The days that follow see to an ordering of the kingdom.

The recall of the army from the human lands progresses smoothly.

The war hadn't been as successful as my predecessor had hoped.

The monsters retreat to their holes while I hold court.

I find myself deferring to Rel in the day to day matters.

The one thing commonly desired by the populace is food.

The land lacks cultivation in terms of farming. And, the wild game is too small to support any sizeable population.

Despite its power, the behemoth demon lord could only see war as a solution to the systemic problems of the demon lands.

"Rel," I say one morning after I assume my position at court.

"Yes, my lord."

"I need books. Agriculture books from the human lands."

Rel nods without question.

Weeks pass as the sword grows restless.

"This is so boring," the sword says. "We haven't fought anything in forever."

I look at the weapon.

"Would you prefer to still be in the ravine?"

The sword sighs, "Don't you still want to go to the big world? Or, is playing king all you want?"

I had forgotten about the celestial pantheon in the face of the responsibilities I've taken on.

"There will be time for that later. I'm still cultivating. And, my soul world is harmonizing."

"Yeah, yeah," the sword says bitterly.

The books arrive and I set up an agrarian council to study and implement agricultural practices across the kingdom.

The need for seeds and animals like cows, chickens, and pigs creates a bottleneck in our development.

"Sire," says one of my councilmen. "To get what we need would require us to invade the human lands once more."

I think of the difficulties we face.

"How much silver does the kingdom hold?"

Blank faces meet me.

"Your excellency, the former demon lord did not hold a treasury."

"In human terms," I say, "we're broke."

I recall my earnings from the dragon's heart.

It may not provide the whole kingdom with the necessary items. But, it'll give us a start.

Rel takes command as I put together an envoy to venture into the human lands.

"It's called a glamour, your excellency."

I watch as the winged woman transforms.

Her wings, tail, and shadows disappear.

By all rights, she looks like a normal human.

"Good," I say. "Prepare them for the envoy."

"As you command, my lord."

Belquess comes to me as I order the unit's preparation.

"You're taking me with you, right?"

I smile, "Get ready."

She chuckles, "I was ready yesterday. It's you who's taking your time."

We finish our preparations and take to the road.

Were it not for me being bound to the ground, my envoy would have flown to the border.

But, as is, we make steady progress.

Our journey to Jareel takes several days. But, the city opens to us.

The guards only give cursory inspection as my motley crew follows my lead.

The imperial bank is a regal structure.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"How may I help you?"

I look to the patient young woman, "I'd like to make a withdrawal."

"Of course. Can you give me your identification?"

I pass her the necessary paperwork.

"Lord Askilar," her eyes widen as she finds the account information. "How may I be of service?"

Her mouth drops open when I tell her how much silver I'm taking out.

"Lord Askilar, surely you can't carry so much on your person."

I smile, "I have servants outside."

"Yes," she says. "Of course."

It takes some time. But, I roll out of the bank with my silver separated into individual pouches.

My team of demonic farmers collects the bags and I return the cart.

"Gather information on farms in the area. We're looking for livestock and seeds.

"Under no circumstances reveal yourselves."

My envoys nod.

Belquess hugs my arm.

"I haven't been in a human city in forever.

"It's so alive."

"Yeah."

I find pleasure in walking through the city like this. Like a normal couple.

The illusion that hides the truth about us.

The day passes as I find farmers willing to sell living livestock.

The coin I carry is more than any simple farmer can conceive of carrying as pocket change. And, I grease the wheels to make deals for the coming day.

As night sets, we rally to a point outside the city.

"How'd it go?" I ask.

A few hold up bags of seed and others report purchases of livestock to be completed in the coming days.

"Good," I say. "Rest up. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

The week that follows sees an incredible number of seeds and animals find us.

So many animals that it becomes difficult to herd them.

My demon fellows are quick learners of animal husbandry, having read up on the subject before our venture.

Before I leave the city, I set up an account for my envoys to draw coins from the bank.

I plan for many more trips as we herd our flock South of the border.

The lands around the demon lord's castle transform as farm tools rend the soil to sew seeds.

Rel observes the transformation.

"My lord, what do you intend to achieve with all of this?

I look at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Your excellency, in the ages of the demon kingdom, the Mao has always ruled by its power.

"To serve the populace is anathema to a demon lord's will."

I look at the white-haired man.

"Do you remember when you were human?"

He looks uncomfortable, "It has been a long time."

I nod, "For me, the life of a demon is still new.

"I remember life as a human. It wasn't always good. The empire always took its tax.

"But, I wasn't hungry.

"I could live off the fat of the land. And, if I had a coin to spare, I could buy a meal in town.

"So much strife exists in this world because, simply, there's not enough stuff to go around.

"That's why the demons invaded. Because there wasn't enough in our lands."

Rel nods, "I understand, my lord."

I find my faith in the man grows in the days that follow.

He moves with vigor to coordinate my agriculture projects.

More envoys venture into the human lands, bringing back books and exotic seeds.

Belquess finds me at night.

"How are you enjoying playing king, Askilar?"

My head rests on her lap.

I look up into her emerald eyes.

"I've gotta be honest," I say. "I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would."

"You're good at it," she says before leaning down and kissing me.

Days pass in Rel's company. And, nights with Belquess.

In this vein, years pass.

The agricultural achievements are beyond my hopes.

The region around the castle becomes the breadbasket of the nation.

Belquess' belly swells with life as she gives birth to a baby boy.

He lacks the wings and tail of his mother. But, he has her beautiful green eyes.

"You had a kid, bearer. Great. Can we go fight something now?"

The sword has never stopped talking about how boring it is.

"You'd think a demon lord would have enemies to fight. Sheesh."

As my son grows, I begin to feel a change in me.

A wanderlust that is a part of me.

My boy first crawls, then walks, then talks.

He is the pride of my life.

His mother and I lie together after exploring our passion.

She grows quiet.

"What is it?" I ask.

She smiles wanly, "You're leaving."

She says something I hadn't even expressed in my thoughts.

"Not yet," I say apologetically.

She chuckles.

"Stay with me till our son becomes a man. Then go.

"Demons have long lives. I'll wait for you to return.

I hold her hand in mine.

"I will."

As my son grows, it becomes apparent that he will never hold the demon lands together with an iron fist.

He is a kind boy. And, I prepare a successor strong enough to hold the respect of monster kind.

I finally have someone to draw my legendary sword against.

"You've gotten sloppy, my liege."

I laugh.

"When you're right, you're right."

We come together with a clash of swords.

Blood flows on the training field as we cut into one another.

Around us, a crowd is gathered.

"Enough, Your Excellency. I concede."

I offer my hand to the kneeling man.

"You're getting better, Garland."

The man rises to his feet.

He's young. Though age among demons is difficult to gauge.

This contest is an important part of the succession process.

He needs to make me bleed before the demons will respect him.

And, he's succeeding in that regard.

My son and his mother watch from the crowd.

Neither of them mind seeing me bleed.

My son runs up to me as I leave the field.

I pick him up and walk over to Belquess.

She smiles, "The king still reigns."

I look into her eyes and see a speck of melancholy.

"Come on, let's go explore the garden."

My son shows his enthusiasm as I set him down.

Belquess loops an arm through mine.

It's a peaceful life.

The best years of my life pass me by so quickly that I'm left breathless.

"This is typical," the sword says. "Immortals often start families only to watch them fade away.

"I suppose you're fortunate to have a demon wife and a demon child. They hold their youth far longer than normal humans.

"But, the path of an immortal is a solitary journey."

"Unless I carry an annoying talking sword wherever I go," I point out.

The sword chuckles, "You love me and you know it."

I flick the sword with a finger.

My boy has grown tall with broad shoulders.

Rather than a boy, he is a man.

In the mirror, I look as I have since I began condensing my soul world.

I may be a little immortal. But, I am one.

My son looks more like a brother than a child.

He has never been perplexed by my agelessness. His mother still looks as she did when she had him.

Belquess takes me one night.

She kisses me hungrily.

I caress her skin as our sex joins.

Over and over, she uses me.

When we finish, she says, "Goodbye."

I feel bitter knowing this will be the last time for a long time that I will be with her like this.

She hastily moves to go to sleep and rolls away from me.

I want to touch her. To comfort her. But, I don't know the words that would make this better.

So, I don't touch her. I don't speak the wrong words.

I simply lie beside my wife and let sleep claim me.