lord Lan Xin. Friends fighting each other is kind of cool, right? Come to think of it, I have a similar relationship with Isolde. I really don't know how strong she is now. Maybe she's already at Water King level and perfecting a second secret art to reach Emperor level or something.
Although I am indeed stronger than before thanks to this 'blood tribe blood' cheat buff, if it's a genius like Isolde, she would surely still beat me to a pulp easily, heh heh…
Wait, no! I must be determined to surpass her! Starting tomorrow, I will double the time to train starting from today! Ye let's do it!
"You all must be tired from the long journey, right?" I smiled at Moore and gestured toward the entrance of the underground castle. "Why don't you all come inside and rest for a while?"
"Thank you for your hospitality."
So I led Demon King Atofe's guards into the castle, ignoring the two laughing their heads off outside. Even though this is Lord Lan Xin's castle, since I am already the master of this entire region, temporarily treating it as my own should be fine. I've invited people over a few times before anyway.
It was only then that I noticed the black-armored guards didn't seem to belong to a single race. They came from various different tribes, unlike those living in this castle who are definitely all Blood Tribe. All of them carried rather large black swords, which looked like some kind of magic swords too, kinda cool. I sometimes wish that I had a real magic sword for once. Ah no I did have one but I lost it, sigh…
At this moment, the group told me about Gaslow. If Vasile is the worst place to live, then Gaslow is a place where even the thought of living is impossible. Because the land there is even more barren than here, the monsters are all B-rank and up, and it's the home of the ferocious Black Dragons. But in return, that place is ruled by a single person, so there's no factional infighting like here in Vasile.
That place is quite far from Vasile, totaling about a month of continuous travel. As soon as Demon King Atofe learned that Lan Xin had reappeared, she immediately set off with her trusted guards just like that.
"Actually, besides fighting with Lord Lan Xin, our Lady also wishes to resume the cooperation between our two lands." Moore proposed this during the meal.
Basically, Vasile has iron mines—like the one in Gawl—which contain the best quality ore on the continent. So naturally, other territories like Gaslow wish to establish trade. In return, they can offer gold and salt. All in all, it's a pretty good deal.
So Moore and I sat down and discussed matters until noon, completely forgetting about my sleep time.
When it was time to work again, I left the castle only to see that those two Demon Kings were still there.
Only their attitude toward each other was completely different.
"Mu wa ha ha! Stop with the long-windedness! Fight me, you damn Vamp!"
"Ke ke ke! I told you not to call me by that 'V' word, you short-brained!"
"Who are you calling short-brain!? You good for nothing vampire!"
"Ah hah! Hard 'R' huh!? So you have chosen death, you moron!"
Hey now, why did the camaraderie turn hostile, and why are swords drawn and claws out? These people are truly weird. Atofe's guards saw this and took a step back; they really had no intention of stopping this.
Maybe I should run…
"But wait!" Lan Xin suddenly held out a hand, signaling a pause. "We always declared that every time we meet, the masters of Vasile and Gaslow would fight each other, right?"
"I remember that!" Atofe stabbed her sword into the ground and nodded. "I'm not stupid!"
Suddenly, I felt a bit uneasy.
"Well then, right now I am no longer the master of this Vasile! So your opponent should be Demon Dragon King Lan Atur!"
Of course, I knew this would happen. Bravo, Great Blood Demon King Lan Xin, you truly are an expert at picking up burning coals with someone else's hand. Give him a round of applause? Oh, no one is clapping but me?
"Who is Demon Dragon King Lan Atur?" Atofe growled. "Is he stronger than you?"
"Stronger? Not yet." Lan Xin shook his head as he grabbed me by the neck—I was trying to run away—and laughed loudly. "Ke ke ke! But this boy right here has great potential!"
"Hmm? Is it a dragon?" Atofe frowned as she looked at me.
At this point, I don't even bother objecting to someone calling me a dragon anymore. Yeah, look at me, I'm Dragon Tribe now.
But for some reason, Atofe glared at me with killing intent. "Who are your parents?"
"Eek?" Of course I was scared. "My father is Pilemon of the Notos Greyrat house, my mother is a maid named…"
Before I could finish my sentence, Atofe roared again. "Whoever your parents are, it doesn't matter! I don't care!" Hey, but you just asked? "Do you have any relation to Perugius!?"
"Perugius? Armored Dragon King Perugius? Well I wish but no." I shook my head.
If I were related, my life wouldn't be this miserable, right? Wait, would saying I was related be more appropriate in this situation?
"Good!" Based on the Demon King stopping her hostile attitude, I guess I chose correctly. However, she pulled her sword out of the ground and pointed it at me again. "Then fight a match with me, Demon Dragon King Lan Atur! Let's settle whether my Immortal Demon Clan or your Blood Tribe is the strongest!"
I looked over at Lan Xin, who was grinning beside me. "What now, Lord Lan Xin?"
"It is the duty of becoming the master of Vasile. You just stand there and let that idiot beat you until she's satisfied." He patted my head and laughed. "Ke ke ke! Easy to understand, right?"
"..." I was utterly speechless. "If it's so easy, why did you push it onto me?"
"Because it is your duty, understand?"
Understand my ass.
"Besides, you already have two drops of my blood. Taking a beating for a bit won't kill you! Ke ke ke!"
That's probably true. "Even so, I'm still afraid of pain… And if I get stabbed in the heart, won't I still die?"
"Then don't get stabbed in the heart."
Talking to a rock would be less infuriating!
Whatever, let's just fight with all my might to see how big the gap is between me and an Immortal Demon King then.
Just as I drew my sword, Atofe spoke again. "Let me tell you in advance, I learned my husband's swordsmanship! Now I can slash you Blood Tribe to death in a single strike!"
Are you kidding me?
But right, I heard some legends about some ultimate skill of the first North God. He could hit so hard he defeated several different Demon Kings with just one strike. If that's true and Atofe learned that skill, I think I only have one option left.
"I surrender." Kneeling down, head touching the ground, I surrendered unconditionally. "The Immortal Demon Clan is number one. We Blood Tribe surrender. Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe is number one!"
Better to be a bit humiliated and alive. After all, I'm still a virgin; I don't want to die before knowing what it feels like to be a man. Ah no, I should live long and happily. I still have to live to return to Roa with my family!
"Don't you try to trick me!" Surprisingly, Atofe roared angrily. "Don't think playing that game will fool me into thinking you really surrendered! That guy Lan Xin used this trick several times already! I'm not stupid enough to be deceived again!"
I think I just heard someone getting exposed.
"Really, Lord Lan Xin?" I looked at the Great Blood Demon King, shooting my utmost disappointment at the person I respected greatly. Ah, I should say, 'used to' respect greatly. "You really did that?"
"Back then, I wanted to try something different." Lan Xin didn't even bother denying it; he even laughed quite delightedly. "Who knew I'd actually win. Ke ke ke! But I only used words, I didn't kneel like you are now. The younger generation is indeed fearsome! Very creative!"
"See! Clearly you two are setting a trap!"
"There is no creativity or trap or anything!" I bowed my head before the Immortal Demon King again. "Don't believe Lord Lan Xin's words. I am truly surrendering!"
"I won't be fooled again!" Atofe swung her sword violently at the air. "You are deliberately waiting for me to attack first, then you'll pull some dirty trick and call me an idiot, right!? I am not stupid!"
"Arggggggg!!! No! I truly surrender! Please spare me!"
"I don't believe it!" Atofe screamed.
While Lan Xin was excited. "That's right! Keep pretending like that, Baby Dragon!"
While I was trying to beg for my life, a small crowd appeared. Part of it was Atofe's entourage, another part was the servants and guards from Lan Xin's castle. And they started whispering.
"Didn't expect he could kneel that low. Truly a unique skill."
"Could we learn from it?"
"Lord Lan Xin said he used it successfully, so it must be effective."
But instead of laughing in my face, worse, they were genuinely admiring the acting ability even though I was seriously trying to save my life.
Why not in a single day I can feel at peace. What the hell did I do to suffer like this?
Out of options, I stood up straight.
The people around immediately fell silent; they were waiting to see what I intended to do.
"Hmph! Finally pulling your tricks, huh!?" Atofe immediately got into a stance. "Even if you are a dragon with the power of Blood Tribe, I am not afraid! I allow you to attack me first! Use all your strength!"
I knew it; on the contrary, my 'opponent' seemed extremely excited. Look at her spreading her arms, eagerly waiting for me to strike.
Blood Tribe may seem immortal, but they have a weakness: if their heart is damaged, they die. Meanwhile, the immortal demon clan, from what I've heard, seems to have no weaknesses. That's why Immortal Demon Kings like the mighty Atofe here, or someone I once heard named Badigadi, have lived very long and been through many wars yet remain alive.
So unless there's some terrifying power or a valiant warrior full of experience, beating Atofe seems hopeless. Especially when she was taught by the North God.
Therefore, I only had one last resort.
"Actually, I haven't been here long, so I don't understand things well." I raised my hand to ask. "May I ask why we are fighting?"
"Because this is a matter of honor!"
Ah, I see. If it's always about honor. Right… What a pain in the ass. What is this? A 90s era manga? Then too bad, I'm a fan of Joseph Joestar, I don't give a fuck about honor.
"Then if it is for honor, I don't mind." I patted my chest and declared. "To a warrior, honor is everything!"
"Good! You got it right!"
"However, because of that, to have the clearest honor, we must have a fair fight, right?"
"Stop wasting my time, say it straight!"
For some reason, this attitude reminded me of Eris. Perhaps that's why I knew I was on the right track.
"I have to admit to you, the great Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe. I just worked a long day, my health isn't stable, and my mind isn't alert yet. And I still have many things to worry about, so I'm not energetic enough for a fair fight."
"What the hell are you saying? Make it quick!"
"I mean I am not in my best condition." I started talking my way out. I sheathed my sword, placed a hand on my chest to show my utmost sincerity. "If you beat me in this state, there's no glory in that, is there? What will people say? Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe bullied a 13-year-old kid! Someone as smart as you understands what I'm saying, right? Your honor will be stained!"
"Kuh!"
Atofe seemed shocked by what I just said. From what I heard and can see, it seems Atofe values honor very much (probably) and hates being called stupid (this is obvious). So I tried to throw all of that onto the scale and let her deduce the rest herself. And from what I can see, she doesn't actually understand what I just said so I will play my last card.
"So I have a request." I raise my hand. "We will have a fight, but later. When I have a wife and a kid to bear the burden of my obligations. By then, I can fight with all my might!"
Everyone stared at me after hearing me speak. Atofe's side also stared; those glowing red eyes made me tremble a bit, but it seemed the killing intent had lessened.
"So when the hell is that time huh? How can I know that you are not just stalling? Huh!?"
Ah no, still as scary as before. So frightening.
"Maybe just a little while." I swallowed hard. "About ten years. In ten years I will finish all of my business and become as strong as possible, we will fight by then!"
The definition of time for long-lived Demon Kings is different from normal people, right? I think ten years is reasonable. And if that's too long, we can totally renegotiate—
"Fine! Ten years it is!" Atofe declared eloquently. "Ten years from now, we will fight! And you better have a wife and heir by that time!"
And so, I have a new mission for myself: try to become stronger so I won't die in the battle with Atofe in the future.
I think I'm safe for now.
But then Lord Lan Xin put his hand on my shoulder. "Ke ke ke! Good timing! It's about time for you to have a wife!"
Or not.