Chapter 92 Mercy And Justice

Ophis had a mild crisis as she sat on the floor thinking. She had to agree that Floid deserved the role he had. He was a perfect candidate for a demon lord, but she still didn't like it. It made no sense that he would change so much. Why did the chivalrous hero suddenly become so cold and unrepentant? Was something like that even possible?

Ophis interacted a lot with Floid and during their battle, she noticed how he tried his best to protect his comrades and he even sent them back so that he could protect them, so it was obvious that she would notice the drastic difference between the hero and this current Floid.

But Ophis had no idea that Floid only did all that back then because he would lose EXP if any of his party members died in the game. He was just trying to get a perfect clear in the game and that is why he was protecting his teammates so much

"But let's forget about your inadequacies for now."

Ophis looked up again as Floid spoke. His voice was calm and collected but she could sense the intense pressure he was released with every word.

"It is good that you are alive, I have wanted to meet you for a long time now so that we can talk about the punishment for the stupid stunt you performed. Tell me, what gave you the right to rally together the demons and attack the humans?"

"W-What...?"

Ophis could only mutter in shock as Floid said this to her. She slid back a little as she felt Floid's imposing aura on her. What does he mean by what he said!? Is he trying to punish me for helping the demons!? If I didn't do what I did then the demons would have all been hunted down by the humans! We were already fighting a losing battle since my father died and if I didn't step up then the demons would have lost morale completely! What nonsense is this man saying!?

"You can't blame me for what happened. If I didn't step up then the humans would have defeated the demons. We only survived because of what I did!"

Ophis tried her best not to raise her voice again because she could see Rosavellt standing right beside her with that glare. But she felt great anger rise inside her as she didn't see any reaction from Floid! Floid didn't recognize what she said as a good excuse! Is he saying that my efforts were wrong?

Floid sighed as he spoke up. He didn't think he would have to spell things out like this, but he would do it only once.

"You say that you saved the demons? If you didn't take the mantle then you be(eve that the demons would have been wiped out? Then why weren't the demons wiped out over the last hundred years when you weren't in power? There was no one to protect them and they still survived, didn't they. But in the short time that you were the demon queen, your unsuccessful attacks eradicated more than one-third of my army in a hopeless fight against the humans. Your presence as the fake demon lord made the humans afraid and that fear made them resort to the drastic measure of summoning a hero. If you never existed, a hero would have never been summoned and those demons would have never died. Your hubris was what incited the loss. Your presence was a threat that the humans recognized. The humans do not see a few scattered demons who do not have a leader as a threat. They feel like they can handle that without sending out a hero, but a demon lord is a different matter. Do you understand now?"

"N-No! No, you're wrong. I didn't just take up the mantle because I was greedy? I wanted to help the demons. My father died abruptly and there was no choice. If I didn't do it then the humans would have seen us as weak and they would have tried to eradicate us completely!"

Ophis was now glaring up at Floid and she wouldn't back down from this. But the next thing that Floid said would shake her to her core and make her rethink everything she just said.

"Did you do it for the demons? Or did you do it because you wanted revenge for your father?"

Ophis felt her muscles tighten till the wound on her shoulder stopped bleeding! Her entire body was tense! She looked away as she grit her teeth in anger! Floid knew he was right. Back then, Ophis was still a young demon that just lost her father. She blamed the humans for his death and she gathered the demons under her to try and attack those humans for revenge. What a stupid girl. Floid was able to realize all these things easily so he knew that Ophis wouldn't have any means to counter it. She wasn't so stupid that she wouldn't see her own faults. Now that someone already pointed it out she would realize that it was the truth.

Floid calmly stood up from his chair. He was the demon king. Even if he was a ruthless ruler, he was not a fool. Floid still recognized that Ophis could be a valuable asset in the future. Floid would not kill her but he cannot let her go Scot free for this transgression. She was a demon and so he would give her the chance to redeem herself.

"It was your greed that made you lash out at the humans. You took your father's hard work and spat on it like a mindless spoiled child. But I will temper justice with mercy. Even if your method was stupid and crude, you still dealt a blow to the demons and you never wavered as you fought the humans for ten years."

Each sentence that Foid spoke was a dagger to Ophis' heart! And it was even worse because it was true! No one has ever reprimanded her like this before so it was more painful than anything!

But Ophis' eyes widened once Floid finally gave her punishment.

"You will spend five years as a field worker under Andromeda, that is your sentence."

What!? She just got out of the streets and now Floid wanted her to go back to being a field worker! How cruel can you be!? Just make me a slave!! Even the slaves in the castle receive better treatment than field workers! Only humans are field workers!

Lilith closed her eyes with a silent sigh as she thanked the demon lord happily. She was glad that he didn't just kill Ophis. Even as a field worker, Ophis would still be alive! Ophis will be able to move up and become a slave after those five years so Ophis just has to hold on till then!

Ophis was still looking up at Floid with apprehension but she could see that Floid has made up his mind. If she protests then it will only make things worse for her. All she can do now is accept her punishment from the demon lord.

Ophis bowed and Floid waved his hand as Rosavellt took Ophis away. Rosavellt will take Ophis to Andromeda and Andromeda will heal the injuries and put her to work. Floid knew that Ophis was not a difficult person to handle. She might be a bit rebellious, but Ophis was very dedicated to the demons, and Floid needs as many allies as he can get. Floid would watch her for these five years and then if he sees that he can trust her he will heal her mana core and make her a slave.

As an SSS-class, Ophis is one of the strongest demons and it will be good to have her in the army.

As this last act was finished, Floid finally went back to the throne and sat down with a deep breath. It was tiring to handle demons. Rizi went to make him another cup of tea and the other members of his household stayed silent as they waited for their next orders. It didn't take ten minutes before Floid finally got a message from the army that the military garrison of Aquinas has fallen. The last stronghold of the kingdom of Aquinas was now dead and Floid smiled as he finished his quest.

[The Quest (Kill the king of Aquinas and take over the kingdom) has been completed. The reward will now be distributed]

[Magic Resonance - A special magic power that every race in Rivalle possesses. It gives a person a specific magic ability that cannot be replicated using regular spells. Congratulations, the host has unlocked Magic Resonance (Rank F). When In use, The Hax skill [He who is Loved By Mana] will be temporarily disabled and the Host can only use the mana in his core]

[The Host has successfully taken over 60% of the territories on Aradite. The Host has unlocked the demon lord title [Virtue of Content]. This is the title given to every demon lord and it represents the antithesis of their Greedy nature. To gain more titles, the host must take territory from the other Virtues and make them his own.]

[As the [Virtue of Content] the host gains a 20% increase in mana absorption rate. As the [Virtue Of Content], the host gains a temporary increase of 50HP with every 100HP damage dealt to an opponent]

Name: Floid

Rank: SSS

HP: 3000/3000

MP: 1,020,050

Job Class: Demon Lord

Title: [Virtue of Content] Representing Greed

Artifacts: Cursed Katana

Skills: [Fireball - F] [Earth Lance - D] [Rapid Strike - D] [Greater Hardening - C] [Familiar Summons - A] [Spatial Space - B] [Illusion - A] [Ultimate Strength - S] [BloodLust - S] [Healing - S] [Ice Lance - S] [Flash Freeze - S] [Day Breaker - S] [Night Banisher - S] [True Sight - SS] [Dual Casting - SS]

Hax: [Duplicate] [He who is loved by Mana] [Advanced Sword Arts Knowledge] [Advanced Architecture Knowledge] [Magic Resonance - F]