...
...
2 days later.
The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows through the windows of the chief’s mansion. The air was quiet, except for the soft rustle of wind outside and the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards.
Nolan sat upright in bed, her long black hair falling around her shoulders like a dark veil. Her pale fingers gripped a cup of warm broth, trembling only slightly.
Elaria watched from the chair beside her, quiet and thoughtful. Drellis leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, while Sandy stood not far off, arms folded, her eyes watching Nolan closely.
"You’re still weak," Elaria said softly. "You should rest for a few more days."
"I don’t have that luxury," Nolan replied, her voice steady but tired.
"This village is already on the verge of collapsing. Right now is the best chance for me to win over the people's hearts completely."
Elaria smiled faintly. "You sound more like a ruler."
Nolan didn’t respond. She sipped her broth and looked out the window. Outside, the villagers were going about their day, tired and slow, but anxious and nervous over their new ruler.
They needed something more than survival. They needed purpose. And they had seen a glimmer of hope in Nolan. Her display of power 3 days ago had left many of them in awe.
The young men and women of the village had felt a burning sensation in their hearts at that moment.
Although the old villagers no longer had any ambitions left after living in this desolate village for such a long time. Those still in the prime of their youth still had hopes and dreams.
So, for the past 3 days the village had been buzzing with excited teenagers and young adults, anxiously waiting for the changes Nolan would bring to the village.
Nolan set the cup of broth down and rose to her feet.
"Get the people to gather in front of the square." she said. "I have something to say."
"Yes!" Drellis said as he walked out.
The square had once been a place for public beatings, unfair trials, and mock executions held by Torak for his own amusement.
At this moment, every villager, young and old had gathered at the square as they gossiped in hushed voices.
Nolan stepped up onto the broken stone platform that once served as Chief Torak’s pulpit. She stood tall, her coat billowing gently in the breeze, her eyes sharp and unreadable.
The crowd went silent. Waiting for her to speak.
"I’m not here to give you hope," Nolan said, her voice loud and clear. "Hope is a lie. This is a promise that things will get better if you just wait long enough."
The crowd murmured. Some nodded, keeping their cool. While some couldn't hide the excitement in their hearts as they silently cheered.
"I’m not a hero. I’m not your savior. I’m not your friend. I’m your only hope for survival. And I will not let this village die."
Silence.
Nolan began reciting the most important laws, she had made a list of many laws from the modern era, but the list was too long. So, she picked out 6 laws that would raise the moral of the people to announce them herself.
The rest would be posted after she's done speaking.
"The first law of this village, my village, is simple. No one steals from the weak. If you do, I’ll take your hand. I don’t care if you’re hungry or desperate. If you want something, ask. We’ll find a way. But you don’t steal."
There was a sharp gasp somewhere in the crowd. But Nolan ignored it as she continued.
"The second law," she said, "is this: The old hierarchy is dead. Both men and women are equal in this place, as long as you have the ability, you have every right to grasp any opportunity presented to you."
Some older men in the crowd frowned, while the women were surprised.
"The third law: Children eat first. I don’t care if you’re a guard, a craftsman, or a blacksmith. If there’s food, children and the elderly eat first. Always."
Now people started nodding, even clapping softly.
Sandy stood near the front, arms crossed but smiling faintly.
"The fourth law: Self-defence. Every person has the right to protect themselves and others. Training will be provided to everyone who wishes to learn, both men and women are allowed to train for free. You can become the guards of the village or soldiers for me depending on your talents."
Many young men and women silently cheered within the crowd; this was a big opportunity for them.
"The fifth law," Nolan said, her voice darker now, “is that any outsider who brings harm to this village will answer to me. I don’t care if they’re a noble, a knight, or a king."
Elaria, standing at the edge of the platform, felt a tingle down her spine. There was a strange strength in Nolan’s words, not arrogance, not pride, but certainty.
"And the sixth law…"
Nolan’s eyes swept across the crowd. "Is that this place will be feared. We are no one’s prey anymore. We will become strong. Strong enough to make kings tremble and monsters hesitate. And if anyone disagrees…"
Nolan's smile was sharp. Cold.
"…They can leave. But if you stay, you follow the law. Or you face me. The rest of the laws will be posted on the square's notice board."
Silence. Then a few people in the crowd started clapping, followed by cheers as the whole crowd was in an uproar.
This was it. This was what they had waited for. A reliable leader. Although cold and scary. She was fair, and she had the power to back up her words. All they had to do now was wait. wait for change to come to their little village.
Nolan stepped off the stone platform and walked back to the mansion, her face turning cold. She had some unfinished business to take care of.
Noticing this, Elaria followed her while Sandy and the others focused on the villagers.
"Where to now?" Elaria asked as she caught up to Nolan.
"To take care of some unfinished business. You should probably stay here."
"Oh? Am I not allowed to come with you?"
"This is something someone like you shouldn't see," Nolan said as she continued forward.
"I might not look it but I'm not the Saint everyone makes me out to be."
"Suit yourself then, I won't stop you."
The two went on inside the mansion, arriving in the underground prison where Drellis had previously locked up the guilty guards and villagers under Nolan's order.
There was no natural light here, the floor was damp and dirty, rats and insects running amok. A strong stench also hung in the air, making every breath painful.
Elaria covered her nose with a handkerchief as she frowned looking around the prison while Nolan stared at the prisoners.
They looked rugged and thinner, some having lost weight during their short stay here. Their eyes devoid of hope. As soon as they saw Nolan, they broke out in an uproar, shouting curses and insults at her.
Reggie was at the front as he shouted with all his remaining strength along with the others.
"You bitch!! Let us out!!"
"We didn't do anything!! Why are we here?!!"
Nolan silently stared at them as a cold smile appeared on her face, "Heh! I'm glad to see that all of you are still the same. I gave you some time to repent thinking you'd confess your crimes and ask for forgiveness. But it seems I was mistaken."
"Y-You... What do you mean?" Reggie asked
"I've finally decided on your punishment, you shall face the same punishment as Torak...ah-no I should call her 'Talia' from now on I guess." Nolan said as Reggie and the other prisoners looked at her in confusion.
Noticing their confusion, Nolan continued, "Ah, don't worry. You won't die. I'll make sure of that, actually your lives will be much better from now on. You'll all live a life full of nothing but pleasure every day from now on."
""Y-You...!""
"Silence."
"M-mm!!"
Reggie and the others wanted to retort but Nolan cast a "Silence" spell on them.
Elaria, who was quietly watching the situation unfold suddenly spoke up.
"What do you plan to do to them?" She asked.
"The same things they did to their victims, except ten times worse." Nolan said as her face darkened.
Elaria didn't ask any more questions, she just quietly watched Nolan from the side.
Nolan stretched her palm towards the prisoners and cast a "Sleep" spell. Making everyone in the cell fall asleep.
She then opened the cell door and stepped in, stopping at the centre of the cell as she was surrounded by the unconscious prisoners.
She stretched out both of her palms and began casting a spell. A big magic circle appeared beneath her feet, spreading throughout the large cell as purple light swallowed every unconscious prisoner.
Her eyes glowed silver, and dark veins of power slithered up her arms. The air bent around her, and a pressure filled the room like a thousand storms waiting to break.
Then came the whisper of morphing magic—soft, like skin being rewritten, like bone learning a new memory.
The prisoner's bodies began to change, whether tall, burly, thin, or lean. Every man in the cell began turning into beautiful fragile woman.
Elaria was shocked frozen. Her jaw almost hitting the floor while her eyes were wide open.
What kind of magic was this? Magic even she, the Moon's favorite could not cast.
Scenes from the visions she had seen about Nolan back at the temple came again in her mind. She was no longer uncertain, with this kind of power, at such a young age. The prophecy no longer seemed like just a possibility, but it was something that would happen for certain as long as the child before her lived on.
A few moments later, the purple light that filled the room rescinded. Revealing all the prisoners who were once men, now sleeping beauties on the floor. They were now different women of all kinds of beauty and unique features.
Although Elaria was still shocked, she came forward and asked Nolan, "W-What do you plan to do with them now?"
Nolan looked at her. She could clearly see the shock and surprise on her face. But she was impressed that Elaria didn't ask any questions about her magic. So since Elaria didn't ask, Nolan also didn't bother to explain.
"For now, I plan to punish them for their sins. But I might need them later. So, I'll have to pay a visit to a small hidden Goblin's nest tonight."
"Huh? Goblin's nest?"
"Yes. This might sound crazy, but I plan to subdue those goblins and make them work for me. They are going to be a big part of my plans in the future." Nolan said with a cold voice.
"But what are you going to use them for?" Elaria asked as she felt a chill run down her spine.
Nolan didn't respond, she turned her gaze over to the prisoners who now lay on the floor. This action was enough to make Elaria realize what Nolan meant.
Her scalp tingled as her heart raced in shock once again, she wanted to say something to stop Nolan, but she held herself back. Remembering the prophecy.
Nolan's gaze shifted back to her," I'm no saint like you. My role in this world is that of a Demon Lord. Those who are innocent have no reason to fear me. But I'll deliver hell to the scum of this world, even if I have to be worse than the devils."
Elaria didn't say anything, she was speechless.
After that, Nolan locked the cell again and left the underground prison along with Elaria. No words were spoken between them, just silence.
...
...
...
Later that night, Nolan stood at the window of her bedroom. Staring at the empty streets. Unlike Lunareth, this was just a small desolate village. So, people went to sleep as soon as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
"Attribute panel!" Nolan suddenly called out, revealing the attribute panel window in front of her with updated information.
[Name: Nolan]
[Race: Ancient God]
[Age: 10]
[Status: In poor condition. Your body is still recovering from the black flames of the Dark Nova; you can only use magic five times a day. Unless necessary, it's recommended that you do not use magic at all during your recovery.]
[Magic: 4th circle magician]
[Swordsmanship: Level 5 Elemental sword master]
[Special Abilities: Magic and Aura usage,
Ancient magic,
Morphing magic(unique) >>> Celestial Morphing,
Instant comprehension,
Sword God,
Calm mind,
Dark Nova(Sealed),
Eye of truth >>> Heaven’s Gaze
Pain enhancement,
Clone,
Storage box(unique),
Ancient God bloodline (Locked).]
[Current tasks:
1. Punish all evil doers and devils in the world as you see fit.
2. Find and take in the previous gods' reincarnations as your disciples.]
[Today's message: "..."]
Nolan's eyes swept through the panel, noticing the obvious changes.
First was her "status" condition. She had already used magic 3 times today at the underground prison. She wasn't fully healed, so remnants of the black flames from the Dark Nova still remained. This was why dark veins appeared on her arms when she cast the morphing magic.
Although she still had 2 more chances to use magic today, her mana was too low to cast anymore spells since she had just used most of her mana on the prisoners. Plus her mana reserves were now only at 40% after her injury.
Morphing magic had also just been upgraded to "Celestial Morphing" because she used it on so many people at once. The "Eye of Truth" had also been upgraded after she used it on everyone in the village to separate the guilty from the innocent 3 days ago.
The "Dark Nova" ability no longer had "Locked" on the attribute panel now. Luna had sealed it to prevent Nolan from using it again anytime soon.
Scrolling down, Nolan's gaze landed on the "Today's message" panel. A soft smile appeared on her face as she murmured, "Still ignoring me huh? Haa... What do I have to do to make you forgive me?"
Luna had been ignoring her since she woke up 2 days ago. Clearly unhappy over Nolan's rash actions which led to her current state.
After waiting for a bit with no reply from Luna, Nolan sighed and turned away from the window as she closed the attribute panel. Now was the time for her to make her move.
"Storage box!" Nolan called out as a blue small whirl hole appeared in front of her. She put her hand in it and pulled out a short sword.
The sword was short and sleek, with a dark blade that looked like a shadow. It was made from a strange black metal that didn't shine even in the sunlight. This strange little sword matched her outfit since it was given along with it by Luna as a reward.
Since coming to the village, Nolan had only used magic so far. But the truth was that she preferred swordsmanship over magic. This was the reason why she had the "Sword God" ability. She had fought most of the magic beasts at the desolate mountain using nothing but her sword.
The reason she had presented herself as only a magician was to win over the people since magicians held a high status in the Veilborne Empire. Plus, she wanted to keep her swordsmanship as a secret trump card.
Since she couldn't use magic right now because of her injuries. She had no choice but to use her swordsmanship instead, to subdue the Goblin's nest as she had planned.
At midnight, she planned to leave her room, in order to head to the Goblin's hidden nest. She still remembered its location from Reggie's memories.