I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

I raised my head and answered the demon king's question. "My team wants nothing more but to create peace against the two factions. We are on the neutral side to help everyone in need. I could see that you have a kind heart compared to the demons I've met…."

The demon lord, Abaddon, stood up from his throne with awe after hearing my thoughts. His stern gaze cheered me on and paired it with a smile. 

"I've never seen such a noble man like you...Tell me, human, your name. I want to know and remember you," Abaddon exclaimed, while stretching his hands to me. "You even have my blessing to marry my daughter. Are you, perhaps, interested in our demon colony? We are open for polygamy in this kingdom! As long as you give my daughter love, I am fine about it!"

"Apologies for the late introduction. My name is Arthur, a traveller and an adventurer," I cleared my throat, and reacted to the latter part of Abaddon's statement. "Please don't flatter me, your highness. We still have a lot of work to do before we could talk about marriage.

A sigh echoed on my right side, which came from the voice of Merleen. Lilith, who was on my left, mumbled some words to herself. I couldn't decipher those sentences she spoke. But it seemed Lilith had a blissful moment talking at a wall.

"Very well, Arthur! After finishing your work, we will fix those miscellaneous stuff! But for now, feel free to rest inside my kingdom. Whenever your team is ready, please notify me. So I could grace you with my blessing and equipment," Abaddon claimed, as he looked at the demons left inside the throne. "Do not worry, everyone. The equipment I will offer Arthur isn't from my heirloom. I will not give anything that could place us in a disadvantage. Those are just tools that could help him in Arthur's journey."

As soon as Abaddon completed his sentences, a pair of servants entered the room and escorted us outside. Throughout our trip towards the hallway, none of the demons wanted to crack a conversation. My team had an exhausted experience arriving in this place, which also led to our silence. And there was no topic for us to talk about, considering that we already planned our next course of actions.

The only thing left now was to visit Camelot and converse with Arthur. 

Those demons led us to a platform filled with congested and chaotic magic. The arcane aura touched our skin, which notified our system. As luck would have it, the mana surrounding us didn't harm our well-being. 

And since demons needed magic to feed themselves, these overload arcane made sense to me. 

Before I could ask the content of this area, the demons explained it to me. "This site is a place that can transport us upwards. Those who reside on the top floor are the nobles, prestige guests, and high-ranking officials. You're one of them, since the demon lord himself requested for that to happen."

'This place looks like an elevator from my homeland!' I murmured.

Merleen heard my voice and stared at me with sparkling eyes. "Do you have this technology in your world?"

I nodded at Merleen's question and caressed her head. I couldn't explain anything further than answering her question, since the demons have finally made a move.

After hearing the servant's explanation, our team blindly entered the platform. The description those demons shared hit the nail. Even though we were in a different world, hierarchies still governed the power. And the status meant everything to gain something from the kingdom.

"We are ready to leave this place. I advise you to move backwards and stay put before someone gets hurt," a servant warned, as she shut the door in front of us.

When the maid closed the gates, the vehicle vibrated, causing the dusts on the ceiling

Upon entering the platform, the demons waved their hands and controlled the mana. The system narrated that the demons conjured a magic on the environment, which possessed this vehicle. 

Within a few seconds, the gears of this make-shift elevator finally rose from the ground. It sluggishly moved upwards, with the help of the mana pushing the platform. 

Upon arriving at our destined floor, the gate slid open, revealing the rich metals. Those stones glued themselves on the wall, which gleamed the darkened atmosphere. Even though this place was at the higher seats, the room just became darker. The lights that paved our way were the glimmering dusts contained from the rocks. Besides those things, there was nothing more but an unlit structure filled with purple aura.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" I asked, and took my first step outside the lift. "This doesn't look like upper management."

Everyone behind me besides Lilith agreed with my sentences. After hearing my concerns, the servants explained the reason for this obsidian dimension. And ironically, that was the name of this uncharted place.

"Since we, demons, need mana to sustain our bodies, Lord Abaddon generously made this area congested with those arcanes. Since he had filled this place with mana, those crystals had turned the surroundings jet-black. It was the stone's nature to paint the walls with dusky colour. Those minerals you see stuck on the walls absorb light, which was the only thing it could devour. The arcane only reproduces itself if it could digest power from its environment. And that power came from the sun, which was the elemental light's origin."

After that lengthy explanation, we headed towards a hallway. Each side had doors paralleled against each other. The spaces between those rooms explained why the servants described this place as a royal suite. But compared to the hotels from my world, this place looked more like a prison….It was an elegant prison, with a bunch of minerals lying around like a wasteland.

"It looks like a mine here," Fenrir boldly exclaimed, as she gazed around.

I jerked my shoulder and hit Fenrir on her back as soon as she spouted that sentence. She glared at me in the eye, but I leered back. Within a few moments, Fenrir finally knew what she did. She tried apologising to the servants, but I hindered her from saying anything.

Fortunately, those two servants didn't hear Fenrir speak. And if they did, those maids would alarm Abaddon and tell everything we said to him. 

As soon as we walked half a kilometre, the two servants stopped at a door. They gave us the key and told us to call them if anything happens

"I would like to remind you that Lord Abaddon summons you soon for dinner. King Abaddon specifically invited you, Arthur and Lilith, to join them on their feast," a maid said, and bowed in front of me. 

"Thank you for informing us. My friends and I would rest for the time being," Lilith said, and excused the two servants from their duty.

After saying what they needed, the two servants walked away without saying another word. The pair went inside the elevator and exited the place, leaving us flabbergasted about our new environment.

"I've seen that action before,"I murmured, as I reimagined the things that happened inside a human kingdom.

But I brushed off those thoughts and entered the room. Upon pushing the door open, a simple bedroom greeted us with some minerals carved on the ceiling. Those masterbeds fit the spacious studio, which would fit the five of us on each bed. There was also a window on the right side that had the view of the city below. 

"It's a good thing you didn't say or do anything rash, Meliodas. I expected you to embarrass me in front of the demon lord. What happened back there?" I asked.

But by the time I turned around, Meliodas landed on the bed and stuffed himself with the peculiar linens of demons. "Don't talk to me right now, Arthur. I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Go away."

The Meliodas I knew was a reckless bard who would do anything to achieve his goals. However, it turned out that he was too tired to do anything for this trip. If I could guess it right, Meliodas couldn't act after he had heard the demon king's personality. It also took me aback that the demon lord had this warm heart, compared to the ones we saw on the streets.

Fenrir and Merleen also hit the deck as soon as they had the chance. Those two women slept like a log when they came into contact with the fluffy sack. Although Fenrir was an ancient hound, she still needed some rest after meeting with the demons. But since I had trained for years to stay up late, the drowsiness didn't hit me one bit. And Lilith didn't need that much sleep, considering she was a demon.

"Hey, Arthur….Do you want to talk?" Lilith said, and struck a conversation.

"Talk about what?" I answered, while staring at the window.