Ch. 1 - The Weakest Demon Lord

Among many lords, among many lands. On this one. Was a far off village. A single settlement made up of a Demon lord and his orphanage. Standing outside, with rolled up sleeves from his button up shirt. He would brush the sweat off his brows and sighed as he was taking care of the clothing for all the children. A demi-human woman, would come up to him. "Master... allow me..." she said.

"I cant have you doing all the work..." the demon lord said to her. He had a broken horn, and while his tail was demonic like he also had scales on his tail.

The woman, was a dragon kin, she actually was anthropomorphic dragon. May have a human like figuer, hands and feet. But her body was completely dragonic. She had pale while body, so anyone who didn't know dragons would think she was a snow dragon, but she in fact the queen of dragons. A silver dragon queen. And she was here helping as a maid and in service to his royal highness.

"Sir... you should head inside and eat with the children." She insisted.

"Oh come on, you work hard as it is. Please head inside and relax for today, we're running this together okay, so let me help as well..." he would then pat her head.

"Hmmm..." she was pounting. "Fine..." she headed back and went inside the cottage as she then heard the few children they had all eating and playing. "Children... please eat before playing! The master will be disappointed if you don't, you all need your nutrition." She was like a mother figuer for them. And the demon lord a father figuer.

There place was poor, but it's not like they pay for they're staying at was more like a farm they lived on. Serving and helping only themselves. They lived off the land, and kept to themselves.

The demon lord would lay out clothing to dry, and also last night bedding. He would work with his hands, and while he wasn't muscular and on the thin side. He choose not to enter conflicts, he in fact had reason. Personal ones. And this cottage he turned into an orphanage was a massive reason.

He yawned and would then head inside once his stomach growled. Upon entering, he then was rushed by the children in his care. "Lord Rayes!"

"Oh? What's this about children? He looked down at each of the 7 children. Made of 4 girls and 3 boys." He careful pat each of their heads as each of them couldn't be no younger than 10. As one was the oldest at that age.

Together they all said "goodmorning!" And in turned they began to speak.

"Can we play together outside?"

"I wanna learn!"

"I wanna play with magic sir!"

"May you teach us sword play?"

What was more incredible from their trust in him, is each of their race. No one child was human.

Each one came from a different race of being all together.

Elf, orc, oni, druid, human, demon, angel, demi human. They all had such different backgrounds. A history different from one another. And here they all were growing up together. "Haha..." he smiled softly at them.

This confused them. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing children. Just happy your all getting along." He said.

"What! No way, just the other day, they were picking on me." One of the girls said.

"That's because you were messing with us!" One of the boys defended.

"Haha... settle down... besides, we're gonna play outside... I was just out there. And it's a nice day, so why don't we head outside. Did all of you eat?"

All of their eyes and faces lit up. "Yeah! Mistress Labelle, made sure we did..."

"Alright then legs go." The demon lord would hold the door open again, watching as they all ran out and rushes the open field in front yard of their massive plot.

Labelle, the dragon maid would come over and sigh at him. "Your spoiling them sir... they need to have a proper education like reading and writing, even mathematics." She said. But she didn't hate this side of his.

"I know... eventually they'll all want to leave once they grow up a bit more... maybe even learn about themselves, but they are still children we should all them fun. Besides, how can I say no to such kind children..." he was soft. He was nothing like the demon lords in the other regions. He was soft.

A demon lord. With a soft heart. Anyone would say and believe he was the weakest. Many did see him that way. It bothers the other demon lords that there even was one as weak as him.

Only, he was also the oldest. He was far more older than any of the current lords. The many now had only been in power because the ones of the past died. Amd their children took up the mantel. He would step out and join the children with Labelle, separated those who wanted to play, and those who wanted to learn. A girl and two boys learns sword play with him. And one boy and three girls with Labelle ti Learn magic. Their were breaks with them sitting and just letting them play as they tagged, played with sticks and pretend to be hero's.

He was an blissful and peaceful sight.

The demon lord Rayes, would then get up once the sun hit noon. "Everyone! Inside. Time for indoor learning." He said.

And non of them argue red. "Yes sir!" All of them said together. Going inside together.

However just as the day would be focused on learning, a massive black snake came up behind the house climbing right over to block the door.

It glared at the demon lord and the maid, and at the children.

"Nala is back!!" One children said as then all soon rush to hug the snakes face and neck.

The snake gently lifted her head to bounce the children playing with them as she slithered around the house and back over the demon lord. The children in top of the snake.

"Nala... your getting them riled up." Rayes said, gently petting her, but then chuckled. "I'm glad your back... you went missing 2 years ago, now your so big, just look at you." He chuckled.

"I'm afraid she won't fit inside the cottage sir... what will we do?" Labelle asked Aaron she came over to pet her as well.

"Hmm... I'll just have to build a home for her next door... but that means, I'll need to head to the closest town. Which is over thousands of miles away... can you sleep in the forest for a while Nala?" He asked strocking her chin.

The snake nodded.

"Good girl." He pet her more after.

Which got the snakes tail to rapidly wave as she was of course enjoying the attention from her master.

This got Labelle jealous a bit. "Alright. Children off her back go inside... and Lana, you have catching up to do with me. Now away from master." She said grabbing her tail to pull her away.

Rayes chuckled, and would just head inside after they went behind the house. He was with the children as he went to the living room area to move stuff as he then grabbed some books. "Let's work on writing today..." he told them as he would start teaching the children.

Much later, Labelle would come back, and bring up lunch. "It's about time we start lunch... children can you go pick up some fruits and vegetables... and master, would you be kind as to hunt us a boar?" She asked.

"Oh, sure." He would close his book and would then look to the children. "You all behave while I step out." He set the book within back its bookshelf and walked right outside. He knew Nala would be a good protector, so he walked towards the forest.

"Miss Labelle, how can he keep hunting, when he doesn't seem so strong?" One girl asked.

"He teaches you swords... he can wield one as good as any adventure. That's how. And he never over does it. He also eats all his vegetables." She told then as she clearly poked fun at how they dont eat them.

One little girl asked. "How come you don't hunt? Your a dragon right?" It was strange suddenly, how they were asking questions. At least she thought that a second before realizing they were growing up. "Because the master ordered me to protect you all, and Nala will also be with him." She thought, when suddenly Nala bursts a window and poked through showing she wasn't with the master.

"Your left him alone?!" Labelle sighed but then shrugged.

"Will he be okay?" A boy asked.

"Yes, he will... he's called weak... but remember children. He is still a demon lord. And one of the oldest. He's capable of at least hunting some boar." She chuckled and now clapped her hands. "Now, let's go... outside and pick your own food... oh! But of course let's not stop teaching just insudes... Nala, help them stay safe outside and make sure no poisonous herbs get mixed." Labelle said having such an a sweet and angelic tone in her voice. She would gently brush and push the children outside the house and when she stayed inside she began to to prepare the kitchen cleaning and using her magic to light a fire.

Outside, the children formed a circle. All while Nala peaked in on how they acted and spoke.

The human girl then spoke up. "Mist, Raven and Chris, you three go for fruit."

The three gathered together. "Yes ma'am." Mist was the Elf, Raven an oni and Chris the orc." The three headed off.

Then the demon child spoke up. "Now us Miss Amber!" The last four put them arm to their heads pretending as soldiers.

"The four of us, will gather vegetables, so we'll pick carrots and potatoes." Amber said, the human. "Sound good to you Crystal, Crow and Valerie?" Crystal was the druid, crow a demon, and Valerie an angel.

"Yup!" They cheered and so they began. To head to the garden they had cultivated.

They would start picking food, by hand, both set of parties would start picking fresh food, even going down to the river nearby which led to a convenient lake. At the river Bank they began to wash their crops and then took them back.

As they head back, rayes also came back amd saw them holding crops. "Hey." He was dragging my hand a pelt of fur of the boar he killed and as he dragged it, he came out the forest with a massive boar. "You kids are gathering I see... let's see..." Nala soon came between them. Hissing at him.

"Huh?"

She hisses again, tilting her head and nodding around as she was speaking to him.

"I see, I see..." he would pat her head. "Thank you for keeping an eye on them. And you even made sure no poisonous food got accidently picked and you want fish?" He tilted. "Ha... sure... maybe next time."

"Wait, you can speak to her? Since when?" Mist asked coming up to her. And crystal also joining. "Can you teach us?"

Nala then looked at the two. He would think. "Well... that's not so easy girls... see... Nala speaks a very very old and forgotten language. She's actually the reborn snake God." He explained, and would rub Nala's neck and touch her scales.

"Oh... but can you still not teach it?" Mist asked.

"Well, it's not that I cant... it's just... very hard to understand. Took me her two rebirth before I got it down... so yeah, it's a very very hard..." he said, sort of joking.

"Really?! Two lifetimes?!" Crystal was surprised.

"No I'm kidding, haha." He then ruffled their colorful hair. "I'll teach you girls two weeks from now. All of you. Although, you Nala... will need to also learn to change your form. Okay, it would help if you could teach them too." He asked.

She then nodded smiling and sticking her tongue into a playful hiss.

The children's eyes all lit up.

Inside Labelle, noticed them taking long, so she got outside and at the door raised her hand to call for them. "I need those Ingredients children! Oh and that boar master! Please hurry inside already." She spoke lightly and smiled at them.

"Right!" He would walk with everyone as they all cheerfully Made their way home giving up the ingredients to Labelle for lunch. They all either read, played or napped in the living area as they relaxed.