Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

"Muramasa charged me to deliver your new armor! Next time, I'll craft it myself and boast to the others that you're wearing my creations."

"Oh? So you're one of his two apprentices. Who's the second?"

Eyes sparkling with amusement and curiosity at the former imp's choice, he put his armor on as he listened to the answer.

"I don't know her much, and she said that everyone calls her the lady who is good with her hands, so she'll keep that name. Anyway, I admire her quite a bit!" Explore hidden tales at m,v l'-NovelFire

Silas' mischievous expression turned solemn as he patted his chest.

"She said she'd prove to the world that demonic females are more than mere seductresses and that she would surpass Muramasa to become the first legendary demonic smith."

Even if it may appear almost unachievable or trivial, his heart pumped blood faster, and his lips curled into a brilliant smile at the woman's dream.

'That's what I want for my citizens. To have aspirations and the opportunity to walk on their paths despite their species.'

With this thought, he ruffled Silas' green hair, offering him a few words of encouragement before returning to the demonic altar.

As he sat, a wry smile broadened on his lips, and a chuckle escaped his throat.

'Who would have thought? Everyone is busy learning new things or building facilities when the lord has nothing to do. Well, with my lack of knowledge and their refusal to see me sweat with them, I can only train my control until I feel confident enough to attack the goblin town in the east.'

Thinking about raids, he called the shadow stalker and asked him to scout the dead lord's territory—then the forest's surroundings.

'Can't let free experience points and blueprints go to waste, and the war fog covering my map is vexing.'

Watching the reliable scout dissolve into the shadows and dart away at breakneck speed, he tapped his finger over his lips.

'Since I didn't summon many fighters, my population is too low. I want to recruit people from other races to increase it. Even if the likelihood is low, it's worth a try, especially if I send the three sisters to negotiate in their hometown.'

Until now he hadn't paid them much attention and let them live however they wanted. Still, he saw the change in their gazes when they looked at his demonic subjects.

From trembling like battered leaves on the first day, they now joined them to eat dinner and spoke without fear with Bart and Garduck.

'It's all thanks to Dimitris, Muramasa, and Shihan...'

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, revealing his sharp teeth before he dismissed his longing for her return and focused on the present.

'I'll divide my days in two. I'll train my demonic essence while they work in the morning. Then, we'll gather to hunt from afternoon to dusk.'

With a satisfied nod, he closed his eyes and breathed the potent demonic essence wafting from the altar. Like his earlier trial test, the energy coursed through his body, circling it without obstructions before entering his demonic core in half an hour.

DING

[Demonic essence increased by one.]

A notification confirmed his gains as an expectant grin split his face.

However, he shook his head to put his ideas together.

'I can't focus on one thing. I'll absorb for half an hour and switch to control. That way, I won't grow bored by either.'

He knew more than anyone how his mind worked after competing in many games and what he hated most in some. It was the monotonous task of repeatedly farming the same dungeon several hundred times only to drop one item.

Even if the comparison seemed bizarre, it made sense to him because, in the end, the thing he hated applied in real life, too. He knew for a fact that he would grow bored and slack off because what was once fun would feel like an obligation.

'Tsk. I remember one game with capped daily dungeons. We had to create ten side characters to farm for the main. It felt more like a job than a game!'

The memory alone made him click his tongue and roll his eyes in dissatisfaction for a second before he threw it into a garbage bin in his mind.

Then, he closed his eyes, replaying the first ability Tiamat planted in his mind this morning and analysed its energy flow.

Half an hour later, he returned to essence absorption before switching to improving his body using essence.

'I can cut half an hour once I make the boost a passive... But I want to master both paths. Am I greedy? Perhaps. But I can't have a single exploitable weakness if I have to fight Baal in the future.'

It was the same for any demon king or god. They had existed for hundreds of millions of years and honed their bodies, minds, and skills to perfection. To have a fighting chance, he knew he would have to work harder than most lords, and that started by setting up a healthy routine that wouldn't burn his mind long-term.

A steely glint flashed in his eyes as he continued his training.

The burning sun descended west until it colored the sky in bright orange hues as the chilly wind blew his long hair in a mesmerising dance.

In the distance, he caught his subject's approaching voices, prompting him to stop for today.

The other citizens joined them one after another for their meal as Lilia, the apprentice chef, smiled brightly and offered to cook the meat.

He also chuckled when he noticed Luna throw him bizarre glances as if she failed to adapt to his new appearance.

In this heartwarming atmosphere of shared trust, Bart told him they completed the brick kiln construction under Alice's supervision and that they would start building oikas after recycling the huts.

Eager for his subjects to finally have decent houses, he asked Ozymandias if he could plan for their locations. After all, they couldn't build buildings randomly.

Fortunately, the pharaoh shrugged and answered.

"Sure. I'll go with the classic grid-like system I used in the past. I'll also reserve spots for future important buildings like temples, monuments, or gardens. But that's all I do. If you want monuments, I'll help build them. For the rest?

It's not worth investing my time or skills."

With a nod of gratitude and noticing the first stars shine in the sky, he rose to his feet and bid them goodnight.

Then, he entered his demon lord's house, went to his room on the second floor and slid into his comfortable bed, unaware that a demonic storm brewed in the North or that Baal's insidious chuckles reverberated through the demon realm.