"..."
The six representatives of the orc tribe entered Verc’s castle, and upon entering it... they all looked around curiously. They had expected to see a throne room filled with gold, or perhaps walls lined with the trophies of defeated enemies.
But instead, to their absolute surprise— it was completely empty.
Tap- Tap- Tap-
The footsteps of the six orcs and Tatum echoed loudly against the cold, gray stone. There were no tapestries to muffled the sound, no carpets to soften their tread, and no torches to lighting the way. The only light came from the high, narrow windows that let in the pale glow of the moon.
No furniture, no decoration... nothing.
It was just a shell of a building. The walls were smooth and well-crafted, showing the incredible power it took to summon such a structure, but it lacked any signs of life. It felt more like a tomb than a palace.
"W-What...?"
One of the representatives muttered in disbelief after seeing this. He looked at the vast, empty hall and then at the smooth ceiling. He had never seen a place so big yet so hollow.
Tatum, who was leading them toward the back of the first floor, noticed their reactions. He had been living in this emptiness for the last few hours, so he was used to it, but he knew how it must look to outsiders who expected a luxury interior.
He knew that they were looking around and checking every corner of the place, perhaps searching for hidden traps or treasures.
"As you can see, we have nothing except this castle. After all, this was all just built a few hours ago, so excuse the unsightly interior."
Tatum said that with a calm voice. He didn’t sound embarrassed about the lack of furniture. To him, the fact that they had a stone roof over their heads was already a miracle.
"A-Ah... It’s a great place. Very... sturdy."
The elder said, his voice nervous.
He didn’t want to offend the "Demon King’s" lieutenant by calling the place empty. He looked at the thickness of the walls and the quality of the stone, trying to find something to praise so he wouldn’t seem disrespectful.
Tatum just smiled at him.
It was a genuine smile, born from his own relief at having a safe place to stay, but from the orcs’ POV, it looked incredibly creepy. They quickened their pace, wanting to reach the meeting area as soon as possible.
*****
Verc was waiting for them in what would eventually be the dining hall or a meeting room. He hadn’t just been sitting around waiting; he had been busy trying to make the place functional.
Verc sat at a makeshift table. Since he didn’t have any wood or a carpenter, he had found a huge boulder outside earlier and dragged it in. He had used his sword to cut the boulder right down the middle, creating a flat, though slightly rough, surface. Then, for the chairs, he had done the same thing but with smaller rocks, carving out blocks that were just high enough to sit on.
It was a very DIY version of a conference room.
The orcs arrived with Tatum not long after.
And as soon as they entered the room, the six representatives stopped and looked at Verc, who was sitting at the head of the heavy stone table. The moonlight hit his pale skin, making him stand out against the dark shadows of the room.
"Take a seat."
Verc instructed.
SWISH!
The orcs instinctively followed his words without saying anything. They didn’t even hesitate. They all sat across from the stone table in a flash, their heavy bodies making the stone "chairs" creak slightly as they settled in. They sat with their backs straight, their hands on their knees, looking like students in front of a very scary teacher.
"Well then, I’ll be joining the others outside, Lord Verc."
Tatum excused himself with a smile after that. He bowed slightly toward Verc and then turned to leave the room.
Verc just looked at him and nodded, watching as Tatum walked back down the hallway.
"..."
Once Tatum left and the sound of his footsteps faded away, an awkward silence settled in the area.
The orcs weren’t saying anything. They sat there like statues, barely even breathing. Instead of speaking, they were looking at Verc, waiting for him to say anything at all. They were watching his every move, trying to gauge his mood.
Verc wasn’t saying anything as well. He was just looking at them, studying them one by one. He used his senses to feel the flow of their mana and the strength of their muscles.
’They’re all strong.’
He thought to himself.
He could tell that even the elder had a decent amount of power hidden in his old frame. They were a tribe of warriors who had survived in a cursed forest for centuries, so it made sense that they weren’t weak.
But then—
’Not to the point that I can’t handle them though.’
He followed with that thought.
Verc was confident in his own growth. After consuming the blood of the giant troll and gaining those massive upgrades to his stats and regeneration, he felt a level of power more than before once again.
He was sure that he could deal not just with the six representatives sitting in front of him, but also with the rest of the orcs waiting outside in the clearing!
This confidence was actually the reason why he even let them talk this out with him. He wasn’t afraid of a betrayal because he knew he could deal with them.
And in reality... He did have that kind of power!
Him, and the seven kids outside— they could deal with all of the orcs if it came down to a fight. Although they would likely get wounded in a battle against over fifty orcs, their vampiric regeneration meant they could heal them all after the battle was over.
’The only problem is that a fight might destroy my newly built home.’
Verc thought, glancing at the smooth walls.
’I don’t want to have to summon another castle because I accidentally blew this one up while fighting.’
That was the main reason Verc decided that talking with the orcs was fine. It was more efficient to have them as allies than as corpses littering his front yard. And even if this was a trap of theirs—
’I can just kill them all.’
Verc declared that in his head, his eyes turning sharp for a split second as his killing intent leaked out.
That sudden shift in his gaze made the orcs straighten themselves even more. The chief orc felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. The air in the room had suddenly felt twice as heavy, as if the walls themselves were closing in.
"Umm..."
Anyway, finally mustering up the courage to break the silence, the chief made a small noise.
This snapped Verc out of his dark thoughts. He realized he had been staring at them like he was planning a buffet.
"Ah, sorry for spacing out. I was just thinking about something."
Verc said, his voice returning to its usual flat tone.
"Go ahead."
And then, he gave them the permission to talk.
The chief let out a breath he had been holding. He stood up slightly and began to introduce the representatives. He pointed to the four orcs who had come with them, explaining that they were the heads of the four main families in their tribe. Each one was a leader of their own small group within the village.
Then he introduced the elder, explaining that he had been the advisor to the previous chief and was the keeper of their tribe’s history and magic. Finally, the chief introduced himself, stating his name, [Groo], and his role as the strongest warrior and current leader of the tribe.
Verc just listened, nodding occasionally. When it was his turn, he didn’t give a long speech about his history or his goals.
"Verc."
He just introduced himself, saying his name, and absolutely nothing else after that.
To the orcs, this was a very "Demon King" way to behave. Powerful beings didn’t need titles or long explanations; their name alone was supposed to be enough. It might have been considered rude in a normal human society, but the orcs didn’t say anything. They just accepted it as a sign of his absolute authority.
Though, Verc was just lazy to say things about him.
The room fell quiet again for a moment before the orc elder spoke up.
"We had brought the entire tribe with us. We packed up and left our village just to come here."
He stated that.
"Why?"
Verc asked. He wanted to hear their reasoning directly.
The chief spoke this time, his voice deep and solemn.
"We had come to swear our loyalty and to ask to be placed under your rule."
He declared. The chief explained that they wanted to serve Verc in exchange for his protection.
"..."
Verc didn’t say anything for a second. His brows raised slightly in surprise. He didn’t expect them to offer themselves up as subjects out of nowhere.
He leaned back in his stone chair, his fingers tapping against the boulder table.
Then--
"Why?"
Verc asked that again. He wanted to know what had made them so desperate.
But before they could answer, Verc followed up with another question that had been bugging him.
"Is this connected to you calling me a Great Demon King?"
He added, looking the chief in the eye.
The chief nodded his head without hesitation. To him, it was a settled fact.
Verc was genuinely curious now because of this response.
"Why? Why do you think I’m a Demon King? I’ve only been in this part of the forest for a day."
Verc asked.
The elder orc leaned forward, his hands trembling slightly as he gestured toward the castle walls.
"Great One, look at this structure. You created a fortress out of thin air in a short amount of time. No mortal mage has that kind of power. And the energy... the darkness that radiates from you is unlike anything we have ever felt."
The elder swallowed hard before continuing.
"The troll that ruled this area for decades... a monster we could never defeat... you erased its presence in a single afternoon. To us, only a Demon King could do such a thing. You have claimed the heart of the [Cursed Forest]. In our laws, that makes you the ruler of this land, and we wish to be your first subjects."
He said.
The chief then added his own thoughts after that.
"We have seen many ’strong’ creatures, but you are different. You don’t just kill; you dominate the space around you. We would rather serve a king like you than wait to be hunted by the monsters that will surely come to challenge you."
He honestly bared what was in his mind.
Verc listened to their explanation, and he couldn’t help but feel the absurdity of it all. His [Dungeon Genesis] skill had been interpreted as a divine or demonic miracle. His vampire aura was seen as the mark of a dark ruler. And his fight with the giant had been viewed as a conquest of the forest’s previous master.
’I guess from their perspective, it makes sense.’
Verc thought.
’If a random guy showed up, killed the local bully, and built a castle in five minutes, I’d probably think he was a Demon King too.’
He looked at the six orcs, who were waiting for his reaction with bated breath. They were terrified, yes, but there was also a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
"So, you’re telling me that because I’m ’scary’ and have a ’big house’, I’m now responsible for fifty orcs?"
Verc asked, a hint of wit in his voice.
The orcs looked at each other, confused by his phrasing, but the chief nodded again.
"We will work, Great One. We can gather stone, we can hunt the monsters for their meat and hides, and we can guard the perimeter. We just ask for a place within your shadow."
Verc sighed again. He looked around the empty hall. He thought about the seven kids upstairs and the massive amount of work it was going to take to turn this stone shell into a real base. He thought about the materials they needed— the wood for furniture, the hides for beds, and the labor required to clear more of the forest.
’Well, if they’re going to call me a Demon King anyway, I might as well act the part and get some use out of them.’
Verc thought, a practical plan forming in his mind.
’I have a castle, and now I have an army of green construction workers. This might actually work out.’
He added.
And so, opening his mouth--
"Fine."
Verc said that, his voice echoing through the room.
"If you want to serve, I’ll allow it. But I’m going to hold you to your word. If you’re lazy, or if you cause trouble for my people, I won’t just kick you out. I’ll make sure you don’t have a tribe to go back to. Do you understand?"
"YES, GREAT DEMON KING!!!"
The six orcs shouted in unison, their voices booming so loudly that dust fell from the stone ceiling. They looked relieved, as if they had just been handed a lifeline in the middle of a stormy sea.
Verc just shook his head.
’I really need to get used to that title.’
He thought.
"Now, let’s talk about what I want you to do tomorrow morning. We’re going to need a lot of timber."
As Verc began to outline his plans for the first day of his "reign," the orcs listened with an intensity that showed they were ready to move mountains for him. The empty castle was about to get a lot busier.