The demon capital Eldham. It's a large city with over 500,000 inhabitants and a large military force. Its surface area is similar to Medoea's, but it's much more densely populated. Very few farmers live in Eldham, so the city mostly relies on imported food. A big portion of which always comes from the agricultural city of Medoea. In total, Eldham had always received just the right amount of food to feed its large amount of soldiers.

However, this time the amount of food transferred from Medoea was just half of the usual amount. This was not good, and it meant that a lot of citizens could starve. Medoea must have had a bad crop season, or the citizens must have all started eating like pigs. Either way, the situation had to be fixed.

Marshal Xylliza was on her lunch break in the Demon King's castle when she was informed of the situation. She wasn't too happy about the news.

"What? How is that possible? Medoea has never failed to deliver enough food. Dammit!"

AAH, How am I going to find the red horned demon if I have to sort this out as well?

Xylliza is currently third in command and has multiple badges of honour on her uniform from multiple battles. The number of badges was impressive, considering she is just 32 years old. Her looks resembled an 18-year-old, and her majestic black horns were sought after by many nobles hoping for marriage. Overall, she was a loyal and successful person.

It was going to be her job to sort out the food problem. However, she wasn't too happy about it. Not only was it extra work, but it would also slow down her search for the red horned demon. It was crucial to find him before they would get attacked by a hero.

Abigor himself had ordered all nobles to search for him. This meant the task was a top priority, and whoever found the person would get a great reward. Xylliza wasn't too concerned about the heroes and had a different reason for pursuing the red horn instead.

That reason was fame. She wanted to be rewarded for saving the demon race by finding the next Demon King. It would only be a matter of time before someone else found him, so she had to act quickly. In other words, it was a race. Now her plans were getting ruined because of Medoea.

That damn Howard! What happened to him? First, he lets the red horn escape, and now he can't handle his own city anymore!

Xylliza was visibly frustrated as she departed towards Medoea. The issue had to be addressed right away, so she could still have a chance at the race for glory.

Xylliza arrived at Medoea just six hours later. She had gone alone without a carriage, so the walk didn't take long at all. Going through the now burned Black Forest saved quite a lot of time as well.

Upon entering the city, Xylliza realized something was off right away. The streets were full of people holding apples and blowing smoke out of their mouths. Some of them had red eyes and almost seemed passed out. A strong odour filled her nose as she walked through the streets.

What the hell is going on in here? Are the people possessed?

Xylliza was trying to figure out what was going on in town. She couldn't come up with a logical solution and decided to consult with the Duke first. She had met the duke before and knew he is dependable. She hoped he would have some intel on the situation.

After 10 more minutes of walking, she arrived at the Duke's castle. People from Eldham would call it a mansion instead, as it was quite small compared to the Demon King's castle.

It seemed like Howard had gone crazy, as he had forgotten to close the front door. Anyone could just walk in without even knocking, and that's exactly what Xylliza did. The same odd odour was coming from inside the house, but it was much stronger than on the streets. She followed the smell towards the back of the house.

Why is the house so empty? And what's that smell? Is everything okay?

The smell eventually led her to a spacious room where she found the Duke laying down on a sofa with an apple in one hand and a baguette in the other. The whole room was filled with smoke, and Howard looked like an actual zombie. Next to him was a large bag half full of some green stuff. It seemed like the odour came from the bag.

Xylliza knew the Duke wasn't the type of person who ignored people in need, so it was quite shocking to see him just sitting on a sofa while ignoring the problems in his own city.

"Howard! Are you okay? What is going on?"

"Huh...? Ohh, Xylliza. What's up? Nothing's going on really. I'm just vibing."

Howard replied like a sloth. His usual enthusiasm was nowhere to be found. He had talked quite casually with Xylliza in the past, but now it felt like she was talking to a commoner instead. It seemed like he had forgotten all about etiquette. Xylliza was starting to get irritated and yelled at Howard.

"What the hell are you doing!? What's this green stuff?!"

Howard didn't seem to be too bothered by her attitude and took a bite out of his baguette. He responded while still chewing.

"Relax, Xylliza... This is weed! It's fucking awesome. Wanna try it out?"

Xylliza was shocked. Howard had completely changed from the last time they talked. It seemed like he had been possessed by evil spirits. A Duke would never act like this under normal circumstances.

She was pissed and yanked the baguette out of his hand, throwing it on the floor. Howard just watched the situation without reacting much at all. This made Xylliza even angrier.

"Howard what happened to you! Have you gone mad!"

"Naah, it's my day off. I can do whatever I want, and I ain't doing shit. Wanna join me?"

Xylliza clicked her teeth. Howard was technically correct, as it was indeed his day off. However, Xylliza wasn't satisfied.

Any competent leader would skip their day off if their people needed help, but Howard didn't seem to care. Instead, he was just enjoying his own life while eating a baguette.

"How can you be so relaxed when the city is suffering?! You should be fixing the issue!"

"Suffering? Issue? What are you talking about? People in town are having a blast right now!"

Howard was once again correct. Medoea's residents were enjoying life without any troubles whatsoever. The ones suffering were the neighbouring cities instead. Howard didn't seem to realize this though.

"What? Do you not realize that Eldham is suffering from your actions! We only received half of the food needed!"

"Oh really? Damn, I'll figure that out tomorrow. I'm way too high right now."

This was truly a sad sight. The Duke was just a shell of his former self. He had turned into a fine stoner in under a week. Cole would have been proud, knowing he created this monster, but Xylliza wasn't as happy.

She decided talking to him would be pointless and would have to fix the issue herself. She left the castle and started searching for more clues. The weird green stuff was the first thing on her mind.

It seems like the situation is worse than we thought... I better act swiftly!

Meanwhile, Cole was about to receive his first bong in this new world.