Volume 10, Chapter 3 – The Barrier That Froze Time

After leaving the room destroyed by Laxy’s ‘Single Line’, Yisi led the blind Tina to the study. Because Yisi had sent Laxy away on the pretext of needing to prepare food for their guest, her conversation with Tina went smoothly.

Now, Laxy, dressed in a long maid’s dress, had finished preparing lunch and walked slowly over to Yisi.

“My Lord, lunch is ready.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You can put it on the table.” Yisi nodded at Laxy, who was holding a silver tray, motioning for her to place the steaming hot congee in front of Tina. Then, Yisi continued questioning Tina, who was sitting across from her. “So, you’re saying you used your own magic as the price to create a barrier that froze time?”

“Mhm.”

Smelling the aroma of the congee, Tina’s small nostrils flared slightly, and she couldn’t help but swallow. It wasn’t that she was gluttonous, but Tina had been asleep in bed for so long that even though Mary and Laxy had taken good care of her in shifts, her stomach was now aching with hunger.

Taking a deep breath of the fragrant rice congee, which was sprinkled with fine bamboo shoots and minced meat, Tina suppressed her desire. Compared to the momentary feeling of hunger, she chose to first tell Yisi everything that had happened.

“At that time, the black demons had already broken into Mother’s room. If I didn’t take final measures, the entire Demon Lord’s castle would fall into their hands.”

“Black demons? The Demon Lord’s castle would fall into their hands?” Standing behind Yisi, Laxy, who had missed the conversation, couldn’t help but ask. “My Lord, what did you and Tartaros talk about while I was preparing food?”

“Ah, I should tell you too, Laxy.”

Yisi repeated the story Tina had just told her.

After she and Tina parted ways in the Hels Kingdom, Tina had lingered in the human world for half a month, stealing a large number of artworks from the Hels Kingdom’s treasury before returning to the Demon Lord’s castle. However, not long after Tina got home, the castle’s barrier was breached. Tina immediately ordered Hetty to organize the demon army to intercept the unknown enemy.

At first, Tina thought the attacker was the strongest Fallen Angel, Azazel, so she didn’t pay him much mind. Outside the Demon Lord’s castle, Tina was indeed no match for Azazel, but on her home ground, protected by the Demon Lord’s barrier, it was impossible for Azazel to defeat her. Furthermore, Tina still held a final trump card: the sword of ruin, Laevateinn, which Yisi had lent her. If the worst came to worst, she could just give the sword to Azazel, and he would naturally leave.

However, contrary to what Tina had imagined, the attacker was not Azazel, the Fallen Angel from Ouranos, but an unknown, completely liquid, black monster. When this black monster touched the barrier, the barrier burned away as quickly as a piece of paper set on fire. The demons who, under Hetty’s command, attacked the black monster were also like moths flying into a flame, easily devoured by it.

Realizing this black monster was no simple foe, Tina quickly made the decision to have her demons retreat and stepped up to fight it herself. Using the Demon Lord’s overwhelming power, she forced the black monster to reveal its true form: a pitch-black creature with a body outline similar to a centaur, but with the head of a goat. Its body was larger than a dragon’s, yet it could communicate with Tina in the ancient demonic language. The gist of it was for Tina to submit to it, or it would erase the entire Demon Lord’s castle, along with the name Tartaros, from the world.

Tina naturally refused the goat-headed monster, and so the two sides engaged in an even more ferocious battle. During the fight, various other demons accompanying the goat-headed monster also bored their way into the barrier. It was then that Tina realized their identity: they were subordinates of the Ocean Demon Lord, Styx. While Tina fought the goat-headed monster, Hetty led the fallen angels and archdemons into battle against the fallen angels belonging to Demon Lord Styx.

The result was a disastrous defeat for Tina’s side.

Because the barrier had been destroyed by the goat-headed demon, Tina could no longer borrow its power to strengthen herself. Even though she successfully used [Realm of Manipulating Fate] to lower the goat-headed demon’s level to her own, she was gradually forced into a disadvantage due to the enemy’s immortal characteristics.

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According to Tina, even when she used instant-death curses to kill the goat-headed demon, its body, which had turned to black liquid, would quickly reform. At most, it was as if it had swapped in a new soul, unable to remember what had happened just a few minutes prior. After reviving, it would continue attacking Tina while using its massive body to trample the defenseless common demons in the city.

At the same time, while Tina was pinned down by the goat-headed demon, Hetty’s group, which had been forced into a hasty battle, was defeated by the well-prepared enemy fallen angels. The fallen angels belonging to Styx did not press their advantage to kill Hetty and the others, but instead made a dash for the central core of the Demon Lord’s castle—the one Tina called “Mother.”

With the entire Demon Lord’s castle on the verge of annihilation, Hetty and Sandra decided to abandon its defense and desperately try to escape with Tina. But just as they were about to flee the barrier, the three were intercepted by the goat-headed demon again. With their strength at the time, even if Tina could escape, Hetty and Sandra would have to be sacrificed.

Looking at the buildings being shattered and her people crying out as they were trampled by the enemy demons, Tina finally gave up on escaping. She burned her own Demon Lord’s Inheritance, sacrificing her life force as the price to create a barrier that would freeze even time, sealing the entire Demon Lord’s castle and all its enemies within it for eternity.

However, just as the barrier was about to spread from the castle’s center to Tina, the central core of the castle—the “Mother” Tina spoke of—teleported Tina into normal space. Immediately after, pursued by the large number of demons Styx had stationed outside the barrier, Tina followed the final positioning marker left by Sandra and came to the Duchy of Chloe, seeking Yisi’s help.

This was the entire story Tina described to Yisi.

After listening, Laxy couldn’t help but frown.

Although it was relayed by Yisi, whose tone held neither anger nor any excessive embellishment of the scene, Laxy could still imagine just how tragic the battle must have been. The Ocean Demon Lord Styx wanted to erase the name Tartaros from the world. It wasn’t just about destroying the nation, but about leaving no demon belonging to the Tartaros faction alive. For Tina, this was a battle for the very survival of her race; no compromise could be made, no matter how many were sacrificed.

“So you intend to have My Lord help you take back your homeland. I must admit, the terms you’ve offered are very favorable for My Lord. Having a Demon Lord as a servant would be of immense help in many ways. But, this is a demon that even a Demon Lord couldn’t defeat. I cannot approve of this deal until we have properly assessed the enemy’s strength.”

“No, Laxy, I have my own considerations. That demon’s strength is likely less than that of the world dragon. That being the case, it poses no threat to me.”

At first, when she saw Tina forced into such a desperate state, she thought the enemy might be a threat to her. But according to Tina’s description, if it could be affected by [Realm of Manipulating Fate], then that goat-headed demon was probably weaker than the world dragon at full strength, and perhaps not even as strong as that white “Yisi” from the gospel.

Laxy had no intention of stopping there.

“With all due respect, My Lord, you—”

Before Laxy could finish, Yisi turned and made a hushing gesture to Laxy, who was standing at the side of the sofa. The only person Tina could rely on right now was her. Even if Laxy was just thinking of her, she had to stop Laxy from saying any more. Yisi couldn’t help but glance at Tina. Because of Laxy’s words, Tina was anxiously wringing the hem of her clothes, her lips pressed tightly together. Saying such things in front of Tina right now was too cruel.

‘You can say whatever you want after we leave, but for now, please be quiet.’ Yisi shot Laxy a look with that meaning. Laxy looked like she wanted to say more, but after seeing Yisi’s pleading expression, she reluctantly closed her mouth.

Sighing in relief, Yisi turned back to Tina’s vacant eyes. According to Tina, her blindness was not due to external injuries.

“What about your eyes, Tina? Is there a way to restore them?”

“…The ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’ used my Demon Lord’s Inheritance and a portion of my life force as its price. After the seal is released, the portion of my inheritance and life force that I lost will immediately return to me. Originally, because I was also supposed to be inside the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’, it would have been impossible for the inheritance’s power to return. But because Mother sent me out at the end, the possibility of recovery now exists.”

At this point, Tina bit her lip, her voice growing much quieter.

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“The ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’ must be cast using the Demon Lord’s Inheritance. I’ve never used this magic before, so I don’t know the specifics either…”

“The Demon Lord’s Inheritance? What’s that?”

At first, she thought the so-called Demon Lord’s Inheritance referred to Tina’s level, but the [Omniscient Map] still showed Tina’s level as 107, and her magic power hadn’t changed at all.

Tina explained in detail.

“It refers to the accumulated levels, magic, memories, and thoughts of all the previous Demon Lords. The Demon Lord, unlike a king in the human world, isn’t determined by blood. It descends randomly upon one of the citizens in the Demon Lord’s castle. Before I became the successor, I was just an infant demon, less than three years old. When the previous Tartaros grew old, I was favored by fate and became the successor. From there, I received the Inheritance Core from Mother. In less than five years, I possessed the power to destroy the human world.”

“But Tina’s level didn’t drop when you used the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’.”

“That’s because the core of the Demon Lord’s Inheritance within me hasn’t disappeared. Although my level hasn’t changed, I can no longer use the magic I learned from the inheritance. That is all special magic that only a Demon Lord can use.”

“Doesn’t the contract from before count?”

The contract Tina had tried to form with her earlier should also have been a type of magic.

“That was the most basic magic. Right now, I only have the strength of someone less than level 20.”

To have the strength of less than level 20, yet be able to crush Laxy’s full-power ‘Single Line’ with her bare hands… The physical ability of a Demon Lord was terrifyingly strong.

After thinking for a moment, Yisi steepled her fingers, resting her elbows on the table in front of her.

“Mhm. In other words, to restore Tina’s eyes, we must release the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’. Is that right?”

“That should be it. But more than my eyes, I want Yisi to save the demons in the castle. I can do without the Demon Lord’s Inheritance, but I can’t let them perish along with it. They are all my loyal subjects.”

“I’m not sure I can save them without knowing what the seal is actually like.” Yisi didn’t voice this worry, but just frowned quietly. Since it was a seal that locked away even time, she was almost certain that it would be impossible to enter and save people without releasing it. Forcibly shattering the barrier would only cause the people inside to instantly shatter into pieces, like a broken ice sculpture.

Yisi tried a more tactful approach.

“I understand what you mean, Tina. But before we go to check on the barrier, do you know how to release the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’?”

“I still have the core of the Demon Lord’s Inheritance in me. As long as I use the Demon Lord’s power, I can release the seal. It’s just that my power is too weak right now, so I don’t know to what extent I can do it. If you give me more time to recover my former power, I should be able to release the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’ instantly. But the goat-headed demon… I’ll have to leave that to you, Yisi.”

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“Recover your former power? Didn’t you turn the inheritance into the seal?”

“Mhm, but I was never the Demon Lord Tartaros at full power to begin with. I haven’t fully digested the inheritance. If I digest all the inheritance remaining in my body, I should have even more power than before. You can think of the inheritance as a block of ice, Yisi. Before, I had only melted a part of it. Now, I need to melt the rest of the ice.”

“Then why didn’t you melt it before?”

Although that question immediately popped into her head, now wasn’t the time to ask. If she kept pressing, the congee in front of Tina would get cold.

“Alright, let’s set our goal on restoring Tina’s sight for now. To do that, I’ll have to take Tina to the Demon Lord’s castle first. If Tina can release the ‘Eternal Freeze Seal’ immediately, I’ll just need to take care of that goat-headed demon. If not, we’ll just have to make a long-term plan.”

I need to prepare for both possibilities.

Yisi lightly tapped her head.

Tina didn’t seem to realize that even if her subjects were rescued from the Demon Lord’s castle, they would have nowhere to go. Demons were beings hated by the continent of Alexia. Once they appeared on the continent, they would inevitably be hunted down by all intelligent life. Therefore, if they wanted to live peacefully, they would have to find a country where humans and demons could coexist harmoniously.

The Duchy of Chloe, which was in her hands and in dire need of rebuilding, wasn’t a bad choice. As long as Tina had the demons learn farming and animal husbandry, and disciplined them to be peace-loving like humans, the standard of living in the Duchy of Chloe would rise, and its residents would slowly let go of their prejudice against demons. But that was easier said than done. Setting aside the difficulty of disciplining demons, the Duchy of Chloe was located between the Hels Kingdom and the Norta Empire. If those two great nations declared war on her under the pretext of her harboring demons, things would become extremely tricky.

The best method would still be to find an uninhabited forest deep within the Blood Clan’s territory, Hyurent, and settle the demons there. For Hyurent, which had a vast territory and a sparse population, finding such a place wouldn’t be difficult. The only thing was, she would have to find a way to convince Andrea to take in this group of demons.

As Yisi was pondering these things, she suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. She subconsciously looked over and saw it was Laxy.

“What’s wrong?”

“My Lord, the congee is getting cold.”

Although Laxy wasn’t looking at the table when she said this, she had only asked Laxy to make one serving of congee. In other words, Laxy was prompting her to remind Tina to eat.

What a roundabout way of caring.

Laxy really has no resistance to children.

Of course, in Yisi’s opinion, apart from Tina’s appearance, perhaps Laxy, just like her, felt sympathy for Tina’s plight.

In any case, it was a good thing.

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Yisi couldn’t help but smile. She picked up the bowl of congee, walked around the table, and sat down next to Tina.

“Alright, let’s put other things aside for now. Before we get to business, we have to fill our stomachs. You’re hungry, right, Tina? Come on, open wide, ahhh—”

“Eh?” Although she couldn’t see, Tina could guess what was happening. Not expecting Yisi to make such an intimate gesture, Tina instinctively scooted backward, her hands flying up to shield herself. Her earlier composure vanished in an instant, and she reverted to the old Tina. “I… I can eat by myself just fine!”

“How can you eat when you can’t see? Do you think I’d have the heart to let a child who can’t see eat by herself? Now, open your mouth, or the congee will get cold.”

“I’m not a chi—Mmph!”

Before Tina could refuse again, Yisi picked up the wooden spoon—which held a small amount of warm congee that she had specially cooled with wind magic so as not to burn Tina—and, with lightning speed, stuffed the spoon into Tina’s mouth.

Even a Demon Lord was completely helpless against level 427 speed.

After swallowing the congee whole, Tina’s struggles gradually weakened. Although being force-fed congee by Yisi was a great blow to her pride as a Demon Lord, the moment her tongue, which hadn’t tasted anything in so long, registered the taste of salt, she was instantly captivated by the deliciousness.

Yisi puffed out her chest, pleased with herself.

“What do you think? Laxy’s cooking is delicious, right?”

“Mph…”

Nodding reluctantly, Tina slowly returned to an obedient sitting posture. But because she couldn’t see, she had no idea when Yisi would bring the spoon over again, filling her with a strange sense of unease.

“Mhm-hmm.”

Tina’s obedient appearance made Yisi’s already proud heart soar. In front of this petite, lovely, and exceptionally piteous Demon Lord, who looked to be less than eight years old, she felt like a big sister. Yisi picked up the spoon again. This time, however, she didn’t use wind magic, but gently blew on it to cool it before bringing it to Tina’s lips, touching it lightly to her mouth to let Tina feel its presence.

“Alright, leave it to your Big Sister.”

Without making a sound, Tina bit down on the spoon and ate the congee.

The sense of satisfaction, as if she were feeding a small animal, made Yisi’s mouth form a ‘w’ shape without her even realizing it.

After that, Yisi continued to feed Tina until the latter couldn’t eat anymore.