Leaning towards the door, Sato tried to reach the door knob but noticed his hand wasn\'t reaching the knob.

He suddenly moved back, a foreshadowed look on his face as he slowly stretched out his hand and a water ball formed.

As Sato examined his reflection in the water hovering in front of him, he couldn\'t help but feel disoriented and confused. 

The sight of his small stature was both bewildering and alarming, leaving him to question how he had become so diminutive. 

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Sato muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he tried to make sense of his situation. 

The water ball in his hand glowed with a faint blue light, casting a pale hue across his face as he pondered his next move.

With a deep breath, Sato focused his mind, trying to recall any knowledge or experience that could explain this bizarre transformation. But no matter how hard he tried, the memories remained elusive, leaving him feeling even more frustrated and anxious.

"I have to find a way to reverse this, can\'t let the rest see me like this." Sato thought to himself, his jaw clenched with determination. "Aril, what is going on here?".

Suddenly, Divanchi woke up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was scattered on her face as she stumbled towards Sato, still half-asleep. "Good morning, master," she said groggily. "Why are you up so early?" 

But as soon as she caught sight of Sato\'s new form, she stopped mid-sentence, her jaw dropping in shock. She blinked a few times, thinking she must still be dreaming. "Master," She said, her voice shaking slightly. "What happened to you?".

"Sshh!" Sato quickly put a finger to his lips to signal Yuri to be quiet, "Don\'t wake the others," he whispered, trying to keep a low profile.

"Ahh, how long was I out?" Yuri woke, sitting up in bed while rubbing her eyes as she tried to make sense of what was going on. She glanced over at Sato and Divanchi, who were frozen in a halted position. 

It took her a moment to realize what had happened, and once she did, she was left speechless, her mouth hanging open in shock as she pointed at Sato, stuttering, "Ma..ma…ma…ma."

Sato let out a sigh, "Yes, it\'s me," he said in a childlike voice, looking down at his small hands. "Something happened, and now I\'m like this, but we have to keep it a secret".

Divanchi couldn\'t help but let out a small chuckle, finding the sight of her master in such a state amusing.

Almost like in a cue, Erza woke up also, "What\'s all the noise about." She said, glancing to the side to see a child standing in the middle of the room, Yuri dumbfounded and Divanchi stiff as a rock.

Erza kept quiet and just stood up from the bed… she then pointed at the baby before she instantly looked up with a flustered look on her face as she screamed, "Don\'t tell me… one of you had a baby with darling!".

Erza\'s voice echoed through the room, causing Sato to take a step back in surprise. Divanchi tried to speak, but all that came out was a stutter as she shook her head frantically.

Yuri was still trying to process the sight before her, but she managed to speak up, "No, no, Erza. It\'s not what you think." She said, trying to keep her voice calm.

Erza\'s expression turned from shock to confusion as she looked at the small figure in front of her, "Then what is it? Why does the baby look so much like darling then?!" she asked, her hand shaking as she pointed at Sato 

Sato finally found his voice, "I\'m Sato. I\'m just… small now." he explained, gesturing to his diminutive form.

Erza\'s eyes widened in surprise as everywhere fell silent but was immediately followed by Erza\'s yell,"Oh God! It can even talk?!" She asked, taking a step away completely stunned by the sight.

Sato\'s face immediately held a deadpan expression, "Why the hell won\'t I be able to talk?" He said, looking up at Erza who was still shaking.

Erza\'s eyes widened in disbelief as her mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. The room fell silent for a moment, punctuated only by the sound of Sato\'s voice.

She fell to her knees, her eyes focused on the ground, she muttered to herself, "They had a child… before… me?"

Just then, a voice was heard from outside the door. "Hey, Jiro, we shouldn\'t just barge in like this?!" A female voice spoke.

"Relax, it\'s fine," Jiro replied.

The door suddenly opened and Jiro was immediately met with the sight of child Sato standing in the middle of the room. He paused, stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

As Daina walked toward the room, she noticed Jiro\'s stunned expression and his gaze fixed on something. "Jiro, what\'s wrong? It looks like you saw a ghost or something," She giggled, trying to lighten the mood. But as she stepped into the room and laid her eyes on Sato, her face went into an instant shock. 

She stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at Sato with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. "it\'s… Lord S..Sato?". 

"Oi!" Deka yelled from outside, when he saw both Jiro and Daina statued in front of Sato\'s room, "How many times have I told you not to sneak inside lord Sato\'s room!".

As Deka approached, he scolded Jiro and Daina for sneaking into Sato\'s room once again. However, he was taken aback when he caught sight of the child version of Sato standing in the middle of the room. It was as if he had been struck by lightning as he stood frozen, staring at the tiny figure before him.

For a few moments, the group was locked in stunned silence, staring at Sato in disbelief. It was difficult to reconcile the image of the powerful and imposing Sato with the small child before them. Finally, Sato spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Okay!!! That\'s enough, feels like you guys are staring a hole in me?!!" He yelled, his voice more high-pitched than usual. The group exchanged glances, unsure of how to answer.

…..

The villagers had gathered in the center of their community, forming a semi-circle around Sato who was seated on a raised platform. 

As he looked out at the faces of those he had sworn to protect, he felt a strange sense of detachment from his former self. He had become a child once more, but with all his memories and knowledge intact.

But since Aril already explained to him why he was the way he was, he felt a bit comfortable knowing it wasn\'t a permanent thing.

<<It\'s a lack of magic energy, the clone you made is still draining a considerable amount of magic essence from your every second, this caused a change in your body.

Although even I am curious to know why the clone is demanding this much magic essence, I\'ve tried speaking to my split self but so far no response>>

Yuri sat on a cushion on the ground, providing a comfortable lap for Sato to sit on. Erza and Divanchi were seated beside him, looking somewhat amused by the spectacle. Deka and Orland stood behind them, looking just as confused as the rest of the villagers.

Sato cleared his throat and began to address the crowd. Despite his childish appearance, his voice was still deep and commanding, and the villagers listened attentively to his every word.

"Apologies for summoning you all on such short notice, especially after the grueling battle we fought yesterday. But I have important news that I must share," Sato began.

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Due to a certain circumstance, I was able to defeat the Demon Lord of Fiona in a one-on-one battle. As a result, I have claimed the title of Demon Lord for myself."

The villagers were stunned, their faces displaying a mixture of shock and awe. A voice finally broke the silence, "Lord Sato...you have become a Demon Lord?"

Sato nodded, "Yes, that is correct. Normally, the changes should have been immediately apparent to all of you, but due to my unconsciousness during the status update, it may take some time for the effects to reflect on everyone."

"So, I want you all to remain calm if one of you suddenly drops to the ground with no warning." Sato said, looking at the mass crowd in front of him.

However, his words were soon put to the test as Gambi, a young elf, abruptly crumpled to the ground, a glowing magic circle appearing beneath him.

The surrounding elves and beastmen recoiled in fear and confusion as the same strange phenomenon began to afflict others in the crowd. One by one, the elves dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as their own magic circles appeared beneath them.

The only individuals unaffected by the mysterious magic were the demons and beast people standing at the fringes of the crowd. Even Erza, Yuri, and Divanchi succumbed to the strange affliction, their prone forms outlined by a pulsing blue magic circle.