After ensuring the captured knights were taken to the Fear Tower for questioning, Almodeus and his daughter accompanied all the villagers to a sort of funeral service for those killed in the assault. Graves had been hastily prepared. The families seemed eager to remember their loved ones.

  They probably want to return to the calm that existed before the attack. Memory is the only thing that keeps a person who has passed away alive.

  "Dad…Can't you do anything for the dead?"

  His daughter asked him. Her eyes betrayed sadness. She had taken a liking to Amy and her siblings, who were currently crying in front of their parents' newly installed headstone. He could understand the demoness's sympathy: Almodea had never had too many friends her age who weren't noble demon boys wanting to ask her out.

  "Resurrection is not among my skills, unfortunately..."

  Almodeus lied reluctantly. He knew a couple of spells, but the price he would have to pay would be too high to bring two miserable humans back to life - who might die the next day from a stupid illness like a common cold.

  A weakness of resurrection spells was that they often left the person being revived completely drained of energy. One risked being so weak that they would even die from exhaustion. Another problem with this type of magic was that, with most known spells, it wasn't possible to resurrect everyone, even if their corpse was immaculate. This happened if the target's spiritual energy was too weak to withstand the process of returning from the dead.

  If resurrection magic was used on someone who was too weak or who refused it—which could be done through spirit will—the corpse would turn to white ash.

  I could use Absolute Resurrection, but…

  Normally, only holy magic could resurrect people. And even then, there were very strict conditions for the spell to work properly. As a demon, Almodeus was incompatible with the holy element, so he was not allowed to use it.

  However, he knew a spell called Absolute Resurrection, which could bring anyone back to life, even if the body was missing, but at an extremely high energy cost - not to mention that it required the sacrifice of a hundred souls for each person to be resurrected.

  He had done everything to prevent his daughter from learning the existance of that spell. Almodea was powerful, but still very young. If she used such high tier magic, she would risk serious harm, like remain unconscious for weeks, perhaps months.

  -Almodues couldn't let anything happen to his little spot.

  Between a life-bringing enchanter and a death-bringing one, the former would have more problems. I can't do anything else right now. The story had to go this way. Be content with the fact that I saved you all...

  His red eyes shifted to his daughter.

  "Listen, little spot…What do you think of human beings?"

  “As a race or in general?”

  “In general, yes. I know you don't care about people's race. You're many things, but not a racist for sure.”

  “True! Heh heh…”

  Almodea raised her right hand to her chin. Her face was serious, and it was clear she was thinking deeply about the matter.

  "Honestly? I have nothing against humans, but I don't think they're exceptional either. If they're nice people, great! If they're a pain in the ass, though... Let them die, then."

  He laughed under the mask at his daughter's response. It was exactly what he'd expected from her. Almodea wasn't racist, but she had always preferred the company of demi-humans or other species. Humans were not among her favorites.

  “And what about you, Dad? What do you think of humans?”

  Time seemed to stand still at that question. Almodeus had pondered it often, but giving an answer wasn't easy.

  "They are beings destined to die, like everyone else beside us. The story must have an end, sooner or later..."

  “Do you think it was a good idea to tell everyone your real name?”

  "Why not? Those who are originally from this world shouldn't know about it. If it were to reach the ears of someone from our world, however, two possibilities could arise..."

  Almodeus raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand, as if to indicate the number spoken.

  “If they were enemies, they would hide in fear. If they were allies, they would come to us.”

  “Understood! Did you do it to attract Nikusa?”

  “Also. She's not the only one missing. The Terror Trio also didn't arrive with us, and the same goes for him…”

  Almodeus's tone dropped slightly towards the end of his sentence. His mind had begun to wander to a certain person. Almodea knew who her father was referring to by with Him: Abadon, the Demon of Courage and Almodeus's ancient rival.

  From the stories she'd heard, the two were initially enemies, then became allies and finally very close friends. It was natural that her father wanted to see one of his few friends again.

  “Do we have an explanation for these mysterious disappearances?”

  “The only plausible one is that, whatever brought us to this world, targeted the Fear Tower. Anyone who wasn't inside wasn't taken with us. The Terror Trio was on a mission, that could be the reason they are not here..."

  “So…Nikusa, Abadon and the others could have remained in the old world?”

  “It's a possibility, yes.”

  “Poor Hirashi..."

  Sensing the pain Almodea was feeling for her adoptive sister, Almodeus put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure his daughter.

  “I wouldn't worry. Nikusa is stubborn! She'd tear the multiverse apart just to see her daughter!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes…that’s what I’d do for you too.”

  Almodea smiled at those warm words. Her dark heart was beating like never before.

  “I love you, Dad!”

  “I love you too, little spot…”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once the vigil was over, Almodea began playing with the village children, even helping with the recovery. With her super strength, she could lift more than all the humans in the village combined.

  Almodeus, however, began to wander around the place. A thousand doubts tormented his mind at that moment.

  What should I do now? At the moment, I can stay here.

  His gaze swept around the area, causing him to sigh.

  It's a beautiful view, and it could be the first area we've conquered, but I'd have to wrest it from the nobleman who controls it, and that would be a problem. Maybe I could buy it, but first I'll have to figure out how to earn money. In this world, only gold, silver or copper coins forged by nations are used. Paper money or digital currency is unknown...Perhaps I could go to the Guild the village chief recommended! It would be great to use our artificial portals for travel, but I need to find out if Shockwave has repaired them. Maybe I should also consider allying myself with one of the nations. But which one?

  His thoughts were soon interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. It was an older model, but still functional. He hadn't even remembered having it with him, or that it could work in that world in the first place. He'd been told their communications had been repaired, but he hadn't expected such a quick reboot. The Fear Tower was emitting the shielded signal that allowed that kind of technology to function. He was curious to see how it would adapt to this new world.

  To avoid prying eyes, Almodeus hid behind a house and answered.

  "Sergio. What do I owe this unexpected call to?"

  "My lord! Pardon the interruption, but Shockwave has finished questioning the knights, and it seems there is important news!"

  He was pleased with this information and smiled under his mask, urging his subordinate to continue. However, it would have been better to use magic for future communications, so as to avoid prying eyes or other unforeseen problems.

  "Okay, update me..."

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Shall I put it here?"

  Almodea asked, lifting a huge wooden beam and looking for a spot to place it.

  "Yes! You can put it there, Lady Almodea!"

  A man in his thirties pointed her to a corner and she positioned it as he directed.

  "Anyway, you can just call me Almodea. I'm not as attached to these things as my fat... Er, like my Fabulous Master! Don't worry!"

  I really like these humans! I hope Dad spares them. It would be a shame otherwise, Amy and her siblings are so cute!

  She moved toward the shed and grabbed another beam to carry to the construction site. As Almodea was about to leave, she saw Loyd - Amy's little brother- who stared at her in amazement and smiled.

  "You are so strong!"

  Almodea couldn't resist and smiled back.

  Human puppies are so cute! I can't resist! I have to cuddle them!

  "You're really cute, though!"

  She reached down to pet the child, but Amy quickly arrived and pushed him away, then bowed to Almodea.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "Please! Forgive my brother for interrupting you!"

  Actually, you are the one who interrupted!

  Almodea puffed out her cheeks, but tried not to show her irritation. As her father always said "Appearances matter".

  Never mind this time! She's the older sister, she has to protect what's left of your family. After what my father did, I'd say it makes sense that they're afraid of me too. After all, I'm much taller than them and can move entire houses as if they were made of paper, so I understand their fears...

  Almodea reasoned, then smiled. She knew how to hide het true emotions well. She had a character to play, that of a spoiled, daddy's girl. It was wonderful not having to do anything from morning to night except watching souls with beautiful, strong women fighting.

  "Don't worry! I like kids!"

  The demoness leaned forward and patted Loyd on the head a few times, then went back to work. She couldn't appear lazy in that scenario.

  “That’s it!"

  She placed the second beam on the ground and started back to the shed. As she walked, the conversation she'd had with her father earlier came back to her, especially the part about Abadon.

  I hope he can be reunited with Dad. He's not as powerful as us, but he's a decently nice guy.

  Almodea had never interacted much with Abadon, but she knew well his son, Jason. She and the boy were the same age, so it was natural for them to interact when their parents brought them along during meetings. Honestly, Jason wasn't anything special. He was cute and decently strong, but Almodea had never thought he was much interesting. The two got along well, but nothing more. Jason had asked her out several times, but she had always declined. If he wanted her as a friend, fine - but as a girlfriend? No way!

  It annoys me to be courted by boys…

  Despite being eighteen, she had never shown interest in the opposite sex. She didn't disparage male friendships, but didn't want them to become anything more.

  Just because I'm a Princess, doesn't mean I need or want a Prince!

  Technically, if Almodeus were considered a King, then she could count as a Princess. However, Almodea considered herself as such because of her evolutionary stage.

  Each demon could evolve differently, depending on the power and classes it possessed. From birth, Almodea had always been absurdly powerful, so much so that she managed to reach the evolutionary stage of Demon Princess at just fifteen years old.

  The next would be Demon Queen, but that would take centuries, at least according to her father's predictions. Eventually, sooner or later, she would reach the final stage, that of Absolute Demon.

  -She would be like her father, one day.

  "Alarm! Alarm!"

  Almodea didn't have time to grab a third beam when she heard a man approaching the group of workers.

  Why is he in such a hurry? I could probe his mind for answers, but I think it's pointless, since he's about to tell me everything himself...

  "What's going on, El?"

  One of the bricklayers asked, fueling Almodea's curiosity.

  "Men on horseback are approaching the village! I don't know if they are allies or enemies, but there are certainly a lot of them! More than fifty!"

  Interesting! Better warn Dad!

  "Don't worry, my fat…Fabulous Master will take care of it!"

  She answered, then began looking for her father.She could have taken care of the matter herself, but she wanted to avoid ruining her father's plans.

  "But where could he have gone?"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  After finishing the call with Sergio, Almodeus came out of his hiding place and was immediately intercepted by his daughter.

  "Dad! Here you are!"

  Why is she in such a hurry?

  He wondered, seeing the girl arrive with enough force, then sighing and warning her.

  "Almodea. How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Dad while we're here? If they knew you were my daughter, they'd wonder why we lied and we'd lose their trust."

  I don't like to scold my daughter, but I want to prevent her from becoming a target.

  Almodea lowered her head, understanding her father's reasons, before giving him the news.

  "Sorry, fat...Um, Fabulous Master! But we have a problem! A large group of men on horseback will be reaching the village soon! What do we do?"

  More trouble? Could it be reinforcements for those knights from before? Whatever it is, I've already made a plan.

  Having reasoned this, he turned to his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Tell everyone to hide in the barn! We and the village chief will be left to welcome these new arrivals."

  The girl nodded and began walking around the village, spreading the new directives.

  If they turn out to be enemies, I'll have to deal with them myself. I might even let the Black Knight do the whole thing, so as to avoid giving away information about my true strength.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  After a few minutes, Almodeus, Almodea, the Black Knight and the village chief were waiting at the village gates for the arrival of the knights. The anxiety was visible on the old man's face. It was more than understandable; the village had been through so much in such a short period of time.

  "These soldiers have different armor..."

  Almodeus muttered. The knights Brick had recognized as soldiers from the Kingdom of Ashen were all heavily armored in iron plate, while those approaching wore only leather armor, with small areas of metal plating. The only one who looked well-armored was the one galloping in front. He wore heavy armor made entirely of steel. Not a great choice, considering it was illuminated by the setting sun.

  "Village chief! Could you by any chance tell me if they are enemies or allies?"

  "They might seem like allies, but it could be a trick!"

  He couldn't blame him entirely. It was incredibly easy to pretend to be a soldier from another nation, especially in an era without digital identification methods. It could be a ploy to catch them off guard.

  As soon as the mounted men arrived, they stopped in front of them. The one at the head of the platoon immediately dismounted from his steed and bowed courteously.

  "Greetings! I am the Captain of the Fearless Vanguard, Gareth Stronghold. I have orders from His Majesty the Emperor to stop the knights of the Ashen Kingdom who are raiding the villages in the area!"

  Fearless Vanguard? A striking name, no doubt about it...

  "Captain Gareth?"

  Almodeus' thoughts were interrupted by Brick's comment, who seemed to know the identity of the man before them - or at least, his title.

  "Who would this man be?"

  He asked him, in a low voice.

  "I only know that he is the strongest soldier in the Empire. He is His Majesty's bodyguard and commands a squad of elite soldiers..."

  Almodeus looked Gareth up and down, using his mask to hide his disrespectful behavior. To be honest, the man didn't look like much. He guessed the Captain was around level 33. Nothing to be thrilled about, but perhaps, by the standards of that world, was considered powerful.

  "I assume you're the village chief."

  Gareth began, eyeing Brick.

  "This person next to you, however...Who is he? Could you tell me?"

  The man asked, looking straight into Almodeus's masked eyes. He shifted his gaze to Almodea and then to the Black Knight behind the three figures, appearing visibly surprised by it.

  "This great man is the Lord..."

  The chief was interrupted with a wave of a hand. Almodeus had tried to silence him in a non-provocative manner. He had to introduce himself alone, otherwise he would look like a greedy and arrogant conqueror. Not exactly the best impression in front of the soldiers of the kingdom where he was at that moment.

  "I can introduce myself. I am Lord Almodeus - and this is my apprentice, Almodea. I am simply an old sorcerer who has come to the aid of a village in distress. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain Stronghold."

  Hearing those words, Gareth passed the reins of his steed to one of his men, then leaned towards Almodeus with his torso, bowing slightly.

  Now that he had descended, the demon could see him better: Gareth was taller than the other men, about Six feet three, with dark brown hair. He was quite stocky and appeared to be in his thirties. What particularly struck him was the Captain's armor. It was not like that of the other soldiers, which seemed to be made of leather and simple iron. His own was apparently composed solely of finely crafted ferrous materials.

  "My words cannot repay you enough for what you have done! On behalf of the Nexia Empire, I thank you for saving the village."

  Gareth's eyes shine with a strange light. What is that light? Is it...Respect? Does it take so little to earn it? I don't know. There's something different about this human. He reminds me of someone...

  "I know this may sound rude, Lord Almodeus, but… May I ask you some questions?"

  "It seems natural to me. Ask away."

  The Captain eyed the Black Knight again. He seemed disturbed, probably the effect of the death aura the creature emitted. The undead had a visceral hatred for the living. Though devoid of intelligence, the monster behind Almodeus was observing the world with the eyes of one who wanted to set it ablaze.

  "That…Who or what is?"

  "A servant I created to defend the village."

  "You created it?"

  Gareth had tried to keep his tone stoic and calm, but Almodeus had immediately noticed his enormous surprise at the news.

  Is what I did so great?

  "And the mask? Can you take it off?"

  Gareth pointed out the mask Almodeus wore on his face.

  "It's used to control the Black Knight. You wouldn't want me to lose control of it, would you?"

  "Let's leave it where it is, then."

  Gareth's gaze shifted to Almodea. He seemed extremely surprised to see such beauty, but there was no trace of lust in his gaze.

  "She's your apprentice, you said? May I know her race? I rule out human."

  "I prefer to avoid answering questions about my apprentice without her consent."

  "I apologize. I didn't mean to exaggerate..."

  Almodeus shook his head at that sincere apology.

  "No problem, Imperial Captain. Rather..."

  His gaze moved to the large sword Gareth carried on his back.

  "Is that your weapon?"

  "Uh? Yes. It's the one I use when I'm not on duty as His Majesty's bodyguard. You're interested?"

  "Exactly. Could I examine it? I promise to return it..."

  "I see."

  Gareth's tone was rather doubtful. In his experience, it was rare for a sorcerer to be interested in an unenchanted weapon. He shook his head at the request.

  "...Unfortunately, I am not permitted to offer it to you. It was entrusted to me by the Emperor himself. I cannot give it without his express permission."

  "I understand."

  Despite sensing the other's tone of disappointment, Gareth was surprised by the comment that followed.

  "You're a loyal man. You don't meet many like that these days.."

  "I…Thank you, Lord Almodeus. I-"

  At that moment, one of the cavalry soldiers approached them, interrupting the two.

  "Captain Gareth! It looks like a large group of men are surrounding the village!"

  Both Almodeus and the Imperial Captain turned to face the man who had brought the news, and they both didn't like it one bit.

  Somehow, I know we're thinking the same question: "Who are these mysterious men?". Well, that's the difference between me and the Captain. He's groping in the dark, relying on the light to find the solution, but I already know the answer!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A brown-haired, golden-eyed figure watched the village from afar, carefully planning his next move.

  We have bribed the nobles to force the Emperor to send Captain Gareth on this seemingly trivial, but ultimately disastrous, mission!

  Bork, the expedition leader, began to chuckle. If everything went well, he would definitely be promoted.

  In the Theocracy of Reia there was a regular army, and then there were elite groups serving directly under the Twelve Cardinals. Each of them had a squad assigned to them, called "Scriptures", each named after one of the Twelve Gods they worshiped. In this case, Bork was the Captain of the Scriptures of the Split Sun, a reference to the God Fortunio Carnival. According to legends, he drew his power from the sun and possessed absolute luck. It was said that he could only be killed by cutting the sun in half.

  "Life is a carnival! Until the sun is cut in half, luck will never abandon me!" So went the nursery rhyme that was said to be constantly repeated by the God.

  Bork looked up at the sunset sky. The sun was still there, where it belonged.

  How can you cut the sun in half?

  It was impossible, and yet the God Fortunio was dead, along with his companions. It had been terrible news for the Theocracy, but at least they had sacrificed themselves for a just cause: saving the world from the Seven Great Sins. More than a thousand hears had passed since the birth of the Theocracy, and nearly seven hundred since the death of the Twelve Gods. Despite various wars, the birth of the Twelve Archdemons and the Demon Kingdoms, the world had been mostly at peace. The Theocracy had to be careful about their next move. They were already at war with the Dark Elf Kingdom, and couldn't afford to open another front, perhaps with the Draconic Republic or one of the Archdemons.

  This world is so full of sinners…

  Bork sighed trying to banish the bad thoughts. He returned with his mind to the possible promotion. Perhaps he would be admitted to the Scriptures of Discord, at the service of the Twelfth Cardinal. They were the jewel in the crown of his nation, composed entirely of beings who could be considered equal to the Twelve Heroes of antiquity. Recently, one of the members of the Scriptures of Discord had defected and gone into hiding. It was the perfect opportunity for him, Usein Neir Bork, to take his rightful place among the other greats of the Theocracy.

  "Captain Bork! We've lost contact with Marquis Reven!"

  He looked into the eyes of the man who had brought him the news. First with disappointment at having interrupted his dreams of glory, then with a smile. This action surprised the subordinate, so much so that he asked his Captain if he had heard correctly.

  "I heard perfectly well!"

  Bork replied, then stood before his platoon of fifty trained sorcerers. All had mastered spells up to level four, both defensive and offensive. Few could boast such skill. Humans only knew spells up to level 6, which were considered semi-divine.

  Just one of them could destroy ten villages and even hold their own against the Imperial army!

  Bork thought, then cleared his throat and prepared to make a speech.

  "Gentlemen!"

  Even though victory is a foregone conclusion, I can't be too cocky, but at the same time I have to keep my spirits up.

  He reasoned, then continued in a solemn and authoritative tone.

  "If those second-rate nobles have cut off communications, it means only one thing: they're dead! This means our plan worked! Gareth has come to the village to save it, and we will kill him! Prepare yourselves! We will move immediately! We have been given a task by the Seventh Cardinal! We will not disappoint him and our Gods! Do I make myself clear?"

  The cries of approval brought a sinister grin to Bork's face. His heart, filled with pride and arrogance, could have burst from his joy.

  Prepare for the showdown, Stronghold! We'll soon see who the best Captain is!