"What exactly convinced you that this is in any way acceptable?"

Within a gothic castle, sitting at a desk which had papers neatly laid out across it, two figures sat side by side- one leaning over the other to glance at the paperwork.

"The fact that you haven't made any attempt to push me away."

The first figure was a demon with indigo colored skin.

He wore glasses and a well kept suit, and his hair spiraled about his head like a raging storm.

Even so, it gave off the appearance of elegance- as if the chaotic spirals were completely intentional, and perfectly designed.

Twisted horns and elongated fangs emerged from this demon, and he currently sat back breathlessly as the girl before him leaned across the desk.

"Do you understand the definition of personal space? How exactly do you expect me to get all this work done while you frivolously plant yourself before me in such a manner?"

The girl who laid across the table had leaves for hair which had grown long, to the point where they no longer looked like leaves, but more along the lines of pointed vines.

This girl had green skin, as her own body was made from a plantlike structure, yet her own form was undoubtedly humanoid. Aside from the composition of her being, she was in every manner similar in appearance to a human.

"Are you saying that just me being near you is enough to distract you? Doesn't that mean that you're a little bit.... obsessed with me?"

As the girl dragged her hand across the desk, she reached for a certain document, bringing it closer to her as she gazed over it, not bothering to look up at the demon she teased.

"Preposterous.", the demon responded- though his response, unlike his usual demeanor, was one which was completely devoid of any sense of confidence. It was a mere self denial, which fooled not a single person within the room.

Standing at the doorway, two demons merely watched the scene from afar, serious and diligent expressions on their faces. These two demons wore the outfits of maids, and their own appearances were inverses of one another.

One had white skin with black claws and teeth, along with other features, and the other with black skin and white claws and teeth.

"It would seem that Lord Huberos is flirting with that plant girl once more."

"Indeed. Her eminence may scold him later for allowing himself to become so distracted while he should be working."

At these harsh statements, the demon looked over with a twitch in his eye.

"There is no need for such comments. It would seem that you two certainly have changed ever since my ability was retracted. Your respect for me has gone down significantly."

"I believe Lord Huberos is speaking to you, Selna."

"No, certainly not. He must be referring to you, Chiora."

"I do understand your own opinion though, Selna. After all, to think that we have been brainwashed for 200 years by him. It is beyond disturbing."

"I hold no such resentment towards Lord Huberos, however I completely understand your own perspective, Chiora. Surely, he has done something unforgivable to toy with the hearts of two pure maidens such as ourselves for such an extended period of time."

With comedic banter, the two relentlessly dug into the actions of the man they served.

"Don't be so stiff, you two. I mean.... I understand that it's probably a big shock that you were under such an ability for so long, but surely after this long you aren't still mad about what happened?"

"I have no resentment at all, Lady Tera."

"Neither do I."

The two responded to the statement of the plant girl as such, quickly denying that which was beyond obvious based on their tone.

'Well, I guess Huberos did do something pretty bad to them..... although it's not like he did it out of spite for them. It was more out of spite for their former boyfriends.', Tera thought.

"However..... to say that I still hold feelings for that scumbag Opus, that is what is truly preposterous. That man performed heinous actions after being lowered from his position. The actions of Lord Huberos are slightly less heinous."

"Agreed. The same would go for myself. There is no way I could love that fool Cespor. He killed off more demons than imaginable, all out of spite. How could I even think to care for such a horrid man? His own atrocious actions surpass those of Huberos towards us, just ever so slightly."

Thus, the two voiced their own disgust with the two who they once loved before Huberos had influenced their minds, creating an artificial love for him within them, similar to how Lustia had done this towards the spiritual people.

With a sigh, Huberos looked up at the two.

"I have already apologized for such a thing. I understand well that I was incorrect to do such a thing to the two of you, yet you now hold your own free will. There should be no more reason to be angered."

"Yes, because her eminence removed your ability from you."

"I have to thank her eminence for saving us from your brainwashing."

With strained smile, Huberos looked back down at the papers before him- which were covered by the head of Tera.

"Could you move out of the way please?"

"Why don't you move me yourself?"

"Just move already."

"Don't wanna touch me?"

With veins bursting at his own head, Huberos bit down upon his lip.

However this time, his own fangs did not pierce.

They had been shortened to the point where they no longer drew blood when he bit down, and they no longer continuously grew as they had before.

'If there is one thing which is good about having my title taken from me and becoming a servant.... no, a slave of the Determined, then it would be that I no longer have to shave down these fangs.'

With a sigh, Huberos lightly placed his hand on the head of the girl, moving her out of the way.

"You are significantly more playful than when we first met."

"Because you're fun to tease."

"That is a lie."

"The only one lying here is you. To yourself."

"Ahem..... Lord Huberos, if this paperwork is not finished by the end of the day, her eminence will likely be displeased. Are you sure you should be so leisurely flirting with your woman?"

The one who spoke was a demon who stood behind the desk, standing with his arms folded.

He had an extravagant mustache and wore the suit and gloved of a butler, and he merely glanced over without changing the direction he faced, straight forward.

"I am doing no such thing, Ferdinand! I am merely attempting to finish this work. And now even you have gone so far as to insult me?"

"I meant no such thing as an insult. I merely stated the truth as I see it. Furthermore, we are now all slaves to her eminence, and as such you are on the same standing as I am. Therefore it is my duty to correct you when I see you straying from her desires."

"Yes, I understand. Forgive my outburst. However, I was doing no such flirting. This woman instead has placed herself in my way."

"Don't say it like I'm in your way. Come on. Let's get this done together."

With this, Tera begun to work diligently, though she leaned her head on the shoulder of Huberos as she wrote.

"I cannot write like this, Tera."

"Use your left hand."

"The handwriting will be filthy if I do that."

"Then lets switch spots. I'm a weed after all. We like to suck up everything around us from all directions."

"That....."

With a look of irritation, Huberos let out an exhausted sigh.

[I see that you are having a lot of fun while on the clock. Perhaps I should come over there myself to ensure that all the work is getting done? After all.... ruling an entire realm is a whole different world from just a few cities. It's really difficult to get everyone to be as efficient as I need them to be, so if there are people who aren't picking up the slack....]

"Ah, forgive me your eminence. I will surely finish the work of this day on time.", Huberos immediately replied to the voice.

[Cutting me off before I can even finish speaking? How rude. Perhaps you do not know your place?]

At this statement, the eyes of Huberos went wide.

[Don't scare him so much like that!! It's alright, Huberos! Jeez. This other side of me really likes messing with people. Just make sure to get it all done by the end of the day.]

"I.... understand. Thank you, your eminence."

Two weeks had passed since Claire had established herself as the Queen of Demons.

Two weeks which were filled with no shortage of planning and preparing for the future.

This was especially true for Huberos.

Having been allowed to rule the city of Regalis under the command of the Queen of Demons, his life became a hectic mess with responsibility far greater than when he led this city as a Host.

With a boss who held absolute power over him, he was constantly reminded of his own inferiority to this one being.

Furthermore, he was well aware at this point that the antiheroes had purposely lost to him- or at least that the elven figure had intended as such.

Essentially, Huberos had been reminded that he was not number 1 in everything.

However, he could accept that.

[Ah, it looks like the antiheroes have been successful in their infiltration of the Alliance. Things are progressing nicely, and if they go as intended, the war with the human realm shouldn't be too far off. Ensure that you and the people of Regalis are prepared.]

"I understand."

[Great. Now I got a lot of ruling to do, so I'mma go. Hm? Ah, be quiet Yirald. I get it. Alright. Hm? A rave in the dining hall? Ah, I guess I'll go later. Ok. Huberos, I gotto go. Don't allow me to catch you slacking off again. Just kidding. Or am I?]

With this, the voice of the Determined disappeared from the minds of those present within the room.

"She is strangely kind, despite all she has been through..... despite the darkness in her heart.", Tera stated.

"I believe the word for that is bipolar. She is unpredictable, which is why I must ensure that this work gets done. Else I will likely be in for punishment, depending on her whims of the moment. Now will you stop leaning on me so we can get this done?"

"Alriiiight."

Huberos was unable to finish his work until midnight that day.

----

Within an alleyway in the city of smog, in a sector where a number of small scale tenements were setup, a certain figure laughed to himself as he strode through the outdoor hallway, approaching his own bronze plated apartment.

"Haha..... it really is funny, isn't it? There are a few massive mansions in this city, but I get a place like this. I guess it's my punishment for what I did to these people."

This figure was a mandarin colored demon with red hair, spiked up high.

He wore a red and white striped suit, and smiled lightly as if he had just finished a long day of work.

"I'm home! Man, today was rough. That robotic girl really lays into ya. She's got no filter at all."

"Ah! Just a minute. I'm in the kitchen. I'll be out to greet you in a second."

Entering the small home, a light smile came across the face of the demon as he plopped himself on the couch.

"Haha.... nothing better than coming home to the voice of my woman."

With a bitter smile, the demon recalled his own past.

This demon was Vex, the former Host of Wrath.

Having been placed on a council of rulers, he now worked with the former leaders of three mafia factions to control the city of the ratmen- a place which he had once invaded with the goal of slaying the Determined.

Exiting the kitchen, a demonic woman with pure white skin and a beautiful yet strangely industrial dress made from leather material entered the living room with a can of beer.

This demon was Hatia, the woman who had been killed and revived along with Vex following his agreement with Claire.

"Here you go, Vex."

"Ah, thanks. I like the new dress. You're really getting used to living here, aren't ya?"

"Well, of course I am. It was a bit hard at first, but all the neighbors welcomed me without a second thought. It was awfully strange too. I would have thought that they would be a bit more wary of demons coming to live in their midst.... but I guess the fact that her eminence once lived in this city dispelled those worries."

As Vex opened the beer with a fizzing sound, he took a sip before wiping his lips and nodding in agreement.

"But.... the thing I was referring to was more along the lines of..... well.... the fact that you gave up your life as a noble so quickly and were willing to live with me even among the humanoids. I...."

"Are you saying I was wrong to follow you?"

"Nah. I'm just saying..... if you weren't such a fine woman, then perhaps you wouldn't have done that."

The woman who Vex now lived with was the demon who had died in the blast, at the hand of Claire.

"I.... still can't believe that I died. It was.... well, it happened in an instant. The next moment, I was awake and in a strange place. Her eminence spoke to me there, and told me that I would be revived so long as I would become a member of her nation of monsters."

"Hmm.... I see."

"When I came back to life..... mmm.... how can I say it? I felt a bit changed. It was like all my worries had been dispelled."

"Yes, well I'm glad for that. It was a real pain trying to stay away from every woman in existence. Remember the last time we went out to dinner together? You got mad at me over meeting Lustia for work reasons!"

"I mean, that woman is a literal embodiment of lust. I'm not sure what your point is here, Vex. Of course I'd be irritated."

"I guess so. But hey, I gotto meet a lot of women for this new line of work. So it's better that you've overcome your fears of me cheating on you."

"I never said I've overcome them. Only that.... I suppose I feel that I can trust you a bit more."

"Was I ever a playboy before?"

"Yes. You absolutely were."

"Really!?"

Vex looked to the girl with surprise, but she merely laughed with a cheerful smile.

"You really have changed, Vex. I think that's why I trust you a bit more now. Whatever the Determined did to you, it's made you a better person."

"Hey, I can tell you right here and now that everything she did to me wasn't exactly pleasant. But...."

Looking off into the distance, Vex let out an exasperated sigh.

"I suppose if that's what you think, it's probably right."

Recalling the brutal treatment and overarching fear which the Determined had instilled in him, he could not say that he didn't fear her.

Yet even so, he had also now experienced her own suffering.

He had experienced the immense hatred and rage within her, something which surpassed even his own at his time of trial.

And so, he could not hate her.

He sympathized with her, and was willing to serve her.

"There are some real strange people ruling this city though. One of em is this woman who has red eyes, and she always acts like she's some sort of big shot, but there was something strange that happened today that I didn't really understand."

"Oh? What is that?"

"Well, she was talking about how we should start building statues of her eminence all over the city to honor her, but then the sister of the robotic girl made a strange motion and she freaked out, telling everyone that it has nothing to do with that."

"A strange motion?"

Taking a seat next to Vex, the demon cocked her head in confused manner.

"Well, she placed her own finger to her tongue and took out a gob of saliva. It was.... very weird."

"That.... is very weird."

The two merely looked at one another with confused expressions before bursting out in laughter.

"What the heck? What's that even supposed to mean?"

"I don't know! All the people in this city are pretty nuts. As a matter of fact, almost everyone in this nation who serves the Determined has lost their mind! Haha!"

The two wiped their tears of laughter before the woman got up, heading back to the kitchen.

"How strange. Yet I somehow think that it is because of the strange people who she chooses.... that she has been able to build something so grand. A united monster realm.... can you even imagine it? She.... really has done all this."

"Ah, yeah. It's..... well, it's surprising at the very least. I'd bet the humans would be shaking in their sneakers if they found out. Well, if they wore sneakers that is. Speaking of which, take a look."

Flashing a black pair of sneakers, Vex beamed with a proud smile, showing off his fanged teeth.

"Fresh from the factory! Apparently in her eminences world they had these as well."

"That.... is even stranger."

With a light laugh, the woman returned to the kitchen.

"It really is interesting that a noble like you has taken up cooking. I never imagined you'd be doing this for me."

"Well, living in this city has changed me I suppose. Without a butler or any servants, I have to do at least this much.", the woman replied from the other room.

With a nod, Vex took another sip of his drink.

"Guess so."

Standing up, Vex entered the dining room and took a seat, and soon enough a large platter was brought to the table.

"Whoa. What is this? Did you learn this from the neighbors?"

"This is a dish which was apparently introduced to the ratmen by her eminence. It's called pizza. It contains cheese, which they are very fond of and consider to be a staple, but it also contains bread and sauce from tomatoes."

"Ooh.... let's dig in then."

Vex proceeded to rip off a piece of the pizza with his bare hands, to the annoyance of the woman.

"You're not supposed to just rip it off like that. You cut it. Like this."

Using her own claw as a slicer, the woman cut the pizza into square slices.

[No, that's not how you're supposed to slice it either. But whatever. Eat it how you want.]

"Your eminence?"

The woman looked up as she heard the voice of her ruler, yet all that remained was the sinister laugh of the Queen of Demons which they now served.

[Heh..... haha.....]

Trailing off, the laugh disappeared, and the two were left alone in thought.

As he ate his own ripped off piece of the pizza, Vex wiped the cheese off his suit in sloppy manner.

Recalling the memories which he had experienced, a single thought came out of his mouth.

"I wonder just what her eminence is going to do about that man."

----