by Virlyce
The demon lord sneezed. Tears streamed from his eyes as the wind buffeted his face. I hope Tafel’s not too scared, he thought as he tried to readjust his body. His arms were pressed to his sides, and one of Grimmy’s claws was uncomfortably close to his neck.
“Quit squirming around or I might drop you,” Grimmy said and snorted. “Not that I’d mind.”
Tafel watched as city after city, town after town, trees and mountain ranges, vast oceans of green and gold passed before her eyes. Water pooled in her eyes and she smiled, sniffling as a tear ran down her cheek.
“Are you crying?” Vur asked. “Is it still too cold?”
Tafel shook her head and leaned her head on his shoulder as she turned to face him. “I’m happy,” she said with a choked voice. “Thanks for being my friend.”
Vur’s heart jumped as he stared into her purple eyes. “You’re welcome,” he said and turned his head away with red cheeks. Tafel blinked and then giggled.
Prika turned her head and grinned at the two children. “Doesn’t that just make your heart warm, Snuffles?” she asked her sleeping flying companion. Snuffles continued to snore.
***
“Don’t worry, dear,” Vernon said to the sky-blue dragon who was pacing around inside the cave. “I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
“I’m going with them next time,” she said with her teeth bared. “It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to borrow books.”
“Maybe Vur’s exploring. Grimmy and Prika are with him—they wouldn’t let him get hurt,” Vernon said.
Sera stopped pacing as her tail perked up. Her head whipped around towards the cave entrance. “They’re back,” she said and exhaled while spreading her wings. She flew out of the cave and into the green valley. Two specks in the sky grew larger while Sera waited, sitting on her haunches. Leila and Vernon appeared next to Sera, watching the incoming dragons with her.
The first thing Prika said when she landed was, “Vur kidnapped the princess.” The red dragon lowered her head and let Snuffles climb down. “He stole her heart too.”
Grimmy slowed his descent before landing heavily on his hind legs. “And father,” he added as he opened his claw, dropping the demon lord to the ground.
“O ground. I never realized how much I loved you,” the demon said as he collapsed onto his knees, tears falling from his eyes. “Please, don’t leave me again.”
“You two love birds can get off now,” Prika said.
Vur and Tafel were still holding each other. Tafel squirmed. “You should let go now,” she whispered with a red face.
“I like sitting like this,” Vur said and yawned. Tafel lowered her head and stopped squirming, leaning against him instead.
“What exactly happened?” Leila asked Grimmy as the black dragon crawled onto his stomach.
“Vur wanted to play with Tafel and the demon didn’t want her going alone, so he came too,” Grimmy replied as he yawned.
“Isn’t it bad if we remove the demon lord from the capital?” Leila asked and frowned at the disheveled man kissing the earth. “Won’t that be taken as a sign of aggression?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I didn’t drop him,” Grimmy said and closed his eyes.
Leila sighed.
***
Lindyss was sleeping when a basilisk jumped onto her bed and hid underneath her blanket, shoving her onto the floor with its bulky body. Seconds later, a voice called out while she was rubbing her bleary eyes.
“Auntie, the deaf man came to see you.”
Lindyss cursed at the shivering basilisk as she stood up and opened her closet. She took off her pajamas and slipped on a red robe before fixing her hair in the mirror hanging on the closet’s door. She put on one of the many pairs of high heels laying around and walked up the stairs.
“Why are they here?” she asked when she reached the top. Vur was holding Tafel’s hand and the demon lord was standing behind the two with flowers in his hands.
“He said he wanted to tell you something, so I brought him here,” Vur said and tugged Tafel’s arm, bringing her towards the entrance. “Let’s go play with the bats.”
“Did you miss me that much?” Lindyss asked the demon lord while raising an eyebrow. Back at the capital, she had used a simple seduction skill. She thought it would’ve worn off by now.
“Ah, n-no. It’s just that I never got to properly introduce myself to you the last time we met,” the demon replied and bowed his head. “My name is Zollstock the Fifth—demon lord with a subclass of warrior.”
“Surely you didn’t come all this way just to introduce yourself to me,” Lindyss said. “Did you want to drink from the fountain? I’m afraid it’s running quite dry these days, so the price will be a lot higher than usual.”
“No, I wouldn’t dare to drink from your precious fountain,” Zollstock said as he offered her the flowers he was holding. “Please accept this.”
Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “This is a pitiful dowry if you’re trying to marry your daughter off to Vur,” she said as she received the flowers.
“That’s not what this is!” Zollstock said his body stiffening. He cleared his throat. “This—”
“I’m just messing with you,” Lindyss whispered as she stepped closer and put a finger on his lips. The demon lord’s eyes widened and rolled up, revealing their whites. He fell to the floor, unconscious.
Lindyss channeled mana to her finger and placed it against his forehead. She stripped off his outer garments and dragged his body into a corner of the mini-boss room.
“What are you doing to my dad?” Tafel asked as she watched from the entrance, hugging an exhausted bat to her chest.
“He was tired, so I decided to give him a nice dream,” she said with a smile.
“Why’d you take his clothes off?”
“He said he was hot,” Lindyss said. “You two should go out and play.”
“But—”
Vur pulled on Tafel’s hand and shook his head. “He’ll be fine,” Vur whispered and pulled her away. “We shouldn’t bother Auntie right now. She’s mad because we woke her up.”
Lindyss smiled at the leaving children. Her expression darkened at the sight of the demon lord who giggled in his sleep. I’m going back to bed, she thought and walked away while shaking her head.
“Oh, you’re so naughty,” Zollstock said in his sleep as he hugged a rock.
***
Tafel’s face paled as she hunched over while hugging her stomach. Her lips trembled as she resisted the urge to vomit. Vur was standing in front of the corpse of a behemoth bear, blood dripping from his hands. He turned around with a smile on his face, but his expression stiffened when he saw Tafel’s condition. “Are you okay?” he asked while reaching towards her, a furrow in his brow.
Tafel fell over and scrambled backwards, dragging her clothes against the grass. She stared at Vur with wide eyes as her body shook.
Vur took a step forward.
“D-don’t touch me!” Tafel yelled as tears sprang to her eyes. She curled up into a ball and clutched her shoulders.
Vur lowered his arm and tilted his head. He looked at his hands and remembered being scolded by Lindyss for spreading blood everywhere. His eyes glowed with a golden light and a stream of water materialized in front of him. He rinsed the blood off and crouched next to Tafel.
“The blood’s gone now,” Vur said while raising his hands. “See?”
Tafel raised her head and bit her lip as she maintained eye contact. She didn’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?” Vur asked.
Tafel’s lips trembled. “Y-you’re scary,” she whispered and lowered her eyes.
Vur’s eyebrows knit together. He sat down next to her, leaving more space than usual. “I don’t understand,” he said. “The elves said that too.”
Tafel shook her head and closed her eyes. The two sat unmoving. A rabbit hopped out of a bush and scampered past the bear corpse.
“Do you ever get scared
?” Tafel asked with her eyes still closed.
“Sometimes,” Vur said. “Auntie’s very scary if you wake her up.”
A moment of silence passed. Tafel raised her head and looked at Vur. “Is that it?”
Vur nodded. “Why are you scared of me?”
“When your eyes glowed and you killed the bear and smiled…. You didn’t seem like a person anymore,” Tafel said, looking away. “I thought you were going to eat me next.” Her body shivered as she balled up her hands inside her sleeves. She heard Vur stand up and flinched when his hand touched her head.
“I would never hurt you,” Vur said.
Tafel craned her neck and stared him in the eyes.
“Promise?”
Vur nodded. “Promise.”
***
Zollstock groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Gray stalactites hung tens of meters above him. A breeze rolled over his body, causing him to shiver. He inspected his surroundings and found his discarded clothes hanging from nearby stalagmites. It wasn’t a dream? he thought as he stood up.
Lindyss was sitting on a rocking chair in a corner, knitting a sweater. “You should put some clothes on before the children get back,” she said without looking up. She was wearing a purple robe, her light-brown hair tied in a bun behind her head.
Zollstock stared for a second before nodding. He stumbled as he got dressed. “That was amazing,” he said. Lindyss smiled, but didn’t say anything. “Was that a one-time thing or…?” Zollstock’s voice trailed off.
Lindyss laughed and placed her knitting needles down onto her lap. “You want to do it again already?” she asked with a smile as her eyes twinkled. “The children will be back with food soon, you know?”
Zollstock laughed and scratched his nose. He stretched and winced after taking a few steps. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he clutched his groin and fell to the floor while panting.
“Was I too rough?” Lindyss asked with a chuckle.
Zollstock shook his head and took in a deep breath. “It’s nothing,” he said and grimaced.
“Then you should look forward to tonight,” Lindyss said with a wink. “I hope it won’t be too hard on you.”
“Auntie!” Vur’s voice rang out from the entrance. “We’re back.”
Zollstock stood up and took controlled breaths before adjusting his posture. Vur walked in, holding Tafel’s hand with his left and the behemoth bear’s hind leg with his right. Zollstock’s mouth dropped open. “How is that going to fit on a table?”
Vur looked at him, sighed, and shook his head. “Dragons don’t use tables.” He moved the bear into the center of the mini-boss room and sat down with Tafel taking a seat next to him. Zollstock waddled over and winced as he sat down.
“Are you okay?” Tafel asked her father. Zollstock nodded while breathing in.
Vur stabbed Lust into the bear’s side and sliced off a strip of meat and fur. He grabbed the blade of the dagger and offered the hilt to Tafel. Her hands trembled as she accepted it before looking at her father. His eyes were closed, and labored breaths escaped from his pale face. Tafel shrugged and tried to copy Vur’s previous actions, but she couldn’t break the bear’s skin.
Vur placed his hand over hers and guided her actions. Soon, Tafel also held a strip of bloody bear meat in her hands. It’s so squishy, she thought. Her face paled while her mouth opened slightly.
“Don’t let the blood drip,” Vur said as he lifted one end of the strip and stuck it into Tafel’s mouth before she could react. Her eyes widened, and she was about to spit it out, but she stopped when she realized it tasted sweet. Warmth flowed from her throat into her belly, causing her body to relax.
“Tastes good, right?” Vur asked with a grin.
Tafel nodded and bit off a tiny piece of the meat. “It tastes really good,” she said while chewing, not caring about manners, and swallowed the piece.
Vur smiled and cut off another strip of meat. Zollstock fell over and twitched as his hands clenched into fists. “I don’t think your dad is okay,” Vur said and poked the demon lord with the dagger, trying to bring about a reaction. “Should I heal him?”
Zollstock whimpered. “Plea—”
“No,” Lindyss said as she stepped over the demon lord’s body. “He said it was nothing. You shouldn’t heal him or else it’ll hurt his pride as a man.” Lindyss smiled as she tore off one of the bear’s legs and brought it to the basilisk in the other room. Vur shrugged and continued to eat.
“Sorry, Dad,” Tafel said as she brought the rest of her food to her mouth. “I don’t know any healing spells.”
Tears rolled down the demon lord’s face.
***
Mina sat across from her mother, a table with a tea set separating the two. Her mother looked identical to her, but wrinkles framed the older woman’s face and hands.
“It’s been such a long time, Mina.”
Mina smiled. “I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit often, Mother,” she said. “I’ve been busy recently.”
Her mother grunted. “The lord left with the dragons?” she asked. “Everyone’s been talking about it. Rumors say he angered one of them and was kidnapped. A few people say they saw him dangling from its claws.”
Mina’s lips twisted into a smile. “Well, he was taken by the dragons of his own volition,” she said as she picked up a steaming tea cup. “Just not in the manner he wished to travel.”
“Aren’t you worried something will happen to him?” her mother asked and sipped her tea.
Mina shook her head. “I’m more concerned about what I found in his room.”
Her mother placed the tea cup down and furrowed her brow. “Some things are better left unsaid,” she said, staring at her daughter. “He’s the demon lord, Mina.”
Mina fidgeted in her seat. Her fingers turned white as she gripped her cup and took a sip. “I know. I’m just worried for Tafel.”
13
Sera and Prika lay in the valley, facing each other on their bellies. Between them, a rectangular platform with a chessboard pattern had multiple golems standing on top of it. Prika nudged one of the golems with her claw, urging it forwards. “Eh?” Sera tilted her head. “That’s allowed?”
“I just did it, didn’t I?” Prika asked in return.
“I’m going to have to ask that little cursed elf for a rulebook,” Sera said as she swatted the golem closest to the advancing golem. Her head turned when Vur and Tafel came out of a nearby cave, their faces smudged with dirt.
“Mama, can I imprint Tafel?” Vur asked.
“What? Ew. No. That’s gross,” Prika said. “She’d be like your daughter then. Let me do it.”
Sera glared at Prika. “I thought we agreed it was best not to imprint non-dragons.”
“Yeah, but I want kids too. I don’t even have a mate,” Prika said while frowning.
“Why does Tafel want to be imprinted?” Sera asked.
“I want to be strong like Vur,” Tafel said with her head lowered. She still couldn’t stare any of the dragons in the eyes. “So he doesn’t have to always protect me when we play. And if I get stronger, then I won’t have to listen to my parents.”
“Good enough for me!” Prika said and approached Tafel, abandoning the game of golem chess.
Sera put her claw on Prika’s snout and pulled the red dragon back. “What will the elves think if we imprint a demon?” Sera asked. “What will the humans think? There’s a very delicate balance that has to be maintained.”
Prika pushed Sera’s claw away. “You imprinted Vur,” she said. “Who cares what anyone else thinks?”
“Vur’s not an heir to a throne. Tafel can be,” Sera said. “Don’t forgot what my father said about angering the humans.”
Vernon and Grimmy coughed from within a cave.
Prika rolled her eyes. “Fine, I get what you’re saying,” she said and turned to Tafel. “Sorry, squirt.”
Tafel shook her head and waved her hands in front of herself. “That’s okay,�
�� she said. “I can get stronger on my own.”
“Just because you can’t get a dragon to imprint you doesn’t mean other beasts won’t,” Prika said. “Why not a behemoth bear?” She licked her lips. “I can convince one for you.”
“My teacher told me that you can only get imprinted once,” Tafel said and lowered her head. “I wanted to be like Vur.” Her face turned beet red as she clutched the edge of her woolen sweater.
“Oh?” Grimmy said, popping his head out of his cave with a grin. “You know he can still make normal babies, right? There’s no need for a dragon imprint.”
Leila nudged him. “Hush, they’re not even six yet.”
“Eh? Don’t tell me you two don’t know how babies are made,” Grimmy said towards the children.
The two shook their heads.
Vernon coughed and emerged from his cave. “Well you see,” the golden dragon said as he scratched his chin, “when a boy and a girl love each other very much, they form a connection. When they eat together, talk to each other, live in the same cave together, hold hands with each other, that connection grows stronger. When the connection reaches a certain level—”
Sera smacked him. “You’ll make the children stupid.”
Vernon sighed and rubbed his snout.
“So I can’t imprint Tafel?” Vur asked.
Sera shook her head. “It’s best if you didn’t.”
Vur frowned, but Tafel tugged his hand. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m happy enough that you asked for me. Let’s go play in the forest, okay?”
“Okay.” Vur nodded. The two turned and left the valley.
Prika stared at their backs and sighed.
***
The two children stood next to a bananerry bush. It was a green bush shaped like a ball with large fern-like leaves. Banana-shaped berries hung from the branches of the bush, hence its name. “I told you I could find some,” Vur said and pointed.
“They’re so tiny,” Tafel said with her eyes wide. But she wasn’t referring to the fruit.
“Hey! Just because we’re tiny, it doesn’t mean we don’t have ears!”