It really puts into perspective how big the Underworld is.
Yeah, logically, I know its size, about the same size as Earth, give or take. But then you see how few people live here and how big of properties that certain families claim ownership of.
And sure, there are plenty of big properties privately owned on Earth by humans. You have things like ranches or farms, but this was…hard to compare.
"When I was told we were going to the 'camel stables,' I didn't picture this." I pointed out.
We were currently probably a hundred feet above the ground riding a magical transit device. It was more like a large circle with railings all around it, almost like a carnival or amusement park ride.
"I feel odd knowing that a family clan owns land that could potentially equal that of my kingdom." Artoria chimed in.
We passed over something that could be called a small mountain.
"Oh, it's mostly wilderness." Venelana chuckled, like that made it better. "The stables are a fair distance away. Camels thrive more in grassland environments since we don't have any deserts around."
We could have just teleported over, but…well, it was a nice view.
I definitely wouldn't say no to having a fun little trip like this with two of my girls.
"From what I understand, most of your people live in crowded cities. Do they not desire to claim their own lands?" Artoria asked.
"We're more than happy to let anyone develop the land under our control. We offer competitive prices and contracts that are more than fair. But it's a little dangerous and not something most people would want to risk their lives for." Venelana explained. "Truthfully, we often subsidize and encourage more settlements and expansion more often than not. Loans without interest rates aren't uncommon. The more land that gets developed, the more it helps us in the long run."
Artoria nodded, clearly understanding. "Many common folk would not wish to forgo safety and security for an adventurous and hard life even at the promise of earnings."
"It's an unfortunate side effect of long lives that come with a promise of gradual incremental power. Devils get stronger over time even if they do absolutely nothing, so why would they want to risk their lives?" Venelana sighed.
"Have you tried incentives like training in various fields? Martial prowess and magic—would they join on a new expedition? You have the resources to source experts in every field to be hired to train them, and in time, your own forces within your territory would gain their own expertise." Artoria asked.
"It's not a bad idea, but it runs into other issues." Venelana responded happily. "While my son no longer carries the name 'Gremory' due to taking up the mantle of Lucifer, he is, at the end of the day, still my son. Our son, I should clarify, is in the notion of Zeo's as well. Things are already difficult because of the implications of that status even if we're careful to do everything within the rules."
Hmm, I was half listening to what they were talking about.
Half of my attention was on the group of strange monsters on the ground.
I wonder if I could drop something and hit one of them? They didn't seem to be the type of things you would want running around, so I doubt anyone would get mad.
"The idea that the leaders have to give up their family name and connections despite it only meaning something on paper is just strange to me." I added my two cents.
"Well, it gives many the peace and mind they need." Venelana offered.
"Nobles need the belief that they can maintain their status and wealth to support the kingdom." Artoria added.
"Isn't that true?" Venelana laughed. "But yes, if we started building up a militia or army, well…it wouldn't go over well. So we have to do things slowly and methodically."
Artoria just nodded, understanding completely.
"Well, it doesn't matter much to me anymore." She pressed herself against my side and looked up to me happily. "Since I've started stepping back from those types of things and handing them over to Zeo fully."
When I accepted the idea of trying for more than just the…moment of weakness on my part, I don't think I fully thought about what that meant for her.
She wasn't a Gremory by birth.
She married into it, and here she was, fully giving up her hands on the estate, the business, the status, and the wealth just to stay with me.
Venelana had been the Gremory matriarch for centuries and centuries. All of that work and all of the time she spent building up the Gremory house and name. She simply set it to the side with a smile and walked away.
Of course, it's perhaps not as absolute as I was making it out to be. She was the mother of the two Gremory children, one of whom would become the new Gremory head eventually. Her husband—former husband in the future—is her best friend and has been for thousands of years.
That kind of connection won't disappear.
But even so, it made me feel very warm inside to have her be so casual about it.
It's why I didn't mind putting aside my own discomfort to help out her daughter. It's why I would help her even if I still held hate in my heart towards them.
If I couldn't even do that much, how could I continue to be together with her when she's giving me so much?
Truthfully, it just made me reaffirm my opinion that they're just all so much better than me, and I feel like I don't deserve them.
"Question." I voiced.
"Yes?" Venelana answered.
"What's the point in this thing—" I tapped the platform we were on with my foot. "If devils can fly?"
Artoria blinked. "I had forgotten about that. And it certainly removes the detriment of distance significantly too when occupying territories." She muttered the last part.
"Oh, sweetheart." Venelana smiled humorously. "We're Devil Nobles. Do you think we would fly around like the commoners?"
Fair.
And this did move quite quickly. Probably a bit faster than normal flying speed. I suppose this would be the magical equivalent to taking a carriage across the kingdom in the old days.
Regardless, I kissed her cheek.
These past couple days had done wonders for my stress levels.
Though I would probably have to stop fooling around by tomorrow, there were things I needed to get done that couldn't be put off.
So many responsibilities.
I hate responsibilities.
Why can't I just go back to how it was on Remnant, where I ran around with Roman and the others and threw dildos at Bullheads?
Tomorrow, first thing, I was going to take another crack at my alternate spear self.
With the help Scáthach had been giving me recently, I felt like I had made a lot of progress in that area, and I had a few tricks up my sleeves now.
"Oh hey, is that a town?" I squinted my eyes to make it out from the distance.
"Looks like we're here. It wasn't a long ride. It's practically in our backyard." Venelana responded.
Right.
Only we had to fly over a few mountains and different plains and forests to get here.
From a car, it probably would have been a two-hour drive. For us, it was a short flight, not even enough time to have a proper snack.
"I thought you said that the wilderness is undeveloped." Artoria asked as we got close.
"Well, this is one of the few exceptions. Of course, how could we neglect one of the few orders passed down by the Ancestor? Though, admittedly, her orders were, "Watch over my camels and make sure they're taken care of," before she went to bed for a few centuries.
I snorted, but I suppose it made sense.
It was a fairly big town.
Maybe a few thousand people—Devils—lived here.
We touched down in a private courtyard of some kind, like it was specifically built just for this purpose.
There were people waiting, presumably staff that Gremory hired, that made sure we disembarked without issue.
Must be a cushy job, sitting here and doing nothing except for the one time every few decades that a Gremory member comes on over?
To me it just sounds wasteful, but then again, I have a more human mentality.
I actually haven't really seen Devil Culture up close. At most, the 'random' Devils I've seen or been around, beyond other Nobles, were the staff and hired help of the Nobles.
They all didn't dare look up at us.
Artoria seemed used to it, like she knew what to expect, and while I also had experience with people bowing in my presence, this was just a tad more…deferential, I suppose.
Leaving the courtyard, it opened up to the main street without any fanfare. While the Gremorys were obscenely wealthy, they also weren't particularly ostentatious about it. Ironic considering how we arrived, but that was considered tame by Devil standards.
It fit my preferences.
Nobility is expressed by the person.
More than a devil noble, I recalled my memories of my time in the clock tower. It wasn't too dissimilar, but I always preferred those of noble character rather than status and wealth. That didn't necessarily mean the heroic or good-natured types.
Zekram wasn't someone I would call a good person, but he exemplified that kind of stature.
Be his enemy or ally, you could not deny his nobility.
We barely got a few feet out onto the street before Artoria paused, and then I noticed what she was staring at as well.
What.the.fuck.
It was a big advertisement with my face on it.
I glanced at Venelana, and she held up a hand in front of her mouth as she very clearly found it funny.
It seems Artoria noticed my expression too because she shot me a look of pity. "It catches your good side." She offered.
I forgot.
I was apparently some kind of celebrity down here.
Welp, there's only one way to handle this.
It's been a good run, Ddraig.
I am about to awaken.
[Stop being melodramatic.] I could feel my Zanpakutō rolling his eyes.
Ignore him; do it! Burn everything to the ground!] Ddraig laughed instead.
I could feel people staring at me. Maybe they wouldn't immediately recognize me in person, or it would take them a moment. Maybe they would just assume I was a look-alike.
But now, I was here, standing in front of a giant advertisement with my face on it.
"Is it him?'
'Do you think I can get an autograph?'
'I took a picture; I'm going to post it online.'
'It's definitely him; he's here with some of his harem. I'm jealous.'
I felt my eye twitch.
I regret that I had such good senses at this moment.
Maybe it was that I was so hyper-focused on the absurdity right here that I didn't even notice someone snuck up on me and pulled on my sleeve.
I glanced at the source and saw a little girl standing there, younger than Kunou by several years if I had to guess.
She had a notebook in front of her face blocking it that read 'Autograph Please' and a pen between her fingers.
It was written in the way a young child's handwriting is.
I admit, I hesitated for a few moments. The young girl shuffled around, and from behind her notebook a little plushy peeked over the edge.
A plushy of me.
…I don't understand why there's such a fervent idealization of me. I wasn't some kind of hero; hell, I wasn't even a good person, nor did I do anything particularly noteworthy for these people.
I could understand it back home when I was interacting with the Clock Tower and other Magi. That was the reverence and submission due to Zelretch's reputation and the fact that I'm also a magician.
But here, that's completely unknown.
I swallowed a little and slowly knelt down next to her and took the pen and notebook. I then saw her face, a cute little girl, but there was a scar over her neck, her voice box to be specific. She didn't say a word yet, and now, I could guess she couldn't actually speak.
A low-class devil.
Probably the lowest of the low class.
As Venelana said, people probably wouldn't come all the way out here in the middle of nowhere unless they didn't have any good options.
Instead of the pen, I took out my wand and held it between my fingers like a writing utensil. I then magically carved my name onto the paper, adding a magical flair to it that made it glow, sparkle, and even display some tiny fireworks if she touched it.
I could see her eyes light up as the effects went off.
While she was distracted, I cast a few healing spells on her. Her 'scar' probably didn't require something like Avalon to heal. I could tell it was something minor, but healing magics were rather rare for the Devil Society.
In a way, they're the antithesis to their default states of existence.
Even if my healing magic constituted 'light' and wasn't harmful, it was something of an outlier in this world.
I didn't say anything; she should discover it later.
With one last flourish of my wand, I touched it against the ground and pulled out a stream of dirt that I began to transmute into cotton and then give shape.
Compared to the books I've studied that Kunou is also learning from, this kind of thing is significantly easier than transmuting, say, a matchbook into a mouse or vice versa.
Within a second or two, there was now a little Sir Wiggles in a top hat to match her little Wilhelm plushy that I handed over to her.
She nearly jumped up and down and hugged it next to her other plushy of me.
Just as I stood back up, it was like the floodgates had been opened.
"Can I get your autograph too!?" Someone shoved something in my face… Was that a phone cover with me on it?
"I saw your fights; they were awesome. Can I get a selfie?" Another shouted.
There were maybe dozens of them, all pushed towards me.
"Are you looking for more women for your harem?"
"How did you get so strong?"
"Is it true you started as a low class too?"
"Autograph!?"
I had never been in this kind of situation before, and it honestly overwhelmed me. I was happy when I saw someone reach through the crowd and pull me away quickly.
I could recognize Venelana's hand as she helped me escape the situation, and we quickly disappeared before the crowd seemingly realized I was gone.
[Line Break]
I let out a small sigh as we put some distance between us and the crowd from before. Combined with the illusion I was getting particularly competent at, we should go undiscovered.
"Well, that was certainly something." Venelana commented. "I assume you forgot that you told me to take over your image and such."
"Yeah." I let out a groan. "I forgot everything about that."
It wasn't her fault; I definitely didn't blame her. If someone was going to take advantage of my face, I'd rather it be her than just random people.
Give me scheming, amoral, and deadly Magi any day of the week. That's something I understand and something I can handle.
I looked up to see another big advertisement of myself on the side of a building.
It made me want to sigh again, but I held back because I saw I wasn't the only face plastered everywhere. Frankly, it really didn't hit me until now how much this place reveres the strong.
There were pictures of all the Satans everywhere.
Advertisements, modeling, or just displayed in some way.
And yet, here I was, put up right next to them.
"You handled it very well." Artoria reassured me. "And it was very kind of you, what you did for that young girl."
I gave her a flat look, but for some reason she and Venelana were sharing a look of their own, like it was a secret between them.
I stopped on the side of the street again because there was another shop using my image for advertisement. At this point, I would have been used to it, but this one was different.
"Oh, forgot about that one." Venelana didn't even bat an eye. "That one does a lot of business."
It was an adult shop.
I could see Artoria blush.
As in, they sold things like sex toys.
Devils were…very liberal about that sort of thing. It was just out in the open, fully displayed.
You could see the toys in the windows.
And you could see inside.
Specifically, one person in particular.
She noticed us and came running out with a big bag in her hand. "What took you guys so long!?"
Runeas was wearing a shirt with my face on it too. Probably a size too small, so it did quite a bit to outline her figure. She reached into her bag and took out a dildo with my face on the end.
[I take back what I said before. I give you my blessing.] My Zanpakuto informed me.
I considered it.
Kill me.
It started to buzz and vibrate.
She was doing it on purpose.
The smug look on her face said it all.
I just can't compete with these ancient beings when it comes to shamelessness. Odin, Tiamat, and now her—what was I supposed to do? They had far more experience compared to me.
"Come on, let's go see my camels!" She put it away after she had her unspoken laugh and all but skipped in front of us as she led us forward.
Oddly, the stable wasn't particularly isolated.
It felt more like the town sprang up around it.
From the cement and cobblestone of the city street, it turned into a dirt road that looked exceedingly out of place in this time of 'modern' city.
As I looked back, even the city portions were slightly off and crooked, as if to give very specific spots a wide berth and not disturb them.
I could guess that they took great care to explicitly not intrude on the 'area' that constituted the camel stables.
"You said that there were monsters and dangerous stuff out this far; how come there isn't a city wall or something like that?" The thought popped into my head as I noticed the odd situation.
"That is a good question." Artoria perked up.
"Because there's a bigger monster that made this place its home, and any other creatures in the surrounding areas don't dare to intrude." Venelana responded rather cryptically.
…why did I have a strange feeling?
Runeas gave a sly laugh too.
When we arrived, I was…unsure of what to make of this place.
They called it a 'stables,' but it looked more like a five-star resort instead.
There was a huge pool out front, completely decorated with statues and decor that wouldn't look out of place in the Gremory family home.
The 'stables' building, where they presumably slept, was quite literally the picture of a hotel.
They really took care of the camels here.
And how they worship their ancestors, I suppose, since her only order of 'Look after my camels' would elicit such a profound response.
Oddly, it didn't really intrude much on the natural scenery. It seems they took great effort not to overly modernize or detract from the natural aspects.
There were a shit ton of Camels, though.
But there was one question.
"Why do those camels have more than two humps?" I questioned.
"They're demonic Camels." Venelana answered as if that was enough.
Well, it was, in all honesty.
They also had a small little antenna on their foreheads.
It was fucking weird.
The camels barely gave us any attention; it was clear they were used to being pampered and didn't care about our presence.
However, Runeas put her fingers in her mouth and let out a very loud whistle.
It was like the world stilled for a moment; all the camels froze, then all looked in a specific direction.
I could see the dust cloud being kicked up as it got closer and closer.
I sort of blanked as I could make it out when it got within my sight.
The creature slid to a stop in front of Runeas, and it had a disproportionately demonic aura. It was a camel, of course, but not just any camel. Besides the four humps on its back, which I hadn't seen on any other camel, its aura made it feel like it was at least the peak of a high-class being, maybe even ultimate class.
What.The.Fuck.
Why was there a Super Camel?
No wonder there were no hostile monsters around when this fucking thing lived here!
"Meet Lord Humpsworth Gremory!" Runeas was introduced. "She's also a girl."
[Huh, maybe it is hereditary.] Ddraig commented.
"She's…an impressive Camel." I said carefully.
She let out a camel noise of appreciation, I think. I admit, I've never actually heard what noises camels make before, but here we are.
"She is a fine mount." Artoria also gave praise, but hers felt more genuine.
Then again, Artoria was used to supernatural horses; a monster camel would be nothing new.
"She's also the ancestor of every camel on the ranch." Venelana stated. "And the reason that my daughter is traumatized by Camels."
I did a double take at her. "What was that last bit?"
"My daughter happened to walk in while she was…mating with the males. That's intentionally plural. The males don't always survive." She explained.
I did not need to have that picture in my head.
The camel, somehow, looked smug about it.
Hell, Runeas looked utterly smug about it.
Not the traumatizing daughter part, but the other part.
"Good, now we can set you up with your own camel, and you can make it your familiar, and you will become a proper Gremory!" Runeas declared.
"I already have a familiar." I told her bluntly.
"Hmph, compared to the elegance and grace of a camel, it can't compare, whatever it is!" She retorted.
Her camel also made a noise of agreement.
I felt offended.
And this offense can't go unanswered.
Our eyes met.
I took out my hat, put it on my head, and then turned it around. "Sir Wiggles, I choose you!"
I summoned my great familiar.
Sir Wiggles appeared, standing on his legs with his arms up in the air as if to dare anyone to challenge him.
His nose twitched in anticipation for bloodshed.
And of course, his fluffy little tail wiggled to show his ferocity.
Runeas went silent, her eyes narrow. "Lord Humpsworth, it's been a long time since we've had a worthy competitor!"
The camel slammed its foot on the ground, and I could literally see a demonic aura waft out of its mouth.
Sir Wiggles began to crackle with lightning.
"Lord Humpsworth, use quick attack!"
"Sir Wiggles, dodge and use thunderbolt!"
Her camel moved very fast and tried to kick Sir Wiggles, but Sir Wiggles also wasn't ordinary and dodged just in time and sent a bolt of lightning at the camel.
"Lord Humpsworth, shield and headbutt!"
A shield of demonic energy enveloped him and blocked the lightning bolt, and it rammed right towards my bunny.
"Sir Wiggles, counter with a lightning headbutt!"
Sir Wiggles became enveloped in lightning and shot right at him too.
Both of them collided with a particularly impressive display of power. I'm fairly sure that by comparison, Rias's peerage would have all been knocked out by this point.
Sir Wiggles hopped back in front of me, and the camel stood tall in front of Runeas after the dust settled.
"I admit, your Camel is impressive." I acknowledged our opponent. "Sir Wiggles has never met a foe that could match him this much."
"And your rabbit is fluffy!" She shot back.
Indeed.
Between Heaven and Earth, he is the fluffy one.
"Lord Humpsworth, it's time to use our secret technique!" Runeas declared. "First, use distract!"
The camel actually got on its hind legs and started hopping around.
It was actually impressive, and I was most certainly distracted. However, what did she intend—
Something soared through the air. It was slow, slow enough that I could have dodged it easily. But I think I was just taken aback enough that I didn't react.
It smacked me in the chest and hit the ground.
It then started vibrating and buzzing in the sand.
She threw the dildo from earlier at me.
I looked up, and she had the most shit-eating grin on her face.
The camel looked almost exactly the same.
I was almost certain that those two shared the same brain cell.
"Sir Wiggles." I said emotionlessly. "Use Thor's Hammer."
The sky rumbled as the storm clouds appeared.
Runeas looked up, and her eyes widened. "Wait, it was just a joke!"
"Bring the lightning!"
The massive hammer of lightning slammed down as she let out a scream; the camel also let out a strangled noise.
It eventually abated and cleared, and the sun shone through the parting clouds.
Lord Humpsworth lay on its side, tongue lolled out, and its eyes rolled back.
Sir Wiggles stood on its head, arms in the air, declaring victory.
"Noooo! Lord Humpsworth!" Runeas cried out as she ran to her knocked-out camel.
Venelana wrapped her arms around me. "Are you done playing?"
I smiled. "Yeah, I'm done."
That was silly, but whatever.
Runeas perked up. "Alright, get up, you lazy slut." She spanked the camel, and it got up quickly. "Go off and play; I know you hate being called unless there's something fun to do."
The camel let out another noise and ran off towards the back of the stables.
"Rias has been watching all her favorite anime with the Ancestor." Venelana answered the question on my mind.
And now, everything suddenly made sense.
Runeas just hummed. "I heard that the old Dragon moved over to your home."
"Tiamat?"
"Yeah." Runeas squatted down and rubbed Sir Wiggles' head. "We used to spend some time together. I was the one who gave her the Familiar Forest as her own territory. We bonded over taking long naps."
Well, I'm not surprised.
They're both utterly shameless, and that's coming from me.
"It's nice that she found something worth getting up for. I'm worried sometimes that every time I go to sleep, I just don't have it in me to wake up again. Maybe next time I take a nap, I just won't wake up."
What a melancholic thought.
With how playful she is, it's easy to forget how old she is too.
"Thanks for playing with Old Gremory. The only thing I look forward to when waking up anymore is seeing all my cute descendants and playing with them." She gave a warm smile. "In more ways than one." She gave a wink, but it lacked the earlier shameless sensuality.
I wonder when I'll feel like that too.
When will I just be tired enough that I don't want to wake up anymore? How many thousands of years will it take?
My feet carried me before I gave it a conscious thought, and I hugged her.
She treated me as family from the moment she saw me, didn't she?
She let out a small laugh. "You're a sweet boy, aren't you? Treat Venelana well; she isn't a Gremory by blood, but even so, I consider her one of mine."
"Of course." I nodded.
She patted my cheek. "Now, I'm going back home to play with my new toys. You're welcome to come visit whenever you want."
She grabbed her untouched bag from before.
I had a blank expression because I knew what she meant by 'toys.'
A teleportation circle barely flickered under her feet before it whiskered her away. It made me perk up seeing how easily and skillfully she just cast that.
That was impressive.
"She's certainly a whirlwind, isn't she?" Venelana asked.
"You have a great many…eccentric family members." Artoria stated.
"That's a polite way of saying it." Venelana laughed. "I need to get things ready for my newest peerage member coming to pay a visit."
Oh, that means Olga was coming, wasn't it?
"I won't bother you any more."
"You're always welcome to bother me." She kissed my cheek. "But I do have a few things I need to take care of."
I wouldn't waste her time any longer.
I offered my hand to Artoria. "Ready to go home."
She smiled beautifully. "Yes, let us return home."
It was a fun and silly little trip, but now, it was time to get some work done.
[Line Break]
A/N
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m. / astoryforone
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