Creating a workshop for Oortez was a cinch. It was built adjacent to the soul library in the second layer of my subspace. 

With knowledge from my previous life, replicating some of the simple tools I'd seen wasn't too difficult. There was no way I could replicate the more complex tools without a blueprint of some sort. Seriously, I wasn't a god capable of creating anything with merely a thought.

There were also a few tools and devices that Oortez wanted. Since they didn't seem difficult to create with detailed descriptions from him, I created them on the spot. I also left a warehouse of raw materials for him to play with.

Hopefully, he would prove himself useful.

"Khaa... This Oortez is overwhelmed with joy, milady. I cannot help but shed a tear on this joyous occasion!" He wiped a tear on the corner of his eyes.

Ew, please, crocodile tears are not welcomed here. And, stop making such a big deal out of this. Stay put and I'll be happy.

Then, he added as if I didn't provide enough for him, "Just one thing, I wish to employ an assistant."

"You're certainly needy..." My expression turned sour, "Alright... Tell me, what kind of assistant do you require?"

"I was hoping I could invite an old friend of mine..."

"Let me guess, it's another demon."

"Indeed."

"I'm not a big fan of demons, you know? Tell me about it and I'll decide."

"Milady, how gracious of you!" He said passionately.

"Flattery won't get you far, now speak."

According to him, there was this devil he was quite fond of from decades ago. A devil was basically a malevolent fey being much like my past self. As for the reason he liked that female devil was because she permitted him to modify her body however he liked. Though, I was quite skeptical of his claim about this permission.

I can't imagine someone willingly allow themselves be modified by a demon no less. That's a recipe for disaster.

"Ehh... Say, Oortez, she was basically your research subject. You didn't violate her, did you?"

"That's non-sense! I was an upstanding researcher."

Right... Right... I nodded along pretending to go along with his shenanigans.

"That devil, it's been a while. I'm assuming you tossed her aside afterwards?"

"Of course! Why would I keep useless things with me? I got what I wanted." He stated it as if it was the most obvious thing.

Now I kind of feel bad...

"So now that she is a demon, do you know her whereabouts?"

"That's hard to say..." He stroked his chin, "The last I heard, she was feeding in the southeastern region of the continent."

Really, is that the appropriate wording? Am I misunderstanding something?

"Oortez, what level is she and what kind of devil was she before she became a demon?"

He stared at me with disbelief. "How would I know what level she is? As for what she was, you could say she was similar to what you used to be. Fortunately, she's lacking in the intelligence department so she poses absolutely no threat. So, when are we going to collect her?"

"You know, I kind of feel bad for that girl."

"Girl? What are you on? Who said she was a girl?"

"Ehh... The pronouns you are using?"

"Back in those days in the federation, scholars all had female assistances... " He blabbered on and on about how scholars and researchers alike should follow conventions and etiquettes. His enthusiasm was out of this world.

A short explanation became a lecture. Who wouldn't get tired of that?

I sighed and raised my arms in surrender, "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked. I'll come pick you up later and we'll search for that assistance of yours."

He reminded me of a story Haelley told me a while back. Perhaps, it was a fungi demon of some sort? Fungi certainly had no gender and probably lacked intelligence as well.

Without listening to his reply, I left him to his own device. He should be fine even without an assistant for now.

Next up was the elf, Mera.

I tapped her shoulder. "Yo."

"Geeeh!" She slightly jumped.

Inside her personal room, she was writing something on a notepad at her desk.

"Have you made up your mind yet?"

"You nearly scared me to death! Can you not appear out of nowhere like that?" Her breathing still rough from that initial shock. Though, how she survived in that facility with such a weak heart was beyond me. Or, perhaps because of it, she now had a weak heart.

"If you can't handle this much, how do you plan to defeat that demon?"

"I don't! That's why I'm asking, no, begging you for help!"

"I can't say I'm not interested. The thing is I'm a busy person and I have many things to attend to."

Her eyes narrowed. "Such as?"

"I guess it's fine to tell you. I'll be speaking with the Hero King shortly."

She cried out, "He's no good! Where...? Where's the meeting place?"

"In his palace, of course. I received an invitation."

While biting her thumb nail, she continued, "Don't you know he's dangerous? He's a hero! Not only that, he has other heroes by his side. Not even the most powerful demons can defeat a group of heroes. Invitation isn't an issue. He has the home turf advantage, and not only that, he can seal magic! You're a magic user, aren't you? In that case, it's better if defeat the demons than meet up with the Hero King."

"That's a first. I didn't know he has the ability to seal magic... Interesting. What else do you know about him? I might reconsider your offer."

There was no way I could just back down. However, there was no reason I couldn't prepare and plan ahead of time. The ability to seal magic was unheard of for me. To be honest, sealing magic meant nothing to me. It would only prevent me from using fey magic. In that case, I could still use abilities and traits for combat. As for physical combat, I had none of that. Perhaps I could accelerate my thoughts if I tried.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you what I know, so please reconsider. You're no match for him."

Apparently, as a Hero King, he inherited the legendary sword, Lightsplitter, passed down since the first generation of the Hero King. It had the ability of splitting light and space, or so the rumors went. Armor was useless against him and melee combat was basically out of the question if it indeed was similar in nature to my |void| trait. There was a very tiny chance that sword could also cut through my void barrier depending on the exact trait enchanted onto the sword itself.

"Who gave the first generation Hero King obtain such a weapon? That's just plain stupid..."

"No one knows. If I recall correctly, there was a folktale passed down within a remote village regarding the Lightsplitter. In the ancient past, demons rampaged across the continent. The once prosperous civilization was brought to its knees on the brink of collapse. A blade smith, blessed by the gods, forged an ultimate sword from the ashes of the now extinct celestial dragon. Unable to properly wield this legendary sword, it was presented to the most prominent hero of the time. And, with each enemy slay, the sword grew more powerful as if it was a living being itself..."

The next part, she listed some rumors, "Some say, the sword was the embodiment of the gods bestowing the hero the right to rule while others say the sword was a cursed object that siphons the life force of everything it touched... Hundreds of years ago, in a great battle against demonic beings, mountains were split and seas parted."

It was really an embellished story that I hardly learned a thing. Exaggerations within tales weren't uncommon. Basically, from what I could gather based on the rumors, the sword had likely became a fey being of some type or perhaps had now evolved into something else. In the worst case scenario, the sword was intelligent and possibly contaminated by malevolent energy.

"Good grief... Has anyone ever checked the status of that sword?"

"No. It's always stored where only the Hero King has access to."

"What about past tournaments?"

"It has never been unsheathed in public."

How troublesome, I'll have to scan his palace thoroughly to find that sword. How super troublesome! If I receive a direct hit, there was a chance I'll die on the spot. Why, I hate trouble!

blanksphere

In the main world, hardly any time passed since the end of the battle at Vera. Edit: per comments, I added the demon's name into the first paragraph.