Muriel THE Demon Lord

For Lilith, it was beyond breathtaking. The sky stretched endlessly to the horizon, and the vast land below was all visible from her vantage point. The deep blue sea, far beneath her and Muriel, felt within reach despite its distance. Lilith looked down at the ground below, and from her perspective, it seemed like she could go anywhere she wanted, freely.

"Beautiful, isn’t it? The sky over Feulia," Muriel said, glancing down at Lilith in her arms, smiling softly. She slowly reached one hand toward the slave collar around Lilith’s neck.

"Yes, Lady Muriel. The sky up here is so beautiful," Lilith replied, entranced by the stunning view of the land below, not noticing Muriel's hand nearing her slave collar.

"Good… Good. Now if you just stay still… for one… moment…" Muriel spoke gently while tightening her grip on the collar until it shattered in her hand.

"Ah, even after 500 years, these slave collars break just as easily as ever," Muriel remarked nonchalantly, her smile widening as she threw the remnants of the collar down toward the ground below.

The moment the collar was removed, Lilith froze. The thousand sharp spikes that once pierced her neck were gone. For the first time in a long while, she could feel the wind of the Feulia Continent brushing against her bare skin. In disbelief, she slowly brought her hand to her neck, amazed that the collar was truly gone. Tears of joy streamed down her face like a hidden spring finally overflowing. She was freed, not rescued.

"The col—The slave collar. It’s, gone?" Lilith stammered, unable to fully comprehend the moment. She had been a slave for longer than half of her current lifetime. She couldn't put her emotions into words, but Muriel, seeing the expression on her face, understood everything instantly.

"As long as I’m still a dragon, no one who comes near me will remain a slave," Muriel said to Lilith.

"But! — But what will Lord Samwell think!?" Lilith asked, her voice a mix of joy and concern. She had wanted to rid herself of that slave collar for so long, but now that it was gone, she worried about how Satoru would perceive her.

"Who cares? You want to be free, don’t you? No one can take away your freedom—not even someone who helped you. I don’t care," Muriel replied, her confident smile evident as she showed no concern for what the other worlder might think.

"The Dragon of Freedom," Lilith muttered, her voice barely audible. She was awestruck by Muriel’s presence. The legends were true— it was real. She was free at last.

"Yeah, some people call me that," Muriel responded proudly. "I don’t mind the name, really." But before she could continue her boasting, Lilith interrupted her.

"Lady Dragon of Freedom! Please, help us! There are still so many slaves in Veridia!" Lilith exclaimed, squirming in Muriel’s arms. Startled, Muriel nearly lost her grip, but thankfully, she secured Lilith with her tail, holding her gently.

"You don’t have to call me that! Just call me Muriel, you foolish child! And stop wriggling around—you might fall, and with this speed, you’d be torn in two!" Muriel scolded Lilith, her voice firm.

"I’m already well aware of the slaves in Veridia. You don’t have to remind me. Once I kill that wretched cunt, I’ll free every last one of them, by myself if I have to," Muriel declared. Veridia was the only nation in the western continent that had revived the slave trade, a deep wound in Muriel’s heart. She had the power to end it, yet circumstances forced her to hold back, much to her frustration.

"But—"

"I said not yet, and that’s final! Listen," Muriel snapped back, her irritation growing with Lilith’s persistence.

"Understood, Lady Muriel," Lilith said, her voice trembling slightly as she lowered her gaze, afraid to meet Muriel’s eyes.

"Ugh… Damn it," Muriel cursed under her breath, feeling a pang of guilt for snapping at Lilith. She regretted it immediately. She hadn’t meant to yell, but her frustration was clear. Part of her wanted to change course right then and free all the slaves, but the timing wasn’t right.

"Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You’re just a kid," Muriel said, trying to apologize, though the words felt awkward in her mouth.

"Yes, Lady Muriel. I’m sorry for asking too much," Lilith replied softly, still shaken.

Lilith responded, feeling uneasy inside as if she were being pressed down, though Muriel hadn’t done anything overt. Instead, it was Lilith herself who felt the desire to punish her own behavior. The silence between them lingered as they flew together, neither wanting to break it. Muriel didn’t want to impose, and Lilith didn’t want to upset Muriel any further.

“Do you… want to know why we need to get to Listerok so quickly, even though I can fly at this speed?” Muriel finally spoke, trying to ease the tension.

“Is it because the treasure in Listerok is rare?” Lilith asked. Earlier, when Veenciel had handed Muriel the parchment, Lilith hadn’t fully grasped its importance.

“Do you know what dragonblood steel is?”

“No…?” Lilith responded slowly, confused. She had grown up a slave, never once allowed to read a single book.

“It’s a type of metal, similar to normal steel, but forged from dragon blood. The blood is melted down into iron, and then turned into steel for weapons or armor,” Muriel explained.

“That must take a lot of blood. Does that mean we’ll have to kill… other dragons?” Lilith asked innocently, her curiosity bubbling over before she realized what she was implying. Remembering that Muriel was a dragon herself, she quickly changed her tone.

“That’s not how it works. Dragonblood steel can only be forged when the dragon’s own blood is smelted with the dragon’s own fire. In other words, I’ll be the one shedding blood,” Muriel explained further. As she spotted the mountain range coming closer beneath her, she slowed down, angling her wings and preparing to descend.

“Wait, does that mean you’re going tooooooooooooooo?!”

Before Lilith could finish her sentence, Muriel suddenly dove toward the mountains below. Lilith clung to Muriel’s tail for dear life, gripping it as if her survival depended on it. In mere moments, they landed near a narrow stone road that led to a bridge spanning a deep chasm. They were surrounded by towering mountains, with nothing but a rough, rocky path leading toward the stone-carved bridge ahead.

Beyond the bridge, in the distance, stood an enormous door carved into the mountain itself. Above the door, the carved visage of a dwarf’s head with a magnificent beard loomed over them like a sentinel. The intricate carvings on the door told a story, starting from the top where a group of dwarves approached the mountain, weaving a tale all the way to the bottom. There, a woman with a blaze of fire held it out to a dwarf king crowned in gold. A taller woman stood between them, surrounded by dwarves holding large wooden mugs, raising them in celebration. They had arrived at Listerok.

"We’re here, Lilith. You can let go of my tail now," Muriel said as she gently unwrapped her tail from around Lilith. However, Lilith clung to it so tightly that she ended up tumbling to the ground as the tail uncoiled and touched the earth.

"By the way, this Arachne silk uniform is so filthy and gross. I’m changing it," Muriel muttered before black liquid quickly enveloped her body, transforming her worn uniform into a sleek, regal black princess dress. Kneeling down, she extended a hand to help Lilith up.

"Come on, get up." She lifted Lilith and began walking her slowly across the bridge. As Lilith shakily rose to her feet, Muriel reached out, placing her hand over the center of Lilith’s mask. In one swift motion, she invoked her power, shattering the curse embedded within the mask. Muriel heard the faint sound of glass breaking in her mind, though Lilith heard nothing at all.

"It’s so scary, Lady Muriel. uehhh," Lilith whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes as she clung tightly to Muriel’s hand, frightened as they walked across the bridge.

"Come on now, there’s nothing to fear, little goat. I’m here," Muriel reassured her gently.

As they crossed the bridge, Muriel found herself lost in thought. "It’s been a while since I’ve been here," she mused inside her head.

"Fumiko, if you’re still out there, I hope you know that these dwarves have carved your deeds onto the door of their history. It’s finished now," Muriel murmured, her eyes lingering on the intricate carvings etched into the great stone door ahead of them. The final scene at the base of the door depicted a moment she would never forget—one that Fumiko had made possible.

Just as they reached the end of the bridge, the carved beard of the dwarf above the door let out a loud, resonating horn blast from behind the massive gate. Both Muriel and Lilith instinctively covered their ears as the sound echoed throughout the mountains, shaking the very air around them. Once the horn ceased, the towering doors of Listerok began to creak open, slowly revealing the grand fortress-city hidden beneath the mountain.

As the two entered, the massive doors closed behind them, sealing them in darkness. Muriel, with her dragon sight, could see perfectly in the pitch black, but Lilith, on the other hand, was completely blind to their surroundings. Then, one by one, oil lamps lining the walls lit up on their own, illuminating the ornate stone path that lay before them, intricately crafted and gleaming in the flickering light.

"Lady Muriel, is it really safe in here?" Lilith asked in a shaky voice, fear creeping into her heart as the unknown loomed around her.

"Of course it’s safe. I’m a dragon, remember? The only thing worth fearing is me," Muriel replied confidently, her voice steady and reassuring.

Muriel lifted her chin slightly, radiating confidence as she led Lilith down the stone path within the cavern. Lilith, still trembling with fear, hurried to follow closely behind, almost as if she sought refuge under Muriel’s cloak. The eerie silence that surrounded them was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps approaching. Both Muriel and Lilith halted, straining their ears to identify the source.

Emerging from the darkness was a group of dwarves clad head to toe in beautifully crafted black-gray armor. One of them carried the banner of the kingdom of Listerok. Leading the group was a dwarf dressed in the finest armor of them all, his large helm crowned with a design resembling a royal crest. His long, braided gray beard nearly touched the ground as he approached. It was none other than the king of Listerok, personally welcoming Muriel, the Black Calamity.

"I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly after Lady Melania contacted us by long-range communication magic," The king said, removing his helmet to reveal his slightly stout face and his emerald-green eyes with a long scar stretching across his face diagonally as he gazed up at Muriel.

"Your beard is as long as ever, Hold King Beldar Oakbone," Muriel responded, stepping forward and extending her hand. Beldar grasped it firmly, shaking it without hesitation.

"And you haven’t aged a day, Demon Lord Muriel. We are honored to welcome you back to Listerok. What is it you require of us this time?" Beldar’s voice brimmed with enthusiasm, clearly ready to offer his aid to Muriel in any way he could.

"We’re here to forge dragonblood steel weapons," Muriel replied without pause.

"Is that so? It seems we must trouble you once again—"

"Two pieces. A magic staff and a sword," Muriel interrupted him, her tone sharp and decisive. Beldar’s expression shifted immediately, growing serious and concerned.

"Two weapons? Lady Muriel, surely that would be too dangerous for you, wouldn’t it?"

"Don’t worry, Beldar," Muriel reassured him. "We have Lilith, a transmutation mage. With her, crafting dragonblood steel will be much easier." She gestured towards Lilith, who stood nervously behind her—Beldar glanced over at the small, goat-eared, ram-horned girl, raising an eyebrow. Was this timid child really the reason for Muriel’s confidence? Still, if Muriel vouched for her, then he had no choice but to trust her too.

"If she’s a transmutation mage, then I suppose we’ll have to place our faith in her skill."

"W-Wait, me?! But I—"

"Shush, little goat," Muriel cut her off, gently pressing her fingers against Lilith’s upper and lower lips, closing it shut and silencing her mid-sentence.

"We need to begin crafting the dragonblood steel weapons. Now."