chapter 8: Atlas (end of prologue arc)
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When we finally reached the demon city it was late at night: before my eyes rested a gigantic city well not nearly as gigantic as the cities from earth but big nonetheless. It was encased between unnaturally abrupt mountain on three side and we could see a river flow from the center of the city trough the opened side of the city. Indeed, the sight from the mountain was marvelous. I was currently on the mountains facing the open side of the city. So, the mansion was up in the mountains, no wonder we saw little to no strangers, except from today’s reception that is. Those mountains were more like cliffs surrounding the town, I’m pretty sure that this isn’t possible naturally, not that I ever took much interest in geology but it’s more likely that this was made from magic, maybe dad did? I don’t know how powerful that would make him. As I continued the paved path, I finally arrived at a round platform engraved with an incredibly complex magic circle, I quickly climbed up before Nour could say anything. And a purple-ish flaming ball with a big slitted eye came in front of me.

“Registered person detected, welcome Krell Symbios daughter of the master. Would you like to teleport to the demon castle?”

“Can I bring someone else?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, please wait a bit then.”

“As you wish.”

I decided to come closer to the edge of the cliff and take a full view of the city. I made abstraction of Nour panicked gasps and looked down. And I saw it: the demon castle, a big black mass seated against the cliff, right below me. I think it was majestic, but I couldn’t really see it well due to my position. So that’s father castle huh, it looks a bit dark compared to the city who looked a lot like my old world’s towns, like with lots of lights everywhere. a wonderful sight indeed. I went back to the magic circle motioning to Nour to follow me.

“Hey wisp!”

“Yes, daughter of the master.”

“Teleport me and my maid to the demon castle please.”

“Initiating teleportation.”

At those words the circle lighted up and a blue pillar of light burst upward from it. And I felt the exact same sensation as when an elevator stopped, only that it was way stronger. And I was standing on another circle identical to the previous, except for the surroundings, I was in the middle of a big plaza just in front of the castle that I saw earlier. And as I guessed it was incredible, those Disney castles looked like toddler’s sand buildings in front of it. A bunch of towers defying gravity some floating in the air linked to the castle only by a few bridges, some others who sprouted from the main body with impossible angles and the central one, high enough to rivals with New York’s skyscrapers, but with nothing of their mass, it was so thin that it should have crumbled under its own weight at half the size it is. The ensemble looked nonsensical and anarchic, but an inexplicable aura of majesty and harmony surrounded this building. I really wanna meet the architect of this masterpiece, cuz I need his guidance! As I looked around, I finally noticed a similar wisp as the one of the previous circle.

“Heya! Missy!”

“Hey.”

“Watch’u doin here? I mean it’s dangerous to go around this late at night y’know?”

“Looking for sis’.”

“Oh, the cutie, she came earlier!”

“When!”

“Middle of the afternoon, why are you searching for your sis? If this isn’t indiscreet missy”

It’s indiscreet but I like this one, the previous wisp was like a robot while this one is much more lively: dancing around in the air and lifting Nour’s skirt.

“Hey why’re ya so different from the previous one?” I said giggling at his nonsensical behavior.

“Humm you mean Fig? well, he has a huge fucking log up his ass, he’s always like ‘master ordered’, ‘we need to be perfect in order to satisfy master’ and all this shit. I agree that wee need to please master, but I won’t change for him, if I can avoid it.”

“Then can you guide me to dad please I said.” laughing hard under Nour scandalized stare.

“If that’s for his daughter the old man will let it go, I guess? Anyway, I’m bored so let’s-a go!”

Why did he gave me a plumber’s line, it shouldn’t exist in this world right? I followed him trough a lot of corridors and stairs, going always higher in the castle. My muscles are long dead when I reach the top of the central tower, I continued to walk using my blood centipede since it was a good practice, and I was in a hurry. I might have outpaced Nour in the central tower’s stairs, but she shouldn’t be able to get lost since she’s with the wisp. As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw a door who slammed open under my mighty kick.

“Ah there she is, it was shorter than what I expected” I vaguely heard father saying this, as I looked around the room. And there she is, I dashed to sis’ lifted her from her seat, sat in it, an sat her on my lap and then proceeded to meticulously cuddle her. I might have overtaxed a bit the centipede in my mad rush but who cares.

“May I ask what your second daughter is doing here my liege” said a deep voice and as I looked around, I found him! The last Joestar! He has the same body as Jonathan! More seriously he’s really gigantic and buff! It’s a lion related lineage I guess, judging by his lionhead with a deep black mane, his furry body and his kneed digitigrade legs.

“Hey I can talk y’know! It’s more than rude to treat someone like they aren’t relevant even if they are children.”

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that young cub.” He said with a deeper voice.

Now he looks really pissed! That’s funny how his mane inflated, well I guess that it’s supposed to be impressing but father’s here and I doubt that he’s ready to go against him judging by his respectful tone when he talked to father earlier.

“The demon king’s daughter and future demon queen, why?”

“Stop spouting such nonsense, I acknowledge the first half of your claim, but you didn’t receive the demon king’s bloodline. So how dare you- “

“shaddup and don’t badmouth sis’!” interrupted Lana. Before giving me a deep French kiss, wow she got a lot more audacious since this morning!

“Father I believe that we don’t have anything to do here anymore.” Calmly said a young boy who was until now seated behind the lion.

He looked to be around our age, obviously older since he already had horns. They where pure white like his skin, contrasting nicely with his black hair and hands. If I had to categorize him based on his looks, he would be the mysterious character sometimes helping and sometimes fighting the heroine and, in the end, they would marry and have a lot of children’s, etc… Please find another heroine, sis’ is already mine. But still he looks more prime minister like than his father, who looks more like a battle hardened general. They quickly left, the father still failing to grasp the situation and the son pulling him.

Nour finally joined us with the wisp from earlier, his name was Sig, I think. She looked around the room a bit lost and then saw me cuddling sis’ and quickly went behind me like a proper attendant.

“So, father when will you announce that sis’ and I are fiancées?”

“Don’t you think that it’s a bit early? You’re like 4 years old, you still have 12 years to go before being considered as an adult.”

At least I got two years less before majority than my previous life.

“Father why is that lion your prime minister?”

“Don’t you think that you changed subjects a bit too fast?”

“…”

“Okay I get it. well to explain that I must explain you a bit of this continent’s geopolitics: there are a lot of kingdoms who are always fighting for territories.” He showed us a map on the walls who looked more colorful than Rio’s carnival. There where a lot of kingdoms presented but they where all real smalls, the smallest one being the demon kingdom in the easternmost part of the map. It was composed only from two cities, its capital and a port town. And in the center of the map was a big desert. “The other kingdoms are permanently at war, fighting over every little meter of territory that they can get. While us of the demon race are all united under the demon king’s banner it isn’t the case for other races. The demons are the only ones with a sense of racial unity. Which is highly ironic considering that we are the most diverse race in term of looks and skills. And this is the reason that the demon race is feared by all, and due to this generalized fear they managed to unite and force us to keep only our capital last time we launched an invasion.”

“Then what about this port town?”

“It’s called Academy, and it was granted to the demon kingdom as part of a treaty with all of the kingdoms. This place was gifted to us as we are the most neutral territory. By that I mean that everyone agree that we are dangerous and as such we can’t really do anything against their united front. So as his name imply this town is supposed to be an academy, the greatest of all the continent.”

This smells like the school arc of every Japanese novel, I never understood why there was such veneration about school in this country but whatever.

“And as such we teach to children from all around the continent, and….”

Dad is beginning to drift off once more.

Seeing that I decided to take a good look around the room which I didn’t do earlier while sis listened to dad with an interested look”

It was a comfy place, most likely father’s official apartments. Luxurious an all, even more than the mansion, and I don’t know who designed this place but that’s nauseating. THERE. IS. TOO. MUCH.

As I looked around my eyes stumbled upon greatness. She was perfect! A glass like blood red edge, a golden ring in place of the guard, and her middle part was deep black with purple, ghastly, screaming figures appearing and disappearing irregularly. As long as dad is tall, horns included. This sword will be mine!

“Dad! What’s this sword, I want her!”

“Eh!? Ah this this one? Well, that might be a bit difficult.”

“How so?”

“It’s a cursed blade, the more it kills the heavier it feels to the wearer and the one who receives the blow. I tried wielding it with telekinesis magic, but it seems that it’s made of meteoric iron, a magic repellent ore.”

“How much does she weight?”

“100kg, and with the curse it feels like more than a ton, we don’t really have an accurate way of weighing it since nobody can lift it.”

“Does she have a name?”

“It had, but they died with to ones who wielded it”

“Then I’ll make it mine, and she ‘ll be called Atlas.”

“But dad you still didn’t explain us about your prime minister.”

Oh… thanks sis’…

“Well since we are so pressured by the other’s kingdoms, our society is mainly based on military achievements, the stronger you are or the more you can lead, the more you are respected. I didn’t had any other choice when I gave him the title because of the people’s pression.”

“That’s kinda pathetic.”

“I know…”

“Young miss, may I suggest that you and your sister go to sleep.” interrupted Nour, seeing an opening in the conversation.

“Seems like a good idea, I’ll teleport you back to your room now.” said father before creating a huge magic circle with his mana.

One blue pillar and elevator sickness later we were in our room in the mansion. Well time to go to bed then.

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