I hovered in the air, my weary wings screaming at me about their misuse, but the demon lord still hadn't budged a centimetre from where he was pinned in place. He hadn't even taken the communications orb from me, leaving me holding the damn thing. My wings really weren't built for hovering.

No, forget it. If I was going to be up stuck here for hours, I was bloody well going to make myself more comfortable. I moved forward and sat myself down cross-legged on the demon lord's snout.

"Oh? Aren't you a brave one?" he commented, going cross-eyed trying to look at me, but still not moving.

"Humans aren't built to hold hours long meetings in mid-air!" I complained. "My poor wings feel like they're about to drop off."

"Katie, please don't antagonise the giant dragon who holds all of our lives in his claws," moaned Ortho from the other side of the connection.

"Then we need to move to ground level. I can't hover anymore!"

The demon lord made no move to relocate somewhere more hospitable, but neither did he attempt to dislodge me, returning to discussions about which nobles were rebelling, accounts of the number of demons that had been trafficked into human territory, and other boring details I couldn't care less about.

The negotiations hadn't stopped the war. Demon armies were still beating on the barrier that protected the human kingdom, and they had no intention of stopping. The demon lord had given his word that attacks would be limited to the rebel territories, but it was obvious that Ortho didn't trust him. It was equally obvious that he felt there was no other choice, besides the default of fighting to the death.

The previous king wouldn't have considered surrender under any circumstance, right or wrong be damned. That was one point Ortho and the green dragon agreed completely on. Apparently, my accidental regicide was the only thing that gave peace a chance. One of my few cock-ups where the outcome was actually helpful in some way.

Most of the rebel nobles were those adjacent to demon territory, since they were obviously the ones best placed to benefit from the demon trafficking, but there were others deeper into the human kingdom, too. Those who weren't necessarily on the execution list, but who refused to give up their power and riches. How they thought they'd hold against the demons, I had no idea. Maybe they thought Ortho was lying or wrong with his gloomy predictions, or that I would start to fight to protect them if things got too grim. The demon lord had accused them of self-defeating levels of arrogance, so a refusal to believe they were losing would fit. In the end, Ortho agreed that the human kingdom would take care of the interior insurgents while the demons assaulted those on their border.

Ortho also agreed to turn off the barrier.

Again, it wasn't trust, but pure desperation. If the demons were going to kill them all anyway, it made no difference, but if they were negotiating in good faith, it was a massive concession.

What I didn't add was that if they came to some sort of deal, and one side broke it, that side was going to find a Katie-shaped dragon coming for them. Perhaps it would have been helpful for me to state it out loud, but I didn't want anyone trying to frame the other side, or otherwise make my life anymore of a pain than it already was.

"You expected this, didn't you?" I commented once the tedium was finally over and the orb had safely faded back to black.

For being an unmoving shape in the sky, the dragon did a good impression of a shrug. "Humans are individualistic. Sometimes that is a strength, other times a weakness, but it is always a constant. Without an iron fist over them, they are easily divided."

"Lucky for you I removed that fist, then."

The dragon snorted, then swung his head, launching me at high speed across the landscape. I caught myself on my own wings, thankfully now fully recovered from their abuse.

"Your actions do not correspond to anything I know about humans. Either your own world differs greatly from our own, or else you are insane. Did the offer of owning all humans not tempt you even a little?"

Yes, my insanity was already a long established fact, but that didn't mean I appreciated other people pointing it out. I treated him to a scowl while I considered the question. "Being immortal does weird things to one's thought processes. And no. Why would I want an entire kingdom of slaves? I want to go back home, not stay here as some sort of backup demon lord."

Actually... given my third class, if I gained pathfinder, wouldn't I be able to cross between here and Earth at will? I could visit Ancora and Lucy whenever I wanted!

Oh... That reminded me of something I should have remembered a long time ago; I'd left the time dilation. Time was likely passing on Earth at the same rate as here! My disappearance would certainly have been noticed by now. I suppose, given my appearance, I had no hope of pretending nothing had happened, but I didn't want to worry anyone. I needed to get back as soon as possible.

The dragon snorted again at my description. "The best leaders are those who have it thrust upon them, not those who deliberately seek it out. As such, congratulations on your appointment as the new owner of the vulpes sagax."

I didn't justify that joke with an answer, settling for a glare instead.

"Consider it a gift for saving so many demon lives by driving the humans to surrender. And also as a punishment for murdering my brother and using my face as a chair."

It was a joke, right? Right?!

Finally starting to move, the demon lord flapped his wings, spinning in the air and departing to the north-west. From the maps I'd been given, probably back to his own lair.

What was I supposed to do now? I had no intention of getting involved in the fighting, nor was I morbid enough to want to watch. I'd need to visit Ortho from time to time to ensure nothing unexpected was happening, but aside from that, I had nothing to do.

Given my loss of the time-dilation, I should devote my time to finding broken shrines, and hence levelling up. Maybe the fox-kin would know of some.

I dropped out of the air and landed in a street, wondering who I should ask. Since I was looking for statues of the Goddess, priestesses would be a logical first choice, making the temple my first stop. I made my way there, ignoring the stares I received from everyone who saw me. A group of children playing ball seized up completely, the ball smacking one of them in the face, who didn't react at all. There wasn't even any whispering going on behind me, just pure silence.

This had nothing to do with the demon lord's joke. It was because I'd killed the red dragon, and then spent ages talking to the green one. I must be famous. Or infamous. That was all. Nothing else.

"Mistress," said Dru'niryeal respectfully, dropping to one knee and bowing her head as I walked into the temple.

Still a joke. It's just that Dru'niryeal is in on it.

"Please stop. I'm allergic to respect. You'll make me break out in a rash."

She kept a blank expression as she returned to her feet. "As you wish. I pray you will have a safe journey."

"Journey?"

"You aren't here to use your teleportation magic?" she asked flatly, the monotonous tone making it hard to tell it was even a question.

"No. Actually, I came to ask if you know where more of these Goddess statues exist, preferably damaged."

"There are several in villages near the human border, where the shrines have been damaged by humans destroying their barriers," she answered plainly, not even asking me why I wanted to know, but I did see a flicker of surprise cross her otherwise expressionless face.

"Thanks. Time for me to do some repairs, then."

Dru'niryeal didn't respond, simply watching with her blank expression as I left the temple. Outside, I was met with reverential silence, and the closer fox-kin swiftly back-stepping and dropping to their knees. Dammit, did that demon lord order them all to do this, just to mess with me?

Yes, by this point, it was obvious I was in denial, but I only had a few shreds of normality left, and I was determined to cling to them. Besides, if I saw Ancora kneel to me, I was likely to forget about my neutrality and do everything I could to roast the demon lord. Thankfully, I saw them returning to normal as I flew away.

I wanted to make friends! Not rule, fight, or enslave. Was it too much to ask to just find someone I could be normal friends with? Anyone? I wanted dupliKatie back! It would be so easy, too; I just needed to find a convenient corpse to stuff her mind into. It was far too much of a risk, though. Would Kevin be able to send her back along with me? Pathfinder wouldn't let me transport her. Nor could I travel without her; she shared my soul, and there was no connection between here and Earth, unlike the window in the dungeon, so to do so would kill her.

Could I order the fox-kin to not obey my orders? Knowing my luck, the paradox would make their heads explode.

Complaining bitterly in the confines of my own head, I flew back towards the border, looking for villages. I had, rather stupidly, associated 'village' with a small group of houses and a hundred or so people, possibly surrounded by fields and pastures. Of course, if humans had attacked a village in sufficient force to break its barrier, expecting the village inside to still be intact was extremely naïve.

I came across my first target, and sure enough, fields and structures were burnt, with so little left of either that the demarcation between them was barely visible.

During the war, the demons had been pushing hardest, mostly keeping humans confined to within the grand barrier. Was this a war party that had breached the demon lines, or was it something that happened earlier? A bandit party, here to restock on merchandise? I saw no bones protruding from the ash, but neither did I intend to give the area a thorough search.

The statue stood in the centre, cracked and weathered. A fissure beneath one eye gave it the appearance of weeping.

The sight brought home the fact that the demon territory had barriers and shrines. The demon lord had commented about being concerned that the Goddess had forsaken them. Weren't they under just as much protection from the Goddess as the humans? I hadn't judged them based on that fact, but it was another pointer that this world wasn't black and white. Why did she offer protection to both sides? Perhaps the Goddess had chosen me specifically because I wouldn't mindlessly side with the humans.

Alternatively, the one statue of this design I'd seen in human territory didn't have a settlement around it; they seemed to produce barriers artificially. Perhaps the humans weren't as favoured as they pretended?

I was, frankly, believing less and less that the holy sword was what the humans thought it to be. That I was never intended to take hold of it. Why would the Goddess give them protection on the one hand, and then create a sword for the sole purpose of killing them? A sword which was, by Kevin's own admission, locked away in such a way that it wasn't only the demons who couldn't touch it, but the humans too. It took someone with the Goddess' permission. Would she have given that permission to someone who intended to use it? Deities certainly worked in mysterious ways.

It would be nice if the Goddess just swooped down and told me what I was supposed to be doing. Alas, I had no such luck.

New side quest: Make an offering to the demolished shrine

You have found the remains of a shrine consumed by war. Make an offering to restore it and return the protection of the Goddess to this land.

Clear conditions: Sacrifice mana crystals worth a minimum of 100 mana to the demolished shrine.

Reward: Gain one class level

The class level meant nothing, given that I was already at my level cap, but I did have a bunch of very valuable crystals. Hopefully, it would be enough to raise my cap.

Side quest complete: Make an offering to the demolished shrine

Level cap reached

For making an offering worth more than 500 mana, additional reward granted: A strengthened barrier provides healing and restoration to all within its domain.

For making an offering worth more than 1000 mana, additional reward granted: An enlarged barrier protects a greater area.

For making an offering worth more than 5000 mana, additional reward granted: Level cap increased by one.

My level cap increased after it tried to grant me an extra level. Annoying, but Dru'niryeal had implied there were more villages in the same state as this one. One more shrine, and I'd be able to flit between here and earth!

I watched as the ash was consumed in an expanding bubble, replaced by soft, clean soil, from which grass sprouted, achieving months' worth of growth in a few minutes. The village didn't magically repair itself, nor did new intelligent life spring into existence, but the signs of destruction were washed away.

But as impressive as the sight was, I needed to find one more. I spread my wings, eager to finally get back home.