291-300

"You! Do you not know who I am!? I am the lord of this town! I make the rules! If I tell you to show me, you will show me!" The lord seemed to have lost his mind.

"Geh…. This man is useless. Steven, smack him for me." I decided that maybe the nice route was not the best route.

"Yes, Boss!" Steven happily walked over to the so called lord, raised his hand, and smacked him, sending the noble flying to the ground. "Boss, shouldn't you become the new city lord? Since they called us demons, let's just act like it."

"Are you saying demons are all uncivilized as this bastard!?" Iena yelled out, causing Steven to flinch and shrink down.

"Miss Iena, that is not what I meant!" I couldn't help but chuckle. Steven was all over the place.

"Iena, what he said was not a bad idea. Earth where I come from foretold stories of demon lords who would take over the lands. His idea actually makes things easier and quicker for us. I wanted to go the nice route and just work up through the ranks, but that could also take a long time. But if we just march from town to town and city to city and take them all over as we make our way to the capital, we should be able to find the entrance to the next floor quickly." I also wonder if this will help the people that are living here if we change the leadership. Well, it really depends on the noble ruling the town at the time.

"Any nobles who act like this one throw them out and dispose of them, then find someone with a head on their shoulder to take their place. Mmm… yes, let's have this guard here take his place." I pointed to the guard, who seemed to have some reason in him.

"Huh? Me?" The guard's eyes went wide.

"Yes, you. Are you up to the job of keeping this town in order?" I asked.

"Huh? Yes!" The guard suddenly saluted me. I nodded and told him to go ahead and deal with the old lord as he saw fit and to clean out the lord's manor as it would now be his new home. The guard dragged the old lord off in a daze. But after he turned the corner, I heard a yell of happiness which caused me to smile.

"Now then!" I said as I turned to the other guards who were standing there in confusion. "Let us search the town. You and you will be our escort. But when talking to the citizens, be nice about it. Just tell them we are searching for a criminal."

"Yes! Please follow us!" The two guards quickly snapped out of their daze and saluted me. They then motioned for me to follow them, so me and the others in my group began searching the town.

The town itself, with how it was set up, reminded me very much of the movies I saw of the middle ages back on Earth. Although I did find it strange that the language this time was the same as in my new home world. I wonder if this is because it was a variation of that world that did not have magic? All I know is it made things much easier since I would not need to translate everything being said. This probably made it easier for my father as well. And since he looked human, he would not be suspected of being a demon. In other words, he got a free ride!

We searched the entire guardhouse from the top floor down to every inch of the dungeon. From there, we went to the next building, which was a pub. It was quite lively until I entered with the guards. The place went dead silent. "We are only here to search the building for a criminal. We are not here to disturb your fun." The guard yelled out. This seemed to soothe the people's worries a little, but they still looked at me with a bit of fear. I was not offended. I mean, it was not like they had seen demi humans before.

But I couldn't just search the walls and things either. I walked over to the counter where an older burly man stood washing his cups. "Master, can I ask you a question?"

The older burly man turned around and looked at me but did not seem to be startled by my appearance. "Little Miss, you need something from this old man?"

"Mm… I was wondering if you saw a man that came here not long ago." I went ahead and began describing my father's features to the older burly man.

"Hmm… Now that you mention it, about two days ago, such a man stopped by here. He was doing what your group is doing as well. However, he was not doing it as openly. He didn't say much. He bought a drink and some food and left." The older burly man replied.

"Okay, thank you. If he stops in again, tell him Faith is looking for him and to head to the capital." I then passed the older burly man a gold coin. "This is for the trouble I am causing."

The old burly man laughed and shook his head. "You must be related to that man because he did the same thing."

I let out a laugh as I stood up. "That I am. He is my father." 𝐢n𝑛rℯ𝒶𝚍. 𝑐o𝘮

The old burly man smiled as he said: "I hope you find him, Little Miss."

"Me too!" With that, I left the pub with everyone in tow. I at least now know that my father had been there. And there is a good chance he was still in this kingdom, especially if he had only been here two days ago.

Once I find him, though, I will give him a big piece of my mind! I mean, he left my mother without telling her he would be diving deep into the dungeon! She is going crazy because of it!

"So what's the plan?" Steven asked as we all gathered in the street.

"That lousy father of mine has been here. He is not like me and has full human features, so he is probably moving around with ease. We will stick to the plan and split up. We will move from town and city one after the other across the floor and just take over everything we come across. But try to do so without bloodshed. If the one in charge of the place you are in is a good person, let them stay as the head as long as they come under your command. We will meet at the capital. If you run into an enemy that is powerful, just run away. Do not fight them. After all the training you have endured, you should be able to move quickly enough to escape most enemies."

"Alright! Let's crown Boss as the next demon queen!" Steven cheered, but his excitement only lasted a second because I promptly smacked him in the head. "Little Weewee, don't get ahead of yourself."

"Boss, can we not call me that anymore!?" Steven asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I will stop calling you that once you stop acting like one," I said teasingly, causing everyone else to burst out laughing. "Alright, let's do a full sweep of the town before heading out."

We swept through all the houses and buildings within the town and did so in a fashion that was not an invasion of privacy to a certain extent. Like we did not go through closets or dressers or anything and only checked the walls, floors, and ceilings of each house and nothing more. Each person was also given a gold coin for their troubles which made them happy.

After that, we split up into teams of two. Sally and Sei teamed up while I had Sophie, Adel and Iena form a group of three. Grace wanted to go with me, but because I had one group of three, one person had to go solo, and I was the best choice. So Grace ended up teaming up with Steven, which was not a bad pairing since, under Sophie and the others, Steven was the next strongest in the group.

After saying our goodbyes, I looked at the long road ahead and sighed. It has been a long time since I have been alone like this. I walked down the dirt path in front of me and made my way to the next town. This time I did not plan to be nice from the start. Nor did they plan to be nice to me. "Stop, demon!"

Well, I guess if I am playing the role of a demon lord, then I should act it, no? "Muahahaha! So you figured out that I was a demon! But too bad puny human! Either take me to your leader, or I will destroy this entire town!"

While I was putting on my best demon lord act, I transformed my arms to threaten the guards, one of which peed his pants. I felt bad, but a demon lord must keep up their image and be demon lordish!

And so now I was sitting in a rather expensive house on a soft cushioned chair looking at the man in front of me that was kneeling on the floor with his head lowered as I sipped some okay tea. "So will you take me as your lord?" I asked in my most menacing voice.

"Yes! Of course! My lord, I am willing to swear allegiance to you!" The plump man who was the lord of this town replied.

"Good! Then I will hold you to your words. I will need two guards who will follow me through the town as I inspect the houses and buildings here." And so, just like that, I was once again checking walls. When I left the town, I told the lord of the town to be good to his citizens, or I would make his life a living hell. He shivered in fear and repeatedly told me he would do as I said.

This time I did not get any information about my father. I am unsure if he did not do what he did before and just passed on through or what, but no one seemed to know who he was. When I arrived at my next destination, I noticed that this place was no town. It was a legit city. And as I walked up to the gates, the same scenario began to play out.

It was just that this time it was… "Die demon! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I kind of reacted on instinct and slapped him into a wall.

"Ah…. Well… Ahem…. Muahahahahaha! You dare attack this demon lord! Bow before me, puny humans! Today is the day that this city too shall fall under my rule!" I did as before and transformed my hands into giant claws and waved them in the air, but sadly, it seemed these people were more willing to fight. Sighed as I said: "Sleep…."

All the soldiers who came out of the city fell to the ground in an instant. I stepped over them and entered the city, making my way towards the small castle. It seemed this city lord knew how to live extravagantly. Although his citizens…. As I looked around, I noticed many of the people here were suffering. I stopped and pointed to a young man who was trying to protect his family from me. "You there!" I still kept my demon lord act. I mean, I was in the groove.

"Please don't harm my family!" The young man yelled out while stretching his arms out in front of his wife and kid.

"I have no intentions of harming people who will become citizens under my rule. I just wanted to ask a question." I softened my voice as I dropped my act. I did not wish to scare these people. "Just tell me. Is your city lord mistreating his people?"

"Miss…" The woman behind the young man called out to me. "Are you really going to rule over this city? Will you protect us from the city lord and his guards!?" 𝑖𝑛𝗻𝐫𝗲𝙖𝐝. 𝘤૦m

"Milly! Shhhh! You will die!" The young man quickly covered his wife's mouth.

"Mm… I will make sure none of you suffer from now on. So don't worry." I replied.

"Can you tell me more about this city lord of yours?" I asked. I figured I might as well know exactly what this city lord and his guards have been doing.

"Not here. Follow us." The young man said after a moment of hesitation as he waved me over. I nodded and followed them down a side alley to a small run down house. The house was only one room which also had a kitchen and the bathroom (a small pot) in the same place.

"I am sorry for our home. It is not the best of places to be." The young man said as he quickly cleaned a spot on the floor for me. I smiled and sat down.

"It is a cozy place. I can see that you have spent a good amount of time in setting things up with what little you have." I said with a smile.

"We are only living on a few copper per day. The ones who live lavishly in this town are those who are part of the city lord's men. They are unruly and even forcefully snatch daughters of the people they are supposed to protect. If anyone goes against them, they will kill them. The city lord is no better. He has a thing for both girls and pretty boys. If the guards spot one, they will drag them off to the city lord's castle. Taxes are high, and wages are low. We are lucky to be able to survive." The young man began talking about the hardships of the people.

"I see…. Why did you not take your family and leave the town?" I asked. If things were this bad most would just get up and move.

"It's not like we do not want to, but we can't. To leave the city, you need a pass which costs one gold. Only merchants can afford it! Us citizens are stuck here. If we try to leave, we will be killed." After hearing what the young man said, my eyes turned cold. He was basically keeping the people here hostage and forcing them to live in poverty so they couldn't leave.

"Don't worry. I will fix this city up in an hour, so for now, stay here and do not leave the house. I will be setting up a barrier here to protect you from anyone trying to harm you while I take care of things." I took out a few bits of food and placed them in the young man's hands before standing up and walking to the door. "I will change this city for you."

After saying this, I walked out of the house and set up a barrier around it to protect it. It was a barrier that blocked people from leaving and entering. I could hear the young man calling after me, but I did not turn around. I flapped my wings and flew off towards the castle. I hovered above it just in time to see a group of guards dragging some girls through the castle gates. I snorted and landed in front of the guards. "Who are you!?"

"Your worst nightmare!" I said in a cold voice as I slapped the three men to the ground, knocking them out cold. The girls were close to my age, maybe a year or two older. Their eyes were red with tears. They looked at me in surprise and shock and a bit of hope. "Go. Go back to your families."

"Thank you!" One of the girls mustered up before grabbing the hand of a girl that closely resembled her and running back through the gates. I waved my hands, causing the guards in the area to fall asleep. I did not wish for them to be harmed after being rescued.

I turned and looked up at the six floor castle and raised my hand. The whole castle began to shake as I used earth magic to rip off the entire outer wall and roof of the castle and turned it into dust before setting it to the side. I could hear the screams and yells of the guards.

I then flapped my wings and stood in the air in front of the castle near the one room that looked the gaudiest and yelled out: "City Lord! Show yourself!"

"Who are you!?" A man wrapped in a blanket made his way to the opening of the wall and glared at me with hatred in his eyes.

"I am the one who will soon rule this entire kingdom. I am here to dispose of those who abuse their status and power. City lord, you are deemed unfit to rule under my new reign. You will be imprisoned for your crimes against the people of this city and sentenced to death three days later. The same goes for each one of your guards. But only if you surrender now. Otherwise, face death." I answered in a commanding voice. I was once more back in my demon lord role!

"Do you really think you can do as you please!? Men kill this demon! Whoever kills the demon will get ten women and one thousand gold!" The city lord yelled out but sadly for him, no one dared to move. I mean, who would? I just ripped the walls and roof off the castle. And there were only like ten guards inside the castle while the rest were passed out on the ground.

"It looks like no one is willing to risk their lives for a bastard like you. Now then. Let's deal with you properly." I raised my hand, causing the city lord to be wrapped in wind magic.

"You!? How are you doing this!? Let go of me! Do you know who I am!?" The city lord yelled out as he tried to struggle to escape my wind magic, but this expression soon changed to that of fear when he arrived in front of me and was forced to look me in the eye.

"You abused the people you are supposed to protect. You snatched their children from their homes for your own sick tendencies. For this, I hereby sentence you to death." I did not care who this man was, but from what I was seeing, the things he was doing to the people of this city were already worthy of him dying. I waved my hand and set his body ablaze, causing him to scream out in pain before dropping him to the ground.

"Awake!" I yelled out using my dragon speak. All the guards stood up in a dazed fashion. I planned to deal with everything in one single easy swoop. "Anyone here who has killed innocent civilians, abducted and forced themselves onto innocent girls and boys need to take their own life now." i𝘯n𝚛𝑒α𝚍. C𝐨𝓶

I was hoping for one or two good people…. But sadly…. Every guard that I could see in front of me took their own life. They were all scum to the very last one.

As I gazed at the scene in front of me, I shook my head before burning all the bodies. I then sent out my detection magic to check the castle, and I kinda wish I didn't. In one of the dungeon cells in the basement was just a pile of dead bodies. But I did find one cell and one room within the castle that had people in it. I flew over to the room on the second floor that was situated in the middle of the castle.

When I opened the door, a group of girls wearing servant clothes that were skimpier than what the girls at the brothel wore were all huddled together. Each one was around twenty years of age, and some even had wounds on their body. "Please don't kill us! We will do anything!"

I sighed when I saw the fear in their eyes. "I won't be hurting any of you. Can you tell me how long you have been here for?" I asked. I was unsure if it was possible or not, but if I could break the limits of cosmic magic, I might be able to return these girls their youth.

"We all came here in the first few batches when the city lord took over." Said the oldest of the group. "Miss. We can cook and clean. Please allow us to live…."

"I already said you will be fine. I just want to know how many years have you been here for?" I asked once more. I know they were scared, but please answer my question!

"Six…. Six years…" The oldest of the group answered.

"Six years, huh? Let's see if I can do this." I took a deep breath as I looked at the group of girls. "I am going to be casting magic on you all. But do not worry. It will not harm you. I am just reversing time on your bodies back to a state from six years ago. Then you can return back to your parents as pure as the day you were forcefully brought here."

"Really? You can return my innocence!?" One of the girls asked with tears in her eyes. She looked to be the youngest in the group and only twenty at that.

"I am going to try. So do not panic." My eyes lit up as a bright light enveloped the group of girls. "Rewind…."

Before my eyes, the group of girls' bodies slowly started to grow younger. The youngest girl's height gradually began to lower. Within a matter of minutes, I had rewound time to a point seven years ago. I gave them an extra year just in case. The girls all looked at each other, then at themselves before suddenly bursting out crying. Getting your youth back after it had been taken from you was not something anyone would think was possible, but here they were, back to their past selves before they had been forced into this place.

I had the girls wait until I got a chance to check the basement floor. But what I found there almost made me lose my lunch. A cell where women over their thirties were shoved into. Instead of killing them or anything like that, they shoved over fifty girls into a cell and left them there to starve.

Luckily they were still alive, even if it was only barely. I once more reversed time for these girls bringing them back to their teens. Once more, cries filled the air, and the girls thanked me from the bottom of their hearts.

I sent the girls to the front yard of the castle as I did not plan to send them home just yet. There was no telling if they had a home to go to. So instead, I decided to have the girls stay in this castle and help take over the leadership of the city. I burnt all the rooms besides the study to get rid of any filth. This included the cell with the dead bodies. Of course, I made sure to give a proper send off.

While I could reverse time, I did not know how it would work on dead bodies since I have yet to really have a chance to test it out. In fact, I was slightly scared too. With how Jen and I were able to reincarnate, what if the person I brought back was living happily? What if they came back but were not the same person? Many things felt off to me when thinking about resurrecting the dead.

When everything was taken care of, I used earth magic to rebuild the walls of the castle. Only then did I rejoin the group of girls. "Young Miss!" One of the girls yelled out as she bowed to me, then continued: "We can not thank you enough. You not only recused us but gave us back the thing we cherished the most. Your kindness is something we will never forget."

"You don't need to worry about such things. I just did what should have been done since I have the power to do it. Even if you were all men, I would have still helped you if you were innocent. From this moment on, I will be assigning someone here to take over the position of city lord. I hope you can help him out. While I reversed your age, I did not reverse your minds. I wanted you all to learn from this experience. Learn and take what you can from it, and from now on, grow stronger so no one can do this to you ever again.

"Grow stronger and become someone no one can look down on but still be compassionate to never look down on others. " I wanted these girls to become strong and use their past few years of terror to grow even stronger. I could easily make them forget everything, but I think it was better this way. They would not be naive anymore. i𝑛n𝓻ℯ𝘢𝒅. Coｍ

"Young Miss, we are glad you did not erase our memories. While yes, it is something we would rather forget but at the same time, it is something we should not forget. We will do as you say and grow stronger." One of the girls stood forward and said. The others behind her all had determined expressions. If I was not in a hurry, I would want to stay and train these girls. But the most I can do is give them a daily routine to follow and then let them go from there.

"I will be back."

Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.

I landed in front of a small house with a barrier around it. Sitting on the doorstep was a young man. When he looked up and saw me, I noticed him let out a sigh of relief. I guess he was worried something might have happened to me. I waved my hand and removed the barrier, and bowed my head: "I apologize for locking you in I was doing it to…."

"We know. And we thank you." The young man cut me off. I raised my head and smiled.

"I never got your name. My name is Faith Cyrilia." This man would be perfect for someone to be the city lord. I figured with the help of the girls who had resided in the castle all these years. They could help him along. This was the other reason why I did not erase their memories. Although I am sure, they will figure this out over time.

"My name is Thomas Higgins," Thomas replied.

"Thomas, you own a stall on the street, if I am correct?" I had noticed his wife and him setting up when I was walking towards them before.

"Yes, it is just a small shop, but it gives us just enough to get by," Thomas replied.

"Then Thomas, you are your wife will follow me. This city needs a sensible person who understands the plight of the people. A city lord who will not use his status to do wrong but to help those in need. As such, I would like you to take charge of the city." I said with a smile, causing the young man's face to go blank.

"No! Wait, I am not fit…." I raised my hand, cutting him off. "You know basic math, or else you couldn't run a stall. You know how to read from the books I saw stashed in the corner of your house. And you know how to write as your name is written above your door. These are all the skills you need. And I have many people who can help you along. But just be warned, while they may look young most of them are older than you. I just reversed their age a little."

An hour later, I walked back through the castle gates that now had a crowd forming around them. Inside were the sixty or so girls from early swinging swords. It really seems they took my words to heart. Some barely had any strength to lift the sword, but from the expressions on their faces, they were so determined that even though they were covered in sweat and their arms were shaking, they still forced the sword into the air and swung it down.

"This is?" Thomas looked at the scene in confusion. He had no idea why so many girls were practicing swordsmanship in the front yard of the castle. "They will be your new guards. While they are just starting out, so are you. Plus, as I said, while they look young, they are actually much older. They have all suffered under the hands of the previous city lord. Some actually worked inside the castle, so they would know a few things and should be able to assist you. But do not get any funny ideas. If you cheat on your wife, she will kill you."

"I would never!" Thomas yelled out, causing me to laugh. Even his wife, who was at his side, chuckled.

"Everyone gather up!" I yelled out. The girls all turned and stopped what they were doing. They hurried over to me and bowed. "Young Miss, your orders?" 𝘪𝓷𝘯𝙧ℯ𝗮𝘥. 𝗰૦ｍ

"I have no orders. From this moment on, Thomas Higgins is your new city lord. I hope you all will support him mentally. Help guide him on the things you know about the city. Those who know math and know how to read will assist him so that he is not overburdened. You will all be learning how to run things together. I want you all to make this city into a place you all have dreamed of. A place where every citizen is able to live fulfilling lives. But always remember, never leave the city short. Keep taxes low but not so low that you can not pay the fees needed to sustain the city.

"A city needs, or even a kingdom for that matter, needs two things to keep it sustained. First is happy citizens! The second is a stable and competent government that is doing its best for the people and not itself. Do not pad your own pockets but do not leave yourself hungry either. There is a fine line that needs to be met, and it is up to you all to figure out where that fine line is. You might make mistakes, but this does not mean you will not learn anything in the process of things. I tomorrow we will address the people of this city. For now, everyone should settle in. I will supply a bit of funds for you all to go out and get necessary items for the castle since I burnt it all except for what is in the library." After finishing my speech, I left the castle and found a spot nearby on a tree branch to lay down. I was actually quite tired. Today was a long day, and many things have happened. But tomorrow, I hope once the sun rises, a new hope will be brought to this city and the people within it.

"I guess I am not really being very demon lordish anymore…." I sighed as I cast a barrier around me and fell asleep…..

The next day things went rather smoothly, and celebrations filled the streets. The citizens were told they could either leave the city if they so wished or stay and try to make a place for everyone. I have no idea how many left, but the city has many citizens who were offering up services. I knew Thomas and the girls had a long road ahead of them.

After leaving the city, I ran into many more incidents like this and cleared them up at the same time. After almost what felt like a month of travel, I arrived at the capital's entrance. I did not go into the city since I needed to wait for the others. My mana was tethered to them, so I knew they had not arrived yet. I am sure they had it just as hard as I did. On the third day, Sophie, Adel, and Iena appeared. They looked very tired.

When Adel saw me, her eyes lit up as she yelled out: "Faith! My love!"

As I sat under the tree to wait for the others, Adel and Sophie both snuggled up next to me, hugging my arms. "So, how was it?" I asked. I was curious as to what they had to deal with.

"Ugh…. This kingdom has so many issues. We ended up killing almost all the city and town lords. They were so corrupted and sick…." Adel's beautiful face scrunched up. I reached up and pressed my finger to smooth out her brow wrinkles.

"At least we helped as much as we could. Doing what you can is the only way around things. Our next target is the capital city in front of us. We will see just how this kingdom's king or queen truly is and hopefully find the path to the next floor." I said as I leaned my head on her shoulder, I closed my eyes. I was also tired. It has been busy the past few weeks.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I awoke to Sophie drooling on my chest as she hugged my waist, sound asleep, and Adel still hugging my arm while she slept as well. I looked around to see a few more groups had returned. They, too, were resting and looked very much exhausted. Iena was standing in front of me, looking out towards the capital. "Iena, what is it?"

"I feel a faint magic power coming from the castle in the distance, but it seems to be below ground," Iena replied, causing my eyes to open wide. I quickly sent out my detection magic to the spot Iena was talking about to see a very familiar person chained to the wall by some very thick chains. Using my dragon speak, I sent a message over my detection magic: "Father! Are you alive? Say something!"

The man raised his head. He looked ragged, but I would still recognize him. My tears began to well up, seeing how he was okay. "Faith?" His eyes looked dull, and his cheeks were sunken in, which meant he had probably not been fed for a while now.

I stood up, accidentally throwing both girls off me. "You all stay here. I will be back." Without another word, I flapped my wings and flew off towards the city. I am sure everyone was confused because I heard both Sophie and Adel cry out my name, but I had to go. I finally found him. I could not let him suffer anymore!

As I flew over the city, I felt a strong suction force pulling at my mana. I snorted and continued forward. It seemed this city had some kind of defense barrier against people with mana. I wanted to destroy the barrier, but if this barrier was blocking the powerful figures of this floor from being able to cast magic, it was best not to disturb things and make more trouble for myself. There are times when you have to trust your gut instinct.

As I flew over the city, I saw that it was thriving. There were still poor people from what I could see but nothing like the other cities and towns I had been to. This makes me wonder if this ruler is just negligent in checking up on their subordinates. Well, in any case, I could care less. I was going to get my father out of this place and head home. I do not care to finish this dungeon at this time. We have already spent well over three months in this place. I do not wish to continue being here any longer.

When I reached the castle and landed in the area by the dungeon entrance, the first thing that I ran into was a group of guards rushing at me. "Halt! How dare you enter the castle grounds!"

"Out of my way!" I yelled in dragon speak, causing all the guards to stop in their tracks and make a path for me. Dragons are, after all, the rulers of all, or at least this is how I see it.

I entered the dungeon and held my nose after smelling the putrid smell coming from below. It seemed they never cleaned this place. I formed a barrier around my nose to block the smell of the place out as I hovered in the air and flew towards where my father was. He was on the fourth floor of the dungeon in a cell surrounded by darkness.

Anyone who got in my way was controlled with dragon speak and was very obedient in getting out of my way. When I reached the cell where my father was, I smashed the door open to see his figure chained to the wall. I could tell his mana was just about to be depleted. I quickly tethered him to my mana to keep it from being drained away and flew over to his side.

"Father…." My tears began to well up. If I knew this was happening to him, I would have ignored the people and flown directly here….

"Faith?" My father looked up at me. His eyes were slightly dull. I ripped the chains up off the wall and shattered the cuffs on his hands and feet. My anger began to rise. These people….. I took a deep breath…. And forced a smile: "Father…. We will go home now, okay?"

"Mmmm…" My father nodded before passing out in my arms.

I flew out of the dungeon and up into the air. I wanted to destroy this castle, but I knew getting my father out of this place was my top priority. I flew out of the city without issue and landed down on the ground in front of everyone. "Faith this…."

"We are leaving. Our task here is done." I said as I adjusted my father and began walking towards running towards the exit.

"Faith, Steven, and Grace have yet to return," Sally shouted behind me. I turned and looked at Iena. Iena nodded and disappeared: "Let's go."

The others all stared at me in confusion but still followed behind me. We ran at full speed towards the exit. By the time we reached the spot we entered from, both Steven and Grace were being carried in Iena's arms. "What happened?"

Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.𝐢𝘯𝑛𝑟𝘦𝙖𝘥. ᴄ𝚘m

"One of the towns was filled with wraiths. I found the two struggling to ward them off. There were too many of them, and Grace does not have many attack options." Iena reported. I frowned and decided to try to figure out some attack spells for her.

"Alright. We will head back now." The two were only exhausted from continuous fighting. So they will be fine. But I will be scolding them later because they could have sent a signal on the mana tether that they were in danger.

We were able to leave the dungeon in four days' time. We ran nonstop towards the exit of each room until we finally exited the dungeon. I turned and made a thirty layer barrier over the dungeon so no one could enter it or leave. "I want a bath…." Amanda complained. I could agree with her. I also wanted a bath.

"We can take turns when we get to my house, for now, let's just head there…." I said as I adjusted my grip on the father once more. He had yet to awaken even once since I found him. I could see his mana pool was filling up, but his body was still weak. I do not know what they did to him, but I have tried using rewind on him, but it doesn't seem to do anything, and there is no status effect on him.

I talked with Iena about it, but she also did not see anything wrong with him. Grace even cast her healing magic on him a few times, but nothing came out of it. My only guess was that he was exhausted. I will also have Diablo take a look, just in case.

"Faith!" A cry came out as soon as I walked towards the door of my house. My mother came running outside with tears in her eyes. She ran right up to me and hugged me tightly. "Faith… You found him…."

"Mmm…. Currently, he is asleep. I do not know what happened, but he has been asleep for a few days. Let's take him inside." I used one arm to pat her back. I looked up to see my brother and Rachel standing there. My brother's eyes were watering up. I could see he was happy that we returned.

A few hours later, inside my room, I had just finished taking a bath and was now currently talking with Diablo. "So anything?"

"Just exhaustion. From what I can see, he has not slept for many nights. On top of having his mana forcefully sucked out of him, it took a large toll on his body. Rewind wouldn't be able to return him to a better state due to the mana being forced out of his body. It seems the spell is unable to rewind mana itself.

"He will need a few years of having mana nourishing his bones and muscles before he will return to his previous state. But one good thing is that his mana pool has expanded quite a bit. I do not know how he did it, but he was able to successfully safeguard the last bit of mana he had in his mana pool, allowing him to draw in what little mana was in the air around him. I think the dungeon helped him greatly in this aspect." Diablo explained, causing me to relax a bit. He was still passed out. But with a bit of mana therapy which was just infusing his body with a bit of mana, his complexion looked much better.

"Thank you for suffering during this time, Diablo. I know I put a heavy burden on you. But my mother trusted you, and I needed someone strong here in case anything happened." I was really thankful to Diablo for what he had done. 𝐢n𝒏𝘳𝙚𝒶𝘥.＆nbsp;𝗰𝚘𝓂

"You are my master, and your command is something I have to follow. But please, I beg you not to force me to do this again! Your mother kept pestering me on when our wedding would be and when we would bring home grandbabies." Diablo's expressions as making it hard to laugh, but at the same time, the way he was speaking made me feel a little irked. I mean, am I that bad!?

"So you are saying I am not marriageable material!?" I asked with a huff. Having a handsome man say such things was just a blow to my womanly pride!

"No, Master, it is not like that. It is just that…." Diablo scratched his head, causing me to smile and laugh. Seeing him flustered was quite amusing. It kinda made me want to kiss him to see just how it would feel to kiss a man and to also make him even more flustered.

Now that I was thinking about it, I realized I really needed to figure this out, if kissing a man was any different from the kisses I got from Sophie and Adel… I looked up at Diablo again and stared at his lips. I bit my lip and leaned forward and pressed mine against his before quickly pulling back. I touched my lips with my hand feeling the lingering warmth. Just like when Sophie and Adel kissed me, it was warm and soft…. I turned to look at Diablo, who seemed to have frozen in place with pink cheeks. It was only then that things really hit me. "Ahh! Sorry, I just…."

"Master, if you will excuse me!" Diablo stood straight up and dashed out of the room. I couldn't help but chuckle. To be honest, his actions were quite cute. However, I do wonder how he will act around me from now on. But I did kind of do that out of the blue. It will probably be awkward for a while. But I would rather kiss Diablo than someone else. At least with Diablo, it would be safe since he will always be around me and has a contract with me. But I did come to the conclusion that I did not mind kissing boys or girls. I guess that would make me bi? I sighed as I laid back on my bed. "I need to really figure this all out. I promised Sophie and Adel, and now… Diablo…."

"Faith! Your father!" Adel burst into my room and yelled.

I quickly jumped up from my bed with a worried expression as I hurriedly asked: "What happened?"

"He woke up. He is asking for you." Adel replied while grabbing my hand and dragging me to my parents' room.

I walked in to see my mother at his side, hugging his waist. My father was sitting up, but he still looked very weak. "Father!"

"Faith…." My father looked at me and smiled. "Thank you…."

"You idiot!" I yelled out. "How could you dive into a dungeon by yourself!? What if you died!? What if…."

I couldn't hold back my tears as I joined my mother in hugging him. I was just so happy he was awake and that he was alive and well. But it still did not mean I was done scolding him. "Ahem… Master, I know you are happy, but I suggest you ask him what happened." Diablo's voice entered my ears. I looked up and blushed slightly as I remembered what I had done before. Diablo also seemed to have blushed as he averted his eyes. But I still nodded and sat up.

"Father, what happened? How did you end up in the dungeon?" I asked.

"It was strange. I was perfectly fine until I stepped into the city. As I did, the mana in my body began to be sucked out without any resistance. I had to employ a technique my grandfather taught me to protect what little I had left. But I ended up collapsing. The next time I came too, I was chained to a wall. I have no idea why." My father answered. But I had a few guesses.

"I think they thought you were a demon. Anyone with mana seems to be a demon to those people. If I am correct, the planet that that kingdom comes from probably had two or more races. Demons and humans, at the minimum. And the human population set up such a barrier to keep the capital safe in case of a demon invasion. Of course, this is just an assumption, and that could have just been the final floor, and the king is like the final boss." I replied. Everything I said was just speculation. There can be many number of reasons why that barrier was in place. But these reasons seemed the most sound.

"No more dungeon talk. Your father will never enter a dungeon again!" My mother's voice was strict, with no room for argument. 𝒾𝐧𝚗𝙧𝙚𝐚d. 𝗰o𝓶

"You are right…. We will give you two time alone. Father, you need to rest for the next year and take in the mana around you to regain your strength." I said as I stood up and grabbed Diablo's arm before he could run away.

"Alright, I will listen to you." My father replied with a smile. I nodded and dragged Diablo out of the room to mine once more and closed the door on the two girls who were following.

"Master…." Diablo's voice sounded behind me.

I turned and bowed my head. "I am sorry about earlier. I should not have done that out of the blue like that. I wanted to know how it felt to kiss a guy, and you were the only one who came to mind when I thought about kissing someone. Not to mention you're handsome, so my first kiss with a guy was with you…."

I scratched my head. I felt like I was kind of making excuses even though it was the truth. "So anyway, I am sorry…."

"Master, it is fine. It was just unexpected, and it was also my first…. It's not like I hated it either…. It's just… Never mind… Just know it is fine." Diablo replied, his ears going red. I couldn't help but blush as well.

"Ahem…." I cleared my throat and smiled at Diablo. "We got people listening in, so if you do not want to be bombarded with questions, it's best if you escape first. But just know, I also did not hate it. It felt nice…."

Diablo scratched his head before patting me on the top of mine and disappearing. I smiled and turned and opened the door to have three girls fall on the floor, looking up at me with aggrieved expressions. "Faith, you said you would help me!" Iena was the first to speak.

I sighed and knelt down, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You heard everything?"

"Mm…." Iena replied, nodding her head.

"It was just something that happened." I really did not know my own feelings, and I was just doing it out of wanting to know how it felt. I guess I should have thought it through more, but to be honest, if it was not Diablo, I wouldn't have been able to do it.

"But…" Iena looked really sad. I pulled her close and looked her in the eye before pushing my lips against hers. "There now, I kissed you too. So it's like you had an indirect kiss with Diablo."

Iena's eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned red. Adel and Sophie both looked at me with wide eyes. "Faith… You! You!"

"Hmmm? Didn't you two do the same to me? You two were the ones who turned me into a kissing monster!" I said jokingly as I helped Iena up. Iena was blushing like crazy as she kept looking at me and looking away. Is it just me, or are all demons cute when you kiss them?

"You!" Adel stomped her feet and jumped on me, knocking me over, with Sophie following right after her. They both took a cheek and kissed it.

"Alright, let me up!" I said as I pried them both off. "I am not one hundred percent sure about my own feelings. But… I already promised Sophie I would really think about it now. And I also do not wish to worry my mother."

"You really mean it!?" Both Sophie and Adel asked at the same time. Their eyes were beginning to brim with tears.

I smiled and reached out to the girls, taking one of their hands into mine, and nodded my head. "I am still young and am not the best at relationship things, but I think as we slowly walk down this path, we will probably all end up as one big happy family. But I promise you I will not make you wait long before I give you my final answer. The same for you, Iena. " I turned to Iena and looked at her. She lowered her head and gave a slight nod. If something really did form between Diablo and me, then I would feel bad for Iena as I know she likes him. So the only way to rectify it would be to bring her into the family? Wait, why does this sound like something a harem protagonist would do!?

"Ahhh! When did I become such a gigolo!?" I cried out. Adel and Sophie giggled while Iena blushed.

"Alright. So, for now, we will just take things slow. But Iena…. About Diablo…." I probably shouldn't continue this conversation, but I still felt like I should say something.

"It's okay…. Master…." Iena took my hand and knelt down and kissed the top of it, flipped it over, and then kissed the palm. I tilted my head to the side since I did not understand this gesture. I knew it was something similar to what a knight would do, but this was different, and I was not sure what it meant for a demon. "A kiss is like a proposal and seals the deal between a demon couple for marriage. What I just did is a symbol of devotion. It means my body and heart are for you to do as you please with. It's the final step in a demon marriag…. "

"Iena!" Diablo's voice roared out, causing Iena to grow stiff. "Why did you go and tell her!?"

"I…." Iena lowered her head. I sighed as I pulled her behind me and looked at Diablo. "Don't yell at her."

Diablo's lips pursed, but he stopped glaring at her. He then bent down on one knee as well and took my hand and kissed it just like Iena did. "Even though we are bound by a contract, this is different. This means you own our everything. Including our hearts."

Diablo stood up and turned around, took two steps before pausing: "What you decided to do is now up to you. Whether you keep things as they are or go a step further, we will both abide by your decision."

I watched as Diablo walked out of the room with a blank expression. I think I really just did something irreversible. Did he not want me to know because it would put a heavy burden on my shoulders? Did he not want me to think I was forced to be with them? While I was lost in thought, both my hands were taken by Adel and Sophie, who kissed them the same way as Diablo and Iena. What the hell! You are not even demons!

"You two!" I yelled out, only for them to stick their tongues out at me. I sighed and turned to look at Iena. "Don't worry about it. He doesn't really blame you. He was probably hiding it for my sake."

"Mmm… He can be very strict at times but also very soft, especially towards you." Iena had a depressed look, but that was not much I could do about that. I had no idea such a thing was part of demon culture, never mind it being a marriage thing. But why did Diablo seal the deal? Did that mean he liked me in such a way?

"I am sorry, Iena, I really didn't know…." I felt like I should apologize.

"It's fine. I know you didn't know, but I decided, since I actually did not hate it, that it was fine, and I felt that since you are my master that if I was with you, everything would work out. While I do like His Highness, I also know my chances of being with him are also very slim. I also could have dodged your kiss, but I kind of blanked out and allowed it to happen. So this is also my fault as well. I also could have kept quiet about it all as well. But I still made my decision as sudden as it was.

But do not worry. Even if you only wish for us to be master and servant as we are now, I do not mind. I will always follow by your side. Demon culture is strange, but this is just how we are. I even hesitated to follow through with the last part just now because I was unsure of what to do. But I did not dislike the kiss or you, so I decided to go through with the final step. I should be the one to apologize to you." Iena explained as she blushed. I smiled and reached up and patted the top of her head. This girl was quite strange indeed. She is too spontaneous. Marriage is not something you just jump into! But I guess demon culture is like this… At least, it is not something you can formally say is legitimate in this world.

"While I did wish I knew about all of this beforehand, it has made me understand one thing…." I looked at the other girls and continued: "All of you listen. I will say this once. Love is not something that can be easily acquired in a day or two. It may take time, but this just means I will need to try to foster this feeling from now on."

"Faith, you mean?" Adel's eyes showed a bit of expectation.

"From this moment on, we can all be considered to be in a relationship. Every one of you, including Diablo. Whether or not I can fully fall in love is another story. This is because I have never fallen in love with anyone. I only know what familial love is but not love between two people who wish to start a family together. This is all new to me, so let me take things slowly…." This was the answer I have finally decided upon. Now knowing that demons had some weird cultural habit where kissing someone was sealing the deal in a proposal, I might as well give it a try and see where this all leads. Maybe…. Maybe this will change the futures I have seen in my dreams. But really… how come my first relationship is starting off with four people?

—

With my father now rescued, it was time to head back to the capital. We had already been gone for a few months, and I needed to catch up on my classes. I missed a lot which means I will need to get notes from someone so I can catch up. Before I left, I did set up a teleport in my bedroom in a corner with a barrier around it that would only allow my family to use it. It was the best place in the house since it was the only room not used. My brother had already built an addition for Leo, my baby nephew, for his bedroom.

Now I just needed to set up a connection point in my house so that my family could come and visit me at any time or would have a place to escape to if things went wrong. I also changed the runic equation a bit to have a method of destroying the other access point if something does happen. But this was for emergency use only.

We did not rush back. While we did travel faster than most, we still took another three months to return. We had a long journey this time. But luckily, everything turned out okay. My father just needed to rest, and he would be back to his top form within a year. My family will now be only a teleport away, so I can see them anytime I want, and they can come see me at any time. Things were much better than before.

But as soon as I stepped foot through the door of my estate, Jen was there to greet me with a message: "Faith, the Dean asked me to tell you to see him right away. Something has happened."𝚒𝒏𝓃𝓻e𝑎𝙙. 𝙘ｏ𝑚

"Don't tell me my sister's brother's mother's ex-husband dived into a dungeon." I know I was being a wiseass, but I couldn't help it. I just dived into a dungeon, and now I am here. Which reminds me, I didn't even get to let X7 out yet.

"What? No! The Prime Minister, along with a few lower noble families, have disappeared." The Dean replied, which caused me to be very much confused.

"Diablo!" I called out. We had a shadow following that stupid man, so how did he just disappear!?

"Yes, master." Diablo appeared in front of me.

"Is the shadow you summoned still following the Prime Minister?" I asked.

"It hasn't moved for a long time. And is looking at the Prime Minister…. Wait… something feels off." Diablo waved his hand, causing an image of what the shadow was seeing to appear in front of us in the middle of the room. "If I am not wrong, this is an illusion."

"It is an illusion," I said after watching the same motions happening over and over. "My guess is that the Prime Minister noticed the shadow a long time ago or someone close to him noticed it, and this was why he laid low. But when I left the capital to save my father, he took this chance to escape leaving this illusion that seems to be able to confuse the shadow's senses. I think there is a person backing the Prime Minister…."

I did not like the thought that there might be someone lying in the shadows that we did not know about. If it is Azengrade, then we might be in trouble, but I do not think it would be him. I at least hope it is not.

"You can call the shadow back. There is no need for it to still be there. The Prime Minister, as far as I can tell, is no longer in the capital either. So we will need to wait to see what his next move is. Dean, have you talked with the King?" I asked. I was unsure if it was the Dean who was the first to find out or if it was the King.

"It was the King who told me to talk with you. He did not wish for anyone else to know of this except for you and those close to you and his own trusted people." The Dean replied.

I nodded and turned to Adel. "Adel, we are going to the castle. To be safe, those of the royal family living in the castle will be staying at my house. Court will be held in the meeting hall of my house as well. Diablo, you and Iena are to stay by the King's side. Right now, protecting his life is something we must ensure. Everyone who passes through my barrier will be scanned by it, not allowing those in with bad intentions. Right now, we are putting everyone on high alert."

"Faith, is it necessary to go so far?" Adel asked. She looked confused and worried. 𝘪𝓷𝘯𝙧ℯ𝗮𝘥. 𝗰૦ｍ

"Mmm… If I am not wrong. A civil war may break out at any time." I answered. "I do hope I am wrong, but…." Just thinking of the dreams I have had, I think this is the most probable scenario. Whether it happens tomorrow or a few years from now. To keep those in power who care for the people, it is better to take them under my roof and protect them at all costs.

"I see… But I do not think my father will do as you ask…. Can't you just set up barriers and stuff in the castle itself?" Adel asked. It was true that I could, but I still felt insecure. If I am not in close proximity and someone breaks my barriers, then what? I would rather him be under the continuous watch of Diablo and Iena, who can protect him around the clock under my roof where I can reach him faster.

"While what you say is true, the fact still remains that my estate is the safest place for him. This would mean all the heirs to the throne are under one roof, and unless it is Azengrade himself, no one can even get close to them. It is better to cluster together where the strongest in the kingdom reside, than be separated during this time." I explained.

"I see… You will need to persuade him then because he will not listen to me." Adel replied with a sigh.

"Hehe… I will just kidnap the King then!" I said with a bright smile. It would be very much amusing to princess carry the King for the entire capital to see.

Adel held her head as she gazed up at me. "Are you trying to take revenge for him appointing you as an heir to the throne!?"

"No!" I quickly looked away. That thought never crossed my mind. Well, maybe just a little…. "Let's go!" I said as I grabbed Adel's and Sohpie's hands and walked out of the Dean's office. Since I said I was going to do this, I was going to do it!

"Both of you hold on tight," I said as I wrapped my hand around the two girl's waists. I didn't plan to walk to the castle since flying was easier. The two girls hugged me as I flapped my wings and flew through the air towards the castle. "When we get to the throne room, let me do the talking."

"I didn't plan to say anything anyway since I know he would ignore my opinion on it anyways. Only you can make him change his mind. Sometimes I wonder just who his real daughter is." Adel replied with a bit of bitterness in her voice.

"I already have a father, so you can keep him," I replied and stuck my tongue out.

"I don't want him either!" Adel replied with pursed lips. "Ah, right. Sophie and I will move into your room. My father can take my old room."

"Alright. It's not like we haven't all shared a room before anyways. Just know that Grace is strict. When the sun comes up, she will yank you out of bed whether you want to get up or not…."