If one ignored the fact that it was an artifact, Lady Entropy’s castle—the ‘Demon Lord’s castle’—was laid out much like an ordinary castle.

Of course, its status as a goddess-made artifact gave it the ability to change the shape of its insides, defy the very laws of physics themselves, and summon forth an inexhaustible supply of spectral servants, so it was anything but ordinary.

In any case, like a normal castle, it possessed expansive lord’s quarters spanning multiple rooms. Of these rooms, the one I was currently in would be best described as an office.

A black wooden desk, an elaborate, comfortable chair, moody lighting from a dark stained glass window, several massive piles of paperwork and a number of full bookshelves to stave off boredom if I somehow worked through all that paperwork.

My head resting on my hand, I read through and signed document after document.

Although I had evolved, there were not many changes. The amount of paperwork increased, the Ghost Maids provided me with better and more service—for example, they insisted on changing my clothes for me, for some reason—and Lady Entropy stuck to me like glue. That was all.

Though I say “like glue”, it was more like she simply insisted on being in the same room as I at all times, apart from when I was changing. Even the exciting, exciting activity of “signing documents” was observed with great interest.

Incidentally, Alpine lay curled up by my feet.

I was pulled from the world of paperwork by a knock on the door.

“The door is open. Enter,” I said.

Perhaps predictably, a maid entered the room. After a respectful curtsy from her and an acknowledging nod from me, she spoke up.

“Master Astaroth, there is an Imp who would like to see you, accompanied by two members of the races of mankind. In addition, Lord Smile has requested your presence…”

I nodded. “It shall make a good change of pace,” I said, flexing my hand a few times. “Send Charlotte and Tempest to a drawing room to deal with the Imp, for now. Have Lilith meet me at the entrance to the dungeons.”

“As you wish, Master Astaroth.” After another curtsy, she disappeared through the door.

Shaking my head, I stood up.

“Incidentally, Lady Entropy,” I said as I walked through the castle’s halls.

Although the castle was large and ever-changing, its master would still be able to reach the rooms they desired. Of course, this feature would not help me find people, only areas.

“Hm?”

“Will you be alright in the dungeon?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve seen worse, you know,” she said, her flat voice brimming with confidence.

“I see,” I said, mussing her hair.

In front of the heavy black door to the dungeons, Lilith hung around, likely waiting for me. She waved the moment she saw me approach.

“Mornin’, Master. ‘S finally time, huh?”

I nodded. “Indeed, Lilith. Alpine, you stay at the door.”

Although it looked a little reluctant, it followed my command and sat down next to the door.

We descended the long, long spiral staircase behind the door.

“Thank you ever-so-much for gracing us with your presence, Lady Entropy, Lord Astaroth, Lady Lilith.”

The man in front of me, bowing at nigh ninety degrees, looked rather out of place, what with his well-tailored suit and all. On his face sat a mask, black and white, which warped its expression to reflect his feelings. Likely an artifact.

This was the person who had requested my presence. Smile. I handed him a sheet of paper, filled with questions, and then turned my attention to the other person in the room.

Slumped over the singular desk was a boy, who looked perhaps fifteen years old, with shoulder-length purple hair, an outfit that could only be deemed ‘lecherous’ and, most notably, a horn on his forehead.

From the horn, anyone could tell he was a Devil, although I had never bothered to check what kind. This meant his appearance was likely deceptive—it would not have surprised me if he was over a thousand years old.

His name was Xhaos.

The listless expression on Xhaos’s face and Smile’s expensive-looking suit did not fit the room at all, given every single wall was covered, floor to ceiling, in either black torture implements, or black cell bars with cells behind them.

Not just the tools and the cell bars, but also the walls, floor and ceiling themselves were made of Black Silver. Honestly, this was an absolutely ludicrous amount of the stuff.

“No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “It is an employer’s duty to provide his employees with work.” It was a simple enough task to figure out why he had asked for me—for all the years I had owned the castle, I had hardly asked the two of them to do any work for me. There was no way that would sit well with these two.

The painted-on smile on Smile's mask shifted to one side—likely, it represented a smirk. Xhaos raised his eyes to look at me, and they twinkled with anticipation.

“Lilith. I think it is about time you explain that spell of yours to me.”

“Sure. I told ya it’s called [Devil’s Prison], right? So imagine ya’ve got like… ‘nother dimension. ‘N there’s nothin’ in it. But instead of air, there’s this, like… thick, syrupy stuff. ‘N the passage of time’s a bit… weird, so ya don’t need ta eat, or drink, or anythin’. Tha’s the spell. Works great if ya wanna break someone’s spirit.”

“Hmm. Well, there is some information I would like to obtain from the Barrier Hero, so hand him over to Smile and Xhaos.” I noticed Smile’s painted smile widen and Xhaos raise his head.

“Gotcha.” She snapped her fingers. The same magic circle as the first time she used the spell, but this time, slightly above the floor—and after a short delay, the Barrier Hero fell out with a thud.

Although he was conscious, with practised movements, Smile stripped him of his armour and weapons before he could get his bearings. This left him in plain clothes as he sat up and sluggishly looked around.

Before he could make too much headway, though, Xhaos planted one of his heeled boots onto his chest, forcing him to the floor with his full weight—it seemed he was placing little to no weight on his other foot. Though he was small, he likely still weighed enough to make someone uncomfortable, especially with a boot like that. In his hands, he brandished a black whip.

The Hero let out a grunt, more because of the violent motion than the pain. Glee filled Xhaos’s eyes.

The Hero’s unusual reaction led me to narrow my eyes, and I soon realised its cause—a simple, yet critical, and very obvious oversight.

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“... He can’t feel pain.”

My words drew everyone’s attention to me. The Hero looked particularly triumphant.

“Ha! You can’t torture a Hero!”

I pointedly ignored him and turned to Lady Entropy. “Perhaps there is something we can do?”

Without a word, she approached the Hero, crouched down next to him and beckoned me.

I obediently followed her and crouched down next to her.

“Alone, I couldn’t. Light-attribute blessings are, outside of my authority. But, if we use the Aspect of Blessing, to override the rules…”

A certain fear entered the Hero’s expression. “Wait, wait, don’t! I’m, I’m important to Lady Luciel! If you hurt me-”

He was interrupted by a heel in his mouth. It belonged to Xhaos’s other boot. Although it should have been hard to find your balance with one foot on someone’s chest and the heel of the other in their mouth, he appeared to have the leeway to wiggle his hips in glee.

I looked away.

Following after Lady Entropy, I placed my hands on the Hero’s chest, trying to point my gaze such that Xhaos was out of my field of view at all times. I also ignored the thoughts from Lady Entropy about our overlapping hands—or, really, I had no leeway to think about such things.

I felt her pour her mana, through my hands, into the Hero’s chest, and back out, as if searching for something, and—

In my hand appeared a golden, shining gemstone, covered in sticky, goopy miasma. This was likely the Hero’s blessing. I grasped it tightly and, as quickly as I could, retracted my hands and turned my back to Xhaos, ignoring the Hero’s pained spluttering.

“He turned, albino?”

I shot a cautious glance in the Hero’s direction—indeed, his hair was white and his irises red. As if he had lost the pigment.

I was curious, but I had no desire to watch this any longer, so I placed the blessing in my [Storage] and took a step to leave.

“Master, do ya mind if I…?” Lilith asked, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Ah, you wish to watch? Do as you like.”

Once more I turned to leave, and once more I stopped.

“Oh, and Lilith.”

“Hm?”

“Congratulations. You have worked hard, and it has paid off.”

After a moment of stunned silence, a brilliant smile formed on her mouth. “Yes!”

“Next is?”

“The guests, Lady Entropy,” I said. “An Imp, and two members of mankind.”

“Mankind?” Alpine asked. It appeared to have latched onto my leg again.

“It is hard to walk like that, so get off.”

It got off and saluted. I waved my hand dismissively.

“Where?” Lady Entropy asked.

“That is…”

I clapped my hands, and a Ghost Maid appeared.

“Take us to the guests.”

“As you wish, Master Astaroth.”

The atmosphere inside the drawing room, I surmised from outside, was a little strained, but amicable enough.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I used [No-Attribute Magic] and opened the door. Of course, this drew everyone’s eyes to me.

“Ah, M’lord. It pleases me t’ no end t’ see that thou hast arrived safely.” Charlotte, as per usual, curtsied as she spoke.

What do you think this castle is? A deathtrap?

A monster I recognised as an Imp let out a short gasp as he saw me, and then quickly dropped to his knees. “Y-Your Grace!”

Other than Charlotte, Tempest, the Imp and a number of maids, the room contained a boy and a girl, with raven-black hair and eyes. The latter were like those of a dead fish. The boy carried a bag, which I sensed to be an artifact.

The robes they wore looked quite expensive. In addition, the boy had fennec-like ears and a fox-like tail, while the girl had sheep-like ears and ram-like horns. Presumably, she had a tail, as well.

To put it simply, these two were absolutely adorable.

It was not like it was the first time I had seen a beast-person, even up close, but that did little to alleviate the fact that their very existence were some people’s dreams.

“Are you… mister demon king?” the girl said, tilting her head. Though her eyes lacked the light of life, like someone who had truly given up, she seemed to be more than capable of speech.

Her ears flicked a few times as she awaited my response.

“I am the only one in this world you could reasonably call by that title,” I said, a haughty smirk on my face.

She looked to the boy. He seemed to pick up her message, and handed her a piece of paper from the bag, which she then thrust into my direction. “Please read this!”

I accepted it and had a look.

“This is… High Kobold?” I borrowed a [Language Comprehension] skill to read the letter, as it was not a language I was familiar with.

Esteemed lord Demon King,

On behalf of the village of Dusthill, I present your mighty personage with this humble offering. Ravage them, feast on them, slaughter them, please use them as you see fit.

Should you or one of your subordinates possess [Appraisal], you would find the offerings possess Unique Skills. These are truly the highest-quality offerings we could have produced.

We hope your magnanimous personage might find it to offer mercy to our humble village.

Humblest regards,

Roulant Clearthorne, chief of Dusthill

I looked at the letter a few seconds more than I needed, then back to the girl.

Unique Skills? These two? That would certainly make them an interesting asset…

“So you are sacrifices, then,” I said, to get some confirmation.

“Yes! Please treat us however you wish!” the girl said. Surprisingly lively.

“Please, do what you want,” the boy said, nodding as his ears and tail drooped to the ground. A much more understandable reaction.

This was indeed my first meeting with the children which would later come to be known as the “cursed sword wielders”.