Harbingers of Change

Chapter 24

'Why has she called for me this time? I haven't broken any rules as of late,' Milim contemplated why Buku had summoned her as she darted through the corridors, breezing past multiple patrols. The many maids scattered before her, as they normally would whether at her lands or in here, and the soldiers stood at attention as if afraid of her wrath, even if they were on average stronger compared to the dragon faithful in her territory.

Word flew through the palace of Nazarick that she had done something wrong yet again since Buku was calling her in. She could tell through their minds - their ever-present Thought Communication allowing gossip to spread at the speed of thought, as her assigned attendants quickly feared for the worst - that her beloved chocolate privilege would be taken away. In such dire circumstances, there wasn't much she could do except lament her hardships, as her first few tantrums had taught her when her frightened maids had incentivized Buku to extend her punishment for days longer.

Her sweet boyfriend, Mare, would secretly give her a portion of his supply when such consequences occurred, but she had refused it last time a few weeks ago in fear of Buku finding out and punishing him too. She had found out that Buku was upping the number of surveillance staff due to an invasion from little humans, mostly for her child's safety, and didn't want to take the chance of his smuggled goods hidden behind loose bookshelves and within thick carpets being noticed.

Given her intense desire for delicious processed foods, which could only be found in Tempest, it was unusual to notice herself caring about someone so much it overcame her urge for sweets, but Mare was that special someone whose worth was more than all the chocolates she could consume. She was sure Mare felt likewise, both through the many sessions they had enjoyed together reading in the library and sharing their confections.

As she approached the final few hallways before reaching Buku's office, Milim let out one final, nervous exhale as she primed up her Milim Eye, flashing a brash yet brilliant smile. 'I've done nothing wrong in the past few weeks, there's no need to worry about myself.'

Though recently she and Buku had shared a small adventure together, that didn't mean they were on best-friend terms. Both had barged simultaneously into the elvish club, disrupting the boys night out on suspicions of Mare being led astray by his uncle. Not that she wasn't happy to get her boyfriend away from the two underage floozies, but there were some complications later on that soured her relationship with Nazarick's uppermost echelons.

Meeting with Momonga the next morning wasn't a pleasant one, as the overlord was just a step away from taking all privileges from both of them for their international transgression, and for once Buku was just as scared as her. The lecture they got was short and intense, but on the bright side, both grew a bit closer over the incident. Not quite enough to override chocolate, but a bit closer.

'Maybe she just wants to chat. But like that would happen! Buku is so busy all the time. Hey, I could suggest doing something fun together. Yup, that's it.'

{ Just come in, I haven't called you in for any sort of punishment. } Buku interrupted her pausing outside the office door with an uncharacteristically soft tone. She hadn't even knocked when the slime within let her in, which was unusual.

But it was her tone that startled Milim the most. 'What's going on!?' { I wasn't hesitant, okay!? }

She slammed the door open with a loud thud and marched into the guest room. Without facing Buku she marched towards the sofa and plopped down with a puff, pouting. "So what did you want?" She tried to sound cheerful, but her frustration at being called in was evident.

"Is it wrong for me to want to talk with my future daughter-in-law?" Buku asked in return, settling on a sofa opposite her.

'Daughter-in-law? Huh, that sounds so weird coming from her. She's up to something, I can't let my guard down.' "I guess not."

"Look, I know that you want to be with my son and that I'm happy for you both to do so. But as his mother, I want, no, I need to know and understand more about the type of person I'm entrusting him to, especially since your relationship has progressed quite far. So please, indulge me for a while, if only for a mother's concerns." Buku motioned at the table in between them.

Milim returned from pouting at the ceiling, only to notice all her favourite snacks, desserts, and drinks had been meticulously laid out in large quantities upon the guest table. There was even an edible that caught her attention above even chocolate, and it placed her on edge.

A glass of fine wine. This meant Buku was either trying to get her drunk despite her spiritual body nullifying its effects for unknown reasons or attempting to use it as an implied concession; she was one of two prominent figures who had banned her from consuming the pleasant-smelling drink. She and Veldora had been adamant in the past about banning her from even sipping the stuff, citing unhealthy consumption for kids, even going so far as removing all wine storages found on her wing of the tomb and placing the rest under the dragonoid's supervision - Sebas - with orders to even fight her to protect the fluid.

No matter how she looked at it even after activating her eye to check the treats for hallucinogenic drugs, the lady before her was trying to weaken her mentally through a two-pronged attack on her stomach. And it outraged her, to think she had fallen in the eyes of her boyfriend's mother so far to be thought of and treated as little more than a source of information like the human kid who claimed to be half a Hero.

"I'm not stupid you know. What is this really about?" Millim demanded, her expression darkening as she refused to bend. Many interpreted her as dumb and childish, a view she purposely cultivated among the newer Demon Lords, but she still had over two thousand years under her belt.

Buku raised her brow, leaning forward. "I told you I want to know more about you. The real you."

"Right," Millim replied, unconvinced of Buku's sincerity. She didn't need to activate her eye to know that Buku was scheming something more.

"Fine, I guess. Looks like I need to earn your trust first. Look Millim, Ramiris told me a few things she knew about your past, and I'm greatly concerned about you and Mare. I wish the best for both of you, so trust me when I say I want to know more about you." Buku's tone once again became soft and motherly.

The only times Milim had ever heard Buku use this type of soft tone was when she talked with Aura or Mare, never with her.

"W-what about it?" Milim's voice almost cracked. 'D-does she wants to take Mare away? N-no, that can't be it, since it's in her best interest to keep me here. Did she finally discover her love and affection for me - no, that's impossible.'

"Millim… I know you've been like this for about two millennia and… Mare is growing up at a normal elven pace, if not slightly accelerated thanks to all the influences I'm ensuring he's getting. He'll catch up to you physically in less than a year, and in five or six years he'll be an adult."

"Are you saying I'm a child?" Millim snarled, aura flaring as the room's barriers kicked in. "I can change my body if I want to!"

"Millim, please… I want to help you."

"Help me with what exactly?! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Of course, there isn't. You are a wonderful girl at heart."

"Now you're just acting weird. What's gotten into you? What the hell did Ramiris tell you about me?!" Millim exclaimed, practically shouting at that point.

"She revealed to me last night that you had been abandoned as a child. That none of your aunts or uncle took you in, nor did any figures of authority attempt to help you during your early stages. Nobody had helped you after your parents died. Millim, I'm so sorry for what has happened to you. It wasn't your fault." Buku's tone didn't change. She reached over the messy table, gently patting Milim's cheek "You're a brave and strong girl, but you don't have to be alone anymore. Veldora and I are here for you. And not only us, others too."

Milim leaned back, actively avoiding her as if it hurt from the light touch, mumbling, "My parents…"

'I had parents… why, why can't I remember them? They were never around? No. My Uncle told me they died when I was young. My father was a dragon… he didn't come back. I only had… Gaia.' Milim clenched her fists so tightly that they became white, remembering the past she had long suppressed.

Her pet and friend Gaia was the only person she remembered from those days long past. But then she was taken away, slain by greedy elves and humans leaving her alone like the rest of her family did. Nobody had stepped up to fill the void left behind; even Midrray was still a worshiper despite their friendship. He never wanted to go beyond those boundaries, none of them did. No one wanted to be just her friends and play around. She was different, a living God to them.

Milim violently forced away the painful memories, leaping over the table with a dent as she grabbed Buku by the shoulder, for daring to make her plunge into things she wished not to. If the obstacle in her way wished to imply that she was imperfect, that she was flawed and improper, she would have to claim Mare for herself.

"What the hell do you want from me?! I won't let you take Mare away!"

Instead of becoming equally mad in response to such an offense, Buku merely embraced her claws and all, whispering, "I won't take Mare away. I want to help you. I want the best for you both."

Millim tightened her grip. That should've been enough to make Buku angry, to shout at her as she usually did and become normal, but she didn't. She continued the infuriating attempts of scheming of which Milim wanted no part of.

"I want you to know that I'm ready to listen if you ever want to talk, okay?"

Millim pushed herself out of Buku's embrace and took a step back, aura flaring once more. "I don't need to talk about it! I don't even remember my parents! I am fine! I do not need them!"

'Why is she doing this to me? She wants to take Mare away. To show him I am not good enough. I won't let her!'

Without saying another word, she charged out of Buku's office, shattering the door and barriers surrounding the room. She needed to reach Mare before Buku did, before Mare could be corrupted by his mother. Nearly breaking the sound barrier, she was out of the castle in seconds taking flight.

During this time of the day, Mare was usually working with the dryads on the few harvest fields Tempest had at its disposal. The fields had to be massively expanded and maintained to keep up with its burgeoning population, and they were the prime candidates to keep them running. Earth's techniques and fertilizers could only go so far, even with Pandora's occasional assistance in creating splendid fertilizers.

Within moments, she softly landed near her boyfriend, not wanting to interrupt his work. But he, in his ever-sweet boyfriendish love of his, noticed her as she stood upon the softened soil without a dent.

"Oh, hey. Did you need anything?" Mare greeted her with a shy smile, empowering the fields with both hands.

Millim's eyes darted around in fear of seeing Buku, but the boy's mother wasn't there. She had to make her move, now.

"You like me like this, right?" Millim asked timidly, grabbing Mare by the sleeve of his white shirt.

The dryads tactically dispersed, giving them privacy. To disrupt their Master's privacy would be unbecoming of any proper servant, but the main reason for their actions were their desires to avoid angering Milim. They would just have to pick up the slack for a few moments, driving their Special-A powers even harder as they summoned more spirits to assist in their work.

"O-of course I do," Mare replied, confused by her erratic behavior.

Milim tugged him by the sleeve, begging quietly, "Even if I don't change when you grow up?"

"M-Milim, what's wrong? You look upset," Mare worriedly responded with a question of his own, concerned. Milim was needy at times, but this was out of the norm.

"Will you like me even if I never change?" she whispered again, just as quietly as she had before.

Somehow the anticipation for an answer made her far more scared than anything she had ever remembered experiencing. Why she felt that way, Millim could not explain, but the fear refused to leave.

Mare met her pleading gaze, unsure how to proceed. 'Uncle Pero told me to always assure girls in moments like these, but what is she even asking? I just like her. How can I tell if I will like her in the future?'

"I will," he declared just in case. 'I guess this would be a good moment to hug her.' Mare decided to rely on the wise teachings of his uncle and pulled Milim into his embrace.

The boy's embrace was so soothing, an incredible delight Milim had never felt before. Milim bit her lip, letting Mare's strong arms hold her tight, holding her there. Mare may appear a timid and soft boy from the outside, but she knew better. When necessary, he could take charge and make her feel that someone truly cared for her. He didn't fail her this time, unlike his abhorrent mother.

'Maybe Buku really tried to help me? I wouldn't want to be a burden. I'm Milim Nava, an ancient Demon Lord, not some pathetic excuse that cannot face danger!'

Part of her knew she could not avoid facing her past forever, but today was not the day to do so. It appeared Buku understood this as well if her absence was anything to go by.

X

"So how did it go?" Veldora asked, appearing on the sofa in the same spot where Milim was sitting a few minutes ago. He grabbed a piece of apple pie and shoved the treat down his throat, grunting contentedly. Buku sighed and reached for a bottle of wine behind her seat, pouring herself a glass.

"Went down like a lead balloon," Buku replied.

She leaned forward, an unreadable expression decorating her face as she down the glass and promptly refilled it. Veldora knew her signs after working with her for so long, especially since he was technically in her care.

"Do you want me to talk with the kiddo?" Veldora inquired, flecks and dribbles of pie escaping as he spoke. The maids would have a little more work to clean up, but not much compared to how Milim had trashed the place. He could hear the messages flying through the ambient magicules about needing to load up the heavy duty cleaning after his niece had left in a hurry, and knew a few more crumbs wouldn't change much.

"Probably not the best idea right now. If she comes to you, sure, do your best, but I think it's better to give her some time."

"Sure thing. Where's she now? I don't want to get heat from the chief if she destroys something."

"Milim is with Mare. One of his dryads messaged me a minute ago," Buku groaned, teeth grinding as she cracked the wine glass.

'Mare is just a boy and he already needs to be a support for his emotionally damaged girlfriend. And I can't even push things.'

"Come on, that's good, right? Little buddy knows what he is doing."

"I know." Buku grabbed the wine bottle from the table, downing the container in moments. "I fucking know Mare can handle things. I just… I'm his mother, and I should help him."

Buku slammed the bottle on the table, shattering it as Veldora disappeared to who knows where, replacing himself with a stack of paperwork from Buku's main office.

As much as she wanted to deal with Milim, there were other pressing issues waiting for her.

X

The kingdom of Blumund had requested her presence to discuss 'critical matters.' Obviously, the shadow demons had reported the situation long ago, ever since tensions had started rising when Hinata had first started her crusade. The church was trying to strong-arm the tiny nation - relative to their own size of course, Blumund was one of the larger Western Nations - to join their cause, and by the looks of it, they would rather join the monsters and face the consequences rather than become a meat shield for the upcoming bloody war. The Blumund Kingdom wanted nothing to do with the rivers of blood which would inevitably run when both sides met on the battlefield, or the mountains of finances lost in the process if the crusaders lost.

The church had dug its claws into the nation, splitting its people in two as the masses sought a way out of the chaos. Drawing upon its cultural powerbase, it had thousands of religiously fervent believers within the kingdom spouting the psalms of calamity befalling them if they didn't work for the church. The wise and long-lived looked toward the royal family for answers, knowing that going to war against a mythical beast was no easy matter. No wonder the king had promised critical information.

Buku sat in her royal carriage, accompanied by her precious child, Aura, as they traveled to Blumund. Mare had to be left behind, since Milim was in a rather volatile mental state and her son seemed to be relieved that he didn't need to go on another trip. Neither the calming tones played by Pandora's closest imitation to a music box nor the regal music blared by her procession did little to calm her nerves.

If she didn't know better, Buku would've suspected that with his growing independent personality, he was growing tired of her overbearing presence and wanted time off.

"Mom, why are we bothering with these humans?" Aura asked, boredly watching the people and observing the procession.

"Because they want to ally with us. If things go my way, we may get a new province and a lot of new servants that can be used for diplomacy," Buku replied.

"But they're weak. You know I could clear this entire city within the hour."

"Aura, most are weak compared to us. That doesn't mean we should kill them since we want to create peace, not war. By how things are going, we'll be quickly expanding into human territory and ruling over them. Blumund would serve as a testing ground on how to rule over humans, to ensure we get our laws and policies right."

"I guess that makes sense. Oh well, as long as they know their place," Aura shrugged, returning to her self-taught magic games. Making new magic circles and trying them out was always entertaining.

The carriage had already reached the gate of the royal castle by the time both noticed. The capital of the nation was rather small for a nation that large; the whole ride took less than half an hour from the moment they arrived just outside the capital through the gate.

Baron Velyard was first to greet them the moment both stepped out of the carriage. "Lady Bukubukuchagama Tempest, Lady Aura, thank you for responding on such short notice. His Majesty is ready to receive you," he stated with a light bow.

"Then let's not make his Majesty wait on us, shall we?" Buku replied with a faint smile, Aura copying her expression.

The baron led them to a spacious reception room where the king and queen of Blumund were seated.

The royal couple couldn't have been more different. The king was short and chubby with light hair, while his wife was a tall and slim, dark-haired beauty.

"Lady Bukubukuchagama, please." The king motioned at a seat. "Let us skip the pleasantries if you don't mind. The information I wish to relay to you is not only of critical importance, but time-sensitive as well."

Buku sat down, Aura taking a chair beside her. "Indeed it is."

The amusement at the fact that the King of Blumund thought he had any cards to play wasn't that easy to hide, even for someone as trained as Buku. Buku's training was enough to keep a faint smile on her face as she anticipated their fruitless attempts at negotiation. Aura almost completely failed due to her general disinterest in humans.

"First, I would propose to form an alliance. Our spy network is unrivaled in its effectiveness within the Western Nations at gathering information and would greatly assist Tempest with the ordeal your nation will soon have to face," the king spoke in a calm tone with an expected amount of regal authority behind it.

"An alliance? How interesting. Would Blumund really go against humankind for a monster nation?" Buku asked, her smile growing wider, showing most of her pearly white, teeth with slightly sharp canines for additional intimidation effect. Aura's elvish ears helped as they twitched at just the right moment.

"I believe a common ground could be found. Blumund could act as a bridge between Tempest and the Western Nations. A good example opens more doors than brute force."

"And what would Blumund expect from Tempest in return? I doubt all this effort is made for a few monster skins and meager amounts of magisteel. Otherwise this information wouldn't have been sent as critical."

'He likes to dance around the topic until I agree to protect their asses. A politician through and through,' Buku mused.

"Blumund gains from the mere fact that as of now we are the only human nation trading with Tempest."

"If that is all you seek, I don't see the reason as to why this meeting is even taking place. We already are in a trade agreement. And while yes, trade with Blumund is beneficial, we are not desperate to keep a good relationship with humans. So how about we stop dancing around the topic?" Buku casually leaned back in the chair in a half-slouching position, Aura following moments after. Both were bored and annoyed at the human for his futile attempts at dancing the political tango.

The king's demeanor didn't change, but Buku could hear his heartbeat spike rapidly. The man likely expected the monsters to be naive when it came to diplomacy and was running out of ways to make Tempest sign an unfavorable agreement. He had to make a choice.

"I'll be blunt then. We wish to enter a military alliance in exchange for our spy network."

"I see. Very well then. First, you'll have to prove there is something you know that we don't. And don't start with the obvious. We know about Hinata and her secret weapon lauded by the religious empire. We know the church is throwing everything they have against us in a mad crusade, and we know you're being pressured to be a meat shield for the second invasion force." The king's expression faltered for a moment.

The king sharply turned his head, glaring at Velyard who was thus far stood by the door in silence.

"Y-your majesty, I assure you there were no information leaks," the baron stated as he became paler by the second.

"Don't blame the good baron here. You simply lack the means to notice our agents," Buku declared, dropping all pretense of diplomacy as she cackled. "We're a nation of monsters, we aren't limited by mere human means." Buku's words hung heavy in the air as tension filled the room, the king and his entourage growing increasingly anxious.

"But how? Our agents-"

Buku interrupted with a burst of laughter. "You hold nothing over us! There is nothing you can do for us that we can't do ourselves."

The King gave her a stunned look as his heartbeat shot through the roof. For a moment Buku was afraid he would pass out, but to his credit, the man got a grip of himself rather fast. He was a king through and through.

"Lady Buku, then you understand our position," the king uttered in defeat, slumping on the sofa.

"I do, and I believe an agreement can be found, although not quite as one-sided as you hoped." She could not help but notice the queen gently squeezing her husband's hand in a subtle act of support. Perhaps she could be used as their figurehead later on.

"In that case, I would like to hear your proposal," the king replied.

"Let's get the main point out of the way then. If you join the church, we will treat you as an enemy, there is no other way around it. That said, we also don't see merit in expending our resources to protect your nation when we gain little in return." Buku leaned back in the chair even more and continued.

"Our offer is a rather simple one. If you want our protection, and I mean to treat you like our own and not just some token force as decoration, Blumund's only option is to become a vassal state of Tempest Hegemony."

The King's expression darkened as he weighed the two options. The queen flashed him an assuring smile and asked.

"Lady Bukubukuchagama, what would the vassalage mean for our nation?"

"First and foremost, following our laws. Which would obviously include zero-tolerance against monster and demihuman discrimination. We have no intention of changing the current administration of Blumund. The government systems would remain mostly unchanged, with all law-abiding nobles keeping their positions. In return, we offer to treat the people of Blumund as full citizens and offer the same protection our subjects enjoy."

"Such terms sound acceptable, but the full noble council must be called. I will give an answer in three days. Meanwhile, please enjoy our hospitality," the king curtly replied, beads of sweat barely visible.

He knew he was in for a rough one, but the nobles had to be convinced of vassalage, and he knew it. The queen knew as well, fingers twitching akin to those used to writing letters en masse betraying her stress levels. Buku knew those fingers all too well, while Aura couldn't care less.

With the plan of gaining a favorable treaty falling flat on its face, and no guarantees that the church would be able to deal with Tempest and its godlike guardian Veldora, the most reasonable option was to accept the monster nation's rule and hope for the best.

If Blumund openly rejected the church of Luminism and didn't choose to side with Tempest, they would be left without any allies, which would mean the unavoidable death of the nation as both would clash on their soils. Time and time again, Tempest had proved it could be reasoned with, albeit with far harsher terms than he expected, and would treat humans no different than any other sapient creature.

Buku left the room in high spirits, delighted that the talks had worked as they should. The king and queen had bent to their will, the nobles were already being pressured by severe economic losses if Tempest declared Blumund their enemies, and the peasants held fairly little power to be considered besides as mere subjects. It was then she noticed the baron from earlier rapidly catching up to them.

"Lady Bukubukuchagama. A moment of your time, if you would please."

"Anything else you need, Baron?"

"An associate of mine wishes to invite you to talk about potential lucrative business opportunities." Velyard handed her a sealed letter, trembling. Its company sign emblazoned on the luxurious-appearing wax seal, it was a name she had seen a few times.

'Mjollmile? This name just keeps popping up again and again. Pero mentioned it at least a few times… Oh, right, that's the guy who wanted to talk with him earlier. If the guy managed to get a royal minister to be his errand boy, I guess he's at least worth hearing out.'

She had three days to mingle and scout around until either the deal was sealed or a foolish assassination attempt was made, she had time to spare. Thus, she may as well visit a merchant who was influential enough to use a royal court as his messenger and had the sheer determination to repeatedly place his best foot forward into Tempest's economic doorway.

Edited by aidan_lo

Proofread by aidan_lo, FantasyTroll, Alassandro, Cakeeight, Aurodium, LightFlan, atharv and Sluethen

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).