[Path of the Demon Lord I] [Seek out Tubal-Cain, the greatest blacksmith in the Demon Realm, who forges the relics of demon lords.] [Type: Class Change Chain Quest] ‘The Path of the Demon Lord...’ Siegfried read through the quest details and muttered the words to himself. “Well, I guess I have to do it eventually. I mean, I'm a demon lord now,” he said with a shrug. Becoming a demon lord wasn't his choice, but it wasn't like he could undo it either. “So, where can I find this Tubal-Cain guy?” Siegfried asked. “You will find him at Pandemonium, which is considered to be the capital city of the Demon Realm.” “The Pandemonium is basically the main capital of the Demon Realm, currently ruled by the Demon King, Baal.” “First, you should head there and have your relic forged. After that, we can experiment to see if Your Majesty can open the Demon Gate.” “Got it. Let’s do that.” Following Metatron’s advice, Siegfried decided to make his way to Pandemonium and seek out the blacksmith, Tubal-Cain. “In that case, I’ll bring Hyungseokius along, too,” Siegfried said with a grin, glancing toward the corner of the banquet hall, where Chae Hyung-Seok’s body was flickering. Chae Hyung-Seok suffered a mental breakdown upon getting bested by Siegfried once again. “Why are you bringing Hyungseokius with you, sire?” Metatron asked, tilting his head in confusion. Tubal-Cain only crafted relics, armor, and accessories for demon lords, so there was no reason to bring Chae Hyung-Seok along. “I have my reasons. I just thought of something fun, you see,” Siegfried replied with a mischievous grin. “H-Hiiiik!” Metatron shrieked in horror, almost wetting himself. ‘W-What in the world is he thinking this time?!’ He had no idea what Siegfried was plotting, but there was one thing he was certain of. Whatever he could imagine would not even be close to what Siegfried had in store for Chae Hyung-Seok. Shaking his head, Metatron gave up trying to guess what would be happening to Chae Hyung-Seok and instead just prayed for the poor soul. ‘He really should’ve picked who he was messing with. He really messed with the wrong person. Tsk, tsk...’ Chae Hyung-Seok once led one of the top ten guilds and was a renowned name in the gaming world, but now, he was nothing more than a pitiful demon. He was now a cautionary tale to others about what would happen if they dared to mess with Siegfried van Proa. “What?! Baroque has fallen from power?!” The Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion, erupted in fury after receiving the news of Baroque’s demise. “What nonsense is this?! How can Baroque suddenly be ousted?!” The news of Baroque’s fall truly came out of nowhere for Dantalion. It was all because he had personally orchestrated Baroque’s rise to power. He was the one who paved the way for Baroque to ascend to the throne, and all that was left was for him to seize control of the Seventh Domain using him. “Explain yourself! What do you mean by Baroque has fallen?! Tell me everything in detail, and do not leave anything out, no matter how small it is!” “W-Well, what happened was...” the messenger stammered and proceeded to recount what happened. “What?! Metatron is now the demon lord... and Siegfried van Proa, that bastard is also a demon lord now?!” “Damn it all!” Dantalion roared, slamming his fist against his throne’s armrest. “What kind of bullshit is this?!” “This doesn’t make any sense at all!” Dantalion continued raging for quite a while after that. He could live with Baroque dying and Metatron taking the throne, as he could always just hatch another scheme. But it was a different story with Siegfried... Dantalion was already nursing a grudge against Siegfried ever since his grand ambition to invade the Human Realm was foiled by the meddling human. His grudge was so strong that the first thing he planned to do upon invading the Human Realm was to destroy the Proatine Kingdom. Yet that meddling human was now a demon lord? Dantalion felt like his world had just been turned upside down. The bug he thought he could squash with a single stomp had suddenly evolved into an eagle. “I refuse to let this ridiculous farce continue any further. Guards!” “Yes, Lord Dantalion!” “We’re going to Pandemonium. Make preparations at once!” Dantalion’s subordinates were shocked by his sudden announcement. The capital of the Demon Realm, Pandemonium, was ruled by the Demon King. Most demon lords avoided setting foot there unless it was absolutely necessary, lest they risk incurring Baal’s wrath. “Why would you go to Pandemonium, my lord?!” “Do you really need me to explain?” Dantalion glared at them and growled in frustration. “A mere human has been made a demon lord, and you expect me to just sit back and watch?” “T-Then, you mean...?” “I will officially lodge a complaint to the Demon King. I will not allow a lowly half-breed to hold such a prestigious title.” Read full story at NoveIＦire.net “I will have an audience with the Demon King.” With those words, Dantalion set off for Pandemonium without a moment’s hesitation. ‘A mongrel like him dares to become a demon lord? I will never allow it. Over my dead body!’ Seething with fury, Dantalion was coming up with schemes that would screw—no, fuck Siegfried over. Tae-Sung logged into the game early in the morning the next day, and he immediately set off for Pandemonium to meet Tubal-Cain, the greatest blacksmith in the Demon Realm, but... “Please wait a moment, Your Majesty!” “Why? I’m busy, you know?” “Just an hour. Please wait.” “I have my reasons, sire.” Metatron persistently blocked Siegfried from leaving for Pandemonium and stalled him. “Hey! Damn it! What’s your problem?!” “Just wait a moment, Your Majesty. Just one moment.” “I have my reasons, sire.” Siegfried found Metatron’s behaviour to be strange but decided to trust that there must be a reason for him acting this way. “We may proceed now, Your Majesty.” Metatron led Siegfried forward. “His Royal Majesty, the Demon Lord, Siegfried van Proa!” At that moment, a massive band that had been waiting began to play. Bam bam bam bam! Bam bam bam baaaam! Bam bam bam baaaam! Dum dum dum! Bam baaaam! Baaaam! It turned out that Metatron had prepared a formal procession upon hearing that Siegfried was heading to Pandemonium. “Salute to His Majesty, the Demon Lord, Siegfried van Proa!” On top of that, Metatron had even assembled royal guards for Siegfried. “What the... fuck is this?” Siegfried muttered, shocked by what he was seeing. Then, he glared at Metatron and asked, “Did you really have to do all this?” “Your Majesty,” Metatron responded with a grin. Then, he explained, “Like it or not, you are now a legitimate demon lord.” “I know, but it’s not like I asked for it.” “How can we let you enter Pandemonium, the capital of the Demon Realm, in anything less than grandeur? You cannot go there without putting on airs. You know, some gao, sire.” “Hey, where the hell did you learn that?” Siegfried grumbled. Gao was originally a Japanese term that was adopted by Koreans as a slang, and it was not a phrase that an NPC should be familiar with.[1] “Hoho! I overheard some Adventurers from the land of Your Majesty, South Korea.” “Anyway, Your Majesty is now a demon lord, so you must maintain a certain level of dignity.” “Oh well, since you went through all this trouble, I won’t turn it down. Thanks.” In the end, Siegfried accepted Metatron’s arrangement without a fuss. ‘Now that I think about it... I’ve been looking pretty lame lately,’ he thought. He had been forced to endure the humiliation of wearing a pink bodysuit due to the radioactive energy leaking from his body, so it did not seem like a bad idea to put on airs and have some swagger for once. Fortunately, the radioactive energy had stopped leaking since he became a demon lord, so he no longer had to wear that hideous pink bodysuit. “You are now a part of the Seventh Domain, sire. You are also my lord, too. Therefore, doing this much is only natural,” Metatron said, smiling warmly. “Thanks, punk,” Siegfried responded with a grin. The once pitiful and clueless demon Metatron had now become a proper demon lord who knew how to repay the debt he owed. Life was truly full of surprises. “By the way, where’s Hyung-Seok?” Siegfried asked. “Over there, sire,” Metatron replied, pointing behind the royal guards. Several of the guards were carrying a large coffin with Chae Hyung-Seok sealed inside. Normally, the character would disappear whenever the gamer logged out of the game. In Chae Hyung-Seok’s case, however, his soul was bound to Metatron, his new master. Even when he wasn't playing the game, his character would physically remain by Metatron’s side. In other words, Chae Hyung-Seok could never escape from Siegfried’s grasp. The only way to escape was to delete his character and quit the game entirely. “Perfect,” Siegfried said with a smile, pleased that his favorite toy had been secured. “Kyuuu! It’s perfect!” Hamchi exclaimed in delight, too. “Time to go! Let’s go, Hamchi!” “Kyuuu! Let’s go, owner punk!” And so, Siegfried set off for Pandemonium, the capital city of the Demon Realm. While Siegfried was making his way to Pandemonium, escorted by his royal guards... “My lord! Demon Lord Dantalion seeks an audience with you!” Baal, the ruler of the Demon Realm, tilted his head at the unexpected visit. “What could that weasel want with me? Hoho?” Baal chuckled, seemingly amused by the sudden visit. After spending endless days in boredom, the arrival of Dantalion gave him the feeling that something interesting was about to unfold. “Let him in,” Baal commanded. Before long, Dantalion stepped into the audience chamber, bowed, and paid his respects. “I, Demon Lord Dantalion, greet the Great Demon King.” “It’s been a while, Dantalion.” As Baal looked at him with a warm smile and spoke to him in a gentle voice, Dantalion instantly stiffened, as his body started trembling uncontrollably. Truthfully, he had already been anxious before even stepping into the audience chamber. ‘This old demon is still as terrifying as ever...’ Dantalion thought. And with good reason... The current Demon King, Baal, was regarded as the most fearsome being in the history of the Demon Realm. Having climbed from the lowest ranks of demonkind all the way to the throne of the Demon King, the brutal and bloody history behind his rise needed no explanation. This was the reason Dantalion had to tread carefully around Baal. Despite Baal’s appearance of an old man smiling warmly, his true nature was that of a demon unparalleled by others. “Now then, Dantalion. Why have you sought me out?” Baal asked with a hint of curiosity and amusement. “I have come to my lord because...” Dantalion began recounting the events that had recently transpired. He told the tale of how a mere human named Siegfried van Proa had been reborn as a demon lord. “Oh? Did something like that happen?” “Yes, my lord. Frankly, I found this matter so utterly absurd that I felt compelled to report it to my lord in person,” Dantalion replied with a firm nod. “He is not even one of us! He is just some lowly human, yet he dares to claim the title of demon lord?! How can we sit idly by and allow this, my lord?!” Dantalion protested, his voice sharp with a hint of anger. Then, his tone grew even more heated, “My lord! Does it not bother you that a pathetic insect of a human has become a demon lord?! He is a stain to the honor of our realm!” However, Baal’s response was rather unexpected. “And? What about it?” Baal asked nonchalantly. “M-My lord...? W-What do you mean by that...?” Dantalion blinked a few times, dumbfounded by what he was hearing. “Since there's another demon lord in our ranks, doesn’t that mean our Demon Realm has grown stronger? Shouldn’t we celebrate that? Hohoho!” Baal said with a hearty laugh. 1. Time for some explanation! Ga-o is a Japanese term, but it’s used in Korean as a slang for swagger. I would normally use the English equivalent, but author-nim specifically mentioned the Japanese thing, so I had to write it as Gao rather than Swagger. ☜