The Lord Is Too Overbearing

"Now, can you stop pinning me with your foot?" Dantalion asked with a smile.

"No," was Basil's simple answer.

He bent down and clutched Dantalion's head, prompting the Demon to groan. Ignoring that, Basil cast an Enslavement Spell on Dantalion. Light covered Dantalion's head for a couple of seconds, leaving a mark on his forehead as it died down. The mark also disappeared afterwards yet his urge to bow down to Basil remained.

"This is a violation! We made a deal--you shouldn't do this to me!"

"I didn't say anything about not going to enslave you," Basil retorted.

"That should be part of the common courtesy! Don't you know how to treat your business partner?"

"You are my pet."

"..."

Dantalion tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. It opened and closed like a fish a couple of times before he decided to accept his fate and shook his head helplessly.

Basil let go of Dantalion's head and took a step back, allowing Dantalion to sit up. Blood was still pouring out of the left part of his body or what remained of it, yet the Demon didn't seem to be bothered by it.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Basil could see Dantalion's black heart beating. Half of it was revealed since the part that was supposed to cover it had been blown off. If it wasn't for the fact that Dantalion had something interesting to share and he had full control over him, Basil would have destroyed the heart. The way it was half revealed was like challenging someone to do that.

Turning his attention away from the heart, Dantalion put his hand on his stomach and pulled out his Magic Staff the way he did when he assumed his True Form. He then tapped the ground with it, extracting the blood of the dead Demons nearby before absorbing it.

The chunk of flesh and the bones he had lost regrew at a rapid pace. Basil watched in interest as the nerves and tissue formed; he felt like watching the sped-up process of life creation.

When everything had regrown, he stopped absorbing blood from the bodies of the Demons nearby. The part of his clothes that had been destroyed fixed itself afterwards, making him look like he hadn't just suffered from a fatal injury.

"Now, what are we going to do?" Dantalion asked as he watched Basil undo the braid that didn't suit his now manly visage. "I think you look handsome even if you are bald."

"I know."

Dantalion had expected a snide remark or a thank you from Basil, so he couldn't help blinking his eyes in astonishment at the response. He couldn't tell if Basil was extremely confident or just straight-up cocky.

Basil ended up tying his hair in a high ponytail. He had bangs streaming down the right side of his face but not covering his eyes. His hairstyle was rather simple yet he still looked impeccable. When he stopped minding his hair, he turned to Dantalion.

"To answer your question, you will apologize."

"Huh? I; not we?"

Instead of answering the bewildered Dantalion, Basil put his hand on the Demon's shoulder and teleported to where the army was waiting for him. Everyone cheered as soon as they saw Basil hold Dantalion by his neck and Dantalion didn't like the way it was going.

What Basil did next didn't betray his expectation. Basil threw him to the ground in the next moment and then stepped on his head.

The crowd cheered louder and Dantalion scowled harder. He was considerably a lot friendlier than his fellow Obelisk Masters yet he was still one of the Great Dukes of Hell--he had his pride.

"The enemy has been taken down." Everyone turned quiet as Basil spoke. "He is but one of the many that we have to face from now on. This fight won't be the last; we still have wars we have yet to win." They listened to him keenly, treating each one of his words as a commandment. "Hence, allies are needed. Those who fight with us--whom we can entrust our backs to."

The brighter ones had realized where this was going but a lot of the people still wondered what Basil was going to convey this time.

"I shall introduce you to my pet, Dantalion. He has something to say to you."

It wasn't until this did the crowd know what was going on. They all turned to Dantalion whose head was half-planted in the ground before looking at Basil in astonishment and mild bewilderment.

They couldn't fathom how deep his understanding of Magic was to be able to enslave a Demon of Dantalion's calibre. Killing a strong enemy was an arduous yet doable task but controlling the said enemy was another story; for that, Basil was incredible.

"I am...sorry for killing...your friends and...families!"

They blinked their eyes as soon as they heard Dantalion's muffled voice. They were slightly baffled that Basil was forcing him to apologize.

"This won't resurrect the dead and heal your injuries; however, you deserve it," Basil declared. "You may not accept his apology. I just want to make it clear that he won't be able to do anything that may harm you. You will see him every day from now on with me. His face might relive the tragedy that befell on your beloved and pain you yet it won't kill you."

Retracting his foot, Basil allowed Dantalion to take his head out from the ground. Dantalion was scowling as he looked at the people with his dirty face yet he didn't pressure them with his killing intent, further proving Basil's point that he was harmless.

"I am not asking you to acknowledge him as part of us but I want you to know that he is in my possession. He is no different from the weapon your enemy has used to slay your beloved--a tool that kills without a will."

It was clear at this point what Basil wanted from them--acceptance. They wouldn't question his decision even if he didn't do this yet they were glad that he did. It showed that Basil viewed them as real people, not mere pawns that he used to achieve his goal. It assured them even more that they were following the right person.

"Glory to the Pacifer!"

"Glory to those who stand on his side!"

"Basil Pacifer!"

The people's cheer reverberated through the air, overwhelming the entire battlefield. They were exhausted and injured yet their spirits burned brightly.

Basil raised his hand, turning the crowd gradually quiet. Saying it was time for them to return, he told the army to pick up the bodies of the fallen or what remained of them. Dantalion also did the same to his Monsters'. He said he could still put them to good use.

Sweeping the air with his hand, Basil turned the Diabolical Warriors of Asura that were scattered throughout the battlefield into one, shrunk it into a small-sized totem and then collected it. He looked at it for a few seconds before storing it in his Spatial Ring.

When all of the bodies were collected, he led the people to Padeitophys. He rode Deacon with Iliana and Ione, escorted by Dantalion who was flying above him.

....

The news of the army's victory reached Padeitophys before the army did. Everyone was extremely delighted to hear it; even the Elven Empress, Eloreth couldn't help herself from smiling brightly.

Her excitement, however, was short-lived. The moment she looked at the person standing before her, she recalled the squad of selected Warriors that she sent an hour ago; thus, turning her face solemn.

"Has he anticipated it? I mean, all of it?"

"I believe he has. You will be surprised to know what he has figured out."

Eloreth sighed and shook her head in amazement. "I guess he more than deserves to be the best Pacifer to have ever been born." Looking at the beautiful woman before her, Eloreth carefully asked, "Lady Yang, does Basil have a reason for asking you to deliver the news directly?"

The beautiful woman, Yang Mei Qi, huffed as she recalled what Basil had said to her. "My presence wouldn't change anything, so I better stay."

"Oh...quite harsh on yourself, aren't you?"

"No, that's what he said to me."

Eloreth blinked her eyes. "That does sound like him."

Both of the women chuckled before looking around the room for Amara, who should have been with them. Eloreth turned to look at one of the Elven Warriors standing in the corner, prompting said Warrior to tell her what happened.

Amara had run off at the same time the war informant exited the room after he told them the news of the army's splendid victory. Upon further investigation, they found out that she wanted to be the first one to greet Basil, her surrogate son.

"Aren't you going to follow her?" Eloreth asked.

"No, thank you." Mei Qi shook her head. "Knowing that he and my husband come home safely is already enough for me."

"So, you do care for him."

"He is our only light in this world that is soon going to descend to the pit of darkness. I should care for whatever happens to him."

"You sound like him."

Mei Qi waved off Eloreth's remark and laughed it off, earning an amused smile from her. They then went outside Padeitophys to wait for the return of the army with some of the giddy civilians who had heard the news of the victory.

They waited for hours yet the excitement didn't die down. More and more people came instead, crowding the area before the gate of the Elven Empire.

Tap! Tap!

When the ground faintly trembled, the expecting people cheered. The army was still a few minutes away, yet they could already see the visage of each of the troops clearly and they couldn't hold their excitement back.

Their attention was, of course, focused on Basil, the man who changed the flow of the entire battle by himself. The first thing they noted was how otherworldly handsome he was and then how enamoured the woman who was clinging to his neck by it.

The woman was surprisingly not Iliana; she was Amara who had fulfilled her goal of becoming the first person to welcome Basil back. Mei Qi couldn't help sighing softly upon seeing that, mimicking Anthony's expression well.

"Lord Basil has returned!" cheered the people.

Their cheer overwhelmed the place for a few seconds until Eloreth silenced them by speaking. "Welcome back, Lord Basil. I have heard of your splendid victory."

"Thank you for doing what I told you," Basil replied as soon as he got down from Deacon, still with Amara in his arms. Eloreth was about to speak again when he said, "Let us talk about it with everyone later. They still need rest."

Eloreth furtively glanced at Manfred before nodding her head. She ushered the army into the Empire, keeping quiet about the fact that Grittenhein was under the Arthean Empire's attack.