Chapter 196 - Story

Harold had a few guesses who the person talking to him could be. He wanted to turn around and look at the person in question but the moment he showed such movement he felt a massive pressure fall upon him. The pressure was no longer simply bloodl.u.s.t this was a pressure that could only be applied by an overwhelming amount of mana.  

"Do not move, and answer my question." The mysterious intruder's tone suddenly turned ice-cold as his mood seems to be worsening. 

"I'm called Harold a merchant that has recently come to this city to do some business," Harold answered in a relaxed manner.

"A merchant with a demon as a butler. Tell me what are your origins? You aren't just a simple merchant are you?" 

"Dear sir, my family has been merchants for quite some time now. But yes it is true we aren't simple merchants. As for my butler yes it is as you say he is a demon."  

"Then do tell me, merchant, what are your true origins? I can already tell that you aren't human, but at the same time, you aren't a pure demon nor a half. Tell me what are you, what's so special about your family that you are able to employ a demon as your butler?"

"To answer that question my dear sir may take a while since it is quite a story, are you willing to listen?" Harold asked while continuing to show a relaxed demeanor. 

"Very well, tell me your story." The bloodl.u.s.t lessened which made Harold feel a bit relieved. 

"Since we agree to talk, won't you please sit down." Harold gestured at the chair in front of him. 

"There's no need for that, just tell me what I want to know." Harold wasn't offended by the mysterious intruder as he continued to act in a relaxed manner. Harold then sat on a chair as he began his story.

"Alright then, in a time long forgotten time an ancient demon with unrivaled power was born. This ancient demon was so strong that he was able to unify all the different demonic tribes, from the arrogant Vampires to the powerful Onis. He became a demon lord without much effort and once he was demon lord the humans started sending heroes to oppose him."

"The heroes of old were more powerful than any human alive today yet even they were not able to handle the might of the demon lord. At first, the demon lord was excited fighting the never-ending tides of heroes, but after some time he grew weary of their challenge." 

"The demon lord had grown stronger and stronger for every hero he vanquished, and he no longer found joy in fighting such weak beings. As the humans continued to harass the demon lord and his people he finally decided to retaliate. The humans alongside the other races were unable to stop the demon lord's march. In a few decades, the demon lord had conquered the whole continent."

"Even after winning the war and becoming the top power the demons continued to hate the humans, especially those who were born with the constitution to become a hero. Still, it was also at this time that the demons started to have relationsh.i.p.s with other races and mated with them producing the halves. Though there have been halves before, this was the first time that a large number of them were created."

"The other races were already treated unfairly by demons, but the halves were treated much worse. They were the subject of ridicule and contempt. Even after the great demon lord tried to amend the situation the demon race continued to discriminate." 

"It was at the height of this discrimination that the firstborn son of the demon lord conspired with the alliance of humans, elves, dwarves, swordians, warbeast, and the winged people. He had given his father a drug that suppresses his great amount of mana. Without able to gather mana through his body, even with his physical advantages, the demon lord could not win against his firstborn and his accomplices."

"After the death of the demon lord his firstborn son quickly took over the demon empire. With the support of the alliance and some other traitors, he was able to quickly subdue those loyal to the former demon lord."

"It was revealed later that the reason the firstborn initiated a coup was for his daughter a half-human, half-demon child. Not only did she have a human mother, but that mother was also a hero. Knowing the great hate demons had for heroes and the halves, the demon lord's son tried to convince his father to do something, but his father failed to do anything." 

"That was when the alliance gave him an offer, they offered him a solution to his problems. Blinded by his love for his daughter and the promise he made to his dead wife he agreed to kill his own father. Once the deed was done the alliance backstabbed him. They used him to control the demon empire and with that power, the demon empire was slowly dying as the pureblooded demons were slowly wilting away. The Demon Empire had been destroyed from the inside, and the demon lord's son had no way to reverse the situation."

"Still, even in the end he never regretted his decision. His father died with a smile on his face and even though it wasn't what he was expecting, killing most of the pureblooded demons had stopped the discrimination as most of the citizens were now halves."

"The demon empire alongside with most of the ancient demons have died, and the halves were forced out of their homes. The alliance then gave them a bit of land in the harsh deserts to the west. In that desert, the remaining demons created a small kingdom, waiting for the day they could once again rule. The other demons separated from them and created another kingdom were they decided to live peacefully with the other races."

"I come from the demons that have stayed in the desert. Though most of my demon blood has thinned out due to mixing with other races, I still have the blood of the supreme demon lord flowing through my veins. Does that answer your question Ren, or should I call you my esteemed ancestor, Demon Lord Kretos." 

Harold was finally able to look behind him and saw a frowning Ren and a silent Silika.