Pretending to be the Demon Lord

Surrdon stood before the mirror, now dressed in a wide-sleeved purple hanfu that was fit for loyalty. At the back of his mind, he felt a sense of pride. This was just like in the game.

   "How long will you admire yourself?" Anya mocked as she flew in circles a distance away from him. For about two hours, she had been teaching him about his new body and his new world.

Surrdon inhaled, hoping to calm the needles stabbing the insides of his stomach. He was nervous. Very nervous.

This was a new world.

New people, or demons.

He was a Lord ruling over a city.

He had responsibilities to take on.

But he still didn't understand why the previous Demon Lord chose him. Truth be told, he had been the most basic person on earth with little interest in life. His only goal had been to graduate from high school in one piece and earn a college submission, or work in his parent's company.

    "Deep breaths, deep breaths," Surrdon muttered to his reflection, then turned to face Anya. "I'm ready."

Anya ceased moving around and shot at him.

   "Remember, you're Surrdon, lord of Drolis."

  "I remember this part. I played the character multiple times."

"That's a relief. But the game is only a fraction of the real world. Also, you should act as if you still have your powers. If they sense something is wrong with you, you may come back here without your head."

  Surrdon stopped breathing to stare at the snake. "How do I hide the fact that I have no magic and my mana is only at five?" There was a trace of desperation in his voice. "Can I skip this meeting? At least till I have a better understanding of my life?"

    Anya shook her head.

"You don't need to worry. All you have to do is sit on the throne and listen as those ministers give their reports."

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     "Lord Surrdon arrives!" The announcer yelled out, acknowledging Surrdon's arrival in the throne hall.

All the demon ministers inside fell on their knees and kowtowed chorusing, "We welcome you, great ruler."

The air inside felt hostile as Surrdon walked down the red carpet laid out for him along the aisle. His ministers continued kneeling until he walked up to the throne and sat on it. "Rise."

  He was at least familiar with this part from all the movies and manga he had watched in his previous life.

There were at least twenty ministers, of different ages, appearances, and different colors of their clothing. They all sat on the chairs positioned at either side of the aisle, facing each other.

   "Begin," Anya instructed him on what to say and he repeated, "Begin!" Surrdon declared with an air of authority.

He was determined to fit into his role as perfectly as he could. He certainly didn't want to die on his first day at the 'office'.

  The meeting lasted for over an hour.

It was mostly about the attacks from the neighboring territories and some internal conflicts. Some of the mentioned territories were a bit familiar to Surrdon from his gaming experience.

   Drolis was one of the largest territories of the south, hence external attacks from the other lands were inevitable.

     But the former Lord had always safeguarded his land, making him the perfect ruler of all the demon clans.

"I'll look into it," Surrdon said casually as Anya had taught him. He had to keep his tone similar to the former Surrdon to create a flawless facade. It was the only way he could survive the harsh world of Agrerea.

The meeting came to an end, leaving Surrdon glad that he could now go back to his room and think about everything. His mind was yet to process the entire world transition.

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    Surrdon raised his right hand towards the mirror and focused on gathering mana in his palm. He held that pose for half a minute, waiting for something to happen...but nothing did.

"Again," he muttered and repeated the process for the hundredth time with the same result. "Argh! This is so frustrating."

  Coiled warmly on a red cushion that lay on the floor, Anya raised her head yawning.

  "You've been doing this for a while day. It's no use, not unless you start practicing from the basics."

   Surrdon spun to face the horned snake, his face full of angst.

"You said these sigils will make me powerful," he argued.

  Anya yawned again and rested her head on her body, her eyes shutting once more. "Yes, but you need a mana level of at least a thousand to activate one sigil."

   Surrdon's eyes suddenly flickered with life, "How do I progress? Do I need to take on tasks just like in the game?"

Anya sighed, "No idiot. You're the Demon Lord, that won't work for you."

   "Spit it out, what do I need?"

She held her silence, slowly stretched her body, and rolled off the cushion to levitate.

   "You can raise your mana by acquiring special skills. All you have to do is join one of the countless sects in Agrerea."

       "S-sect?"

"Yes," answered the little snake as she flew for the windows. Bathing in the warm sun rays, her body seemed to acquire a little glow.

  "Fine. Recommend me the best sect. I want to make this quick and create a life for myself."

  "Tsk!"

He sent her a glare before walking up to her lazy self. Using only one hand, Surrdon grasped Anya and brought her wriggling body to his face. "And help me find ways to cover up my demonic scent."

   "You asshole, let go of me this instant!"

Surrdon only chuckled. The need to take control of his new life had dawned on him earlier than expected. Now all he wanted was to get stronger, fulfill any regrets the other Demon Lord had, and go out into the world to live freely.

With his new body and excellent health, he didn't feel the need to continue living in a shell, afraid of how others would judge him.   

   He only wished his classmates could have a look at his new appearance, especially the girl he had a crush on.

How satisfying it'd feel just seeing their shocked faces.