The Daily Life of the Demon King

Hephaestus' Manor...

After Alex started running away from Loki with a laugh, lifting everyone's spirits after everything that had happened that evening, he decided to move on to the main task – introducing the new members of the Hestia Familia.

"Alright, Loki, that's enough attacking. I need to introduce our guests," Alex said, stopping Loki by holding her head at arm's length.

"Do you think I'm a child?" Loki yelled, trying to reach Alex.

"Hestia, let me introduce you to two potential members of the family," Alex continued, ignoring Loki who was trying to break free.

"This red-haired girl who looks like a tomboy is Daphne Lauros, former deputy captain of the Apollo Familia. She's level 2," Alex introduced, to which Daphne scowled.

"This timid girl with blue hair is Cassandra Ilion, former healer of the Apollo Familia. She's also level 2," Alex introduced, to which Cassandra shyly waved her hand.

"And since they had nowhere else to go, I decided to invite them to our family. They can help Lili in the dungeon while I'm busy with other matters," Alex said, making everyone roll their eyes.

"So you just want to slack off, is that it?" Loki said, finally breaking free from Alex's grasp.

"I'm not slacking off! Firstly, I'm still training your family and Lili. Secondly, these two will join the training in the future because they're weak. I don't want to constantly run to their aid just because some weak monster attacked them and they couldn't handle it. And thirdly, I'm preparing gifts for my lovely students who will complete my training," Alex concluded.

"What kind of gift?" Tiona asked excitedly.

"That's a secret for now. Come to the training tomorrow, and you'll get it," Alex said, causing Tiona's eyes to shine with anticipation, and even Ais, who usually showed no emotion, was intrigued, her eyes gleaming.

"Alright, girls, go with Hestia so she can bless you, and after that, you can rest in Lili's room. There will be enough space," Alex said, sending the newbie duo off with Hestia. Hearing Alex's words, Lili's face twisted, realizing she would have to share her room with others. Seeing her expression, Alex reassured her it was only temporary until the house was repaired. Lili sighed and agreed reluctantly.

While Alex was sending the duo off, Loki clung to him again, having already jumped onto his back.

"Now I've got you, and you'll tell me everything, don't even think about denying it," Loki whispered in Alex's ear.

"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything in the dungeon," Alex kept denying.

"Then I have another condition: next time, you take me with you, and I'll stop pestering you," Loki continued.

"I'm saying it wasn't me, it was some other guy I don't know," Alex replied.

"Please, I promise I'll leave you alone," Loki pleaded.

"Do you promise not to bother me with these questions anymore?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"I swear, I promise," Loki answered.

"For some reason, I don't believe you, Loki," Alex said, still looking at Loki with suspicion.

"I swear on my name," Loki said, showing she was serious.

"Alright, but we also need Lili. If she doesn't go, it's all for nothing – she's a big part of the plan," Alex said, pointing to Lili, who at that moment looked back and expressed suspicion about why Alex and Loki were whispering. Sensing something was wrong, she saw Alex calling her and understood that something was up.

"No!" Lili said immediately as soon as she approached.

"But I haven't even said anything yet. Why are you refusing right away?" Alex asked.

"You're up to something foolish again," Lili said firmly.

"Listen, Lili, it's just this one time, otherwise Loki won't leave me alone," Alex said, pointing to Loki, who was nodding.

"Let me tell you what I want to do, and then you can decide. Okay?" Alex said, making it clear she could decide for herself.

"Alright, I'm listening," Lili replied.

"I propose we mess with those dumb adventurers who think too highly of themselves," Alex said, his eyes starting to sparkle.

"No, I'm not going, the last time was enough for me," Lili said, preparing to leave, but Alex grabbed her hand.

"What if I offer to skip one day of training?" Alex said, leaning closer to Lili. Even though Loki was still hanging on his back, it looked more comical than romantic.

"I'm still not sure," Lili replied, averting her eyes from Alex, trying not to look into his eyes.

"Just think of it as the best opportunity to personally get back at the Soma Familia members and those adventurers who bully supporters," Alex whispered in Lili's ear like a devil.

"Alright, I agree, but this is the last time," Lili said after considering that it was a good chance to test her strength.

"Good, then we'll start our plan tomorrow. Once the Loki Familia arrives, we'll set off on our adventure," Alex said, to which Loki clapped her hands happily, attracting everyone's attention in the room.

"Alright, Ais, Tiona, it's time to go home. We've checked on Alex, we know he's fine, we can head home," Loki said, indicating they had plans for tomorrow.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Loki took Ais and Tiona and headed home with a broad smile on her face, anticipating the next day. Alex shook his head at the antics of this troublesome goddess and decided to talk a bit with Hephaestus before bed, who had been quiet most of the time.

"Is something bothering you, Hephaestus?" Alex asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just glad this whole problem got resolved. I was really worried about you," Hephaestus replied.

"I'm fine, I was just a bit angry, that's all. You didn't need to worry about me," Alex said, sitting next to Hephaestus.

"That doesn't mean I won't worry about you if something like this happens," Hephaestus said, leaning against Alex's shoulder.

"Thanks for worrying about me. I really appreciate it," Alex said, allowing Hephaestus to lean on him.

"What gift do you plan to give the Loki Familia members tomorrow?" Hephaestus changed the subject.

"Heh, that's a secret. You'll see tomorrow; it will really help them in the future," Alex replied, keeping the gift a secret.

"Why won't you tell me? Is it that hard for you?" Hephaestus said, starting to act spoiled, which was out of character for her.

"I'm surprised by how you're acting right now, but it won't help you. I'm constantly pestered by two goddesses who always act like this, so I'm used to it," Alex said with a slight smile.

"Well, I tried," Hephaestus said, returning to her light smile.

Laughing at the situation, Alex and Hephaestus talked a bit more until Hestia returned with the two newcomers.

"So, Hestia, did you accept them?" Alex asked, seeing his goddess.

"Yes, everything went well. It would have been perfect if you hadn't dragged them here by force," Hestia said, sitting on the other side of Alex.

"If I hadn't brought them that way, they would have been too scared to come to us," Alex replied, rolling his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes. You just didn't need to scare them, and they would have come themselves after you won," Hestia said, looking at Alex.

"Ladies, you can go to bed, no need to stand here. You're probably tired, so it's better to rest since you'll be training tomorrow," Alex said, looking at Cassandra and Daphne. Hearing his words, they nodded because they were indeed tired from the day.

"Lili, show them to your room. Tomorrow you'll also get a gift in honor of the training for doing well," Alex said. Lili, who led the duo to her room, was delighted to hear his words and also wanted to know what the gift was.

"What gift did you prepare for Lili?" Hestia asked, to which Alex shook his head, indicating he wouldn't say.

"Alright, it's already late, time to go to bed," Alex said, skillfully changing the subject, to which Hephaestus and Hestia rolled their eyes and wished him goodnight.

The next day, Alex was already standing at the training grounds, waiting for everyone to gather. Lily was the first to arrive, having slept poorly due to thoughts about the gift Alex had prepared for her. After some time, the Loki Familia arrived. Loki's face clearly showed signs of having had a lot to drink and barely making it on time. She shuffled like a zombie, following her family, and Alex couldn't help but chuckle.

Once everyone had settled down, he began to speak. "Today is a great day, isn't it?" Alex asked, to which everyone gave him a strange look.

"I can tell by your sour faces that maybe it's not," Alex continued, eliciting only eye rolls from the group before him. He even thought he distinctly heard the sound of eyes rolling.

"Alright, alright. Today was supposed to be another training day, but due to some circumstances, it's postponed," Alex announced. Upon hearing his words, the faces of those who had come for training lit up.

"I was also planning to give this to you later, after the training, but I decided to do it now. These are weapons specially made for you," Alex said, gesturing towards the weapon cases.

Seeing the cases, everyone immediately perked up, eager to find out what weapons were inside.

"Alright, I see you all want to know what's inside. Don't worry, there's plenty for everyone, so come up one by one and take yours, or I'll hand them out myself to make it easier," Alex said, picking up the first case.

"This weapon is specially for you, Ais. It's called the Ice Needle," Alex said, handing the case to Ais.

"Thank you," Ais said quietly, hugging Alex.

"Thanks for the hug, of course. Tiona and Tione, these are for you," Alex said, handing a large case to Tiona and two smaller ones to Tione.

"Thank you, Alex! Let me give you a kiss," Tiona said, hugging Alex like a koala and trying to kiss him.

"The kiss can wait; hugs are enough for now. Now, magic girls, these are for you," Alex said, removing Tione from him and approaching Riveria and Lefiya.

"Thank you, I've never seen material like this before. Where did you get it?" Riveria asked, examining her new staff.

"That's a secret. And now, my little assistant, this is for you," Alex said, handing a box to Lily.

"Thank you, Alex, these gloves are really beautiful," Lily said, hugging Alex.

"Of course, they're not just beautiful; they'll also help you achieve your goal of becoming a 'One Strike Girl'," Alex said, accepting Lily's embrace.

After Alex distributed all the weapons, he noticed that Loki had fully recovered and couldn't wait to set off on adventures. Seeing her state, Alex shook his head and called Lily to come with him to approach Loki. As they reached her, before Alex could say anything, Loki started the conversation.

"So, when are we heading out?" Loki asked eagerly, unable to sit still.

"You were dying from a hangover earlier; how come you're so active now?" Alex said, looking at Loki.

"I've recovered from that already, so now we can go," Loki said, standing up to indicate she was ready.

"Well then, are you ready, 'Bilbo,' for new adventures?" Alex asked Lily with a grin.

"Stop calling me that, and I told you it's the last time," Lily replied with a sour face, clearly not liking the nickname Alex had given her.

"Alright, it's no big deal. Now, follow me," Alex said, leading the duo of goddess and hobbit.

The trio of troublemakers slipped away unnoticed, allowing others to focus on trying out their new weapons. Even if they had said goodbye, no one would have noticed, as everyone was busy testing their new gifts.

Empty Alley

Alex teleported into an empty alley with Lily and Loki. He decided to outline his plan.

"Alright, Loki, since this is your first time with us, you'll need different attire," Alex said, changing Loki's clothes to something more akin to his own: a white short-sleeved shirt with a black tie, black trousers, and black shoes.

"Alright, clothing changed. Now, take this mask and this little hammer. You'll use it to bonk our targets on the head," Alex said, handing Loki a mask with a sad face and a rubber hammer.

"Now, onto our plan. Lily will pretend to be a pickpocket who will catch attention and run into this empty alley. We'll collect money for charity," Alex explained his plan.

"What about me?" Loki asked, already putting on the mask.

"You'll use that rubber hammer to knock them on the head if they refuse to give up their money," Alex said, to which Loki saluted, indicating she understood the plan.

"Lily, it's your turn now. Go ahead, my 'Bilbo,' all hopes are on you," Alex said.

"Stop calling me that. I'll do my best," Lily sighed and went off to find her first target.

"Go on, I believe in you. And remember, only the scumbag adventurers, ignore the regular folks," Alex reminded her. Lily nodded in response.

First target...

Lily noticed the first scumbag adventurer, whom she knew from her time working as his assistant. She decided to start with him. Approaching closer and snatching his wallet so he would notice, Lily immediately ran away. The scumbag adventurer noticed his loss and, seeing someone running away with his wallet, got angry and chased the thief into the empty alley.

"Give me back my wallet, and I promise I'll just break your arm for stealing my money," the scumbag adventurer said, glaring at Lily. Seeing he was being ignored, he started getting more agitated until he heard a voice behind him.

"Young man, wouldn't you like to donate to build a temple for the 'Flying Spaghetti Monster'?" Alex said, placing a hand on the adventurer's shoulder.

"Listen, back off. I don't have time for you right now. I need to get back my money stolen by that street rat," he replied.

"How can you take money from a child, even if he stole it? Maybe this child is starving. Why do you need this money? Money comes and goes, but saving lives is always good," Alex began his tirade.

"It's not my problem if he's starving. He's to blame for being poor and not having the strength to earn," the adventurer retorted.

"Pay up, buddy!" Loki shouted, not letting Alex finish, and knocked out the adventurer with the rubber hammer.

"Loki, why did you do that? You should've provoked him first, but you just knocked him out," Alex said, looking at the adventurer who had lost consciousness.

"Well, sorry," Loki said, shrugging her shoulders.

Second Victim

"Give me back the wallet nicely," demanded the second victim.

"Young man, wouldn't you like to make a donation to feed hungry children at Orario?" a voice came from behind.

"Let them starve, it's not my problem," the victim snapped.

"You were told to donate, didn't you hear?" Loki shouted and struck the second victim with a taser.

"Loki, are you kidding? You didn't even let me finish and you knocked them out right away. We're not robbers, we're peaceful Samaritans," Alex said, looking at Loki, who held the taser in her hands.

"He was taking too long to respond, and I got tired of waiting," Loki said and struck the second victim again with the taser.

"Sigh. Why am I doing all this?" Alex said, rubbing his forehead out of exhaustion.

Third Victim

"Give me back the wallet," the third victim started to say.

"Take this, pervert!" Loki shouted from behind and struck the third victim in the groin with the taser.

"Loki, I'm starting to regret bringing you along and teaching you this," Alex said, nervously twitching his eye, looking at a satisfied Loki.

"It's all small stuff, the main thing is that it's fun," Loki replied.

"Alright, a couple more times and we can call it quits," Alex said.

A Few Victims Later

"There he is again! Get him!" yelled a member of the enforcement squad, noticing Alex.

"Damn it, Bilbo, Sam, we've been spotted! Let's get out of here!" Alex said, grabbing Lily and running.

"Wait for me!" Loki yelled, jumping onto Alex's back.

"Get him before he escapes with his accomplices!" shouted a member of the enforcement squad.

"You'll never catch us!" Loki shouted from Alex's back as he carried her.

After managing to shake off the enforcement squad, Alex immediately teleported to Hephaestus' mansion. Alex released Lily, who had an empty expression from the whole situation. Loki skillfully jumped off Alex's back and laughed, saying they would need to do it again. Alex and Lily looked at her with a wry smile, not understanding how she could find amusement in what she had just done. Alex didn't even get a chance to ask his silly questions before Loki promptly knocked out the victim again, not letting them joke or swindle him out of money. Alex shook his head with a wry smile and realized he wouldn't be inviting Loki to his exploits anymore.

To be continued...