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I sent word ahead of our arrival that I wished to speak with the king about a startling shift in this war with the demon queen. Alice and I came alone as we entered the throne room, all the nobles of this land having gathered as well, the entire room silent. I had to stay on my toes because this is one of many places everything could go wrong.

“Welcome back, Alexander,” the king greets. “I hope you’ve brought good news from the war front.”

“Something like that.” I turn to Alice and nod.

He clears his throat and stands a step ahead of me, giving the king a brief bow before telling him about my recent “fight” with the demon queen. I wanted to keep all my senses clear as I glanced about the room to take in everyone’s reactions. The king merely frowned, but more in serious thought than any negative emotion. A few of the nobles were showing disgust but kept their silence.

Overall, the entire room grew tenser from the nobles as the story continued. Soon Alice reached the ceasefire, and from there, many could no longer hold their tongue.

“A ceasefire with a demon?!”

“What kind of joke is this?”

“Are we certain this is truly Alexander and not a demon in disguise!?”

I remained silent as Alice took a step back to my side. The king merely held up a hand, and the entire room fell silent. His frown was ever-present as he lingered on his thoughts. After taking this all in, he stood up and walked down to face me, eye to eye.

“I want to hear it from you, Alexander. Is what he said true? Have you negotiated a temporary ceasefire?”

Before giving a stiff nod, I hardened my gaze. “I did. I know I was overstepping my bounds, but I can no longer stomach the idea of the people suffering to feed this war machine. While only temporary, I hope to heal the hearts of your citizens for a time before the war is to continue. A brief respite, if you will.”

He searches my gaze for a moment before letting out a long and heavy sigh, turning away from me as he takes the seat of his throne.

“Leave us.” He commands the others.

All, including the guards, leave as it’s just the king and me who remain.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say that my old heart is relieved to hear this news. You are right, Alexander; my people are suffering from this war. I would give it a week before reports of starvation flooded in. However, I tremble at the thought of believing the demon queen would so readily accept these terms.”

“Before Alice was interrupted, he was to inform you of my plans moving forward with the ceasefire. I do not blindly trust the demon queen. To ensure no funny business is had, I would remain by her side for the time. Should I sense any malice or plots to spring a surprise attack, I will return with haste to start where we left off.”

He nods a bit to himself. “I know you’re no fool, Alexander. If you truly believe we can gain a moment of peace to rebuild, then I will stand behind you. But should this all be a ruse from the demon queen, as much as it pains me, we must sacrifice everything to save the world.”

“I understand.” I know with age, the king has become softer. When he was in his prime, he was foolhardy, ready to send waves of his people into the demons without a single thought, but now he tries his best to think of the future. “It will be difficult to get the others to understand, but I hope your words will hold more weight. At most, we will have two years to recover. After that, I do not know what the future holds.”

“I suppose that is the folly of man. We cannot see into the future, so we rely on hope,” the king muses.

“Either way, I cannot stay for long. I wish to return to the demon queen to keep my eye on her.”

“I will require time to fully explain the severity of what this ceasefire poses to the nobles, but they will understand.”

I give a standing bow. “Should anything worth mentioning develop, I will have it delivered by one of my party. They will also have a means of contacting me, should you require something.”

“Very well, you are excused. Inform the nobles to return.”

“Can do.” I turn on my heels and show myself out of the throne room where the nobles and Alice wait. “The king wishes to speak with you.” I turn my gaze to the nobles before looking over at Alice. “Let’s go.”

He’s more than happy as he locks his arm with my own and happily skips beside me. I just need to double-check with my party about the overall plan, then I can make my way back to the demon queen’s palace.

---

There’s no turning back now. All that remains is to meet with the demon queen once again. I’ve already said what needed to be said to my party and told them I’d check in on them from time to time. Right now, I’m at the threshold between the human and demonic realm. A fracture between dimensions that first appeared long before I was summoned here.

It’s from my study that I found the demon land to be infertile, and as a result, unending battles were fought over the few remaining resources. Once the rift opened, however, they united as one to seize control of a world plentiful in food and water. Understandable, but their methods were befitting of demons. You name it: rape, theft, indiscriminate slaughter.

So while I can fully grasp their plight, I do not agree with their methods for achieving a better world. Yet, it would be unfair to pin the entire fault on them. True, they are the aggressors, but humans aren’t so willing to embrace anything that looks as vastly different as demons do. Hell, just as in our world, these people are divided into groups that are all too happy to murder one another for the tiniest of disagreements.

Even if the demons came to them peacefully, the humans would’ve started the war. Maybe a better way to put it is that the powers that be would have started the war. Demons and humans are similar in that each creature is unique. They may have ideas and opinions that differ from those of the kings and queens in charge. I would know, as I have massacred towns that were harboring defecting demons.

I grit my teeth at that thought. I was so naive when I was first summoned to this world. What kid wouldn’t want to appear in another world with superpowers and just do as he’s told? When I was younger, I treated everything like a game, but now, after living through so much, I know better. I push such thoughts aside. I must concentrate on performing my teleportation spell.

I imagine the demon queen’s throne room while closing my eyes. I feel myself being dragged just before landing a few seconds later. When I open my eyes, I’m standing next to the throne where the demon queen sits, but her generals give me pause. In an instant, they all draw their weapons and ready themselves.

“Stand down,” Azure declares in a flat tone. “As you can see, what we’ve been talking about is anything but a lie.”

My eyes lay on each general as I take in their reactions. Lilith is the first. She is a nine-foot-tall hyena warrior; despite her fur, it is easy to see her muscles as she snarls at me while brandishing two large axes. Having a one-on-one fight with her was always a pain in the ass since she seemed impervious to damage. Though her weakness was magic, as she is a true warrior at heart and learned no spells.

Bane is also present. A swift little weasel that specialized in assassination. Because he wasn’t above poisoning my food or cutting my neck while I slept, he was the one I dreaded the most. Fortunately, I was adamant about checking my meals and magic allowed me to rest without worry of intruders. After taking one step behind Lilith, he unsheathes his weapon and seems prepared to make a hasty retreat into the nearby shadows.

I peek at Lacey. When compared to the other two, she is more on the average side. A prideful lioness who spent most of her time in books to perfect her craft. She says nothing; instead, just observes me with a raised eyebrow and a little smile while keeping her staff at her side. The fact she was so gifted in magic is the only reason they could take any footholds in the first place.

Finally, there is Shadow. A pitch black wolf-dog hybrid. He is staring forward, but I note how he glances at me from the corner of his eyes every so often, all the while his tail wags. He’s always been a little peculiar. A powerful necromancer who could raise massive armies with the snap of his fingers; as well as a brilliant strategist. However, after I beat him, he became subdued and overall joyful whenever we met. I can only assume it’s a type of canine behavior, but I can’t say for sure.

“Alexander!” Lilith shouts. “What have you done to our queen!?”

“Nothing,” I answer.

“Lies!” She turns back to Azure. “There’s no chance our Queen would side with you. Either she is under your influence or an impostor!”

When I open my mouth to speak, the atmosphere immediately becomes suffocating. I glance over at Azure as her power manifests, seeping from her like a river of blood.

“Did you just imply that I was weak enough to be controlled by the hero?” Azure challenges.

Lilith gulps heavily before shakily putting her axes back. “N-No, Queen. I just find this far-fetched. Why side with him?”

“This is just a temporary ceasefire, so we may gather ourselves. It’s no secret we are running thin on supplies.”

“That is why we must attack!” Lilith fires back. “We have no means to resupply like the humans! If we stop, we die!”

Azure taps her chin before glancing in my direction.

“Perhaps this deal was a bit too one sided. Do you have a means to make this mutual?”

I expected something like this would happen, so I came prepared. I reach into my pocket dimension and pull out a sack of seeds.

“I’ve been experimenting with these seeds in my spare time. A hybrid of many fruits and vegetables from across the world that have been altered to withstand most harsh conditions. They may not survive in your world, but I know they will quickly proliferate in the other.” I toss the sack to Azure. “You control a few settlements. Plant them there if they don’t work in your realm. If you require livestock, I can procure some as well.”

Lilith looks dumbfounded as Azure takes a seed out and looks it over.

“Hmph. Always a busybody,” she says before flinging the bag towards Lacey. “Confirm what I already know.”

Lacey reaches in without hesitation and takes out a seed to inspect.

“Indeed. This design is intricate and demonstrates a great deal of divine craftsmanship.” She giggles to herself and then turns to face me, her smirk deepening. “I wouldn’t have guessed any less of the Hero. It’s preposterous, yet it appears he’s solved our issue.”

“Of course he did!” Shadow yells, then hastily clamps his muzzle shut while blushing heavily. His tail wagging vigorously.

No longer feeling the need to display her power, Azure’s murderous aura recedes.

“So, any other complaints?” She looks to her generals.

“Why not kill him now?” Bane asks. “He’s outnumbered and unlikely to hold up against all of us.”

Azure growls under her breath. “I’m no coward. If I’m to kill him, it will be one on one. No exceptions. Do you understand?”

He presses further into Lilith to hide himself.

“How do we know he isn’t going to try and kill you?” Lilith asks.

“I too have my pride,” I answer. “I wouldn’t kill her unless we were both ready for it. However, it’s far more beneficial for us to move forward with this ceasefire. So I do not intend to break this agreement.”

“Not like either of us has our guard down,” Azure adds.

“Indeed,” I agree.

“How long does he plan to remain here?” Lacey speaks up. “If we are temporary allies, I wouldn’t mind collaborating on a variety of subjects. His understanding of magic is unique to mine. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise for healing our world?”

“I’m not his mother.” Azure scoffs. “However, it’s likely that you will see him about the castle for quite some time.” Azure shifts her attention to Shadow, whose tail is now wagging so violently that it is moving the air in the room. “Shadow, do you have anything to add?”

“H-He will need someone by his side...to...um... keep watch! Yes! We don’t know if this is a trick. In such a case, he must always be accompanied by someone.” A broad grin appears on his face as he takes one step forward. “I will ensure he causes no trouble.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” Azure doesn’t even question it.

Shadow is near bursting with happiness as he dashes out of the room.

“I need to get ready!” He yells as his footfall fades into the distance.

Azure looks at the others.

“Anything else?”

Lilith mutters under her breath, “I do not like any of this. Why now?”

“That is none of your concern. Your only obligation is to maintain order,” Azure says. “I will deal with the hero should anything happen. Or do you think I’m acting irrationally?”

Lilith bites her lower lip. “Obviously we need to take a moment from our assault to replenish our supplies... I simply don’t see why the hero is so eager to help us. Wouldn’t it be advantageous to allow our supply to decline? Time is a key component in our battle, but if these new seeds are to be trusted, it will no longer matter.” Lilith is racking her brain for an explanation. “It’s possible the seeds were tainted.”

“Unlikely.” Lacey steps up. “Despite the complexity of his magic, the user’s feelings will always come through in the spell. I detected no malice, but rather a degree of hope that teetered on the brink of being naive and desperate. Something akin to a wish, perhaps.” Lacey glances across to Lilith, who is scratching her head, perplexed. “It means he’s a fool, but an honest fool.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised you could pick up on that.” I muse.

“Nothing you do escapes my eye,” Lacey says, her gaze fixed on me. “I hope we have a wonderful working relationship, because I intend to take full advantage of it.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Lilith growls. “Am I the only one who cannot so easily forget that just hours ago we were killing each other?!”

“I’ve forgotten nothing.” Lacey turns to Lilith. “I believe you’re merely annoyed because you were beaten in hand-to-hand combat. The difference between you and me is that I can hate and respect someone in equal measure.”

“He never defeated me!” Lilith draws her axes again. “Trickery! That is all he did! Using magic to amplify his power to a preposterous level! There is no respect to be had for such an underhanded technique!”

Azure glances up at me as the two continue to bicker.

“I know my generals will stay faithful to me... But,” she gives a devilish smile. “I care not if they wish to destroy this little plan of yours. So, hero, how far are you willing to take this?”

This is to be expected from Azure and her generals. In reality, this scheme will only succeed if all the powerful members are on my side, and that’s part of the plan.

“You have a point, Lilith.” As Lilith leers at me, I become the center of attention. “There’s no denying that you’re strong. And far more powerful than I could ever aspire to be.” I note confusion playing across her face, but I’ll give her no time to respond. “To put it bluntly; if I didn’t use magic, I would’ve lost.”

“You would’ve lost?” She looks stunned to hear that.

“I’ve not trained my body to any remarkable degree. My magic, however, is where my power lies. Would you expect Lacey to fight you head on without magic and win?”

She appears stumped by this as she turns her gaze to the floor in thought.

“I suppose it would be unfair to expect a caster to fight me in physical combat.” When she looks at me again, however, I can feel the intensity in her eyes. “Fight me. Here and now. No magic. I promise to not strike a fatal blow on you. Prove that what you say is not merely sweetened poison to sway my heart. Show me how weak you truly are!”

When I look over at Azure, her grin hasn’t faded as she nods at Lilith. Returning to Lilith, it’s clear to see the fight we had is still taunting her. I wasn’t exaggerating when I stated I couldn’t have won without magic. If humbling myself before her will assure my plan, I will do so without question. I draw my sword and make my way over to Lilith.

“Move out of the way.” Azure commands the other two as Bane darts to a nearby shadow, and Lacey walks over to Azure. “Whenever you two are ready.”

This towering hyena is staring down at me. Her golden gaze fixed on me, while the spotted fur on her entire body stands on edge. I’m going to lose, but I’ll do my best to fight back. At the same time as she takes a stance, I do the same. We both look at one another expectantly, waiting for one of us to make the first move. Her two axes seem to flicker in my periphery, but I instinctively respond and duck as they pass over my head.

When I raise my sword to defend myself, she uses one axe to parry it before swinging the broadside of the other into me. As many of my ribs simultaneously fractured from the hit, I lost all of my breath. I fly a good distance before catching my feet, slamming my back up against a pillar as I cough up a copious amount of blood. She and the others seem taken aback by how quickly I seem to have suffered critical injuries.

Even so, I shakily raise my blade, ready to continue, but before my mind could even register it, Lilith is standing beside me with Bane’s head in her hand. Her muzzle in a snarl.

“You dare interrupt my one-on-one!” She shouts as he tries to pry himself from her grip.

“How could I not! He’s so close to dying!”

I wasn’t prepared for what came next. Bane is thrown to the middle of the chamber by Lilith, who then stands in front of me and takes her fighting stance once more. But this time, her sights are locked on him.

“If you want him, come and get him.” She challenges.

Bane grumbles in displeasure, but he puts away his daggers. Lilith, having determined that he won’t do anything, now turns and stares at me, her normally hostile expression replaced with one of regret and remorse.

“Even if it was brief, it was enough to make me realize my mistake. You endured a blow that might have killed you and came back for more without even blinking... I now understand the weight of your words and respect the fact you put your life on the line to appease me.”

“Perspective can change a lot of things.” Before I cast magic on my wounds, I sheath my blade. “I’m not expecting us to become friends, as the war will continue in time. I only hope to maintain some peace for the time being.”

As I make my way back over to Azure’s side, Lilith nods and the generals assemble in the middle of the room.

“Are we all satisfied?” Azure asks.

As the generals all nod in agreement, Shadow suddenly bursts back into the room. Instead of his regular robes, he is wearing some finer attire this time, which makes his fur shine.

“Just in time.” Azure looks at Shadow. “Give Alexander a tour. The rest of the generals and I will inform the troops about the ceasefire.”

“As you wish!” Shadow scurries beside me with a broad smile as his silvery eyes fix on mine. “This way.”

I let him lead the way as he takes my hand in his. Strangely, my nerves usually seem on edge when I’m among the other generals, but Shadow has always made me feel at ease. I can only attribute it to my dog-obsession, but my heart softens as he looks back at me, a smile on his muzzle and tail wagging. Azure watches as we go, shaking her head as she takes in Shadow’s unabashed glee.

“What am I going to do with him?” She whispers under her breath before turning to the other generals. “Do you now grasp the gravity of this situation?”

“I do,” responds Lacey. “Though I find it rather amusing that you’ve humored his ceasefire. Even if we ignore our own supply problems, there doesn’t seem to be any clear advantage to stopping this war. The end will need sacrifice, and this is not a destiny that can be avoided with just a few years of supplies. I have no doubt that he, too, is well aware of this.”

“Sacrifices will be required, but the morale among our soldiers is in short supply. Without rest, we can do nothing except ensure our downfall.”

“I suppose that is true.” Lacey gives in. “I can’t deny that Alexander fascinates me. With his intelligence, there must be more to this plan than meets the eye. I’m not so naive as to think the ocean ends at the water’s surface.”

“It pains me to say this, but I sense he’s acting from a good place in his heart.” While examining the hand that clutched her axe, Lilith continues. “When I struck him, he did not resist. He took the blow on purpose to show me how frail he was. Not to deceive me, but so that I may understand it with no doubt. No demon would ever acknowledge that. While I’m not as smart as Lacey, I know he is trustworthy, to a degree.”

“But he is also the hero,” Bane adds. “He exists to kill us. That is a universal truth.”

“So why suggest a ceasefire? Why supply the seeds?” Lilith questions.

“I don’t know! That’s what has me on edge.” Bane looks at Azure. “I will follow your lead, but I’m terrified by him. All the generals don’t stand a chance if he gets serious. We are still breathing because, for whatever reason, he did not want to kill us. Are we expected to wait like lambs for the slaughter for when he does?”

“I expect nothing from you. Should you wish to leave, you may do so, but don’t dare come crawling back.” Azure smirks. “I simply find this ceasefire to be amusing. So enjoy this vacation of sorts. The hero will stay his blade. That I can promise, at the very least.”

“What about Shadow? He’s been different ever since he lost to the hero. Do you think he’s being mind controlled?” Bane questions.

“I detected no traces of magic entangling his mind,” Lacey says with a chin touch of thoughtfulness. “When I was younger, I learned that the canid demons had a folktale about their ancestry. Prior to their conscious awareness, a creature had adopted them, cared for them despite their differences, and sought only for their companionship. The being mysteriously vanished after their awakening, but they dubbed this entity their “best friend”. Perhaps he associated Alexander as this “best friend”?”

“If that is the case, isn’t that all the more reason to be wary of him now?” Bane adds.

“He is still loyal to us.” Azure comes in. “Let him enjoy himself. I find it somewhat endearing to see him like this. Can you recall the last time he’s been this happy about anything?”

The generals look at one another before shrugging.

“Nope.” They answer in unison.

“I will keep an eye on him.” Lilith offers. “Just to be safe.”

“Do what you will.” Azure waves it off. “Either way, for the time being, we need our troops resting. Then test these seeds in our world. The sooner we bring good news, the less likely I’ll have to deal with a revolt.”

“Understandable.” Lacey waves the bag. “I’ll get to testing. I should be done in three hours.”

“Very well.” Azure looks to Lilith and Bane. “Bane, start informing the higher demons about a meeting that will be held in six hours at my castle. That’s when I’ll make the announcement official. Lilith, get our troops to relax and move the siege equipment back into our controlled territory.”

Both Bane and Lilith nod.

“As you wish.” They answer.

“Begone.”

Azure is left alone in her royal chamber as she falls back onto her seat and lets out a long and exhausted sigh.

“I don’t know whether to enjoy myself or be irritated by this whole situation,” she says to herself. “Well, no point in thinking about it.” Before sitting up, she stretches a little. “I need to work on my speech before the higher demons show up.” As she scoffs, she can’t help but think about how this all began. “Marriage... What a joke.”