Lindsey started throwing her fist punch while she was still several steps away.

A casual observer may have wondered what on Earth she was aiming at.

Not me. I hastily threw my own punch, and it collided with hers as she [Flash Stepped] forward while still in mid-strike.

She followed that up with a flurry of [Air Strikes] that I barely managed to block with [Fire Strikes] of my own.

The clash of air on fire echoed through the camp.

She had me completely off-balance, but I was faster thanks to her old age. I was slowly regaining my footing, and that’s when she switched it up once more. She vanished from my sight.

Dodge! I screamed internally, and my panic took the form of a forward roll.

Lindsey had [Flash Stepped] behind me and gone for a kick. The only saving grace was that [Flash Step] kept her facing the same direction, and that fraction of a second for her to turn saved my bacon.

“Very good,” she stated. “Now, we are finished with the warmup. Let us test your reflexes.”

Uh oh. I thought as Lindsey vanished once again.

I vaguely heard someone shout something about a sparring match, but the words passed in one ear and out the other as the battle took the entirety of my focus.

I didn’t have time to trust my conscious mind with making decisions. I could only trust my body to react in time to block as she vanished and reappeared all around me, making strikes and feints.

Meanwhile, an almost detached part of me kept counting her stamina usage from [Flash Steps].

I blocked a strike from the left. 60. 70. I didn’t fall for her feint from the right, and I blocked a kick from behind just in time.

That continued for several frantic seconds, but I knew I couldn’t keep it up. I needed to make a retreat. I glanced behind me and then [Flash Stepped]… in place.

Meanwhile, Lindsey reappeared 10 feet behind me in the middle of a kick that would have won her the sparring match right there.

“Your reflexes could still use work,” Lindsey stated. “However, using [Flash Step] as a feint is clever. I-“

“[Mage Bolt]!” I shot the dark bolt in her direction.

She twisted to the side and watched it fly past her into a random tent.

“You’re using magic in our duel?” she asked incredulously.

“Rules never said I couldn’t,” I replied. I almost shrugged, but even that gesture was too much an opening to give her.

“Yes, but the point of this duel is to measure your mastery of [Martial Arts]!”

I laughed. “Sorry, Lindsey. I’m a [Demon Lord]. Not a [Monk]. When it comes to real fights, I use everything at my disposal. [Mage Bolt]!”

She dodged that one as well. A part of me wondered if it was even worth the effort casting that spell.

Then she grinned. “I suppose two can play that game, then. Wind form a blade with which I will strike down the enemies that stand before me.”

[Air Cutter]? When did she learn that? I thought as she began casting. However, I wasn’t going to let her do that for free. “[Mage Bolt], [Mage Bolt], [Mage Bolt]!” I cast.

She effortlessly dodged all three as she continued her chant.

Why is she even doing that? It’s not like I’ll have a hard time dodging it at that distance.

My paranoia served me well. I noticed her shift just the slightest bit forward, and I nearly voided my bowels.

Both arms went into motion, my left arm for a block and my right arm for a different skill.

It was just in time as Lindsey flashed forward, aiming both a punch and her spell at me to end the duel.

“[Air Cutter]!” she finished.

“[Disrupt]!” I shouted simultaneously as I snapped a literal inch from the blade of air.

And for the first time in the duel, I had an opening. I kicked at her with a [Fire Strike], but she blocked it with her knee and then [Flash Stepped] backward.

“That was a decent defense, I suppose. I thought that would have you,” she called out.

“You’ll have to do better than that!” I taunted while still recovering a bit from my earlier panic.

She laughed. “Then, I suppose I shall!”

Please tell me she can’t actually do better than that. I thought to myself with a nervous chuckle.

It turned out she could.

“Air, blast my foes. [Air Bolt]!” she cast. She then [Flash Stepped] behind me and tried to sweep my legs.

However, I hadn’t just stood there waiting for her next attack to come. My [Fire Bolt] met her [Air Bolt] in midair, and I managed to block her leg sweep with a downward chop.

I felt pretty good about staying in the duel through that attack, but she didn’t give me a moment to celebrate. She doubled down on her assault while also throwing in both real and fake [Air Bolts].

I could no longer time my spells directly to counter hers, and I was forced to quick cast them once I was sure the attack was real.

260. I counted. Can’t keep this up. Need space. As she [Flash Stepped] to my left, the answer came to me. My left arm blocked her jab, and my right arm pointed to the ground.

“[Hell Blaze]!” I cast. In the brief moment before the spell went off, I saw her eyes widen slightly, and I saw her body tense as she prepared to [Flash Step] away.

“[Mage Bolt]!” I cast with my left hand even as the fire exploded around me. I predicted her path perfectly, and she reappeared with the bolt flying toward her face. It shocked her enough that she didn’t dodge it, and instead, an air-powered fist came up to block.

We were both surprised when she blocked it, and the duel didn’t end.

“Woah, time out!” I called. “Did you know that you could block magic with [Elemental Strike]?” I asked.

Lindsey was perplexed. “I did not. You never did even when you fought us, so I assumed it was impossible. Why did you never block Sam’s magic back then?”

I scratched my chin. “I guess I just assumed it wouldn’t work, so I… didn’t try.” I frowned as I thought that through. I suppose I also didn’t have as much SP to waste back then, but still… that wasn’t a patch, right? No, Lindsey remembers it-

“No more stalling! The duel resumes!” she shouted as she reappeared in front of me, already making a powerful side kick.

I was off-balance but managed to [Flash Step] away.

“You should know better than to get lost in thought in combat!” she chided as she followed with her own [Flash Step] and appeared in my blind spot.

I was now stuck in an even worse position without my get-out-of-jail-free card. I didn’t know if I should block or dodge, so I did something else in my panic.

“[Summon Dave]!” I shouted.

As the slime blob flopped harmlessly to the ground, Lindsey [Flash Stepped] away before completing her kick.

“Trying to have your dave win the duel for you?” Lindsey asked.

I looked down at the blob and then back at her. I opened my mouth and then shut it.

“Yes, that is exactly what I was trying to do,” I finally stated.

She [Flash Stepped] forward and [Air Strike] kicked the dave into oblivion before [Flash Stepping] away again.

I thought I heard a faint cry of distress come from somewhere, but it sure as heck wasn’t Lindsey, so my mind filtered it out as I continued watching every slightest movement of her body.

“I give your reflexes a C, so I suppose they pass. Onto the next test,” Lindsey stated. She took a deep breath. “[Sand Clone Technique]!”

She breathed out, and another Lindsey made out of sand rose up beside her.

“[Mage Bolt]!” I cast. I wasn’t going to let my opponent use her skill for free. I’m not that much of an idiot.

However, she had enough distance that she dodged my bolts and continued making her clones.

Said clones also started sprinting in my direction. I was encircled almost before I knew it.

Okay, cloning techniques. What do I know? I asked myself as I blocked the first sandy swipe that came my way. The copies are almost always weaker. I dodged a low kick from behind as I met a punch coming from my front with my own. Damage to the main body is usually all that matters.

Meanwhile, Lindsey continued popping out one clone after another.

I was going to be overrun.

Calm down, Titus. I said to myself as I [Flash Stepped] to get some breathing room. [Sand Clone Technique]. Technique implies a skill. A skill implies stamina usage. How many clones has she popped out? I didn’t dare stand there and count, but I knew it was more than a dozen.

The nearest clone charged me and threw a punch that seemed laughably slow compared to the real deal. I sidestepped it and retaliated with a [Fire Strike] that blew it to bits.

I had two revelations. They don’t have much HP… and none of them are using skills.

I grinned. “Time to turn up the heat, then.”

The next punch that came, I met head-on with a [Fire Strike]. The poor sand clone learned the same lesson I did when I first tried to punch Jake’s sword.

Meeting force with force only works if you aren’t completely outmatched.

I dusted clone after clone and kept track of my estimates on her stamina usage with a wild guess that it took 10 SP per clone.

There was a bit of method to that guess. Most spells and skills seemed to have clean numbers like multiples of 5 as their cost, and if it cost 15 stamina per clone, she would have run herself out.

I thought as two clones remained. I need to bait her into more [Flash Steps]. Which should happen right as I-

I killed the second to last clone with a kick and caught Lindsey’s [Flash Step] jab with my forearm.

Now just hang on. 6 more.

She [Flash Stepped] to my side. I blocked her follow-up punch and killed her last clone simultaneously.

I blocked the next flurry of blows and then pivoted to catch her follow-up assault from my back. 3.

What followed was the longest chain of blows to date. I meticulously caught each strike with forearm blocks, but she wasn’t letting up. She also refused to [Flash Step], so I finally decided to go on the offensive.

I made some cautious jabs back in her direction, but she dodged and continued the attack. So, I went for broke. I snapped a kick out in her direction.

As expected, I baited the [Flash Step] out as she appeared behind me. I managed to turn my momentum into an awkward forward roll, and the duel continued.

“I would be ashamed if I passed a pupil with such sloppy form,” Lindsey stated as we stood across from each other.

Just two left, but I know how to force the last one. I just need her to [Flash Step] one more time. “Well, maybe that’s because my master isn’t so great either!” I shouted back. “Naruto called, and he says your shadow clone jutsu[1] sucks!”

Her eyes narrowed, and she [Flash Stepped] again.

I was ready.

“[Hell Blaze]!” I cast the spell that had come off cooldown back at my own feet. Lindsey aborted her attack and [Flash Stepped] away in the blink of an eye.

However, by my count, she was now at 560 stamina used, and she was far enough away for my plan to work.

“[Fire Bolt], [Ice Bolt]!” I shoveled the mana needed to quick cast the spells and cast one with each hand.

Lindsey tried to [Flash Step] away, but her eyes went wide, and she didn’t move. She deflected both spells with [Air Strikes], but they weren’t the main threat.

I [Flash Stepped] right behind the spells, dropping below them, causing my [Fire Strike] punch to arrive a split second behind the bolts. She couldn’t block everything in time.

With a primal yell, I poured every ounce of power into my strike, and it crashed into her unguarded stomach.

She tumbled more than a dozen feet through the sand as I stood there with my fist still extended.

The first thing to break my laser-focus on defeating Lindsey was not the notification of a duel victory. It was a massive cheer that rose up.

“The [Demon Lord] did it! He won!”

“What a fight!”

I spun around in a slow circle as I finally realized that our match had an audience that entire time. A rather large one. Nearly all of Besti was watching us spar from various safe distances.

I was so stunned that I failed yet another spot check as Lindsey snuck up on me.

“My people…” she shouted and then raised my hand. “Your victor!”

The crowd cheered again.

She nudged me. “Go on, wave,” she whispered.

I waved sheepishly as she continued. “As you all know, Titus has been training directly under me. This is because he is striving for something that the world will oppose…” the crowd grew silent. “The restoration of our people and our kingdom through time magic!”

There were some murmurs throughout the crowd, but she hushed them with a wave of her hand. “The world says that magic is forbidden, but if a way exists for untold suffering to be undone, do we not owe it to our people…nay, to this world to pursue it? That is why I declare Titus the [Demon Lord] an ally of Besti!”

System: Allyship failed. The Demon Lord Faction is locked as an enemy of all factions

Based on the brief frown that crossed her face, I assumed Lindsey got the same message as me.

For the first time, she seemed unsure of what to do.

“I can make no promises for the rest of my faction,” I finally said. “I know that the monsters in it will still attack your people, and there is nothing I can do to stop them. However…” I paused as I tried to remember the words. “I solemnly swear by the System that I will do all in my power to use time magic to right the wrong that was done to your people!”

System: System-Bound oath set. Your oath: “I will do all in my power to use time magic to right the wrong that was done to (the Besti) people!”

The people cheered.

“However,” I continued once they died down. “I’m afraid that means that I need to leave. If I’m going to research time magic, I need to be alone. Also, I don’t want to drag the church or the other nations to your door.” I paused for a moment. “And I’ve spent too much time here, so I’m leaving immediately.”

The mood turned somber in an instant.

“And that is why, those of you who wish to say your goodbyes should come to say them now,” Lindsey stated with authority.

I finally caught on to what her smirk at the beginning of the duel meant. “This was your plan all along,” I said quietly.

“Yes,” she replied in kind. “Both Sam and my people have had enough heartache in their lives. The least I could do was ensure you said a proper goodbye.”

Our whispered conversation was interrupted as the first group of [Monks] came to pay their respects.

“I never properly thanked you, but you saved me from the scorpions when I was under your command,” the [Monk] said. “You have my eternal gratitude!” He gave a deep bow with his fists pressed together.

“Oh.. uhh. Sure. I was happy to help,” I replied as I gave him a slight bow in return.

I was shocked by how many people came by to say thank you. I felt incredibly awkward throughout the whole thing. However, I couldn’t escape because Lindsey stayed with me the entire time.

During one brief lull, she even struck up a conversation.

“So, how did you do it?” Lindsey asked. “You didn’t [Disrupt] my [Flash Step], did you?”

Oh. That would have been a good idea. I thought about my answer for a minute. Do I explain that I assumed her [Flash Step] still cost 10 stamina? And that I guessed she had the same amount of SP as me before halving it for the old age debuff? And that I randomly picked some numbers for her other skills and had to make yet another assumption that her [Elemental Strike] was free? It had completely slipped my mind to count that skill. My [Elemental Strike] only cost a single stamina to use at that point, so I had made a fourth wild guess that hers was less than that.

“It was a lucky guess,” I finally said.

She raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

However, any further suspicions she had were put on hold as I had to continue saying my goodbyes to everyone who came to congratulate us on our fight.

Some were harder than others, but I was grateful they saved themselves for last.

Sam crashed into me. “You’re really leaving? Just like that?”

I hugged her back for a few moments and then released her. “You knew I couldn’t stick around here forever.”

“But, you heard what Lindsey said! You’re their ally now! You could totally stay if you wanted!”

Part of me was tempted. What better place to hide a fist-fighting [Demon Lord] than in an entire tribe of fist-fighting people that didn’t look too different?

However, I didn’t want to see what catastrophe would fall on them if I stayed any longer.

“You know I can’t,” I replied quietly.

Sam sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I know. So… this is goodbye then?”

I pulled her into another hug. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

We eventually broke our embrace, and Sam went back to her tent.

It was just Lindsey and me left.

“I suppose I owe you your prize,” Lindsey stated.

“Oh yeah,” I replied. “I completely forgot about that. What is it?”

She whistled, and an older gentleman rushed over.

“Who’s he?” I asked.

“I am Arbor Perdan. I’m a [Spell Tutor] like you are, but I’m also a [Magical Researcher],” the man replied. “The [Grand Martial Elder] mentioned that you are on a time limit for learning your magic, and she thought you could use something to keep you on track.”

“And what’s that?”

“[Teach Spell]. [Get Date]!” he cast. “I did my best to keep the costs down, both for mana points and spell points. I hope it is to your liking.”

Yeah, that was a really simple Deprendio spell. I think I might be able to just… “[Get Date],” I cast.

System: Current Date is January 1st, Year 73 Age of Adventurers

“I will definitely make good use of this. Thank you,” I said as I gave the older man a bow.

He gave me one back and then went on his way.

“Age of Adventurers… 73 years… I take it that started when we all got here?” I asked Lindsey.

“Yes,” she nodded. “The first full year we were here was AA year 1.”

“Makes that nice and simple for me,” I muttered. Don’t let the clock hit 1000.

“For those of us that still have to sleep, the night has grown late,” Lindsey stated after a moment of comfortable silence. “So, I must now say my goodbyes as well.”

She started to bow but then hesitated and hugged me.

“Take care of yourself,” she said.

“You too,” I replied.

I waved goodbye to her before I took off running to the east to find an obelisk.

I wiped at my watering eyes constantly as I went.

“Darn sand… getting in my eyes,” I said as my chest heaved, and I continued my lonely run.

-----

It took a couple of days of running, but I located one of my faction’s zones easily enough.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” I asked the obelisk. I placed my hand on it and said the magic word. “Upgrade.”

All right, before getting to the main event, let’s look at what that did to my subclasses, shall we?

[General] increased a level up to 3, which was a bit of a surprise. I hadn’t fought that many battles where I was actually needed as a [General], but I figured it must have given it to me because 3 isn’t that high in the grand scheme of things.

It also netted me the skill [Battlefield Estimation], which gave a ballpark estimate for how a battle that included my army would go. It basically had three settings. Easy win, fair fight, and holy ship run for the hills!

I was hoping to shelve being a [General] for a long time. I desperately hoped it wouldn’t be needed.

[Miner] went up 2 levels to 5. Honestly, I felt a bit shortchanged on that one. I had spent literal months with dwarves digging, so I didn’t know what it would take to get to 6.

The new skills I got were [Mining Stamina Decrease] and [Ore Rare Drops]. The first was pretty self-explanatory, but the second was one of the best skills in the entire class, in my humble opinion. It let the [Miner] rarely come away with gems even when mining something like a bog-standard iron vein.

[Actor] also leveled up to 3, which was a surprise. I hadn’t been consciously putting that much effort into it, but I guess living a life of subterfuge can have its occasional benefits.

The level 2 skill was [Project Voice]… That one requires no explanation, though it was worth mentioning that it was a toggle skill and not a passive one. I was grateful for that as I didn’t want to run around blowing people’s eardrums out.

For level 3, it gave me [Draw Attention], which was basically the last thing I wanted to do, and I quickly forgot about it.

[Magical Researcher] went up 2 levels to level 3, which bummed me out a bit. I was sure I had earned at least 3. However, that was probably because I hadn’t designed any of my own spells… which kinda seemed to be that class’s schtick.

Those two levels gave me [Locate Spell Flaw] and [Copy Spell]. [Locate Spell Flaw] was kind of interesting. If I flubbed a cast of [Fire Bolt], it would help me notice a singular flaw with how I had put the spell together. [Copy Spell] sounded terrific, but it was disappointing once I learned what it did.

Anyone need a [Fire Bolt]? I chuckled to myself as I held up one of my remaining pieces of paper with a crudely drawn diagram for a [Fire Bolt].

Yes, “copy” should probably have been “transcribe.”

[Spell Tutor] jumped a massive 4 levels up to 5 to tie [Miner] at my highest leveled subclass. I guess teaching an entire nation multiple spells will do that. Unfortunately, since that class was used to teach other people spells, I didn’t think I would get much use out of the new skills.

The first skill was relatively mundane. [Decreased Tutor Cost] decreased the MP cost of spells that I used [Tutor Spell] to teach people. And no, I couldn’t cheese the System and make all my spells cheaper by teaching them to the enemies I was fighting. It turned out that teaching a spell had a bit of overhead in mana cost, and that skill just reduced it.

For level 3, I got [Talent Scout: Magic]. I didn’t have anyone to test it on, but the vague understanding my subconscious fed me was that it would give me some details about how good a magic student the person I used it on was.

[Spell Point Reduction] was the level 4 skill. It was pretty straightforward. Anyone who learned a spell from me could buy it at the obelisk for a slightly reduced rate.

However, level 5 [Magical Skill Training] almost flipped my understanding of the class on its head. It made people who were being taught by the [Spell Tutor] level faster in magic-related skills. I could tell for certain that it would work for ones like [Ignis] or [Frigis], but I didn’t know if it would work for things like [Quick Cast] or [Overchannel].

Wait, so [Spell Tutors] are more than just spell vendors? My brow creased in thought. That type of skill means they’re full-blown magic instructors. Maybe I need to find someone else with that class to teach me?

I gave that a bit more thought but eventually discarded the idea.

I doubt they would be willing to help me learn time magic.

I scrolled through my list. Yup. That’s all of ‘em.

Unless you count [Barber], I somehow managed to level that to 2 and got [Faster Haircuts].

Yay.

“Time for the main event,” I said. I flipped over to the Perks page and, with only a moment's hesitation, purchased [Magic, Advanced].

15 perk points, down the drain just like that. Aside from [Memory Protection], it was the largest lump sum I’d spent.

However, there was no additional fanfare.

So… what the frick did that even do? I asked. I got at least part of my answer back under the spells tab. I had 4 new options available, all for 3 spell points each.

[Zap], [Attract], [Port], and [Foresight].

There was precisely zero hesitation once I saw the last one. I snapped it up, exited the obelisk, and cast, “[Foresight]!”

I looked around me in confusion.

“Did… it work?” I asked. I quickly realized my error. If it was showing me the future, I didn’t have anything around me changing so that I could see it.

I pulled out a gold coin and then flipped it into the air. “[Foresight]!” I cast as I watched the coin’s arc.

It lasted only for a second, but the brief moment I saw both where the coin was and where it would be made me almost as nauseous as the [Cure] spell.

I dry-heaved and tried to collect myself.

“Well, that’s certainly not fun, but it’s definitely worth the lead on time magic,” I muttered. Then I finally saw my mana bar was sitting at almost half empty.

“100 mana per cast?!” I shouted when I flipped open my status for a better look. “Just for that!?”

To be honest, I think a part of me assumed time magic would be no big deal once I figured out how to use it. That shocking mana price tag for looking 1 second into the future was the first thing to disabuse me of that notion.

How am I going to cast a spell big enough to time travel? I asked myself as I began pacing. Fortunately, it seemed that my levels in [Magical Researcher] also helped me understand some options. If I want to decrease mana cost… I need to lengthen the cast time and the number of words in the chant as much as possible. Picking up the skill for time magic is also a must. Other than that, I guess I’ll just need to stock up on mana potions and probably do the casting itself in my throne room with the quintuple mana buff.

I paused for a moment at that thought.

Wait. The castle has an obelisk too. Why didn’t I just go there instead? I shook my head in disgust as I realized that the only answer I had wasn’t that great. I had made plans for my world tour back when I was in Dryadal, and since the castle was so far away, it didn’t occur to me to add it into my plans.

Well, it was worth it to see Lindsey again. I eventually justified to myself. I wouldn’t have leveled so many times in [Spell Tutor] either, and I’m sure I can use that somehow.

That interlude completed, I turned back to the obelisk.

“Upgrade,” I stated once more. Then I hesitated. “Well, now what?” I asked. I had 12 perk points left, but surprisingly few things available. I really burned through my options…

[Health Regen, Normal] for 5 points (and [Health Regen, Fast] gated behind that for 10 points).

[Skill/Level Downscaling] also for 5 points.

[Skills, All] for 10 points.

So I could either get better health regen, and a perk that I still mostly had reservations about, or [Skills, All].

Purchase [Skills, All]. I had yet to encounter a situation where faster health regen would be that helpful.

Unfortunately, there was nothing new that I could buy under the skills tab, probably because I had already spent most of them earlier on.

“I may have to die sometime to get more skill points,” I stated. “The only issue will be getting back to level 25 without dragons to kill.” However, I put that firmly in the realm of “future Titus’ problem.”

“Time to head back to my castle,” I said as I began my long trek west.

-------

January 20th, 73AA.

I was running through the deathlands when I noticed a strange sight. A forest covered in fog with non-decayed trees.

That couldn’t be… I thought as I continued to it.

System: Zone entered, ???. Faction - ???

I knew it! I paused as soon as I got the prompt. I could either go all the way around the forest or…

“What?” I asked in mock disgust. “Will the queen of the fae not deign to meet with me this time? Perhaps she thinks I am beneath her notice. Or perhaps.” I paused as I finally found the slightest hint of deprendio magic that I guessed to be a [Scry] spell. I looked directly into it. “All it takes is a simple change of body for her to not recognize her guest.”

I don’t know how far away Primavia was when I made that announcement. I also don’t know if that is a valid question to ask since the fae warp space around like their plaything. However, I do know that I could hear her high-pitched scream echo even when I was on the border of their zone.

Like magic… probably because it was… the entire forest disappeared along with the fog.

“See you later, Primavia!” I gave a slight wave in the direction of the used-to-be forest before breaking down and laughing.

Okay, I needed that. Back to running.

------

April 29th, 73 AA

I had somehow managed to avoid basically all human contact and arrive in the Ashlands without a hitch.

Okay, the home stretch. It should be smooth sailing from here on out. I thought as I entered the barren wasteland.

Unfortunately, the howls that answered me right after should have been ones I expected.

A group of 4 heavenhounds bounded into view and growled menacingly at me.

“Right,” I sighed. “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”

I [Flash Stepped] behind them as they all aimed their breath at me. I cast a [Hell Blaze] into their group as I kicked my target into the air and then slammed it into the ground, both with [Fire Strikes]. That was enough to end the poor dog monster.

The other three went down shortly after, and I frowned.

If I get caught by a big group of those things without full mana and stamina, things could get pretty ugly.

So, with a sigh, I slowed down to a walk as I made my way through the blowing ash.

------

May 19th, 73 AA

My castle was a sight for sore eyes.

Finally… no more frickin’ healy dogs. I breathed a sigh of relief.

However, my castle also contained something that was not such a welcome sight to behold. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I was given two system messages.

System: Zone entered, Demon Lord’s Castle. Faction - Demon Lord

System: Warning! Elemental Dungeons are not activated! Castle will have limited functionality!

My heart sank. No. Please don’t tell me.

Even though I dreaded the answer, I made my way to the door of my throne room, where I found it… locked.

“Maybe it just doesn’t recognize me,” I said. “Maybe I just need to go beat the bosses myself.” I didn’t believe a word of it, but I went to check despite myself.

I checked on A Giant Dave first. However, he was nowhere to be seen in his entire boss room. I knew what I was going to find, but I went to the other boss rooms anyway.

Ice Elemental Matriarch? That asset was frozen.

Fire Elemental Matriarch? Up in smoke.

Lightning Elemental? Shocking, but that was gone too.

I went back to the throne room doors, tried to open them once more, and then began hammering them with [Earth Strikes].

“LET. ME. IN!” I shouted.

I continued until my SP was at three quarters. Then, with my rage exhausted, I gave up. I rested my back against the door and slid down it to the floor.

All this time, wasted. I thought as I banged my head lightly against the door. Well, I guess it’s better to know now than later. I can’t access this without having the elemental dungeons active. And I can’t activate all of those without causing a demon invasion. I shuddered as I remembered who else came through that portal. And Admin coming too. Yeah, no. Definitely not going there.

“But where else could I go?” I asked thin air. “Maybe this is still the best place even without the throne room? It’s not like anyone would bother me here, and maybe I can just turn one of the rooms into a spell research room?”

However, no dice there either. I was unable to make any changes to the castle. Even worse, none of the rooms seemed to be automatically restocking like before.

I wish I could take one of the dungeons in the east and modify it to be like my castle. I thought to myself. However, my [Dungeon Master] class gave me the inkling that it would be a no-go as there are only so many modifications you can make to a dungeon after it’s setup.

And that’s when I finally had a revelation.

“Wait… Then I just have to set up a new dungeon! If I can get it to mimic even a fraction of the throne room’s mana buff, that would be worth it, let alone if I could get it to make me mana potions!”

My mood was restored.

I got up, left the castle, and gave it a slight wave.

“See you never, edgelord castle,” I said. “I will not miss you a single bit.” I paused. “Okay, I’ll miss the throne room buff, but that’s it. Nothing else.”

I was going to make my own dungeon, but there was one roadblock. Fortunately, I knew someone who might be able to help.

“[Message] Lindsey Besti,” I started. “Hey, Lindsey, sorry for not keeping in touch with you and Sam more. I miss you guys. I’ll make sure to send you a longer [Message] so we can catch up some time. Anyway, quick question for you. How do you make an obelisk?”

------

The process to make an obelisk was a stupid simple affair. It had only three steps.

Be a recognized leader of the faction Have metric tons of gold Go into the System interface for your faction and purchase it

Step 2 was the one that made it pretty tricky for most factions.

I also learned that I got sort of a raw deal there. Lindsey mentioned that they were able to make the zone for the Oasis for only 10,000 gold, but the only option I had available for purchase was a 100,000 gold one.

So, I began saving up gold by going into various towns, buying out all of their wolf monster lures, and then spamming the crud out of them to farm gold.

Unfortunately, I ran the [Alchemists] out of lures pretty quickly, which is when I finally decided it was time to become an [Alchemist] myself. I picked up the class and its level 1 skill [Create Potion], bribed a few [Alchemists] into teaching me the formula for monster lures and mana potions, and soon became self-sufficient in that regard.

To make a wolf monster lure, I just had to boil wolf meat while infusing it with a few mana points through the [Create Potion] skill. It then had to stew for a few days, with another point of mana added each day. It smelled terrible, and that process also attracted monsters, but for me, that was more of a feature than a bug.

Mana potions were similar to make, but they took more mana and a special blue-tinted grass that was very creatively called… managrass.

The main bottleneck was that it was rare to find out in the wild, and stockpiles were pretty low.

In addition to my foray into that new class, I also decided it would probably be worth it to pick up the highest tier of wands I could. I remembered back when Sam and Tim got their first wands and how it boosted their MP by 25 points. I figured that even that number would add up over possibly 1000 years.

I was shocked to find out both the price tag, nearly as much as my obelisk, and the mana gain. The best wand that I could find, made by a dwarf [Enchanter] in one of Pumil’s cities, added a whopping 200 points to my mana pool.

It took a few weeks of saving, but I eventually managed to buy it along with one of his “lesser works” that gave a mere 150.

The best part? I could have both of them out simultaneously, and my max mana would jump from 550 up to 900.

In addition to magical hardware, I also stockpiled more mundane stuff, mostly paper and ink.

Then, after farming a ridiculous number of wolves, I finally had my 100k.

I just had to decide on a site for my new dungeon, but that was easy enough. I figured a random cave wouldn’t let me make an alchemy/magic lab. My [Dungeon Master] powers didn’t seem to let me make something that would be completely unexpected to find in that dungeon. Fortunately, an alchemy lab made sense in a city, and plenty of ruins were just sitting there in the deathlands waiting to be claimed.

Though, I did make sure to run it by Lindsey first. I wasn’t quite sure what she would think about me creating a dungeon on top of one of her people’s ruined cities, but it turned out that she was all for it.

It was a big shock, but the deathlands were completely uninhabitable. Crops wouldn’t grow. Game animals wouldn’t spawn for [Hunters]. Even the water was tainted and would make people who drank it feel sick.

In other words, she was actually happy that I would be able to put it to good use for bringing back her people, and I received her full blessing to claim not just one but however many cities I wanted.

And so, on September 18th of year 73 AA, I created an obelisk on top of the ruins of Besti and named it “New Besti.”

… Which was not my finest work, but I had put a lot of thought into everything but the name.

Then I got to work creating my dungeon, which was allowed to be surprisingly large.

For monsters, I was going to just be lazy and reuse elementals, but the System vetoed that because they didn’t fit the dungeon “theme.” So, that was how I ended up with level 1 Giant Rats (house-cat sized) and level 5 Dire Rats (labrador sized) all around the town. I did also throw in some daves for good measure.

As for the boss room, I was able to sink the obelisk into the ground and create an enclosed space around it. From there, I made several floors above it that any would-be adventurers would have to make it through before they could challenge it.

I made sure to throw in some traps just for extra deterrence, things like collapsing stairways and dart traps mostly.

I also learned that when I was setting up a dungeon that wasn’t one of my special 5, I was obligated to place treasure chests. I sprinkled them around here and there, debated adding a mimic or two, but finally decided against it as my goal wasn’t to kill random people who thought they could get loot.

As for the boss, I kept with the rat theme and made the boss “The Rat Nest.” It was a giant static boss that spawned more and more rats the longer it was alive, making it essentially one giant DPS check[2].

Then, I made the room I cared about the most, my magic shop.

I placed it beyond the boss room so that if anyone wanted to bug me, they would have to go through all of my traps and the boss first. Then, I immediately gave it a secret door that opened to an escape hatch back to the surface.

However, I had the feeling I would be using that as a base for a while, and I didn’t want people to know about my escape route. I added a secret code that had to be entered by touching specific characters I engraved on the wall. I eventually decided on the Konami code[3] because it was easy to remember, and most of the other people in the world who knew it were already dead.

A boss to guard my room and an escape route were pretty much the only two things I needed. However, there were a few other nice-to-haves.

The first nice-to-have, increased mana like my throne room. Try as I might, the System wouldn’t let me set something that OP up. However, it let me designate my magic shop as a room where mana regeneration rate was slightly increased, which was a nice consolation.

The second nice-to-have, restocking items. With [Foresight] costing 100 mana, I figured that any spell for doing real time travel would cost orders of magnitude more. So, I needed to start banking as many mana potions as possible. I initially was going to have it just make the potions for me, but it turned out that I could have it make way more managrass than potions. So, instead of making the potions, I had it setup to generate vials holding managrass and automatically fill an alchemy cauldron with water.

And the third and final nice-to-have, some type of early warning system. I wanted the full-fledged scrying mirror that my castle had, but I knew that would be a hard sell. Instead, I got a monitor that detected when someone entered the top floor of my underground building and a single spot scrying mirror that I could activate to see who it was.

The spell didn’t last long, and it took my mana. Still, it was worth it to know if I was dealing with a [Hero] or just some random adventurers that stumbled in. (And no, I couldn’t use [Copy Spell] to copy down the [Scry]. I only got a partial copy when I used it at my end, and there was no way to make it upstairs in time to see the other).

With that all complete, I finalized my dungeon and settled in. I was prepared to study for years, if not decades before someone stumbled across me.

Of course, Placeholder would never let that happen.

------

October 12th, 73 AA

“[Faster Potion Creation] for [Alchemist] level 2? That’s it?” I grumbled to myself as I walked back from my obelisk to my lab. “Couldn’t have been something like decreased reagent cost? Or double batch?”

My mana was still near-empty, so I was planning to study Tim’s notes and compare them against the spell structure of [Foresight] that I had managed to copy down. However, that plan was derailed when an alarm started blaring.

I blinked at the red light in confusion for a moment.

“Already!?” I sprinted over to the scrying mirror and fed it a few points of my remaining mana.

I was expecting Sarah and the Healy Boys™, or maybe a full-fledged adventuring group that was armed to the teeth.

I was not expecting a single chainmail-clad human man armed with a longsword.

“Is he… alone?” I asked as I continued watching. I was initially going to call the guy an idiot, but he approached the building with caution, looked up to avoid dave ambushes, and generally seemed competent.

“I know you’re here [Demon Lord]!” the man shouted. “Come out and face me if you dare!”

I probably should have just ignored him and gone back to work, but I was too dang curious. Especially since the [Scry] cut out right about then, and I didn’t know what else he was doing.

If he’s by himself, he’ll die to the boss. I really should go stop him. I rationalized to myself as I activated my secret code, stowed both wands that I had kept out 24/7 up to that point, and climbed the ladder up to the surface.

I went in after the unknown man and, after debating for a minute, entered [Sneak] when I finally caught up to him.

The [Warrior], at least by my estimation, was giving a good showing. Not that the giant rats were difficult enemies, but he still cleared the hallway he was in without letting himself get surrounded or even take any damage as far as I could tell.

He was about to cautiously open the door to the next room when I decided to [Get Into Character] and interrupt him.

“You interrupted my work,” I said as I came out of [Sneak]. “This had better be important.”

He leveled his sword at me, but I continued portraying an air of indifference.

“You… [Demon Lord], Titus!” the man shouted.

“Yes, yes. That is indeed me. Now, what do you want? Spit it out. I’m busy.”

“I’ve come to avenge my family’s good name!” he stated as he started slowly circling me.

“And I have done… what to tarnish that, precisely?” I asked.

“You ruined my name. The name of my father and grandfather. And even the name of his father before him!”

I simply raised an eyebrow.

“I have sworn vengeance on you for what you’ve done! For I am…” he paused dramatically. “Dave! [Son of Dave]!”

My [Actor] skill couldn’t hold up under that sudden pronouncement. I desperately tried to hold back my laughter, accidentally snorted once, and then tried to cover it all up with a cough.

“I… see,” I said with barely feigned gravitas. I was narrowly winning the battle to keep my laughter under control. “So, your name has been ruined because of the monster I created?”

“Yes! You named the stupidest, slimiest, easiest to kill monster our proud name!” he raged.

I cocked my head. “In my experience, daves are actually pretty strong. Maybe you should-“

“Talk ends now!” he shouted as he charged me. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done!”

He made a heavy two-handed downward stroke…

And he was down on the ground unconscious almost before I realized what had happened.

I guess all that training with Lindsey wasn’t for nothing. I thought as I looked down at my hands.

“You are still alive down there, right?” I asked as I nudged Dave with my foot. I thought I’d gone nonlethal, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

His unconscious groan reassured me.

“Alright then… what to do with you?” I asked myself. I didn’t want to stick around until he was conscious, and I didn’t want him to try something as stupid as taking me on alone again.

And that’s when I had a fantastic idea.

I carried him back outside, left a letter on his chest telling him that he really shouldn’t try to seek vengeance on his own, and gave him a single bodyguard that was ordered to guard him and follow his orders… a dave.

It wasn’t clear to me in the following days if Dave was more disruptive of my work because of his one-man raid or because of the fits of giggles I would get when I remembered our encounter for almost a week after his visit.

Either way, I was glad that he didn’t decide to immediately come for round 2.

I eventually settled back into my rhythm of mana potion making, spell studying, and looking with more and more concern at the value given by [Get Date].

------

February 28th, 74 AA

Nearly half a year passed before the next encounter of note.

I was studying Tim’s notes when I suddenly heard the alarm blaring.

“Can’t believe I’m already hearing things again,” I muttered. “[Restore].”

However, there was no notification that I’d removed the condition, and the alarm was still going.

My eyes widened as I finally realized what that meant. I sprinted over to the scrying mirror and activated it, just in time to watch Sarah and the Men In Plate™ enter the top floor.

I also got to lay my eyes on her mode of transportation for the first time.

“Having four guys haul you around everywhere is certainly one way to travel,” I muttered. However, I shut up immediately after that to listen in on what they were saying.

“And you’re sure he’s here?” one of the [Paladins] asked.

“Positive,” Sarah answered. “The tracking spell on the handcuffs leads to this area, and the fact that he hasn’t moved in months means he must be here.”

I cursed myself as I ran over to the handcuffs I had carelessly left out and shoved them into my inventory.

“Now, remember,” Sarah continued. “If you see the [Demon Lord], don’t attack unless he does first. There’s still a chance that he can be reasoned with and-“

It was about there that the [Scry] cut out.

I weighed my options.

I could always just leave. Dump the cuffs somewhere remote and then come back.

I frowned. While that was certainly an option, I assumed she would be back sooner rather than later.

I did a pretty solid job of turning this into my base. I don’t want to abandon it.

I stowed my wands and climbed up the escape route.

I headed back into the building while [Sneaking]. I figured that I would take a look at the party and try to learn a bit more before making any more plans. Besides, with them lugging Sarah around in her budget palanquin, I could have outrun them at half my level.

However, that wasn’t the only reason I caught up to them so quickly.

“Why do these System-cursed rats take so long to kill!” I heard another [Paladin] complain as I snuck up on them.

And that was when I realized the hilarity of the situation. Unlike wolves which were high-damage low-HP monsters, the rats were all low-damage high-HP. Who else happened to have high-HP and low damage output? [Paladins].

In other words, I got to witness what may as well have been a fight with both sides using pool noodles.

Unfortunately, my forces didn’t have healing powers in addition to their minuscule offense, so the [Paladins] still hilariously outmatched them, even though only 4 of them were attacking at a time.

It’s just rats. I thought as I watched the other four still stand there carrying the palanquin with a tower shield in the other hand. Who are you protecting her from? You should just set her down and help.

However, the fact that the supposed greatest enemy of the [Hero] was standing just a few feet away from her meant that there was actually a good amount of prudence showing there.

I continued my watch over them as they navigated through each level. It was painfully slow, but I quickly learned that every person there knew [Cure].

Andrew had [Cured] me for around 75 damage, and given that these were all veterans of a war against the undead, I had to assume they picked up the [Animae] skill and were therefore healing even more.

100 times 9 is more than 750. I thought as I looked at my HP. I don’t know how they would stack up against madness form, but they could sure as heck kill me without it.

So, I decided to keep watching. If it were true that Sarah just wanted to talk, then I would be more than willing to do so… after my dungeon bled her party dry of most of their resources. I was grateful for that course of action because I also finally noticed something else.

Does she… have a [Scry] following her? I asked myself. It was the same type of spell I had noticed back in the Fae Woods, so I had to assume so. However, I couldn’t figure out who would be watching the [Hero] like that.

I mean, I’m the most likely culprit, and I’m not watching her. Maybe the church?

I decided to leave it alone. If they could see me and warn the [Paladins] that the [Demon Lord] was right behind them, they would have already done so.

The only difficult decision came when they reached the door to the dungeon boss, which I had even helpfully labeled as a boss room.

They began debating what to do, and Sarah ordered them to rest and top off their resources before going any further. That gave me plenty of time to think.

So, if I left them alone in the next room, I think they would all just die. Their mana bars are finite, and the number of rats in that next room is… I guess technically finite because there are only so many rats you can fit in a room, but still.

That gave me two options. I could confront them at the beginning of their rest while they were the most worn out I could get them, OR

I wait until things get hairy, and then I step in and save them. I grinned to myself. There’s no way any of them go down with that many healers, and there is nothing but upsides for me.

It wasn’t the nicest plan I had made, but I may have been bearing a slight grudge towards healers.

Either way, the battle was soon upon them.

They spent the first precious minute confused at what the “Rat Den” was, and then the first dire rat spawned out of the structure in the middle.

The 4 [Paladins] on sword duty charged it and put it down as quickly as possible.

Sarah called out to attack the structure, and they began whittling its health bar down.

Then a dire rat and a giant rat spawned.

It was honestly a death spiral from there. Sarah tried to salvage it by ordering her four protectors to go on offense after the third group spawned, and frankly, they may have had a shot if they had just taken the hits from the rats and focused solely on the den with Sarah healing them.

However, they were simply a bad matchup for the boss I’d created.

Once the rats started numbering in the dozens, I decided it was about time to step in. I snuck over to the entrance to my lab and then threw open the door as I exited [Sneak] and [Got Into Character].

“What’s going on here?” I demanded. I also snapped a quick [Disrupt]. It was difficult to pick out the [Scry] spell from that distance, but I was pretty sure I managed it.

“Titus!?” Sarah shouted. “Thank System! We need your help.”

I leaned against the wall. “Well, I can see that, but why does that matter to me?”

She looked horrified. “What?”

“If you’ve come here to kill me, I’m not sure I should help you with your goal.” I shrugged.

“I swear to System we aren’t!” she shouted back. “I just want to talk!”

“I don’t want you to swear it. I want you and your party to swear it. Swear that after I save you, you won’t attack me.”

She looked conflicted, but it was about that moment when the rats managed to take one of the [Paladins] to the ground. His screams were horrific, and they almost broke my [Actor] skill.

“I solemnly swear by the System that after you save us, my party and I will not attack you… unless you attack first!” Sarah shouted.

The [Paladins] reluctantly followed suit with similar oaths.

Good enough. “Better prep your area heal!” I shouted as I ran towards the group. She hesitated for only a moment before she started the chant. Meanwhile, I used my much shorter one. “[Hell Blaze]!” I shouted. The orb of black fire engulfed the [Paladins]… and all of the rats swarming around them.

All of the giant rats were wiped immediately, the dire rats were left on fire, and I downed about half of the [Paladins] right there.

However, the number of rats was now much more manageable for them, and I sprinted and [Flash Stepped] to the den.

It went down in a flurry of [Fire Strikes], which probably intimidated the [Paladins] the most out of anything I had done yet.

However, the [Paladins] seemed mostly in good health after Sarah cast her [Holy Wide-Area Heal], and I helped them clean up the remaining rats.

One of them was less than happy.

“Look at what you did!” he screamed as he got up in my face.

He was pointing at his face, which now had severe burns.

“Oh, big deal. Here,” I said as I grabbed him. “[Restore].”

It made me a bit nauseous as always, but it was worth it to see the shock and confusion on his face.

“All better,” I said as I finished the spell, let go of him, and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe the [Hero] wished to speak with me.” I tried to step past them to walk over to Sarah, but after a moment of befuddlement, they closed ranks in my path.

“It is our duty to protect-“

“No, Joseph, it’s okay,” Sarah interrupted him with a sigh. “Also, could you give us the room for a bit?”

The [Paladins] balked at the command, so she continued. “If he wanted us dead, we all would be. Now, I imagine our talk will go better without you all breathing down our necks. So, the room, please?”

They headed toward the door while I made shooing gestures with my hand. Sarah was less than pleased about that last part.

“Do you have to antagonize them so much?” she asked with exasperation evident in her voice.

“Yup,” I replied in turn. “It’s part of my character. Speaking of…” I dropped the [Actor] skill as the [Paladins] finally left the room and closed the door. I shook my head a few times to clear it. “So, what are you doing here? After our last talk, I expected you to be after my head, not to want to sit down and chat.”

She winced. “Yes, I see how you could think that. I’m sorry for things getting… heated… the last time we spoke.”

“I would apologize too, but I get the feeling this will turn into another shouting match, so I don’t think I’ll bother,” I replied.

“It won’t turn into one if you just listen to me for a minute!” she snapped.

Negotiations were already breaking down, and I realized that was mostly my fault. Note to self. Being alone doing nothing but studying magic and making potions is not great for my social skills.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’ll shut up and let you talk.”

“Thank you,” she nodded. “Now, first off, don’t you know that time magic is dangerous? Part of the reason it was banned was the disastrous effects it had on people, things like-“

“[Foresight],” I interrupted her with a cast. “[Foresight].” I cast again.

“That was time magic?” she asked with an incredulous look. “By System,” she muttered. “I can’t believe I’m letting him cast that right in front of me.”

I just shrugged. “The side effects are rapid-aging, right? I’m [Ageless]. Boom. No problem.”

“Or rapid-deaging, all of random parts of your body,” Sarah replied. Then she shook her head. “But what are you even going to do if you manage to go back in time?”

“Find a way to stop myself from becoming the [Demon Lord],” I stated.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why? Why?!” I almost exploded. “Maybe so I wouldn’t kill off half my friends or get to watch as the others die from old age! Maybe so I wouldn’t spend my life being hunted down like an animal! Or maybe, so I don’t become a mass-murderer responsible for hundreds of thousands of innocent people dead in Besti!”

Sarah didn’t reply.

“So, I don’t want to be the [Demon Lord] because it would be better for me and this crummy world,” I finished.

“What if that’s not true?” she asked after a few moments of thought.

“What?”

“What if it’s not true that you being the [Demon Lord] was bad for this world. What if it was the best option?”

I snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

She shook her head. “I am being 100% serious. Titus, yes, you’ve caused death and destruction in this world. However, you caused that much harm while explicitly trying not to.”

I laughed bitterly. “Thanks for the reminder that I couldn’t even do that much.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” she asked softly.

“Get what?”

“I’ve studied the prophecies. Whatever I could find. Our world must always have a [Demon Lord] until the end of this age, and the whole world is remade.” She paused. “The world expected someone devoted to destruction. Someone who would laugh as they slaughtered the nations and set fire to the world.” She leaned forward in her seat. “Instead, we got you. You never wanted the position. You’re actively trying to get rid of it even now. Also, I know that you’re a kind man-“

“No, I’m not,” I snapped.

She shook her head. “Hundreds of [Restored] soldiers say otherwise. You care for people. You don’t want to see anyone hurt, even a group of [Paladins] who you believe have come to kill you.”

“I set them on fire,” I muttered.

“Because that was the fastest way to save them, and you knew that I would be able to heal anything that happened to them short of death. You’re a kind man, and the day that Placeholder was blessed with such a… reluctant [Demon Lord] was one of System’s best gifts. That’s why…” She stood up from her chair and walked to me on shaky legs. Her gaze almost seemed like it pierced my soul, but when I looked away, she gently turned my face back towards hers. “I ask you not to take that from us. I beg you to help us make a better world here instead. Because Titus… I love you.”

Those were not the words I needed to hear at that moment.

I slowly removed her hand from my face. My gaze went to the floor.

“I can’t,” I replied.

“I… understand,” she answered with a pained voice.

“No, you don’t,” I said curtly as I turned around to avoid showing her the tears forming in my eyes. “I don’t share your feelings, but you’re a beautiful woman. You’re strong, brave, and a credit to the name of [Hero]. I could see myself eventually falling for you too. But…” my next sentence was a whisper. “How long?”

“How long?” she asked.

“How long until I end up killing you too?” I asked. The tears were falling, and I no longer tried to stop them. “Or even if by some miracle we avoid that, how long until you die and leave me alone again?”

She walked up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off and walked a few more steps away.

“And despite all that, it won’t even work in the first place,” I said. I dried my eyes and flipped through my status to the oaths tab. I remembered how Jake was able to share his map with the party so long ago, and I made a similar gesture. I flicked my status screen behind my back to Sarah.

I was expecting several possible reactions.

I wasn’t expecting a soft “no” followed by Sarah screaming.

I spun around, and her face was contorted in pain as she screamed and pointed the Hero’s Scepter at me and then lowered it rapidly. The odd contortions continued while I stood there, unsure of what to do.

That was finally enough for the [Paladins] to burst into the room, and they charged me.

“What did you do to her!?” the lead one screamed.

“I didn’t do anything!” I replied in a panic. “Help her!”

“[Heal]!” one of them cast at me. However, nothing happened. “He’s telling the truth! I still can’t harm him!”

“Her HP’s dropping fast! Get some healing on her!” another shouted.

Various cries of [Heal] went out.

“Out of mana!” one shouted.

“Potion!” I yelled as I tossed him a mana potion and then cast the spell I hated the most. “Power of light restore health to my ally.” I fought through the wave of nausea and finished it out. “[Cure]!”

However, Sarah had been trying to speak, and our frantic healing was drowning out her cries.

“Wait a second! Everyone shut up!” I shouted.

“Conflicting… oaths,” Sarah managed to grunt out through the pain. Right after that, they started slinging out [Heals] for her once again.

“Of course!” one of the [Paladins] said. “Quickly! You must attack one of us!”

I gave him a bewildered look. “Why!?”

“She has an oath to bring you down if she couldn’t convince you to give up time magic! It’s conflicting with her oath not to hurt you unless you attack!” one of the [Paladins] helpfully added. He then turned white as the rest of them stared at him in disbelief.

They definitely weren’t supposed to let me know that.

So, it was up to me to weigh my options.

Do nothing and watch Sarah die. Attack them, and fight Sarah, possibly to the death. I took a deep breath to stop panicking for just a moment. There’s a third option!

“[Disrupt]!” I shouted as I activated the skill.

Sarah collapsed to the ground, coughing and hacking, but no longer contorting in pain. However, we weren’t done yet. She was now coughing up blood.

The [Paladins] all crowded around her, but I wasn’t going to have it.

“Move!” I said as I shoved them out of the way. “[Restore]!” I cast. It took a small chunk of mana, but her coughing subsided.

“Thanks,” she said weakly.

“No problem,” I replied. “Let’s get you off the ground.” I picked her up in a princess carry and gently deposited her back in her chair.

Meanwhile, the [Paladins] stood at a distance and looked at us awkwardly.

“Please… give us the room again, will you?” Sarah asked.

“Of course, my lady,” one replied.

It would have been a humorous sight watching a group of men in plate mail try to sneak off, but I had something else on my mind.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“As much as I can be after having two conflicting oaths,” she shook her head. “I felt intense pain whenever I wasn’t trying to attack you, and intense pain whenever I tried. It’s a good thing your skill works even on [System-Bound Oaths].” She paused. “Though that is a fact that we should keep secret. Some may view that as you attempting to subvert the will of System.”

I frowned. “And what exactly do you think of that?” I was fairly worried that she would have that same view.

“For now?” Sarah sighed. “I’m just happy I don’t have to kill you.”

I chuckled. “What possessed you to take that on as an oath anyway?”

“The inquisition.”

“The inquisition? Are they actually calling themselves that?” I asked with disbelief in my voice.

Sarah shook her head. “No, but Sam used the term, and it sounded like you would know what it meant. With all the time you and I spent together, more and more people started doubting whose side I was on. Even though I’m the [Hero].” She frowned. “Honestly, I doubt it would have happened if I didn’t have these.” She wiggled her wolf ears.

“Yeah… you’re probably right,” I nodded. I finally remembered a certain spell that I had [Disrupted] as I had come into the room. “By the way… they’re probably spying on you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How would they spy on me in the middle of the deathlands?”

“A [Scry] spell,” I replied. “I knocked it out before the battle, but you should probably…” I trailed off as I noticed the spell had just reappeared. “Speak of the devil. It just came back.”

“Can you get rid of it again?” Sarah whispered.

“The skill’s still on cooldown, but I think I might have another option,” I whispered back.

I pulled out a piece of paper and began drawing.

“What are you doing?” Sarah asked.

“Oh, I don’t have the [Scry] spell, so I figured I would just use [Copy Spell] and then figure it out for myself,” I stated loudly enough that I was sure they could hear. “Make sure to tell the inquisition guys that the [Demon Lord] says thanks for helping him learn a new spell.”

I could almost feel the caster’s panic as the spell vanished. Unfortunately, I only got about a quarter of the way through my skill.

“It’s gone,” I stated.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Sarah replied. “You might have to teach me that trick for noticing spells. It’s a bit creepy thinking that someone could be watching me from anywhere.”

“I wouldn’t mind teaching you sometime, but I guess that all depends… what are you going to do now?”

“I guess we’ll pack it up and head home. Now that I’m free from the oath, I don’t have to challenge you to the point of death.” She paused. “And I can honestly say that you had us at your mercy and let us go. So, I don’t think there should be too much blowback.”

I nodded. “Good. Just make sure you don’t take any more stupid oaths.”

“Yeah, it was pretty stupid looking back on it,” she agreed.

We nodded and then spoke at the same time.

“There’s no way you could ever take me in a fight,” I said.

“I shouldn’t have underestimated how stubborn you’d be,” she said.

“Stubborn?” I asked as I folded my arms.

“Couldn’t take you in a fight? It’d be 9 on 1!” she also folded her arms.

“Yeah, and I would just do this,” I said as I [Flash Stepped] to her side and threw 2 [Fire Strikes] that were inches from her.

She scowled. “That’s what the [Guard] skill is for. Good luck getting past that and then dealing with the 9 [Cures] headed your way.”

“All that would do is force me to my other form. Then you’re really hosed.”

“We’ve fought worse than that form together and come out alive. We fought the most horrid creations of the [Necromancer]-“

“And I defeated the entire eastern front alone!” I interrupted her with a shout. “And then since that wasn’t enough, I killed the frickin’ [Necromancer] after he ascended to become a frickin’ lich!”

“Oh, you killed a single undead. Big deal!” Sarah shouted back. “I could have done the same with a single [Holy Cure]!”

“Oh, you think you’re such a bigshot now, [Hero]?” I said with a sneer. “Then fine!” [Disrupt] was off cooldown, so I used it again, targeting her other oath. “Prove it! Take me out then!”

“Maybe I will!” she stood and pointed her scepter at me.

“You don’t have the guts!” I shouted as I got in her face.

We stood there glaring at each other for a few moments before Sarah finally lowered her scepter.

“Knew it,” I snorted as I turned around and walked off.

Sarah screamed in frustration. “You are the most stubborn!... idiotic!... insufferable! being in this entire world!”

“Takes one to know one!” I shot back over my shoulder. Not the most adult response, but I saw no reason to put any more thought into it.

[Flash Step] was off cooldown, so I used it to increase the distance.

There was no way on Earth I was going to run from Sarah, but I had no qualms about using a skill.

I was halfway to the door to my room when I heard Sarah call out in a choked voice, “Titus.”

What now? I grumbled to myself as I turned around. I was half expecting her to have started choking on a random bit of dust in the air. However, what I saw was her eyes wide in panic, and her scepter pointed at me.

“Power… of… light…” she started casting. I could feel the magical buildup even from across the room.

However, I could also sense the reluctance in each of her words. She didn’t want to be casting

I quickly came to a conclusion.

The oath’s back!? How!? I [Disrupted] it! However, therein was my hubris. The skill was called [Disrupt], not [Cancel]. And while I spent those precious seconds processing, Sarah was still casting.

“Restore… health… to my ally,” she continued.

[Disrupt] is on cooldown. [Flash Step]… also on cooldown. I have to knock her out before she finishes!

I sprinted toward her, but there was no way I would make it in time. “[Hell Blaze]!” I cast, hoping I had a chance of knocking her down below 0 HP.

However, her cast finished. “[Holy Cure].”

A blinding cascade of light flowed toward me. My [Hell Blaze] was caught up in it too, and it completely vanished.

I had no helpful skills left. There were no spells I could cast in time. I had no plans that would work for the incoming attack.

I had only one thing left to do.

My shoulders sagged as I looked up at the ceiling.

“Not again,” I stated flatly as my world went white.

.

.

.

.

.

“Titus! Titus!” I heard someone shouting and felt my body being shaken.

That was how I knew I was alive. Well, that and the pain. Actually, mostly the pain.

“What?” I groaned as I opened my eyes to see Sarah hovering over me.

“I’m so sorry! The oath… it came back, and I…” Sarah couldn’t finish as she cut herself off by burying her face into my chest.

That’s when I finally saw the notification.

System: Hero Sarah has slain the Demon Lord! The realm will have relative peace for the next 50 years. Demon morale will be reduced for the duration

Ah. So I’m still in the process of dying. Got it.

I did a brief check of my status and saw that I was at -273 HP. She had done more than 1000 damage with that single heal.

I guess negative HP doesn’t activate my other form. I frowned. That retroactively meant things had been a lot dicier than I thought on several occasions.

However, I could worry about that later.

“I was wrong… I guess you did have it in you,” I joked.

She burst into another round of tears, and I shut up for a moment.

What do you say to someone who has murdered their loved one under compulsion?

Unfortunately, I knew the answer to that.

It took monumental effort, but I somehow managed to lift my arm even when in the dying state.

“It’s okay,” I said as I stroked her hair. “It’s not your fault.” I stroked her hair again. And the most important one. “I don’t blame you.”

She wept for a few more seconds, and I just lay there stroking her hair.

“Pull yourself together, Sarah,” she finally said to herself. “He’s not dead yet!” She brought her head up and looked at me with tearstained eyes. “I can still save you.”

My arm flopped uselessly to my chest where Megan’s necklace sat under my shirt. I quickly pulled it into my inventory as I managed a slight shake of my head.

“I can’t be healed. [Healing Inversion] sees to that,” I said.

“But there has to be something I can do!” she replied.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “You’ll just have to wait 50 years to see me again.”

Her face turned downcast. “My condition’s been getting worse. If you die here… It will be goodbye.”

I wasn’t going to accept that, but at the same time, I knew that trying to heal me was a fool’s errand. That’s when it came to me.

“Okay, I have an idea,” I said. “First, drink this mana potion-“

My initial plan was to hand it to her, but I had forgotten about the whole dying thing. The potion appeared in my hand and rolled off my chest. However, she snatched it up and drained it.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Place your hands on my chest right next to each other, and then close your eyes and focus,” I said. As she did so, I continued. “It might be possible that [Healing Inversion] is a condition, so you may be able to remove it with a powerful enough [Restore],” I lied.

“[Holy Restore],” she cast. With great difficulty, I started moving my hand towards hers. “I’m not feeling anything!” she said after a moment, opening her eyes.

“Close your eyes and focus!” I chastised her.

She closed her eyes again. Meanwhile, with great effort, my hand finally reached hers.

“I’m trying! It’s just not-“

With a stifled grunt of exertion, I moved her right hand onto her left.

“There it is!” she exclaimed.

She seemed like she was about to open her eyes, but I quickly said, “Keep focusing! Don’t lose it!”

“How could I miss this? This is huge!”

“Less talking, more healing!” I shouted. “I don’t have much time!”

I could see sweat starting to bead across her brow. Then, after a few seconds, she started coughing. “It’s too much! Looks like I need to… [Limit Break]!” she shouted.

I felt the veritable flood of magic that Sarah poured out and then unknowingly pushed into herself.

For once, I was grateful for how zoned out she got when she was healing people.

She became healthier before my very eyes. Gone was her paleness that I didn’t even know was unnatural. Her breath came and went easier than I had ever heard it. If I wasn’t mistaken, even her muscles were mended from their atrophy.

“That’s all of it!” Sarah said as she opened her eyes. “What next?”

I gently patted her hand. “Next, you live a good long life,” I replied.

Sarah finally looked at the placement of her hands.

“No,” she said. “Why would you lie to me about this!?” she screamed and buried her face back into my chest.

“Because I’ve learned I really hate goodbyes,” I said softly into her ear. “So that’s why Sarah… See ya later.”

With that, my HP bottomed out, and I shuffled off my somewhat-mortal coil with a Saint still crying into my chest.

And thus, the reign of the second [Demon Lord], Titus the Mad, was ended.

[1] Shadow Clone Jutsu – A technique from the anime Naruto where the user creates multiple identical copies of themselves (that have an equal fraction of the users power)

[2] DPS Check – It’s been a while since this term came up, so here’s a refresher. DPS stands for damage per second, and a boss that has a DPS check is one where you have to do a certain amount of damage within a limited time frame or your party will (usually) get wiped

[3] Konami Code – The most famous button sequence in gaming. Up up down down left right left right B A select start. It was a common cheat code in Konami’s video games.