Gob's progress
Having returned yet again to the dark tower that I now recognized as my home, back to the throne that served as my seat as well as my comfort, it was hard to follow along with what Tatiana was telling me.
"... therefore, it might be hard to classify Creria as a democracy, but as it does have a functioning parliament, it also shouldn't be regarded as a pure-bred dictatorship.", she said, making my aching head even more confused as I was trying to make sure I remembered as much as possible.
Currently, I was getting some education about the world I would at some point have no choice but to interact with, something I felt was a good idea at first. However, after experiencing a couple of hours of Tatiana's rigid and overly detailed teachings I wasn't sure if it was that good of an idea anymore.
What made me keep persisting, however, was the fact that a certain green creature, sitting on the lowest step of the three steps part of the elevation where the throne stood, was eagerly raising his hand again.
"Gob, so, would that mean that Esna could be said to be the least developed, seeing as they are still a monarchy?"
"That depends on how you look at things, Gob. In terms of the political systems put in place, they are, just as you pointed out, very traditional in their ways. That does not mean, however, that human society has not developed just as far, or even farther, than Creria and Lupard. It's simply just another way of ruling the nation."
"I see, gob..."
Yes, the green creature that was taking part in Tatiana's class about Terros and the three nations was Gob, but it wasn't the same Gob that I had created when I first arrived in the Dark Lands.
After we had disassembled the orc village, something weird happened to the goblin, something that didn't happen to any other goblins. He had somehow evolved, and though his skin was just as green, his round face had become a lot more human-like, and his body had gotten taller, now being as tall as a normal teenager.
===Status===
Name: Gob
Race:?
Class: Squire
Level: 11
Strength: 22
Agility: 13
Stamina: 17
Intelligence: 8
Mana: 0/0
Traits: [Gob]
Skills: [Heavy Strike], [Parry]
Talents: [Swordsmanship - Beginner]
==========
With his body now clothed in leathery armor that he had been given by the very charitable orcs, I could only think of it as a byproduct of the trait he had, the gift unique only to him.
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't help but think that he was quite the impressive goblin, as he had been able to go toe-to-toe with even the orcs that we faced, despite the fact that according to Tatiana, their average level was 10.
All monsters were not the same and the easiest example would be to compare a dragon to a slime.
Even if the slime was level 100, the chances were that it would still lose against a dragon that was only level 10. This was because of the differences in their inherent physiques as well as the differences in the quality of their vessels.
Now, I was happy that Gob had gotten stronger, as he still held a very special place in my heart, a place reserved for someone that I both adored and despised, but what did upset me a bit was the fact that he seemed to understand what Tatiana was saying to a much larger degree than I was.
While I was struggling to even understand the terminology she was using at times, Gob was asking questions that clearly showed that he didn't have any trouble following what she was talking about at all.
Therefore, I did what any wise king would have done. Standing up, I prepared myself for departure, preparing myself to escape this traumatizing experience.
"Gob, from now on, you will act as my second in command as well as the tactician of the demon king army. Please listen intently to Tatiana so that you can serve me well in the future."
"Huh? But, gob, I am just a goblin, master? Is it really..."
"You are not just any goblin, Gob. There is a reason why you were my first creation. Do not disappoint me."
After a second of shock, the now taller goblin kneeled down, "I understand, master. I will do my best."
It was a shame that he wasn't the cute goblin that had looked at me with huge, adorable eyes anymore, but this was a lot better than the previous iteration where he acted as a deplorable punk.
Noticing me getting up from my seat, our white-haired teacher's head tilted a bit, "Where are you going, master?"
"I'm going to grow stronger."
Not caring about explaining myself any more than that, I entered the magical, hidden elevator and left the throne room, and in an instant, I could feel my headache start clearing up.
===Status===
Name: Aldric the Demon King
Race: Fallen Cherubim
Level: 17
Strength: 17
Agility: 17
Stamina: 17
Intelligence: 46
Free stat points: 6
Demonic energy: 230/230
Traits: [Blood of the Patriarch]
Skills: [Demon Claws], [Flight], [Claws of Darkness], [Glow], [Feathers of the Underworld]
Talents: [Light magic - Beginner], [Dark magic - Apprentice]
==========
I had also grown stronger from the battle against the orcs, and though it could be said that gaining three levels after massacring such an amount of monsters wasn't great, it was still quite good when thinking about the time it took.
It did make me realize that although my growth rate might be slow, there were still ways for me to use the qualities of my race to offset it.
To be honest, after getting to hear that the orcs that I had massacred had an average level of ten, I was now sure that my magic was incredibly potent, even if it was just thanks to the unique characteristics of the dark element.
Combined with the fact that I now knew what I wanted to do with this life of mine, this one-in-a-million chance that I had been blessed with, I didn't hesitate to venture out into the wilderness of the Dark Land.
No longer did the Dead Valley... yes it's just as unoriginal as the Dead Forest, but what can I do about it? I am a demon king, not a lyricist. Anyway, the Dead Valley just didn't seem as imposing anymore, in fact, it was the opposite.
Flying above this dried-out, unliving land now felt liberating, as if I had fully come to terms that this was my land, this was my kingdom. Or at least, it would be in the near future.
Although most monsters inside the valley were weak, this large valley, surrounded and protected by the mighty mountain range, was the first step to my journey. It would be the start of my venture to conquer, to create an empire.
An empire strong enough that I would need not fear the three nations... no, it would be strong enough so that the three nations feared me, terrified to the point where they would have no choice but to leave me alone.
Yet, I somehow knew that a part of me wouldn't be satisfied with that either.
The part of me that I was now determined to fully realize, the part of me that finally was being brought to light due to the bizarre circumstances.
I would walk this path for as long as I could, for the sole reason that there wasn't any reason not to.
To survive, I needed to exist, and to exist I needed the world to recognize me, to act as the catalyst to realize my existence.
Because that was what a shadow was.
"Pi?"
Being brought out of my thoughts by a sudden shrill voice, which was pretty weird seeing as I was currently hovering in the air, I looked down, only to face Pi, who was looking at me with a worried expression.
Stroking her sparkling hair, I was incredibly happy that I hadn't accidentally started doing a monologue with my thoughts, as there was no doubt they would have sounded cringey to the point where I would have no choice but to either dispose of Pi or hide underneath the earth for at least a century.
Not that I doubted my own perception of myself, but I was still not comfortable enough to let anyone know about it.
Just imagining one of my former classmates hearing how I thought of myself made my back grow cold and caused my legs to tremble a bit. An image of Selene looking at me with a face filled with disgust, or George just shaking his head, knowing that he had lost his friend to an unfortunate stroke of edginess.
I knew that I was a demon king now, and logically, that should permit me to be an edgelord if I wanted to, but I still needed a bit more time to get fully comfortable with that idea.
"Now that you're here, Pi, do you want to come and slaughter some monsters with me?"
"Pii!"