Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"Whimper~"

It seemed like someone had noticed Timothy approaching. From inside the coffin, there was a series of soft knocks, accompanied by a cute, almost pitiful whimper.

Clearly, someone was struggling inside the coffin, desperately trying to break free.

But the strange thing was...

"That innocent, cute voice... is that Sylvia?"

Sure, the goddess had made some pretty odd sounds before when using techniques like Harvesting, but this voice coming from the coffin was way too... childlike.

Suddenly, Timothy remembered the rumors he'd heard back in Ereboth and along the way. Quite a few ghosts had mentioned that the Lord's mansion had captured a living being, but they all referred to this person from the Elant continent as a "little girl."

Thinking about it, with Goddess Sylvia's mature, commanding presence and her status as an Emperor-level powerhouse, there was no way anyone could mistake her for a little girl, right?

"Whimper~"

Another soft, almost tearful sound came from the coffin.

Timothy couldn't help but start to wonder—was the person trapped inside not the goddess, but actually a little girl from the Elant continent?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

But then again, entering the Netherworld was incredibly difficult. Even Holy Maiden Aeliana and Azura couldn't get in without the protection of sacred artifacts. How could it be that some random little girl just happened to break through space and enter the Netherworld under the protection of a sacred item?

"Guess I'll have to see for myself."

The situation was getting weirder by the second. Timothy gave up on trying to make sense of it and placed his hand on the coffin lid, ready to open it.

The coffin was covered in a thick layer of ghostly energy and intricate seals. It was clearly designed to prevent anyone from opening it and to keep whoever was inside completely suppressed.

This dense ghostly energy was no joke—it was on par with the power of a Holy Emperor-level being. In Ereboth, only someone like Magnus Nightshade, the city lord, could have set up such a formation.

"Activate the first meridian of the Ancient Saintly Body."

Golden lines, like molten lava, spread across Timothy's arms. If he wanted to, he could easily smash the coffin to pieces with brute force. But to avoid hurting whoever—or whatever—was inside, he carefully gripped the center of the ghostly formation.

Then, he began to channel his energy, gathering it into his hands.

Boom.

The golden lines on his arms grew even brighter, radiating an ancient, mysterious aura. The ghostly formation, though eerie and complex, seemed to tremble in fear when it came into contact with the energy of the Ancient Saintly Body.

The Ancient Saintly Body.

In ancient times, it was hailed as the strongest of all sacred bodies, a creation of the heavens and earth, nearly perfect. Especially against ghostly energy, it seemed to have a natural suppressive effect, causing the ghostly energy to retreat rapidly.

Even the tightly woven seals of the formation were starting to unravel.

Seventy-two mystical gates, thirty-six fortified checkpoints.

This once-impenetrable ghostly formation was now falling apart, its intricate connections crumbling into chaos.

The ghostly energy scattered, fleeing in terror as if it had encountered something it couldn't comprehend.

Crack.

Another sharp sound echoed as a crack appeared in the coffin lid, which had once seemed unbreakable.

Flames ignited on Timothy's arms. The time had come. Without hesitation, he struck.

Endless spiritual energy gathered, forming a razor-sharp blade.

Crack!

The coffin, once shrouded in thick ghostly energy and seemingly indestructible, suddenly shattered with a loud bang. The fragments flew in all directions, embedding themselves deep into the surrounding walls.

As the dim candlelight flickered across the room, Timothy finally got a clear look at the figure inside the coffin.

Sure enough, just like the voice had suggested, the one sealed inside was a little girl.

But there was something off about her.

Despite being bound by chains formed from ghostly energy, her large, watery eyes held a certain coldness. Her small frame exuded an air of authority that seemed far beyond her years.

The faint scent of orchids and the cool, distant aura she gave off were eerily similar to Goddess Sylvia.

If it weren't for her childlike appearance, Timothy might have mistaken her for a Holy Emperor.

"Wait, no!"

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Timothy realized something was very wrong.

Staring at the little girl's delicate, almost doll-like face and her clear, innocent eyes, Timothy was struck by a wave of familiarity.

This feeling... he knew it all too well.

"Holy crap, Sylvia!"

It hit him like a ton of bricks. Despite her small stature, the girl's aura, her demeanor, and even her features bore an undeniable resemblance to Sylvia.

And considering how difficult it was to enter the Netherworld, it should've only been him and Goddess Sylvia who made it in.

The evidence was all there.

'So why the hell is Sylvia a little girl now, and why was she locked in a coffin?'

Timothy was baffled. Without wasting any more time, he summoned a blade of spiritual energy and sliced through the chains that were binding Sylvia, restricting her movement and silencing her voice.

"Ugh, finally!" Sylvia let out a frustrated huff, her voice high-pitched and childlike. "Damn it, I can finally talk!"

Though her voice was a bit more youthful than usual, it still carried that same clear, melodic tone that Timothy recognized as Sylvia's.

Which meant...

"Pfft."

Timothy couldn't help but laugh as he watched Sylvia take a wobbly step out of the coffin, her tiny legs almost tripping her up as she stumbled forward.

"I'm finally out! I just got to this world and that guy immediately—hey, what are you laughing at?"

Sylvia, mid-rant, suddenly noticed the amused look on Timothy's face. His expression was a mix of amusement and confusion.

'Is there something weird on my face?' she wondered.

Curious, she glanced down at herself.

And then her eyes went wide with shock.

She could clearly see that her hands and feet had shrunk to a fraction of their usual size. Her height barely reached Timothy's waist.

"W-What the hell happened to me?!"

Sylvia's voice, now a high-pitched squeak, was filled with disbelief. She quickly turned to the reflective surface of the coffin lid, catching a glimpse of her own reflection.

The moment she saw herself, she froze.

"I... I've turned into a little girl?!"

Her childlike voice echoed through the room, filled with shock and disbelief.