Demon King After the End-Chapter 24: Land Distribution

Leon stepped out of the castle gates, already dressed and sharp-eyed. To his surprise, Zorath stood there in human form, arms behind his back and wings tucked neatly.

"You’re early," Leon commented, mildly amused.

"I assumed you’d want to inspect the relocation progress today, Your Majesty," Zorath replied with a rare smile. "I took the liberty of preparing for departure."

Leon gave a small smirk. "Efficient old lizard. Let’s go."

Selene appeared at the doorway just as he was about to mount.

"I’ll stay and manage the castle," she said, adjusting her maid uniform with a gentle, respectful bow. "You can’t have all your housekeepers leaving at once, after all."

Leon chuckled. "Don’t burn the place down while I’m gone."

"No promises," she said sweetly, vanishing back inside.

Zorath transformed with a roar and gust of wind. His wings stretched wide, scales gleaming in the sun. Leon climbed onto his back, settling comfortably between the great dragon’s shoulders.

With a powerful flap, they soared into the sky—cutting through clouds and smoke trails, heading straight toward the tree of death.

—---

The sight below was... remarkable.

The Nethersoil Zone had expanded to over a full kilometer in radius overnight. The once-wasteland now pulsed with strange, dark vitality. Faint green-and-black vines coiled along cracked earth, feeding off death’s aura and giving life in a twisted cycle.

Around the shaded perimeter of the Tree of Death, hundreds of makeshift tents and shelters had been constructed. Dark Elves occupied the inner ring—closest to the tree—honoring its sacred aura. Demons and beast-kin worked cooperatively, hauling materials, erecting shelters, and even carving out trenches for water routing.

Zorath descended in a spiral, landing smoothly in a clear zone at the center of activity. Dust and blackened leaves swirled around them.

As soon as Leon dismounted, all nearby workers paused and bowed in silence, their gazes fixed with a mix of awe and respect.

A young dark elf male, clad in ceremonial bone-woven robes, stepped forward. He placed his hand over his heart and bowed low.

"Your Majesty," the elf said solemnly. "Queen Elvera bade us to watch for your arrival. She awaits you near the Heart Root. I am to escort you to her."

Leon gave a silent nod, his eyes sweeping across the activity with keen interest.

As he followed the dark elf, he passed by demons carrying crates of food supplies and tools, others assembling cooking areas, and some marking down measurements for permanent structures. The air was buzzing with life—not in joy, but in raw purpose.

Leon stepped into the large tent, brushing aside the flap as sunlight poured in behind him.

Inside, a group was already gathered around a wooden table at the center—Elvera sat at the head, flanked by a few elder dark elves and several of his retainers. The moment Leon entered, everyone stood respectfully.

"Your Majesty," they greeted in unison.

Elvera rose and gracefully stepped aside from the central seat, allowing Leon to take it. He waved a hand casually, "No need for formality. Sit."

Everyone resumed their seats.

He walked over, pulled the chair back, and sat down. On the table before him lay a stretched piece of parchment—rough, clearly made from animal hide. Most of it was blank, save for a darkened splotch representing the corrupted land and a sketch of a tree at the center.

Leon raised a brow. "This is...?"

"A map of the area, Your Majesty," one of the dark elf elders spoke—Legolas, if Leon remembered right. "Crude, but accurate enough for planning. We worked on it last night."

Leon leaned forward and squinted. "Map, huh? Looks more like someone spilled ink and decided to call it a day," he muttered, half-joking.

There were a few chuckles.

"We started it just last night, Your Majesty. It’s rough, but enough to help with basic planning."

Leon gave a short chuckle. "I’m just messing with you. It’s better than nothing."

He glanced around. "So what’s the discussion?"

Elvera leaned forward, hands lightly resting on the parchment. "Land distribution, Your Majesty. We were debating how much space to allocate for living quarters, how much for crops, what regions should be used for resource gathering—trees, herbs—and what type of flora to plant. That sort of thing."

"And?" Leon looked at her. "Have you come to a conclusion?"

"We have a preliminary plan," Elvera nodded. "But we were waiting for your input before finalizing anything."

"Alright. Let’s hear it."

Elvera pointed to the parchment, tapping different areas with a slim, gloved finger as she explained.

📍 "We propose dividing the land into four key zones:

🛖 Living Zones (40%) –

Elvera gestured to the eastern zone. "We’ll place the dark elves nearest to the Tree of Death—they’re more attuned to its energy. Demons and beast-kin will settle further out. For now, tents and makeshift shelters. Later, more permanent housing."

Leon nodded. "Keep spacing in mind. I don’t want us crammed in like sardines when winter hits—or worse, if someone throws fire magic our way."

🌾 Agricultural Land – 35%

She pointed west. "These crops are compatible with Nethersoil—Abyssal Grain, Bloodroot Tubers, Scorchbeans. We’ll rotate them seasonally once we get the first harvest in."

Leon tapped the map. "Can we expand farming if the soil spreads further?"

"Easily," Legolas answered. "The more fertile the land, the better the yield."

🌲 Resource Zones – 15%

"Up north," Elvera continued. "We’ll let dark-aligned flora grow naturally—Darkwood, corpsebloom, venomcaps. Also an area for lumber and herbs."

"Sounds good," Leon said. "We’ll need those materials if we’re ever going to stop living like cave trolls."

🏰 Central Public Zone – 10%

"Storage, workshops, command center, and—eventually—training grounds," Elvera added. "It’ll all be clustered near the Tree."

Leon leaned back, arms crossed. "Alright. Looks tight, but it works. Just make sure we keep flexible room for future stuff—like if I suddenly decide to build a bathhouse or a summoning altar."

There was a pause.

"You’re joking, right?" Elvera asked.

Leon smirked. "Only about one of those."

A ripple of chuckles passed through the room.

Brugos stepped forward. "We’ll need patrols too. Perimeter’s exposed."

Leon turned to him. "Exactly. Start training people—fast. Rotate watch duties and make sure there’s always at least one person up who can scream loud enough to wake the dead."

He paused.

"Actually... maybe don’t. I might accidentally raise them."

That got a laugh out of even the serious ones.

Leon’s tone shifted, just slightly more serious now. "Let’s get this moving."

The real rebuilding had just begun.