A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

When Nell arrived at HQ, she found herself greeted by the Faldien Order.
They were all gathered in front of the building, seemingly awaiting her arrival.

“Welcome back.
How was your holiday?” asked Carlotta.

“It was wonderful,” chirped the brunette.
“Thank you for letting me take such a long break from my duties.”
“You certainly seem to have gotten all the rest you needed.
You’re much more energetic.” The order’s commander nodded in satisfaction.
“I’ll be expecting you to work even harder than you were before.”
“I’ll make sure I do,” said Nell.
“Oh and uhm, there was actually something I wanted to ask you.”
“Are you looking for ideas for your next date with Masquerade?”
“T-That’s not it at all! It’s something work related!”

Seeing her wave her hands back and forth in panic led all the other paladins to share a hearty laugh.
While she was embarrassed, she managed to recover by clearing her throat and switching to a much more serious tone.

“I’d like to be given tasks involving more responsibility, such as subjugating monsters, resolving skirmishes along the border, and maintaining public order.
Ideally, I’d like more monster-related jobs than the other two.”
“Oh…?” Carlotta raised a brow.
“Trying to make a name for yourself, are you?”
“You always somehow end up a full step ahead of me,” Nell smiled awkwardly.
“That’s right.
Most of my work so far has been based on the capital.
I know that I don’t have all that much experience just yet, but I’d still like to be given more difficult tasks.”
“And I’m assuming that’s why you’d like most of your work to be centered around monsters?”
“Mhm.
Slaying powerful monsters is a surefire way to attract lots of attention.
And I’ve also heard that a lot of monster-related work had been put off due to all the other things we had to attend to.”

Monsters were considered immediate, easily recognizable threats.
And as such, defeating one, particularly a large, intimidating one that put the country’s citizens in harm’s way was sure to cause rumours to spread like wildfire.
She was, in a sense, seeking to do exactly what the church had sought when it marched the Faldien Order on Poezahr’s demon lord—bolstering her reputation in the eyes of the people.

Hunting monsters was dangerous work.
A certain level of skill was required to pull it off successfully, but Nell wasn’t worried.
Learning about and encountering the Wicked Forest’s monsters made all other monsters look like cute, helpless animals.

She was, of course, fully aware that she couldn’t let her guard down.
But the truth was that regular monsters were much weaker than the kinds that her husband regularly hunted.
She knew this for sure because he taught her about the particulars of their stats, as well as many other tips and tricks involving hunting similar beasts.
All in all, the hero was confident that she could handle just about anything that was thrown at her.

Even if she did encounter something that outclassed her, she was able to gain a leg up on it by using the many magically enchanted tools and devices that Yuki had provided.
He had told her not to hesitate when using them.
They were there for the sole purpose of her protection.

Making use of the mystical potions and deadly enchanted daggers he gave her to rack up achievements almost seemed like cheating.
But allowing a monster more powerful than her to roam free was a recipe for disaster.
Eliminating it immediately was paramount to keeping the number of casualties at a minimum.
And for that alone, she was willing to set her pride aside.

“Okay, I understand, but I just want to make sure that you do as well,” said Carlotta.
“You’ll be sent both to dispose of monsters, and to places with human conflict.
Is that going to be an issue?”
“No,” said Nell confidently.
“With the way I am now, I can easily resolve conflicts without incurring any casualties on either side.”

Carlotta’s eyes widened.
She wasn’t used to seeing the ever timid Nell act in such an assertive, self-assured manner.

“You’ve changed.”
“I have clear goals now.
I know exactly what I want and need to do.”

Carlotta observed the younger girl and confirmed that she wasn’t pushing herself, acting unnaturally, or getting carried away.

“Okay.” After a moment of consideration, she nodded.
“In that case, I’ll be putting you to work immediately.
I hope you’re ready to put your sword where your mouth is.”
“I am! I’ll do my best!” chirped Nell.
The answer had come without hesitation.
She was ready to finally truly fulfill her role.

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