Chapter 44

More Changes In State

“Alright, time to check if anything’s changed . ”

I did the usual and plopped myself down atop the throne as I opened the dungeon’s display .

There weren’t any significant changes as far as the dungeon’s functions were concerned . However, I was given the option to summon new monsters, construct additional facilities, and spawn new items . In other words, my incomplete lists had been expanded on . Evidently, the dungeon really had leveled up . And chances were, it would continue to level up if it accrued enough DP .

I immediately invested a wealth of DP into increasing the amount of area covered by the dungeon . The passive income I gained from the monsters wandering the Wicked Forest was nothing to scoff at, and it didn’t seem like there were any demerits to expanding my domain .

“It seems that your magical energies have undergone a sort of transformation . When did that happen?”

Lefi curiously tilted her head as she stared at me . The dragon girl had been drifting in and out of dreamland throughout breakfast, so she’d only just noticed the change .

“Last night, apparently . I guess I must’ve evolved in my sleep or something . “

“It appears so,” she nodded and seemed scrutinize me for a moment before continuing . “Interesting . I never knew that there was a Demon Lord race . “

“Really? I would’ve expected you of all people to have heard of it . “

“I rarely examine the status pages of others . I have never felt the need for it . “

I could see where she was coming from . Lefi was so overwhelmingly powerful that she didn’t need to think much of those that dared to face her .

“Oh yeah, Lefi . Have you ever evolved before?”

“I have not . Evolution exists in order to allow a lower life form to become more powerful by escaping the restraints placed on it by its mortal coil . My body is that of an ancient dragon, the most powerful race . As far as I know, there is nothing for me to evolve into . “

Ohhh, I get it . So basically she started off as a Dr*gonite instead of needing to climb her way up from a Dr*tini .

“However, that isn’t to say it is impossible for me to evolve . It may just be that I have not met the requirements . “

“Uhhh… Well I wouldn’t get your hopes up with your level being what it is . “

“I’ve been exactly as powerful as I am now for decades . It’s difficult for me to continue growing stronger . It may take another thousand years for me to make any significant progression . “

A thousand years? Good god, talk about out of scale . Er, actually, not really, I guess . My lifespan’s supposed to be at least that long, so I might actually live to see it happen . If I do , I’ll make sure I throw her a huge party .

“Still, I find it surprising that your appearance has remained constant despite your evolution . “

“Is it normally supposed to change or something?”

“I believe so . Monsters that have evolved typically grow fangs or horns . Those with more human-like forms, such as yourself, tend to see changes in their hair and eye colours . Of course, that is merely what is typically seen . I once encountered a demon that had tentacles and fangs protruding from his body . “

Lefi’s expression warped in heartfelt disgust .

“His tentacle-based attacks were slimy and disgusting . I wish to never encounter another similar individual . “

I shuddered as I imagined the demon Lefi described . Thankfully, my own evolution hadn’t led me down that demon’s path . Personally, I couldn’t stand anything with too many legs . Even just looking at them was enough to freak me the hell out .

Hmm… I’m not really that good with gore and stuff either . I guess I just don’t have the sort of tolerance I should . If there was a sanity stat, then mine would probably be on the lower side .

After pausing to evaluate the limits of my mind, I checked my body over yet again, just to make sure I hadn’t grown any slimy tentacles . Only then did I realize that there was a part of me I’d totally forgotten to check: my wings .

To be honest, I was hesitant to inspect them . I highly doubted they’d changed, and I was concerned that materializing them would also cause me to sprout additional, unwanted body parts . That said, I was going to have to check eventually . Avoiding the problem in perpetuity just wasn’t an option .

And so, I reluctantly got off my throne and materialized my wings .

“Wait, did I grow another set…?”

My wings were the only part about me that had changed . I now had two pairs, with the second protruding from the area just under my shoulder blade .

The new pair looked a bit different from the old pair . Their colour was a reddish-brown . My first impression was that I couldn’t tell whether they were bat wings or dragon wings, but either way, they didn’t look too shabby at all . In fact, they were pretty awesome . They resembled the kind of thing you’d expect to see on the devil or the grim reaper .

Oh thank god I didn’t grow tentacles .

I heaved a sigh of relief as I admired myself .

These wings make me look kinda sinister, but I guess that’s not really a bad thing . I’m a Demon Lord, so being sinister is a status symbol . It means I’m special . [1]

“You know, this isn’t actually too bad . What do you think, Lefi?”

I proudly turned myself towards her, only to find her totally frozen in place .

“Uh… Lefi…? Earth to Lefi, do you read me?”

“Y-Your wings are awe inspiring…”

“Uhh…what?”

“W-why ever have you been keeping those glorious wings hidden from view!?” She suddenly broke into a shout .

“Woah! C-calm down Lefi! And stop touching my wings, you’re tickling me!”

I took a few steps back .

“W-Why!? I’m just touching them! There is nothing wrong with that, is there? Please? Can you not just let me touch them!? I implore you!”

Lefi started panting heavily as she reached towards my wings again, her cheeks dyed a deep crimson .

“Stop that! At least stop wiggling your fingers! That’s just plain weird!”

I grabbed her by the face and attempted to push her away .

“Why are you stopping me!? What harm is there in letting me fondle them!?”

“It’s not about letting you touch them! The problem is that you’re acting like a creepy old man!”

Of course, there was simply no way that I could match the Supreme Dragon in a contest of brute strength . It didn’t take long for her to overpower me; she slowly began to inch closer .

“God damn you and your stupid wing fetish! Okay, fine! I’ll let you touch them, but only if you calm down first!”

I gave up . There was no stopping her .

“Okay, I’ve calmed down . “

She stopped struggling the moment I gave the condition . It was clear that she was desperate to begin immediately .

God damn it Lefi…

“And you have to let me touch your wings too . It’d be unfair if you were the only one doing the touching,” I added .

She probably won’t start getting all weird again if I make her let me touch her .

“V-Very well . I shall, so allow me to start touching yours immediately . “

She seemed a bit embarrassed, but promptly gave her consent and materialized her own wings . Like her hair, they were dyed a dazzling shade of silver . I wanted to give myself a pat on the back for being a man and actually asking . I’d always wanted to touch Lefi’s wings, but never really had the opportunity . At least not until now .

“They’re beautiful . “

I felt like I would feel the exact same way regardless of how often I saw them; their radiant shine never failed to impress .

“R-Really?” Lefi’s blush deepened . “Y-Your wings are also quite the sight . They’re the most impressive I’ve ever laid eyes on . “

“T-Thanks . “

We awkwardly reached for each other’s wings .

Woah .

Lefi’s were soft as down and smooth as silk . I felt my hands drawn to them the moment I touched them; I wanted to grab ahold of them and never let go . I could feel myself getting absorbed in the act, entranced by her wings .

I wanted to bury my face in them and close my eyes . They were so pleasant to the touch that I was certain sleeping on them was sure to send me straight to heaven .

“Nnn…” Lefi sighed bewitchingly . “I-I don’t mind you touching me, but… could you be a slight bit more gentle…?”

“E-Err… my bad . “

It seemed that her wings were at least as sensitive as my own . She moaned enchantingly every single time my fingers so much as grazed them .

It didn’t take long for us to get so immersed in the act that we lost sight of everything but each other . She simply continued to touch my wings, and I hers . It was as if we were in our own little world .

My breathing started growing more and more ragged as we continued . And so did hers .

I finally took my focus off her wings and looked at her face, only to find her staring right back at my own .

Her eyes were glazed and her cheeks dyed as red as could be .

“…”

We continued to gaze into each other’s eyes without saying a word . I couldn’t pull my eyes from the alluring expression that decorated her face .

I took one of my hands off her wings and slowly brought it towards her cheek .

“Uhm…”

A noise neither of us had expected to hear immediately jerked us out of our daze .

“Could the two of you please refrain from engaging in lewd activities in broad daylight? I would very much prefer if you waited until the rest of us were asleep . “

Leila glared at us reproachfully .

“Y-You’ve got it all wrong!”

“Y-You are mistaken! We are doing nothing of the sort!”

Lefi and I instantly separated from one another and shouted in protest, filling the throne room with our indignant cries of denial .

[1] Being flat chested is a status symbol . Reference to Lucky Star .