The Great Villain! The Demon meets the the Goblin Army...?

"You sly demon!" Lucian shouted, his voice barely carrying through the dense forest.

"It's been too long, master," Vael replied with a laugh, kneeling down.

"Good to see you're not like the others who followed some random pretender."

Vael stood, sheathing his sword. "Bah, that so-called Dark Lord pales in comparison to your greatness."

Lucian smirked. "I am THE Lucian Draeven, after all—not some weak, common thug."

He glanced around, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. "Oh, I should introduce you to my new... friends."

"Friends...?" Vael raised an eyebrow.

"Well, more like slaves—but it's the same, right?" Lucian chuckled, striding toward the goblin tribe's encampment.

When they arrived, Vael took in the sight of the ramshackle wall. Feigning admiration, he muttered, "Wow...?"

Lucian scoffed. "Don't bother pretending—I know it's terrible."

As they entered the settlement, the goblins' eyes widened with delight. They were thrilled to see their master return, even more so with a demon in his entourage—their simple minds too dull to comprehend the danger.

Lucian gestured grandly. "Here they are—my new army."

Vael gave a slight nod. "A humble start, I suppose, master."

A slightly larger, lopsided hut stood at the center, its roof patched with mismatched animal skins, gaps allowing beams of moonlight to seep through. A crooked wooden sign nailed above the entrance read "GRAN PALAS" in sloppy paint.

"And this is, um... my palace!" Lucian announced, spreading his arms with mock pride, a hint of irritation on his face.

"Well, at least the sign's new... I guess?" Lucian traced his finger along the uneven letters, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Just then, the goblin shaman emerged from the hut, clutching his shimmering Codex.

"You human back?" the shaman grunted.

Lucian shrugged. "Well, something happened." His expression was somewhere between nonchalant and amused.

The shaman turned his gaze to Vael, eyes narrowing. "You know human...?" Surprisingly, he didn't seem the least bit afraid of the imposing demon.

Vael straightened, his voice brimming with arrogance. "Excuse me, he's not just any human. He's the one and only Dark Lord."

The demon let out a low, rumbling laugh. "But tell me—why aren't you afraid of me?" He leaned closer, intrigued.

The shaman blinked, unfazed. "Dark Lord? Odd. Me no surprised." His bluntness hinted at how quickly he had adapted to Lucian's return.

Vael couldn't help but laugh at the goblin's unexpected reaction. "I like your new army, master. They seem... worthy of your banner."

Lucian's eyes gleamed as he flashed a wry grin. "Of course they are. I personally chose them, naturally." He lied effortlessly, masking the truth that he had stumbled upon the goblins entirely by accident.

Lucian stared at Vael for a moment before speaking again.

"What about you? Would you like to serve me once more?" He extended his hand.

Vael chuckled. "The answer is obvious, my lord. I shall lead this new army from the ground up!"

Before Lucian could respond, the shaman raised his hand in a halting gesture.

"Me, second in command. You, servant."

Lucian looked at the shaman, wide-eyed, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

"What?! Since when did you get so hilarious?!" He doubled over, clutching his sides.

A vein visibly twitched on Vael's forehead.

"Why, you little...!"

Before Vael could move, the shaman raised his hand again, summoning infernal portals.

"You no threaten me." His tone was blunt, as if he'd been Lucian's right-hand man for years. This only made Lucian laugh harder.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Lucian stood up, still catching his breath.

"I guess even the goblins figured out how my Legion spell works. I'm surprised he used your own Dominion against you so quickly—especially since he just got it."

"Master, you can't possibly—" Vael began, but Lucian cut him off with a finger to his lips.

"Shh. I'm a man of my word." He shrugged. "He is, unfortunately, the second in command." Lucian's mouth twitched, struggling to suppress another laugh.

Vael slumped to the ground in defeat, his pride stinging like a fresh wound. A demon of his stature, overshadowed by a mere goblin?

He couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Had the world truly turned upside down, or had his master just lost his mind?

"Then what am I?" He looked up at Lucian with wide, almost puppy-like eyes—completely out of character for a demon.

Lucian snickered. "Third in command?" He couldn't hold back anymore, his laughter breaking free.

"I'm sorry! I just can't hold it in!"

The shaman stared at Lucian in disbelief before snapping his fingers.

"Goblin, bring merchant goods."

A group of goblins hurried over, carrying a leather sack filled with gold, accessories, and even magical artifacts.

Lucian's laughter ceased instantly, replaced by a satisfied smirk.

"This much...?" He ran his finger through the haul, his violet eyes almost gleaming like dollar signs.

He turned to the shaman, giving two enthusiastic thumbs up.

"I made the right choice."

The shaman scoffed proudly.

"Nothing for goblin like me."

Suddenly, Lucian noticed the Codex in the shaman's hand.

"Wait... you figured out I was bluffing by throwing your Codex, didn't you?"

The shaman's face turned sour, clearly embarrassed at the memory of begging Lucian to return the Codex—completely unaware he could just summon it again.

"Me no want to talk about that."

Vael cut into the conversation.

"Master, what do you plan to do about the Hero hunting you down?"

Lucian chuckled.

"He's got bigger problems—like fighting the current Dark Lord. He doesn't care about me enough to stick around that city for more than a day."

Lucian began pacing in circles around the large goblin hut.

"Besides, he'll probably assume I'm just part of the new Dark Lord's army and rush off to deal with him."

Mid-thought, a sudden realization struck Lucian—he had completely forgotten about the child he'd adopted while preaching in the slums during the chaotic battle with the Hero and Reid Perval.

"Shit..." He froze, turning to Vael.

"This kingdom doesn't have child support laws... does it?" Lucian joked, a sly grin on his face.

However, his two followers didn't catch the humor. Both Vael and the shaman stared at him, utterly baffled. Why would Lucian—a feared Dark Lord—care about human laws?