Chapter 441: Paying Lord Talos a Visit
The next night, Baron Talos walked into his study only to find Damian already seated behind his desk, calmly flipping through the pages of a thick book. The sight alone was strange enough to make Talos pause for a moment.
This was his private study, a place he rarely allowed anyone to enter without permission, yet Damian sat there as though the room belonged to him. The young Prince didn’t even bother looking up immediately, his attention focused entirely on the text before him as his fingers turned another page.
"You know, I always believed I knew all the demonic spells I needed just by having access to this power. It’s shocking to find out I don’t even know ten percent of it." Damian said while flipping through the book he had found on demonic spells.
Damian wasn’t exaggerating. He had spent the morning taking a class on demonic spells, intending to learn even the most basic spells properly, and the experience had been surprisingly humbling.
The more he learned, the more obvious it became that the system had been extremely selective about what it had chosen to teach him. It had given him powerful abilities, techniques and spells, but that did not mean it had given him comprehensive knowledge of demonic magic.
There were entire branches of magic he had never even heard of, and the realization finally explained why several demons he had fought in the past had used spells he couldn’t recognize. Damian had simply assumed that his system contained everything he needed. Apparently, it didn’t.
Lord Talos showed very little emotion as he watched him. His perfect, delicate face remained calm, just as Damian had always remembered from the royal court. There was no visible irritation at finding the Prince sitting behind his desk, nor any surprise strong enough to disturb his composure. Instead, Talos calmly lowered himself onto one knee and bowed his head.
"Sire, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"
"I have come to secure your support." Damian answered honestly.
Lord Talos raised his head, and for the first time, a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. "Sire, my family has always stood behind the crown. You have no reason to worry about things like this." Lord Talos said sternly.
However, Damian calmly shook his head with an amused smile. He finally closed the book halfway, although he kept one finger between the pages to mark his place.
"I’m not seeking your support just to take back this realm. I’m talking about what comes after." Damian grinned mischievously, and Lord Talos raised his head in confusion.
"What does your Majesty mean?" Lord Talos asked.
Damian leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting against the desk as his eyes fixed directly onto Talos. The amusement remained in his expression, but there was something much more serious beneath it now.
"I’m talking about becoming the Demon Lord."
Damian slowly rose to his feet and walked around the table. His footsteps were unhurried as he approached the kneeling Baron, and Talos watched him without moving. Damian eventually stopped directly before him and reached out his palm.
"I will gather all inheritances and become the first perfect Demon Lord in the last ten thousand years and unite all the realms of the Underworld into one. I’m asking if you are willing to be a part of that story?" Damian asked.
Lord Talos’ eyes widened in shock as he stared at Damian’s hand. For the first time since the conversation began, his composure cracked visibly. He had expected Damian to ask for assistance in reclaiming his court, perhaps to secure another powerful family for his growing faction or to protect himself against the Minister of War and the Grand Chancellor. He had not expected this.
Becoming the Demon Lord.
That was an ambition that even many of the princes themselves would never dare voice openly.
Damian was still a Demigod. He was powerful, certainly, but he remained a long way from becoming a God, and the road between his current realm and that position was one that could swallow centuries of effort. Gathering all the inheritances was already an almost impossible task. Attempting to unite the Underworld afterward was something that bordered on madness.
Yet Talos didn’t look down on him.
He had always been intrigued by the Prince who defeated Kaizer and several other notable figures. He had wanted to see what kind of person Damian truly was, and honestly, he had not been disappointed. Damian possessed a quality that was difficult to teach and even harder to fake.
Fearlessness.
He was fearless enough to call out Sol. He was bold enough to openly fight to reclaim his court despite knowing that the people opposing him possessed enormous influence. Even as a Demigod, no one could doubt his strength after hearing the account of the terrified assassin from a Duke family.
Talos had heard the stories.
A Demigod screaming in fear was something almost unheard of unless that Demigod was facing a God. Yet somehow, Damian had managed to replicate such a feat despite remaining within the Demigod realm.
And that was only one part of the reason Talos found himself taking the Prince seriously.
If there was something Damian possessed in abundance, it was potential.
Despite everyone’s initial pessimistic views, despite the expectations that he would die on his first month of gaining his inheritance, he had survived much longer than anyone would have ever dreamed of. More importantly, he had already begun turning his circumstances around.
Talos’ gaze slowly shifted from Damian’s hand back to his face.
"Before I make a decision, I’m curious to know what Sire plans to do about your predecessor’s in laws." Lord Talos asked, catching Damian by surprise.
Damian’s expression changed slightly. He hadn’t expected that question.
"What about them?" Damian asked with narrowed brows.
"You are not married to their daughters. You have no reason to keep them close anymore." Lord Talos said.
Damian promptly shook his head.
"When I first gained this power, I promised to marry them if they helped me reach here. While many of you might not agree, I consider those girls my wives already and nothing will change that." Damian answered.
Talos’ expression remained calm, but his eyes became more attentive.
"And the family?" Lord Talos asked.
"Their parents, who are guilty of several crimes I know little of, I plan to get rid of them and replace them with people more obedient. But I will not remove the family from a position they earned due to the actions of its head." Damian responded without hesitation.
For several seconds, Lord Talos simply stared at him.
His eyes slowly widened in surprise before his expression settled into something more thoughtful. That answer told him far more about Damian than the Prince probably realized. Damian was willing to remove those who threatened him, but he wasn’t willing to punish an entire family simply because its patriarch had committed crimes. More importantly, he wasn’t going to discard the women who had helped him simply because their parents had become inconvenient.
Talos slowly nodded.
"I appreciate that Your Highness is loyal to those loyal to you, and for that reason alone, my family will stand beside you." Lord Talos cupped his fists and bowed deeply.
Damian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied him, but the corner of his lips lifted.
Talos had heard everything he needed to hear. If Damian was willing to protect the position of families that had contributed to his rise while removing only the people who had betrayed or threatened him, then Talos could not afford to put the future of his clan into the hands of anyone else. A ruler who casually discarded his allies was dangerous. A ruler who remembered those who had stood beside him when he was weak was something entirely different.
"Good." Damian said simply.
Lord Talos remained bowed for another moment before slowly raising his head.
There was still something on his mind and Damian noticed immediately.
"Something else?"
Lord Talos hesitated only briefly before lowering his gaze again.
"Forgive me, Sire, but I have one last request..." Lord Talos said in a calm voice.