Prologue: The [Time] Demon Lord’s Party
After we arrived at the [Time] Demon Lord’s dungeon, we were brought via Transfer into a dungeon room prepared specifically for entertaining guests.
“Master, Kuina didn’t come?”
Fel, the [Time] Demon Lord’s monster with white wolf ears and a white wolf tail, asked me so.
She was an S rank monster created using the [Creation] medal who viewed Kuina as a rival.
She was also the one that picked me up from Avalon.
“It’s a shame, but she has to house-sit. There’s something she has to do in Avalon”
“I-it’s not like it’s really a shame or anything. It’s just that it frustrates me to be the one on the losing side and thought using my new special move to get even!”
Even though she said such things, I could feel she was a bit lonely.
I was very grateful to Fel. Through her invitation, Kuina was able to do dangerous training and sparring methods at no risk in the [Time] Demon Lord’s arena where time could be rewound.
Originally, one couldn’t use such a place freely, but because it would help Fel as well, the [Time] Demon Lord had given his consent.
Thanks to that, Kuina’s lack of actual combat experience was being offset.
Having a rival was certainly making Kuina stronger.
“I’m looking forward to that. I’ll be watching when you two fight again.”
“Definitely do! Watch how I kick Kuina’s a.s.s down!”
At that, I could only smile wryly.
As much as I was happy that Fel and I were close, I was ultimately on Kuina’s side.
“I’ll do my best, so cheer for me, okay?”
After saying so with such a wide smile, Fel flaunted the top of her head toward me.
When I indulged her wish, she issued out a funyaa as her facial expression became meeker.
She really is a good kid.
But then, I suddenly felt a gaze trained on me.
“Fel-tan, my precious Fel-tan, she’s being deceived by that green horn. Un-unacceptable. Even though I’ve lived for much longer and have had more life experience, even though I have such a dandy appeal, why?”
The piercing gaze belonged to an old man wearing a white robe.
For some reason, he was gnawing on a handkerchief while tears fell from his eyes.
His real ident.i.ty was the [Time] Demon Lord’s dragon. Despite what his temporary humanoid form might suggest, when it came to fighting, he was a force of nature.
He was one of the monsters that possessed the most amazing [Time] powers. He outshone even Fel in this regard.
He was the ace of the [Time] Demon Lord’s winning hand, the [Chronos Knights]. The Chronos Knights were so feared by the other Demon Lords, it was said that once they appeared, one better escape right away or all was over.
Or at least that was how it was supposed to be… right now, he was nothing but an idiot grandparent that was doting on his grandchild.
“Ragna-jii, you’re so annoying. I’ve told you, stop following me around. And stop with the my Fel-tan, please. Fel isn’t yours!”
Fel, having noticed Ragna’s presence, scolded the latter off.
“M-my Fel-tan, my precious Fel-tan’s gone astraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!”
Losing the respect of his grandchild, the time dragon who had made a name for himself in numerous battlefields ran away while crying.
What did he come here for anyway? Speaking of dragons, it’s about time I let him out.
“Phew, finally out. My lord, as to be expected, being in the [Storage] is rough on the shoulders.”
Duke, the middle-aged gentleman, appeared.
Today, he decided on wearing a black tailcoat suit.
“You seem more pumped than usual, Duke.”
“Hahaha. Because my wife knew today was my big day, she tailored for me this special item. Thanks to her, I am ready for whatever’s to come!”
As ever, Duke’s family life seemed to be going well. How stupidly happy he and the Dwarf Smith were would show whenever he talked about their married life.
Except for them though, I don’t think any of my monsters are in a relationship.
It wouldn’t be strange for my monsters to have a romantic relationship with humans, but…
Mythological Foxes: A man’s merit is in his tail. If he doesn’t have a fluffy one, then forget about it. Ah, but if it’s Procell-sama, it’s perfectly fine.
Dwarf Smiths: a weak man is a hard pa.s.s. At the very least, the man has to be stronger than us for us to feel charmed.
High Elves: Elves are long-lived beings, so being in a relationship with a man of a short-lived race is more trouble than it’s worth. At the very least, the man has to live 300 years.
Their preferences were quite strict.
Out of my monsters, perhaps only the Ocean Singers had the possibility to form a relationship with the humans, but being part of our intelligence corps, they had duties that required them to be away from Avalon a lot.
To be in a relationship with their fellow monsters was also possible, but for some curious reason all of my humanoid monsters except from Duke were all female.
Can it be that I’m cursed? But whatever, I’ve let my thoughts wander for too long already. It’s time to get back on track.
“Fel, is everyone already here?”
“I don’t know. For the time being, let’s head over there. That’s what father told me.”
Like that, Fel led me by the hand. I just smiled wryly and let her.
◇
The place where Fel led me to was a garden where flowers of all colors were in full bloom. For a second, I forgot we were still within a dungeon.
And, in a roofed terrace, I saw [Time] Demon Lord Dantalian and [Beast] Demon Lord Marchosias enjoying some tea.
“Ah, Procell, you’re finally here. You sure took your time. I was so tired of waiting, you know.”
Marchosias, or Marcho as I called her, waved at me and then greeted so.
“Sorry, I got caught up in something.”
“Well, thanks to that, Dan here’s making some moves on me. If you neglect me for too long, I just might get stolen away, you know.”
Marcho said so in jest.
She was just joking, but it was pretty much an indirect appeal for us to spend more time together.
I had no intention of ignoring that, but as it was, I was too busy for anything special and only had time for the bare minimum which was nothing but meeting up with her.
“Well, I don’t want that. Alright, I’ll free up more time to spend with you. Actually, why don’t you come to Avalon next week? A very famous troupe will be coming to the city. The Meteor Theatrical Company, I believe they were called. It seems like they’ll be performing a program about the fight between a hero and a Demon Lord. Let’s go watch it from special seats.”
On days that we didn’t hold a worship meeting, the hall made to be our church was open for rentals.
These kinds of events were always very much welcome. Not only do they have the effect of attracting more guests, they also improved the quality of emotions the guests were feeling.
And because of the large aforementioned hall as well as the Hippogriff stations we had built which allowed more people to come to Avalon, people in the entertainment business were holding our city in high regard. So much so that the next vacancy for the hall was half a year from now.
Moreover, should the shows prove successful, Avalon would turn even more entertainment people’s heads, repeating the cycle over again.
“The Meteor Theatrical Company, you say? Yeah, I’ve seen them before, and I remember them being quite amusing. That program seems interesting, too. As expected of my ward, you know me so well.”
I was glad she liked the idea, but when she brushed my head like I was a child, I got a little angry.
Suddenly, I felt Fel tugging on my arm.
Could she perhaps want to see the show too? Even if that was the case though, I obviously can’t just casually invite her in front of her father, can I? Wait, I just thought of something good.
“Dan, I still have complimentary tickets left. How about you and Fel watch it too?”
“Thank you. Fel, if you’re interested in it, let’s go watch it together.”
At that, Fel had a complicated expression on her face.
She might have originally wanted to watch it together with me, but the idea of watching it with Dan was something she liked just as much.
“Thank you! Let’s go enjoy it together, father! And then, let’s go play those things you’ve been telling me about. You know, that game with that spinning wheel and the flying dragon races!”
Now with a bright smile on her face, Fel said so and nodded.
She really is good kid. Only, I fear that when she sees Dan gambling, she might become disillusioned.
At normal times, Dantalian was a young-looking and beautiful [Time] Demon Lord who had a mysterious air around him, but when gambling, he was just Dan the old man.
Anyway, I took my seat and sipped some black tea. I then tried the snack served with the tea. At first glance, it looked like a plain cookie with some nuts, but upon tasting it, my eyes became wide open.
“Can these perhaps be Arnold cookies?”
“Yes, they are. We occasionally buy some. There’s just no shop that sell better pastry than them. Not even in Avalon, I think.”
Arnold’s, the globally recognized pastry shop. Certainly, not even Avalon had a pastry shop that exceeded their products.
“Yeah, it’s vexing, but their pastries are just so good. …too bad it’s tough to buy them. Not only is their shop two continents away, there’s also the issue of the ever-present long queue.”
“Are you making light of my ability? For the sole goal of being able to buy their pastries, I had sent my subordinates to their main shop via a dragon and made them set up a pair of Transfer arrays that links that place and Eclaba. And then, monsters that could disguise themselves as humans would occasionally be tasked to use those Transfer arrays and queue in those lines for as long as it takes.”
“You’re putting too much effort for those pastries.”
Arnold’s pastries were great not because they were made using special ingredients, but rather because of the pâtissier’s skills. That being said, the ingredients used were not subpar.
In fact, we had received a request from Arnold’s asking for them to open a branch store in Avalon. It seemed like they were interested in the golden apples that could only be found in Avalon. With the present conversation with Dan in mind among other reasons, I would be reviewing their request favorably.
While we were chatting idly like that, [Dragon] Demon Lord Astaroth and [Wind] Demon Lord Stolas arrived.
As ever, Enlil was perched on Stolas’s shoulder. Upon noticing Duke, Enlil issued out a gau, to which Duke responded with a greeting of his own. They definitely had become close.
“Sorry for being late, Dan. There were some things I had to go over with Stolas in order for her to be fully ready for tomorrow’s fight.”
“Ast, you sure you can fight seriously tomorrow? You care for that daughter of yours too much.”
“What a silly question. There’s no way I’ll go easy on her. It’s precisely because I love her so much that I will fight seriously tomorrow. This is her first and last chance to fight with me, so I’ll do my best to make her understand what it means to be one of the strongest Demon Lords.”
Astaroth said so and then laughed.
What drive. I’m getting gooseb.u.mps. We’re supposed to challenge such a monster tomorrow? I’m scared, but also very excited.
“I stand corrected. Apologies. I should have known better. You are that kind of guy, after all… anyway, now that everyone’s here, let’s begin. I have prepared a grand banquet today. So, let us end this tea party, and drink alcohol until we drop!”
When Dan said so, his humanoid monsters appeared. They brought out a large table and some chairs, set those, and then brought out dish after dish.
And then, before I knew it, there was an orchestra in the corner. When Dan held his right hand up and snapped his finger, the blue, sunny sky became a starry one and a beautiful melody began flowing.
“In the banquet Procell hosted, he prepared dishes that can only be eaten in his Avalon, so this time, I prepared dishes that only I can prepare. I shall spare no expense to give my dear friend, Astaroth, the sendoff he deserves. By my honor, I am certain you all will enjoy this party.”
Dan proudly declared so.
And then, gla.s.ses were lined up and filled with red wine. Just by their scent, I could already tell that it was high-quality wine.
“Now, Ast, come give us a toast.”
“Umu, very well,”
Ast stood up and purposefully cleared his throat.
“For hosting this event dedicated to me and for coming today, I would like to express my grat.i.tude to Dan and you all. I am so happy to be surrounded by my close friends and our successors. Today, I shall enjoy this happiness, and tomorrow, I shall display my might. Stolas, Procell, my greatest wish is for me to able to give you my beloved dragonschildren. So, please defeat me tomorrow and grant this wish. And then, Marcho and Dan, my dear friends, it has been a blast to live a life alongside yours… now, cheers!”
We raised our gla.s.ses, b.u.mped it into the other’s, and drank the delicious wine.
Looking at Ast, I said to myself that I want to be like him when I reach the end of my days: to be able to declare with full confidence that I have lived a full and happy life. I wonder, how hard would that be?
He also asked us to inherit and take care of his dragonschildren. I was sure that Stolas was also thinking that it would be serious stain on our honor if we couldn’t do that. Like that, Stolas and I looked at each other and then clenched our fists.
But for now, we should enjoy the party as much as possible.
This was our last chance to drink with Astaroth, after all. This was a miracle that lasted for only one night.
TL note:
In this chapter, it’s become more emphasized how Fel speaks. She refers to herself in the third person much like Kuina does. Moreover, she adds desu(です) to the end of her sentences even if it isn’t supposed to be there.
I’d like to think she has enough personality as is, so I’m not going to change her way of talking to this. I just find it annoying, more so when in English.
Thank you for your understanding.