Luci braced himself for the blow.
Arms curled tightly over his face, he felt the beast charging straight at him.
I failed again... For a prince of the Star lineage, isn’t that pathetic?
Asher… you wouldn’t have lost, right?
CRAAAAACK!
As if his thoughts had shattered the sky, a massive form crashed down behind him.
The ground split, stone cracked beneath its weight.
A towering shadow loomed over him, wings vast as night, fully spread.
“ROOAARR!!”
The roar shook the air, followed by a shockwave of mana so strong Luci had to shield his face.
The hyena-demon was thrown several meters back, claws digging into the stone to stay grounded.
Other demons stumbled or froze, wide-eyed and panting.
No magic circle. No incantation.
Just raw mana. Pure. Instinctive.
It was the mana of his blood.It was him, without a doubt...
So intense. So overwhelming.
Luci’s heart skipped a beat. His throat tightened.
Was there any trace left of the kind demon from his memories in that voice capable of destroying mountains...?A harsh breath. A heavy growl.
The sound of a predator.
Luci didn’t dare look up. Hands trembling, mouth dry, he still managed:“A... Ash...”
“ENOUGH!!”
The reaction was instant.
Not just from the volume, but from the commanding aura in that voice.
Tails dropped. Ears flattened. Submission.
Every demons shivered.
Only Luci remained unaffected.So this is the power of a Demon Lord...
The Dux... Was that really Asher?
The Overlord stepped closer, knelt, and gripped Luci by the shoulders.
Only then did Luci dare look up, and saw the unmistakable blaze of red hair.
Asher.
The warmth of his hands clashed with the cold of his claws.
A strange feeling, comforting and terrifying all at once.
Half of him wanted to curl into that warmth.
The other half wanted to run.
“I’ll fix this. Everything’s going to be okay, Luci.” Asher whispered gently.
It had been so long since Luci had heard his name in that voice, deeper now, more assured, but still so achingly familiar.
He slowly raised his head.
Asher gave him a smile.
That smile…
That was the forest boy’s smile.He’s still here.
Then Asher turned to face the crowd, his voice calm and commanding in flawless Latin:
“Luc—ahhm—I mean, the human prince is my guest.
As a leader of his people, he deserves the same respect as any Lord.
I want to build mutual exchanges between our clans.
From today on, treat him with the same regard you would treat me.
I trust our clan to show Prince Star a warm welcome.”
Silence.
The demons looked… confused.
The hyena and pangolin demons exchanged a glance before one spoke up:
“Uh, Lord Abaddon? We just accepted his challenge. Fought fair and square.
How exactly did we offend him?”
Asher shot a nervous look at Luci.
A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Didn’t even last five minutes before picking a fight with demons… Yup. Still Luci.
“Er… humans aren’t familiar with demon customs. They don’t fight like we do.
So please, I ask that you refrain from challenging him.”
A pause.`
“Oh...”
The hyena mumbled, “He said he knew our rules, though,” before the pangolin tugged her tail to shut her up.
Murmurs spread through the crowd, puzzled, disappointed.
Voices rose, overlapping:
“Can we sniff him, then?”
“Ohhh…”
“What if we lick him—is that okay?”
“Uh... no.”
“Maybe we should scratch his belly?”
“OH FOR—”
Asher threw up his arms.
“NO MORE QUESTIONS! That’s enough for today!”
Flustered and without asking permission, he scooped Luci up around the waist.
“W-WHOAAA?!”
Luci barely had time to react before the wind rushed past them.
He clung to Asher out of instinct.
They soared upward, then landed gently on the balcony of the same room Luci had woken in.
“Luci! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?! Your... your cheek, it’s bleeding!”
Asher tore a cloth, sliced it with his claw, and pressed it to Luci’s face.
“Ow—ow ow ow! Gentle! That stings!”
“Oh gods—I didn’t mean for this to happen! I didn’t mean to kidnap you! Please don’t be mad—I just—didn’t know what else to do—!”
“Pffft… Ahahaha!”
“...Luci?”
“Relax. I’m okay. And it’s thanks to you. So breathe, alright?”
“…Luci… is it really you? Still you?”
“Yes, Ash. It’s really me.”
Asher stared for a long moment, like trying to be sure...
Then, all at once, he pulled Luci into a tight hug. Warm. Fierce. Like something precious he thought he’d lost forever.
Luci froze. Then slowly… wrapped his arms around him in return.
Asher didn’t react to the nickname.
“I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I thought you were just a figment of my messed-up imagination…
You have no idea how much I hated myself for it.”
“Haha… Luci always had a wild imagination.
But not wild enough to invent all this, huh?” he said, brushing his thumb along Luci’s cheek to make sure he was real.
“Mmh… Speaking of imagination...
I get that you were scared I might disappear again.
But… chaining me to your bed? Don’t you think that’s a bit… excessive?”
“…”
“…”
“AAAAAH NO!! It’s not what you think!! I swear!! It wasn’t me, it was the room service!! I swear on God!!
I stepped out for a second and they saw you without clothes and they—
I DIDN’T LOOK, I SWEAR!! They thought—I mean—they assumed—AH—”
He turned red, camellia red. Even his scales flushed with embarrassment.
“So... you mean they thought I was your midnight snack?”
“AHHH!! No! I mean—maybe? Sorry!! But I don’t eat humans, okay?! Demons don’t eat humans!!
It’s just a myth!! Okay—some do, but that’s rare! Like humans eating rats in survival stories!
You're safe! To demons, humans are like… like rats!”
Luci stared at him, deadpan.
“…Like rats.”
“Ahhh… sorry. I’m terrible with metaphors.”
“Haaah… So being tied up naked wasn’t your idea. What a letdown,” Luci muttered with fake disappointment, hand to his cheek.
“A-A letdown?!”
“I thought maybe you wanted to play ‘captive prince’ again…
Oh well. Guess my imagination’s still too wild.”
Luci reached out, with a small, teasing gesture. Just enough to test Asher’s reaction.
The demon turned scarlet, from the tips of his wings to the roots of his hair.
He was practically steaming.
Kings may conquer lands... but the heart of a demon lord? That would always belong to one little prince.
“T-You… and me?! I mean—no! I mean maybe?! Wait—NO!! I mean—I could never—I wouldn’t dare—AH!! I—”
He flailed so much, he practically caused a windstorm.
...Maybe I pushed too far. Poor thing’s is going to explode.
Luci reached to pat his head, but Asher was way too tall now.
So he tugged on a pointy ear instead.
“OWWW—Hey!”
Then Luci gently pressed a finger to his lips.
Asher’s eyes crossed, focusing on that finger. And just like that, he quieted.
“Shhh. I’m teasing, idiot. No need to panic.”
“…Sorry…”
I thought Demon Lords were supposed to do it a lot…
But I guess this is Asher we’re talking about.
Too bad. That body of his deserves a sin or two...“Haha… You apologize a lot for a Demon Lord. Is that… normal?”
“Ah… Stolas says that too.
Sometimes I don’t think I’m cut out to be a leader.”
Luci glanced at their shoulders.
Speak for yourself.
“Stolas? So it’s official, I’m no longer your only friend?”
“Ohh! You have to meet him, and the others too!
They’re real demons, from hell and all but I swear on God, they’re good people!
You’ll love them! And I promise, none of them eat humans!”
Even here, he made friends… I think I envy him. He seems more at home in this world than I ever did in mine.
“…Asher. Do you feel at home here?”
“Well… I built my own room. Helped build this city with the clan.
So yeah, I guess it’s as homey as it gets.”
“No, I mean… do you feel at home with the demons?”Asher’s hand touched the golden cross dangling from his ear.
“…Sometimes I don’t get them. They’re weird. Wild.
But… they’re nothing like what my dad told me.
They welcomed me like one of their own.
They’re not perfect. But they’re my family.
And yeah… this is home now.”
“…Then I’m happy for you. You found your place.”Luci stepped back slightly, as if the words built a wall between them.
His smile was genuine, but tinged with sadness for his own condition.
This time, Asher didn’t let him pull away.He took Luci’s hand.
“…But now that you’re here…
It really feels like I’m trully back home.”
His voice was soft. His smile sincere.
Luci couldn’t speak.
His blushing cheeks answered for him.
Asher suddenly realized what he’d said and turned red again.“I-I mean—there’s space! You could stay! If you wanted!”
“Here? You think this place suits a plain human like me?
Besides, you know it’s not that simple…”
“I get it. You’re a ruler. You’ve got your own kingdom to return to.
It’s just… so much has happened.
I don’t even know where to start.”
Luci sniffed the air.
Something sweet lingered…
His eyes lit up.“Hmmm. Well... you could start by telling me how the gentle little forest demon became the Overlord of a whole demon clan.”
He grabbed a freshly baked dragon-shaped croissant…
and bit off one of its horns.
“…Also, breakfast wouldn’t hurt.”
“Ahhh! Yes! I made them just for you!”
Still a master chef. Hard to find him any flaws… well, his wildly blasphemous origins put on side.
Asher placed the tray beside the bed.
Luci wiped the blood from his cheek, then frowned at the golden collar still around his neck.
“…And maybe remove those things?”
“Ahh! Right—right away!”
What an idiot!! How could I forget that?!
With precise moves, Asher shattered the chains like it was paper.
How can he snap gold like twine… but still hold porcelain without breaking it?
Luci kept those questions to himself, rubbing his wrists.
The two boys finally lay back on the bed.
Luci sprawled, legs up, grabbing another warm dragon croissant.
Its sugar-glazed eyes looked up at him, pleadingly innocent.
“…He’s too cute to eat,” Luci whispered.
He hesitated. Then gently nibbled the tail.
“There. He can still fly.”
Asher burst out laughing.
“You just traumatized a sugar dragon.”
“Tss. You’re the one who gave him a soul with his caramel eyes.
But hey—if you prefer, I can eat your tail instead… with spicy sauce.”
“AH! You wouldn’t—!”He clutched his tail in horror… Then dropped it, exasperated.
“…Wait. You already made that joke.”
With a smirk, Luci licked the crumbs from his fingers.
“So? How does one go from forest troll...
to Grand Overlord Abaddon, ruler of demons?”
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