Chapter 118: [Whitemist]
Nox looked once more at the small village built around the old church.
The tiny houses constructed by the Little Ones already looked like a real settlement.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Honestly..."
He looked at Misty.
"I still haven’t come up with a name for this village."
Before anyone could answer...
Two figures appeared at the entrance of the church.
Catherine and Tessa.
Both of them were completely covered in mud.
Their clothes had barely retained their original color.
Catherine was the first to speak.
"I can’t believe how much this place has changed."
She spun around, taking in all the new buildings.
"It actually looks like a village!"
Tessa looked up as well.
"It doesn’t even look like the same abandoned church anymore."
Then she turned toward Nox.
"And you still haven’t named it?"
The demon chuckled.
"I was just thinking about that."
Nox smiled, glad they had returned just in time.
Misty raised a hand.
"If you’d like, the bath is ready."
Catherine smiled immediately.
"Thanks. We could definitely use one."
But before either of them could leave...
Tessa noticed Yuri.
The girl was still wearing the clothes Misty had lent her.
She raised an eyebrow.
"And where did this brat come from?"
Yuri puffed out her cheeks.
"I’m not a brat!"
She pointed directly at Tessa.
"If you fall asleep tonight, I’ll cut your head off!"
Tessa crossed her arms.
"I’d like to see you try."
Nox couldn’t help laughing.
"Easy."
He pointed at Yuri.
"She’s living proof that we’ve already started forming alliances with the people of the swamp."
Tessa looked at the girl again.
Then smiled.
"I was joking. I can tell you’ve got spirit."
Yuri continued glaring at her suspiciously.
Misty had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
◇◆◇
Nox looked over the small village once again.
Mist slowly drifted across the ground.
The white houses stood out against the dark green forest.
Then he spoke.
"I think..."
He paused for a moment.
"...I’ve found the name."
Everyone looked at him.
"Whitemist."
A few seconds of silence followed.
Audrey was the first to nod.
"I really like that name."
Misty smiled.
"It fits perfectly."
Catherine gave two thumbs up.
"It’s beautiful."
Even Tessa nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good."
Nox smiled with satisfaction.
"Then it’s settled."
He looked up at the church.
"From today onward..."
"...this village will be known as Whitemist."
The Little Ones immediately started jumping around him.
"AUDE!"
"AUDE!"
"AUDE!"
The Demon Lord didn’t really understand what they were celebrating.
But apparently...
They liked the name too.
◇◆◇
While Catherine and Tessa went to take a bath...
Audrey continued working beside the massive clay oven.
The aroma of the stew was already spreading throughout the entire village.
Nox walked over.
"How’s it coming along?"
Audrey slowly stirred the enormous cauldron.
"Perfect."
She showed him the contents.
Large chunks of giant rodent meat simmered together with vegetables, roots, and spices.
"I think it turned out even better than I expected."
Nox took a deep breath.
"It smells incredible."
The huntress smiled proudly.
"I also made more caramelized Sugar Lizards."
The chubby Little One proudly held one up.
Nox couldn’t help laughing.
"Looks like we’ve got dessert."
◇◆◇
Once everyone had cleaned themselves up...
The large table built by the Little Ones was filled with dishes.
Audrey began serving the stew.
Catherine practically had tears in her eyes.
"Honestly..."
She let out a deep sigh.
"...I’m starving."
Tessa chuckled.
"It’s not like we did that much."
The former Inquisitor picked up her spoon.
"You’re already getting spoiled by this new life."
Catherine burst into laughter.
"Maybe."
The two of them continued laughing as they began eating.
Yuri carefully sniffed her bowl.
"It smells really good."
Nox started pouring the wine Rollo had given him.
He filled one wooden cup after another.
When he finished, he raised his own.
"I think we have several reasons to make a toast today."
Dawn tilted her head slightly.
"Which one first?"
Audrey raised her cup.
"To our new village, Whitemist."
Nox smiled.
"And to Mireveil’s new alliances."
Tessa pointed at Yuri.
"And to our newest guest."
Everyone laughed.
Everyone except Yuri, who was still far too focused on the stew.
Misty raised her cup.
"And to the Little Ones for all their incredible work."
The little blue creatures immediately appeared.
Each one carried a tiny cup made from leaves, filled with drops of swamp water.
"AUDE!"
The cups clinked together.
The wine began to flow.
And dinner officially began.
◇◆◇
The conversation lasted for quite a while.
Each person shared what they had discovered.
Catherine spoke first.
"Tessa and I think we found the edge of the swamp."
She paused.
"A vast sea stretching into absolute nothingness."
The former Inquisitor nodded.
"No matter how far you travel, there’s only murky water."
"It doesn’t seem like there’s anything beyond it."
Nox fell into thought.
’Interesting.’
Then Audrey spoke.
"I found where those giant rodents live."
Everyone turned toward her.
"The Little Ones’ old village."
Silence briefly filled the room.
"It’s completely destroyed."
"And now it’s become some kind of giant nest."
The little blue creatures lowered their heads slightly.
Nox gave them a reassuring smile.
"You have Whitemist now."
"This is your new village."
The Little Ones immediately seemed to cheer up again.
Dawn spoke next.
"I found some ruins beyond the forest."
She took a small sip of wine.
"They look like the remains of an ancient temple."
"I couldn’t explore all of it..."
"...but I think it’s worth returning."
Finally, everyone looked at Nox.
The demon smiled.
"I accomplished exactly what I set out to do."
He raised his cup.
"The swamp people accepted the alliance."
"I spoke with the Marauders’ King..."
"...and they accepted as well."
Misty’s eyes widened.
"I still can’t believe there’s so much life hidden in this swamp."
"I know."
Audrey replied.
Nox chuckled.
"I was surprised too."
"But that’s good for us."
"Now we have a growing empire..."
"...and plenty of allies to help us achieve our plans."
◇◆◇
After dinner...
Everyone pitched in to clean up.
Audrey washed the dishes.
Misty dried them.
Tessa organized everything.
Catherine put away the utensils.
Even Dawn helped move the enormous pots.
Nox ended up sweeping the dining hall alongside several Little Ones.
Once everything was spotless...
Everyone slowly retired for the night.
Darkness had completely fallen over Whitemist.
◇◆◇
Nox opened the door to his room...
And stopped in surprise.
The Little Ones had been working again.
They had expanded the entire room.
The bed was much larger now.
It could easily fit four people.
There was a table.
Two chairs.
A small wardrobe.
Even a bookshelf where several of his bottles already rested.
The Demon Lord chuckled.
"These little guys never take a break."
"They really are incredible workers."
He placed his coat over one of the chairs.
Walked over to the bed.
And ran a hand across the newly built frame.
"Good work."
The Little Ones hiding among the beams let out tiny cheerful chirps.
Nox smiled.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He felt like he was truly building a home.
Not just a shelter.
A home.
Then...
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Someone gently knocked on the door.
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"Who is it?"
A familiar voice came from the other side.
It was Yuri.
"Lord Demon?"
"Yes?"
A brief silence followed.
Then the girl asked, as naturally as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world,
"May I sleep with you?"
Nox stood frozen for a few seconds.
’...I’ve got a feeling this woman is going to take every opportunity she can to get closer to me.’
Even so...
For some reason...
He didn’t feel like turning her away.
He simply walked to the door.
Slowly opened it.
And gave her a faint smile.
"Come inside first..."
"...then we’ll talk."
Yuri beamed from ear to ear.
"I knew you’d say yes!"
Nox sighed in resignation as the cheerful girl happily walked into the room.
’This woman is definitely going to bring me nothing but trouble...’
And yet...
He couldn’t help smiling.
Yuri stepped inside, her curiosity impossible to hide.
Her eyes wandered across every corner of the room as she slowly turned in place.
"Is all of this yours?"
Nox closed the door behind them and let out a quiet chuckle.
"More or less. The Little Ones built almost everything while I was away."
The young woman ran her hand across one of the tables made from the Little Ones’ strange white material.
Then she looked at the enormous bed.
Finally, she gave a small hop onto it.
The mattress sank gently beneath her weight.
Yuri’s eyes sparkled.
"This is amazing!"
She rolled across the blankets once before ending up on her back, completely relaxed.
"In my village, we sleep on bones, old animal hides, and mattresses full of fleas."
She patted the mattress a couple of times.
"This feels like sleeping on a cloud."
Nox smiled as he placed his coat over a chair.
"I’m glad you like it."
Yuri stretched one arm toward the ceiling.
"Honestly..."
She let out a deep sigh.
"...you were right about taking a bath."
She looked at her clean hands.
"My whole life, I thought mud was enough."
Then she sank back into the mattress.
"But now I feel so much better."
Nox rested one hand on the bedframe and shook his head with a smile.
"I figured you would."
The young woman turned her head to look at him.
"I want to live in Whitemist forever."
The sincerity in her voice left Nox silent for a few seconds.
Then he let out a soft laugh.
"Then we’ll just have to make sure this village lasts forever."