I'm Actually Not Overpowered!

"Coward..."

The blond image stood opposite Asa's powerless frame, glaring intensely at her as she hissed.

Disdain and desperation played on the strangler's face, and her lips parted to form words that the dreamer feared to hear.

"Why...? Why do you get to enjoy peace while we suffer tyranny?"

Why?

Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

The words danced in her dreams, causing her brain to melt and her mind to collapse. She simply couldn't take it anymore.

*

*

*

"ARGHHHH!!!" Asa screamed, as she jerked awake.

She breathed heavily, staring to her right and left to see her neighbors stir in their sleep—a few others popped their eyes open before returning to their sweet dreams.

Nothing about what Asa just saw could be described as sweet, or a dream.

"The same nightmare again." She whispered underneath her breath.

Sweat dripped from her skin despite the atmosphere being cool enough for those beside her to snuggle underneath their blankets.

Asa shuddered in revulsion, although there were was nothing present to warrant such a reaction. No, this discomfort came from her mind.

"How much longer can I ignore it? I can't..."

In the end, Asa knew the only thing she could do to make it stop. The thought had crossed her mind several times, but she had tried her hardest to ignore it.

However, as was made painfully obvious by her predicament, she couldn't keep it up any longer.

"I have no choice..." Asa muttered. Although she felt anxious presently, she was confident that her problems now had a solution.

"I'll have to tell the Hero."

**************

"Haaa… I have some leisure time today. Should I take a walk?"

The bright morning sun greeted me with its radiance as I opened the drapes of the window and bathed in the magnificent sunlight.

Soon enough, every denizen in Dulum would enjoy this pleasure—so long as I resolved our bankruptcy problem quickly.

'The most efficient way would be to resort to another form of marketing. Maybe I can try selling Magic Items with Runes. If I utilize my knowledge efficiently, I could very well monetize it.'

The problem with that, however, was time.

'It takes time to establish the proper connections with merchants, and also develop a well-organized trading structure...'

There was also the fact that I had to study the market to ensure I didn't run some folks out of business.

Besides, it was nearly winter, and the most essential stuff to sell at this period was food. That was why I really wanted to venture into that trade.

Unfortunately...

"Stop thinking about all that depressing stuff, Sam! Take a walk instead!" I cheered myself up by slapping my cheeks.

'O-ow... why do people do this? It actually hurts.'

Yeah, I probably put too much strength into the slap. Considering how delicate my body currently was, I had to be mindful of my actions.

'My life depends on it!'

I concluded my walk. After freshening up in my nice bathroom, I wore a decent attire and exited my comfortable abode.

"GREETINGS, MASTER!"

As expected, I was greeted by the unanimous voices of my direct subordinates—of course, other than the ones belonging to the settlement.

I awkwardly watched as they bowed their heads in their usual humble greeting. What made me so nervous wasn't the fact that I wasn't used to such treatment.

No, it was a separate matter entirely.

"You may raise your heads." I spoke in my usual, composed tone.

My subordinates promptly obeyed. All five of them raised their heads and looked at me—each having distinct expressions on their faces.

Heshu. Hogun. Adu. Pierrus. Kiko.

All five Demon Generals were kneeling before me, bound as my subordinates thanks to the Slave Contract that existed between us.

Their expressions ranged from indifference, to pure rage. I could easily tell that none of them were exactly happy to serve me—except maybe Hogun?

This kind of vibe made me uncomfortable, because it felt like I was enslaving them against their will—which I was actually doing.

'I'm sorry, you guys. It's either this or death, and I can't waste valuable resources. I'm so sorry.' I apologized to them, inwardly.

What made the situation even more awkward was that each of these Demon Generals was stronger than me.

It was simply by sheer misunderstanding and manipulation that I was able to get them to willfully accept the Slave Contract.

One of then was a particularly tough nut to crack.

'I did kill his father, and there's that mentality he has about Demon superiority...'

However, despite the fact that he kept glaring murderously at me, I was happy to have a gifted demon like him on my team.

He had his uses, after all.

"Rise to your feet. Hmm? Where's Lucy?" I asked them.

"She decided to quickly patrol the area." Hogun replied promptly, going silent after he was done.

An eerie air surrounded us, making the situation even more awkward than before.

"Is that so? Haha..."

All of the Demon Generals usually gave me the cold shoulder, so I was somewhat used to it.

Somewhat…

Even though it had been two weeks since everything went down, they still weren't very fond of me and the people of Dulum.

We were once enemies, after all.

'The only thing that has changed is their situation.' I sighed internally.

I killed their master, as well as their subordinates, and forced them to become traitors to their kind.

I, at the very least, made them keep most of their autonomy—which included their expressions and reactions toward me. Of course, they had to obey my commands, answer me truthfully, and act in the benefit of my interests.

"Alright, then. Let's wait for her. After that, I'd like to supervise the ongoing construction."