Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 87: Visit to Sarion
There are up to 15 chapters ahead at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
I focused on my palm as I relaxed into the cushiony comfort of the love seat. I avoided the pleasant sight of Arcueid laying on my bed in the nude, only covered by my blanket.
Normally she wouldn't be asleep, she didn't really need to sleep in the first place but Lover wore her spirit out quite a bit.
Let's just say having your spirit practically manhandled, molested, and pleasurably toyed with was rather… draining.
Lover for the win!
If I wanted I could turn even the most chaste holy woman into someone that would bend over and present for their new god.
I truly wielded unnatural powers that must be wielded with respect and self control!
"I do not believe you considered either of those while making Arcueid go cross-eyed." Othinus remarked, her voice tinged with dry amusement as she echoed in my mind.
'That's different! Arcueid is Arcueid, while randoms are randoms!'
I wasn't going to go around mind breaking any poor damsels, I was no hentai villain.
"Those randoms as you call them are beneath your notice master. I'm sure it would be their honor to serve under your glorious visage."
'Tone down the yandereness! But I appreciate the thought.'
My tender gaze went back to Arcueid who was peacefully resting the night away.
Arcueid was quite surprised when I began reading her desires and wants like a piece of paper. Lover was seriously cheating when it came to bed arts.
Plus her energy levels are stabilizing after the Essence Exchange that I had with her.
Dual cultivation for the win!
All in all, all that resulted in her needing some spiritual downtime which I practically forced onto her with Magic.
That woman was a wonder, in both personality and body. I was most definitely originally attracted to her for her body, who wouldn't be. However now I could confidently say I liked her for… her.
I wasn't sure if I loved her, a pleasant feeling did bubble up in my chest whenever I thought of her and the moments we shared, the same could be said about all my lovers, but really despite my maturity I knew I was still a rookie in the matters of love. I thought I loved them at the very least.
I couldn't put my feelings directly into words, nor did I want Othinus to do so for me, it was something for me to discover on my own.
I did believe I loved Saeko, and Raiden, both had been with me for the longest and I had grown attached. Enough that I'd be willing to kill for them and do a lot of messed up stuff.
I cared and maybe even loved Arcueid and Lalatina as well, it was just difficult to put emotions into words.
I cared for Kurumi as well, though in a slightly different way as our relationship hasn't gone in that direction, and my relationship with Megumin was slowly developing, with us sharing some make out sessions and light petting after an intense battle.
Who would have known that getting her ass beat would turn Megumin on?
My relationship with Luminous was still developing, but as things were growing I knew it would go in that direction one day. I cared for Hinata deeply as well despite how our rocky relationship began.
I loved Rimuru and Milim, though obviously in a different way from my lovers. Those two were probably some of the closest people to me. Veldora, and Ramiris were good friends as well.
I focused back on my extended palm as I called upon the formidable power of Creation that Brahma allowed me to wield.
I knew that Brahma was perhaps my Skill with the most potential.
"...."
'Stop pouting, you aren't a Skill anymore, you're a Manas!'
"Ah! You are right master!"
'Indeed I am.'
I focused back on Brahma, it just had so much potential. I could theoretically create literally anything as long as I had enough power.
I could create any Skill, even completely new ones that I had no data on as long as I had the power.
Of course something like that takes an absurd amount of energy so I wasn't going to do that when I didn't need to. Theoretically I could make a Skill the moment I needed it for a specific situation, but I'm almost certain the amount of energy I would lose would be extraordinary so I was fine keeping this as more of a last resort.
I had some ideas about some artifacts I'd like to make and perhaps give to some members of the military. Rewarding them for their efforts and all that.
I couldn't quite create souls from scratch yet, but with Othinus' help I could at least recreate the memories of a person and stuff that into an Emulated Soul which would technically be considered a form of revival.
I could even create paradoxical things, perhaps if I had enough data I could become a True Hero and a True Demon Lord through the power of bullshit.
Of course I didn't have the data for that nor did I need to do that at this point in time.
Data and power was the only thing holding me back at this point when it came to Brahma. I may be strong, but creating the truly crazy things needed obscene amounts of energy. The Great Holy Spirits that fuel this multiverse likely had trillions if not quadrillions of EP, maybe even more.
So creating anything as grand as even a galaxy was beyond me as I am now. At least a true and complete galaxy, one with its own laws and whatnot.
Perhaps I could even surpass the original Creator God eventually, I knew it was a foolish ambition to have but who wouldn't want to be "all powerful"?
The Creator God had crafted this entire multiverse, establishing the laws that governed it, and even incarnated himself as one of the True Dragons. To surpass him would be to transcend those very laws, to become the ultimate being in existence. It was a foolish dream, but it was mine nonetheless.
It was a dream fueled by pride, laziness and hedonism. I wanted to live my best life for the rest of eternity if I had my way.
I focused Brahma's power as my efforts began to bear fruit in the palm of my hand. I was trying to use Brahma to create a celestial phenomena without Othinus' help.
A smile crept across my lips as I focused on the growing warmth in the palm of my hand. Brahma's power over Creation flowed through me, I was attempting something new, I was trying to create a miniature star.
I knew that I could shatter a star with a punch, but for some reason creating one seems far more divine and impressive to me.
I gathered the necessary energy as I fueled Brahma's power over creation. I could tell that I was missing something as I poured more and more energy into the process. It was as if the energy I was providing was lacking and I was making do with sheer quantity, which while worked, it didn't allow for the best process.
Moments later a swirling mass of power gathered within the palm of my hand, it pulsed with a persistent heat that would burn a mortal man to cinders in moments.
Creating a star was a rather delicate process even with Brahma. Brahma gave me the tools but in the end it was up to me to master the tools and shape my creations. For a miniature star I had to be careful to not pour too much energy into it so it didn't implode on itself, while also giving it just enough that it remained "alive".
The light from the palm of my hand grew brighter and brighter as the miniature star continued to develop. It was a rather enchanting sight, for a celestial phenomena like a star to be born in the palm of my hand, it really hit home just what kind of bullshit I was capable of.
I could only thank truck-kun for flinging me into this life.
Even a star this insignificant could cause massive amounts of damage if I lost control over it, thankfully my room was absurdly reinforced by a multitude of barriers. And I could throw it into Infinity Space before it got to that point so there was no real danger.
The star began to take shape, its light becoming more focused, more defined. I could feel the heat intensifying, but I kept it contained, not letting it escape the invisible barrier I'd formed around it.
The star was small, no larger than a marble, but it radiated an immense amount of energy.
Before long a complete miniature star pulsed in my hand.
"Extraordinary." I turned to Arcueid who was sitting up on my bed, the blanket had fallen to the wayside as her perfect breasts topped with pretty nipples were exposed to the open air.
"To think you could do something within the domain of the Creator…." Arcueid said while looking at me with a fervent light in her eyes.
"Sorry for waking you." I responded as I snapped my fingers causing a white one piece dress to form on Arcueid's curves.
Her energy levels had stabilized, she had grown a bit more powerful, not that much in the grand scheme of things but she gained about a Greater Majin's worth of energy, about 10,000 EP or so. It wasn't much individually but it would add up over time.
Arcueid looked down at her dress as she responded. "It is no issue, if I had not awoken I would have not gotten to witness such a divine sight." Arcueid's devoted gaze focused back on me. "You have truly surpassed any and all expectations, My Lord."
"Haha, well I live to do so."
I focused back on the star floating gently in the palm of my hand as Arcueid watched. Now that I had created the star I wanted to see if I could change it a bit even after its creation. Plus I wanted to show off a bit to her.
I began to slowly rotate my hand, willing the star to follow the motion. It obeyed, spinning gently in place as I guided it. I channeled the powers of Brahma as the light from the star shifted, changing from gold to a deep crimson, then to a brilliant blue.
"...The temperature." Arcueid mumbled.
I nodded. "That's right."
I was changing the temperature of the star to change its color. I increased the energy slightly, watching as the blue deepened into an almost indigo hue, the heat rising in tandem. I could feel the star's core, the nuclear reactions happening within it.
I continued to experiment, altering the star's size, its temperature, its brightness. After a bit of experimenting I was able to successfully alter the star to my whims.
It was overpowering to know that I could do something like this with a bit of power and focus, I would have to work hard to make sure I didn't get a big head.
Arcueid had watched throughout the entire process, her worshipful gaze locked upon my form. I could admit that her gaze did certain things to me but I focused on the star as I decided to dissipate it.
Dissipating a star wasn't simple, I had to carefully suck the energy out of it slowly enough that the star didn't become unstable.
Before long the star winked out of existence, leaving only a faint warmth in my palm as a reminder of what I had just created.
Arcueid rose from my bed, the soft white dress I had conjured flowing elegantly around her. There was a reverence in her movements as she approached me. "Fufufu, truly extraordinary My Lord, but I suppose I should expect nothing less from you."
Arcueid slowly sat on my lap pressing her generous bust flush against my chest. Her crimson eyes gazed into my own with worship and love as she breathed in my scent. "Truly, you may just be the best thing that has happened to me, My Lord." Arcueid whispered gently into my ear. I couldn't deny that my metaphorical heart skipped a beat at her words.
Having a devoted demoness was truly amazing, 10/10 experience.
"This new life of mine that you have claimed has been filled with pleasures I had long since forgotten. You have brought meaning to my life once more after eons of boredom. Rather than just playing games with Lalatina and Megumin, serving at your whims is far more enjoyable and rewarding." Arcueid continued.
I could feel my shaft harden, as did Arcueid as she grinded her ass against my harending shaft.
"Ara ara, I suppose it is my duty to satisfy you, seeing as I am the cause of your troubles My Lord." Arcueid seductively whispered as she increased the speed of her grinding.
"By all means, I'll never reject you, my dear Arcueid."
My words caused a bright and innocent smile to spread across Arcueid's face. I could think more on Brahma later, for now Arcueid deserved my attention.
- Kurumi -
Kurumi grit her teeth as she pushed her Gravity Manipulation to its absolute limits. Through sheer force of will and Gravity Manipulation, she compressed the air tighter and tighter. The gravitational forces she summoned were immense, far beyond anything she had attempted before. The air grew hotter, glowing with an intense, fiery light as it was forced into a superheated, compact sphere.
The molecules around her were compressed tighter and tighter, increasing the temperature of her sphere.
She could feel the temperature rising to unbearable levels, the very air around the sphere crackling and hissing as it struggled to contain the energy within.
Kurumi grit her teeth as she unleashed the sphere, sending it plummeting toward the ground at an unimaginable speed.
She was currently in one of the training demiplanes in which her master had created many differing landscapes, this one filled with rugged terrain and towering mountains.
Megumin had spoken about her master doing something similar in another dimension, summoning a meteor from space itself that had affected the entire planet. This got her thinking if she could eventually do the same. She knew she would fail as she was now, but that didn't stop her from trying to create a devastating attack of her own.
She compressed the air around her through Gravity Manipulation. By increasing the gravitational force in a localized area, she forced the air molecules to pack tightly together, creating an extremely dense and compact sphere of air.
Before meeting her master she was not the most educated on the world and the laws of science, however her master had placed many books in his personal library detailing such things. She had access to the library, it would be foolish to not make use of the resources she had, and so through science and magic she developed this new attack of hers.
With a flex of her Aura she ascended further up into the sky to avoid the blast radius, she would survive it but it would ruin the outfit her master picked out for her.
The sphere struck the earth with the force of a cataclysm. Upon impact, it detonated, releasing all of its pent-up energy in a blinding, superheated explosion.
The shockwave her attack released was greater than any she had seen before in her life. It was a wall of sheer force that expanded outwards at supersonic speeds. The air itself was torn apart as the wave traveled, flattening mountains, vaporizing the land itself, and turning the ground to molten slag. The blast left behind a crater of unimaginable size, the ground fused into glass from the heat.
As the shockwave continued to ripple out, the heat of the explosion seared the landscape, raising the temperature to thousands of degrees. Anything within a vast radius was instantly incinerated, reduced to ash in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps if she had possessed such power back then… maybe her mother wouldn't have died in the Eastern Empire's attack. She knew it was a foolish thought, the wish of the young girl within her, yet she couldn't help but consider the possibility. If she had been stronger, maybe her mother, maybe her people would still be with her today.
She shook her head. What was done was done, she knew she shouldn't dwell on the past obsessively. She had a new purpose now, to serve as her master's pet and obliterate his enemies from existence.
To further that purpose she had been training religiously under the teachings of Arcueid, Lalatina, and Megumin. They were her superiors within the Eight Demonic Lords ranking, so she did not feel it was shameful to ask for their help in better serving their shared master.
If anything they were rather happy to make her more useful to Lord Felix.
Even exhausted as she was from her attack she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.
She had grown stronger, she was not a burden to her master, and that meant everything to her.
She stiffened as she heard clapping from above her.
"Great job Kurumi, I knew you were training but I didn't expect something like this. Compressing the molecules to make it hotter is a good way to make a super hot ball of power without using as many magicules as an attack like that would ordinarily require." The focus of her life said.
"A-Ah master!" She yelped as she looked to him above her. She had not expected him to be here.
Her master shot her a lazy wave. "Sup. I was going to invite you to come with me to Sarion, we haven't spent much time together so I thought I would fix that issue, but if you're busy that's fine."
"N-No! I am never too busy for you company master! It is the duty of a pet to always be there for their owner!"
"If you're sure." Her master shrugged. He descended down to her level and offered his hand. "If you're ready now let's go, I need to pick someone up from Tempest first."
She grabbed her master's hand with a giddy smile before she felt an overwhelming torrent of power fill her.
"Mmm~!" She moaned as her master's addictive power flowed through her.
"A-Ah. I should have warned you that I was going to fill up your reserves. Sorry about that Kurumi."
She blushed as she realized the scandalous sound she had made. To hide her embarrassment she shifted into her fox form and nestled into the crook of his neck.
However to show that she was not mad she licked his cheek.
"That's fine too." Her master said as they vanished, leaving the demiplane a scorched mess.
- Felix -
I slowly descended down towards the Chancellor's Office in Tempest with Kurumi on my shoulder. After… hanging out with Arcueid last night, and this morning, I had thought to take Kurumi with me since we hadn't spent much time together since we went to the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
We of course spoke often, every day in fact but that was different.
Now I'm finally ready to take Kenya to see his new mentor.
It was early morning now, yet I could sense Rimuru in his office working. Being a hardworking ruler must be tough, delegation is the name of the game for me.
I'm sure that Elmesia will be able to teach Kenya a lot, perhaps I'll see the birth of a Hero sometime soon.
I knocked on the window of Rimuru's office. The window quickly opened with Rimuru gazing at me with an unimpressed expression.
"You couldn't have used the door?" Rimuru sighed.
I floated through the window. "Where's the fun in that?"
Rimuru closed the window behind him and took a seat. "Hello Kurumi." Rimuru greeted.
Kurumi raised a paw in greeting.
"So, what did you need?" Rimuru asked.
"I wanted to let you know that I'll be taking Kenya to Sarion as promised."
Kenya was basically one of Rimuru's wards, I'm sure Rimuru would be worried if I just popped in and vanished with Kenya.
Rimuru nodded with a smile on his face. "Great! He's been excited about that."
When I go to pick up Kenya I'll begin gathering the coordinates of the kids' home worlds."
Rimuru nodded. "Thanks Felix, those kids haven't had the best lot in life, at least this way if they want to they can go back to their normal lives. I'll tell them about it once you have the coordinates, I don't want to give them false hope."
I nodded.
"As long as my ability doesn't get out I don't mind being a good samaritan from time to time. I will be making them sign a contract before anything though."
Rimuru nodded. "That's fine, I've told them not to sign contracts with Daemons in the past but I'm sure it'll be fine with you."
"Sure sure, anyways I'm off to pick Kenya up." I looked at Rimuru's desk which was filled with papers. "Have fun with your work."
Rimuru slouched hearing me. "Yeah yeah, see ya."
I vanished and appeared in front of the school in Tempest. I walked into the office and was promptly greeted.
"Ah, Lord Felix! Are you here to meet someone?" One of the staff called out.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm here to take Kenya to meet his new mentor."
The woman nodded. "Very well, I will have him pulled out from his class."
"Do you mind if I accompany whoever is going to pick him up?"
The process of getting the coordinates from the students' souls would be more efficient if Othinus can directly access their souls which I can do far more easily in person.
The woman didn't ask questions and merely nodded. "Very well."
It didn't take long for me to arrive at their classroom with a female Hobgoblin as my escort. "Thanks." I said to the Hobgoblin.
"It was a pleasure, Lord Felix." With that the Hobgoblin left.
Hopefully I can make this quick.
–
I sighed as I left the school with Kenya in tow. The trip took a bit longer than I had planned since the kids wanted to see some cool Magic, I decided to humor them because why not.
At least Othinus was able to begin figuring out the coordinates of each of their home worlds. It wouldn't take too long.
"You excited kid?" I asked.
Kenya jumped around eagerly as he nodded. "Yup! Miss Elmesia said she would make me into a Hero when I last saw her!"
"Heh, maybe she will, it all depends on you Kenya, if you have the willpower then anything is possible."
Kenya nodded with a determined expression on his face.
"Have you been to Sarion before Sir Felix?" Kenya asked.
I shook my head. "I haven't, so I'm also pretty curious about Elmesia's Dynasty. I've heard interesting things about it so I'll probably stick around there for a few days."
Kenya looked at me with wide eyes. "What have you heard about big sis's Dynasty? We haven't learned much about it yet."
"I guess I can tell you a bit, I'm sure Elmesia can tell you things in more detail as I only know the basics. The capital which we will be heading to is built into the DIvine Tree."
"Woah! An entire city built into a tree?!" Kenya exclaimed.
I nodded. "Yeah, it is pretty impressive. Other than that I only know that Sarion is considered to be one of the leading nations when it comes to the development of magitech and Magic. You'll have to wait to find out more until we actually reach Elmesia's territory."
Kenya pouted but nodded. "Fine, how are we going there?" Kenya asked.
"I'll be teleporting us there since I have the coordinates."
The Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion wasn't all that far from the Great Jura Forest and my own territory in the first place, so getting there would never have been an issue.
"You ready?" I asked.
Kenya nodded eagerly. I placed a hand on his shoulder and with a thought, we teleported to Sarion.
In an instant, we stood before a colossal tree, its towering form stretching far beyond the clouds. The Divine Tree was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I had seen some pretty crazy stuff.
Its bark shimmered with an otherworldly sheen, the subtle Aura the tree was releasing was palpable. The leaves, each the size of a small boat, were glistening with a soft luminescence as they rustled in the gentle breeze.
It looked straight out of an anime, except it was realistic.
The Divine Tree exerted a subtle influence over the entire environment around it. The air around it felt different, the magicule concentration in the area was more intense than almost any other place I had been to. The only places beating it out in sheer magicule concentration being The Dungeon, and training grounds whenever someone powerful fought.
I closed my eyes as I expanded my senses. I could feel that the Divine Tree was deeply interwoven with the Cardinal World, there were multiple leylines intersecting under it.
Its very presence extended outwards, encompassing the entire world, stabilizing a large portion of the magicules in the entire world.
I bet that the Divine Tree is what protected this land from the consequences of the battle from Milim and Guy. It also seems to dilute the magicules in the atmosphere of the Cardinal World so that the air doesn't become too intense in magicule concentration.
The Divine Tree also seemed to be responsible for protecting the Elves of this land from magicule corruption. Elves, like Humans, had no innate magicule capacity of their own and needed to learn to think with their Astral Bodies, evolving into Enlightened to gain a magicule capacity.
The intensity of the magicules in this land was more than enough to corrupt a normal Human. It seems the tree itself is rather protective of its citizens.
Every living thing nearby seemed to be in harmony with the tree, as if it was the center of the land, it was almost as if the Divine Tree was a living heart, beating softly in tune with the rhythms of nature. Life around it was thriving, when someone pictured paradise, the Divine Tree and its surroundings wouldn't be far from it.
So this was a Divine Artifact huh? One of the last things related to Veldanava that is still left.
"It is hypothesized that if you manage to acquire a leaf, a branch, or anything bound to the Divine Tree itself, I may be able to decrease the amount of time needed to recreate Veldanava's memories."
'Got it, I'll get you something to analyze.'
Veldanava may be dead but his legacy lives on, heh, this world itself might as well be considered Veldanava's legacy, all of his creations might as well be his legacy.
The Star King was dead, but he really did something rather crazy, I could respect him for that alone.
His fate however was not one I was eager to replicate.
His Angels from what I know have each gone their separate ways, Dino is in the Cardinal World while according to Guy and Ramiris the others are just frolicking about in another dimension.
His disciple, Rudra is trying to take over the world through tyrannical means, though I'm not sure if Veldanava would even care about that.
Milim grew up mostly alone and without friends, and on top of that Gaia was killed until I brought Gaia back.
Barely anyone even knows his name, and those who do simply claim he is a mere myth. Veldora and Velzard don't seem to think about him much, they've long since moved on, or at least they act like they have.
His entire story was practically forgotten, a rather gruesome fate for a man like Veldanava.
I sighed, pushing those thoughts away, and looked down at Kenya, who was still staring up in awe at the massive tree.
"Woah!" Kenya shouted, his eyes wide with wonder.
I couldn't help but smile. "It is a pretty impressive sight."
We stood at the edge of the grasslands that surrounded the Divine Tree. From here I could see its roots extending far into the earth.
"I'll let Elmesia know I'm here."
I stretched my senses to encompass the Divine Tree, I found the subtle and impossible to notice weak spots in the barriers and pierced through them and found Elmesia's signature. I then sent her a Thought Communication which she answered.
"I'm here Elmesia."
"Felix? I see you have arrived with Kenya then" Elmesia questioned, not even bothering to ask how I was sending her a message.
"That's right, we're in front of the Divine Tree, I'll flare out my power so that you can find me."
"Very well, I will be there momentarily."
As the Thought Communication ended, I sent out a brief pulse of energy, marking our location. I looked down at Kenya, who was still gazing up at the Divine Tree, his excitement barely contained. He didn't feel the burst of energy from me since I only released a miniscule amount. Just enough for Elemsia to know where I was with the context I gave.
"She's on her way. Be on your best behavior; you need to make a good impression on your teacher."
Kenya nodded. "Umu!"
I dislike having to be the responsible one, but I suppose that's what I signed up for when I said I would be responsible for Kenya as he was handed over to Elmesia.
I jerked my shoulder. "Why don't you transform into your humanoid form? It's no fun if I'm here with you and you just stay on my shoulder."
Kurumi licked my face before nodding and transforming into the beautiful form of a fox girl.
"Woah!" Kenya shouted. "W-Who's that?" He said with a tint of red on his face.
"Haha." I laughed seeing Kenya's state which only made him blush deeper. Not that I blamed the guy, Kurumi was a bombshell on her own level and was dressed in a rather loose yukata that showed off plenty of cleavage and thigh. It was only normal for a boy like Kenya to be caught unprepared.
"This is Kurumi, I don't think you have met her before but you can rely on her if you need anything."
Kurumi looked down at Kenya with an amused smile. "Hello little one. As master said, I am known as Kurumi."
"H-Hello Miss Kurumi." Kenya nervously greeted.
"Fufufu, how cute." Kurumi's words only made Kenya blush deeper.
Poor kid. I would not want to be on the other end of Kurumi's seductions without any of the life experience I have.
Before long I felt Space contract Elmesia in front of us with Erald behind her acting as her guard.
"Felix. It has been some time." Elmesia greeted.
I nodded. "Hello Elmesia." I gave Erald a nod which he returned.
Elmesia looked to Kurumi. "You must be Kurumi. I do not believe we have met but Felix has told me much about his so-called adorable subordinates."
Kurumi blushed slightly. "He called me adorable?" She squeaked out.
Elmesia nodded with a smirk. "He did."
"Haha, if you act like that the only word to describe you is adorable." I said as I scratched Kurumi's fox ears.
Kurumi relaxed into my touch as Elmesia focused her attention on her new student.
"Kenya." Elmesia said with a small smile.
Kenya bowed. "H-Hello Empress Elmesia!" Kenya stuttered out.
"Fufufu, how adorable. I know I told you to call me big sis El last time we met, however now that I will be your teacher, call me as such."
Kenya nodded nervously. "Teacher!"
Elmesia spun on her heels. "Come, I will show you three around now that you are here. I have been looking forward to this, Rimuru had his time to brag but now it's my turn!"
I rolled my eyes at her words. She may act all empressy but she was a brat at her core.
"Lady Elmesia, I do not think that is appropriate for your station!" Erald said as he chased behind her.
"Hmph, I will do what I want." Elmesia responded.
Erald groaned as he followed her. Elmesia paused to look back at us. "Are you coming?"
Kenya looked at me as if waiting for my approval, what an obedient kid.
"Yeah, we're coming." I said as I hooked my elbow with Kurumi's causing her to further blush.
What a cute fox girl.
–
Kenya ooh'd and ahh'd as Elmesia led us through the streets of her city. Even I was enjoying the sites, as was Kurumi. The city was just so different from any city I had ever seen before.
The branches were large enough to house stores and streets for pedestrians to walk across.
"This is so cool!" Kenya exclaimed.
Elmesia preened. "Fufu, of course it is. The Divine Tree is the lifeline of this city, everything has been built for the purpose of making use of the natural resources the Divine Tree provides us."
There were homes nestled into the bark of the tree, there were districts where stores were lined up next to each other, bridges of intertwined vines connected different levels of the city. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the distant sound of flowing water, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and harmony.
When one thought of a city of Elves, they thought of this city. It just fulfilled the preconceived notions I had of the Elves due to various fictional works I had read.
There were various Elves pointing and whispering once they saw our group.
I raised a brow as a particularly bold child ran up to Elmesia and gave her a flower. Elmesia's smile was blooming as she thanked the child and placed a preservation Spell over the flower.
"It seems you're rather well liked." I said as I walked side by side with Elmesia, my arm still hooked with Kurumi's.
Elmesia smiled smugly. "Of course I am, unless you think there is something not to like?" Elmesia said as she flaunted herself.
I rolled my eyes. Woman would be woman. "No no, nothing like that. I just thought that you were the kind of ruler to laze in your palace and not interact much with your people, that's sure as hell what I do."
"I occasionally go out and interact with my subjects." Elmesia stated.
Kurumi, Elmesia and I continued to make small talk as she showed Kenya and I around. I was glad that Kurumi wasn't afraid to speak up, she was born and raised in this world, most people tend to respect hierarchy and annoying things like that way too much so they are afraid to be themselves around their so-called superiors.
Raiden was much the same in the past, however I had noticed a change within her recently, a change for the better. It seems Kurumi was following in Raiden's footsteps.
I was glad that the two women were growing into their own independent individuals. It boosted a guy's ego when he had women hanging off him sure, but I didn't really want something like that from those I cared about.
That would just be… boring. I would much rather them grow into their own people with their own unique quirks, life was far more exciting and enjoyable that way.
Kenya was suitably amazed at everything, I'm sure he'll enjoy his time here as Elmesia's student.
Before long Elmesia was wrapping up the tour, Erald was still trailing behind us all this time. Poor guy, he was probably overworked.
Elmesia had first teleported us to the residential district, where the homes of those important to Sarion lived. Nobles, relatives of Elmesia, those kinds of people.
Then she showed us around the market district, where people of all sorts of crafts displayed their work. Elmesia pointed out well-known restaurants, each one famous for a particular delicacy.
Then she showed us to the combat district which contained weapons, spell books, you could even rent a teacher for a certain amount of time. They would teach you whatever it is you could learn in that allotted time frame. If you wanted to learn Fire Magic they would teach you that, same with any other form of Magic the rentable teachers knew.
If you were trying to create your own Spell and were struggling the teachers could help you with that too. The culture of Sarion motivated competition and the advancement of Magic as it was one of the things the nation was well known for.
I planned to copy that idea for the rewards center. For an obscene amount of points I'd allow a member of my military to consult with either Arcueid, Lalatina, Megumin about their Magic difficulties for a certain amount of time. Then for Saeko she can assist in Battlewill, Raiden can assist with Battlewill and Holy Magic, Kurumi with Beast Taming, and Sukuna with just being a general menace to society.
He may be loyal to me now, but I have no doubt that Sukuna's original nature still remains somewhere in there.
Whoever bought the consultation could ask for help in learning a Spell or Art, they could ask for Magic that fit their fighting style, or they could even ask for direct training for the duration of their consulting session.
For an even more obscene amount they could directly consult me. I wasn't sure if anyone would ever reach the required amount of points, but it couldn't hurt, maybe it would motivate my minions further.
If anyone actually got enough points to consult me I'd genuinely try my best to help them in what they needed help in.
That meant someone could potentially ask me for a direct training session in which I would do all I could to help them grow stronger, maybe I'd even give them a training regimen to follow.
I would also ask Othinus for her opinion if needed too, I don't do things in half measures, even Hinata was trained properly by me, even if I was more brutal with her. The results did show, look at her, she's a Divine Human now.
It all sounded like a good idea to me.
As the tour was wrapping up Elmesia led us towards the top of the tree, I could see the palace from here.
We walked into a massive secure plaza where the trunk of the Divine Tree widened into a massive platform.
The moment we stepped foot into the plaza I could tell there was something different about this area. The presence of the Divine Tree was far more concentrated, it was almost as if I could feel the attention of the Divine Tree in this place in particular.
Kurumi was looking around in wonder.
I blinked as the wind brushed against my face gently, almost as if a soothing mother was greeting me.
Huh. It seems the Divine Tree was quite alive. If a weapon can have a tool spirit, then why can't a tree?
I looked to the center of the plaza where a fountain stood, its water sparkling with a soft, golden light.
The sheer magicule concentration in the water was honestly absurd. If a strong Greater Majin drank even a drop of it they'd likely die immediately due to magicule poisoning which said something since they were magicule based beings.
The entire area was cleared out before we arrived, I'm betting that Elmesia had it cleared out ahead of time for us.
"This is the center, the heart of Elmine." Elmesia explained with her back turned to us as she gazed up at the fountain. "The water comes from the Divine Tree itself, travels through the roots and to this spot where a fountain was built around it."
She turned around to face us, an uncharacteristic serious expression on her face. "What I am showing you now is a sacred place, even amongst the populace visitation is only allowed after waiting decades on a waitlist for approval."
Kenya stood beside me, a serious look on his face as he gazed at Elmesia. Kurumi nodded in respect to the Elven holy area we were now in.
"Thank you for showing us this then Elmesia."
I could tell this place was important to Elven culture, I may not understand its significance but I could pay respect to her beliefs.
Another gust of wind brushed through my hair, I could even feel the intent the Divine Tree was trying to convey. It seemed almost… happy at the presence of Kurumi, Kenya and I. It didn't truly feel emotions the same way beings like us did, however what it seemed to be conveying was the closest thing to happiness I could think of.
Elmesia accepted my thanks with a nod. "People often come here to meditate and find the center of their being. Some even connect with the Divine Tree's presence and manage to grow from the experience, when this happens it is not uncommon for a normal Elf to become an Enlightened." Elmesia continued.
Is this some cultivation bullshit? Because it sounds like some cultivation bullshit.
"Woah, seriously!" Kenya exclaimed, completely forgetting the atmosphere.
Elmesia however was not offended as she nodded at Kenya with a smile. "I often forget how children are." She sighed.
Heh, as a hag she probably hasn't interacted with young people in ages.
Elmesia shot a glare in my direction, due to some unseen slight no doubt. Kurumi glared back at Elmesia, for some other unseen slight.
Women.
She looked back to Kenya. "Perhaps one day you may be able to connect with the tree."
Kenya nodded with a determined expression on his face. "I'll work hard, teacher!"
Elmesia chuckled softly, clearly amused by his enthusiasm. "I'm sure you will, Kenya. Now, let us wrap this tour up. I am sure you will discover much during your stay here." Elmesia said to Kenya.
Elmesia looked at me. "As for you Felix, you too Kurumi, feel free to return if you wish to explore the Divine Tree more, I will give you both my seal allowing you to travel the Divine Tree freely."
I nodded in thanks. "Thank you Elmesia, I'll return at some point to explore this tree further. I doubt I'll be able to understand the tree in its entirety in the few days I'll be here."
I had gotten Elmesia's approval to stay here for as long as I wanted, though I would only be staying here for a few days.
"Thank you Elmesia." Kurumi said.
"Fufu, it is not often I make new friends whom I can chat with. Call me El from now on Kurumi!" Elmesia said.
Kurumi nodded, a small smile on her face. "El then."
Elmesia nodded. "Very well, come, let us go to my palace. You can stay in one of the guest rooms, Felix. We can further discuss other things tomorrow. I have another room prepared for you as well, Kurumi."
I nodded, as did Kurumi.
"Of course, unless you wish to share a room." Elmesia said with a teasing smirk.
Kurumi's fox ears stiffened. "W-Wah?!"
I laughed. "We'll take separate rooms." Kurumi and I weren't quite in that sort of relationship, and seeing as Kurumi seemed to be weak to Elmesia's teasing I answered in her place.
Through Lover I could tell Kurumi was open to something like that, but I wasn't going to push anything right now.
Kurumi's ears flopped down slightly as an aura of gloom emanated from her.
Oops? I'll have to reassure her later. I just didn't think it was the right time for that step yet.
This was turning out to be a rather enjoyable trip. Who knew learning about other cultures could be fun.
As Elmesia began preparing the teleportation spell, I looked up to the towering branches above us.
"Felix?" Elmesia called out.
Kurumi was also looking at me with curiosity.
"I know you can somewhat understand me. Do you mind giving me a leaf of yours or something?" I said, spreading out my intent throughout the surroundings through Information Particles.
The Divine Tree likely couldn't understand my words, but it could understand the general intent behind my words as well as the Infons I released. It was a tree that was who knows how old, the spirit that embodied it clearly had some level of intelligence.
I didn't want to take a piece of this tree without permission if possible, I would if I had to but the Divine Tree had been nothing but welcoming. I would try diplomacy out of respect for it.
I also had those two favors Elmesia owed me still, I'd rather use those to get a leaf of the Divine Tree than steal one.
A few moments later a gust of wind carried a human sized leaf to me.
I smiled. "Thanks." I said as I stored the large leaf in my Infinity Space.
"Beginning analysis."
I could feel the shock of Elmesia and Erald who was hidden in the shadows.
"The tree usually does not communicate with outsiders." She mumbled. "It rarely communicates with me and mother in fact, yet it seems to be almost… fawning upon you." Elmesia looked at me with a new light in her eye. "Just where do the mysteries end with you Felix? I feel I will have an enjoyable time dissecting you."
I felt a shiver through my body. "I for one do not want to be opened up and looked at."
Kurumi nodded beside me. "Umu! Even if you are now my friend I will not allow harm to come to my master!" Kurumi pouted.
She could tell that Elmesia was merely joking, or else I imagine she wouldn't be as casual about my safety. I knew Kurumi quite well after all, she had latched onto me after she had lost almost everything in her life.
Elmesia's lips curled up. "Of course, of course. Now come. I will show you to your rooms."
As Elmesia prepared her teleportation spell I thought back to her words.
'Any idea why the Divine Tree seems to like me?'
"I do have a guess. It is likely due to the Star King Factor within you, it has changed your Aura signature minutely. Perhaps the tree senses its long gone creator within you and likes you due to that?"
'That would make sense.'
With that mystery solved we were all teleported away.
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I am highly motivated by your guys' reviews and likes, so do that! I'll probably keep writing or something.
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of daemon.
This trip has been in the works for a while so I'm glad we've finally gotten to this point. My writing has changed a bit over time. The pace of this story has slowed down quite a lot since the beginning but I'm glad that we are still making progress. Oftentimes I feel like the chapters aren't all that impactful but baby steps, right?
Anyways, we barely know anything about Sarion in canon so most of this is my own take on things. Hopefully you all enjoyed the introduction to the Divine Tree, as well as Kurumi's addition. I'm sure many can tell but I am aiming to expand on Kurumi's character during this trip since she hasn't gotten a lot of attention in a while.
I know you all have been waiting for Granbell to face his justice but within the realm of this story not much time has passed since the attack on the festival, shit is moving slowly since a lot of events are happening at once. Perhaps 2-3 weeks at most have passed between the festival and now.
Still, his plot is coming soon, just a few events to wrap up before him.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.