The Holy Queen and Ex-Demon Lord

"So, what do you think?" Pain asked the Hero.

The Hero rubbed his chin as he stared intensely.

"Hmm, at first glance, it looks grotesque, but upon a second look, you can see it is dripping with symbolism," Girolamo confirmed his evaluation of the painting they were looking at.

"I know, right! It seems there aren't as many people in this castle that appreciate art."

The duo moved from art piece to art piece after seeing some of the other sights in the castle. They happily had been walking through the castle, admiring each piece of art hung on the walls.

The Dark Commander happily lead the Hero through the castle to the next painting. On their way, they passed by the sealed Throne Room. The Hero instantly felt a dark aura and stopped to look at the door.

"Hey, Pain. Does this door not seem right to you?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I mentioned that it was sealed before, remember? That door has been shut ever since I got to the castle. Probably something nasty on the other side."

"Isn't that potentially a problem?"

"Nah, it's been that way for at least a year; I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Pain assured the Hero. As if on cue, the seals that covered the door began to light up in a black fire. They burned up completely in a flash as the Dark Commander and Hero awkwardly stared at them.

"What was that again?" the Hero asked.

"Never mind that, do you think we should run?"

"You're the one who lives in this castle! You tell me!"

A form burst through the door in an instant. It was a tall man with two large horns on his head and wings on his back. Pain was able to recognize him in an instant; he had already seen him once before. Charlotte's father, the last Demon Lord, was standing in front of them.

The former demon lord moved his arms around and twisted his neck until a loud pop was heard. Then, he shook himself as if completing a stretch. He looked down at the two that were standing before him.

"Humans and they are roaming freely," the former Demon Lord sighed, "What has that useless daughter of mine been doing? I would never let a human that wasn't under my control in this castle."

"That's... the old Demon Lord," The Hero said in a shocked and shaky voice. Pain lit up his fists with magic.

"This is great; I've always wanted to punch this guy. Come on, Hero, grab your sword and let's fight!" Pain began to run forward when the Hero spoke.

"My sword is still back in the Kingdom of Bright," Girolamo said.

Pain stumbled a little before regaining his footing. He turned around to look at the Hero.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when the Holy Queen threw me into a cell, she took the sword away," The Hero said while tapping the tips of his index fingers together.

"Are you worms done? I need to go have a word with my stupid daughter, and you're wasting my time," the former Demon Lord said with a heavy breath.

"Don't go thinking I'll let you get away so easily!" Pain shouted as he fired magical energy at the former Demon Lord.

Simultaneously, as Pain and the Hero met the former Demon Lord, the current Demon Lord and Holy Princess met with another visitor. The Holy Queen burst through the wall and stepped into the Great Hall. Her arrival happened to coincide with the seals burning up where Pain and the Hero stood. The Demon Lord and the Holy Princes jumped to their feet and faced the intruder.

"Mother!" The Holy Princess yelled in surprise.

"Child, do you think I would just sit idly by? How could you meet with these demons? I thought I raised you to have at least some common sense." The Queen sighed. The Holy Princess began to shake her head and back up. She put her hands on her head and looked down at the ground without saying anything more.

"Excuse me, Holy Queen, I don't remember inviting you!" the Demon Lord said as energy began to crackle in her hands. The Queen looked at her and laughed.

"Oh dear, I did not expect to see a child Demon Lord here as well! Why don't you run off and play, I have matters to attend to with the real Demon Lord."

"You're looking at her!" Charlotte yelled as she fired off magical electricity at the Holy Queen. In a flash, the Queen was behind the Demon Lord. She held Charlotte in the air by her hair.

"Child, you're not fitting to be a Demon Lord; you would have never let my foolish daughter in here otherwise. Now, where can I find your father? I'm sure he's still running things behind the scenes," the Holy Queen projected.

"My father won't be able to join us," the Demon Lord said while grabbing the Holy Queen's hand. She shot a jolt of magical electricity through the Holy Queen. The Queen let go of her hair, and Charlotte dropped to the ground.

"Well, you do have some tricks, but nothing impressive overall. I suppose I can leave a tiny Demon Lord like yourself a little while longer. Carol, get over here! We are leaving!"

"Yes... mother..." the Holy Princess began to walk over to the Holy Queen with her head staring at the ground.

"Wait, Holy Princess! If you don't stand up to her now, when will you ever!" Charlotte yelled out. The Holy Princess stopped walking for a moment.

"Don't tell me you intend to listen to the words of a Demon Lord over your own mother?"

The princess didn't get a chance to respond. At that moment, the former Demon Lord burst through the doors. In one hand, he held Pain, and in the other hand, he held the Hero.

"Charlotte! How did these rats get in the castle!" he roared before taking notice of the Holy Queen. "So, you're here?" he said after glancing at her. With a small motion, he threw the two to the side.

"Oh, so you are still around? You've let your country go down in the dumps lately," The Holy Queen said with a sneer.

"Hm, well, good to see you again. Unfortunately, I have been sealed away for a little while, so I couldn't prepare to welcome you properly," The Demon Lord said with a twisted smile.

"Hah, sealed away, how pathetic! How did you manage that?" The Holy Queen mocked him.

"I'll have to get with my daughter about that once we are done here," The Demon Lord answered.

"Is it just me or-" Pain began to say something but was interrupted by two magical blasts to the chest.

"Silence, fool!" The Former Demon Lord and Holy Queen yelled in unison.