Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"Achoo!"

Soaring through the air, Timothy suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

"That's weird... Why do I feel like someone's talking bad about me?"

He paused for a moment, glancing around, but there was no one else in sight.

Just then, a cold breeze swept by, revealing the landscape below.

It was already autumn, and the trees on the mountain had turned shades of fiery red and pale yellow. Many of the more delicate plants and flowers had begun to wither.

But in the distance, a vast open field stood in stark contrast to the season.

The hills were covered in vibrant, fragrant flowers of every color, none of them showing any signs of wilting. It was as if the entire area had transformed into a breathtaking sea of blossoms, so beautiful that it was hard not to get lost in the sight.

This was the Blooming Sanctuary.

Flying on his own like this felt a bit strange to Timothy. After all, he was used to traveling long distances on the back of a dragon. It was convenient, comfortable, and definitely not like this.

But ever since he accidentally let slip that he and the goddess had spent a sweet honeymoon together in the Netherworld, things had changed.

Although he managed to escape the furious pursuit of Holy Maiden Aeliana and Azura, his little dragon companion hadn't come running back to him like she usually did. She hadn't even returned to Sky Sanctuary to find him.

It seemed like she was genuinely a bit upset this time.

Not that Timothy was worried. After all, when it came to Azura, he had an unbeatable, foolproof trump card: the Golden Scale Dragon Carp.

Before long, Timothy landed at the entrance to the Blooming Sanctuary.

But to his surprise, the disciple guarding the gate didn't let him through right away.

"Sorry, Brother Timothy, but the Holy Maiden has given strict orders. No one is allowed to enter the sanctuary without her permission."

The female disciple looked a bit apologetic as she blocked Timothy from entering.

"Ah, no worries. I'll just wait here. Could you let the Holy Maiden know I'm here?" Timothy nodded, taking it in stride.

After all, he had a letter from the goddess with him. Given how terrified Aeliana was of the goddess, there was no way she'd dare refuse him entry once she knew.

"Of course, Brother Timothy. I'll inform Holy Maiden Aeliana right away."

The disciple quickly agreed and hurried into the sanctuary to report to Aeliana.

At that moment, Azura was also with Holy Maiden Aeliana.

"Absolutely not! I refuse to see Timothy!" Aeliana huffed, her tone firm.

"Yeah, yeah, no way! If we see him, we'll just get hit with another round of their lovey-dovey nonsense!"

"Exactly! I've figured it out—Timothy and Sylvia are like walking, heartless PDA machines! Even if Timothy's here alone, it'll end the same way!"

"Ugh, don't remind me! The moment you mentioned it, I couldn't help but think about how they secretly honeymooned in the Sacred Sea of the Netherworld, shamelessly making love. It's brutal!"

"Same here! Who's going to think of us poor, lonely souls?"

Before long, Aeliana and Azura were whispering to each other, sounding pitiful. They had long forgotten the grudge of being left behind by Timothy and the goddess. Instead, they were now completely traumatized by the relentless displays of affection, and they had no desire to endure another second of it.

"Uh… Holy Maiden, are you sure?" The disciple was a bit dumbfounded by their response.

"Positive!"

"Absolutely!"

Aeliana and Azura answered in unison, one big and one small.

"I refuse to be tortured again! No matter what it is, Timothy is not getting in this time!"

"Exactly! I have principles, and nothing's going to change my mind!"

The disciple: "..."

"Alright then, I'll go relay the message to Brother Timothy."

The female disciple stood there, stunned for a moment, before finally turning around and heading back. She quickly returned to the entrance of the sanctuary, feeling a bit guilty as she relayed the message to Timothy.

"Sorry, Brother Timothy. After some discussion, the Holy Maiden has decided that she doesn't want to let you into the sanctuary right now. I'm afraid you'll have to come back another time, maybe when she changes her mind."

However, Timothy simply shook his head, completely unfazed, as if he had never doubted he would get in.

"Could you please tell the Holy Maiden that I'm here on official business? And, well… it's something the goddess specifically asked me to handle."

"But the Holy Maiden already said that no matter what the reason is, she won't—" The disciple trailed off, catching Timothy's confident and unwavering gaze. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It was as if Timothy had some kind of unshakable certainty about him.

"Alright, I'll go ask again," she sighed.

"Thank you," Timothy replied with a slight smile.

"It's no trouble at all, Brother Timothy."

The disciple quickly disappeared again, heading back to find Holy Maiden Aeliana.

"Holy Maiden, Brother Timothy says he's here on important business and needs to enter the sanctuary…"

"I don't care what it is! I absolutely don't want to see him right now!" Aeliana huffed, ready to reject him without a second thought.

But before she could finish, the disciple added, "Oh, and Brother Timothy also mentioned that he's here on the goddess's orders."

"…"

Aeliana instantly fell silent.

"Maybe… we should let him in?" she said, forcing an awkward laugh. She glanced over at Azura, her expression betraying a hint of fear.

"Huh? What happened to what you just said?" Azura was completely dumbfounded. She clearly remembered how, just a second ago, Aeliana had been so decisive, so firm in her refusal.

"Didn't you just say that no matter what, you wouldn't let Timothy in to flaunt his relationship?"

"Well… I did say that," Aeliana stammered, clearly flustered. She was desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "But there's nothing I can do! Timothy said he's here on Sylvia's orders. It must be something really important. The whole Sepulcher of the Sacred incident just got resolved, and who knows what dangers might still be lurking.

We can't afford to slack off. If we miss out on some crucial information, we'll be in big trouble!"

But as she looked up, she noticed Azura's skeptical little eyes staring at her, clearly unconvinced.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes, I'm sure."

"Are you really sure?"

"…"

"Are you really, really sure?"

"Alright, fine! Ugh, I'm just scared of Sylvia, okay? What if she finds out and they come after me with some kind of couples combo attack? What am I supposed to do then?!"

Finally, Aeliana couldn't hold it in any longer. Despite being a Holy Maiden and a powerful Holy Emperor-level figure, very few people knew that she was often bullied by her so-called "Closest Confidante."

"Ughhh…" she groaned, utterly defeated.

Azura: "…"

The disciple: "…"