The world would never be the same...

For the people of my humble village, Valza, it had changed for the better; the Demon Lord was no more, and with her the hellish legions she commanded had also been banished. Word from the capital was that our lands would be entering a new age of peace.

For myself? It was bittersweet news.

A few years back, on a clear and star-filled night, the arch-demoness Nemel-Weiss and a small party of heroes battled high above Valza's rooftops; the concussive booms of their blows shaking the earth and buckling structures as though they were made of straw. What inspired terror in most struck a strange chord within my own heart; even if she was the enemy, watching the horned mistress effortlessly deflect their blows and conjure great maelstroms of forbidden sorcery roused some dark affinity within myself.

That brief spat changed my life forever. Even as weeks rolled into months since their battle my daydreams were only ever of her. It was an infatuation that I desperately sought to hide–life as an orphan earned me enough beatings as was–but in the days following her final defeat my fascination with the dark powers she entertained were uncovered. All it took was a longing look, or perhaps how I held close an artist-rendered portrait of the 'terrible monster'.

Some of the older boys tormented me endlessly for it. My chores were multiplied tenfold under threat of exceedingly cruel beatdowns. When it came time for the weekly harvest of medicinal herbs I was most certainly undertaking the workload of four by myself; life had become a living hell.

---

Wandering along a less-traveled forest trail, I nursed a throbbing lump on my forehead; a bit of karasumi grass helped if but a little. "Heh, being captivated by the demon lord gets you the same punishment as serving her..."

If anything, being forced into doing the work of my bullies had its perks: plenty of alone time. I stopped a solitary knoll, soft blades of grass tickling my arms and neck as I lay beneath a softly swaying oak. My bruises stung and fingers ached but I couldn't help but think about 'her'. Why couldn't the Demon Lord have killed those heroes in the first place? Why did she have to lose? Sure, it was–childish–to view death so lightly, but what courtesy did I owe anyone? Where were the 'heroes' when people like me need them? The downtrodden, the abandoned. No. They sought their glory elsewhere and that was that. I found my respite in other thoughts, thoughts of Nemel-Weiss.

Raw power–raw sex. It felt dirty to have such thoughts, but just one glimpse of the half-scaled maiden and she had been seared into mind. The arch-demoness put the bodies of human women to shame, burgundy hair flowing past her shoulders and finding a purchase upon her generous breasts to rest upon. Much like the woman that loomed above me–

"Hiya, what're you doing?" There wasn't a doubt in my mind that it was 'her', Nemel-Weiss, clad in a less than flattering set of tatters; so much different than the fine battle raiment that she wore on the night of her arrival to our village. Even her aura was different. My muscles seized and adrenaline spiked; I even managed to spill the basket of herbs I was carrying. The whole display only seemed to confuse the horned-beauty, who immediately leapt to action upon seeing the minor injury on my forehead, "Onii-chan, you're hurt!"

A flash of silvery light, almost blinding, as her scaly hand caressed my brow and in the process administered a potent healing magic; it was the day my life would change forever, again. "I think that should help, Oni-chan." All of my pain was gone, not just the bruise, but everything. To be so close to her soft, inviting flesh–to feel her power. I had so many questions but just being this close affirmed my infatuation. That said, she was wearing the tattered rags of a prisoner; that wouldn't do.

"We should get you c-cleaned up. There's a stream nearby, if you'd l-like me to take y-you?" I offered; she was more than willing.

"My name's Nemy," she shot me a fanged smile as we paced downhill towards an isolated brook, "I'm glad I ran into you, Onii-chan, I've been alone for awhile out here!"