?“Welcome back, Master! What? You’ve been waiting at the door all day? No, I just felt you were coming, so I came out. But Meena is mad.”

  ?“Why? Is it because I went without you?” Haru asked.

  ?“No,” Meena huffed, “It’s...she blushed, because you deliberately talked sweet to Meena and escaped, leaving her behind!”

  ?“Looks like she really is mad about this morning,” Haru thought. Meena sat in the chair near the window, staring at the night sky with a puffed-out face. “I guess I have to make something to make it up to her, and I know just the way.”

  ?As Haru opened the lid, steam spread into the air. A fresh aroma filled the house. Meena curiously followed the scent to the kitchen, and when she saw the dish, her eyes glowed. She asked Haru, “ master! What’s this?”

  ?“It’s called Double-fried Garlic Soya Chicken.” Haru smiled, thinking, “Dinner’s ready, Meena, come and join.”

  ?Her eyes sparkled with joy. “Meena, let me serve you,” Haru offered.

  ?“Humph! Only because it smells good,” she replied. Haru watched her, hoping she would forget about the morning’s events.

  ?The Dracula opened his eyes. A bat flew to his ear and whispered.

  ?“What? Demons have invaded this place?” Dracula muttered. “Hmm, so the illusion has finally weakened. Well, I expected this much, but it happened way more quickly than I anticipated. Fine then, they started it. My army, rise up! Spread out everywhere you can and be my eyes. Find every bit of information you can about the outside world. Tomorrow we will infiltrate this world. We shall rule this world once again! But this time, it will not be Dracula vs. Demons... it will be Demons vs. Demons! Ha Ha Ha!”

  ?[He is thinking humans are demons.]

  ?“Hun! What are you doing at the door?” Haru asked.

  ?Meena, with a puffed face, replied, “I am guarding it.”, she stick to the door covered it with her hands.

  ?Last night, while Haru slept, Meena had entered her domain. “Wake up, you rusty blade!” she commanded.

  ?The blade, terrified and wrinkled like a piece of white-grey paper, cried out, “Master! Please forgive me for what I did, even though I don’t know what I did! If it sounds fair, I will never sleep again i promise!”

  ?“No need for that,” Meena said. “Just tell me what happened today with Master.”

  ?The sword explained everything.

  ?“You...went to a new and beautiful dungeon without Meena?!” she yelled the next morning.

  ?“What? How do you know? Don’t tell me you...”

  ?Meena said with a straight face, “That sword over there told me that.”, pointing her hand it

  ? crying inside the blade

  ?“Wait, you can talk to objects?” Haru asked.,

  ?“Yes.”

  ?“Wow! That’s cool. But how long are you going to stand there? Aren’t you hungry?”

  ?“Until you promise Meena that you are going to take her on a quest!”

  ?“But I am not going on a quest; I am currently taking a break,” Haru explained. “ and I am going to the market today. You can come there with me if you want.”

  ?“Fine, but you have to buy me a blue apple.”

  ?“Okay.” Haru sighed.

  ?Meanwhile, bats were spreading rapidly from the dungeon to all over the city.

  ?“Hmm, look at that. There are demons living so peacefully,” Dracula observed. [Those bats work as surveillance for Dracula.] “I can’t believe things have changed so much.”

  ?A person looked up at a bat.

  ?“Finally, my first target,” Dracula thought. “I, the almighty Count Alfred, order you to be my servant and join my army. Come to the dungeon located near this village!”

  ?Haruto and Meena were walking through the market. “Master, what’s this?” Meena asked.

  ?“It’s an oracle. Want to go and check it out?”

  ?“Let’s go, Master!”

  ?The shopkeeper greeted them. “Welcome, sir! Welcome, madam! Do you want me to tell your future? Or perhaps you want me to reveal your compatibility?”

  ?“She is a child, so—” Haru started talking.

  ?“I apologize, sir, but it is not possible for her to be younger than you,” the shopkeeper interrupted.

  ?“What?”

  ?“Yes, sir. In fact, her actual age would be even older than the Great Demon King himself!”

  ?Suddenly— Meena had used her powers to pull the shopkeeper into her domain. The shopkeeper looked around in a panic. “Whaaaaaa! Help me! Somebody help me! Where am I?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  ?Meena appeared before the shopkeeper with a devastating presence and dense aura. “You are in my domain.”

  ?“Waaaaaaa! Ma’am, I am sorry! You’re not older, you’re young! Please forgive me! I won’t ever show my face again! Please spare my life!”

  ?Meena looked around. She looked back at the woman. “Just tell me our compatibility.”

  ?“Hun! Okay... well, ma’am, you have one of the highest compatibilities I have ever seen. It feels like even the Heavens are on your side.”

  ?[The Heavens: ]

  ?“It’s as if even the Demon Lord will not be able to separate you.”

  ?[Demon Lord:hun! this feeling, it feels ]

  ?The shopkeeper thought, [Meena told her if they ever got separated, the shopkeeper would be the first to die]. she thought with tearing eyes.

  ?Back in the real world, Haru asked, “Can you tell us about our future?”

  ?“Sure, let me look... what?! Sir, your luck is off the charts! All the problems in your life will come to an end, and your path will be cleared automatically!”

  ?“Really? That’s great to hear! Here is your money.”

  ?The shopkeeper looked at Meena and thought, “Sir, I am closing the shop anyway!”

  ?“But? Your fees?”

  ?“There is no need, sir!” She packed up and ran. “Bye! Have a great day!”

  ?Haru watched her with wide eyes. “I wonder what happened to her. Do you know?” He looked at Meena. She shook her head, giving a gentle “No.”

  ?Confused, Haru said, “Let’s just go to the next shop.”

  ?While they were walking, Meena’s eyes met with a bat hanging in a tree. The bat disappeared.

  ?“What? What happened?” Dracula wondered from his throne. “Did it suddenly die? That means the demons have learned about us. Then we must attack tonight! Yes!” He filled from the first to the fourth floor of the dungeon , his entire army of bats and the people.

  ?“Here is the blue apple you asked for,” Haru said. “Now, you should go home with these things. I will come back after taking the reward from yesterday’s quest.”

  ?Meena was actually curious about the bat she had stored in her domain. As long as Haru was busy, she could use her powers. She learned everything about Dracula.

  ?Meanwhile, at the Guild: “Excuse me, I want the money from my last quest.”

  ?“Wait, let me check,” the receptionist said. “Sir, for this amount, you need to talk to the Guild Master. He is in the room above.”

  ?Haru went upstairs. “Welcome, Sir Haruto. What brings you here today?” the Guild Master (GM) asked.

  ?“Actually, I am here for the reward for yesterday’s quest.”

  ?“Oh, yes! Here are your 100 gold coins.”

  ?“But sir, why does the guild feel so empty?”

  ?“Hmm... actually, Sir Haruto, people are disappearing. And it’s not just this village; people are disappearing even from nearby towns. I am afraid it’s Dracula’s work.”

  ?“What?!”

  ?“Don’t worry, just don’t look at bats when you walk and nothing will happen. If something attacks or you feel danger, just run. And also, take care of Meena.”

  ?“Oh no, she is alone! I have to go! Sorry sir, I have to go!” Haru rushed home to see Meena.

  ?After Meena understood everything, the sword spoke: “See, Master? That Dracula is dangerous. Let’s kill him for the sake of the world.”

  ?Just as Meena was about to summon Dracula, Haru burst into the house. “Meena! Are you okay?”

  ?Meena nodded gently and said, “Yes.”

  ?Haru tightly hugged Meena. “I was so scared. I thought something had happened to you.”

  ?Meena’s heart stopped as if time had frozen. She didn't understand what was happening. Her face turned bright red; her heart felt like it was on fire.

  he exhausted after running.“sigh...I heard people were disappearing. You have to stay home for a few days until this is resolved. Promise me?”

  ?“hun!,Are you okay? Your face looks red. It doesn’t look like a fever...” He placed his hand on her forehead.

  ?“Stop!” Meena shouted, blushing furiously and looking away to avoid eye contact. “I am hungry! I want to eat something!”

  ?“She still is a kid,” Haru laughed.

  ?After they ate dinner and went to sleep.suddenly Meena opened her eyes.

  ?Meanwhile, Dracula laughed. “Hahaha! This is marvelous! My soldiers are enough to rule the world. This time I will show those demons what true power looks like! Hahaha! Everyone, today our suffering in the world shall end!”

  Arc II: Dracula vs. Meena

  Dracula looked around, confused. “Huh? Where am I?”

  Meena looked down at him coldly. “You are an interesting creature…”

  “Who is she?” Dracula thought to himself. “I was told that only heavenly beings can create their own domain.” He looked up at her and asked, “Who are you?”

  Blade snapped at him, “How dare you, lowly mortal, question my master!” With a formal gesture—head bowed and eyes fixed on the ground—Blade showed his submission.

  Dracula’s eyes widened. “Wait, isn’t he the previous Demon Lord? And he is showing that gesture? Who is she?”

  Note: This demonic gesture is shown to those they are deeply indebted to, signifying they are willing to give their life for that person. In short, it is a gesture of utmost gratitude and respect.

  “I think it’s better if we just dissect him,” Meena said calmly.

  Blade laughed darkly. “Ha ha ha! It’s over. Your time has come to an end.”

  “But Your Highness, I just want to serve you!” Dracula pleaded.

  Blade scoffed. “Humph! There is no way a lowly being like you can help my master. Hahaha!”

  “But I have never seen someone as strong as you,” Dracula continued. “I just want to serve you, even if only for a year.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Master,” Blade warned. “He is not trustworthy.”

  Meena tapped her chin. “I just want to analyze your body and how it creates your powers. Hiw can You possibly help me.”

  “That’s it... that’s the question I was waiting for,” Dracula thought. He spoke quickly, “Your Highness, as I saw, you have made a blade with so much power that it contains the soul of the previous Demon Lord and gave it to your husband. That means you clearly want his safety and you don’t want to use your powers in front of him. But with my powers, everything will be as easy as a drop of blood. I will control all the monsters in his path so he will defeat them easily. You can also monitor him using my bats without needing to lift a finger…”

  The Blade and Meena both stood stunned, eyes wide and frozen in place.

  “Ma’am…?” Dracula ventured.

  “He is not my husband... he is my Master!” Meena shouted.

  She instantly exited the domain. She tried to pretend she was sleeping, but inside her mind, she kept repeating, “My husband... he said Master is my husband,” for the rest of the night.

  In the domain, Blade’s voice echoed in the void. “But why, Master?!”

  Next Morning

  “Huh? Meena, are you perhaps awake?” Haru asked.

  Meena instantly woke up, her voice shaky. “Huh! What?” She looked back and forth, avoiding eye contact.

  “Is everything okay? You’re acting weird,” Haru said, approaching her.

  Meena instantly covered herself whith blanket. “Maybe I need some more sleep.”

  Haru sighed. “Kids these days. Maybe I should prepare some extra meat for her today…”

  Later That Day

  In her domain, both Dracula and Blade were in the position of respect, waiting for her final decision. Meena appeared.

  “Sigh... okay. I have decided that I will let you serve me to visually see how your powers work in the world,” Meena said.

  “But Master, he is untrustworthy!” Blade argued. “He even backstabbed the demons!”

  “That’s why you have to stay here,” Meena commanded to Dracula.. “And you can only use your powers under my authorization.”

  “But Master—”

  “Are you questioning my judgment?” Meena asked with an intense glare.

  Blade was frozen and terrified. “No, Master,” he whispered.

  “Then that’s it. This discussion is over.” Meena teleported back.

  Meanwhile:

  Blade let out a sigh of relief. Dracula smiled and let out a soft, “Humph!”

  Blade looked at him, angry.

  “Just one year,” blade said, and then he disappeared.