"Wait, hold on, I thought that Luna is Adam's girlfriend, since you're roleplaying it so…" Jane gasped, while we all were going around shopping.
"Not exactly, your highness…" Elizabeth said shyly. "Adam and I were close before even meeting Miss Luna."
Jane thought for a second. "Oh, I see… So you're roleplaying a tragic love story, a forbidden love between a prince and a servant that are in love, but can't be together because of some law that doesn't allow royals to marry peasantry… The evil mother of the prince even arranged a marriage for him with an elven princess that, at first, didn't want to do anything with him, thinking him to be a spoiled, shallow prince, but after seeing just how noble and down to earth he is, gradually fell for him as well. Yes, I can see it as clear as day!" The more Jane thought, the more she got into it.
"Now the noble prince, torn between his heart and duty, has to make a decision that might cause him his crown and might even lead to a war with the Greenwood kingdom. How truly complex…" Jane sighed.
"You're overthinking it." I said.
"What do you mean?"
"Your highness, The position of the demon king isn't hereditary, but based on merit." Liz said. "In order to become the new demon king you must defeat the previous one in a one on one duel."
"In fact." She continued. "The whole kingdom of Icathia - the demon kingdom is a meritorious state that respects strength over all else, as for whom does the demon king wishes to be with, is up to him."
"That's true, but it's customary for the demon king to have more than one mate in order to produce as many powerful descendants as possible." Alpha added nonchalantly.
Jane gave me a death glare. "You lecher! How could you?! I know that all this is just a game. but still… Elizabeth is such a nice girl, how could you do this to her?" She scoffed, took Liz by the hand and stomped forward, babbling something about self respect and men.
"When are you going to tell her the truth?" Alpha asked me when the two girls were out of ear shot.
"I already did." I answered with a smile.
"That's not what I mean. She believes that everything that she is seeing and hearing right now is just a game created to cheer her up. When are you going to dispel the illusion?"
"I already told her the truth and whether she believes me or not is up to her. Besides, I wish to see her reaction when, over time, more and more oddities begin to emerge. Don't ruin my fun."
Alpha shook her head and said. "I won't, but I warn you, this won't lead to anything good."
"I have all this power, what could ever go wrong?" I asked, amusement evident on my face.
"Was all your power able to protect Alex, Sara, Zen, Clive, Diana and Aurora?"
My amusement immediately faded, replaced with a snarl. "You're overstepping. Do you think that you have the right to spout just about anything in front of my face and be exempt from the consequences? Do you think that I am kind hearted enough to let you go?"
Alpha pointed around at the busy street that was situated between two rows of bustling shops. With a dead pan voice, she said. "You wouldn't do anything that would expose your true strength in front of so many people and when we return, your fury will most likely be subsided."
I looked around and sighed. "Rational."
We spent the remaining part of the day shopping and bought everything that Jane could ever need plus some more. The amount of money spent wasn't exorbitant, but certainly enough to cover a salary man's monthly income.
It was obvious that Jane was trying to squeeze me dry with the amount of things in the carts, probably because of all that talk about a demon king's harem, but it seemed that even she had limits, consciously avoiding the really expensive things and opting for a quantity of less expensive items that could be used by everyone in the house.
Elizabeth was relieved that this time the money wasn't spent on her, Lilia was dazzled by the toys on the shelves, Alpha looked bored as usual and the two trouble makers - Pain and Luna were fanning the flames of misunderstanding between me and Jane, while I silently was deciding their punishments.
We returned home after dark, all exhausted, some physically, some spiritually, but all happy. Jane was given one of the rooms and began unpacking her loot while Liz - the only useful one in the house - prepared dinner. After we all had dinner, everyone dispersed to do what they all did best.
Days passed, we all played along with the fantasy, some knowingly, some - not. One day, out of boredom, I decided to do something that I had never done before - tend to my equipment. While I usually left the maintenance of my clothing in Elizabeth's capable hands, since me touching a needle would definitely, intentionally or unintentionally, leave someone without an eye, my arsenal of blades was out of her hand.
I began by retrieving a large wooden bucket filled with water, a file and one of my signature heavy short swords and began inspecting the damage. The edge was badly chipped and deformed, curled in some places. The only reason that this simple steel blade wasn't unusable was because of its thickness and weight - even though dull and deformed, it served as a hefty club.
I was about to begin maintenance, when a knock was heard from behind the door. I ignored it. A second series of knocks - these ones a bit louder. Ignored again. Finally, a quiet, gentle voice beckoned me. "Adam, are you asleep?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"If you were asleep, how come you can answer me?" The voice asked.
"...Magic… Don't think about it too much."
"Very funny, I'm coming in." The door opened and Jane stepped in. She looked around the room, spotting the badly damaged sword and the other equipment and came closer. "So you even have props too? Professional indeed." She lifted the short sword with both hands and tried to swing it. With the inertia, the sword dragged her forward and she almost fell.
"Jesus, I know props aren't meant to be used, but this thing is simply ludicrous." She exclaimed. "The handle is far too short and the blade - far too heavy. Besides, for a blade of the demon king - it lacks the bling."
"It's not a prop." I said. "The handle is so short because it's not a two handed sword but a one handed one, as for the weight - it's a bit light in my eyes."
"Hah, prove it." Jane said. "If you can actually wield it, I'll do one thing that you ask me to."
"And if I don't?"
Jane lowered her eyes. "You'll have to answer me. You'll have to tell me the truth about how Alex died, the whole truth, with nothing emitted and no exaggeration - meaning that you can't tell me that a dragon ate him or something impossible like that."
"...Fine, we'll do as you wish." I said, stood up and took the short sword into my hand, then began slashing the air imitating the techniques that I learn to wield a dagger. Finally, after the performance was done, I sat down and placed the sword onto the table. "Satisfied?"
Jane blinked. Then blinked again. Then took the short sword into her hand and tried swinging again, getting pulled forward by the inertia. "How did you do it? What kind of magic allows one to become so strong?"
"Basic strengthening or enhancement magic usually does the trick, but for such a light sword, I don't need to use it."
"You know, you guys could stop roleplaying for at least a moment, right? If you don't want to tell me how you did it, that's fine, but… Could you at least tell me the truth about Alex?"
"You weren't the one that won the bet, or have you already forgotten that?" I asked.
"Please!" Jane pleaded. "I know that you're trying to protect me, you even set up this elaborate role play to get my mind off of it, but I'm ready. I'm ready to hear the truth, please just tell me…" Tears began flowing down her cheeks.
I thought for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise me to hear me out completely."
She jolted, as if not believing her ears, then thanked me with a smile.
"First of all, we're not role playing, the only one role playing is you."
Anger flashed in Jane's eyes. "Ugh, after all that, you still won't tell me? Fine, I'm leaving!" She turned and began walking towards the door.
She was about to open the door when a command was heard from me. "STOP." Her body involuntarily froze. "TURN AROUND." Another command that she unwillingly followed. At this point, Jane was panicking, unable to control her body, unable to resist. "SIT." She plopped down on the ground.
"What are you doing to me? What is this?!" Jane finally shouted. "Aren't you afraid that I'll report it to the authorities?"
"What is it that you'll report exactly?" I asked. "That you followed what I told you? Or maybe magic? Who in the whole world would ever believe the existence of magic?"
"You… You… Just who are you?"
"I am Adam - the first true demon and the current demon king - a being on par with gods and you, Jane Jones, will listen to what I have to say until the end."
"This is kidnaping! I'll shout for help, the others will hear and call the police. Help! Help! Liz, Pain, Luna, someone!" She kept shouting until Elizabeth finally entered the room. "Liz, finally you're here." Jane exclaimed. "Quick, call the police, that bastard went insane."
"Adam, what is this?" Elizabeth asked.
"Just a tiny show of power." I answered. "Jane doesn't believe me, so I might as well show her just how true my words are. Please leave now."
"Hmm, fine, but don't be too rough with her, she's a queen of a nation after all." Liz said and went outside.
"No! Wait, Liz, don't go, don't leave…"
"SILENCE." A resounding command rendered Jane mute. I sighed and began formulating a plan on how to explain everything. After a while, I took the short sword into my hand, Jane's eyes widened with fear, and with the other one created a ball of blue flames, then slowly plunged the blade into the flames, then pulled it out.
Jane watched in horror as the now bright red blade's edge in my hand was shaped with my bare fingers until nice and sharp, then was plunged into the bucket of water, producing steam, and proving that the blade was actually hot and not just some illusion. Then the testing began.
I rolled up the sleeve of my left arm and swung with the blade in my right, cutting off my hand. The pain was immense, but I didn't show it. The cut off hand fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere, then the cut off hand was picked back up by me and placed back onto my arm. After a second or two the left arm clutched into a fist and relaxed.
The bloody sword, which was placed on the ground, was then picked up and disappeared into the dimensional storage ring. I looked Jane dead in the eyes and asked. "Now do you believe me?"
Join me on patreon at patreon.com/BonsaiCat for early access to new chapters or buy my book 'How to rule a fantasy world' on Amazon. It's the same stuff that you read here, but I fucked up with the naming and the book is already out, so fuck it, let's go with this name for the book. I appreciate all of your support and your forgiveness for my utter incompetence. Best regards, BonsaiCat.