What does it mean to be a demon lord?
The Baharuth Empire was both prosperous and possessed formidable military strength. They researched on magic as much as possible and their elite knights were equipped with decent magic armor. It was a nation that focused on skills and usefulness after their Bloody Emperor purged worthless nobles who only wasted money and conspired to enemy nations.
"Demon attack on Re-Estize? Not really a concern considering they can't even protect their own capital from a demon invasion"
Jircniv lazily lied on his favorite sofa with his legs stretched out and hid body faced the side. He was clearly uninterested with the enemy nation who was only superior in numbers. As his Empire remained sturdy, the Kingdom slowly rotted and fell apart in the inside, specially with Joe gullible their nobles were.
"The attack on the Re-Estize kingdom capital isn't a surprise. They don't focus on magic for even basic protection" Jircniv scoffed
"Not only their kingdom failed to track down Jaldabaoth, they didn't know anything about the Demon Lord that revealed itself to the world" Baziwood smirked
"A Demon Lord, huh. They're nobles of the demon world who have the potential to be at the very top of their kind" combed her hair at the back of her ear
"Even if that demon is said to fight Jaldabaoth equally, it's a just a demon. We can't rely on the kingdom's estimation when their soldiers are the worst fodders" Nimble shook his head
"Your majesty, there's a powerful barrier protective barrier in an area of the Great forest of Tob in Re-Estize's side. A castle larger than anything humans had built and a new village were positioned there. Monsters were walking on construction"
Fluder, the Empire's top magic caster, weakly approached the table with a large laid out map and pointed in an area between E-Libera and E-Pespel. The forest covered a vast area below the mountain range, so a castle can be built even in the deepest part of the forest.
"A white haired devil was seen overseeing construction of a new village near the castle. It's no surprise the Kingdom had yet to discover it since it took a fifth tier spell to uncover it's invisibility barrier" Fluder pulled away his hand and rubbed his beard
"Did this devil looked young?" Jircniv lifted his back away from the sofa
"Yes, she's a young female one, but we can't just a devil's age by their appearance" Fluder nodded
"This so-called Demon Lord is expanding her territory after appearing in the Kingdom. It looks like she did it to establish her name first and hid her castle, so her territory would be established by the time she's discovered. Seeing how scared their worthless nobles are, they won't try to attack her at the first chance"
"That's most likely, your majesty. If my magic could only briefly peer through the invisibility, then the Demon Lord herself can use magic higher than fifth tier"
It was just Fluder's initial estimation as no one witnessed Shirogane draw her sword with the intent to use even an eight tier spell. She attacked the capital and clashed with Jaldabaoth with only sheer physical strength thanks to her demon body and warrior class.
"Your majesty, I suggest to observe the Demon Lord's strength. The fact that I only detected it now when she possibly arrived months ago isn't to be underestimated" Fluder was deeply concerned
"Let those Kingdom idiots be the bait. Once they see that castle, they will surely try to crawl their like ants. When the Demon Lord retaliates, we can fully estimate whether she's not worth noting...or an enemy we don't want to cross"
"That's true. When dealing with an unknown, let others be sacrificed" Fluder easily agreed
Jircniv wasn't as concerned as his top advisor, but he was still wary of how a devil appeared without detection from his magic casters. Right now, Jircniv had yet to feel threatened and his four Imperial knights behind him were completely confident and actually laughed off the incident.
"Devils are smart but they're not different from humans. You can sway them with temptation. Give them any enticing treasure or sacrifice and they'll agree to just about any deal. Well, that's how it was told anyway" Jircniv shrugged his shoulders
"Oh, are you planning to entice this devil by any chance?"
"That depends. Re-Estize might as well exhaust itself trying to stop one devil who they believe is like Jaldabaoth"
It was a natural decision for him to be the observer first as his confident and relaxed smile now was a proof of it. Humans like Jircniv hadn't faced any threats but their ancestors did against hostile Players who were destroyed by other Players.
It was a superior demon who resided in a castle and threatened humans with both their unimaginable power and vicious army. A hero was usually dispatched to end their reign of terror, but Shirogane was someone who only took the title for herself as she saw it fit for her position. She was an archdevil who could still evolve if a certain criteria was consumed and commanded a formidable army. Unlike other demons who ravaged New World, her top priority as of the moment was to oversee the construction of village not far from the north side of her castle.
"Everything's going smoothly, huh..."
Shirogane proudly observed how Garmr lead his 'Beastmen tribe' to assure all houses were built on the exact spot and according to the blueprints. In order to establish a nation, she must first expand her territory even if meant to start with small villages around the Great forest of Tob first. As soon as the trees were cleared and the ground flattened, her monsters were put to work almost immediately.
[So how's coming to terms with your past going?]
"It's difficult to accept. I came to this world earlier than I remembered...and I lost my younger sister in the process. Why did I allow her...to give up her vampirism?"
[You wanted her to be happy even if it means you would outlive her]
"...I'm a stupid older sister. I wasn't there to protect her"
Beyond Shirogane's proud and dignified devil exterior was the human still hung up on her guilt. Her devil nature influenced her how she viewed most humans, but her human emotions still had major influence. As she remained afloat high above the forest where those below made it nearly impossible to spot her, both she and Hel begun to contemplate about the recent events.
"I wanted to build nation because we both dreamed of an ideal nation. Izumi had the ambition and clear path for it while I had what was necessary to make it happen"
[How do you feel about it now?]
"My goal hasn't changed. While my kingdom is being built, maybe I should ask Ainz-san on how to be a ruler. He's singlehandedly managing Nazarick as the only player"
[It's not a bad idea. Two former salary workers should exchange ideas on how to manage fanatically loyal subordinates]
The way Hel giggled as if it was directed to Shiro mildly annoyed Shirogane. Hel resided inside Shirogane's soul, so she couldn't pinch or give a hand chop to the Goddess of Death.
"...That Evileye. Why did tell me I should just leave her be? My anger urged me to kill her...yet you held me back" Shirogane's tone almost instantly changed
[That short vampire is noisy and annoying, but she isn't evil...ironically. Before you stake her in the heart or anything, hear out her side first]
"Are you siding with her?"
[Humans tend to say life is unfair, and they're right. Only in death where your deeds and choices are weighed equally no matter the status]
Hel spoke as if Shirogane was someone who was about to throw a tantrum. Realistically, Shirogane wouldn't have bursted in anger, but she would certainly be upset.
"You're always trying to be fair no matter the situation..." Shirogane sighs in exhaustion
[I'm still your ally, but I don't consider my personal life when judging someone when I kill them]
"What a dedication..."
[I could say the same thing to you. As a devil, you should be sadistic and manipulative, yet you're trying to focus on being a warrior instead]
"I can't be a full devil if there's a Goddess possessing me"
Shirogane cut off her conversation. Rather than return to the ground normally, she used a teleportation spell. Her body warped into a pale blue light and vanished out of thin air. In at least two seconds, she appeared on the ground where her three Apostles bowed and so was everyone else present.
"My queen, is it alright to have puny humans discover your castle?" Hraesvelg asked while his head remained lowered
"That's from the Empire, and I allowed them to peek. Only tier eight spells and above can see through the invisibility and tier ten to actually break the force field" Shirogane waved her hand
This gestured the normal monsters to resume their world and Hraesvelg raised his head and lifted his knee from the ground. Like the other Apostles, he towered over her master who was no bigger from humans who matched her physical age. Her head only reached his chest. She could be seen as no different from a child by human adults, but her two black horns and slightly pointed ears would be a constant reminder of her race. Then again, her monstrous form could swallow a goliath.
"My plan is to have Eljudnir's existence known to the world as soon as the village is completed and occupied. That way, they would know I have a territory and planning to expand into a nation"
"Is it alright? I mean no offense, but the humans will try to crawl to Eljudnir and dirty your castle" Garmr quickly folded his ears in submission
"Then do you believe they could ever reach the castle?" Shirogane raised an eyebrow
"Of course not! The barrier protecting the castle is from your power and no creature can pass it unless you permit them to"
Shirogane's tone was neutral, but to Garmr it felt like she was offended by his lack of faith to his creator. His knees quickly slammed the ground and his snout already pressed against the dirt.
"Stand up. I'm not upset or anything" Shirogane sighed
Even the Demon Lord herself jolted in surprise that her tone there expressed little emotion was seen as a sign of anger and struck fear to her guard dog. More than anything, she didn't want to instill fear in her subordinates out of concern they would be more driven by fear more than loyalty.
"Hreasvelg, go help transport the materials to finish the other village as soon as possible. Garmr's pack had brought the supplies" Shirogane pointed at the golden birdman
"As you wish!" The birdman quickly flew to the sky
"Garmr, check on the fully built structures for the integrity and wether the blueprints were followed"
"Roger that!"
The werewolf wagged his tail as he quickly set to accomplish his new task, something which he took pride in no matter how trivial it was. All that was left now was the dragonoid druid, now in his human form of a man in his late twenties with spiky brown hair swept to the back
"You haven't recovered your full strength, and your still confused from your newly recovered memories" Nidhogg softly spoke
"I still have conflict with my own emotions. The one who destroyed the nation I liked is still alive and I remembered about my sister. If I was fully mentally and emotionally a demon, I wouldn't have been bothered by these things. To think there's still my human side left..."
Shirogane only spoke as soon as she walked away from the vicinity filled with her subjects busy on the construction, and Nidhogg naturally followed after her with at least a meter behind her. Among all her max leveled NPCs, he was the only one she didn't hesitate to reveal her thoughts.
"I expected a World Item to be used against me, but I should have expected a divine being as well. My own carelessness nearly got me killed"
"This is something you hadn't informed my fellow Apostles. They were worried you disappeared after attacking the capital"
"I'm a better warrior than a ruler, but I do know rulers always maintain a sturdy image. If I waver, then the rest will lose their balance and tumble. All of you feared my death more than anything since no one could inherit my throne" Shirogane expressed one aspect she found difficult
"Then have you considered finding a worthy man to father your child?"
"...!"
The mere mention of the world "child" caused Shirogane to be absolutely shocked that she stopped on her tracks instantly and tremble. She hadn't considered the thought and caught her completely off guard even if she still had the mentality of her adult human self.
"I-I think it's too early for me to give birth to an heir. Although I wouldn't mind doing it with a human" Shirogane's face flushed red
"Hmm. The others would object having the father being human, but they wouldn't question it once you spoke to them" Nidhogg rubbed his chin
"Anyway, I thought about my plan to reveal Eljudnir to the world and already made up my mind. I have to make everyone know I'm not just a Demon Lord by name"
"Territory and manpower is what a Demon Lord must first possess, but your power alone is more than enough. Still, that would require careful decisions"
Nidhogg was aware of Shirogane's side other side than the demon lord one, he was still extremely loyal and had complete faith in her. The only difference was that he was the only one who actually question her without fear, but of course he wouldn't do anything to offend her.
"Now that I remember it, there should be native demons in this world, yet I haven't encountered any. Jaldabaoth managing to damage the capital should at least stir the demons of this world" Shirogane snapped her fingers
"Weaker demons are cowardly. They would hide as much as possible if a powerful demon is nearby. It's no surprise none had tried to challenge you after claiming to be the Demon Lord"
"They can be the Demon King for all I care. I'm not interested in proving myself to be the strongest demon in the world because I'd rather focus on creating a self-sufficient nation"
Shirogane refused the idea of conquest, and certainly perceived the highest status a demon can attain as troublesome. She groaned at the thought of endless trouble it would bring because the strongest meant the weaker would try to take the place. It would never end until another took the place.
Four hours later
It would take a long time to actually exhaust a demon with warrior-related class, but Shirogane remained emotionally exhausted from her near death experience. She twisted her neck and sighed in relief when she stretched out her arms high up in the air. A normal person would stroll in a bright area and sniff fresh air. What Shirogane picked to be her spot was a nearby building ruins in Katze Plains.
"If I had brought out my armor earlier, I wouldn't have been caught off guard" Shirogane grit her teeth in regret
[No use sulking about it now. We won't let Freyja surprise us like that]
"Hopefully none of your other enemies are here"
[Why do you assume I have a lot of enemies?]
"Hel, you said it yourself. You don't get swayed when judging whether to help someone or not. It's a trait many people would see as being selfish...and ironically unfair"
[That's just how humans are. They knowingly take a path and pass the blame in frustration when it bites back at them. Makes you wonder why I preferred staying in Helheim]
Shirogane passed by two pillars that used to be an arch, easily traversed a foggy area of the plains. There were few undead nearby, mostly skeletons, yet not a single one paid attention to Shirogane due to Hel's presence mixed with hers. The dead soil beneath her had hardened from pressure of previous people's footsteps. Although one would question who would even travel to a dangerous area known to attract undead other than cultists and other undead.
"Did it always happen to you?" Shirogane set her eyes on the tallest ruin she can find
[What do you mean?]
"People blamed you for their misfortunes. The Goddess of Death was blamed for untimely deaths or something like that"
[I'm not the likable type. Not only I didn't made effort to socialize, I don't shed a tear at the death of others...]
"I see. You felt like you didn't belong there and it was easy to blame someone no one can understand"
[Why are we even talking about my thoughts and feelings?]
Shirogane didn't need to focus in her consciousness to actually see Hel be awkward about her own feelings and half-heartedly act annoyed when she had to confront them. The Goddess of death clicked her tongue and turned her head to the side even if Shirogane wasn't present in her own mind.
"In a sense, you're workaholic. You're so dedicated at what you do that your surroundings became nonexistent"
[I was only bored, and the dead is less annoying because they don't talk too much or complain] Hel corrected her
After Shirogane reached the entrance of the building where a large wooden door separated the inside and outside, she slowly reached out to the flat surface of the wall. The bricks already had thick moss on the smallest gaps and the large cracks throughout the structure would make it seem a decent kick could topple what was left of it. She still wore her gloves, but she directly sensed the roughness from centuries worth of weather and erosion on her palms.
"Hel..." Shirogane frowned
[Traces of magic...] Hel's voice became serious
"I don't remember low ranking undead using magic, specially skeletons"
There wasn't a single one that could either be a Player or a divine being like Freyja, but Shirogane's instinctively took out on of her swords from her item box. She stepped back from the wall and activated Mage Disjunction in the case someone would conceal their presence with magic and magic items.
"That's...!"
The language of New World was very foreign for someone born and raised from Japan, but the letters that lit up on the section of the wall she touched earlier was not native language. Those were ruins of Nordic origin, similar to the ones that sealed the undead half of Hel's body.
"...!" Her instincts sent a shock to her body
A large object swept through the air and the sheer force cleared a part of the surroundings. It was an axe with runes engraved on both the handle and blade. The faint blue light from each letters enchanted the weapon with ice magic, but it's sharpness alone was deadly. Shirogane lifted her sword to shield her body the moment an enormous axe swung beside her.
"Ggh!"
Her sword blocked the sharp edge, but the force caused her to spin in the air and her body crash through a wall and had its debris fall on her. A large brick the size of a human head landed beside her which would have squished a human's skull and their brain.
"So you were here after all. I wonder how many of you are here..."
Shirogane pushed away the small chunks that landed on her resilient body. It had little to no damage on her whatsoever as it was only an attack of pure physical force without the use of any skills.
"The scent of a filthy demon...and Hel. Worst combination of all..."
A giant, but only two story high briefly pushed the mist away with his burst of cold air from his body. It was frost giant with mammoth tusks that decorated his shoulder and fangs of several wild beasts wrapped around his neck as a necklace. He bears a crown made entirely of ice, but his attire was that of armored barbarian.
"Thrym, king of the Frost Giants...and Freyja's husband. Didn't she break up with you?" Shirogane twisted a sarcastic smile
"Freyja regretted finishing her off, so I'll do it instead"
"Ugh...trying to win he over again, huh. Move on already! Your not her type anymore!"
Shirogane loudly scolded the frost giant with no hints of sarcasm and more of an irritated suggestion. His size and rune enchanted weapon weren't a cause of concern. It was the fact that he was another case like Freyja without the advantage of holy magic. Yggdrasil had monsters of various shapes and sizes, so a barbarian giant wasn't much new to her
"How screwed are we?" Shirogane whispered
[Not as screwed against Freyja. He's a brute who doesn't rely on techniques] Hel was confident
"Good grief. I won't be surprised if Freyr or the old man comes here too"
Shirogane tightly gripped the broadsword with both hands. It was a weapon with a hilt and guard designed to shape a short black cross and reddish patterns thinly engraved the area near the hilt.
"Hel, I kind of need your power here"
[The holy damage hasn't fully healed, so I can't heal your body as fast as before] Hel reminded her
"Then I have to take this seriously. There's no telling if there's someone going to stab me from behind again"
The diamond-shaped ruby on the blade's rains guard brightened in the mist covered area and Hel's black markings tainted the right side of Shirogane's face but it only stopped below her cheek. This time, the Goddess of death didn't take over in exchange of less power boost given to the devil.
"The giant should be keeping the Demon Lord busy"
The captain of Black Scripture turned to his men composed of mixed warriors and magic casters. All of them had their faces covered, specially the magic caster ones covered by cloaks. They all stood by in a safe distance in the case the clash would be destructive and reach outside the foggy area.
"First let's see if the white devil is worth using that. We won't make the same fatal mistake" He tightly gripped his spear
His subordinates quietly stood behind him without so much of a single word, but they were all in position without a single miss. He couldn't tell whether they were nervous against a threat that could be like the certain someone who took out the Sunlight Scripture with ease and even destroyed the strongest angel they could summon.