“Uhhwaaahh…!” I exclaimed as I stretched my arms and torso up.

It had been a few hours from the time I started working on this report. The Magic Red Zone in this place usually has a lot of people moving, and the big honchos of the government like to keep a close eye on the magic stones that get mined out of the Zone just as much as they do on the money that gets paid for them.

“Urgh…” I groaned, hunching slightly over the tiny desk that I have in my office.

Thankfully, I managed to get my clawy hands on a large computer screen, so I didn’t have to look down on the tiny little laptops that most people work with but… the tiny keyboards are just as tiny everywhere I go, so I still have to lean down to properly use it. The most annoying part was that I had to clicky clack on the thing with my claws.

Still, I chuckled with a smirk while shaking my head as I thought about Althea… that ‘foolish girl’—as the Dark Lord used to call her. I can already imagine how such a war-loving angel would struggle with a keyboard if she already struggled using a phone. But it’s not like I can chastise her for it, because, y’know, I was the same back in the day.

Ooooh! The struggles I had to deal with when I worked on my degrees! No amount of combat dexterity and magic power could expedite such a process! The humans of this world sure have to use their minds to get things done. Quite commendable if you ask me.

But… ooh boy. They were quite the scary fellows back then too.

I couldn’t help but turn to look over at a picture framed on the wall. On it, I was standing with the dean of my university. A puny man with a comb-over that hardly hid his bald head. Still, a good man. One of the first Earthans—or was it Earthlings?—that first looked beyond my terrifyingly handsome appearance to integrate me and mine into their society.

I sighed about the passing of the man. Although he was already pretty ancient for a human, he was just as lucid as the smartest of sages. I’m sure he’s happily enjoying the warmth of hell.

A vibration from my phone brought me back to the moment. I looked down at it. It was a message from Iggy, my cute little wife. She was asking me to come back home, and it seems like once more, I had lost track of time. It was seven in the evening now and I should’ve left a couple of hours ago.

I looked out the large window of my office. There were still a lot of people coming and going. Some of them looked battered, as if they’d gone to heaven and back; while others looked like they were just doing a job. However, there had been a group of people coming over the last couple of nights. The so-called ‘Followers of Leyfall’.

A rather foolish group of people, just like the Hero.

Heaven, don’t they know that the actual people of Leyfall don’t really care about them that much? But, well, I guess that they’re hopeful that their ‘light’ will cause the remnants of the empire to acknowledge their existence, however, without a Hero or the whispers of the Holy Gods, they’ll be seen as nothing more than crazy fans.

“Hmmm…”

Speaking of crazy fans and Heroes, I wondered when Althea was going to come by. She startled me a couple of days ago by sending me a message—something that she’d refused to do ever since we met—to tell me that she was going to go into the Red Zone, the Tainted Land as she calls it.

And despite all of the expectations I had over seeing her around here again, I hadn’t seen her nor been told about her coming by. It was strange for someone like her to say she was coming only to not show up.

“Could it be…?” that she joined those Followers of Leyfall?

I shook my head. It couldn’t be. My messages still go to her phone and she reads them like always without saying anything. The most likely scenario is that… she probably got scammed into something!

“Hahahaha!”

The idea of such a thing seems even more unreasonable than her joining the Followers of Leyfall! But to be fair, she did come here riddled with debts, so that could be what really happened.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

I’m sure she’ll come by eventually when she has to repay another debt. And so, I turned off my computer, picked up my phone, my girly lunchbox, and made my way out of the office. I was already missing my two beautiful hell spawns, and I wasn’t going to waste my time getting home.

“Going home, Director?” asked one of the Entrance Managers by the building’s exit, Miss Gaos.

“You bet’ya,” I replied with a nod and a smile. “I have to pamper my demoness, after all.”

“She’s still mad about your… ‘friend’? What was her name again… Anathena… Athena…?”

“Althea. And no—well, maybe a little,” I replied with a crooked smile. “When she’s really mad, it feels like I’m facing a Holy Angel. But she’s a lovely demon, so with a little love, she’ll return to the usual hell-like little wife that she is.”

“…’Hell-like’…” Miss Gaos mumbled with a wry smile before slightly shaking her head. “Well, then I guess I won’t be keeping you anymore. Have a good night, Director!”

I widely smiled in return and waved my hand. “You too! And don’t forget your active pauses and keeping hydrated. Your tiny body can’t take the punishment that this handsome demon can!”

She giggled while nodding. “Yes, Director, I won’t.”

Having said that, I stepped outside the building. As soon as I did that, someone gasped and looked wide-eyed at me. It wasn’t rare for some people to still react that way when they saw my large frame, after all, there weren’t many who looked like me around here.

I nodded and smiled at this person, but they just looked away before quickly leaving the place. With a sigh and a shake of my head I chuckled. It was a much better reaction than how people reacted just a few years ago when I first got to this city. Back then, people would scream and shout as they called for the police! And one time, I was even shot a few times! Can you believe that? To shoot such a tame demon!

Good thing that those were just normal bullets and I was a Siege Demon, so nothing happened and only my brand new suit got damaged. Though, the Arretia embassy did tell me not to walk out in public like that anymore, but, how could we hope to achieve everlasting peace if people don’t get used to seeing demons like me out in the open and in their everyday life!? Still, I compromised on that I would just walk out from the front door and to my car.

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It was in a public parking lot just next to the Capital Magic Labyrinth, so in a few short minutes, I was already standing by my large black truck. It was the only vehicle that could contain my massive frame—besides a bus that is, but I ain’t got no money for a bus!

Regardless, this was a fine artifact, oh it was. I pulled on the door and it opened smoothly, revealing the fine black leather chairs, just as dark as the Dark Lord himself would’ve preferred, like almost everything else inside.

This was one of the greatest things in this world. Almost anything that you wanted, you could get it, and it was affordable too! You don’t need to be the son of a powerful merchant, or related to the president. If you got the money, you can get it.

I eased myself into the chair, carefully closing the door, since I didn’t want to leave a scratch on this dark beast of an artifact. I turned on the key and the truck roared into life.

“Ahh… yes… growl for me like a hellhound on fire,” I whispered as I softly placed my claws on the steering wheel.

I hummed and stepped on the gas. The artifact’s heart beat as if the purest of Hellfire Lions jumped straight from the Dark Lord’s hands and unto the land. My deep voice mixed with the car’s engine and we both sang in unison for the joy that it was to be together.

Suddenly, I felt a presence right next to my window so I quickly turned my head to see who it was, causing me to almost scratch the roof of the car with my horns.

It was John, one of the Entrance Managers. He was a thin man, with pale white skin and jet-black hair. I rolled down the window—though I don’t know why Earthans say that, since I just press a button and it simply slides down.

He was staring at me with frowned eyebrows and a confused expression. “What… are you doing… Bobby…”

If I could blush like a human, elf, or dwarf, I think it would be the same color of my skin. Good thing that it doesn’t show. “I-I’m—Ahem.” I took a pause to compose myself. There was no need to hide my joy. “I’m having a good time with my truck, as you can see.”

“Um… Okay…?” John replied, giving an almost mocking frown as he moved over to his own car, parked just a couple of spaces away from mine.

I quickly pulled my head out of the window. “Hey! Don’t mock me! I’m enjoying life! And you should too!”

“Yes, yes, Bobby. Don’t worry about that. I won’t tell anyone that you speak to the car,” he said with a laugh. “See ya tomorrow.”

“Hey!” I shouted, but John ignored me as he got inside his car, quickly driving away while dismissively waving his hand as he passed by.

I couldn’t believe that one of my subordinates would make fun of me that way! But I had to admit it felt good to be treated just like everyone else, so I couldn't help but laugh as I accommodated myself back in the car. I rolled back up the windows, and just like John, I drove away to the busy roads and to my lovely home.

* * *

“Home sweet home… as the Earthans say,” I whispered as I stepped out of my dark beast of a truck.

It had taken me more than an hour to get home, even when it wasn’t more than ten miles away from my workplace. Why would it take so long? Because the traffic in this city was terrible. You’d spend more time hitting the breaks than you did hitting the gas! My poor truck suffers so much being unable to roar with me, but I make up for it by going on trips with my spawns of darkness.

My house was part of a gated community. Something that was given to demons like me or beings that were seen as ‘vulnerable’ by the Earthans. We were, of course, not vulnerable, but it was seen as a way to ensure that we didn’t fight with people who weren’t used to us. Because of that, most of the neighbors here were either other demons, or something like goblins, undead, elves, beastkins, and the such.

As a large demon myself, the house was also large enough to fit me and my cute little wife. It had two floors, wide windows, and plenty of colorful vegetation at its perimeters to ensure that no prying eyes tried to look into our house—be it out of curiosity or just perversion.

It was a quiet little place, and at this time of the night, the darkness made it look even more cozier. The only thing it was missing was a few big hellfire pits and it would be the perfect place! But they wouldn’t allow us to keep a fire burning, so darkness was enough.

Hardly any light was shining from the windows of the house, save for one at the lower floor that increased and decreased at random intervals. It could only mean that my little spawn of darkness was watching her nighttime shows. My Miri loved those shows about demons and ghosts, but only when all they did was scare people, which would usually cause her to laugh out loud.

I wasn’t a demon that liked to watch TV, but I would join her just to indulge her and spend some time with her.

And waste my time outside contemplating that I would not! So I quickly moved to the house door and just as swiftly opened the door.

“I’m home!” I shouted and I heard a pair of steps move from deep in the darkness of the house.

One of them hurried while the other was calmly moving.

“Daddy!” shouted my little devil before springing from the ground to fly straight at my chest.

I grabbed my little Miri and carried her on one arm. “How was your day? Full of fun and interesting things?”

“Mhm!” she happily nodded, her pitch dark eyes piercing straight into mine. “I finally managed to get Alex to talk to me!”

I looked at her with widened eyes and an ‘o’ shape in my mouth. I wasn’t really that amazed by it, but I was more than happy to play along. “And how did you get that Earthan girl to open up to you?”

“I just did what you told me to do: smile, laugh, and try to have fun,” she said before loudly laughing, just like I would do.

I followed along and laughed out loud with her. It was then that my cute little wife appeared, so I walked to her with a wide smile.

“Took you a while to get home,” she said with her usual raspy voice that sounded just as alluring as the darkness of hell.

She gave me a peck on the cheek and in return I caressed her perfect horns. “I sometimes get lost in the work.”

“Well, at least it’s good to know that you’re okay. Especially now that that woman is walking around,” she said and I put down Miri, who swiftly ran back to her shows.

“It’s okay. Althea has been around this city over the last couple of weeks, and so far, things have been rather amiable with her,” I said while making my way to the kitchen.

She walked with me, her steps as calm as always. “I’m still not comfortable with not reporting her to the embassy or someone from our world. You know how dangerous that woman is.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that,” I replied, grabbing a strawberry pastry that my wife usually left out for me. “But she doesn’t have the powers from before, and she seems to be trying to at least live peacefully with us.” I took a bite out of the delicious cake before turning to look back at my wife's dark eyes. “As you know, she’s even tried to communicate with me.”

She frowned and her look turned icy cold. “I don’t think you should have more contact with that woman.” She crossed her arms under her chest and lifted her chin slightly. “You should’ve crushed her when you had the chance inside that Magic Red Zone.”

I chuckled in response, shaking my head slightly. “And it would’ve been oh so easy too…” I took another bite out of the cake. “But I want to believe in the words of our Dark Lord and give her a chance. So far, it seems to have been the right choice.”

She sighed, uncrossing her arms as she got closer to me. She grabbed the small piece left in my hand and held it up as I eyed it. “You sound just like a zealot, but for darkness.”

I softly smiled as I looked at her worried face. “The only darkness I’m a zealot for is the one within your eyes.”

She scoffed and softly smiled. “You silly fool.”

The cake in her hands quickly disappeared into her mouth as she leaned herself over my chest. I, in turn, started caressing her beautiful horns, and I could feel the heat in the room turning higher.

“How about we try to make another little demon,” I whispered as I leaned over her to softly peck her neck.

“Nngh,” she moaned and refused to say more as she allowed me to enjoy her. However, after a moment, she suddenly stopped and pushed me away. “Wait.”

“Huh? Why are we stopping?” I replied and tried to grab her again, but she stopped me by placing her clawy hand in my face.

“I felt mana outside the house,” she said as she tried to look outside the window.

“It must be one of the neighbors cooking or something like that,” I said, grabbing her hand and pushing it down. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“No…” she said and pushed me away yet again. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Iggy was much better than me at Magic and Mana Sense, so if she said that there was something wrong, then it would be better to check it out, if not at least to calm her down. “Very well, I’ll take a look.”

I walked to the largest window of the house and looked outside. At first I didn’t see anything strange, until the bushes slightly moved and I finally noticed a group of people dressed in white armors, trying to conceal themselves in the darkness of the night. They likely didn’t know that demons could see everything clearly in the dark, so they might as well be standing in the middle of the light for me.

“You are right,” I said with a frown. “Go get Mirlaneth.”