The Demon Lord's First Summoning

So, what do you think I did on my first day as a Demon Lord? Gazed down upon the world with an arrogant smirk, perhaps? Heavens, no.

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the throne at my back, I slowly took in my surroundings. It was splendid enough to pass for the site of a final battle — the walls glittered with gold ornamentation, and treasure lay heaped everywhere.

"…The Demon Lord's power, hmm. Shall I give it a try?"

Talking to myself had started to feel oddly natural. I wasn't human anymore, and honestly, a humanoid monster had its perks. This was something I couldn't have even dreamed of back in my slime days. Quite satisfying, really.

I carefully extended my hand forward. Instinct guided it. Can you blame me? Once a curiosity takes hold, doesn't it just have to be checked? Hold it in any longer and you'll make yourself sick — same goes for me, so let's just go for it. If this is a Demon Lord's body, it has to be sturdy. Surely it won't be fazed by anything so trivial. Right?

I had no idea how it actually worked, but I pushed the seething, bubbling magic at my fingertips outward. A dark-crimson light bloomed up like heat haze. Something was beginning to change.

That voice again. The same careless, irresponsible voice that had declared me the Demon Lord of the End at my awakening, then vanished without a trace.

"And why, pray tell, are you deigning to reappear now?"

As expected, my sarcasm was cleanly ignored. Even the artificial indifference was starting to grow on me, which is a little pathetic. It's sad, honestly, that I find myself clinging to a talking void simply because I have no one else to talk to.

There were a few things I wanted to check, so I focused my questions on those — particularly the Demon Lord's Essence it had just mentioned. That had my attention.

"That light that came from my hand — was that the essence?"

The word Kin caught my interest. Lately I'd been wishing, however vaguely, that I had someone — anyone — I could actually talk to. What a perfect opportunity, then. Might as well try it. There was no reason to hesitate. I would see for myself!

"Then I'll start using the essence now. I'd like to use nearly everything I have to summon my Kin — is that all right? If there's a problem…"

"Then how do I recover it?"

The relationship between dungeons and Demon Lords was a mystery that humanity itself had never managed to unravel. And here I was, learning it firsthand. Fascinating.

"Do Demon Lords fight each other?"

"Protection Period? So I'm safe for the time being?"

I raised my hand again. This time I didn't hesitate. There wasn't even a reason to be afraid.

"Use every last drop of the essence!"

"Oh, come on. I'll be fine. Hurry up!"

Its voice wavered noticeably. All this time I'd assumed it was incapable of emotion — apparently not. It was like teasing a small child, and honestly, it was fun. I found myself wanting to needle it even more.

"Ooh, that sounds great. Now I'm even more excited."

"Running away from a little danger? Perish the thought."

It truly seemed to be trying to talk me out of it. But you know what? I'm the kind of person who wants to do a thing precisely when told not to. There was no way I could stop now.

"If I'm stingy and the result comes out half-baked, that's actually a loss, isn't it? Better to summon something unambiguously excellent while I'm at it. And that takes a little risk — like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the one I'm taking right now."

My knees buckled all at once. Bile surged up my throat. Ah — I can't collapse here! I fought to stay upright with everything I had, but my body gave out and crumpled forward. My vision blurred; my senses were slipping away one by one. I reached out to catch myself, but my arms refused to obey. This was bad.

"Maybe I was too greedy. Should've used just half."

Even as my consciousness faded, that was the pathetic thought running through my head. Becoming a Demon Lord, and I hadn't changed one bit.

I was about to hit the floor — and then, before my eyes, the darkness slowly began to gather. So the summoning had worked, apparently.

The shadows gradually took shape: beast ears, a long tail, solid armor. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Brown hair cascaded down in waves, and beneath it, a pair of eyes rose quietly to meet mine.

A fox beastfolk. Utterly beautiful. She brought to mind a princess from some beastfolk kingdom of the distant past — there was an unmistakable nobility about her, for reasons I couldn't quite name.

She held my gaze for a long moment without a word. Alone in a room with a woman — a little nerve-wracking, that. But the moment she noticed me toppling over, there was no time for such luxuries. She moved at once.

Soundlessly, she caught me in her arms. Strong arms braced my back and the backs of my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knees. How long had it been since anyone held me like this? The warmth of her settled around me, soft and comforting.

"…Who are you, exactly?"

My tongue barely worked. Rest was clearly still in order. Maybe I'd just stay like this, quiet and still, for a little while. It wasn't as if anyone was around to judge us.

Rather than answer, she carefully tightened her hold — as if afraid she might drop me. Her touch was so cautious it was as though she were handling something fragile.

The voice echoed somewhere beyond my dimming awareness. And yet — something was off. Had it found something suspicious? The atmosphere had frozen over. Tense, suddenly. What now?

It forced the words out, grudgingly, as if it hated having to admit it. Victory, it seemed, was mine.

Nemesia. A splendid name. I committed her expressionless face to memory and closed my eyes. Time to sleep, just for a bit.

When I woke, I was lying down — not on the cold floor, either. Someone had cradled my head neatly in place. A lap pillow. The moment I opened my eyes, a pair of brown ones was peering down at me from directly above.

It was Nemesia. She had evidently kept watch at my side the whole time I slept. Her face was nearly blank, but when our eyes met, it softened — just the faintest touch. Receiving nursing care from a beauty like this is quite the luxury.

"You are awake, then."

Her voice was calm and refreshingly clear. I could have listened to it forever. Perhaps I'd ask her to sing for me sometime. If she refused, well, nothing to be done about it.

"…How long was I out?"

"Approximately half a day. Upon examining you, I found your magic entirely depleted. Moving you recklessly would have been dangerous, so I kept watch over you here."

"…You stayed like that the whole time? Half a day?"

"Yes. Guarding my master is my purpose."

"Th-thank you for your trouble. Truly."

I swallowed my embarrassment and changed the subject — my shoulders had been feeling oddly chilly for a while now. And only then did it dawn on me that I was wearing absolutely nothing.

A thin layer of black slime just barely covered the essentials; in practice, I was practically bare. Every brush of cold air against my skin drove the fact home all over again. Mortifying.

"…This is, um. A bit more than merely underdressed, isn't it?"

"Your body, Demon Lord, is perfection itself. I believe this fact should be proclaimed to all the world. That I must keep it to myself feels almost sinful."

"I am not walking around naked, thank you. That would make me a complete pervert. Don't tell me foxes are born without shame too?"

Nemesia simply stared at me with an innocent face that seemed to genuinely understand nothing. This fox, I suspect, is sorely lacking in common sense on this particular front. I'd have to thoroughly educate her later.

I was just lifting my arms to cover myself top and bottom when that voice barged in again. Did it still have more to say?

"What now? Just hurry up and disappear already."

The moment I started wondering what that meant, light bloomed up from beneath my feet. White particles climbed my legs and began taking form.

Something smooth wound around my calves and thighs, and layer upon layer of white fragments seemed to drape themselves over my body. It felt cold at first touch, but once it settled against me, it quickly became second skin. Armor resembling dragon scales wrapped around my chest, and sharp ornamentation rose from my shoulders. It was as if I'd clothed myself in a white dragon.

I accepted it half-heartedly, but honestly? Not bad at all. Equipment once worn by the Primordial Demon Lord hardly needed its stats verified.

Nemesia looked up at me with dazed eyes, and in that quiet gaze a flame flickered to life. She wasn't about to pounce on me, was she? Surely not — but I felt uneasy all the same.

"…You are absolutely radiant, my Demon Lord."

Her matter-of-fact tone sent heat rushing to both my cheeks at once. Praise is something I've never gotten used to. Then again, maybe that's the new female body talking, too.

Sitting there like this was getting uncomfortable, so I started to raise myself — and Nemesia's hand immediately went around my waist, steadying me. No question asked, no permission sought. As though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Your name was Nemesia, was it?"

"Yes. You may call me however it pleases you, Demon Lord. My existence is proven worthy solely by your having summoned me."

My Demon Lord. The title felt ticklish and strange — and yet, oddly, not unwelcome. I'd get used to it someday. If that was my fate, then so be it.

"And what are you to me, exactly? A subordinate? A bodyguard?"

Nemesia gazed at me for a long moment, then simply sank to one knee, one hand pressed over her chest. Like a knight's oath, of some kind?

"Your sword and your shield, Demon Lord. I will cut down whatever stands before you, and bar whatever follows behind. All else, you need only command as you require."

"So you'll do anything I order, huh?"

"Yes. Precisely. Anything at all."

"Then let me ask you one thing. If I told you to walk out that passage right now and die — would you still follow me? Without refusing?"

Nemesia lifted her head. There wasn't a shred of hesitation in those eyes. As if she'd been brainwashed by something.

"Understood. If that is your command, I will simply obey. Now — which passage would that be? Should I head toward the one strewn with thorned vines, by chance?"

It had been a rhetorical question, and she'd answered it in complete sincerity. I shut my mouth. This was, how to put it, an awfully heavy kind of loyalty.

"…Never mind. I'm not giving orders like that."

"You seem to be a kind Demon Lord, after all."

"We met, like, five minutes ago. What could you possibly know about me?"

"Watching you lie there, breathing softly in your collapse, I knew at once — the heart with which you called me forth."

I couldn't manage a proper reply to that. Something deep in my chest had gone warm. I didn't much want to meet her eyes, either. Truly.

"Get up, Nemesia."

I held out my hand, hiding my face behind it. We couldn't stay like this forever. I wanted to leave this place now. I was getting bored.

"As you command. I shall lead the way, wherever it may be."

And so, on two legs, I took my first step. This time, I wasn't alone. A summoned creature, I suppose — or maybe a companion? Hard to say. Then again, what did it matter?

The newborn Demon Lord's first outing. Let it begin.