Muriel THE Demon Lord

On a clear, sunny day in the peaceful meadow, two women were making their way along a long road leading to a large city near a prominently visible mountain. The woman on the left was almost a handspan taller than the dark-haired woman on the right.

The woman on the left had chestnut-brown hair tied back in a ponytail that reached almost to her shoulders. She wore an old-fashioned blue long-sleeve shirt and brown fitted pants, with chest armor for protection during their travels.

The smaller woman beside her wore a long, regal black princess dress with white fur-trimmed shoulders. The most striking features were her golden eyes and long, jet-black hair that reached her knees, tied with red ribbons on both sides.

"Hey, Muriel." the taller woman called out.

"Hmm? What is it, Fumiko?" Muriel responded.

"I was thinking about something Hiro-kun mentioned. What if someone tried to imitate me one day? How would you react?"

"Me? Don't ask silly questions. My nose is sharp; I'd smell the difference. Relying on sight alone isn't always good, Fumiko."

"That's not what I meant! I mean, how would you feel if someone tried to impersonate me?"

"Hmm... If you put it that way, I guess I'd be angry."

"Huh? Why would you be angry? Aren't you always annoyed by everything that moves?"

"Well, You're my friend, right, Fumiko? And as you said, friends are priceless treasures. If someone tried to imitate such a treasure and it wasn't the same value, it would be infuriating."

"Your way of thinking has always been quite unique huh, Muriel," Fumiko said with a smile.

Fumiko sidled up to Muriel and playfully bumped her hip against Muriel's, causing her to nearly lose her balance due to the suddenness of the action. Muriel, initially confused and wondering why Fumiko had pushed her, turned to look at Fumiko with a puzzled expression. However, seeing Fumiko’s bright, round face beaming with a cheerful smile, Muriel couldn’t help but smile back. She then nudged Fumiko in return, playfully retaliating.

"What’s this? Trying to knock me down? I’m a dragon, silly human! Hehe."

"Well, you know, Muriel, you’re so cute when you act all possessive like that," Fumiko replied, grinning.

"How dare thee! You think I’m cute, huh? Prepare to meet your end, you pathetic human!" Muriel bantered back with a playful tone.

Muriel spoke to Fumiko in a friendly and cheerful manner, then gently butted Fumiko’s arm with her head. Enjoying the playful exchange, Fumiko wrapped her arm around Muriel’s shoulder. As Muriel looked up, the sunlight shone down on her face, illuminating her beautiful smile. Her golden eyes sparkled brightly, gleaming like precious gold.

But now, that once bright smile had transformed into a face contorted with rage, smeared with red blood. Muriel’s right hand was repeatedly smashing down on the face of the person who was impersonating Fumiko, turning the once round face and chestnut-colored hair into an indistinguishable mess of red and black. Her left hand held tightly onto the neck of her opponent, ensuring they couldn’t escape.

“You… Pretender”

“You deserve to die.”

“Enough already! The winner is Muriel! Let go! Let go now!”

Muriel slowly raised her right hand again, and her left hand tightened its grip on the opponent's neck, making it nearly impossible for them to breathe. But before Muriel could finish off the pretender in her grasp, the announcer shouted urgently with the aid of a magical amplification spell to declare the end of the match.

Despite her intense hatred, Muriel had to slowly release her grip. Killing someone would result in her being disqualified from the tournament. Which she cannot afford

“You got away this time. But don’t get too comfortable. You won’t make it past next sunrise.”

Muriel looked down at Dasia, whose eyes were swollen shut from the beating, with a look of disgust. She spoke softly so only Dasia could hear before stepping over her and walking back to the contestants' lounge.

Upon returning to the contestants' lounge, every participant immediately avoided her gaze and backed away in clear fear. Even Grimold, who had previously greeted Muriel with friendliness, now displayed only fear towards her.

The room fell into a heavy silence, with only whispers and furtive glances directed at Muriel. She understood the effect her actions had—instilling fear among the other competitors could be advantageous in future rounds. Muriel took a seat at an empty spot, with a table separating her from the adjacent chair, and used a tablecloth from a nearby table to clean the blood of Dasia from her hands.

"Did you see that just now, Leon?" A voice echoed in Leon's head as one of his organization members contacted him through a short-range communication spell.

"I didn't see it. And that's the problem!"

"I was watching with these special glasses, and all I saw was that little girl freeze for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, she landed a punch so hard that I thought the woman's skull was going to crack. Could it be some kind of silent spellcasting?" Leon continued, his voice tinged with fear as sweat began to bead on his forehead, anxiety creeping in.

"Is that so? When's her next match?" The voice in his head asked again after a brief silence.

"Why are you asking me that now, Veenciel," Leon replied, irritation evident in his tone, frustrated by the ill-timed question. "The next round is at eleven o'clock. She's up against... Karen Saimand, an adventurer." Despite his annoyance, Leon dutifully read out Muriel's match schedule to Veenciel.

"Remove her name from all of today's matches and rearrange the lineup."

"You're going too far! How can you ask for this now?"

"That’s an order from the boss, not from me," Veenciel snapped at Leon through the telepathic connection. "And instead of complaining about his orders, you'd better use your time to rearrange the fight schedule."

"An order from the boss? Did you really use a communication spell that fast, you venomous snake?" Leon glanced out the window of the contestants’ lounge, peering across the arena at the special seating area where Veenciel sat, directly opposite the battlegrounds.

"Oh, and, he’s got a special plan for tomorrow when he returns."

Some time passed, and on Muriel's end, after she used the tablecloth as a makeshift towel to wipe Dacia's blood from her hands, Saleh approached her slowly. She looked down at Muriel, who was seated. She lifted her gaze to meet her, but her expression was difficult for Muriel to read. She couldn’t quite tell what she was feeling, but something about the way she looked at her made her sense that she was disappointed in her.

"Sorry, I lost my temper a bit. Are you going to disqualify me?" Muriel sneered, a slight smile revealing her sharp teeth. "Seeing the truth about me must scare you," she added.

"It's... complicated," Saleh replied, sitting on the chair separated from Muriel by a table. She was aware of the risk, but the necessity of her role overrode her fear.

"You’re saying I’m out of the competition?” Muriel responded nonchalantly before standing up.

"No, not exactly," Saleh shook her head. "Your matches have been rescheduled to tomorrow. If you fought today, the spectators would have wasted their money.”

"Is that so? Clever of you," Muriel showed interest and smiled at Saleh.

"Yes, but tomorrow, the boss will likely watch your matches personally," Saleh added.

"What are you talking about, human?" Muriel’s smile twisted into one of malicious intent.

Saleh stood up and walked over to Muriel, guiding her out of the contestants’ lounge. Muriel knew she was being watched by the secret organization but didn't expect them to approach her so openly. As they walked, Saleh kept her composure, aware of the delicate situation she was in.

“The boss is curious about you. Your display today has made quite an impression.”

"Tell your boss," Muriel began, her tone dripping with menace, "that I’m not someone to be toyed with." Ironically, Muriel is the one toying with them.

"I’ll relay your message." Saleh nodded slightly. They continued down the hall, the silence between them heavy with unspoken tension.

“I’m Saleh,” she introduced herself, trying to lift the tension from her shoulder. “My sister, whom you met yesterday, is Aura.”

“Oh, I see. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be you lots approaching me like this. Got something on your mind you want to share with me?” Muriel replied, a hint of curiosity mixed with malice in her voice.

Saleh chuckled softly, “It’s not me who has something to tell you. It’s the boss.” She stopped walking and turned to face Muriel, pulling out a black envelope with gold trim around the edges from the pocket of her shirt and handing it to her.

“You’re offering me a job, is that it?” Muriel joked as she took the envelope and put it in her skirt pocket, looking back up at Saleh.

“Well, it might be something like that,” Saleh replied. “But your real test is tomorrow. The boss wants to see you in action personally. Don’t disappoint us, Miss Muriel.”

Saleh continued to lead Muriel outside. There was no point in having her stay at the amphitheater any longer, so Saleh took it upon herself to escort Muriel to the exit.

“Hmph, if that’s the case, I’ll play along with the script you’ve written for me,” Muriel said with a smirk.

“Thank you. We’ll be in touch. Make sure you’re ready for tomorrow.” Saleh nodded, acknowledging Muriel’s compliance.

Muriel smiled as she walked out of the amphitheater with Saleh, seeing an opportunity—the chance to exact revenge on the person who had taken her beloved sister from her. If given the chance, she would not hesitate to eliminate everyone who stood by that person, even the woman walking beside her now. Although they had exchanged genuine smiles just the day before, if Saleh chose to become Muriel's enemy, Muriel would respond with the fury of a dragon.

"See you tomorrow then. I have some things to take care of tonight. Good luck to you all," Muriel said, nodding her head slightly before crossing the street back to her abode.

“Yes… Rest well, Miss Muriel,” Saleh replied, watching her go.

Once Muriel was out of sight, Saleh allowed herself another smile and spoke softly to someone she was in communication with. “Boss, you heard everything, right?”

A light chuckle responded in her mind after a brief silence. “Ah, yes, I heard it all, Saleh. This girl will be a valuable piece in our game.”

“I'm glad you think so, Boss. See you tonight then. Veenciel asked Aura and me to pick you up.”

“Right. Also, bring an organization uniform for a child.”

“Huh? Why?” Saleh asked, puzzled by the request.

“Because I have a new recruit to introduce,” the voice replied.

Back at her house, Muriel hurried upstairs to her bedroom. She quickly tidied up, gathering her piles of gold and silver into her bottomless coin purse, making her white-sheeted bed look pristine again. Once done, she opened her bedroom window and looked out towards the amphitheater.

“Saleh Salah Saleh, you fool. Talking so loudly, I heard everything. Coming back tonight, is he? Too bad I already have an appointment with someone,” Muriel mused, resting her chin on her hand and smirking.

“Coming already? The wretched cunt from another world.”