The King Returns, Long Live The King (Patreon)

The brainwashing spell was not just a bust, it was a straight up disaster, and it had only resulted in things going... well, not wrong, per se, as technically the exact objective I had set out to do had been achieved, but I had used my great magics to learn of the sheer, unbelievable boredom that the Demon King had experienced in his conquest - me, but also not me. Complicated.

Suffering from success, for some reason the phrase had stuck in his mind since he achieved it, and I refuse to bring that same fate upon myself. So I believed it was time this Demon King changed his approach. He had paved the way for me. I paved the way for myself. I knew where he went, and where I needed to go.

Besides, that other version of me hadn't been able to harness the power of love and friendship at all, and had only succeeded because of the age old adage that held true across all of time and history. Evil will eventually triumph, because good is dumb... or so they said.

I didn't particularly define myself as evil, really I don't care much for the notion, but the adage still held.

After learning of the fate that awaited me, I knew I had to take another course, and just like that, I set out to achieve a different future.

The first step, as my alternate future self had done, was to go after the most powerful, and dangerous, of the heroines. Their leader. And the most vulnerable. With the knowledge of the future I didn't need to rely on taking over and brainwashing people, instead, I gathered my power, slaughtered more demons to steal theirs, and as soon as I was able, I set out to find the damned Heroine who had struck me down before. 

And this time... I would make her mine by her own will.

I found the homestead, just as I had foreseen it before, and I quickly invaded it.

Despite arriving much earlier than I had in my vision, I nevertheless found an almost identical situation, with the worthless farmer screaming at the woman who had once saved the world, his rant reaching beyond the walls of his home.

Well, time to move.

Doors are for the lesser, so I just walked right through their front door, pushing it open with my hand, knocking it off its hinges. Fire and fury dominated my being. For some reason, the mere thought of the one who felled me being treated like this, of one of my possessions, even if she hadn't given in to me yet, being abused by this lowlife human... I didn't particularly enjoy it. Only I could play rough with my toys, and I made my presence known by flaring my power.

"What the-"

A flex of my magic made the man stiff, he was mid turn and he almost fell on the ground, but more power ensured that he was lifted and so I moved him out of the way, walking with purpose to the fallen heroine, who was on her hands and knees on the ground, alongside some broken plates and some sort of sauce heavy food that was all over the ground.

I knelt down and I took hold of her chin, tilting her up to look at me. "How the mighty have fallen," I spoke, holding my tone even. "This isn't who you are. This isn't who you were supposed to be. The woman who slew me, the world's strongest, should not be on her knees before such scum," I said.

"W-Who are you..?" she muttered. "You... your power, you're a demon..!"

"I'm not just any demon my dear," I said, a smirk forming on my face as recognition dawned upon hers, "I am the one and only," I said, letting her finish the sentence.

"Demon King..!" she hissed. "You lived! Then this means- we failed!" she said, scrambling to her feet and almost jumping back. She was weaker, slower and clearly addled by years of inactivity... but I would see her restored to her glory. I will make her shine once more, the same as she did when she was my greatest opponent. 

I couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled from the bottom of my stomach.

"What is this, what's going on, you- this is the man you were cheating on me with, isn't he!?"

"Do be quiet, scum," I demanded, turning my hand to the annoying peasant and casting a spell of Silence upon him, quieting him for the foreseeable future, then pushing him against the wall, shackles of energy forming and then solidifying into granite that stuck him to the wall of his own house, allowing me to dismiss the efforts I was putting into keeping him held in place, even as he futilely screamed.

"Let him go, you fiend - it's me that you want, isn't it?!" she cried out, reaching for a sword that wasn't there and realizing, in a panic, that she didn't even have a knife at hand to defend herself with.

"True, it is you I want," I said, "but let me correct you first. You did not fail. I was slain that night, the power you utilized was enough, I was defeated, and I was killed... but you were foolish to think I had not prepared countermeasures for my own death. Thank you for collapsing the castle on top of me by the way, digging my way out was horrible," I said, only a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice.

She hissed and brought her hands up, her mana raised like the fur of a cat but it was futile. Even at this fraction of my true power, I now far eclipsed her weakened self. 

Yet I raised my hands nonetheless, palms open, I believe this is a human sign for the cessation of conflict. "I come not to fight, but to find you," I said. "I respect power, girl," I stated. "You have vested me in combat, you killed me even... so I am here to serve as your first and the greatest of your vassals, my queen," I said.

"W-What?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Are you serious, is this for real?"

"Of course it is," I said, bowing slightly as shadows wrapped around me. My butlers wore uniforms like this, I believe, a black three piece suit, complete with coattails. Of course, they needed to use physical clothes for it, but I am not like my lessers, I am greater, and therefore, more than capable of creating clothes for myself with my magic. "Allow me to declare my allegiance to you, my lady..."

She seemed to be processing things, and whatever conclusion she came to, it didn't matter, as long as she gave me the opening I needed, which she did, following my predictions. "I guess you're better off kept close where I can keep an eye on you..."

"Naturally, my lady," I said, allowing myself a smirk as I bowed to her and lowered my head. "To demonstrate my loyalty, I would request that you give me a name, my lady, that you may call me, and that you tell me yours, that I may address you as," I said, trying to keep my amusement out of my voice as she played into my plan.

"Keira," she said, "my name is Keira," she spoke, her lips pressed into a firm, tight line. "And you... you're the Demon King..." she muttered. "How about... Richard?" she asked. "It sounds kingly, doesn't it?"

"Richard, hum..?" I tasted the name on my lips. A human name. It didn't feel bad. I hadn't had a name besides Demon King for ages. I might well keep this one, as a gift for and from the very first woman who will become mine... yes, 'my lady' Keira, this will be the start of our relationship...

And what a relationship it was.

Keira, a former Heroine, had thought that she could put her sword down and retire to live the life of a simple married woman, away from the hustle and bustle of politics and demands on her time, but she had only found a miserable existence. She had formed a relationship with the man whom she had once called her boyfriend before her journey started.

After I kicked him out, sent him packing back towards his parents' home, she told me of her soon to be ex husband, and of the relationship they had. How when she came back it all seemed like the happy future she had hoped for, but then, every time she showed just how much stronger and more powerful than him she was, he would grow jealous. How he would be insecure about her strength, beauty and fame.

How he bemoaned that she had taken no monetary reward for all her heroics.

How he began to suspect her every movement, accuse her of seeing another man behind his back, how he had forbidden her from going to the nearby town and how he had become more controlling and abusive with each passing month, about how she now feared his every reaction, despite knowing that he couldn't hurt her even if he tried.

I learned much of humans and their feelings, I learned of why she had never retaliated and put the small minded, petty man in her place.

She told me she loved him, that she could never dream of hurting her, and how she hoped he would change, he would become secure. In our time together, I used my magic to turn her abode into one fit for a woman of her stature, fit for one of my women. I did everything in my power to look after her and to make her comfortable. My magic powers grew quickly and my versatility with their use along with them. Some would balk at the sight of the Demon King using his nigh-unlimited magic power to clean, cook and wash, and yet, I found the simple tasks pleasant.

It took months of hard work, months of getting closer to her, of listening to her... but at last, it finally came.

I served her wine, and she demanded that I sit with her. Already tipsy from overindulging before, she didn't hold back anything, placing the empty glass on the fine wood table next to the couch, in our drawing room. Everything here, luxurious and exquisite, was a product of my magic, and she knew it, and she clearly enjoyed it.

She turend a burning gaze towards me. "RIchard," she muttered, closing her eyes. "You've been... here for me so much... and all I've done is dwell on him, on that man," she said, clenching her fists. "I was loyal to him... for so long, I kept dreaming of the day I'd come back to meet him, to marry him... I didn't even care that he'd gotten a girlfriend in the time I was out adventuring, he, he ended things with her and, and then we married and, and it was hell!" she cried, exploding in emotions. 

From the old and worn peasant dresses to fabulous creations, made with the latest style and in the exact specifications of their wearer, she had changed a lot. She was even back in shape, despite years of inactivity, she had come back to almost her full strength in merely half a year. 

"I couldn't even grab a sword in his presence or he'd throw a tantrum!" she spoke, bringing her hands to her face. "What was I thinking?! I was so blind... just because he was, he was, all I'd ever known!!" she cried out. "I never met any good men... they were all sleazy adventurers, just looking at our bodies, every one that tried to get in our party, they just wanted to get in our pants..." she cried, shaking her head, magic almost coming off of her in waves as she lost her control. "But... but..."

She turned to me.

"All of them but you," she muttered, softly. "All of them, the very people I defended, not my enemies, they just wanted my body, or my power," she said, chuckling bitterly. "And yet the only one I've found I can trust is my very worst enemy, the very Demon King I set out to stop, you, Richard..."

I hummed. "Perhaps," I muttered. I had no intention of letting her believe anything else.

"You want me," she said, simple and clear. "The thing about serving me, as your queen, that's bullshit isn't it?" she muttered. "You want me for something... My power," she muttered. "You want to make sure that none can defeat you when you try again, isn't it like that?" she asked, bitterly.

"Certainly," I responded. I remember in many simulations using my powers, lying to her went poorly every time. "But I am patient, I've lived long, and I will live many lifetimes more," I said, "I will keep you company, I will understand the power that defeated me, I will learn it, make it mine, and once again extend my hand for world domination," I said. "But that can wait, my lady," I said, "my lady Keira-"

"I put my life on the line for all people..." she said, bitterly, "I've never... never tried to get something for myself," she said, closing her eyes, reaching for her dress, bunching it up with her hands and then tearing it off of her body, revealing her sexy lingerie, I had made it for her of course, I'd always intended to make her mine... but this was unexpected.

"What is the matter, my lady?" I asked, almost panicking that she might decide to battle me, and that I may have to interrupt my plan.

"Take me, Richard," she muttered. "If there's even a shred of truth to your act, I want you to make love to me," she said. "He... was the only one I had," she said, gritting her teeth. "So come to me, Richard, make love to me, and erase those horrible memories from my mind, show me what it feels like when a man and a woman come together as one..!"

"Of course, my lady, whatever my lady desires," I said, trying to remain smooth as I moved towards her.

Though the situation was unexpected and outside my simulations, it didn't particularly matter, because the only thing that would happen was that I would do as she asked. Perhaps I've grown fond of this woman, who would become mine... a powerful asset that I've been working on for months...

A step closer to understanding the powers of love and friendship.

Using the knowledge I had gathered from many an alternate lifetime, I carefully cupped her cheek on my hand, and kissed her deeply. My magic power allowed me to manipulate my clothes, and to cast them away, as they became little more than black wisps of smoke, disappearing from my form. I was almost entirely human, with some key differences that had been a product of me not actually knowing what a human's genitalia looked like.

It was only when I used my power to check on other humans that I realized that I had grossly overestimated their penis size... but she didn't seem too particularly bothered with my size, at least, not as she began to feel my stiffening erection against her crotch.

I kissed her deeply and made myself erect with my powers. I knew that this would be incredible, intellectually, but I was not prepared for the wet heat that engulfed me.... in my previous life, I had made her my slave, one of many, after tasting the flesh of many others, and I had forgotten that in this life, I had not indulged in such. I was unprepared, and I was paying the price by getting lost in her flesh.

She was... losing her mind. 

I was clearly doing more for her than her husband ever could, as I slowly imprinted myself upon her body. She would never be able to cast away this memory, and the shift in our relationship as I took her, as I taught her pleasure and she taught me love, would cascade elsewhere.

I dropped the servile demon act after this, and found myself strangely... settling into a comfortable life with her. We didn't need to explain ourselves to each other. She knew I had always intended on using her as a tool.

"It's comforting," she said, looking wistful. "I know what you want from me, and... I don't mind it. As long as you treat me well, as long as you... learn what I have to teach you," she said, "I don't mind... As long as you continue to love me, like you did then and now..."

We were so taken with each other that I almost forgot the rest of my plan, but... of all people, it was Keira who reminded me.

"Nanette... she always told me she hated the fate that awaited her... She taught me so much, she showed me so many things, and yet... she is even now in the hands of a man she doesn't love... I hated the politics and rules of the noble world, and so did she," Keira spoke, as she rested in my arms after a round of lovemaking, our naked skin pressed against one another. "I would ask that you save her like you saved me. Make her one of yours..."

I would.

With Keira's help, it was pathetically easy to meet the Grand Queen of Humans, whose wisdom and magical prowess had seen the rise of her already powerful Kingdom into an Empire that was slowly swallowing territories from other human nations.

Nanette was not in the same situation as Keira, as her husband despised her from the start and was a political opponent, trying to limit her power and lead her country towards a warmongering future. At the end of the day, she was glad to see him have an accident, and after working her over alongside Keira, she, too, was brought over to my side.

I also learned that the Soon to be Empress of Humans preferred it when I used her backside rather than her proper breeding hole, and I also discovered that it feels pretty good. When her divorce finalized and her husband's crimes were exposed, she became my woman as well.

"Ophie, Ophelia," Keira muttered. "She was the elven bow user," she spoke, upon realizing that I didn't know the heroines' names. Not my fault, they had never introduced themselves and come into my throne room swinging. "The elves have terrible customs that she had been hoping to run away from, as their future chief, she must marry someone from an appropriate line," my first woman said. 

Nanette would arrange a meeting, and the Grand Elder of the Elves even came in person... the heroines' bonds held strong, and as I served them tea, I learned much of what was going on, with her and the world, and how the elves were headed to their own destruction due to stubbornly clinging to their traditions and ignoring their Grand Elder, no matter that she was a heroine who'd saved the world from me, just because of her young age...

Keira and Nanette being shocked to learn that their friend was ten times their age was interesting. Of course to me it made little sense, and the plans were set in motion, with Nanette and Keira helping me. As I said, the bonds held strong, and from Ophelia, I learned that there are those who quite enjoy being bound, as she insisted on me tying her up before I had my way with her.

She leaned on me for support as a friend, and eventually, a lover, and became one of my women, working alongside me to bring the elves to heel and prevent their self destruction - if only because I intended to have something to rule over when I took this world as mine.

"Merida," Keira explained, I knew Merida to be the wolf eared beastman who had punched me in the face so long ago, "she was always bright and full of life, but ever since she went back, her father has kept her locked up and I've heard some horrible things," she muttered. "If only I had known... I feel sick now!"

Merida, Great Chieftain of the Beastmen, was apparently not the ruler of her lands as my visions had shown me. Of course, in that vision, I had only ever seen her in a diplomatic setting, where she was used for her power and fame... I hadn't known then, that the beastman I had brainwashed might well have welcome it.

After all, when she was not being trotted out for the prestige that a heroine who saved the world garnered, her father dominated the Beastmen as her regent, and reduced her to a tightly controlled pet, passed around to solidify his power. After stealing her from her people, it took months of work, and loving affection from her friends, of which I learned much, before she was able to form a relationship again.

I was shocked how attached she became to me, but I did not mind it. Though she was the shortest of all my women, she was the greatest warrior among them and she became my personal bodyguard, and from her, I learned much of the power of affectionate words during sex, as it did far more for her than my penis did.

"Galtana always had work in her mind... I never thought she of all people would be caught up in something like that, there's no way it can be real," Keira told me of the Master Craftslord of the Dwarves, the greatest among them, and the one who forged and maintained the heroines' equipment. "We have to go help her," she insisted.

Galtana was supposedly caught in some sort of corruption scandal. With the help of Nanette and Ophelia, it was easy to do some surface scans for corruption, and Keira and Merida were more than capable of diving beneath the surface. Between the five of us it was no problem to root out the cause of the situation. Had we not intervened, the dwarves were headed towards a civil war that would destroy them from within.

The Master Craftslord abdicated her title, citing her failure to prevent the disaster, and I found myself with an unexpected companion with almost terrifying ease. She hadn't even been particularly intent on being my enemy in the first place, she simply followed Keira as she considered Keira the only one worthy of wielding her weapons... and with me demonstrating strength and skill superior to hers, she brought to me a great magical sword, her masterpiece, a weapon on par with the holy sword.

She didn't have much interest in sex, I would go on to learn. She tended to keep a constant expression and seemed to not enjoy it, yet she never denied me and would sometimes even approach me for it, I could never read her.

"Toluca taught me everything I know about magic, I'm not surprised at all she became the great sage... but if her letter's correct, then something terrible's going on!" Keira would tell me of the Sage of the Magic Tower, who was the only one in the world that could hold a candle to my own magics, "we need to stop this at once!"

The 'this', in this case, was a disturbing ritual for an attempt to summon one of the fallen gods from the underworld, using the mutilated corpse I had left behind to try to do it. Fools and idiots, they had no idea what they were doing. Mortals had, for some reason, created stories in their minds of the benevolence of the gods, apparently not remembering that before I slew them, those same gods did nothing to protect them from me, and it was only when I became a problem for them that they started to help.

Ophelia got me in, Keira and Merida subdued and captured the rogue mages involved, and Galtana forged the restraints that helped us bring them to Nanette, whose authority was used to judge all involved, including the leader that couldn't stop them, Toluca herself, who insisted on taking a collar of slavery for her inability to prevent the disaster that befell the Magic Tower.

She had originally intended to enslave herself to Keira, but I was the one chosen instead, for convenience's sake. At first, I thought she might go the same way as the life I had observed before, but the collar didn't brainwash her, it simply gave me the ability to give her a painful shock when she disobeyed... one I never had to use, the girl got off on being given orders, the dirtier and lewder, the better.

For a moment, I started wondering how a woman this perverted had almost become my equal in magic, but I found little ability to care as our relationship grew and she started suggesting me to use her in lewd ways.

"I... was going to tell you of Rara," Keira said, "buuuut..."

Rara was the most famous and talented inventor among all the Gnomes, an entire race of bright and creative little fiends. 

And she had sent a letter to Keira, begging her to rescue her from a problem she got herself into.

That problem being a large machine designed to give her sexual pleasure. A golem that didn't use magical energy directly, but rather, ran on electricity drawn out of lightning elemental stones, which was basically a bunch of tubes, wheels and other mechanical parts, designed such that multiple phalluses were being pushed into her mouth, asshole and vagina. Apparently she'd been stuck there for the entire week we needed to actually find her lab.

And she wasn't the only one. Gnomes of all sorts were caught in many such machines.

Galtana helped take apart the machines and Toluca's magic was instrumental in helping the worn out gnomes recover, and after that, she, too, became one of my women, marrying herself to me before I could even say anything, out of gratitude she said.

I later learned that Keira had been a bit more open with her than I thought regarding my sexual performance. The greenskin was far and away the most lewd of all the heroines, and she had me use every toy and tool she ever invented on her, and even roped in the others, sometimes literally, into many sexual performances.

By the time I had gathered the heroines under my banner, most of the world had started seeing me as a wise and beloved ruler. It was strange... the world was at peace, and so was I, and it was... nice...

I knew I was observing myself, from the past, and then I tried to impress on myself... this is what it's all about.

I sat on my throne. The world will be mine, shortly. I've succeeded. I need not do this with my own strength alone. I understand now, the power of love and friendship is not one that I can turn into magics of great power, or an attack of unstoppable might, no...

"I finally understand it, a power stronger than any other... love, trust and friendship, has triumphed over anything else!" I laughed.

"Deaaaar, come back to bed!"

I turned back to face the seven women who had given me their love and friendship, and I thought to myself, it was time to put love and friendship to the test.

...

I saw my future... I think I can make it even better than this...

Yes, just a few adjustments, a little magic here and there... I know just what to do!