Chapter 83 – Floor 9: Part 4

Despite her outward appearance of calm composure, Mayor Goodwin was anything but. Inside, she was a nervous wreck. The hammer had finally fallen on Reesh, between the Demon Lord ‘Mathew’ and the Lord and Ladies that ruled over them.

She didn’t know the siblings that had come to eliminate the Demon, but it was clear they were descendants of Lord Algrond, the centuries-old man who had protected these lands since his own father had died fighting the original Demons.

The Demon Lord, who insisted on being called the mundane name of ‘Mathew’ as if he were just a lowly human, seemed entirely unconcerned with the pair's visit. He hadn’t even gotten out of his chair and was completely at ease.

But she had seen the power he commanded. Even if he were relaxed, she had no doubt that he was capable of wiping out Reesh if he so desired.

Mayor Goodwin was conflicted. On the one hand, she did not want to be ruled by a Demon who, despite seeming reasonable and indifferent to the daily rule of Reesh, could always change his mind and take a more direct approach to governing them.

The Scriptures spoke of Demons enslaving entire populations, lining the road with bodies of the dead and dying. But their world was delivered from evil by the Lords and Ladies of that time, some of whom are still with them to this day.

But over the past few weeks, ‘Mathew’ had not displayed any of the evil or maliciousness that she had expected of a Demon. He had ordered her to help the people and had even provided resources for Reesh's expansion. Where the Reeve had only taken from the town to give to their Lord, the Demon had expected nothing from her except to improve Reesh.

When asked why he wanted the town to grow, he had simply stated that he would grow stronger with each person living within the territory he ruled. Aside from that, she could use the tax money she collected and any other resources she needed to improve Reesh.

She had thought it was a trick, but as time went on, she thought that perhaps he was speaking the truth. The Demon seemed to have an affinity for the Truth, and she had found that he knew when she wasn’t being honest, chiding her gently for the times when she tried to lie to him.

“Welcome to my town of Reesh.” Mathew greeted the pair, and Mayor Goodwin was interrupted from her thoughts. The Demon Lord still rested in his chair, a smirk on his face as he watched the siblings approach.

“This woman has named you Demon, but I see nothing but a clown foolish enough to accept the title. Tell me, which Lord’s seed produces such a half-wit? I would tell my Grandfather of their name so that he may chide him properly when we bring you before him.” The young woman said grandly, her voice echoing off the walls. Her brother stared at Mathew with daggers in his eyes, his hand clenched by his side.

If Mathew was offended, he didn’t show it. In fact, his smirk became a smile at the notion of being some Lord’s illegitimate child.

“Is that so.” Mathew muttered, his whispered voice trailing off.

“Unfortunately, I am not related to your Lords and Ladies. At least, I do not believe I am. I suppose, when dealing with the gods, all things are possible. Mayor Goodwin named me ‘Demon,’ and perhaps I am if their identities are what I expect them to be. Have you ever heard of the ‘Tower of Avarice?’” Mathew asked.

The young woman looked to her brother, who shook his head negatively before responding.

“No. Is that where you hail from? You claim to not be of a Lordly lineage, but your powers reveal your true origins.” The young woman stated.

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Mathew shrugged his shoulder.

“Or maybe I am a Demon. Goodwin informed me their coming had been foretold, and here I am, newly arrived in your world.” Mathew said, making a sweeping gesture towards himself and the mansion around them.

“I think not. The Demons can contend with the Lords and Ladies themselves. You do not require even half of our true strength. Brother, I will handle this imposter alone. Do not interfere.” The young woman ordered.

Nodding his head, the young man stepped backwards to give her space while Mayor Goodwin retreated at a glance from Mathew. With a loud sigh, the Demon Lord slowly stood from his throne and descended the three steps to the tiled floor. Adjusting his clothing, he waited for the young woman to begin.

“I am Natisha, of the Aeolian lineage. My great grandfather fought the Demon Lord ‘Markus the Fallbringer’ and drove him from these lands two hundred and fourteen years ago.” Natisha introduced herself. She held out her hand to the side of her body and made a grasping motion.

At the gesture, Mathew stood still and watched her carefully. This was the confirmation he was looking for of her identity.

She pulled an item out of her inventory.

Natisha gripped a sword in her hand, long and thin, it made a whistling noise as it moved through the air, and she took her stance. Mathew narrowed his eyes at the sight of the blade. He didn’t recognize the item, but he knew what it was.

Burning letters flashed atop the blade, alerting him to its properties. It was a magical item purchased from the Tower of Avarice shop.

He wasn’t entirely sure how she got it, but only Players could use an inventory and wield items from the shop. He had seen it for himself. Locals on the Floors didn’t have the required Aether and Mana to use them. They would become useless in their hands.

Natisha wasn’t a Player. Mathew was certain of that. Then she must be….

‘Related to a Player. She was their descendant.’ Mathew thought. He hadn’t heard of anyone entering into a relationship or having children with the locals that they met while travelling through the Floors. Mathew had certainly never tested if he could have children with them, but it didn’t mean it was impossible.

Was her great-grandfather a Player?

This only heightened his curiosity, and he watched Natisha more carefully as she took a stance with the blade. It was raised up near her shoulder, the tip pointing directly at him.

Mathew wasn’t worried. He had some idea of how strong she was, and this wasn’t the first time someone pointed a sword at him. Besides, compared to the Fiends he had faced for over half a decade on the Seventh Floor, this was akin to a toddle aiming a butter knife at him.

“Sundered Sea.” Natisha commanded the sword, and the edge glowed with blue mana. Mathew could feel the blade ‘hum’ the mana swirling within like a tidepool. If he hadn’t been sure of the weapon's origins before, this attack confirmed them.

Natisha dashed forward, sweeping the sword upwards as she did so. Her speed was faster than a normal human would be able to react, and she reached Mathew in moments. As fast as she as, the Fiends of the Seventh Floor were much quicker, and Mathew had no issues following her movements.

Mathew wasn’t a fighter. He preferred keeping his distance from his enemies whenever possible. Even with the magic mace that had once belonged to Samuel in his possession, he wouldn’t think about pulling it out of his inventory and using it in a life-or-death situation.

It was great for intimidating others, but he placed his trust in his Blessings.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to fight. He hadn’t survived on the Seventh Floor for years by keeping his distance and avoiding his enemies. Mathew lost track of how many times a Fiend would make it past his allies or ambush out of the darkness before he could fire off a ‘Mystic Bolt’ or other ability.

He could only rely on his ‘Body stat’ to keep him alive in those situations. After years of consuming Aether, his stats had reached the point where he was nearly five times faster and stronger than a normal human being.

Mathew sidestepped the blow, his body capable of extreme bursts of speed while time seemed to slow down. His perceptions allowed him to plan his movements carefully. A side effect of his ‘mind’ stat, as he gained levels, was that the time he could maintain this state of heightened awareness increased.

For now, a second was all he could manage, but it was enough.

He watched as the magical blade narrowly avoided his skin, but a few centimetres could have been miles for all of the chance it had to strike him. As the blade bit into the ground, Mathew gripped the young woman’s wrist and used her momentum to carry her forward.

To Mayor Goodwin, everything happened faster than a blink of an eye. One moment Natisha was on the other side of the room. The next she was flying through the air. Mathew held her magical sword in his hand as the young woman landed on his throne, knocking the furniture over.

With a grin, he turned to the young man.

“Your turn?” Mathew asked arrogantly.