Muriel, who had always believed herself to be the sole Demon Lord of the Western Continent, was stunned into silence upon learning otherwise. For her, it felt as if time had frozen, leaving her alone with her thoughts. How was this possible? Since when? And why? These questions swirled endlessly in her mind. Just then, Philip spoke up, attempting to bring her back to the present.

“Uh... Miss Dragon? Are you alright?” he asked slowly, fearing that speaking too quickly might anger her again.

“Uh... No, No! I'm not alright. Since when has the Western Continent had more than one demon lord, mage?” Muriel snapped her head towards Philip, her expression still one of utter confusion.

“Well, It was about 500 years ago, right around the time you went to sleep. Since then, various demon lords have appeared from time to time, and there have also been sporadic arrivals of people from Other Worlds. This is all we know.” Philip explained.

“The people from Other Worlds part is normal.”

“But I should be the only Demon Lord of this continent!” Muriel’s voice rose unintentionally, her frustration palpable. The adventurers all flinched and took a step back as she shouted. However, Philip, as if pieces of a puzzle had suddenly fallen into place in his mind, began to think out loud, disregarding the dragon's anger.

“Uh... One demon lord? Wait, asleep for 500 years...”

“Could it be, you are the missing Demon Lord?”

“Huh?”

“The missing Demon Lord? Is that what I'm called nowadays? How pitiful.” Muriel recoiled at the name. She felt disgusted by the implication that she had not left a significant enough mark on history.

“Does anyone remember my real name at least?” Muriel stopped eating and handed the food box back to Elwyn, who, sitting too far away to reach, watched as Muriel placed it on the ground instead. Her majestic wings, which had been proudly erect, slowly drooped until they nearly touched the floor.

“Uh... your real name?” Elwyn repeated, the question hanging in the tense air as the adventurers exchanged uncertain glances.

“That, I'm afraid no one would remember.” Philip replied hesitantly.

“Then, what about the Church? I helped write the new scriptures with that idiot Aito. There should be some record of my name.” Muriel pressed on.

“The hero... Aito, huh? Well, According to the Church’s records, we don’t know much. It only mentions The heroes and that The demon lords are the world's balancer.” Philip explained.

“Damn it! Even after death, I’m still overshadowed by him!”

“Please, calm down!” Fixis interjected, worried that the dragon’s growing anger might lead to their demise.

“Annoying.”

“So, the fact that you all aren’t too surprised by me being a demon lord means they show themselves often nowadays?” Muriel sighed, her frustration evident as she took another sip of water before addressing the group again.

“Not exactly. They mostly act like lords ruling their territories. And since there are other demon lords on the continent, there hasn’t been a major war for control.” Ed explained, offering what he knew about regional politics.

“I see, So they each balance the power to prevent large-scale wars. Fine. I’ll make them kneel before me one by one.” Muriel declared, her sense of authority undiminished despite the new circumstances.

“Uh... But, Miss Dragon, each of the demon lords is powerful enough to destroy armies on their own. And you’ve just woken up.” Elwyn interjected, her concern more for the potential devastation that could follow than for Muriel herself. She glanced at her friends, who shared her apprehension, then mustered the courage to continue.

Muriel, however, responded with a laugh.

“What’s this? Do you think I’ll lose to the upstarts who’ve taken my throne? You have quite the sense of humor, elf.” Muriel scoffed, her confidence unwavering.

“Nonetheless, they will submit to me, or I’ll burn them all to ash. I am the one true Demon Lord of this continent. Any name that opposes this is an enemy to be obliterated.”

Muriel rose to her feet, looking down at the four adventurers. Her golden eyes glowed faintly, and she stared into their very souls as if devouring their life energy. Then, unexpectedly, she extended her hand toward Ed, offering to help him up. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“But, I suppose I can bide my time and observe. There are a few things I want to do first, like finding my sister and my papa. So, I’ll refrain from turning this continent to cinders just yet.”

“And for you lot, who’ve managed to speak with me without dying of fright, I suppose I should thank you. So, I’ll spare your lives. Rise, adventurers.”

“Uh- yes, thank you for your mercy.” Ed stammered, taking Muriel’s hand cautiously and pulling himself up. The others followed suit, rising slowly and uncertainly.

“Do you know, I’m starting to feel a bit better. Since you’ve given me this information, and shared your food and water, I’ll reward you.”

“You may each take a handful of gold and treasures from this cave. Just one handful.” Muriel declared, releasing Ed’s hand after he stood. She began walking towards the passage filled with gold and treasures, leading the way.

“A dragon giving away treasure... I never thought I’d see the day.” Fixis murmured in awe.

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“Quiet, Fixis, or you’ll get us eaten.” Philip warned.

“I don’t want to get eaten nya!” Fixis exclaimed, panic rising in her voice.

“Then hush up and follow her lead.” Elwyn whispered urgently, trying to calm Fixis while ensuring they didn’t provoke Muriel’s temper again.

As they followed Muriel, the adventurers couldn’t help but feel a mixture of relief and trepidation. They had survived their encounter with the ancient dragon, but what lay ahead with her unpredictable nature was uncertain. For now, they had a reprieve, and perhaps even a small fortune to show for their courage.

As Muriel swayed her tail, leading the four adventurers, she stopped at the entrance of her treasure chamber, taking in the sight and scent of her hoard. A wide smile spread across her face, but she quickly masked it, turning to face the group with a more neutral expression.

“Well... go ahead and take a handful each.” she said, pointing to the piles of treasure. “Just one handful or I’ll chop off your hands.”

Muriel’s expression slowly turned sour, and she looked away, clearly displeased with the idea of giving away her treasures. The adventurers cautiously approached the hoard, each using one hand to gather as many treasures as they could before presenting them to Muriel for approval. After her nod, they stashed the coins in their pouches. Though the amount was enough to keep them comfortable for months, it paled in comparison to the true value of the gold coin in this world.

“I’ll pretend not to notice the gold you stuffed into your bag before meeting me, cat ears. Consider yourself lucky... that bag’s contents could build a house for the four of you,” Muriel said, her tail tapping Fixis’s large backpack. She turned her head away, her face clearly showing her displeasure.

“You... knew all along, didn’t you...” Fixis stammered, looking nervously at Muriel after feeling her tail thump against her bag.

“I can recognize the scent of my gold, cat ears. Your bag reeks of it. Don’t mention it again, or I won’t be as lenient,” Muriel said, biting her lip, struggling with the idea of parting with her treasure.

“Understood! I won’t mention it again!” Fixis quickly agreed, nodding vigorously.

“By the way, Miss Dragon, how will you use your money if all your treasure is here?” Elwyn asked, glancing around the chamber.

“No, no, foolish elf. This chamber contains only a fraction of my wealth. Most of it is in here.” Muriel smirked, pulling a small brown bag from her cloak and shaking it, producing the sound of clinking coins.

“Do you know what this is ca—”

“Oh, a bottomless coin pouch, right? Didn’t expect you to have one of those,” Philip interrupted, cutting off Muriel’s moment of pride.

“Wha— How do you know about this...” Muriel’s expression shifted from proud to bewildered.

“Well, they’re quite common nowadays. Though we don’t have one, most wealthy people use them.” Elwind explained.

“But... in my time, these were incredibly rare.”

“Well, it has been 500 years, hasn’t it?” Elwyn replied.

“Ugh... whatever. You four can leave my cave now. I don’t want to see your faces anymore. Don’t bother telling me your names either.” Muriel huffed, waving them off dismissively.

As the adventurers turned to leave, Muriel suddenly remembered something crucial. Chiaki, her living doll sister. She had no idea what had happened to Chiaki over the past 500 years. She quickly called out to the adventurers before they could leave.

“Wait! There’s one more thing.” Muriel said urgently.

The group stopped and turned around, with Philip looking particularly confused as he faced Muriel.

"You, the mage. Have you ever attended the Royal Magic Academy in Alderia?" Muriel asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Uh, the Magic Academy... No, I’m from the countryside, so I never had the chance to study there. I only learned basic magic." Philip responded, clearly puzzled by the sudden question. The others turned back as well, equally curious.

"So... that means the academy hasn’t fallen, then." Muriel muttered, gritting her teeth in frustration before exhaling slowly and continuing. "Tell me, is it still thriving?"

"Yes, the academy is still very much active. Many powerful mages graduate from there every year. However..." Philip paused, seemingly hesitant to continue.

"However?" Muriel prompted, taking a step closer to him.

"About three or four years ago, there was an incident involving a group of students. But it has since returned to normal." Philip explained.

"What sort of incident?" Muriel's curiosity was piqued, and she walked closer to Philip.

"It seems that a group of students stole something from the academy. That’s all we really know about it, Your Drago— uhhh m’lady." Philip stammered, correcting himself awkwardly.

"Muriel." she interjected firmly.

"Huh?"

"My name is Muriel, Muriel the Black Calamity. That’s the name I shall use as the new Demon Lord name. Remember it well, all four of you." she declared with a hint of pride in her voice.

Upon hearing that the magic academy, where her friends once studied and where Chiaki worked as an instructor, had experienced some trouble, Muriel felt a surge of concern for her sister’s well-being. However, she quickly brushed aside these worries. Chiaki was the most powerful living doll Muriel knew; nothing could harm her sister.

Muriel’s new title rolled off her tongue with ease as she introduced herself to the adventurers, confident in her choice. Philip, still processing everything, nodded respectfully.

"Ah, Lady Muriel, that’s a beautiful name," he said.

"Papa gave me this name. Alright, you all can go now. I have matters to attend to outside. I’ll follow you to the cave's entrance," Muriel said, her voice hinting of pride. She walked past the four of them, head held high, a proud smile on her face, and led the way out.

“Hey, Ed…” Elwyn whispered softly from behind.

“What is it, Elwyn?”

“How are we going to explain this to the guild, about Lady Muriel and all the treasures?”

“And should we tell them that we accidentally woke up the ancient dragon lord?” Fixis added in a hushed tone.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be our first adventure?” Philip chimed in, completing their shared worry.

“Let’s figure that out after we part ways with Muriel, alright?”

Muriel was the first to step outside the cave. The sunlight immediately hit her eyes, and she had to adjust her vision from the darkness of the cave to the brightness of the day. It took a moment for her eyes, which had been closed for over 500 years, to fully adjust and see the world in its beautiful clarity once more. When her vision cleared, she saw that the outside world was still as beautiful as she remembered, but she wondered if it was still as rotten within as she had not forgotten. She wasn't sure yet.

Before her lay a vast green forest, the sound of birds filling the air—a nostalgic tune for the little dragon who had slept in silence for so long. A breeze blew past Muriel again, but this time, it heralded a new chapter in her life's story. She couldn’t help but smile widely for the first time in 500 years.

“We meet again, O’ pitiful world.”

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