The Devil Duchess Adopts The Villainess

There was a single mountain range within the walls of the northern dukedom where the demons lived in small villages. It was roughly three hours away from the main city of Arcadia when travelling in a southerly direction.

The demonkin were the least integrated of the dark races in the dukedom and fiercely maintained their independence. Apart from a yearly tax and the recruitment of able- bodied soldiers every spring, they were allowed to govern themselves as they saw fit.

Elise’s father was the first Blackwolf to earn their respect by defeating their champion in battle and claiming the title of ‘Xephyrs’ or ruler.

Elise had visited the tribes only rarely during her childhood and the demon race had not left a lasting impression on her. But in her desperation, she sought out the strength of numbers the tribes possessed to command a new army to march on the capitol.

Her father would have called her a stupid girl, but Elise ignored the voice of reason in her head telling her this was a bad idea.

Elise’s steed was a purebred stallion called Frostmore bred from the small kingdom of Lukiena in the western side of the continent. The horse was exceptionally swift with powerful hindlegs that could kick with the force capable of shattering a human spine.

When she rode on top of the animal, there was an image invoked of the goddess of war within the eyes of onlookers.

The black mountaintops jutted out in the distance and Elise nudged her steed gently to pick up the pace. The first village came in sight and a wave of nostalgia swept over her as she saw the sight of the simple huts and plain dirt road.

The demons believed in the test of nature and survival of the fittest, so any homes were abodes with the bare minimum of necessities for comfort. Some of the more extreme demons would even sleep naked in the wilderness to mimic the lives of their ancestors.

It was this level of training and harshness in their daily lives that made the demon race such fierce warriors.

A small bell rung out from the middle of the village as Elise approached the entrance, and a few demons curiously poked their heads out of their huts to see who this visitor was. The children of the tribe were less cautious and directly ran towards the horse.

Elise pulled on the reins gently and Frostmore lowered his gallop to a trot as she entered the village. She was immediately surrounded by adorable demon children who looked with shinning eyes at the beautiful big sister who paid them a visit.

Elise always had a soft spot for kids and reached in her bag to take out a few snacks she had stored for the journey and started to distribute them. A chorus of cheers erupted and the lucky kids who received then hurriedly ate the food before it was snatched by another child.

“Duchess Blackwolf?” a solemn voice spoke from afar and Elise glanced at the figure walking towards her.

It was an older demon whose body had clearly seen the ravages of time, her back was stooped low with age and scares of battle were scattered around her body. Despite the frail looking exterior, her eyes shone with unfathomable strength and Elise dared not take her lightly.

“The new duchess humbly greets the demon chieftain,” Elise gave a short nod to the demon before her.

The elderly demon reached out with her gnarled hands and gently stroked Elise’s cheeks with a loving expression on her face.

“My deepest condolences over the death of your father, he was a strong man….”

“Little duchess how might our tribe help you?” she continued speaking slowly with a piercing tone.

Elise shuddered slightly, she felt as if her motives had been seen through by the old demon but gritted her teeth and spat out her request.

“I seek to challenge the Ares to battle for the right to command the tribes!”

Silence reigned.

All the onlooking demons stood in shock, there was only one man had ever defeated the Ares in battle, and he was a tier one magical knight at the age of forty-two. Elise was still considered a child and despite rumors of her strength reaching the ears of the leaders of the tribe, it was doubtful how much gossip was to be believed.

The elderly demon gazed at the young woman in front of her with a sad look flashing across her eyes. She sighed heavily before speaking in a solemn tone,

“Are you sure my duchess? It is a fight to the death, and it is against our ways to interfere once the battle has begun. There will be no help if something goes wrong during the fight.”

Elise nodded her head slowly as she did not trust herself to speak without her emotions spilling out. The elderly woman guided her to an empty hut and told Elise to relax until the night when the tribal leaders would come together to start the ceremony of challenge.

She took one last gaze at the young woman sitting down on the straw bed with a stoic look on her face and left to inform the other tribe leaders of the matter. Elise stretched out lazily and lay down on the simple bed showing no signs of discomfort.

“I’m sorry that this unfilial daughter will put herself at risk dad…. I hope you can forgive me,” Elise muttered to herself.

She knew this was not the correct decision to make but it was too late to turn back now. The challenge contest was typically held every five years to decide the strongest warrior to crown as Ares. The fights were spectated by other members of the demon tribes but interference in matches was strictly forbidden under the penalty of banishment or execution.

Once the position of Ares had been won through raw combat skill and strength, the demon was now considered unshakeable in his position as the strongest among the tribe.

The Ares could still be challenged but only after a meeting by the tribal leaders to approve of the battle. Elise as the ruler of the land qualified to force the leaders to hold a meeting to discuss the approval.

Elise started to count her fingers nervously and took a couple of deep breathes to calm down.

She was the most powerful young magic knight in generations amongst the Blackwolf family, there was no way for her to lose…

Despite these reassuring thoughts, a small feeling of dread began to well up inside her.

Unbeknownst to her, a raven was circling the sky above the demon village and her mother was watching over her closely through the bird’s eyes with an expression of worry and concern on her face.