Chapter 81

The Demon Lord watched as more demons spewed from the portal. He had already dispatched two of the eleven demons he originally came with, along with numerous nameless demons that the portal had unleashed upon two other major cities: the capital city of Aeruna, Shinatio, and the capital city of Veridiania, Goldfaith. Now, the only major country that was yet to be invaded was the country of elves, Sylvanoria. He turned to the remaining six named demons, sensing their reluctance. Most demons feared elves, after all, but one of them had to go as the nameless demons weren't very capable by themselves.

His gaze fell upon a towering demon who was nearly 15 feet tall, with a grotesquely muscular body and exposed ribs. His head resembled the interior of a great white's mouth, devoid of eyes or mouth, with sharp fang-like teeth protruding everywhere.

"You, Draxis, will be heading to the country of elves with the new arrivals," the Demon Lord announced with a smile, punctuating his command with a snap of his fingers that brooked no argument. Draxis nodded, his grotesque head bobbing in compliance, as the newly arrived nameless demons wrapped themselves around his massive form before taking flight toward Sylvanoria.

"What about the rest of us, lord?" asked the smoke demon in its typically cheery tone. The Demon Lord pondered for a moment, considering his options, while another demon interjected, "There are still living beings in this mansion besides our summoner, my lord. Should we eliminate them to empower the portal?" This demon was draped in a dark black cloak that concealed its features, though the sound of jangling metal accompanied each of its movements.

"You should," the Demon Lord replied tersely, eyeing the remaining named demons, excluding Eriza. "Each of you, find and kill anyone remaining in the mansion," he commanded. The smoke demon raised an arm eagerly, exclaiming, "Could I go to the forest to kill some animals, lord? I've always wanted to do that!" Its excitement was palpable, drawing a bewildered and disgusted glance from Verandez and Mincs.

"Sure, do whatever you want, as long as it involves ending lives," the Demon Lord replied with disinterest, waving his hand dismissively. The smoke demon giggled with excitement before flying off toward the forest adjacent to the mansion, its smokey form billowing behind it.

"What will you and I be doing, my lord?" asked Eriza curiously. The Demon Lord turned to Verandez with a pointed look. "I will remain here, protecting him just in case. If he dies, this invasion will end," he replied, his gaze sending a shiver down Verandez's spine.

"Don't worry about that, my lord!" Eriza interjected proudly. "I have woven a spell that turns the mansion into a maze with only one entrance and exit by foot, using the portal as a power source." She explained her spell with confidence, earning an almost half-impressed look from the Demon Lord.

"I see. A decent job. However, this will make finding the other living beings in the mansion harder," he remarked. Despite the Demon Lord's stoicism, Eriza beamed at the apparent praise. Meanwhile, Mincs peered down the ladder leading from the attic, contemplating her next move. *Then where does this go?* she wondered, torn between fleeing and staying hidden. She stole a glance at the demons. *I mean, they haven't seen me yet, so I could stick around here a bit more,* she thought.

Suddenly, Arnan, the most typical-looking demon, caught sight of her as he and the other demons turned to leave. "Hey! When did you get here?" he yelled, his voice echoing through the room. All eyes turned to Mincs, including those of Verandez and the Demon Lord, who now focused their attention on her. "Crap," Mincs muttered under her breath before leaping down from the attic, hoping to land on the fourth floor. However, as she touched down on the ground, she found herself in the mansion's kitchen.

She stood up with a bewildered expression etched across her face, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Did I get teleported? How does this spell even work?" She muttered aloud, her voice tinged with uncertainty. Her eyes darted around the kitchen, trying to make sense of her surroundings, but the urgency of the situation quickly brought her back to reality. Remembering the imminent threat of the approaching demons, she wasted no time and dashed towards the kitchen door, her heart pounding in her chest.

Grasping the door handle tightly, she yanked it open and peered into the hallway beyond, hoping for a route of escape. The sight of the familiar corridor leading to the dining room offered a glimmer of hope, but her relief was short-lived. As soon as she stepped through the door, she found herself in what she assumed was a meeting room, where there was a broken table surrounded by sofas.

"Does every door teleport me to somewhere different?" she pondered aloud before walking back through the door she entered, which transported her back to the kitchen. "So each door has a fixed point?" she deduced before letting out a groan. "Ahhhh, this is going to be a goddess damn nightmare in this massive mansion," she grumbled before her gaze fell on the pantry door. Opening it, she peered through and saw the pantry. But as she walked through, she found herself in a hallway with walls lined with windows covered by red and black curtains on one side and doors on the other.

"This is... the second floor!" she exclaimed, a glimmer of hope in her voice. If this spell worked by connecting doors to different areas, then she should be able to escape as long as she doesn't walk through a door. But her hopes of escaping were dashed as she heard footsteps and the sound of jangling metal coming closer. She panicked as she looked in the direction of the sounds and saw two demons heading her way.

Thinking quickly, she attempted to retreat through the door she came from, but before she could, "As if I'll let that happen!" yelled Arnan, shattering the door with a black, scratchy mist from his right hand. Mincs' heart raced as she turned to the demons, nervously drawing her whip and rapier. "Stay back! Or I'll stab you!" she exclaimed, her voice lacking confidence. Arnan sneered, "Don't act like you can do anything, damn monkey." He outstretched his right hand toward her. "I'll enjoy this," he taunted as Mincs tensed, unready to fight.

Before anything could happen, suddenly, one of the doors behind the demons was sliced open. "So that does work," they heard a voice say as they turned to see a bald man holding a unique saber. The man pointed his saber at the demons confidently. "One of you will tell me where my friend is, or all of you will die," he declared.

Mincs nearly went teary-eyed with hope as she yelled, "Marcus!"