Everyone in town had gathered up in front of the building. From toddlers to elders, anyone who could walk showed up. About a hundred of them stood around, whispering and staring, clearly waiting for something dramatic to happen.

  “What’s all this noise?” I asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I just woke up too. But it’s fun to watch,” Midori said with a grin.

  Then there was a knock, and the door opened right after. The old man stood there with a middle-aged man and a slightly younger woman, both dressed neatly, waiting at the doorway.

  “Young lord, may we come in?” The old man called out.

  “Yes, of course…”

  The male demon carried a bundle of black, red, and silver cloth and leather, while the woman held a fabric bag. She set it on the floor and neatly took out scissors and thread. As she worked, the male demon walked over to me.

  “Please undress, my lord,” he said, calm and confident.

  “Me? What did you say?”

  "We’re going to sew your uniform, my lord. You’ll need to take off what you’re wearing.”

  “Do we really need that?” I complained, turning to the old man.

  He nodded. "Your people are waiting, young lord." His eyes dropped to my torn, dirty clothes. "You don’t want to meet them like this.”

  “Okay,” I said and started to take off my shirt, slow and unwilling, dragging it out like they might suddenly change their minds. But they didn't. Still, that part was kind of easy. When it came to my pants, I started to feel uneasy.

  The tailor leaned in and asked, “Shall I help?”

  “Huh, no! I’ll do it myself,” I stammered.

  Reluctant but with no choice left, I took off everything except my underwear. I crossed my arms and waited, feeling like I’d just been robbed. The tailor pressed cloth against me and took my measurements, while the woman cut and prepared pieces.

  It felt like they already knew exactly what to do. All they needed was my skinny body standing there. And Midori leaned against the window, grinning like she’d just found front-row seats to my life’s comedy arc, missing only a pack of snacks.

  “Ooh, my bad for calling you scrawny earlier, my lord,” she teased. “Guess there’s some actual muscle hiding under there.”

  Minutes stretched into hours, like fate was enjoying my suffering. Finally, they were done. The man handed me my new clothes, and I put them on as fast as humanly possible.

  It was a black coat-like uniform, the kind a medieval lord would wear. A bold red stripe ran down the middle, the inside of the high collar matched the stripe, and silver diamonds held it closed instead of boring buttons. It looked stunning, fit for a noble or a king. On me, though, it looked like I’d stolen it and was trying to get away fast.

  I stared at myself. Every detail was flawless, and it fit me perfectly, but I still felt awkward. I turned to Midori, unsure of myself, and asked, “Should I have worn something simpler? This is a bit…”

  She came up to me, resting her hand on my shoulder and running it over the fabric. “No, no, it’s perfect. Besides, now that you’re a lord, anything less wouldn’t suit you anyway.”

  Her words were encouraging and kind, but I caught that small sarcastic smile she failed to hide. Whatever, it was done, and she was right. I couldn’t live like a normal person anymore. I had to accept being a lord and get used to this life. These new clothes felt like the first step on that path.

  “Okay,” I said, turning to the old man, “now what?” I was still tense but trying to look composed.

  "I think you’re ready to meet your people, my lord."

  He led us downstairs. The big doors opened, and the crowd exploded into cheers. They were thrilled, and I was terrified. I’d never spoken in front of a crowd, especially not with a lord title I hadn’t earned. After the noise died down, I took a deep breath and tried, for a few seconds, to act like a real lord. Of course, I failed.

  “Uh… he… hello. I… I don’t even know where to start,” I said, my voice louder than a whisper, draining all the excitement out of the crowd in a few seconds.

  "I’m not actually your Demon Lord—" I started, and just like that, the crowd’s faces fell.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Apparently, that wasn't the speech they expected. They turned around and scattered. Panicking, I tried to fix it, raising my voice a bit.

  "I mean… not yet! He named me his heir before he passed!" I said, feeling like a scammer trying to sell cheap goods at a market.

  Hearing this, the crowd gathered again. A man shouted from the back, unsure who he was, “Do you mean… our lord died?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I don’t know who asked, but yes. He failed to take me over, and before he left, he named me the next Demon Lord.”

  “Failed… he said? How strong is he?” Whispers rose in the crowd.

  Shock and fear quickly spread through the crowd. Murmurs rose as they stared at me like I was a ticking bomb. While I tried to calm them, the old man leaned in.

  "My lord, maybe don’t go into too much detail…" he whispered, looking nervous.

  "I have no idea what to say!" I whispered back, feeling helpless.

  “Let me handle this,” he said, turning to the crowd. “You all know our lord has been unwell for some time. His own overwhelming power strained his body. So for now, let us disperse and allow him to rest.”

  "Overwhelming power?!" Whispers rose in the crowd again.

  I was waiting for him to calm things down, but somehow he made it even worse. Now the crowd stared at me like I was some half-god, mixing fear with that weird respect. My first impression went from bad to legendary disaster in seconds.

  “So why are you all still standing there? Go on, disperse!” the old man snapped, finally sending the stunned people away.

  Just as the crowd thinned and I was about to relax, Midori grabbed my arm and dragged me back inside.

  “Alright, come with me,” she said.

  “Wait, where are we going?”

  She didn't bother answering. She dragged me out the back door into a wide open area that barely looked like a garden. It was more like empty ground and one sad tree about to dry up in the corner.

  "Alright," Midori said, turning to the old man at the door. "Hey, you better step back a bit further.”

  The old man stepped back, cane in hand, watching us carefully from a safe distance. I turned to Midori, staring blankly.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “Training, of course,” she said. “Today, we’re going to fix your domain.”

  "You’ve got to be kidding. On the first day?” I practically shouted. "I’m sore all over!”

  “That’s exactly why,” she said. “So you won’t suffer even more later. And don’t worry, you know how to stop it this time." She paused, eyeing me like she’d just noticed how stupid I was. "You do know, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No problem then! Go on, release your domain and gently drain a little of my mana. Gently, okay? Just a tiny bit.”

  “…What if I pull all of it again?” I hesitated.

  "Don’t worry, it won’t happen. And even if it does, you’ll stop it in time.”

  “Fine…" I sighed. "I’m starting then?”

  Midori nodded, way too excited for her own good. Part of me thought this wasn’t just about helping me, she wanted to make her boring day a bit more interesting. But somehow, I forgot all my pain at once. I was just as excited as she was.

  I cleared my mind and pulled a tiny bit of mana, just like she said. Seconds passed, but nothing happened. Midori stared at me. I stared back. The old man stared at both of us.

  “A bit stronger,” she said. “At this rate, we can't do it before sunset...”

  Looks like I played it too safe. I was barely pulling any mana and had no idea how much or if I even was. I only realized it when things went into a complete life or death mess. Then a bright, or more likely stupid, idea hit me. If I had to bet, I knew which one it was.

  "I don’t even know how much I’m pulling," I said. "How am I supposed to increase it? If only I could somehow see it…”

  "Aha!" Midori said, her eyes sparkling. "Of course you can. While you pull my mana, try using it to see. Just wish for it, and with enough mana, it will happen.”

  “Okay…” I muttered, not really sure if I understood well.

  I did what she said. This time I was braver and pulled a bit more of it, then tried to see it. I didn’t expect it to work, and it didn't. After trying a little harder, I turned to Midori.

  "Well, it's not working..."

  "But I can see the mana flow. I don't get why…"

  "I think I know why," the old man said, tapping his cane on the ground as he started walking toward us.

  He had always been slow, but after falling in and out of bed, he had reached a whole new level of unbearable. Midori and I just watched as he made his way toward us with a pace that would make snails jealous. Too slow, too calm, almost painful.

  Halfway there, just as our hopes rose, he stopped, clutched his aching back, and took deep breaths to rest, though all he managed was a few steps. After what felt like centuries, he finally reached us.

  "Young lord wants the mana, not claims it," he said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "You can’t use mana that isn’t yours.”

  "...Huh? But I don’t know how to claim it."

  "That’s your problem, very naive, my lord. Mana wants an owner, and it goes to whoever can command it. You need to be more demanding."

  The old man was strict but right. I’d been hesitating, holding back my desire for the mana, especially when it came to Midori. But the moment I fully committed and commanded it, I realized it responded.

  “Whoa, I can see it now!” I yelled in excitement. “It’s… like green smoke or something, yeah,” I said, then turned to the old man, confused. “Wait, why is his red?”

  "Mana color depends on your element, young lord," he said. "Hers is earth. Mine is fire. But yours…" His eyes widened in surprise.

  I looked at myself next. I didn’t have my own mana, but I wanted to see the one from the domain. The moment I did, my face froze. It was pitch black, heavy, and creepy, like sucking all the light around it. The green mana from Midori turned dark the second I owned it.

  “Okay, why am I black then?”

  “No idea,” Midori said, then looked at the old man. “Do you know why?”

  "N-no," he responded, eyes wide, his face already showing he’d never seen anything like it.

  "Alright," Midori said, turning to me, "forget that. It's just a color... Now that you can see it, gradually increase it.”

  "I know I said it already, but I’m scared of totally draining you again…"

  Midori looked at me, tired and bored. Then her faint green aura exploded like gasoline on fire. Sparks and waves of energy burst out, turning the area into pure chaos. She glanced at me with a smug look, clearly showing off that massive aura of hers.

  "Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty. It won’t be like last time!"

  I had no idea how much mana I’d taken before, but a voice in my head warned me that going all the way now meant a quick trip to the afterlife. I carefully pulled slightly more mana. Then more… and more. Mana kept flooding into me from her. In seconds, we were almost equal. I got tense, waited for her to say stop. But she didn't.