Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”So, you’ve been to the Nine Floors of Hell, haven’t you?”

”Strictly speaking, only to Avernus, the first floor,” the Gold Dragon said, turning around. ”You must have visited the Kobold lairs, right? The former master of that place was a Red Copper Dragon. The purpose of our ’descent into hell’ was to retrieve her body.”

”I heard Tiamat lives there too,” Victoria, who was a little tipsy, said, looking over with curiosity. ”Did you run into her?”

Tiamat and Bahamut were Deities in a league of their own in almost every plane and world. Their Divine Power might not be the strongest, but they inspired awe and fear in nearly all mortals and other Deities—because they could travel anywhere!

Other Deities generally avoided direct interference in mortal affairs to keep from upsetting the balance, but these two had no such concerns.

And yet, the Gold Dragon had gone to the Dragon Mother’s very lair—wasn’t that a bit too bold?

”I wouldn’t go alone,” the Gold Dragon said with a slight smile. ”In truth, the relationship between the two sides isn’t as hostile as the rumors claim. The death of that Red Copper Dragon had nothing to do with the Dragon Mother.”

”However, She might have been in a bad mood at the time. After we passed by and paid our respects, one of her avatars rushed out to attack us.”

The Gold Dragon sighed. ”A few of the elders held her back while we took the opportunity to pass through and snatch the body back from the devils.”

”So, Ron, is this experience what you wanted to ask me about? I don’t mind telling you the story.”

”Not that,” Ron said, waving his hand. ”I came over because I saw Yelena chatting with you. She seems to be an Evil Mage, and her Sect Leader is probably a devil.”

”A little while ago, she told me her Sect Leader has marked me and is preparing to ’visit’ me. Do you have any advice about this?”

”Her Sect Leader?” The Gold Dragon’s brow furrowed. He briefly chanted a spell, casting it on Yelena, and only looked up a minute or two later.

”She wasn’t lying. She has indeed made a pact with a devil. No wonder I kept smelling sulfur around here.”

”And for the bad news: that devil is of a rather high rank. If it wants to find you, it won’t be difficult.”

Aive leaned in. ”In that case, could you stay here for a while and protect Ron?”

”A being of that level is likely too powerful for us.”

”Devils are extremely cunning. It would definitely visit when I’m not around,” the Gold Dragon sighed. ”And to be honest, I’m not confident...”

”You can’t defeat it?” Ron was stunned. ”You’ve got to be kidding.”

The Gold Dragon glanced at Ron. ”It’s not that I can’t defeat it, but that I can’t kill it. Even if a devil is killed on the Material Plane, it just returns to hell. Besides, what comes here might not even be its true form.”

”Under these circumstances, attacking it would be futile. You would make an enemy of her, and I can’t be your bodyguard forever.”

”If you want my advice, all I can say is: let nature take its course, and don’t directly answer any of its questions.”

”And that will keep me safe?”

”It can’t hurt, at least,” the Gold Dragon said with a shrug. ”Devils are a bit easier to get along with than demons, aren’t they?”

Clearly, the Gold Dragon had no way to stop Yelena’s Sect Leader from visiting Ron. They could only see him off with regret and schedule a time to make a trip to the Black Dragon’s Nest.

As for how to deal with the potentially powerful uninvited guest, the Gold Dragon was right: let nature take its course.

But Ron never imagined that this ”nature” would take its course so quickly.

In the middle of the night, Ron, lying in his bed, suddenly snapped his eyes open. A strange scent assaulted his nostrils, waking him instantly.

It was a jumble of sulfur, red wine, and perfume... an aroma?

”Well, well, it seems someone is finally awake?”

Upon hearing a soft, languid female voice, Ron shot up from his bed. His hand brushed past a ceramic object on his headboard, and a faint glow instantly illuminated his bedroom.

It was something he’d bought from a traveling merchant, which he used as a lamp after casting an Enchanted Light Technique on it.

By the light, Ron saw the uninvited guest who had appeared before his bed in the dead of night.

Judging by her physical features and her voice, she appeared to be female. Like a succubus, she had a pair of small horns, leathery wings, and a forked tail. She was watching Ron with a playful smile, casually picking up his ”lamp” and examining it in her hands.

”A crudely made little trinket, but very practical,” she commented. ”Before I came, I was wondering if I should give you some time to light a candle.”

”I’d rather not be mistaken for trying to attack you,” Ron said with a yawn. ”See, I usually use Magic to light my lamp.”

”Are you saying you think I’d feel threatened by a tiny flame?” the woman let out a series of bell-like laughs. ”No, not at all. It wouldn’t matter even if you used Fireball Magic to light it—you’re more than welcome to try.”

”I’d better not. I know devils aren’t particularly afraid of that,” Ron said, waving his hand. ”You’re Yelena’s Sect Leader? She said you were coming to find me, but why?”

”I don’t think we have any reason to cross paths.”

”Obviously, what you ’think’ is wrong,” the woman said, showing no intention of acting like a stranger as she swayed her hips and sat on the edge of the bed. ”I saw you through her eyes. Although that sanctimonious air about you disgusts me, it could also be an advantage, couldn’t it?”

”For instance?”

”For instance, when you want to do something very bad, no one will suspect you.” Her soft little hand reached out to touch Ron’s face, but he quickly rolled off the bed and scrambled a few steps toward the door. The move earned him a peal of derisive laughter.

”Why did you run so far away? I’m not going to eat you.”

”I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Ron muttered. ”If you’re thinking of turning me into something like Baron Green Swamp, you can give up right now.”

”Become him?” The succubus-like woman laughed with disdain. ”You’ve already surpassed him, haven’t you? What’s so good about becoming him? You could become so much more... interesting.”

”But before that, I want to ask what you already know about Delusional Land. For example, the mines?”

”They were left behind by an older kingdom.” ’When she asked that, Ron knew she definitely had more than just Yelena’s eyes—how would that Shadow Spirit, who didn’t even know where Green Swamp Town was, know about this?’

”You’ve been there?” She nodded. ”Then did you happen to discover that at the very bottom of the mines, energy from the Abyss was ’leaking’ out?”