The Dark Lord rose from her black throne, turning her glowing pink face away—not because she was angry, but because she didn’t know how to say yes. “How dare you speak such st-stupid words, Hero Farem?!”

“Yes, I do dare,” Farem replied. “I’ve already saved the world. So why shouldn’t I dare to start a new life with you?”

Their wedding was beyond human understanding. The Dark Lord had shrouded herself in a flowing white dress woven from snowy feathers. Farem sported a formal black robe, blond hair flying elegantly despite there being no wind. No human showed up, which was a waste, for the wedding cake was darkly delicious. Dark goblins and dark elves were throwing yellow tulips and black lilies as the couple said their vows.

Then they kissed.

***

It was the present day, when Farem and the ex-Dark-Lord now lived happily in a wooden cottage, deep inside the Enchanted Forest. Birds were chirping gleefully outside. Deers were frolicking about without a care. And the sun was enchanting the land with a warm, comforting glow.

“So, what’s happening?” Farem asked his wife, sipping on a cup of tea and reading a guidebook on [Illusion] magic.

“Well, the human kingdoms are fighting each other… again,” she replied while reading a newspaper held up by shadowy tentacles, and sharpening her Abyssal Trident with a black whetstone.

“Gosh, I wonder if they would draft me… again,” Farem smirked.

“Probably.” She shrugged. “Honey, you’re the legendary Hero. They’d give up a million men for your swordsmanship alone.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” Farem finished his tea. “It’s surprising to see you so engrossed in politics. Aren’t you retired already?”

“Yes,” she answered curtly, propping her trident on two nails on the wall. But it slipped from her fingers. She caught it mid-air and slowly hung it back up. “I’m just… Aria now,” she said, staring blankly at her hands.

Farem smiled sadly. “If only the High Emperor sees it that way…”

Aria leaned back and stretched her spine. “We’ve surrendered unconditionally. He has no reason to fight us. Not anymore.”

“Hm. You should have signed a peace treaty.” Farem closed his guidebook and put it back on the shelf. “Otherwise, the Dark Beasts…”

Aria picked up and tossed the whetstone into a wooden chest, with a little more force than usual.

“...might be in danger without their queen.”

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the chest. Just for a split second, Farem could see her mouth tremble slightly. Then she let go, turned to him, and said flatly,

“Not my problem.”

She crossed her arms and went to the kitchen. Farem ran a palm down his face. He might have touched on a sensitive topic. Aria had abandoned her duty for love, but was it the right thing to do? The Dark Beasts were happy for her, but deep inside, they missed her guidance, her leadership, and her kindness. When the beasts were nothing but hollow shells in the Abyss, Aria was their mother. Now, their mother had left, forging her own path.

Aria knew. She was selfish. Ever since then, she had never mentioned them again. The guilt pained her.

A rhythmic knocking came from the door. “I’ll get it,” said Aria, sighing, wondering who could be greeting them this early. She had to make breakfast soon. Silently, Aria prayed it was just the forest animals or the newspaper deliveryman.

But when she opened the door, all that met her was an army. Ten A-Rank mages, ten A-Rank swordmen, and ten A-Rank assassins looked ready to tear her apart. At the helm of this army, a man in red armour raised his spear—the captain, she assumed.

“Dark Lord, you will rue this day!” he roared. “Prepare to meet your end, monster!”

Aria sighed and turned back inside the house, closing the door behind her. “Honey!” she called. “Can you grab my trident?”

“What for?” Farem asked, tossing her the trident.

She caught the massive polearm with one hand. “I have to mop the floor. Be back in a bit.”

“Hm. Mopping the floor with a trident,” Farem mused. “Not suspicious at all. What kind of trash are you cleaning?”

“Dunno. They keep showing up. Cockroaches and dirt, you know?”

Before stepping out the door, Aria closed every curtain, casting [Soundproof Barrier] and [Shadow Fortress] around the house, all to make sure Farem wouldn’t hear or see from the inside. Then she turned the doorknob, stepped outside, and immediately stabbed the trident into the ground.

“[Abyssal Palace],” she said, activating her skill.

Darkness gorged on every tree and flower, forming an ocean around the entire forest. The A-Rank army was frightened, and they tried attacking Aria all at once, only to suffocate under the black sea of [Abyssal Palace].

“What the hell?!” someone yelled. “It’s swallowing ME!!!”

“HELP—Blurb, blerp blorp!” And their scream vanished beneath the dark water.

“Everybody, get into formation! We can’t let this monster break our group!”

Mages soared to the sky, but Aria caught them with shadowy, whip-like tentacles—her [Void Tendrils]—dragging them back to their doom.

“N-no… H-how is she so strong…?” murmured a frightened man. “This isn’t a fight… She’s not even trying!”

Swordsmen lunged at her, their blades travelling at impressive speed… but the tendrils strung them up like the dried meat packages Aria prepared for dinner. It was useless. The void had swallowed them all in two minutes.

The captain shivered in fear, his pants growing damp as he charged for Aria. But she had already [Shadowdash] behind him, gripped his throat, and dragged him into the freezing void.

Watching the man drown, Aria saw a familiar symbol on his armour—the Wortsword Kingdom’s coat-of-arms. Long ago, they invaded her Dark Palace. Their number might have been enormous, but none could defeat her Shadow Generals. Under the generals’ orders, the Dark Beasts had won that battle, so it made sense that the Wortswords still held a grudge.

As he choked in the darkness, Aria leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Go tell your Wortsword King: Mess with me again, and I will drown his entire kingdom in the cold void. Mess with my husband, and I will drag him to the Abyss myself. Are we clear?”

The captain nodded profusely.

“Good.”

Aria rose back to the ground, bringing the captain with her and tossing him at a tree. Just like removing a piece of trash.

“[Void Tendrils], spit them out, please,” she ordered. The void heeded her commands, spitting out the rest of the A-Rank army, frothing at the mouth, their eyes white with fear. They were all alive, but very traumatized.

Ashamed, the captain spat out some final insults, calling her all sorts of slurs before he and his army darted away.

“...You’ll never belong anywhere!” he screamed. “They’re hunting you! ALL of them! They will skin you alive and burn you at the stake like the VERMIN that you are!”

Aria gripped her trident tighter. Anguish filled her whole, but she tried her best to ignore it. As the last of the army disappeared in the undergrowth, Aria placed one palm on the ground and said, “[Abyssal Palace], you may leave.”

The darkness obeyed and receded into the earth.

Leaning by the door, Farem whistled, impressed. “Nice job cleaning, sweetie.”

“W-what?!” She spun around, clumsily hiding her trident behind her back. “N-no… Umm… How long have you been…?”

“Since you opened the door and stabbed the ground with your trident. Heh. Close it next time.”

“Oh, gosh…” Aria grew pale. “You weren’t supposed to see that…”

“No need to hide anything. Have you forgotten I could sense your mana, too?” Farem asked calmly, staring at the darkness escaping to the ground. “FYI, your mana was drenched in bloodlust.”

“Ugh… Fine! But if you’ve watched the whole thing, then you know they had ill intent! I was defending myself! And… protecting you.”

“I know… It’s alright. I’m not here to blame you. I didn’t fight just Dark Beasts, you know. Evildoers need to be punished. But anyway, why are they hunting you?”

“Hmph.” Aria crossed her arms. “Can’t you figure it out, Mr. Hero?”

“Yeah, I have an idea. Come inside. We must leave this place.”

Aria cursed under her breath. They had chosen to live in the Enchanted Forest because it was quiet and empty. But now, things had changed. It seemed humans wouldn’t leave the Dark Lord alone. Some greed for her power. Some wanted the glory of slaying the ultimate evil. Some still held grudges. And some felt they needed to stop the Prophecy. She was wanted everywhere she went. But that was the cost of being the Dark Lord, after all, even if she had “retired.”

After five minutes, Farem had already finished packing their bags, [Health Potions], extra weapons, and clothes. He threw them in his pocket-dimension storage—his [Inventory]—and put on his rusted armour and faded blue cape. Farem brought out his Light Blade, still as gleaming as the day he left it to collect dust inside his [Inventory]. “Ready?” he asked.

Aria manifested her dark armour from the shadows, then hid it under a gray cloak. “Yes, let us leave,” she replied.

Farem sighed. He had married the Dark Lord, but their happy, quiet life was still out of reach.

“Where do we go now?” Aria asked.

He took her hand in his. “Let’s check the Guild for some information. The nearest town is just a good distance away.”