Muriel THE Demon Lord

The young female employee smiled after hearing Muriel's name and wrote it down on the registration form. She then filled in other sections and leaned closer to Muriel, who was now standing beside her, to ask further questions such as height, weight, chosen weapon for the event, date of birth, and main skills and spells. Naturally, Muriel lied about everything except her height and date of birth, except the year.

"Are you sure you don't want to bring any weapons?" the employee asked for confirmation after hearing that Muriel wouldn't be bringing any personal weapons. "Even though there's a rule against killing, it can still be dangerous, especially since you’re not wearing any armor either."

"Don't worry," Muriel replied, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm focused on magic. Weapons don't concern me much, my fists are more than enough."

"Oh, a magic user, huh? That's interesting. Not many people enter the tournament using only magic," the employee noted, writing down the information.

"Well then, I'll be the first!" Muriel declared confidently.

"Haha, alright. Just don't lose that cheerful attitude in the arena," The employee chuckled, Unbeknownst to her, the person in front of her was a powerful demon lord.

"Alright, the paperwork is all done." She handed the form to Muriel to see.

"Hmm, yer- your handwriting is nice, though I can only make out my name," Muriel said, glancing at the paper before giving an awkward thumbs up.

"Please report here at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to receive your fight schedule," the employee informed her.

"Got it. See you then," Muriel replied.

"Hey sis, it's my turn now," a voice called from inside the amphitheater.

Muriel, having learned the preliminary details of the tournament, nodded and decided to grab some dinner. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the voice of another blonde girl, who looked younger but quite similar to the employee she had been speaking with. Muriel deduced they were sisters from their resemblance and the younger one's address to the elder one as "sister."

"Your little sister, huh?"

"Haha, she's quite cheerful."

"Sis, it's my turn now. Oh, and who’s this small fry?" The younger sister immediately noticed Muriel and voiced her thoughts without any regard for Muriel's feelings, shattering quite a piece of Muriel’s pride.

"Did you just call me short? Want to get a hole in your stomach?" Muriel clenched her fist tightly, ready to punch through the other girl's stomach.

"Uh, please forgive my sister. She tends to be a bit thoughtless. Apologize to her! She's here to join the tournament."

"Oh, This little girl is entering the tournament too? Fine, sorry."

"You're quite the annoyance. Completely different from my sister, though just as annoying." Muriel tried to force a smile, but her anger twisted it into a crooked grin instead.

"Oh, you have a sister too?" The older sister's interest was piqued upon hearing that Muriel also had a sister. She turned her attention to Muriel, who sighed deeply and slowly unclenched her fist.

"Sighhhhhh..."

"Yeah, the truth is, I'm here looking for my sister. Saying she disappeared and I'm searching for her in this country wouldn't be far from the truth," Muriel admitted, looking up at the two sisters.

"I'm sorry to hear that. May Syra guide you to find your sister soon," the older sister said sympathetically, glancing at her own younger sister and then back at Muriel.

"It's fine. She's just a dull little sister. She’ll be easy to find."

"It seems like you must be very close to your sister," the older sister observed, mistaking Muriel's remark for endearment, and smiled at Muriel.

"Yeah, we were quite close,” Muriel said softly. “At least, we used to be," Muriel said to the older sister with a tone that mixed hope and sadness, but without a trace of hatred. She even smiled at her.

"Your face is quite memorable. I'll keep that in mind. You'd better watch yourself, disgusting wretch"

However, the younger sister, who was nearby, didn't receive such a gentle expression. Muriel's gentle smile vanished, replaced by a menacing glare, seemingly using an intimidation skill. The younger sister was so startled that she stumbled and fell backward to the ground. Muriel looked down at the frightened girl before disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey! Aura, what's wrong?! Why did you suddenly fall?" The older sister quickly rushed to help her younger sister back up.

"Just now... what was that thing, sis?" Aura's face was pale, drenched in sweat, and she could barely speak, as if haunted by a terrifying vision.

"Aura, are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"That per-person, she a demon, I-I saw-" Aura stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. Her body trembled with fear.

"Aura, Aura, what's wrong with you?" The older sister gently shook her, trying to bring her back to her senses. It worked, and Aura sat quietly for a moment before hugging her sister tightly in fear.

Before they could say anything further, a silver-haired elf woman approached them and called out to the older sister.

"Saleh." the elf said, stopping just before reaching the sisters.

"Veenciel? Do you need something?" Saleh asked, turning to the elf after ensuring Aura was alright.

"Not really, I just thought that black-haired girl seemed interesting. I wanted to take a look at her information. She's entered the tournament, right?"

"The black-haired girl? Oh, you mean Muriel? Yes, her information is quite fascinating. I think the boss will be interested in her when he returns," Saleh replied, handing over Muriel's registration paper.

"You think so too, huh? Have you heard about the city guard who was killed this afternoon? I think she did it. One punch, and he was dead," Veenciel said, reading Muriel's details, unaware that most of it was fabricated by Muriel herself.

"She killed someone with a single punch? That makes her a dangerous participant for sure, big sis."

"If that's the case, this tournament might end in just one day, Veenciel."

"That might be true, but that's not our main concern right now. After all, it was just a regular gate guard, not someone with skills like ours," Veenciel said, handing Muriel's information back to Saleh.

"However, we can't afford to underestimate her. Especially you, Aura, since you're competing as our agent. The boss should be back by the second day of the tournament. Don't lose in front of him," Veenciel added, smiling at Aura.

"Yes, I won't disappoint," Aura replied, bowing to Veenciel.

"Good. You'll be an excellent member of our organization."

"Alright, I should let you both get back to work. I've lost sight of that black-haired girl," Veenciel said.

"Veenciel, are you tracking her?" Saleh asked, curious but concerned. Although Muriel seemed intriguing, she also appeared dangerous.

"I just wanted to know where she's staying, to prevent her from causing more trouble. But it's good to know she has a place here," Veenciel explained.

"She has a house here? I thought she was a foreigner looking for her sister," Saleh said, confused.

"She probably is. Someone might have bought her a house. I'm not sure who or why, but I saw someone leave her place. However, I don't know who it was,"

"So... there might be someone supporting her, and that person could be one of us?" Saleh speculated.

"Exactly. It might not be a big concern, but if someone is trying to recruit her for a reward from the boss, we should keep an eye on her and gather clues about that person before the boss returns," Veenciel agreed.

"I see. Understood. You be careful too, Veenciel," Saleh replied.

Veenciel nodded in response to Saleh, then walked away from the two of them. However, this time, she didn't follow Muriel, as if she had decided to pause her surveillance for the time being. Meanwhile, Aura and Saleh switched shifts as previously discussed before Muriel left. Once Saleh walked away, Aura found herself staring at her own trembling hands, unable to stop their shaking. She could still feel the chill lingering behind her back as if she was being hunted by something much more powerful than she could ever comprehend

On Muriel's end, after losing her travel bag, she bought various raw meats and brought them back to her temporary residence. Muriel had bought pork, beef, lamb, and chicken, as well as eggs, sausages, cheese, bread, and various affordable cooking ingredients like honey and salt, which were relatively cheap thanks to Senwara's proximity to the sea.

"Hmm, spent a lot of money on food. Hopefully, after smashing those fools in the tournament, I'll have more prize money to add to my treasure hoard," Muriel muttered to herself while carrying paper bags and a basket filled with groceries, including eggs. Her hands were full, but she managed to open the door and then used her tail to quickly shut it with a bang. She grew wings to help carry the groceries into the kitchen.

"Whew, this is tiring. I can lift tons, but carrying this stuff is exhausting. Sleeping for 500 years really took a toll. When Chiaki wakes up, I'll have her give me a massage."

"For now, a cold bath sounds nice, even though it's late summer,"

Muriel said as she headed to the bathroom. Seeing the single faucet over the bathtub relieved her, knowing the city had a plumbing system and she wouldn't have to fetch water herself. While she preferred showers, the sight of the bathtub reminded her of Fumiko.

"You always said you liked bathing in tubs like this, didn't you, Fumiko?" Muriel said softly. "I never understood you."

"But I really wish you were here. Do you know how lonely I am?"

"Sorry I couldn't save you, Fumiko. Everything feels so dull without you in this world."