Chapter Text
“ … Lady Frieren, are we lost?” Fern inquired bluntly.
“Hmm… no, this is the path I remembered,” answered the elf.
The party of three had meandered through the forest, fending off monsters and thick foliage alike on the path to a city out of a fairytale.
“Since it’s a city, couldn’t we have taken a road?” Stark tried not to sound like he was whining.
“This path is the same one I took when I first stumbled into the city. I’m not familiar with the main road.”
“Did the hero party also use this same path?” Asked Fern.
“Yup. I said I’d visited the place before and Himmel decided I would be in charge of taking them there instead of asking anyone else for directions. So I used the same path.”
Parrying the lunge of a three-eyed snake, Stark severed it into pieces with his axe. “Was it also this perilous?”
“More or less.”
Further hissing could be heard from all over, indicating they’d been surrounded. The party brandished their weapons, ready for another brief skirmish.
It was unnecessary.
Fern’s eyes widened imperceptibly. “Lady Frieren, someone has revealed their presence nearby!”
“Took him long enough,” muttered the elf under her breath. She then spoke clearly, “Let’s play it safe. They’ll handle it.”
She knocked the butt of her staff onto the ground, casting a spherical barrier around the party. The rustling and hissing around them intensified for a moment before several sudden impacts followed by the hisses halting abruptly was heard. Within seconds, all was silent.
Not a moment too soon, a man emerged from the foliage.
No, not a man. A demon. Strangely, there were black feathers jutting out from its dark hair messily, but were undoubtedly rooted into its scalp. Other than that, there wasn’t anything special about its pair of horns or dark attire.
Their reactions were swift. Stark stepped in front of both mages and Fern pointed her staff at the being. Frieren… while not relaxed, was not showing any sign of aggression towards the demon, much to Fern’s confusion.
‘Does Lady Frieren wish to sit this fight out to test us?’ She wondered.
The demon’s gaze took in the two young humans for a moment before its eyes focused on the elf. It lowered its head and greeted, “It’s been too long since your last visit, Lady Frieren. Lord Lucien had been pondering about sending one of us to check up on you.”
Frieren made a face, raising an open palm. “Don’t even think about it. I’d rather not let my peace be interrupted by a demon, even if I’m familiar with your maker. Speaking of, I don’t recognize you from the last time I visited. Which one of the 72 are you?”
The demon bowed deeply, introducing himself, “This Pillar is known as Camio, the 53rd among our number. I was out on my pilgrimage 80 years ago, so we have never met.”
It then stood straight. “Please allow me to escort you to the city. While Lucien places a great deal of trust in you, the Enforcers patrolling the area do not know you. My presence will ensure that there will be no interruptions.”
Frieren took down her barrier, much to the shock of Fern and Stark. “Lead the way, and keep your distance.”
“As you wish.”
The party waited for Camio to walk ahead of them before following. Stark was still tense, and Fern could not hide her confusion towards her teacher. She nudged Frieren’s shoulder with her staff. “Lady Frieren? You didn’t get hypnotized to follow him did you?”
The elf brushed the staff away. “Of course not. If that was the case, both of us would be able to tell. Just trust me when I say this demon does not possess the means to harm any of us.”
“Lady Frieren is correct,” said Camio. “Each Pillar works with certain restrictions from the moment they were made, set by Lord Lucien himself.”
“And those restrictions are?” Asked Stark.
It answered promptly, “With exception to demons, we are not allowed to harm thinking beings. Should this rule be broken, the rule-breaker will be forced to commit suicide and have their memories sent back to Lord Lucien for review.”
Stark asked another question, “Why would a demon punish another for harming humans? Isn’t that going against your nature?”
Camio hummed in thought. “Demons do not bat an eye when massacring humans. We even sometimes consume their flesh. We demons will never understand why you humans make it such a big deal. But.”
The group stepped out of the forest over a cliff overlooking distant lands. There they saw it, the city they were traveling to. The very same one that cultivated the most vicious demon hunters of recent history.
Utopia.
Rumored to be founded by a demon itself.
Its walls were weathered yet stood tall, proudly displaying its scars from the numerous raids from demons over the years. In addition to the walls, a shimmering dome of defensive magic covered the city in its entirety.
Camio let the young humans take in the sight before continuing, “Is it not also part of our nature to preserve our own lives? Lord Lucien did not need to understand why humans are how they are. He needed only to know that slaughter without reason will bring his life closer to its end, so to extend his lifespan as much as possible…”
“Lucien will do everything in his power to avoid harming humans,” Frieren finished for Camio. “His ‘Pillars’ as well are also a means of preserving his life. They just happen to also expand his arsenal of tricks.”
They had taken a shortcut and floated down the cliff with magic.
“There’s a truly massive source of mana floating above the city,” commented Fern.
“Lucien’s ‘Eye in the Sky’ spell,” informed Frieren. “As its name suggests, it's an object that stays in the sky and observes everything below. It is linked to Lucien’s sense of sight.”
“Indeed,” confirmed Camio. “As for the excessive mana exposed for all mages to see, that’s connected to another spell.”
Frieren chipped in, “Strictly speaking, it’s Lucien’s signature demonic magic, but grimoires exist for the less efficient versions of both spells.”
The group strolled up to the smaller gate next to the main one which was meant for caravan carriages. For a party of adventurers, the smaller entrance would do.
After some back and forth between Camio and the Enforcers supervising the gate, the party of three were given their visitor passes.
As Fern and Stark fiddled with the cards in their hands, Camio bowed and bid them farewell, “Until next time, Lady Frieren, Mage Fern, Warrior Stark. This is as far as I can take you as I am still on patrol duty. Another Pillar shall escort you to Lord Lucien’s abode. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
The two humans watched it go in a burst of speed. A moment later, Fern could no longer detect its mana despite the demon still being in her range of detection.
“That’s a little concerning,” said Fern. Her teacher patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, it’s not that he’s much better at concealing mana, it’s just that Lucien cheats.”
Fern cast an inquisitive look at Frieren. “Cheats?”
The elf nodded and spoke, “Yeah. It’s actually a national secret… that… he told me… not to tell anyone else about…”
An awkward expression wormed its way onto her face. “Um, don’t tell Lucien…”
“If you say so, Lady Frieren,” an unfamiliar voice said. Fern turned her head swiftly to bear witness to another demon with a muted mana signature. “I’ll be sure not to reveal your little slip up.”
Frieren’s face turned even more sheepish. “Just an accident… an accident… don’t throw me in a dungeon… We’re good friends, aren’t we, Amon?”
The demon Pillar Amon smiled, a hint of sharp fangs under his teeth and serpentine tail slithering upon the ground. “I am honored that you remember me.”
Neither Fern or Stark liked that expression. While the smile reached the demon’s eyes, there was just something wrong with a demon making such a face. As if despite all their efforts to seem human, human instincts will always warn them of things inhuman.
“Lord Lucien will likely make an exception for you. He understands when to pursue certain matters and when to let bygones be bygones,” said Amon before turning and walking ahead. “Come, I shall take you to the City Lord’s Castle.”
More walking and following ensued. Now inside the city, the party could bear witness to the thriving city of Utopia and marvel at its prosperity.
A city founded by a demon, some say. A Great Demon, even.
Stark couldn’t hide his curiosity, “I can get wanting to live long, but… why develop an entire city full of people that might one day turn on their Lord out of fear?”
Amon turned his head, side-eying the young man for a moment before smirking. “Lord Lucien is still a demon, in the end. Meaning he has his vices. Namely, his Greed and Pride. So he manipulated those traits of his to work in mankind’s favor.”
They walked through a plaza displaying statues of the hero’s party.
The demon explained, “His Greed beckons him to want more things under his ownership. Under his name. Wealth, citizenry, warriors and mages loyal to the city. This then fuels his Pride. The continued existence and prosperity of Utopia gives Lord Lucien a sense of achievement that cannot be replicated through senseless slaughter. A sense of superiority over other human settlements.”
“He’s a weirdo who likes seeing numbers go up,” Frieren stated bluntly. “He likes to gloat about the number of powerful people recruited into the city and how to keep the citizen’s happiness ‘above 80%’, whatever that means. He’s also scared of negatively affecting his ‘reputation’ among other nations.”
The two humans were still in a state of mild disbelief that Frieren of all people was on talking terms with a demon. Amon shook his head, voice tinted in mimicked humor, “It would not be a lie to put it like that.”
The elf asked casually, “Any new assassination attempts since my last visit?”
“A few,” answered Amon. “Mostly from the Empire.”
“Were there any close calls?”
A scoff, “Of course not. They still haven’t come close to discovering a spell capable of overcoming Lord Lucien’s sheer tenacity in developing techniques to preserve his life.”
“Lost anyone?”
“A few pillars,” he admitted. “But we make sure to squeeze out adequate compensation from the Empire to create and improve the replacements.”
“Still in talks with the Empire after this much?”
“You know what the Lord says about reputation… and a war would be a lose-lose situation for both sides.”
“Think Utopia can win?” There was a slight upturn in the corners of Frieren’s lips.
“That would be a tall order,” a fanged grin manifested on Amon’s face. “But it won’t be as one-sided as most would believe.”
So they bantered most of the way to the heart of the city, stopping occasionally whenever something caught the party’s eyes, such as the market, other assorted shops, and the statues and sculptures that dotted the city interior.
Eventually they reached the main entrance to the castle where someone was waiting for them. A human.
“I am Chief Enforcer Albert. Allow me to escort you all to the City Lord,” the aged man tipped his hat slightly, shrouded by a uniform not too dissimilar from the garbs worn by the Empire’s Special Forces of Magic members. Attached to his hip was a sheathed rapier with an intricately crafted handle and crossguard.
‘ He’s strong, ’ Stark observed.
‘ He’s very good at suppressing his mana, ’ Fern noted.
‘ The rapier doubles as a magical staff… well, that’s nothing new for Chief Enforcers, ’ mused Frieren internally. ‘ I wonder how much this city has progressed after over 80 years. ’
Upon entering the castle, the group was silently approached by three uniformed individuals, closing them off on their sidelines and rear.
Amon assuaged, “These High Enforcers are present to deter any attempts on your lives. Rest assured that Lord Lucien values you three highly, especially Lady Frieren.”
“Are they overtaking the roles of the other three that followed us through the city?” Asked Fern. She had sensed three distinct mana signatures tailing the party from the shadows.
“How perceptive of you.” There was a glint of interest in Amon’s eyes. “You would be correct.”
Stark’s gaze alternated between the three golden rings of fabric that circled the long sleeves of the Chief Enforcer and the two rings on the High Enforcers’ sleeves. ‘ A way to distinguish seniority? ’
They entered what seemed to be a lounge room where meetings would be conducted. Two High Enforcers silently occupied different corners of the room whilst Albert and the other High Enforcer stopped on the opposite sides of the large frame of a set of double doors. Amon gestured for the party to take their seats and presented them the different snacks upon the table.
Two mana signatures made themselves known on the other side of the double doors, flanking an individual with so little mana that Fern had to focus to confirm their existence.
“He’s here,” said Frieren, inspecting a cookie before nibbling on it.
The Enforcers at the doors reached for the handles. Albert announced, “Entering the City Lord of Utopia and Demon King of Progress and Prosperity-”
Frieren muttered, “Still dramatic as ever, huh?”
As the doors were pulled open, Fern and Stark would behold the being who advocated for the extinction of his own race.
“-The Great Demon Lucien Dawnstar.”