The monster tilted its head and towered over, casting Arturo in its massive shadow. Its limbs, like whips, pounded the ground as it advanced toward Arturo. It yawned open its mouth, so deep you could glimpse its throat. Teeth sharp and scattered, with two wicked canines that stood out. One bite could mean instant decapitation.

So much for an adventure, pretty short-lived for a paladin—or a demon, as the locals claimed.

Just as the beast lowered its head, with ears pointed and a nose that could give vampires a run for their money, its lips stretched into a grotesque smile, almost as if it was pleased. Its head dipped, nearly touching the ground.

“Master! What an honor to have you back among the living!”

What the heck? Who said that? Was that him? Arturo tried to figure out if that voice came from the heavens or his head. Nope, that thing just spoke.

“Uh?”

The monstrous facelifted, its big eyes now blinking out of sync.

“Master, you have no idea how much the people have waited for your return. Am I dreaming, or have you truly appeared before me?”

The vampire spider edged closer with its hairy limbs toward Arturo. It bowed low.

“My master, Purply is at your service…”

Purply took a bow, a creature like that showing such firm respect to Arturo, was a twist. Arturo just stared, blinkless.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Arturo jumped back, then hit the deck and started backpedaling fast.

“Please, don’t hurt me!”

“Knights!” Arturo screamed his lungs out. “Help, there’s a monster!”

“My lord, you are safe now. Thankfully, I managed to keep those knights from finding you.”

Avoided? I’d rather be caught by knights than spend time with this freak.

Arturo nodded along, keeping a healthy distance from the monster.

“My lord,” Purply began, voice quivering with emotion, “During the war against the kingdom of Heden, we were blindsided by a knight ambush, compromising our defenses and failing to protect you as we should have. The pain of seeing you struck down by those arrows was unbearable.”

What are you on about? War? Ambush? What the heck are you talking about?

Arturo got up, piecing together that in this world, he was mistaken for a demon. He’d reincarnated as one of them, the only logical explanation, more like a sure thing.

And that bat creeped him out so much he wanted to grab a stick and impale its head, just like dealing with roaches back home.

“I knew Master Artoris had survived, no way he’d fall to those dirty Heden knights!”

Arturo raised an eyebrow in shock.

“What do you mean?”

“Master! During your absence, the demon realm was thrown into chaos. Now that you're back, we're all counting on your power to obliterate the human kingdom.”

Arturo arched an eyebrow and sarcastically thought:

Are you kidding me? They'd wipe me out in a second!

Arturo raised his palms in a calming gesture.

“Are…are you sure you've got the right guy?”

“My lord, Purpy could never make such a mistake. I'd recognize you even if your soul was in a different body.”

Yeah, right…

“As I was saying,” it moved closer on its limbs. “If you weren't Master Artoris, I'd have devoured you on the spot.”

It chuckled, showing off its sharp teeth.

Arturo broke out in a cold sweat. He'd never want this thing in his room. He was already terrified of bugs, let alone having Purply as an enemy.

So, in this world, I've been summoned as the demon king? That meant only one thing… I'm the bad guy?

Arturo cleared his throat, adopting a deeper voice.

“Listen up, I'm back. You're gonna follow every command, got it?”

That horrifying creature that scared him so much instantly backed off, bowing its head to the ground.

“My deepest apologies, my master, I didn't mean to…”

“Silence! Stay back and don't you dare come any closer.”

Shaken by those words, Purply lifted its head.

“My lord, I'll do whatever you wish. If you want me to devour humans, I'll do it. If you want me to wipe out a village, consider it done. But if you say I can't come close to you, I can't accept that!

“What?!”

How disgusting! Do I have to drag this thing along for the whole journey?

“I see you as a father! You've given me everything my kind could not.”

Purply was crying so much that Arturo's feet were nearly submerged in a sea of tears.

“Alright, alright! You really want to serve me that bad?”

Purply's tears stopped, and it wiggled its limbs playfully.

“Y-yes, my master!”

“If you're that eager to serve your master, you'll have to agree to one condition, and you can't refuse…”

Purply leaned forward, hanging on Arturo's words.

“W-what is it?”

“Stay at least fifteen feet away from me, got it?”

Purply stepped back several paces, “Is this okay?”

“No, further.”

It delicately moved its limbs back. Its voice came almost like an echo.

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“Is this okay now?”

“Not yet.”

“My lord, how about now?”

“No.”

“And now?”

Purply's voice was fading like a mirage. But once it followed the rules, Arturo stepped down into the dark cave, lit by some torches showing the path.

Suddenly, two shadows dropped from the ceiling.

Arturo jumped, as if struck by lightning, shocked to see two demons with sharp horns.

They bowed deeply before their master, their expression showing extreme resolve toward Arturo.

“Master Artoris, we are honored to see you again!” They said in unison.

The demons parted, making way for Artoris.

“After you.”

Arturo walked through the cave and then sat on a rock.

They're treating me like I'm their king. I've never been treated like this before.

Arturo took a moment to reflect on what kind of mess he'd gotten into.

“Ahem…listen up, from now on, I'm the boss around here. If you dare disobey me in the slightest, I swear I'll destroy you with my power.”

The two bowed before him and replied in unison.

“C-certainly, Master Artoris. We'll be loyal to you for life!”

Artoris? I don't like the name, it's not scary at all!

Arturo's stomach growled, echoing through the cave, the demons remained bowed the whole time, while the rumbling continued.

How embarrassing, they must have heard me…I need to eat something. But how cool is this! I've got minions all to myself, will they really do anything I say?

The bat flew around him, holding a black tunic with a dangling purple cape in its teeth.

“What's that?” Arturo asked. The bat positioned itself in front of Arturo.

His revulsion for its eight eyes beating in unison didn't change.

“M-maaster, this is your uniform, wear it!”

Arturo grabbed it, donning it decisively, then flung the cape around like a superhero, admiring it in awe as its fibers danced in the wind.

He spun around, admiring the majestic cape. Arturo's eyes sparkled.

“Master, we'll move with extreme caution tonight. To leave the forest, we'll blend into the darkness. Knights are still scouting the path.”

“Yeah.”

Arturo replied with a serious demeanor that totally clashed with his thoughts:

How cool is this! Now I'm a feared demon, no longer the loser I used to be. I would've preferred being the hero, loved and admired by all, girls falling at my feet and all that.

Arturo stomped his foot repeatedly, trying to intimidate those around him with his newfound authority.

“Don't you guys have anything to eat? What kind of servants are you?”

The two demons were terrified by their master's tone.

“We beg your pardon.”

“My lord,” another demon replied. “We'll find something edible in the forest right away.”

“Hurry up! Can't you hear my stomach growling non-stop?”

“At once!”

The two demons dashed toward the cave's exit.

This was no joke; these demons were actually obeying him. For someone like Arturo, this was surreal.

“How much longer, how dare they delay even by a second!”

A few minutes later, Arturo leaped to his feet, drooling as he watched his followers return.

“Master Artoris, we're back!”

“So? What did you bring me? I hope the bread's warm.”

They bowed before their master and raised the meal to Arturo's eye level.

In the blink of an eye, Arturo's expectations were shattered. He could barely keep his gaze on the severed head the demons presented as a meal, with fresh blood still dripping onto the floor. He suppressed his emotions as much as possible.

He was about to scream, for the young head surely belonged to some cadet.

His jaw was so wide open that, in his final moments, he must have screamed desperately, his gaze petrified even in death.

Arturo shuddered at the thought of the decapitation happening in just minutes.

“Please, you first!” Arturo stammered.

“We may?”

“Y-yes, I think I've lost my appetite.”

The two demons exchanged eager glances and went for the first bite.

Arturo pondered; it seemed demons fed on human flesh, but his taste buds and digestive system remained human—he felt no urge to consume human flesh, at least not yet. The mere sight of a corpse disgusted him.

Purply stopped the two demons mid-action, waving its limbs and striking the first demon daring to touch the meal. Arturo was shocked but even more astonished that the demon survived such an attack.

“What are you doing?! You can't eat Master Artoris' meal!”

The two demons trembled in fear at the thought of stealing their master's dish.

“You're right!” the two demons shouted in unison.

“FORGIVE OUR IMPUDENCE, MASTER ARTORIS!”

The two demons bowed so low their heads hit the ground.

Arturo glared at the bat, wanting to clip its wings, but he couldn't. After all, the creature was just fulfilling its duty as the king's servant. Surely, it had a good relationship with the previous Artoris.

The two demons offered the severed head again, bringing it closer to Arturo's hands.

“Enjoy your meal, Master Artoris!”

Arturo grabbed the head by the hair, bringing it close to his lips.

The demons and the bat watched in awe, accustomed to witnessing their master's meals.

Arturo turned his back, dragging the meal with him.

“Ah! Our king maintains his privacy even while eating!”

Arturo turned around again, his hands stained with blood, but all traces of food were gone.

Arturo wiped his mouth, his fangs clearly visible.

“It was delicious!”

Had Arturo really eaten the whole meal? The two demons were amazed, seeing not a crumb left.

Arturo stretched and tried to lie down on the rock.

“Leave me be, I'm exhausted. Just let me sleep.”

Purply cast a shadow over him, approaching with its limbs creeping along the cave floor. Its smile was so forced it became grotesque.

“Master! Rest well. I'll watch over you even in your sleep.”

Arturo shivered, and the more he thought about it, the less appealing the idea of sleeping in that cave became. Sunset was nearing, and he preferred to wait for the evening.

He scrutinized his demonic companion; the guy was pretty skinny, with two horns protruding from his forehead. They weren't very long but were definitely sharp and noticeable. Their skin was akin to humans', just way paler. These guys weren't exactly bursting with personality—doing whatever they were told, trembling at the mere thought of going against a superior's will. Was the previous Artoris really that ruthless?

One was named Don, kind of the dumber, more clueless type, and the other Dan, was a bit more daring and impulsive in his actions.

“Will I ever get rid of these two?”

“Actually, I could off them anytime, right? I'm the king. What could these lowly servants possibly do if their own master turns against them?”

Arturo used his skill to check their levels, analyzing the two companions.

LEVEL 3

“Embarrassing... I'm even below my own servants.”

He checked Purply and saw it was level 5. Not bad, he wouldn't dream of picking a fight with him. Purply caught his gaze.

“Master, it's evening, and there's no sign of the knights.”

“G-good. So, what now?”

“Master Artoris, we must return, Abyssilum awaits you.”

They were ready to head into the forest, and Arturo began moving towards the cave's exit. Every time he was called “Artoris,” a vein throbbed in his neck—it was so annoying that the demon king had that name, especially since it was so close to his original one.

Purply moved a bit slower, eyeing Arturo suspiciously.

“Why is... Master Artoris dressed like that?” Purply asked.

Arturo halted.

“What do you mean?”

“Your cloak, where is it?”

“The cloak?”

The three followers started murmuring among themselves, puzzled.

“It was made of a very special fabric, crafted by dark elves. Why aren't you wearing it?” Purply continued.

Arturo shot back a sharp look.

And how do I explain this?

Quickly furrowing his brows and taking a deep breath, Arturo attempted to petrify the three with a loud outburst.

“Listen, Purply, you should mind your own business. I just changed up my look, that's all!”

Purply apologized, bowing so low its snout hit the rock.

Arturo turned his gaze towards the edge of the cave, a place only he knew about.

You're right, the cloak is made of a very special fabric. That's why it can fully cover the severed head.

The demon king's cloak, always a distinctive feature of any top-notch antagonist, proved useful right from the start. It wasn't exactly wise to let such a rare cloak get lost in the back of the cave, but at least it covered up the meal the king had ignored.