The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 281: Heroes Needed

Chapter 281: Heroes Needed

It was a cold, gray day when thousands of citizens gathered in front of the Norneau courthouse. They stood in droves, some stopping by the stands that were set up for heat, while others maintained quiet domes of warmth for the people around them.

A massive stage had been set up, near the stone guillotine used for the most unrepentant of souls. Its blade, magicked to resist rust and remain ever-sharp, glinted with malicious promise.

"I’m glad you had the wherewithal to dress for the occasion," Chancellor Lumin commented offhandedly, "Professor Nasumi... Are you alright?"

"I threw out my back a little over the weekend... What occasion is it?" he asked, looking over at the guillotine, then to the students who were seated in their uniforms. Black for Bailey and Daisy, and grey for Kordia.

"You weren’t told? I was informed that the Watch gave you the summons as soon as they had the order."

"They were rather sparing with details," the Professor replied.

"I got that impression from how skittish your students were. Especially Mr. Black... but don’t let me ruin the surprise. Have a seat," she gestured at an open-backed chair sized for a large person like him.

Professor Nasumi’s leg bounced as he looked out over the crowd. "Is this how Norneau does trials? Out in the open?" He sat, with Kordia on his right and Lumin on his left toward the large podium that awaited its use.

"When everyone can’t fit in the courthouse, yes."

"Great. Juuust great..."

Chancellor Lumin gave the Professor an appraising look.

"Oh, don’t be nervous. What will happen will happen."

"Hard not to be nervous when I know fuck-all about what’s happening."

"Surely a man of your intelligence can guess..."

"I try not to go near the legal system, Lady."

The Professor wound up suppressing a yelp as pain traveled up his tail.

"Perhaps it would be better to remain quiet and wait, Professor. I’m dying to figure out what the surprise is as well."

"You had to say ’dying’" the Professor mumbled, but shut his mouth all the same. The fact that both the Watch and the Guard were everywhere kept drawing his eyes as the tension built...

"Are you feeling alright?" Chancellor Lumin asked after a long moment.

As Professor Nasumi opened his mouth- "All rise for the Mayor of Norneau!" a woman’s voice announced.

Suddenly everyone was on their feet as even more guards marched onto the stage, taking their posts at the corners as the Mayor took to the podium. The one nearest the podium was Michelle, dressed in full formal regalia, down to her shoes - which actually covered her feet for once.

Despite her position of public power, the Mayor bowed to Chancellor Lumin before turning back to the crowd. She was a grey-haired elvish woman in her first century of life and an Academy graduate, after all. Lumin simply had the power and an age that was to be respected. Then, once the crowd was silent, she began her speech.

"Citizens of Norneau. Since the founding of our city, the mysteries of magic have led us from humble beginnings to a prosperity our ancestors could only dream of. Yet in recent weeks, one of those mysteries has caused great suffering. The presence of a protean siphon within our walls, what some refer to as ’mimics’, took away our sense of safety with each victim it snatched off our streets. Yet not a single death has been suffered, thanks to the efforts of those who seek the depths of magic, and the bravery of Norneau’s protectors. Thus, it is with great pleasure, that I award these heroes-

A gasp overtook the crowd as someone landed atop the angled roof of the courthouse.

A massive figure, three and a half meters tall, covered in bony, natural armor from the tip of his tail to the nape of his neck. On his torso, a deep blue glow suffused the light around him, as if partially drinking it in as it gently pulsed... like a heartbeat. On his face, the demon wore a half-mask, covering his mouth.

Reacting quickly, a handful of guards began blasting the demon with magic, but their spells exploded harmlessly against a lattice of magical energy as the demon remained still. On the stage, Chancellor Lumin glared into Professor Nasumi’s eyes, receiving a shrug in response.

"People of Norneau... I am the one you call Ghostheart." His voice boomed softly, amplified by magic and the silence that followed the ineffective strikes of the Norneau’s protectors.

The silence broke as a pair of maven guards landed on the slanted roof, only to slip and wind up plummeting two stories, alive thanks to their use of enhancement magic. Behind Ghostheart, the entire roof glinted with near-invisible ice wrought by magic.

"What do you want, demon?" the Mayor asked, right as Michelle kicked off her boots and rocketed on maven flames to face her self-declared nemesis, screaming her rage.

Ghostheart wasted no time, blocking her punch before backhanding her into a wagon full of straw, which began to catch fire.

"Enough!" he bellowed, raising a hand and producing an orb of sinister-looking magic, black and edged with red. "I have come to deliver a warning, but strike at me again and I will stop holding back."

A pair of guards rushed to help Michelle up, but continued holding her by the arms as she seemed intent on continuing her fight.

"Oh no! That spell could level the city!" Professor Nasumi suddenly shouted, his cadence a little stiff as he projected his voice.

A perceptive person might have seen Ghostheart’s eye twitch just a little. "I did not come here to kill," the demon said, letting the orb come to rest above his head like a dark sun. With a sudden flare, he opened his arms wide. "Rejoice, Norneau! For the scourge of slavery has all but ended in your domain. Where the blue lamps shine, no slaver has walked without fear. When slaves were offered, your leaders emancipated them, knowing that life is worth more than mere gold... You have done well, and so my warning is thus: Soon I will depart your city to bring justice where the enemies of all people dwell. Let no slaver land upon your shore. Let no person be enslaved within your power. Let all who enter Norneau in bondage stay or leave as free folk."

The audience remained silent, many in rapt attention.

"You call me demon... I am nobody’s demon. And if Norneau wishes to deserve the service I have given you, then you must heed my actions and my words... Let no one tell you that any person is lesser. Honor each other, no matter what any leader, empire, or Heaven itself tells you... for what is good rests within you to know. Ensure, above all, that none die because their basic needs were not fulfilled. For we are all born equal in dignity, and we are all equal in death... If you fail, I shall return... and Death comes with me."

Suddenly the orb rose. As it made contact with the city shield a strange, negative-light burst over the entire area, casting people into strange shadows and shades as the massive sense of shattering mana washed over everyone.

And when people looked at where the demon had stood, there was nothing but gashes of missing stone where he’d dug his claws in to leap away.

For months to come, many would remember the day a lone demon destroyed the city’s first line of defense...

*

But in Chancellor Lumin’s office, on that very same day...

"What by all the curses of the gods were you thinking?!" Lumin shouted at a very amused-looking Kir.

"I was given a strong impression that I was in trouble," Kir said.

"They were giving you the key to the city and the bounty for the mimic! Who would get in trouble for saving lives?!"

"Oh so you do like the term," Kir chuckled.

Lumin ignored his jab. "Thanks to your grandstanding, the whole city is in chaos! I expect Angels will return to breathe down my neck any day thanks to you!"

Kir grimaced. "Yeah, that could be a problem... but Ghostheart said he’s leaving."

"You damn well know how much risk we’re putting up with for you."

"We?"

Lumin paused just a moment too long to avoid suspicion. "The city, of course. Do you know what happens to cities that harbor demons?"

"Nothing good, I imagine."

"They’re purged. Heaven destroys them down to the last stone. And what you did today just invited an investigation I doubt any city could pass! You’ve all but forced us to consider expelling every demonkin, much less any actual demons that might be lurking around."

"What about contracted demons?" Kir asked. "Familiars?"

"What about them? Do you know the kinds of people who arrange demonic servants? To say nothing of the connections they need just to be heard, they’re the sort of people who make those slavers you’re so obsessed with killing look like upstanding ateliers! And you won’t be able to pull the same trick, having your familiar replace you like that! When Heaven asks - really asks - they get answers." Lumin sighed and ran a hand through her white hair. "And because of that, I need you to send your familiar away."

"What?" Kir held his forehead. He hadn’t anticipated such an overreaction, but the big picture had eluded him when he was making his plans...

"You heard me. When you go on your little field trip to Amrita, take your demon with you. I’ll arrange someplace where she could stay, but come next month, every pure demon will be pushed out of Norneau... and Gods help me keep the demonkin from rioting.

Would he have done differently if he was in a position of power like Lumin?

He couldn’t say... But...

"I’d like to offer a compromise... something that will help make things better and hopefully get the angels off Norneau’s back... to say nothing of how rich it’s going to make the city."

"This had better be damned good. And if you dare suggest that I let you kill them or-"

"I’m not going to kill anyone," Kir smiled. "I think between you and the mayor, the two of you can show them why Norneau doesn’t need slavery... when it has a new industry. One where you will employ every demonkin you can in a place they’ll have an advantage working in, under the watch of the city so that Heaven cannot question their activities." He shrugged, "And, perhaps, kill them with kindness."

Lumin’s eyes narrowed as her face jutted forward with confusion. "What the Hell does that mean? Are you losing it?"

Kir winced, while a certain voice in his head laughed.

"It means that once everything’s in place, you’re going to be so generous it’ll make them want to leave."

"And how do you propose we arrange something ’generous’ enough for the likes of angels?" She crossed her arms, her lips thinning the most that Kir had ever seen.

"Like I said, work with me and Norneau will have a new industry... as well as more steel than it knows what to do with."

"Steel?"

"By the ton."

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