...

  ...

  2 days ter.

  The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows through the windows of the chief’s mansion. The air was quiet, except for the soft rustle of wind outside and the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards.

  Non sat upright in bed, her long bck hair falling around her shoulders like a dark veil. Her pale fingers gripped a cup of warm broth, trembling only slightly.

  Eria watched from the chair beside her, quiet and thoughtful. Drellis leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, while Sandy stood not far off, arms folded, her eyes watching Non closely.

  "You’re still weak," Eria said softly. "You should rest for a few more days."

  "I don’t have that luxury," Non replied, her voice steady but tired.

  "This vilge is already on the verge of colpsing. Right now is the best chance for me to win over the people's hearts completely."

  Eria smiled faintly. "You sound more like a ruler."

  Non didn’t respond. She sipped her broth and looked out the window. Outside, the vilgers were going about their day, tired and slow, but anxious and nervous over their new ruler.

  They needed something more than survival. They needed purpose. And they had seen a glimmer of hope in Non. Her dispy of power 3 days ago had left many of them in awe.

  The young men and women of the vilge had felt a burning sensation in their hearts at that moment.

  Although the old vilgers no longer had any ambitions left after living in this desote vilge for such a long time. Those still in the prime of their youth still had hopes and dreams.

  So, for the past 3 days the vilge had been buzzing with excited teenagers and young adults, anxiously waiting for the changes Non would bring to the vilge.

  Non set the cup of broth down and rose to her feet.

  "Get the people to gather in front of the square." she said. "I have something to say."

  "Yes!" Drellis said as he walked out.

  The square had once been a pce for public beatings, unfair trials, and mock executions held by Torak for his own amusement.

  At this moment, every vilger, young and old had gathered at the square as they gossiped in hushed voices.

  Non stepped up onto the broken stone ptform that once served as Chief Torak’s pulpit. She stood tall, her coat billowing gently in the breeze, her eyes sharp and unreadable.

  The crowd went silent. Waiting for her to speak.

  "I’m not here to give you hope," Non said, her voice loud and clear. "Hope is a lie. This is a promise that things will get better if you just wait long enough."

  The crowd murmured. Some nodded, keeping their cool. While some couldn't hide the excitement in their hearts as they silently cheered.

  "I’m not a hero. I’m not your savior. I’m not your friend. I’m your only hope for survival. And I will not let this vilge die."

  Silence.

  Non began reciting the most important ws, she had made a list of many ws from the modern era, but the list was too long. So, she picked out 6 ws that would raise the moral of the people to announce them herself.

  The rest would be posted after she's done speaking.

  "The first w of this vilge, my vilge, is simple. No one steals from the weak. If you do, I’ll take your hand. I don’t care if you’re hungry or desperate. If you want something, ask. We’ll find a way. But you don’t steal."

  There was a sharp gasp somewhere in the crowd. But Non ignored it as she continued.

  "The second w," she said, "is this: The old hierarchy is dead. Both men and women are equal in this pce, as long as you have the ability, you have every right to grasp any opportunity presented to you."

  Some older men in the crowd frowned, while the women were surprised.

  "The third w: Children eat first. I don’t care if you’re a guard, a craftsman, or a bcksmith. If there’s food, children and the elderly eat first. Always."

  Now people started nodding, even cpping softly.

  Sandy stood near the front, arms crossed but smiling faintly.

  "The fourth w: Self-defence. Every person has the right to protect themselves and others. Training will be provided to everyone who wishes to learn, both men and women are allowed to train for free. You can become the guards of the vilge or soldiers for me depending on your talents."

  Many young men and women silently cheered within the crowd; this was a big opportunity for them.

  "The fifth w," Non said, her voice darker now, “is that any outsider who brings harm to this vilge will answer to me. I don’t care if they’re a noble, a knight, or a king."

  Eria, standing at the edge of the ptform, felt a tingle down her spine. There was a strange strength in Non’s words, not arrogance, not pride, but certainty.

  "And the sixth w…"

  Non’s eyes swept across the crowd. "Is that this pce will be feared. We are no one’s prey anymore. We will become strong. Strong enough to make kings tremble and monsters hesitate. And if anyone disagrees…"

  Non's smile was sharp. Cold.

  "…They can leave. But if you stay, you follow the w. Or you face me. The rest of the ws will be posted on the square's notice board."

  Silence. Then a few people in the crowd started cpping, followed by cheers as the whole crowd was in an uproar.

  This was it. This was what they had waited for. A reliable leader. Although cold and scary. She was fair, and she had the power to back up her words. All they had to do now was wait. wait for change to come to their little vilge.

  Non stepped off the stone ptform and walked back to the mansion, her face turning cold. She had some unfinished business to take care of.

  Noticing this, Eria followed her while Sandy and the others focused on the vilgers.

  "Where to now?" Eria asked as she caught up to Non.

  "To take care of some unfinished business. You should probably stay here."

  "Oh? Am I not allowed to come with you?"

  "This is something someone like you shouldn't see," Non said as she continued forward.

  "I might not look it but I'm not the Saint everyone makes me out to be."

  "Suit yourself then, I won't stop you."

  The two went on inside the mansion, arriving in the underground prison where Drellis had previously locked up the guilty guards and vilgers under Non's order.

  There was no natural light here, the floor was damp and dirty, rats and insects running amok. A strong stench also hung in the air, making every breath painful.

  Eria covered her nose with a handkerchief as she frowned looking around the prison while Non stared at the prisoners.

  They looked rugged and thinner, some having lost weight during their short stay here. Their eyes devoid of hope. As soon as they saw Non, they broke out in an uproar, shouting curses and insults at her.

  Reggie was at the front as he shouted with all his remaining strength along with the others.

  "You bitch!! Let us out!!"

  "We didn't do anything!! Why are we here?!!"

  Non silently stared at them as a cold smile appeared on her face, "Heh! I'm gd to see that all of you are still the same. I gave you some time to repent thinking you'd confess your crimes and ask for forgiveness. But it seems I was mistaken."

  "Y-You... What do you mean?" Reggie asked

  "I've finally decided on your punishment, you shall face the same punishment as Torak...ah-no I should call her 'Talia' from now on I guess." Non said as Reggie and the other prisoners looked at her in confusion.

  Noticing their confusion, Non continued, "Ah, don't worry. You won't die. I'll make sure of that, actually your lives will be much better from now on. You'll all live a life full of nothing but pleasure every day from now on."

  ""Y-You...!""

  "Silence."

  "M-mm!!"

  Reggie and the others wanted to retort but Non cast a "Silence" spell on them.

  Eria, who was quietly watching the situation unfold suddenly spoke up.

  "What do you pn to do to them?" She asked.

  "The same things they did to their victims, except ten times worse." Non said as her face darkened.

  Eria didn't ask any more questions, she just quietly watched Non from the side.

  Non stretched her palm towards the prisoners and cast a "Sleep" spell. Making everyone in the cell fall asleep.

  She then opened the cell door and stepped in, stopping at the centre of the cell as she was surrounded by the unconscious prisoners.

  She stretched out both of her palms and began casting a spell. A big magic circle appeared beneath her feet, spreading throughout the rge cell as purple light swallowed every unconscious prisoner.

  Her eyes glowed silver, and dark veins of power slithered up her arms. The air bent around her, and a pressure filled the room like a thousand storms waiting to break.

  Then came the whisper of morphing magic—soft, like skin being rewritten, like bone learning a new memory.

  The prisoner's bodies began to change, whether tall, burly, thin, or lean. Every man in the cell began turning into beautiful fragile woman.

  Eria was shocked frozen. Her jaw almost hitting the floor while her eyes were wide open.

  What kind of magic was this? Magic even she, the Moon's favorite could not cast.

  Scenes from the visions she had seen about Non back at the temple came again in her mind. She was no longer uncertain, with this kind of power, at such a young age. The prophecy no longer seemed like just a possibility, but it was something that would happen for certain as long as the child before her lived on.

  A few moments ter, the purple light that filled the room rescinded. Revealing all the prisoners who were once men, now sleeping beauties on the floor. They were now different women of all kinds of beauty and unique features.

  Although Eria was still shocked, she came forward and asked Non, "W-What do you pn to do with them now?"

  Non looked at her. She could clearly see the shock and surprise on her face. But she was impressed that Eria didn't ask any questions about her magic. So since Eria didn't ask, Non also didn't bother to expin.

  "For now, I pn to punish them for their sins. But I might need them ter. So, I'll have to pay a visit to a small hidden Goblin's nest tonight."

  "Huh? Goblin's nest?"

  "Yes. This might sound crazy, but I pn to subdue those goblins and make them work for me. They are going to be a big part of my pns in the future." Non said with a cold voice.

  "But what are you going to use them for?" Eria asked as she felt a chill run down her spine.

  Non didn't respond, she turned her gaze over to the prisoners who now y on the floor. This action was enough to make Eria realize what Non meant.

  Her scalp tingled as her heart raced in shock once again, she wanted to say something to stop Non, but she held herself back. Remembering the prophecy.

  Non's gaze shifted back to her," I'm no saint like you. My role in this world is that of a Demon Lord. Those who are innocent have no reason to fear me. But I'll deliver hell to the scum of this world, even if I have to be worse than the devils."

  Eria didn't say anything, she was speechless.

  After that, Non locked the cell again and left the underground prison along with Eria. No words were spoken between them, just silence.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Later that night, Non stood at the window of her bedroom. Staring at the empty streets. Unlike Lunareth, this was just a small desote vilge. So, people went to sleep as soon as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

  "Attribute panel!" Non suddenly called out, revealing the attribute panel window in front of her with updated information.

  [Name: Non]

  [Race: Ancient God]

  [Age: 10]

  [Status: In poor condition. Your body is still recovering from the bck fmes of the Dark Nova; you can only use magic five times a day. Unless necessary, it's recommended that you do not use magic at all during your recovery.]

  [Magic: 4th circle magician]

  [Swordsmanship: Level 5 Elemental sword master]

  [Special Abilities: Magic and Aura usage,Ancient magic,Morphing magic(unique) >>> Celestial Morphing,Instant comprehension,Sword God,Calm mind,Dark Nova(Sealed),Eye of truth >>> Heaven’s GazePain enhancement,Clone,Storage box(unique),Ancient God bloodline (Locked).]

  [Current tasks: 1. Punish all evil doers and devils in the world as you see fit.2. Find and take in the previous gods' reincarnations as your disciples.]

  [Today's message: "..."]

  Non's eyes swept through the panel, noticing the obvious changes.

  First was her "status" condition. She had already used magic 3 times today at the underground prison. She wasn't fully healed, so remnants of the bck fmes from the Dark Nova still remained. This was why dark veins appeared on her arms when she cast the morphing magic.

  Although she still had 2 more chances to use magic today, her mana was too low to cast anymore spells since she had just used most of her mana on the prisoners. Plus her mana reserves were now only at 40% after her injury.

  Morphing magic had also just been upgraded to "Celestial Morphing" because she used it on so many people at once. The "Eye of Truth" had also been upgraded after she used it on everyone in the vilge to separate the guilty from the innocent 3 days ago.

  The "Dark Nova" ability no longer had "Locked" on the attribute panel now. Luna had sealed it to prevent Non from using it again anytime soon.

  Scrolling down, Non's gaze nded on the "Today's message" panel. A soft smile appeared on her face as she murmured, "Still ignoring me huh? Haa... What do I have to do to make you forgive me?"

  Luna had been ignoring her since she woke up 2 days ago. Clearly unhappy over Non's rash actions which led to her current state.

  After waiting for a bit with no reply from Luna, Non sighed and turned away from the window as she closed the attribute panel. Now was the time for her to make her move.

  "Storage box!" Non called out as a blue small whirl hole appeared in front of her. She put her hand in it and pulled out a short sword.

  The sword was short and sleek, with a dark bde that looked like a shadow. It was made from a strange bck metal that didn't shine even in the sunlight. This strange little sword matched her outfit since it was given along with it by Luna as a reward.

  Since coming to the vilge, Non had only used magic so far. But the truth was that she preferred swordsmanship over magic. This was the reason why she had the "Sword God" ability. She had fought most of the magic beasts at the desote mountain using nothing but her sword.

  The reason she had presented herself as only a magician was to win over the people since magicians held a high status in the Veilborne Empire. Plus, she wanted to keep her swordsmanship as a secret trump card.

  Since she couldn't use magic right now because of her injuries. She had no choice but to use her swordsmanship instead, to subdue the Goblin's nest as she had pnned.

  At midnight, she pnned to leave her room, in order to head to the Goblin's hidden nest. She still remembered its location from Reggie's memories.