William looked at Arisu, Alice, and the other fox girls collapsed unconscious on the grass, sighing helplessly. "I underestimated myself. I thought that with this twin sister, it would logically be enough to extinguish the innate desires in my blood, but it only dampened them halfway. This is unfortunate, it seems I need to ask the Tribe Elder for more... assistance. It's not a good situation if this many people pass out every time."
With that thought, his wings trembled and he lifted into the air, flying toward the Tribe Elder's dwelling.
In less than a minute, William arrived within ten meters of the tribe Elder's house, the closest he could land while still having room to retract his wings properly. From a distance, he spotted a familiar figure inside engaged in what looked like a serious conversation with the Elder. It was Marigold, the golden-haired warrior he'd named earlier.
The sight made William curious as he stepped forward and called out, "Tribe Elder, Marigold, what are you discussing?"
Both the Tribe Elder and Marigold, who had been concentrating intently on their conversation, startled at his sudden interruption.
"M-Master William! Why are you here?" Marigold quickly stood from the straw mat, nearly stumbling over her words. Despite her surprise, joy was clearly evident in her tone.
The Tribe Elder, observing Marigold's flustered reaction, sighed lightly and shook her head before calmly addressing William. "Master William, we were just discussing whether Marigold qualifies to become your personal knight."
At the mention of this, Marigold visibly tensed, as if terrified William might refuse. Her beautiful blue eyes locked onto him intently, waiting for his response.
William was momentarily stunned by the question. He didn't understand why such a seemingly minor matter was being treated so seriously. Additionally, his inherited memories hadn't revealed any specific information about this aspect, perhaps he'd need to wait until he matured further to access that knowledge.
After a moment's consideration, William replied, "If she wants to be one, then it depends on whether she's qualified. Since Marigold wishes to become my personal knight, have her move into my cave today." He paused, then turned to the Elder. "Speaking of which, Tribe Elder, the reason I came here today is to request more people from you. The previous number still wasn't quite sufficient."
Hearing William agree to let her become his personal knight, Marigold's nervous expression suddenly filled with joy and happiness. Her tail swished excitedly behind her.
The Tribe Elder, meanwhile, looked William up and down with surprise. After a long moment, she nodded approvingly. "Good thing, very good thing, Master William. This is truly excellent news. As for the number of people, leave it to me. I will definitely send the third wave of selected fox girls to your cave before tonight."
For some reason, William could detect a hint of relief or was it excitement? in the tribe elder fox's voice.
The Elder then turned to Marigold with a pointed look. "What are you doing standing there stupidly? Go back to your house immediately, pack your belongings, and move to Master William's dwelling as soon as possible. These houses will be vacated and might be useful for housing fresh blood in the future."
"Ah! Oh, yes! Tribe Elder, Master William, I'll take my leave first!" Marigold snapped back to attention, bowed hastily, and hurried from the room with obvious enthusiasm.
The Tribe Elder watched Marigold's retreating back, chuckling and shaking her head. "That child..."
William shifted his gaze from Marigold's slender departing figure and continued his conversation with the Elder. "By the way, Tribe Elder, what do you plan to do with the materials from those Dire Wolves we killed earlier?"
"We'll select some that can be used immediately, then save the rest for trading with other foreign tribes in the future. Whatever remains will go toward upgrading our warriors' weapons and armor." She paused, her expression growing somber. "Though honestly, you should save your efforts for more useful materials than these low-grade scraps." The Elder sighed deeply at the thought of their limited resources.
"How many races in the Godforsaken Lands have blacksmith professions?" William asked, recognizing the strategic importance of this information.
"Very few. Currently, only three races can be confirmed, and they're all among the strongest races occupying the most territory in these lands." The Elder's voice took on a more hopeful tone. "Of course, this situation won't last forever. When you grow to full maturity in the future, Master William, the high positions in the Godforsaken Lands will surely have a place for our fox tribe." Speaking of this future possibility seemed to lift her previously depressed spirits somewhat.
At that moment, a fox girl suddenly rushed through the door from outside. She looked panicked, gasping for breath as she spoke in broken sentences. "Not good! Tribe Elder! Outside... there's... outside there's..."
"Don't panic. Take a deep breath first," William interjected calmly.
"Ah! Master William!" His words made the fox girl notice his presence for the first time, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. When he'd gone out earlier with Arisu and Alice, the other fox girls in the tribe had only seen him from a distance. This was likely the first time this particular girl had been so close to him.
"What's the urgent matter? Speak quickly." The Tribe Elder's serious voice cut through the moment, pulling the fox girl's attention back to the crisis at hand.
"Oh, that's right! Tribe Elder, Master William, ten lamia suddenly arrived outside the village. They say they're here to seek refuge with us, but we don't know if they're truly coming for shelter or if it's something else. I came back to inform you while my sisters keep watch on them."
The room fell silent as the weight of this unexpected development settled over them. Lamia seeking refuge, serpent-bodied warriors known for their strength and cunning. In the Godforsaken Lands, such things were rarely straightforward. It could be genuine desperation, or it could be a trap. William exchanged glances with the Tribe Elder, both recognizing that his first true test as the fox tribe's protector was about to begin.
William noticed the Tribe Elder's tension the moment they left her dwelling. She walked slightly ahead of him, her tail swishing in that particular way that meant she was working through something complicated in her head. He'd learned to read those signs over the past few weeks.
"You're worried?" William said, catching up to walk beside her.
The Elder glanced at him, seemed to consider deflecting, then sighed. "Ten lamia just showed up at our tribe. Fully armed and equipped like professional soldiers."
William searched his memory for what he knew about lamia. The term was familiar, but he couldn't quite place where they fit in the local power structure. "Should I know what that means?"
"They live in the marshlands downstream from us. We've never had issues with them because they prefer their swamps, and we prefer our forests. The arrangement has worked well for both sides." She paused, watching the path ahead. "Which is why having them show up unannounced is concerning. Either something happened to their clan, or they've decided our territory looks better than theirs."
The implication settled over William like cold water. "And if they want to take our land?"
"Then we'd be in trouble." The Elder's voice was carefully neutral, but William heard the worry underneath. "If you were already a fully mature Demon King, I wouldn't hesitate to turn them away. But you're still growing into your full power. You're in your teenage years, which gives you some strength, but against trained warriors like them?" She shook her head. "I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."
They walked in silence for a while. William tried not to think about how many times recently he'd been reminded that he wasn't strong enough yet. The Dire Wolf attack had proven he could fight, but apparently, there were still threats out there that could overwhelm him through sheer skill and experience.
When they reached the gate, William saw that the fox girls had already taken defensive positions. Their equipment looked significantly better than what they'd worn during the direwolf attack, and he felt a moment of satisfaction seeing how much the tribe had improved their equipment from the direwolf dead bodies. Then he actually looked at the visitors waiting outside, and that satisfaction vanished instantly.
The lamia's equipment made the fox tribe's gear look like something cobbled together from scraps. Real armor that fit perfectly, weapons that gleamed with professional maintenance, and a bearing that spoke of an actual knight warrior.
All ten of them stood in perfect formation, completely still, their expressions blank as they faced the defensive line of fox girls. They didn't react to the weapons pointed at them, didn't shift or fidget or show any sign of concern.
Then William stepped into view, and everything changed.
The blank expressions vanished, replaced by something that looked almost like joy. The lamia moved in perfect synchronization, setting their weapons on the ground with care before lowering their bodies and tails. Their voices rang out together, clear and reverent.
"All hail the Demon King!"
William stopped walking. He looked at the kneeling lamia's body with a confused face, "... I'm sorry, what?"