So what will it be dragon? Xania prepares some magic while waiting for the dragon's answer as she notices the dragon still reluctance.

If you agree I'll also share some of my mana with you instead of just letting you use dark magic.

How much?

As much as the spell can provide.

Lies, nobody would be willing to share that much even if they had enough.

I can and I shall, so make your choice dragon.

Fine, I'll serve this demon here so prove it.

Xania uses the familiar contract to provide the dragon with as much mana as the spell can hold causing him to accidently breath fire made of dark magic out of his mouth due to the extreme change in mana before closing it.

Good, you have a humanoid form right? Change into it, you take up too much space.

Fine.

Dragrove changes into a teenager boy.

Change into your real age.

This is my real age for a dragon. He says while huffing out from smoke from his nose somehow despite not being a dragon anymore, making Xania wonder if he can still breath fire out in his human form for a moment before refocusing.

Whatever, everybody come here.

Xania waits as everybody leaves the castle and goes back to the front gates

Dragrove, go and join Anise.

Fine. Xania waits for Dragrove to go next to Anise as they stand side by side, both being annoyed at Xania for their own reasons.

Wow, they look pretty similar when annoyed, I would've believed it if someone told me they're related.

So why are we here? Anise asks, snapping Xania out of her thoughts.

Oh yea, look over there. Xania points behind her to the side of the shield, turning back to make sure she's pointing correctly.

Yes?

I'll create a pathway out, covered in shields for now, Anise you and Dragrove are to maintain the shield.

Sure, but why are you creating a pathway out? I can just teleport anyone out you know?

Because I intend to gather the demons here, and unless you intend to teleport every single one of them, a pathway would be useful.

Oh, makes sense, but how are you going to gather demons?

I'll show you, but first, tell me about human kingdoms.

Sure, there are many, but the main 3 are lucival, the holy kingdom, the place where the hero usually appears. Kislat, the kingdom with the biggest army, and lastly, cranze, a kingdom focused mainly on production, such as food or weapons and is protected by the two.

Oh, but which is stronger? Kislat or Lucival?

Kislat is stronger but Lucival is a bigger threat to us since they have a contract with the elves for the world tree and their holy magic is ridiculously strong, their also the ones who attacked us before in the cave.

Ok, any chance they will attack us here if I let out a lot of dark magic?

No, I suspect they already know that the swamp isn't cursed and is caused by dark magic, so they'll probably assume that something happened to the dragon as the risk of entering here is too high to confirm a fact they think they can guess.

Oh okay, then I guess it wouldn't matter if I did this.

What?

Xania teleports them all to the top of the castle, blowing up the ceiling as she blasts a beam of pure dark magic in the sky without even using a spell, causing it to start dispersing a couple hundred feets outside the shield, spreading in all directions.

Demons will be attracted by this, right? Xania says with her right arm still raised up, blasting the beam upwards as her left hand plays with her tail.

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I guess, but how long can you maintain that?

Probably a whole year, but that seems unnecessary, just think of this as me showing you that I still have a lot of mana to spare since you asked me to show you before.

Right… I think that's enough mana already.

No, I got a lot more to spare.

No, I mean basically every demon in the world knows about it already.

Oh ok.

By the way, after killing the hero, the world tree will just pick another, so why don't I destroy the world tree? Xania asks while stopping the beam.

The world tree is called the world tree, destroying it will cause the world to be destroyed.

Oh, then what if I stop people from going to the world tree, then it can't pick another hero right?

They don't need physical contact.

What if I use dark magic along with shield magic to create a barrier around the world tree?

That… might work, but everybody will be pissed if you do that since the fruits the world tree provides can boost your strength, mana and life span.

What if I eat it?

It's poisonous to beings who use dark magic without needing to pay a price except for mana.

Oh, anyways, if I make the elves desperate enough, they'll agree to the barrier if I spare them right?

And promise to do no harm to the world tree since they value it more than their lives because their ancestors died for it, but it's still a gamble.

Oh, anyways the dwarves are the priority right now anyways, so who here knows how to get to the dwarves?

As Xania asks, everybody goes quiet for a moment before an unexpected person goes up.

Dragrove, you know?

Of course I do, despite being a teenager in a dragon's lifespan, I've still lived for very long so I have a clue where they may be at.

Sure, while I'm gone you four defend this place and help any demons who are on the way alright?

Sure my lord.

You're no longer annoyed at me?

What do you mean by that? Anie asks, getting annoyed again.

You call me my lord or just lord when your not in a bad mood.

When are you going off? Anise asks Dragrove, ignoring Xania.

I need a couple weeks to set up the teleportation circle because I don't remember clearly where it was.

How annoying.

So my lord. Anise says, annoyed.

Are we free to go?

Sure.

Anise and the rest goes back as Xania teleports into her bedroom and Anise entering after though still annoyed, due to requesting before to sleep in Xanias room and not wanting her own room, something she regrets at the very moment.

Anise?

Shut up.

Fine.

A couple weeks later as Anise's mood finally gets better and Dragrove finishes the magic circle.

My lord, have a safe trip!

Sure, Dragrove, teleport us already, stop wasting my time.

Alright alright, what a severe lack of patience you have.

As Dragrove teleports him and Xania away, Anise sighs as she looks up as the darkmana in the sky, spreading all around, causing the air to become much more poisonous, and probably capable of killing weaker demons instantly despite demons having a higher tolerance and resistance for dark magic.

Okay, dragrove, where are the dwarves and why are we standing In front of a mountain?

They're in the mountains.

Huh? So should I just blow it up? Xania asks, tilting her head as she prepares to shoot some dark magic before Dragrove stops her.

Are you crazy?! If you do that, what makes you think they will help you?!

Oh yea, I came for their help for a weapon, how did you know?

Well, why else would anyone like for the dwarves? You don't seem to particularly be the type to find joy in killing.

I guess not, lead the way.

Xania follows as Dragrove injects his mana into a hidden magic circle, causing a small pathway to open up.

Wow, I didn't know you could hide a magic circle like this, I wonder if I can do it too. Xania starts trying to imitate what she just saw.

The dwarves spent generations perfecting it, there's no way you can… . Dragrove is back as Xania starts using a bit of magic, having figured out how to perfectly imitate the dwarves.

Screw it… but don't let them see you doing that or they won't take kindly to it.

Why not?

Because you took seconds to copy what took them generations, and this is Their magic so you basically just stole it.

Oh, fine I won't do this Infront of them.

You better remember that. Dragrove says before finally reaching the end of the small opening, leading to an underground village, too small to call a city, but much bigger than a village, with a makeshift castle in the center, much smaller than Xania's mansion, but still bigger than a house.

Wow, but doesn't it seem pretty lifeless here?

They're probably sleeping, it's underground so their sleeping schedules are all messed up.

Xania and Dragrove enter the village as they continue to find a lack of anybody as they start searching the houses and blacksmiths.

Anybody there? Xania asks while fanning the dust away from her face.

Nobody– ah choo!-- here…

It's so dusty, I keep sneezing, if it's so dusty I doubt anybody has been here for quite a while.

Maybe they moved?

Why would–ah Choo!-- move? It looks pretty nice to live in, maybe something happened?

Let's go check the castle first then.

Sure.

As Xania and Dragrove approaches the castle doors, Xania gets a bad feeling as she pushes open the gigantic doors, which she feels is unnecessary, but not the point as she sees the carpet soaked with dry blood and skeletons there, too small to belong to humans.

Oh, I guess the humans got here before we did. Dragrove says, walking around, unbothered by the scene as he kicks a skull out of his way.

Shame, could you guess who did this?

I assume the cranze kingdom as their weapon productive was also second compared to the dwarves.

But how could they fight?

They probably paid the Kislat kingdom some of their higher quality weapons or something to do this seeing as the Lucival kingdom, being the holy kingdom doesn't engage in mindless slaughter even if they're paid, unless it's to kill demons, which they'll happily do for free.

Great, so my only hopes of a weapon is gone.

It's not completely gone, they probably imprisoned the dwarves to torture them.

Oh, do you know where the Cranze kingdom is?

Yea, but you aren't intending to go and break them out right?

That's what I'm gonna do, I can also get the dwarves to be indebted to me and make weapons for free.

Cruel woman, hard to believe you're the same as this woman in these pictures.. Dragrove says while pulling out the pictures of Xania sleeping and being fed.

Where did you get those?

Anise gave it to me, saying it was a welcome gift and that she intends to hand these out to everyone.

… When I get back, Anise is going to get it.