Reconstruction

Returning to her newly erected tent, Vivian lay down on the cold, simple stone bed, covered only by a single layer of cloth, and fell asleep immediately.

An hour later, her Demon Lord’s disciplined constitution woke her from her slumber without a minute’s delay.

The one-hour mandatory rest was over.

Although she was still a little tired, her Demon Lord’s body had already recovered from the injuries she had just sustained.

“…Sigh, time to get to work. I’ll get a good night’s rest tonight. I can’t let the villagers wait too long.”

Her responsibility as a Demon Lord drove Vivian to get up and start working.

At the same time, she really did need to redevelop her territory; otherwise, the nutrients required to gestate the fetus later would be enough to overwhelm her.

To be honest, after all this turmoil, her Demon Lord’s body should have handled it with ease, but the current Vivian could still feel a noticeable fatigue—clearly, the pregnancy was taking its toll.

It was fine normally, but it seriously affected the upper limits of this body’s capabilities.

“…Before the fetus seriously affects my mobility, I need to get the reconstruction of the Evernight territory on the right track. The humans probably won’t be so quick to invade again for a short while, so the territory can enter a phase of peaceful development. This will be Vivian’s important goal for the future.”

Vivian didn’t want her child to be born into a life of hardship with her.

At the very least, she had to provide a basic environment for the child to grow up in.

She got up and tidied her appearance, then walked out of her tent.

The head maid, Aria, was standing quietly at the entrance, waiting.

“Lady Demon Lord, the demons from Blackthorn Village and Graystone Keep have gathered. Everyone is waiting.”

Aria bowed slightly, her posture impeccable, as she reported in a calm voice.

“Mm, I’m on my way.”

Vivian nodded and headed toward the place where the villagers had gathered.

Her heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel and rubble, making a monotonous and harsh sound.

The simple sheds that had been difficult to erect at the beginning of the reconstruction had mostly been dismantled by the crusade army as they passed through.

And in the past period, Vivian had been busy observing the crusade army and formulating raid plans, so she hadn’t had the time to appear before the other civilian demons to show that she had truly returned alive—

Beside the ruins of the Demon Lord’s Castle, on a cleared, open square, more than a thousand civilians from Blackthorn Village and Graystone Keep were crowded together.

Farmers, hunters, tailors, blacksmiths, and even many ragged and penniless peasants.

Surrounding them were soldiers of the Demon Lord’s army, maintaining order.

They looked at each other, standing with some apprehension.

Their former homes had been destroyed by the flames of the crusade army, and many already impoverished civilians were now in an even worse state—especially since their crops had been burned along with everything else.

Apart from their essential food reserves, it could be said that many people had already lost everything.

So, rather than returning to their former villages, it was better to follow these warriors who called themselves the “Demon Lord’s Army” back to the equally ruined Demon Lord’s Castle and take part in its reconstruction.

Perhaps, in this way, they could obtain a better life and a new identity.

At the same time, with the protection of the army, perhaps they wouldn’t be so passive.

This was the thought of most people, and they also wanted to see if their Demon Lord had truly returned alive.

So all the civilians huddled together, whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with fear of the unknown, confusion about their current situation, and a minuscule hope that the legendary Demon Lord could truly bring them a glimmer of a future.

And just then.

Suddenly, the aura of a high-level predator appeared.

All the demons present could feel a tremor originating from their souls and bloodlines.

It was the natural pressure exuded by an existence at the top of the food chain, a reverence and fear for the supreme sovereign power imprinted in the very bones and blood of the Demon Clan.

A thousand pairs of eyes, filled with doubt and fear, involuntarily turned in the direction the aura was coming from.

Then, on a high platform not far away, in a place where everyone could see, a graceful figure in a black and purple formal dress appeared before them all.

The Demon Lord of Evernight—Vivian.

Looking at the crowd of civilians below, Vivian took a deep breath and used her mana to transmit her voice steadily into the ears of everyone present.

“Everyone, I am Vivian, the Demon Lord of Evernight, your Demon Lord, your sovereign.”

Vivian’s words reached everyone’s ears, and even though they were civilians, even if they had never seen their Demon Lord before, from the suppression and direct feeling in their bloodlines and souls, everyone knew that this was the sovereign of the Evernight territory, the Demon Lord of Evernight.

“Everyone, the human Heroes and their great crusade army, like a plague of locusts, have destroyed our homes.”

She didn’t waste words, but went straight to the point.

“Raise your heads and look around us!”

“This place was once the heart of the Evernight Demesne, the strong city that sheltered you! And now, it is nothing but ruins, like our trampled dignity, our burned homes!”

“The flames of the crusade army have burned the fields of Blackthorn Village, devoured Graystone Keep! You have lost the roofs that sheltered you from the wind and rain, lost the fields you relied on for survival, lost the places of your ancestral crafts!”

Her gaze swept over the empty-handed farmers, hunters, and artisans, over the demons who had nothing left.

“You were driven from your homeland, drifting here like rootless duckweed. But none of that matters, because we will start anew, here.”

With that, Vivian also observed the reactions of the many demons below.

The many civilians, who had been somewhat lost and uneasy, seemed to have calmed down considerably after Vivian spoke.

And then, Vivian took a deep breath, and her voice suddenly changed, filled with determination and strength.

“Look at the ground beneath your feet!”

Her voice seemed to pierce through the crowd.

“This land is soaked with the blood, sweat, and glory of our ancestors! Beneath every scorched stone lies the unbreakable spine of the Evernight Demesne! The ruins only signify the end of the old; they are also the foundation of the new!”

She raised her arms slightly, as if to embrace this devastated land.

“Rebuild it! With our own hands, from this scorched earth, we will erect walls stronger than before, cultivate fields more fertile than before, and light forges hotter than before!”

“Everyone, I promise you as your Demon Lord, regardless of your past wealth or status, as long as you are willing to join in the reconstruction of Evernight City in the Evernight territory, you will all receive your own land, your own house!”