Much of the palace was worn or broken from the last hundreds of years of neglect.

“This place probably looked nice when Eevicaln was around,” Caeldaemos commented.

“My master agrees. My master asks if you find anything of worth to collect it.” Giiwo communicated.

Caeldaemos chuckled as they continued through the ruins.

He could feel the presence of the fragment, but for some reason, it eluded them.

Checking the throne room, Caeldaemos was a bit surprised to see a large bed in the form of a heart in place of a throne.

“I guess they were not bashful here.”

“Master likes the bed design and wishes to… Disregard.”

Caeldaemos laughed.

Room after room, they could not find the fragment. Caeldaemos was sure that the fragment was avoiding them.

A couple of hours rolled by, and they had investigated every corner of the ruined palace. Caeldaemos finally got fed up.

“Haaaaaah.” Caeldaemos sighed in frustration. The fragment was never too far, but it would run away the closer they got to it.

“Screw this.” Caeldaemos turned and headed back toward the throne room along with Giiwo.

Once they arrived, he sat on the staircase leading up to the bed throne.

“Listen up! I am the new Demon-Lord, Caeldaemos the Benevolent! I want to talk and won’t leave until you come out to talk to me!” He shouted.

He could feel the moving fragment stop in its tracks when he finished speaking.

A skittish voice called out to them through mana. “Why? What have you come here for?!”

“Like I said, I want to talk,” Caeldaemos replied.

“Are you really a Demon-Lord?” The voice asked.

“I’m sure you can feel our connection, right?” Caeldaemos asked.

“How do I know you are sane!?” The voice shouted.

“I’m a bit special. I survived the corruption ritual with my mind fully intact. I swear by Io.” A silver haze rolled over his body.

“What…?” The voice asked in shock. “How? How do the gods answer your Divine Oath?”

A woman covered by a cloak came out of hiding, speaking to him normally.

Caeldaemos was surprised. Eevicaln the Lustful was a stunningly beautiful demoness. Though most of her body was hidden beneath the heavy cloak, he could tell she was gorgeous.

Her long, purplish hair shimmered even in the dim light of the ruined palace. Her facial features were soft, and her vibrant, full red lips drew your eyes to them. Eyes like sapphires sparkled and glistened lightly with wetted eyes. Even though Caeldaemos was immune to captivation-like effects, he found himself drawn to her natural beauty.

“Eevicaln the-.” Caeldaemos started, his attention being drawn toward her.

“Please! Don’t finish that.” Eevicaln begged, tears forming in her eyes.

“Okay.” He raised his hands, assuring he would stop. Her shouting broke him out of his trance.

“I despise that… I never wanted that….” Eevicaln trembled.

“Could you tell me more? I didn’t get much from Dawnfrey, so I don’t know much about Demon-Lords or our history.” Caeldaemos asked, staying seated. He feared she would run away again if he tried to move.

“You… Defeated the child?” She asked, now on guard.

“No. I didn’t fight him. He was… pitiful. I felt terrible for him. It was like he was a lost child, starved for love. I comforted him as best as I could. I felt… so terrible for him.” Caeldaemos recalled his experience with Dawnfrey, lowering his eyes.

Eevicaln stared at Caeldaemos for a moment before sighing in resignation. “Follow me.”

Eevicaln led them down a hall to a private room. Approaching a wall and channeling some of her mana into it, it opened, revealing a well-kept space.

The room was filled with comfy furniture and cute plushies. At the back was a simple, single-person bed with several layers of blankets messily tossed aside.

“Take a seat,” Eevicaln told them as she headed toward a coat rack.

“This room?” Caeldaemos asked as he took a seat.

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“My hideaway. Sometimes I could regain control of myself and hide here away from all those depraved bastards. Tell me, what monster were you before you became a Demon-Lord?” Eevicaln asked as she hung up her cloak. Underneath, she wore an oversized, baggy, very soft-looking sweater and similar pajama pants.

“Monster?” Caeldaemos asked, surprised.

“Yes. All but the first Demon-Lord was originally a monster. The first was a fae-folk spirit of darkness.” Eevicaln replied, curling up on a nearby sofa, hugging her knees to her chest.

“I was a demon. So, you were a monster before?” He asked.

“Yes. I feel like I can sense Yuteralis within you. Did you also save him?” She asked.

“He was the final boss of a dungeon.” Caeldaemos fondly remembered his fight with the Demon-Lord. “It was a good fight.”

“Hah! Of course, that battle-brained idiot would find peace with a good fight.” She laughed.

“So, all of you know each other?” He asked.

“All of us are connected. When we finally got our freedom back through death, we could occasionally chat with one another. Yuteralis was originally a Great Ape. Their kind valued strength above all else and would fight amongst each other for dominance. Yuteralis was different, though. He enjoyed the battle while not wanting to kill his opponent. He is what people would call a ‘Good Sport.’” Eevicaln explained.

“And Dawnfrey?”

“That poor child. He was from a similar monster race known as Yeti. They value strength and perfection of form. Dawnfrey was born a runt and cast aside by his family. All he ever wanted was to have familial love. He struggled to survive on his own before being corrupted.”

“What about… you?” A dark feeling was building in Caeldaemos’ heart as he saw a pattern.

A sad smile came to her fair features. “I was once a troll.”

If Caeldaemos was trying to drink something, he would have to spit it out in surprise at the comment.

Eevicaln giggled at his shocked expression. “Yes. I was a rotting yet living troll.” She paused, and her expression changed. “I think you have come to a conclusion about us, have you not?”

“Each of you was different from normal monsters. Most that I have spoken to only want to destroy everything.” He stated, feeling terrible for them.

She smiled softly at his pity. “It is not something you should allow yourself to be weighed down by. But yes, we were unlike other monsters who only desired destruction and chaos. I wanted to live a peaceful life. I wanted to enjoy cute and comfortable things. I wanted to find someone who could love me, even with me being a troll. But the corrupted consciousness of the previous Demon-Lords broke us.”

“How did it turn out like this? Was it the gods?” He asked.

“The gods didn’t create the first. The Demon-Lord of Slaughter, Halturnafey. Halturnafey came about during a world war between the races. He was a spirit of darkness that made a pact with an evil god. Through it, he gained great power that drove him mad. He would slaughter all in his path. Ah, I think he also went by Talopar the Butcher. The gods became desperate to stop him and summoned the first heroes to the world. After the defeat of Halturnafey, the gods noticed how peaceful the world had become. All the races were working together without their previous hatred. Us Demon-Lords came to the idea that the gods decided to use this to maintain peace in the world. By keeping the races unified, the gods could prevent the evil god from gaining a foothold again.” Eevicaln explained.

“My master wishes to know more about the evil god.” Giiwo, who had been listening silently, chimed in.

“Sorry, even we don’t know much about them. All we know is that the madness of Halturnafey would seek out and corrupt the next Demon-Lord each time. The gods were completely unaware of this.”

“You couldn’t learn anything from Halturnafey?” He asked.

Eevicaln shook her head. “He stays silent. We tried to reach out to him, but all we heard were quiet sobs. We think he feels guilty.” She answered.

“I should tell Io about this.” Caeldaemos thought aloud.

“You can speak with the goddess?” Eevicaln asked.

“I can.”

“Then please, do us this favor, tell the gods to stop making Demon-Lords. Each one of us has suffered so much thanks to it.” Eevicaln hugged her trembling body while crying.

Caeldaemos moved over to her and knelt. “Do you want me to hold you?”

Eevicaln tensed at his question. “I… hate being touched.”

“I’m sure you do after what you went through. But I promise you, I only wish to offer you comfort.” He replied, opening his arms.

Eevicaln was hesitant but decided to try trusting him. She scooted forward and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

Caeldaemos was careful and gently wrapped her in his arms. He kept the hug light so she could quickly move away if needed.

Eevicaln began to cry. “It was so hard…”

Caeldaemos tapped into Lord of Darkness and felt the darkness of her heart.

Her whole past flashed rapidly before him.

Eevicaln’s time as a troll, her experience of becoming a Demon-Lord, and what happened after. She was a prisoner within her own body. Shouting, screaming, and crying in despair. All she could do was watch and feel as her possessed body did depraved act one after another. She never wanted any of it. All she wanted was to be loved and surrounded by comfy and cute things. The room they were in was what she wanted all along. It was a place she could hide and cry over her situation.

“What did you…?” Eevicaln backed away from him.

Tears rolled down his stoic face. “I’m sorry. I can see the darkness within the hearts of others.”

“Why? Why would you do something like that?” She asked.

“Because I want to help.” He warmly smiled.

She smiled back. “Caeldaemos the Benevolent. It fits.” Eevicaln reached out and hugged him around his neck.

“I can purify the darkness from your heart.” He offered, hugging her back.

“Please do. I wish this nightmare to end. I am… so tired.”

Caeldaemos activated Bringer of Light but added in one he had yet to use, Benevolence.

A silver light grew in strength, getting brighter and brighter.

Before long, the town of Barnoo could see a blinding light shining from the ruins.

“Ahhhhhh.” Eevicaln let out a relieved sigh as her form faded away.

Caeldaemos watched as her spirit floated up toward the heavens.

“Thank you…” Eevicaln smiled as her spirit faded into the light.

Caeldaemos wiped away his tears as the light died back down.

“My lord. Master advises we leave soon. The locals will be coming to investigate.” Giiwo conveyed.

“Yeah.” He choked out. When he reached out toward the fragment, he stopped.

He remembered both Yuteralis and Dawnfrey’s fragments were not as clear, but Eevicaln’s was clear and beautiful.

Caeldaemos smiled and took in her fragment. “Later, I will free you two as well.”

He stood and picked up Giiwo, teleporting them back to Listamati and Rana. After collecting them, he teleported them back to the inn in Barnoo.

News of the great light from the Barnoo ruins spread quickly through the world. When the locals investigated the ruins, they found that the lustful aura that normally pervaded the location was utterly gone. After exploring the broken-down palace, they found a curious room filled with cute and comfortable things. It initially confused people, but they concluded that Eevicaln the Lustful may have had a secret side to her. But it was a diary left by the fragment of Eevicaln that would lead to a change in perspective for all Demon-Lords, and provide much-needed help that would be revealed at an opportune moment.