Chapter 11: Remedy for Mistakes

In the middle of the Demon Lord's conquest of Altro Mondo, he received a concerning report from one of his top advisors. The Demon Lord was in his castle made of stone, located at the northern part of the continent he was subjugating. The final stronghold of the humans and their allies was in the southern part of the continent. All the land in between these two areas were being fought over by the two sides.

When he received the report, the Demon Lord was seated on his throne inside a giant hall in the middle of his castle. A demon with 2 large horns, wearing a black robe, knelt in front of him with its head bowed down.

"My Lord, I bear disconcerting news."

The Demon Lord has his head resting on his fist, his figure hidden by the shadows. His silhouette outlines a large, burly physique.

"What is it?"

The demon who was kneeling raised his head.

"In the area where our forces should have occupied already, there is a human town that still remains."

"Hmm. Who is in charge of that area?"

The demon then swallowed before speaking, sweat dripping down its forehead.

"The V-vampire king, My Lord."

The Demon Lord raised his head and sat straight on his throne.

"Summon him, immediately."

---

After a while, the Vampire King arrived inside the castle. He went straight to the throne room where the Demon Lord was seated. He knelt down on one knee, his right hand behind his back and his head bowed down. He was wearing a long, red cape with a white, buttoned long-sleeve shirt as his top and black, slick pants.

"My Lord, I have come to answer your summons."

The Demon Lord stood up from his throne, held his hands behind his back, while his figure was still covered by the darkness.

"I have received a report that there is a human town still not under our control. And it's inside your supposed domain. What is the meaning of this?"

The Vampire King began sweating profusely. His voice cracked as he spoke.

"My L-lord. I—"

"You are one of my trusted generals. Be careful of your words."

The kneeling Vampire King stood up, grabbed his chest and looked straight at the Demon Lord. His body was trembling at the presence of his master.

"Y-yes, it is true! I'm sorry, My Lord. I… I have fallen in love with a human girl! I could not take and destroy everything that she treasures…"

"A human? How disgusting. You're the proud Vampire King! Leader of the vampire clan, one of my strongest and most loyal vassals! And yet you fall for a human? Pathetic."

"My Lord! Please spare—"

"Get out of my sight."

The Demon Lord sat back down on his throne, and breath out a huge sigh.

"Out of deference to the loyalty you showed me all this time, I will not kill you where you stand. This is the only mercy I will ever show you and your kin."

The Vampire King released his chest from his clutched hand. He bowed his head once again.

"My Lord…"

"Lastly, you are not worthy of being part of my conquest. You are banished to your castle, never leaving its confines for as long as I live. Now, go."

---

As the Vampire King was leaving the Demon Lord's castle, a thought suddenly struck him. The Demon Lord, if anything, is not benevolent. The mere fact he was shown mercy by the notoriously evil Demon Lord, it means that something was wrong. He may have been spared, but retribution will be made in some other form. The image of the human girl he loved flashed in his mind.

He hurriedly ran out the castle and flew towards the town he had spared. He surely thought that while he was summoned, an order to eradicate the town was already in motion. It would not be beyond the Demon Lord for such tactics, especially after a perceived betrayal from his minion.

It took him a while to reach the town, as it was located somewhere in the middle of the continent. He arrived at the outskirts of the town. It was still there. There was no Demon Lord army ravaging the surrounding area, no screaming from the townspeople. The only thing that seems out of place was a pillar of smoke coming from the middle of the town. Curious to see what it was, he walked slowly towards the entrance of the town and headed to the source of the smoke.

As he came closer and closer, he could hear people shouting and cheering. Something about a traitor finally being punished. There was a sudden fear he couldn't get rid of. He went near the large, burning stake in the middle of a wide space inside the town. As he got nearer and nearer, his worst fears came to fruition. Burning inside the flame was the body of the woman he loved. Blood rushed throughout his supposed cold and lifeless body. His eyes turned red and he blanked out.

When he came to, he was panting heavily, his body covered in blood. As he looked around, he saw the shattered and torn bodies of humans. He stood frozen for a while, and when he finally realized what had happened, he burst into laughter. Then, tears started to flow from his cheeks.

He thought that he should have just turned her into one of his vampire kin and destroyed the town earlier. Instead, he spared the town and its people while also keeping her a human. No, it was that he loved her because she was a human. The fleeting sense of life she lived was what attracted him to her in the first place. He fell to his knees and accepted that this was his punishment for being weak and betraying the trust of his master, the Demon Lord.

---

With his eyes focused solely on the bread he held in his hands, Kiba continued to speak.

"I know none of this even matter now, but tell me Demon Lord, did you have anything to do—"

"I had no idea you were there when everything ended. Or does it mean the whole world was destroyed that instant…"

Akuma was focused on his own thoughts and didn't hear what Kiba was trying to say.

Sanaka, who unconsciously hidden behind the wall earlier, couldn't hold her thoughts any longer and decided to show herself. She went inside the kitchen and stood in front of Kiba.

"What the hell? You're also part of this role-playing act?! I thought you were just normal… I thought there was a chance for me…"

Tears started to well up in her eyes as she grabbed her pants tightly. Angelie and Mimi came running inside the kitchen and went straight to Sanaka. Angelie then immediately glared at Akuma as she saw Sanaka was near to crying.

"What did you do to her, you scum?"

Taken aback, Akuma stood up from his seat and slammed the table.

"I didn't do anything! She just showed up out of nowhere and complained about something."

He closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly, then looked at the three girls.

"More importantly, get changed already. We're about to open."

He looked then at Kiba.

"We'll talk about this next time; we have more pressing matters to attend to. Right?"