Rick could see people gathering in the streets as they flew down toward Valdris. People pointed up at them, and their voices could be heard faintly in the wind.
There had to be at least a thousand people around Sylvia by the ti she landed in the main plaza, and surprisingly, they didn’t overreact just like they did the last ti an ancient dragon attacked.
Even though she was enormous, the Dragon Queen’s landing was surprisingly soft. She folded her wings and lowered herself so that her passengers could get off without having to jump.
Rick went down first, then turned to help the others. When his feet hit the ground, the crowd went wild.
"That’s the new Demon King!"
"He’s brought the Queen of the Dragons!"
"And the Demon General Zara Bloodthorn!"
"The High Priestess is there with them too!"
"Look at how relaxed they all are!"
Rick tried to keep his cool, but it was hard not to feel proud. Rick Rolland, a college dropout and professional failure, was standing in the middle of Valdris with so of the most powerful won in the world on either side of him.
"ALL HAIL THE NEW DEMON KING!" soone in the crowd yelled.
"LONG LIVE KING RICK!"
"THE QUEEN OF DRAGONS’ CONSORT!"
"H-How did they all know this fast?" Rick asked.
"Don’t you rember the coronation ceremony yesterday where so mage council ca to see that?" Natasha sighed.
"O-Oh yeah... I’m world famous now..."
Rick’s ego was expanding rapidly. He pulled his shoulders back, lifted his chin, and tried to look important and royal.
"They all loved , and...of course...this is the wet dream I used to dream of since I was in high school. And thank fucking god all of my hard work has paid off this far!" Rick can’t hide his smirk at all.
He might want to wave to the crowd. Or make a speech? He was a king now, after all.
With nurous queens at his side, he held nurous titles, ranging from the Savior of the world of demons to the Conqueror of corruption.
He was a pretty big deal.
"Rick," Natasha’s voice broke through his growing sense of self-importance. "You’re showing how arrogant you are."
"Dial it back before you make a fool of yourself."
Rick said, "I’m not being arrogant," but he did stop waving his hand.
"I’m just acknowledging how excited the people are."
Zara said in a dry voice, "You look like a peacock trying to get a mate."
"It’s not a good look."
The crowd moved aside, and two people Rick knew ca up to him. Grand Magister Fredrich Thornfield walked with careful steps.
His silver hair and formal robes made him look like the most knowledgeable person in the room. Next to him, Guildmaster Roderick moved with the easy confidence of soone who had seen it all.
Both guys were clapping and smiling.
"Rick Rolland," Fredrich’s voice rang out across the plaza. "Or should I call you Demon King Rick Rolland now...?"
"Hahahahaha! Congratulations on becoming the king of those demons."
"That’s a big deal for soone who was only Level 1 a few months ago."
Rick’s arrogant stance went away right away, and in its place ca real respect and a little bit of fear. These were strong n who had helped him when he was nothing. He couldn’t be stupid in front of them.
"Grand Magister Fredrich, Guildmaster Roderick." Rick bowed his head in respect. "Thanks for agreeing to et with us on such short notice."
"Don’t be silly," Roderick said, waving away the formality. "When the new Demon King asks to et with soone from the Mage Council, we don’t exactly say no."
"Also, we’ve been dying to know how you beat the Corrupted Zork and sent that wave of purification across the continent."
Fredrich’s smile hid the fact that he was thinking. "Yes, indeed."
"The corruption network’s weakening has given us a lot of ti."
"I think that’s why you’re here, though. To talk about what cos next?"
Rick said, "We can discuss that and other topics, but perhaps we should move this conversation to a more private place?"
"Of course." Fredrich pointed to the huge tower that stood out in the Valdris skyline. "The council chamber is ready."
"We’re just waiting for the Mage Council guest to get here."
"Guest?" Zara’s eyes got smaller. "I thought this was a eting of the allied powers."
Fredrich said, "It is a eting of the allied powers, but the Mage Council wanted to send soone to observe and assist."
"We need to talk about sothing, and her expertise in corruption and magic in the ocean will be helpful."
Rick was a little uneasy. The way Fredrich said "her" made him suspicious.
"And who is this representative guest, exactly?"
"Ah, just the right ti." Fredrich looked past them at the edge of the plaza. "Here she cos now."
Rick turned to look at a woman who was coming up to him, and his brain went blank.
She was probably between 30 and 40 years old and had short brown hair that was styled in a useful braid. She had brown eyes that peeked out from behind a pair of stylish glasses that made her look smart and scary at the sa ti.
She wore mage robes that were formal and cut to be useful, not showy, but they couldn’t hide her mature, attractive body.
And what’s making Rick’s left eye wide right now is that...she was holding a baby.
Not just having a baby. The baby was in a sling against her chest, and she walked with steady, sure steps while the baby slept soundly.
A man behind her, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else, struggled to keep up while carrying what looked like a diaper bag and a bunch of magical books.
Rick thought the man was the very definition of a loser. He was thin and nervous-looking, with glasses that kept sliding down his nose.
His posture said, "I married way out of my league, and I know it."
"Please let introduce you to one of the Seven Major Powers, Grand Sorceress Zephyra Solvane," Fredrich said in a formal way. "One of the Mage Council’s top experts on magic that corrupts and oceanic ward systems."
"And her husband, Heinz Solvane."
Rick’s gooner brain was screaming. "HOLY SHIT, A MOMMY!"
"A REAL MILF!"
"I LIKE ’EM BIG! I LIKE ’EM CHONKY!"
"KNOWING SHE’S ONE OF THE MAJOR POWERS IS A BIG WIN FOR !"
"But she has a husband—FUCK THAT!!! I LIKE MARRIED WON!!!"
"A MARRIED MOM WITH A BABY! THIS IS THE TOP LEVEL! THIS IS—"
Then Zephyra’s eyes locked onto him, and Rick felt like he had been hit by sothing.
Her eyes were sharp, analytical, and completely cold. That look said she’d already judged him, thought he was only mildly interesting, and was ready to ignore him if he turned out to be useless.
Rick’s sex drive quickly went down in fear.
"Demon King Rick Rolland," Zephyra said in a clear, professional voice.
"I’ve heard so interesting things about you."
"And I look further if the rumors are true that you’re the worthy Hero of Mature Hearts."
"Uh... um..." Rick’s brain wouldn’t let him put together sentences that made sense. "Nice to...et you?"
"Likewise." Zephyra moved the baby around in her sling with ease and skill. "Should we go to the eting?"
"I don’t have much ti before this one needs to eat, so I don’t want to waste it on small talk."
Fredrich coughed. "Yes, of course."
"Could everyone please follow ?"
The group walked toward the tower, and Rick tried very hard not to look at Zephyra, but he couldn’t help it because her body was the definition of a married woman who had a baby, and he knew those massive jugs were hiding so milk that Rick always wanted.
Carmilla hit him in the ribs with her elbow to calm him down.
"Stop looking at her like that," she said in a hiss. "You’re being obvious."
"I can’t help it! She’s my kind of type!"
"She is married, has a kid, and looks like she could freeze solid with one look."
"It’s the whole thing!"
Natasha warned, "If you don’t pay attention, that whole package will probably turn you into a toad."
"I can tell right away that she has no ti for nonsense."
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