The Demon King's Sweet Conquest (GL) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: When the Wheel of Fate Turns

Drowsiness receded like a tide. Floria opened her eyes, the crystal chandelier of the ceiling reflected in her pupils.

Treasure chests, sword blades, and countless gold coins clattered and jingled, gradually covering the entire floor and lifting the newly born Demon King higher and higher. she unfurled the tender, young wings on her back, stood on her tiptoes, and wobbled into the air, looking down at this tide of gold and gems.

With her at the center, new plots of land extended outward in an orderly fashion. Smooth marble floor tiles, stone tables and chairs, a sturdy throne, and crystal lamps clicked into place. Amidst a shower of golden sparks, the magnificent Demon King’s chamber was fully regenerated.

Floria shook her head, dispelling the last trace of sleepiness. She pointed a finger into the void: “That’s quite a crude and simple way to do things. Did you think I’d be scared by this?”

[Congratulations to Demon King No. 8848 for successfully importing the Dungeon. Starter funds have been distributed. The Demon King Assistance System will disconnect after this final notification.]

“Hey, show some kindness to someone who accidentally died, okay? I still want to go back to my original world. Can you hear me? Is anyone there—?” Floria questioned stubbornly. When she thought about it, her ordinary life wasn’t so bad after all. Being a Demon King was a high-risk profession.

[Friendly Reminder: Please familiarize yourself with Dungeon management as soon as possible. Make good use of the materials in your storage space and recruit suitable subordinates. As a welfare benefit, rookie Demon Kings have three Lucky Cards; the probability of drawing high-tier items is increased. The Pan-Dimensional Demon King Alliance Corporation does not need employees with poor performance or those who die without permission. Please create infinite value within a limited time. This company does not promise any protection for grassroots employees. The souls of Demon Kings with a value level below 10 will not be preserved after death. If killed by the Heaven Corporation or Pan-Dimensional Heroes, you bear the consequences yourself.]

With a crisp click and a beep, the unreliable system truly disconnected.

Floria looked wordlessly at the floating Dungeon management screen and sighed. Since she was already here, she couldn’t exactly die her way back.

Since the system mentioned storage space, checking her inventory was the first priority.

She sat down abruptly on the throne and tapped the screen with her consciousness. In the pop-up interface for her inventory, there were three cards similar to Tarot cards. Their backs faced the screen, printed with beautiful patterns and eye-shaped decorative objects at the bottom.

[Cards of Opportunity: Cards linked to the vault of the Pan-Dimensional Demon King Corporation. They can be obtained through completing tasks, contribution points, daily wages, rookie benefits, etc. Flip them to receive corresponding rewards. The lucky take all; the unlucky shed tears.]

The patterns on the back of the three Opportunity Cards translated into Demon script as: Treasure, Elite Assistant, and Monster.

Without thinking, she flipped the first one. An orange light flashed, and a pure gold ring appeared in her inventory. The setting was shaped like a claw, tightly clutching a red, heart-shaped gemstone.

[Absolute Monarchy (Orange): Symbolizes the supreme authority of the Demon King. Can unconditionally command the person in front of you to kneel. The specific effect is influenced by the Demon King’s Majesty stat.]

“My majesty is obviously overflowing!” The next second, the golden ring was placed on Floria’s index finger.

Next was the Assistant—Assistant basically meant “Aide,” right? An Elite must be a very strong subordinate. Click it, quick!

Her excited tapping, however, triggered no reaction.

[Ritual not prepared. Please draw a summoning circle with blood.]

As soon as the prompt disappeared, the Opportunity Card materialized and fell into Floria’s hand. The center felt smooth, but the edges were thin and hard like metal. When she flipped it to the front, it was completely blank.

The system gave a helpful tip after her second attempt: [To summon a High-Rank Demon, a summoning circle and blood must be used.]

Floria looked around. In this current Dungeon, the only thing with a health bar was Her Highness the Demon King herself. It was empty; she was a lonely ghost.

Steeling her heart, Floria picked a sword from the pile of treasure and gave her palm a light swipe. Splurt! Blood sprayed out—for any race other than a Demon King, that would have definitely been a lethal amount!

“Too wasteful! Is this a summoning or irrigation?” Floria hurriedly lay flat on the ground. Fortunately, Demon Kings come with a self-healing trait; the spraying stopped instantly after two seconds.

Floria tried using the card like a rag to mop up the pool of blood on the floor. No reaction. She pressed the whole thing down. Still no reaction.

Tsk, tsk. One keyword was still missing: the summoning circle. What a hassle. A summoning circle is just drawing a circle to summon you, right?

Using her finger dipped in blood, Floria briskly drew a five-pointed star. Thinking it lacked something, she added another crooked point to the side.

Done. Demon King Floria’s strongest summoning circle: The Hexagonal Starfruit!

The card was placed horizontally in the center of the circle. Since no one was watching anyway, Floria raised her hands with boiling blood. One hand was horizontal above her head while the other covered her face, striking a classic pose: “Reveal your true name before me! Come forth, my strongest summoned beast!”

White lightning struck the center of the card. The blood pulsed and rose in a mist. The lines of the star formation automatically calibrated themselves into straight lines, and the roaring noise completed all summoning steps in an instant.

As the magic surged and the mist dissipated, a silver-haired Demon materialized before Floria.

Those blood-red eyes slowly opened and met Floria’s gaze. The little Demon King’s heart raced with nerves. She… she’s too tall!

The summoned Demon had a tall, slender build. Not counting those slightly curved horns, she was at least 1.9 meters (6’3″). By comparison, Floria in her elaborate dress looked like a toddler.

What was even more unfair was that the other party was wearing full-body armor. Rather than responding to a summons, she looked more like a Hero from the Demon world coming to challenge the Demon King. This made Floria a bit uneasy.

Is she… really a loyal subordinate?

“You must be the Demon King I am to serve? You may call me by the name Barbatos.” The voice was magnetic, deep, and carried a strange, lingering tenderness.

The summoned Demon deactivated her combat state, and the scarlet armor was replaced by a magnificent uniform. Even features like wings and a tail were hidden using magic. She lightly pressed one hand to her chest and bowed slightly, appearing very respectful.

Unexpectedly polite…

“That’s right. You can call me Flor… Highness Floria, Lord Demon King, or just Highness!” The tension still danced in her heart. She wasn’t facing a game where she could see a favorability bar or resurrect after dying.

“Very well. This subordinate awaits Your Highness’s instructions.” The corners of Barbatos’s mouth seemed naturally upturned, wearing a faint, enigmatic smile.

The ring sparkled under the crystal light. Her eyes dazzled, Floria couldn’t help but feel curious: If I make her kneel, how will she react?

Was this Demon named Barbatos truly polite and loyal, or… something else?

The employee column of the Dungeon construction system didn’t have “cheats” like viewing character favorability, attributes, traits, or personality. It would be great if there were another way.

The thought only flashed by like a meteor; Floria didn’t actually have a hobby of watching people kneel.

The Demon King had a brain that could think, but the ring did not.

Following a stir in her heart, the finger wearing the ring suddenly felt a chill. The magic attached to the ring was clearly triggered successfully.

Floria was momentarily very embarrassed. She cleared her throat and raised her right hand: “You—you don’t need to… that was just—” That was a mistake—

“Heh.” The Demon’s lips parted slightly. Amidst Floria’s embarrassed and shy expression, she dropped to one knee. Her neck and back formed an elegant curve with the movement.

“…” Floria suspected she had also been hit by some kind of magic; her heart was so busy thumping it forgot to supply blood to her brain. Should she apologize? Would a normal Demon King apologize to a subordinate? What exactly were the customs and etiquette of the Demon race?

Before she could untangle her chaotic thoughts, Barbatos suddenly shifted her bowing posture, extending one hand palm-up.

Filled with guilt, Floria reached out, intending to pull the Demon up from the floor. The moment her hand lowered, it was gently grasped and turned over, back-up.

Before she could react, a cool sensation touched the back of her hand. The other party let go an instant later, her lips intentionally or unintentionally brushing past the fingertips, with a gap thinner than a strand of hair.

“Waaaah—!” Floria cried out, losing her balance completely. Barbatos’s pupils contracted slightly as she steadily hooked the Demon King’s waist, pressing her back into her original seat.

“You, you, you… you did well.” Floria refused to lose face even if she lost the exchange. She forced her distorted expression into place, trying to slowly bloom a smile of approval, hoping to turn the tables like a “black-bellied” loli in a manga. However, her lips uncontrollably drooped, making her look like she was about to cry.

“I am glad Your Highness is satisfied.” Barbatos retreated a few small, obedient steps, moving out of the unsafe proximity. Yet, those words continued to echo in Floria’s mind.

No, I can’t be led by the nose by a mere Assistant! Not even if she is a silver-haired, tall, red-eyed Demon!

Floria leaned back into the throne, slowly calming her heart. She changed the subject: “Sir Barbatos, next I am going to summon a new magical beast. You stay by my side, watch carefully, and be responsible for protection.”

“Lord Demon King, if I may be so bold, it would be best to prioritize visiting the Guide’s palace. Even if you wish to summon monsters first, do not forget to build the corresponding rooms for them.” Barbatos’s voice had a special charm; it sounded sincere and tender when lowered, and powerfully persuasive when raised.

“Cough, I had the same intention. However, Sir Barbatos, regarding the Guide…” Floria composed herself. It wasn’t hard; she just had to focus on business.

Barbatos took a few steps after Floria’s heartbeat steadied, standing fixed at the side of the throne: “The Guides are Demon Kings with ample experience. It is necessary for them to mentor an outstanding new Demon King every 100 cycle-years to assist in expanding the company’s organizational structure. The Guide assigned to you must be looking forward to your performance.”

“Naturally. I will definitely prove my strength.” Floria had only just found the Guide coordinate teleport button with her consciousness, but that didn’t stop her from pretending everything was prepared.

She lightly pressed the button. Since she was just meeting someone like a mentor, there was nothing to hesitate about.

If she was lucky, a mentor would give the apprentice equipment, skills, and pets. After the apprentice grew up, the two would help each other… Usually, that was how the setting went. There might also be one, two, or more fellow disciples.

After the button was pressed, the teleportation came much faster than a plane on standby. There were no prompts or checks. After the scarlet light before them faded, the two were standing in a corridor of a completely different style.

The corridor was very dark, with dim glowing gems on both sides providing light. What served as candle holders… were bones?!

Floria looked down at her feet. Her shoes seemed to have stepped in something viscous and dark red… Was it leftover wine from a party? No, don’t think too much. It’s a game. Pretend this is a game!

Do I really have to become a Demon King and do bad things? Could she be a Demon King who didn’t do bad things, slept until she woke up naturally every day, and was so “salted fish” (lazy) that her legs cramped from inactivity?

With a howl from the guarding gargoyles, a massive purple door opened to the two in the corridor. Her ears were filled with the sound of heavy stone slabs grinding against the floor.

Floria did some mental prep: Don’t panic, be elegant, pretend to be a qualified Demon King. What should she say when she opened her mouth to the Guide? Should it be “Greetings, Master,” “It is an honor to meet you,” or should she be tougher and say, “I am the woman who will become the strongest Demon King”?

“Look up.” A cold command from diagonally above interrupted Floria’s chaotic thoughts.

She raised her head, her gaze crashing into a pair of dark red eyes with vertical pupils. Her breath hitched.

The Demon King upon the throne perfectly matched every human fantasy of a Demon King from works of art.

Yes, one could judge her female identity from her rising chest, but the aura belonging to a Demon King made all attributes other than “domination” redundant.

Demon sigils covered her entire body, and her strong physique brought a terrifying pressure. Next to this Guide Demon King’s throne leaned a massive halberd. The curved hooks on both sides of the halberd were decorated with ominous paintings—stick figures of “devouring and being devoured.”

In those dark red eyes, one could clearly see violent emotions swirling. The massive curved horns belonging to the Demon race were equally eye-catching.

“A waste like you… this King has no need for.” Those indifferent words sounded like blood dripping from fur.

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