The Ice Sword's Ownership

The flames in the fireplace leaped, casting a warm glow throughout the cabin and dispelling the chill brought from the snow-capped mountains, yet they seemed unable to dispel a subtle sense of stagnation in the air. The shockwaves from Sam's earth-shattering cry of "Your Majesty the Demon King" still resonated in everyone's hearts, albeit to varying degrees.

Sam's golden, vertical pupils swept across Lowell's slightly helpless face, finally settling on the icy blue longsword in his hand, which exuded a chilling aura. He stepped forward and offered it to Lowell, his voice still cold and flat:

"Your Majesty, this sword was once one of the Demons's treasures, long lost. I retrieved it intending to present it to you."

Lowell looked at the sword, so powerful that just getting close to it slowed the flow of blood, but instead of reaching out to take it, he shrank back as if afraid of trouble. He stroked his chin, turned his gaze to Himmel beside him, and said with an expression that said, "This is going to be difficult."

Himmel brushed a stray strand of blue hair from his forehead, a slightly troubled wry smile on his handsome face, "This... General Sam, our commission is to 'retrieve' this sword from you and return it to Earl Tahe. However, despite the promise, since you are Lowell's partner..."

Clearly, the hero's mind had gone blank. Promises are important, and the fact that the Demons originally belonged to a demon was unimportant, since Demons is Demons. But this Demons is Lowell's partner, which puts him in a dilemma.

Lowell's eyes darted around, then he snapped his fingers, a knowing smile spreading across his face, "Ah, I've got it. How about this, Sam?"

He pointed at the sword. "This sword is useless to me. I'm not good with swords, and it just takes up space. You're a swordsman, so you can take it."

Sam remained expressionless, waiting for what was to come.

"But," Lowell's tone shifted, a sly smile playing on his lips, "Let us 'lend' it for a bit. We'll take it to that tyrannical Earl Tahe, settle the commission, and get our payment. And then..."

He drawled, winked at Himmel and Ruby a mischievous smugness. "I'll just sneak back tonight when the moon is high and the wind is strong. Anyway, that Earl probably can't control the sword's power; leaving it to him would be a waste, and might even bring him trouble. We're... doing him a favor, right?"

Upon hearing this, Himmel was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Lowell... this, this isn't quite right, is it? Although the Earl's behavior is indeed unpleasant, such actions are ultimately a bit..." His good upbringing made it difficult for him to find the right words to describe this "deceptive and fraudulent" behavior.

"What's wrong with that!"

Ruby immediately jumped out, her little face puffed up with anger, her blue eyes filled with dissatisfaction towards Earl Tahe. "That stinking Earl! He's so arrogant just because he has some power! He even threatened to put us in jail! Humph! This sword wasn't originally his, was it? Lowell's move is called... called 'acting on behalf of Heaven'! No, it's called 'robbing the rich to help the poor'! Uh, that doesn't seem right either... Anyway, it's so satisfying! Let's teach him a lesson! Besides, this sword belongs to the Demons, returning it to its rightful owner... a friend of the original owner, it's only right! Oh right, he must be treating his subjects badly! This is collecting interest!"

She waved her fist, trying to find a legitimate reason for Lowell's plan, though her logic was somewhat muddled, her emotions were running high.

Himmel looked at the indignant Ruby, then at Lowell's "I just want to save trouble" expression, and then at Earl Tahe's smug face. Finally, he sighed softly, a hint of compromise appearing on his handsome face. "Alright, alright, since you all think so... it seems that sometimes, dealing with unreasonable people might require some extreme measures. Let's do as Lowell says. As for the aftermath... consider it a small 'warning' to that Earl."

Sam remained silent throughout, merely looking at Lowell as if to say, "I will carry out whatever decision you make." Seeing that Lowell had made his arrangements, he silently sheathed his sword, and the chilling aura emanating from it subsided somewhat.

Lowell looked at Sam's "absolutely Obedience" demeanor and couldn't help but rub his temples again. He walked up to Sam, looked him up and down, and spoke with a complex mix of emotions, like curiosity and a headache:

"So... for almost a thousand years, you've done nothing but search for me all over the world? And you haven't even interacted with other Demons?"

Sam answered crisply, "Yes, Your Majesty. To seek and pledge allegiance to you is my sole mission."

Lowell was silent for two seconds, his face filled with incomprehension.

"Don't you... have any ideas of your own? Like finding a place to live in seclusion and grow some flowers? Or researching new sword techniques? If all else fails, you could find a worthy opponent to fight with, right? Without superiors to supervise you, you can do whatever you want. Don't you want to experience that kind of carefree joy, slacking off however you want?"

Upon hearing this, a rare hint of genuine confusion flashed across Sam's golden eyes. He frowned slightly, as if the "happiness" Lowell described was completely beyond his comprehension. "Freedom? Taking it easy...? I don't understand. Following His Majesty is my only will. No other thoughts are needed."

Lowell was utterly defeated. He raised his hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh, "Alright, alright... it's my fault. I really didn't expect you to be so persistent. You searched for me like a headless fly for a thousand years... I apologize, I'm truly sorry for making you search for me for so long. I really didn't expect you to be so stubborn..."

His words carried a sincere apology, after all, it was indeed a bit unreasonable to make someone waste a thousand years of their life.

Sam, however, replied matter-of-factly, "Your Majesty has no need to apologize. Following Your Majesty is my duty. Seeking Your Majesty is only right and proper."

Lowell: "..." He decided to give up on communication.

He took a deep breath and decided to give this "chosen worker" some work to do, lest he get bored and start looking for him everywhere. He started counting on his fingers and began assigning tasks:

"Alright, since you insist on 'working' for me... uh, I mean being my subordinate, I'll assign you some tasks to keep you busy and save you from constantly thinking about me. Now you have two choices: one, go take care of the children and deal with some stray monsters that might be harassing the village; two, become a sparring partner, your opponents will probably be some skilled level one Second-Class Mages. Which one do you want to go?"

Sam replied without hesitation, "It's entirely up to Your Majesty."

Lowell rolled his eyes. "... I knew it. Fine, then you might as well do it all! The more capable, the more work."

He gestured in the air a few times, and a simple map formed by faint light appeared. He pointed to a point in the Central Lands region. "First, in the forest at this location, there's a small village. Several elves I rescued live there, led by Millialdai. There's also an orphanage in the village. Although it's not too far from the New Magic Association headquarters in Oysast, it's deep in the forest, and occasionally some unruly monsters wander in. You'll usually be stationed there to ensure the safety of the village and the children."

Then, his finger moved to the light representing Oysast: "This is the headquarters of the Magic Association. Once you arrive, you don't need to enter the city. Just stay in the outer area of the headquarters and slightly release your magical energy fluctuations. That woman, Serie, will sense it and come looking for you. After that, just say that I sent you. Go there once a month to be a sparring partner for her subordinate mages. As for the specific training methods, let her arrange them."

Lowell emphasized, "Oh, and remember to ask her for your wages! Don't work for free! Just say it's for your hard work as a sparring partner. She's very wealthy, don't be polite! Just say it was my idea!"

As he spoke, Lowell pulled an inconspicuous, antique-looking token from his pocket, seemingly made of some kind of black metal, and handed it to Sam: "Show this to Millialdai and Serie, and they'll know I sent you."

Sam accepted the token with both hands, carefully putting it away. His golden vertical pupils remained expressionless as he simply said in a deep voice, "Understood. I will depart immediately."

"No... what are we going to do?" Lowell quickly stopped the action-oriented guy. "Let's finish this charade and hand in the mission to Earl Tahe first. You come with us for now; we'll need your sword later."

"Yes." Sam readily agreed, taking a step back and standing silently beside Lowell like the most loyal knight.

Ruby watched this scene, secretly sticking out her tongue, and whispered in Himmel's ear, "Wow... when Lowell was the Demon King, were all his subordinates like this? They seem so intimidating..."

Himmel smiled gently and said in a low voice, "Every strong person has their own unique style. However, with Mr. Lowell here, General Sam is unlikely to be our enemy."

Frieren rolled over in the corner, pulled the blanket tighter around herself, and muttered, "... trouble." It was unclear whether she was referring to Sam or the trouble that was about to come.