Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

A short while later, inside the king’s study at the Minatheras royal palace, Theobald was relaxing on the sofa accompanied by two attendants. Sitting across from him was Frederick, no longer using a handkerchief, casually sipping tea from a cup. Blam! The door slammed open and René stepped inside, bowing to the king before taking a seat next to Frederick.

”How are our prisoners?” Theobald asked.

”Their spirits are completely broken, Your Majesty. There’s no fight left in them,” René replied with a smirk.

”Excellent. In one week, we will put them on display in the arena. I want to see the look on the faces of King Alexius, King Lamberd, King Araki, and King Gred when they watch their own princesses captured and executed,” Frederick noted.

”Unless, of course, they agree to join forces and launch a unified strike against the heart of the Dark Forest. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?” René asked.

”Precisely. To defeat the Demon Lord, we don’t need to bloody our own hands. And to quell any lingering rebellion, the commoners will watch the daughter of the late King Victor, their beloved idol, get executed. We kill two birds with one stone,” Theobald answered nonchalantly, having calculated every detail.

René paused for a moment. He picked up his cup, took a quick swig, set it back down on the coffee table, and looked at Theobald sitting opposite him.

”Um... Your Majesty, what about my request?” René asked.

”No problem at all. I will grant you land and you may take all of them as your reward, after the execution, of course. Don’t worry, my daughter can resurrect them,” Theobald replied.

”Thank you, Your Majesty. I will serve you faithfully for the rest of my days,” René said with a gloating grin.

”You really are a greedy one, René. I like your style,” Frederick remarked beside him.

”Thank you, Grand Commander,” René replied, flattered.

”Now, let us focus our attention on how to execute those two rogue regional lords who thought they could use the rebellion for their own gain,” Theobald stated.

”Understood, Your Majesty,” Frederick and René replied in unison.

But before they could speak, blam! Suddenly, the palace trembled as if struck by a brief earthquake. ”Graaaaaah!” The roar of a massive dragon echoed throughout the entire palace.

”Gemmeth! Gemmeth has landed in the palace courtyard!” Shouts erupted right outside the study doors.

All three men stood up and sprinted to the door. Upon yanking it open, they were stunned to see guards, servants, and palace staff running around in sheer panic. Theobald grabbed a fleeing staff member by the collar.

”What is happening?” Theobald demanded.

”Y... Your Majesty! The Demon Lord... and Gemmeth... in the courtyard!” the man stammered, trembling uncontrollably.

”What?” Theobald shouted.

He shoved the poor man aside and rushed toward the balcony, with Frederick and René hot on his heels. Stepping out onto the balcony and looking down, Theobald’s eyes widened in horror. A giant black dragon had landed below, surrounded by a legion of guards leveling their spears.

They watched as a figure leaped down from the dragon’s back. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light burst forth, forcing Theobald, Frederick, René, and the troops below to cover their eyes with their arms. When they reopened their eyes, the giant black dragon had vanished completely, leaving everyone utterly bewildered.

”Hey... look up here.”

A voice called out from above. Theobald looked up, his face instantly draining of all color as he laid eyes on a man with snow-white hair and glowing red eyes crackling with lightning, dressed in combat mage robes. Yes, it was Dion in his Ancient One mode persona. Dion hovered downward until he was floating at eye level with the king, while Gina, now back to her miniature size, perched on his shoulder.

”Dioooon!” René screamed, drawing his sword as his eyes flushed red with rage.

”Hey there, René... look at you, hanging out here. Do me a favor and keep quiet. And if you could clear out all those soldiers down there while you’re at it, that’d be great. I just want to have a quick chat with the king,” Dion said casually, pointing at the pale-faced Theobald cowering behind René and Frederick.

”Shut your mouth, Dion! You damn Demon Lord... what the hell are you doing here?” René yelled furiously.

”Oho... so you’re the Demon Lord,” Frederick added, drawing his blade. ”All soldiers, prepare for combat! Capture and kill him!” Frederick bellowed.

”Man... what is wrong with you guys? I literally asked you to clear out the soldiers, and you go and call for reinforcements. Fine, whatever,” Dion sighed.

Dion closed his eyes. Streams of wind, water, and lightning elemental energy coursed up from his feet, swirling in a harmonious, tornado-like vortex before gathering into his open hands. Dion snapped his eyes open.

”Magic Creation: Zap Rain.”

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and a heavy rain poured down. ”Whoaaaah!” ”Kyaaaa!” Every soldier touched by the falling raindrops was instantly electrocuted like a hit from a stun gun, collapsing limply to the stone floor. Not a single soul escaped the rain except for Dion, Gina, and King Theobald, who was protected by an elemental barrier Dion placed around him. René and Frederick, standing right in front of Theobald, collapsed onto the floor, twitching violently, completely paralyzed and helpless.

”You... you bastard... Diooooon!” René choked out.

”Be quiet. I’ll deal with you later. Right now, I’m talking to the king,” Dion said, floating past René and Frederick before touching down in front of King Theobald, who had fallen onto his rear.

”W... what do you want, Demon Lord?” Theobald asked, trembling.

”Huh... who are you calling a Demon Lord? Please don’t go throwing labels around. I’m clearly human, not a Demon Lord. Now... as for what I want: first, I came to pick up my friends. Second, please do not attack my territory. There is nothing there, and I just want to live a quiet retirement life. My request is pretty simple, isn’t it?” Dion answered nonchalantly.

Despite his easygoing tone, Dion glared down at King Theobald. His eyes, crackling with raw lightning, sent a violent chill through Theobald, turning him deathly pale. Still, the king tried to maintain a shred of royal dignity and forced a strained smile.

”And what if I refuse?” the king asked with a trembling voice.

”Oho... refuse? If you refuse, then I’ll just wipe this kingdom out first,” Dion replied, a smirk spreading across his face.

Dion raised his index finger right beside his head. A marble-sized sphere of black light imbued with dark element magic materialized at his fingertip. Swirling wind energy surged up from his feet, feeding into the black light, causing the tiny sphere to spin rapidly surrounded by atmospheric gusts. Next, flames whipped up from his feet, merging into the sphere alongside the wind, causing the dark light to spin at breakneck speed, enveloped in a blazing tempest. Watching Dion build the spell, the forced smile on Theobald’s face instantly froze.

”W... what are you doing?” Theobald asked, horrified.

”Magic Creation: Dark Star.”

The sphere of dark light shot up into the sky and vanished behind the cloud cover. A moment later, the dark storm clouds gathered overhead began spinning into a massive vortex, emitting a terrifying roar. From the center emerged a blazing star of pure darkness, spinning violently like a collapsed star turning into a black hole.

”Gyaaaaaah! What is that?!”

Screams echoed across the city below as loose earth and debris began floating upward, pulled into the Dark Star. Soon after, carriages, carts, buildings, livestock, and even trees began lifting off the ground, drawn into the terrifying vortex. Looking at the sheer cataclysmic force hovering in the sky, Theobald genuinely believed his kingdom was about to be obliterated. René and Frederick, still paralyzed on the floor, stared up in absolute horror, looking like they were witnessing an apocalyptic nightmare firsthand.

”So, Your Majesty... can you honor my request now? I could easily obliterate everything in an instant like I did with that mountain back then, but I decided to go with something that destroys things slowly this time, just to give you a chance,” Dion said casually.

”F... fine! Please, just don’t destroy this kingdom!” Theobald pleaded. He quickly turned to two guards and a few servants cowering behind him. ”Hurry! Release those five women from the dungeon and bring them here immediately!” Theobald ordered frantically.

”Y... yes, Your Majesty!” the guards and servants stammered, scrambling away.

”Kyuuu?” Gina squeaked, pointing toward the sky.

”Oh... right. Once Luna, Aria, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei get here, then we’ll cancel the spell,” Dion said.

Theobald watched Dion standing casually before him, taking in every detail of his appearance: his snow-white hair, his glowing red eyes, the rune tattoos etched onto his skin, his black combat mage robes, and the overwhelming, suffocating aura radiating from his body.

”Wh... who are you, really?” Theobald asked, terrified.

”Gimme a break... how many times am I gonna get asked that? I’m nobody special, so think whatever you want. Now, I need you to draft an official statement declaring that you will never attack my territory. Hurry up,” Dion replied.

”A... alright,” King Theobald stammered, trying to pull himself up.

They stepped inside from the balcony. Dion snapped his fingers and the balcony doors slammed shut behind them, leaving René and Frederick twitching on the floor outside. Dion followed King Theobald straight into his study.