Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"Nice, you're a good guy!"

Timothy, pleased that his plan had worked, gave the tavern owner a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Nice? What's nice?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The tavern owner flinched, but when he realized that neither Timothy nor his partner seemed upset with him, he finally relaxed.

Without wasting any time, Timothy quickly called up his system in secret.

"System, those three perverts have been occupying the Sacred Sea of the Netherworld for ages, making it impossible for any spirits to get near. If I take care of them, can we talk about a reward?"

"A reward? What kind of reward are you thinking about?"

The system sounded a bit puzzled. After all, this was the first time Timothy had brought up rewards before the system had even issued a task.

"What I want, of course, is something you can't find in either the Netherworld or the continent of Elant."

Timothy smiled slyly, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, "What I want isn't even that expensive. How about a bikini, a beach volleyball, and some sunscreen?"

[Uh, what?]

The system was clearly taken aback by the request.

[Ding! Detecting ill intent from the host. Entering alert mode.]

"So what if I have ill intent? It's just for the goddess, anyway. Besides, think about it. Those three perverts are pretty strong. If I take them out, shouldn't I at least get an Epic-level artifact as a reward? Now, the stuff I'm asking for from Earth isn't even that expensive.

It's nowhere near the value of an Epic-level artifact."

[Well…]

The system hesitated. Timothy's argument wasn't just reasonable—it was very reasonable. Compared to a bikini and some beach gear, an Epic-level artifact was far more valuable.

"So, what do you say? You better think it over. This is a deal that won't last forever."

Timothy's persuasive whisper echoed again, and this time, the system seemed to waver.

After a long pause, the system finally responded:

[Ding! Fine. Task issued per host's request.]

[System Task: Eliminate the three perverts causing chaos in the Sacred Sea of the Netherworld.]

[Task Reward: One bikini, one bottle of sunscreen, one beach volleyball.

Bonus Reward: One beach umbrella, one set of lounge chairs.]

"Nice!"

Not only had Timothy managed to convince the system, but it had even thrown in a bonus—an umbrella and lounge chairs. This system really knew how to deliver!

Timothy grinned with excitement and turned to Sylvia. "Let's go, babe. No time to waste. We should head to the Sacred Sea right away."

"Yeah."

Sylvia nodded seriously, thinking about what might be happening in the Sepulcher of the Sacred at that very moment.

"The Sacred Sea is located right here…"

The tavern owner conjured a map out of ghostly energy and handed it to Timothy.

According to the map, the Sacred Sea was about 600 to 700 miles outside of Ereboth.

For practitioners, 600 to 700 miles wasn't that far. If you were at the level of a Holy Emperor, you could cross that distance in a single step through the void. But in the Netherworld, the laws of space were heavily restricted, so even Sylvia could only fly using wind techniques.

As Timothy and Sylvia prepared to leave Ereboth, the entire city seemed to stir into motion.

Magnus had ruled with an oppressive regime for years, and in his obsession with his daughter, he had harmed countless spirits, leaving the inhabitants of Ereboth in a constant state of fear. By eliminating Magnus and his daughter, Timothy and Sylvia didn't just rid the city of its greatest threat—they liberated Ereboth entirely.

So, even though Timothy and Sylvia radiated a strong vitality that made the spirits instinctively wary, the residents of the city still gathered to see them off, filled with gratitude.

A large crowd of spirits followed them slowly, all the way to the city gates, before finally stopping. As they watched the two figures walk away, the tavern owner, standing at the front, bowed slightly and asked, "Thank you both for freeing Ereboth from its suffering. May I ask for your names, so we can remember you?"

It wasn't just him—every spirit in the crowd looked toward the departing figures, clearly curious about Timothy and Sylvia's identities.

But neither of them turned around.

It wasn't until they had walked some distance away that Sylvia's cool voice drifted back: "Sky Sanctuary, Sylvia."

It was a simple introduction, but when the spirits of Ereboth heard it, they were momentarily stunned.

"Sylvia… Could she be that Sylvia?"

A voice filled with shock broke the silence, and many of the spirits' expressions changed instantly.

Though few of the spirits had been practitioners in life, and even fewer had ever encountered a Holy Emperor-level figure, the name Goddess Sylvia was well-known to all.

For centuries, it had become increasingly difficult for practitioners to advance, and the emergence of powerful practitioners on the continent of Elant had slowed dramatically. Yet, a few hundred years ago, a peerless woman had shattered the many rules and restrictions of Elant with a single wooden sword, founding the Sky Sanctuary on her own.

Her strength was unmatched, and her cold, distant demeanor commanded the respect and awe of countless practitioners.

Even many common folk, who had never practiced a day in their lives, had heard of the fearsome name of Goddess Sylvia.

No one could have imagined that Goddess Sylvia would personally enter the Netherworld. And even more shocking…

"The goddess has a boyfriend?!"

It was as if a thousand years had passed in an instant.

The spirits suddenly recalled that, in life, they had all heard of Goddess Sylvia's famous declaration in her essay The Uselessness of Spiritual Partners, where she had sworn she would never seek a companion.

And yet, here they were, barely a century after their deaths, and the goddess had already changed her mind?

If it weren't for the unmistakable aura of a Holy Emperor radiating from Sylvia, none of the spirits would have believed she was truly the Goddess Sylvia.

After all, it wasn't just her vow to never seek a partner that made them doubt. Thinking back to how openly affectionate the two had been just moments ago…

The way they flaunted their relationship was already over the top, but to think that the one doing it was Goddess Sylvia herself!

Especially in front of Timothy, the goddess's usual coldness seemed to melt away like snow in the sun. Her blushing cheeks and the way her eyes sparkled—it was the look of someone deeply in love.

And when it came to showing affection, the goddess was relentless. She was practically rubbing it in everyone's faces, more than anyone else ever could!

"Is… is that really Goddess Sylvia?"

As they watched the two figures disappear into the distance, still acting all lovey-dovey, the spirits of Ereboth were left dumbfounded.

The goddess's words had been a lie. A lie to all of them.

They never could have imagined that, in life, they hadn't even had the chance to meet her, but in death, they would be subjected to this relentless display of affection from the goddess herself.

These two had flaunted their love all the way from the continent of Elant to the Netherworld. It was just too much!

Looking at each other in disbelief, the spirits of Ereboth could only feel a deep sense of helplessness, as if they were on the verge of tears.