《Tensei Maou no Dai Gosan》 Volume 1 - Prologue (I bet there are no high school students in Japan who are as harmless as me¡­) Kengo Inui had always thought that. He was a chicken who enjoyed manga and games as much as anyone else, had no outdoor hobbies, and hated anything scary or painful. Furthermore, he always made sure to visit a shrine to pray to God for ¡®World Peace.¡¯ (Really¡­ Why was a guy like me born into a family like this¡­?) Kengo had always wondered about it. His father was a powerful gang leader (Yakuza) in the Kanto region and his brother was an elite Yankee who was worshipped by the delinquents from the neighbourhood school. (Damn that brother¡­ He was a real pain¡­) Kengo had a problem with him. Although they were identical twins, they were complete opposites in personality. Kengo had always thought that if his brother wanted to be a delinquent, he should dye his hair gold or wear his school uniform like a gang leader so that they could distinguish themselves. Why wouldn¡¯t he dress like a delinquent? He asked him several times, and the answer was always the same. ¡°In a world where the police are so strict, I have no choice but to become an intellectual yakuza like our father. I¡¯ll normally act like a noble businessman, but behind the scenes, I¡¯ll make a mess out of things. It¡¯s my way of life.¡± His brother never hesitated to say such fancy things¡­ Thanks to this, Kengo was mistaken for his brother many times and got into trouble. For example¡­ ¡°Is that you, Inui, who has been acting like a big shot lately?¡± ¡°Show me your face, Aan¡ª.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll beat the s**t out of you.¡± That¡¯s how it was. It got worse during junior high school. He was always on the high school delinquent¡¯s radar. After they both moved to high school, all the delinquents in the neighbourhood became his brother¡¯s followers. The number of times Kengo was troubled decreased, but it was still not zero. The value of his brother¡¯s name in the delinquent world was no joke, and there was no end to the number of idiots who would come all the way from far away to maul him. It was so annoying! Because of this, every time he got mistaken for his brother, he had to use all kinds of verbal tactics to escape. For example¡­ ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll make a name for yourselves by killing me in the dark in an alley like this? Ha¡ª?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a proper duel, shall we? Tonight, at eight o¡¯clock, come to ¡ö¡ö¡Á¡Á. Bring it on! Ha¡ª?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you understand? I and you, tonight one of us is gonna be a legend. Aa¡ª?¡± That was about it¡­ If words didn¡¯t work out, he could end up in a horrible situation, so even in desperate situations, he had to mimic all of his brother¡¯s facial expressions to make his point. Thanks to this, he became good at this kind of petty trick. Of course, even if he got through the moment, he couldn¡¯t relax. Kengo, a lousy chicken, ran and ran and ran. He wanted to graduate from high school, enter a distant university, and part ways with his brother, who pursued a career in the criminal world. He was desperate to do so. That was Kengo¡¯s life plan. It¡¯s how he had planned his life¡ª until this day. ©`Wonbobo! Wonbobo! Wonbobo! Wo-Wo-Wo-Wo-Wo! A bunch of crazy bikers with bikes with modified exhausts surrounded him. ¡ªOndura~Ashya~Assuzo~Ogiru~ru~Matteo~Gorosu~Gorosu~Kamuchi~i! [TN: ¥ª¥ó¥É¥¥¥é¥¡¥·¥ã¥¡¥Ã¥¹¥¾¥©¥®¥ë¥ë¥Þ¥Ã¥Æ¥ª¥´¥í¥¹¥´¥í¥¹¥«¥à¥Á¥£!] It wasn¡¯t even a human language anymore. It was a bunch of delinquents ranting like monkeys, making threats that were no longer understandable. Surrounded by the noise that made his head hurt, Kengo held his head and groaned. (God¡­ Did I do something wrong¡­?) Yet, no amount of lamenting, cursing the heavens, or of course, asking for help would make things better. The usually tranquil riverbed now had a strange, acrid atmosphere. Many delinquents, no less than five hundred, had gathered there. They were split into east and west groups, cursing and threatening each other fiercely. At the center of the east group was Kengo. ¡°Inui-san, I¡¯m sick of them!¡± A delinquent next to Kengo, who pretended to be one of his best followers, was full of excitement. He must have smoked too much paint thinner because he kept ranting and raving with spit flying from his toothless mouth. ¡°The day has finally come for ¡®Kanto Inuikai¡¯ to crush the ¡®Kansai Empire¡¯! Our gang will rule from the entire East and West! The day has come for us, who stood at the bottom, to take the world by a storm! We will be a living legend!¡± (Is this guy high on drugs?) Kengo almost swallowed his words. ¡°M-my bad! I was pulled in out of nowhere, but I understand the situation very well now.¡± He did his best to put up a good front (imitating his brother) and checked the lackeys. ¡°The tyrant of the West wanted to settle things with you, Inui-san! So, I ain¡¯t going to interfere! I want to witness the moment when you become a legend. We aren¡¯t going to let them interfere either! Now everything rests on Inui¡¯s shoulders.¡± ¡°You said, ¡®Tyrant of the West¡¯¡­?¡± In normal circumstances, he would have laughed it off, but he didn¡¯t have the luxury this time. Kengo fearfully glanced at the person who seemed to be the center of the west gang. He was over two meters tall. His muscles were as thick as a rope. Some parts of his body were almost bursting through his uniform from inside. Once he looked behind the tyrant, it was as if he saw a demon there. (Is that a high school student? You¡¯re kidding, right? Yujiro Hanma, you¡¯ve got it all wrong.) [TN: Baki the Grappler reference] Kengo was impatient. A duel with Yujiro Hanma was a synonym for suicide. It was not a joke. ¡°H-hey, listen to me¡­¡± Kengo appealed to the toothless man and the other delinquents around him who seemed to be in his entourage. ¡°¨DWhat I¡¯m about to say may be hard to understand. You may not believe it, but it¡¯s the truth, and if you don¡¯t listen, it will definitely be troublesome.¡± ¡°Yes, Inui-san! we¡¯re listening.¡± ¡°We may not believe in the words of God, but we won¡¯t doubt the words of Inui-san!¡± Kengo patted his chest at the strong response¡­ ¡°Well, listen, I¡¯m actually the twin brother, Kengo. I¡¯m not your leader.¡± ¡°Gahaha. You¡¯re kidding me, Inui-san.¡± ¡°You know what? It¡¯s a nifty way to loosen up before the final battle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing. You¡¯re amazing, Inui-san! So cool.¡± ¡°I thought you never doubted my word!!!¡± Kengo had told the truth, but the delinquents just laughed it off and didn¡¯t care. On the contrary, five or ten of them suddenly grabbed him. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on? Is this some sort of play?¡± Unable to resist being outnumbered, Kengo turned pale and questioned them. ¡°We are doing the same as always, Inui-san!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to send you off, Inui-san!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send you off with everything we¡¯ve got, Inui!¡± ¡± ¡°Rocket dive!¡± ¡± The delinquents raised him up in the air while shouting, ¡°Heave-ho! Heave-ho.¡± Furthermore, they started to head towards the Tyrant of the West. (R-rocket dive? No way¡­) He had a bad feeling about this. As he got lifted helplessly, Kengo turned increasingly pale. Then, his prediction came true. ¡± ¡°Rocket Dive!¡± ¡± Those delinquents threw him at the Tyrant as they shouted once more in celebration. Kengo was thrown, flying¡­ at Yujiro Hanma, the Tyrant of the West¡­ (Ah, I¡¯m doomed) While flapping his arms and legs in the air, Kengo felt like everything was in slow motion. He was enlightened. No matter how hard you polish your words, a bluff remains bluff. It won¡¯t help you in a real crisis. He was made to realize this from the bottom of his heart. And even if he regretted it, it was already too late. He wanted to cry. He struggled and struggled in the air, and no matter what effort he made, it was no longer worth it. He dived like a rocket towards the Tyrant. The Tyrant of the West held his stance with a vicious smile and threw a counterpunch, plunging it into his head. MEGO¡ª [TN: An acronym referring to ¡°My Eyes Glaze Over¡±] And then they heard a low, dull sound of something crushing. It was the sound of Kengo¡¯s skull being crushed by the Tyrant¡¯s blow. Ah, what a tragedy! It was a tragedy. Kengo was mistaken for his Yankee brother, and that was the end of his life. He was just sixteen years old at that time. *** ¡°God!!! I¡ª Did I do something wrong!!!?¡± He woke up with a scream. His whole body was covered in sweat, and his heart was pounding like a bell. At a certain peaceful location under the spring sky, the sunlight poured through the flower garden. He was the only one who looked out of place. He was gasping for air¡­ ¡°Nani~ Were you having one of your usual dreams, Kengo?¡± As he heard a voice, he looked behind. He saw an incredibly beautiful girl sitting beside him on the flower bed. Her eyes were sharp, and her mouth made her look smug as if she was mocking him. Her clothes were fancy, her skirt was short, her thighs exposed, and her top was barely covered by thin clothing, exposing her deep cleavage and well-shaped navel. Despite this, she had a dainty look that makes you might fall in love with her at first sight! Her silky hair made one want to touch it and comb it with their own hands. She had such a great figure, albeit a bit exposing, yet she seemed so delicate that it made you want to hug her. (But I can¡¯t because I¡¯m a good-for-nothing!). She looked especially cute as she swayed her devilish heart-shaped tail. ¡°Lushiko¡­ You were here¡­¡± ¡°I am here. Is it wrong? I was merely watching you sleep and laughing at your stupid face.¡± With that said, she smiled bewitchingly. (Snooping on people¡¯s sleeping faces, she still has the same bad manners.) While mumbling, once he looked at her position, he realized¡­ ¡°Huh? Was I on your lap?¡± ¡°Ha! Haaaaaaa!?¡± When he asked, she immediately shouted a loud cry. ¡°Why would I give you a lap pillow? [Oh, Kengo is here] [Is he taking a nap in the flower garden? He looks so nice] [But it¡¯s a pity he doesn¡¯t have a pillow] [In that case, I¡¯ll give you a lap pillow] [If I could see Kengo¡¯s cute sleeping face, I¡¯d be happy to stay like this forever and ever ] Do you think I was like that? Ba-ka! Baaaaka!¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t imagine that¡­¡± ¡°Keep your fantasies to yourself!¡± And then she continued to mutter something as her ears became completely red. ¡°You¡¯re not being honest. If you were doing it for me, say so, Lushiko. So that I could thank you sincerely.¡± ¡°T-thank me, you say¡­ Ehehe¡­¡± Her mouth curved, different from the scornful smile she had earlier. She seemed genuinely happy. And then, while he was thinking¡­ ¡°¡ªI¡¯m telling you, I didn¡¯t! I don¡¯t need to be thanked by you. In the first place, it doesn¡¯t make me happy at all to be thanked by you.¡± There she goes again¡­ (What¡¯s with that pride?) It was a bit disheartening, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡®Lushiko¡¯ was a nickname he gave her a long time ago. Her full name was ¡®Luciferu-Lucy-Lucifera-Lucifu-Lula-Lunlulu-Lukki-Lucifer VIII.¡¯ Or you could say she was one of the seven great demon generals and the Ruler of Pride. ¡°About that, you¡¯ve been having nightmares, right? You looked so funny when you were screaming. How lame¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been dreaming about my past life. Was that bad?¡± She wiped the sweat from her forehead and pouted. Then Lusiko¡¯s expression turned somber. ¡°Past lives, huh¡­ You said you were a human being in a different world and a student. Was such an absurd thing possible?¡± ¡°I do, in fact, have memories of my previous life, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just an assumption?¡± Lushiko didn¡¯t ask further and laughed it off with a carefree smile. (I don¡¯t want to be called ridiculous by a fantasy creature from a fantasy world, of all places.) While being made to half-listen, he laid down. Then, as he assumed, his head was right on top of Lushiko¡¯s thighs. On the back of his head, he felt the blessings of a girl¡¯s thighs. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t use my lap as a pillow, you pervert.¡± ¡°Pervert? It¡¯s normal for childhood friends to do this. You¡¯re the one whose mind is dirty.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not childhood friends! We¡¯re foster siblings!¡± ¡°They¡¯re both the same thing, right?¡± Even though she complained, in the end, she let him rest on her lap. While arguing with her, Kengo used magic power. With a simple wave of his right index finger, he instantly completed a complex magic formula, exercising the miraculous power known as magic. By refracting light at a point in the air, he created a mirror that reflected his face. His handsome face was completely different from before. It had a trace of Kengo Inui from his past life. Glowing blue flames were raging in his eyes, emanating a strong magical power. His skin colour is so white that it looked even paler than that of Japanese people. It was the face he had just seen. It was still unfamiliar to him, and he couldn¡¯t believe it was him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel strange about his appearance. It had been six years since he was reborn as a demon in a different world called Formirama. ¡°Let me give you a word of advice, Kengo! If you talk about the fantasies of your past life to anyone other than me, it¡¯ll be the end of the road for you, okay?¡± Lushiko, who was still arguing with me, told me so. ¡°If they find out that you were a lame ex-human chicken, the other seven generals will definitely stage a coup d¡¯etat to take your place as the demon king. I¡¯m the only one who overlooks it, so you should be grateful, right?¡± ¡°He¡ªhe. I appreciate it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that attitude? I¡¯m going to tell them about you.¡± ¡°Thank you for the warning! Thank you for keeping it a secret! I¡¯m so lucky to have you as a sister.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you know.¡± Lushiko said with a plain face and slapped Kengo¡¯s forehead on her lap. Just when he thought he had it all figured out, she smiled again. She was truly a girl (demon) whose expression changed frequently. But when such a pretty girl did it, she looked so cute. He cast off the magic mirror and let himself admire Lushiko for a while. But unfortunately, it lasted for a short while. ¡°Well, I¡¯d better get going. It¡¯s time for the meeting.¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t get fooled by the other great demon generals. If you think I¡¯m always going to follow you, you¡¯re mistaken.¡± As he stood up first, Lushiko extended her right hand naturally. The princess of the Lucifer family demanded to help her up. Such an arrogant attitude was so cute when a beautiful girl did it, and it made him chuckle. He took a firm hold of her hand and helped her stand. And they walked side by side through the flower garden. In the spring of clear sky, the noises of winged horses could be heard as the time of their mating season had arrived. At the end of the colourful carpet that appeared to stretch on forever lay the way to the Demon King¡¯s black castle, seemingly eerie. He was no longer Kengo Inui. He was the Demon King Kengo, and with the enormous magic power he possessed, he summoned an entire castle on this plateau. TL: Devxtt ED: Seventails Volume 1 - CH 1 The current Demon King¡¯s Castle is a prestigious structure with a history going back four thousand years. The fifth previous Demon Lord had ordered the castle¡¯s construction, and it was completed during the reign of the next generation Demon Lord. Ever since then, it has been passed down to his great-grandfather, his grandfather, his father, and now to Kengo. It is known as the Demon King¡¯s Old Castle, making one think that the interior was dimly lit and old-fashioned, but it was completely different. It is known that the demon tribe of old preferred such a coldly living environment, but it was now obsolete. The modern generations, starting from a thousand years or more ago, now prefer clean and pristine living spaces. The castle¡¯s inside was lit with magical lights, fresh air was always being circulated in by wind magic, and it was well cleaned. The maids of the demon tribe, gathered from the children of noble families, have been diligently managing the castle. The Imperial Conference Room was in the process of being set up on the top floor. It was a dedicated room where the Demon Lord always held audiences with the seven Great Demon Generals and other important meetings. It was surprisingly small, about 20 tatami mats in size, as a result of Kengo¡¯s great-grandfather¡¯s wish to ¡®close the distance between him and his vassals in terms of space.¡¯ [EN: one standard tatami mat size is 1.8¡Á0.9 metres] The conference desk placed in the middle of the room was unnecessarily large, sturdy, and black, with elaborate openwork carvings made by a highly skilled artisan, reflecting the preferences of the great-grandfather demon king. The Demon Lord¡¯s chair at the head of the table had been one of his prized possessions, made from the bones of an old dragon that he had killed. But in Kengo¡¯s eyes, it was uncomfortable, it looked creepy, and it was the worst thing he had ever seen. As usual, he had to sit on this chair with great reluctance. Of course, he didn¡¯t show his inner thoughts on his expression. If he were to let them out, Lushiko would be right; his subjects would chew him out. In a dignified, demon king manner, Kengo entered the room with as much augustness as he could muster and sat down in his chair. In his previous life, whenever he was in a tight spot, he pretended to be his brother, an elite Yankee, to get out of it. In this life, he had to get by acting as a respectable Demon King at every meeting. (God¡­ Did I do something wrong to anger you¡­?) How many times has he cursed his own strange fate? ¡°I am late. Forgive me for that.¡± Kengo put his cheek on his hand, resting his arm on the chair and declared confidently, arrogantly asking for verbal forgiveness. Except for Lushiko, who had entered the room with him, all the seven Great Demon Generals had arrived first. But the truth was that Kengo had arrived in advance; this was just another dumb stunt to make himself look more powerful and to show off his superiority to his subjects. Lushiko also sat down in her seat, and Kengo once again faced the seven vassals. He tried his best to slouch on his high seat to look down at everyone glaringly. ©¤©¤ The Seven Great Demon Generals. All of them were grand lords with vast territories and generals who led an army. If one traced their blood back to any of the past Demon Kings, they were all prestigious. Of course, they were also very powerful as individuals. Each of them had mastered the secrets of their family¡¯s magic, not to mention their physical abilities and magical powers. It would not be surprising if one of them were to rise up in rebellion and take the Demon King¡¯s throne at any moment. Except for his step-sister, Lushiko, Kengo still hadn¡¯t fully grasped each of their personalities and abilities. It was only half a year ago when Kengo was officially crowned as the Demon King. Ever since then, once or twice a month, he would sit around the conference table with the seven great generals, but that was about the extent of their acquaintance. One of them, a handsomely young boy (who was a demon over a hundred years old), said, ¡°Going to work with Lushiko, as expected of His Majesty the Demon King. Not bad. I¡¯m jealous of you.¡± He said in a flirtatious tone and winked at her affectionately. He was the demon general of ¡®Envy,¡¯ nicknamed Levi-San. Like Lushiko, his real name was actually Leviathan VI something, which was so long that Kengo couldn¡¯t remember it, so he gave him a nickname. Levi-San continued to talk lightly. ¡°Even though the rumour is already widespread in the demon world, no one truly is as beautiful and noble as Lushiko. His Majesty has to be the luckiest man in the demon world because you can take her around so casually. I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha.¡± After wondering how to react as a Demon King, Kengo played it off with a hawkish laugh. On the other hand, there was someone else who couldn¡¯t accept it. It was the demon general ¡®Pride¡¯ Lushiko, whose pride reached so high that she couldn¡¯t help but bite at every word. ¡°I-I-I-I¡¯m just normally working with him!¡° She yelled at Levi-San with a red face, and Levi-San wasn¡¯t happy about it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deny it, do you, Lushiko? It¡¯s a great honour to be able to serve His Majesty Kengo so closely. In fact, it¡¯s the ultimate honour! I¡¯m sure all the women in the demon world envy you. Despite being a man, I can¡¯t help but feel jealous.¡± ¡°N-n-n-no, I¡¯m not honoured or flattered to be around this guy, much less happy about it! It¡¯s a privilege to be able to speak out like that to His Majesty, have him laugh and forgive you? Haaa, we are stepsiblings. I don¡¯t like it. If you had been born later, I wonder if you would have been able to be close as His Majesty is close to me.¡± The two of them continued to argue with each other. (The greater demons are still technically part of the demon tribe, so even if they are one or two generations apart, they would still be the same.) Then, a scolding as sharp as a whip flew. ¡°Lushiko! Levi-San! Stop it, both of you.¡± The owner of the voice was an extremely beautiful woman. She had wrapped her plump, mesmerizing body in a female military uniform and waved her short command whip in a temperamental manner. She was a demon general of ¡®Greed,¡¯ nicknamed Mamoyo. As usual, her real name was Mammon VI Nantara Kanta Launtara, but due to Kengo¡¯s inability to memorize names, it was also shortened. Or rather, the other demon generals all had long names without fail, and Kengo had no choice but to give them all nicknames. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a very creative name. It was actually quite awful of him. He was prepared for her to get angry at him for being a jerk, but she didn¡¯t complain, so he left it at that. Mamoyo cracked her command whip, alternately pointing it at Lushiko and Levi-San. ¡°Because of you, we won¡¯t be able to start the Imperial Conference. It¡¯s disrespectful to keep His Majesty waiting! If you at least have the intelligence of a monkey, you should be ashamed of yourself for proving it. Also, quieten down immediately!¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to tell me what to do!?¡± And now Lushiko, the all-around brawling machine, has turned her attention to Mamoyo. ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question. It¡¯s this ¡®greed¡¯ of mine that won¡¯t stop unless it takes control over the meeting. I must thank His Majesty for allowing me to.¡± Mamoyo just laughed and didn¡¯t care. She was mentally very mature. ¡°And so, my Lord, may I begin the meeting?¡± Mamoyo took charge of the place like a moderator and asked for permission. ¡°Y-yes. I do not mind.¡± Kengo was inwardly frightened but allowed the meeting to begin. ¡°Y-yes. I do not mind.¡± Kengo was inwardly frightened but allowed the meeting to begin. This beautiful woman in military uniform always had a fierce demeanour and keen eyes. If one isn¡¯t careful, they would be easily pressured. When Mamoyo stood up, she bowed respectfully to Kengo, who was seated above her. ¡°First of all, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to His Majesty. Today is an auspicious day for His Highness, Lord Kengo, to finally inherit the goal of world domination, which was on hiatus since the reign of His Majesty, the Emperor. And, of course, the seven great generals, from weakest to strongest, will serve as your hands and feet to ensure that His Majesty¡¯s first battle will be engraved as a great victory¡ªor rather, a glorious one!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡°We are all delighted!¡± Mamoyo bowed deeply once more. Then she raised her upper body and began to explain the situation while waving her command whip. This whip motion also served as a technique to create a three-dimensional image on the desk with magical power. An elaborate and detailed volumetric display emerged; the Demon King¡¯s castle on a flower-covered plateau and a fortress encircling the neighbouring valley. [EN: Not a hologram.] If it were only as an explanatory aid, a simplified drawing would have been fine. It was an example of Mamoyo¡¯s elaborate personality and casually high magic skill. ¡°Our demon army¡¯s operational goal is currently the fall of Fort Krall, which is the frontline base of the Human Race (Strictly speaking, the every-man race) allied forces. Along with the fortress, we will occupy and control the Littoran Valley and begin preparations for the next ¡®Demon King¡¯s Castle Transfer Ceremony.¡¯ The territory of our demon world will be further expanded, and we will take a new step toward world domination.¡± Mamoyo spoke very fast, using a series of unfamiliar terms. Kengo advised, struggling to keep up. ¡°Hmmm¡­ But Momoyo. Do we really have to take down Fort Krell?¡± ¡°My Lord, that is a strange thing to ask. How can we invade the human world (the entire territory of the human race) if we don¡¯t capture the fort?¡± When Mamoyo asked him the opposite question, Kengo asked everyone in the room, ¡°What about, for example, peace¡­?¡± ¡°Impossible, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Outrageous, Your Majesty.¡± It was an instant rejection, a whole barrage of them. Kengo gulped, ¡°Ugh!¡± Mamoyo, on the other hand, continued to look composed. ¡°Needless to say, world domination is a long-cherished desire of our demon race.¡± ¡°U-uh, yes. That goes without saying.¡± ¡°Your Imperial Highness, Lord Kengo, must carry on the will of His Majesty, the Emperor, and the wishes of all his subjects, to lead and control us Seven Great Demon Generals and conquer all the territories of the human race. It is the noble duty of a Demon King.¡± ¡±U-uh, of course. It¡¯s my mission.¡± Kengo¡¯s face scrunched up, but he kept nodding his head in a hawkish manner. (I definitely don¡¯t want to do that.) Naturally, he couldn¡¯t even say such a thing. Much less, ¡°Shut up and listen to my orders!¡± Kengo¡¯s heart was just not strong enough to force him to do this. In fact, as soon as he were to possess such arrogance, his vassals would surely rush to him and ask, ¡°Who the h**l do you think you are, ahh?¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯re a demon king, you¡¯re too much of a p***y, aren¡¯t you, ahh?¡± I¡¯ve had enough. It¡¯s a coup d¡¯etat, ahh?¡± He was such a lousy chicken who was afraid of being accused of treason. (Even if it was just a bunch of monster demon generals, if seven of them were to attack me¡­) (I don¡¯t feel like living anymore just thinking about it!) His breathing became erratic, and his heart heavily pounded. No, maybe his step-sister, Lushiko, will be on his side, but it was still two against six. Impossible. ¡°I must confess; hearing the idea of peace, of all things, makes me question my ears and my knowledge of you.¡± He was glared at again by Mamoyo. Kengo gulped. In addition, the other demon generals also agreed with Mamoyo and consulted with each other in hushed voices, saying, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What does this mean? This isn¡¯t like His Majesty, the Demon King,¡± they continued, discussing in hushed tones and staring dubiously. So, this was what losing a needle in a haystack was like. The gaze of the demon generals looking at Kengo hurt. His palms were sweating unpleasantly, and he was desperately trying to think of words to explain himself. ¡°Of¡­¡± ¡± ¡± ¡± ¡°Of¡­?¡± ¡± ¡± ¡± ¡°Of course, I was just joking! It was my first battle, and perhaps because I was so determined to win, Mamoyo and everyone else appeared to be getting stiff. I thought I¡¯d make a joke as the Demon King to soften you up. Hahahahaha¡­¡± It felt too painful. In his previous life, Kengo had trained himself to be a good talker. Yet in his final days, he failed and was killed. After all, bluffing alone would not help. The distrust that couldn¡¯t be erased had made Kengo, who was reincarnated as a Demon King, lose his temper. (Is this the end of the world? Is a coup d¡¯etat inevitable? A two against six?) He was a lousy chicken who got scared and was nervous inside. So, what were the generals¡¯ responses? ¡°Idiot, you didn¡¯t need to tell me that this was obviously a first-class joke. Right, Kengo-sama?¡± ¡°W-well, that makes sense. It¡¯s all clear to me now.¡± ¡°I had always thought there had to be a catch when His Majesty suddenly started talking nonsense.¡± ¡°Funny is funny, but that means we have to laugh then!¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of your sophisticated sense of humour. I knew it all along, you know?¡± ¡°Gyahhahahahahahaha. My stomach¡¯s gonna burst!¡± ¡°Hmmm, it seems that us generals were unknowingly nervous. And yet you saw through this, and instead of reprimanding us, you gave us a humorous warning¡­ As expected of my Lord. What a nice touch.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe this will be your first battle. You¡¯re so cool!¡± ¡°I agree. We, generals, need to be firm. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so hungry.¡± And yada yada. It turned into an excited group. (P-phewwwwww!) Like a cat having sacrificed eight of its nine lives, Kengo secretly patted his chest. ¡°Now that everyone is relieved, let the meeting continue.¡± He hurriedly changed the subject to avoid any more slip-ups. Then, ¡°This Belhara here has a great plan!¡± One of his subordinates, seated, respectfully bowed to him. He was a middle-aged man with an uncanny face and a very assertive M-shaped mustache. [EN: I think it refers to English mustache.] He might be handsome, but to Kengo, whose sense of beauty was from someone who used to be Japanese, he looked somewhat plain. ¡°Maybe he might be popular with Westerners.¡± He was a demon general in charge of ¡®Sloth¡¯ known as Belphegor VII and nicknamed Belhara. When Kengo scratched his chin to encourage him to speak, he began to offer a torrent of suggestions. ¡°The first thing to do is to demand an exchange of messengers with the allied human forces holed up in Fort Krall. Then, we¡¯ll make it look like we¡¯re ready to talk and cut off the head of the messenger they sent. If you hold up his head in front of the fort, the cowardly ones who see it will tremble and wonder, ¡®After all, there is no choice but death against the Demon King¡¯s army?¡¯ This will be the first measure to knock them from hope to the depths of despair.¡± ¡°¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it kill our own messenger to do such an outrageous thing?¡± ¡°It is an unavoidable loss for victory, Your Majesty. The messenger we will be sending is from the Plague Demon Family. The ignorant human race will be relieved once they kill our messenger, but that¡¯s just the beginning of their nightmare! The plague will spread from the corpse, and the inside of the fort will become a hellscape. This is the second step of the plan.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Kengo was taken aback by the sheer viciousness of the plan proposed by Belhara. (He¡¯s like a demon¡­ A real demon¡­) He was a bit distracted inside. No, actually, the other party was from the demon race. Belhara, on the other hand, seemed to take it as a compliment. ¡°I¡¯m very pleased to receive your compliment!¡± And his eyes shone like a child¡¯s with an elder¡¯s face. The other subordinates were also very impressed. ¡°I see. A two-step plan¡­¡± ¡°As expected of Belhara, the wise general who is said to be the greatest in the demon world. I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s a pretty good plan, huh? I-I¡¯ll give you credit for that!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± IT The plan was greatly received. ¡°I¡¯m a demon master of laziness, and we¡¯re going to win without effort by using any complicated calculation and ingenuity¡ªsuch is the true essence of sloth.¡± And Belhara was getting better and better at it, too, stroking his mustaches. But for Kengo, it was intolerable! He put on his best bluff and rejected Belhara¡¯s offer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, is there something wrong with my plan?¡± Belhara took a turn and looked like he was about to start crying. The fact that he looked dandy made him look even more pathetic. Kengor answered frankly. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many men in the fort will die on our way there. It¡¯s no use.¡± ¡°B-but, as long as we win, no matter how many tens of thousands of human beings die¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Belhara is right¡­¡± ¡°What exactly is the problem, Your Majesty? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­ It¡¯s too much of a mystery¡­¡± Kengo¡¯s words caused his subjects to buzz with confusion. Although no one clearly expressed their dissatisfaction, the meeting had an unsettling atmosphere once again. Depending on Kengo¡¯s response, it could be a rough ride. Hence¡­ (I¡¯m not kidding about the potential massacre! I¡¯m having a nightmare!) But Kengo couldn¡¯t say the words in his mind. If he were to do that, he would lose his authority as the Demon King, and a coup d¡¯etat would follow. The atmosphere was so intense that a bead of sweat ran down Kengo¡¯s forehead. Then, noticing this, Lushiko suggested the group. ¡°Well, well. Just like before, I¡¯m sure Kengo has some ideas. Let¡¯s hear him out until the end.¡± The other generals quietened as if they had been splashed by cold water, saying, ¡°Indeed.¡± Finally, they were in an atmosphere where they could lend an ear. (Nice follow-up, wasn¡¯t it, Kengo? You should be thankful to your step-sister, you know?) The arrogant demon general was confidently showing her proudest face. (¡­ If you¡¯re going to follow up anyway, you could have also helped me on persuading these guys¡­) Kengo took a glance at her. However, the innocence of a beautiful girl¡ªor rather, cuteness is justice¡ª and Lushiko¡¯s cute smug face made him forgive her. In this kind of situation, he would lose if he were to get too agitated. Therefore¡­ (The only way to win them over is for him to do it myself¡­!) In fact, if he were to rely on Lushiko for everything, that would be a loss of authority. He had been successful at talking his way out, but now he was grasping at his last straws and decided to make the most of it. ¡°In the first place, why are we invading the human world?¡± Kengo asked them all, trying his best to make a grave-sounding voice. Then, without giving anyone a chance to respond, he answered himself. ¡°It¡¯s obvious. To get slaves and cattle out of the numerous human races and to obtain living wealth. If all we want to do is conquer an uninhabited wilderness and enjoy ourselves, we can look for a new place across the ocean. But such barrenness is not our intention either, is it?¡± ¡°It is as you say, sir¡­¡± ¡°So let me reiterate. The human race will soon be my property. To injure and kill them would be opposing my authority!¡± ¡°I-I see, I get it now¡­¡± Accepting Kengo¡¯s verbal assent, Belhara sullenly retracted his opinion. ¡°Are the others fine with that? Have you taken my words to heart?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty! His Majesty, Demon King Kengo!¡± ¡°The one and only absolute ruler to whom we, the grand lords of the demon world, bow! We will all do as you command, Your Majesty!¡± ¡±¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± (Phhhhhhhewww! Again¡­!) Having succeeded in persuading them, Kengo secretly patted his chest. ¡°Well, that¡¯s His Majesty for you.¡° ¡°Deeply thoughtful¡­¡± ¡°I mistakenly believed that the more people you kill, the greater you are¡­¡± He did his best not to hear the noise. ¡°Now¡­ Belhara¡¯s wisdom and ingenuity were brilliant, but there was a discrepancy in terms of the preconditions. So, in light of what I¡¯ve said, does anyone have any new ideas?¡± To change the subject quickly, he actively consulted with everyone. The lousy chicken who never forgot to follow up made sure Belhara didn¡¯t get too sad. ¡°Then listen to your mistress¡¯s plan, Your Majesty.¡± Another subordinate raised her hand in a very graceful manner. She looked like a cute little girl of about ten years old. However, she was the oldest among them, over two hundred years old. Her tribe was considered a full-fledged member of the demon race at the age of fifteen, the age when there was a tendency for their appearance to get stuck at. It meant that no matter how old she got, she would always have the appearance of a child until the day she died. ¡°Let¡¯s follow your will and capture that fort without killing a single man.¡± ¡°Kusu kusu, kusu kusu.¡± She had a demonic smile on her young face. She was wearing an incendiary dress with a large chest opening, similar to a prostitute, and her collar, which was just barely hanging onto her shoulders, made one wonder when it would slip off. She was Asmodeus VII, the demon general of ¡°Lust,¡± nicknamed Asumi. ¡°H-hou. I¡¯d love to hear about it.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± When Kengo asked, Asumi smiled wickedly and said with pride. ¡°Soldiers are the ones who leave their wives and girlfriends at home and are always short of women at the front. So, let¡¯s line up some s***s in front of the fort and seduce them by shaking their asses. We can be sure that the soldiers will open the gates and suck up to them. If we keep them alive but don¡¯t kill them, we¡¯ll have no trouble taking down the fort.¡± ¡°H-hou! I see what you mean!¡± Kengo, a virgin in both his previous and current life, was flabbergasted by Asumi¡¯s plan, and while his cheeks and crotch heated up, he could not help but think about what she was saying. In fact, the demon generals seemed to approve of it too. ¡°This is a great idea. I¡¯m jealous. Asumi¡¯s plan will ensure that no one dies and that His Majesty¡¯s wishes are met.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the soldiers welcome the chance to get to know a succubus?¡± ¡±It¡¯s a win-win situation. It¡¯s flawless.¡± (Okay, let¡¯s adopt it.) After seeing the reaction of his subjects, Kengo made up his mind. But then, just as he was about to do so. ¡°W-wait a minute, everyone. There is a fatal pitfall in Asumi¡¯s plan!¡± The demon general sitting next to Asumi raised his hand gingerly. He was a beautiful, blushing boy of middle school age, if only in appearance. He is also the third-youngest (though still in his forties), after Kengo and Lushiko. He himself, perhaps feeling a sense of inferiority as a young boy, was always in a frightened state of mind, smiling softly and amiably as if pandering to those around him and was very reserved in his opinions. It was the first time he had said anything about it today, and he seemed to have raised her hand. ¡°If Asumi¡¯s idea is adopted, we¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡± However, it made Asumi unhappy, and she reacted, ¡°What is it? You¡¯re a young lad, and you want to criticize this mistress¡¯s clever idea?¡± He was being pecked on the head with a fan she had taken out of her buxom bosom. ¡°Ouch, that hurts. P-please don¡¯t do that, Asumi. I¡¯ll get angry. If you don¡¯t stop it, I¡¯m going to get really angry, okay?¡± But the boy demon general (in his forties) just got teary-eyed and didn¡¯t do what he claimed. It was not like he was weak. It was just unimaginable doing that. He was Satan IX, the demon general in charge of ¡°Wrath¡± nicknamed Sato. ¡°Wait a minute, Asumi. Let¡¯s hear what Sato has to say.¡± Kengo interceded, somewhat in a brotherly manner. Of the seven great demon generals, he wasn¡¯t afraid of Sato, along with the good-natured Lushiko. In fact, in a situation like the current one, he even felt that he had to take the initiative in protecting him from other demon generals. Although they hadn¡¯t known each other very long, he considered Sato like his brother. ¡°Hmph! Your life got saved, Sato.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you so much, Kengo-sama.¡± Asumi pulled back her fan, and Sato looked at Kengo with eyes filled with emotion. ¡°Good, good. Come on, talk to us.¡± ¡°Y-yes. Well, you see, once a human man has had s*x with a succubus, his body can no longer get it up with human women.¡± ¡°¡­ Seriously?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Fufu, what¡¯s wrong with that? I didn¡¯t think you would pity the soldiers of the human race, Sato. That¡¯s surprisingly kind of you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch. Please don¡¯t use the fan, Asumi. Please don¡¯t make me too angry. Did you even hear what Kengo-sama said? Even the soldiers will become Kengo-sama¡¯s property! What is the value of livestock that has been effectively castrated?¡± ¡°Mmm. Mmm. So that¡¯s the pitfall of the mistress¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°What do you think, Kengo-sama?¡± ¡°Ahhhh! I-I see! Well pointed out, Sato!¡± ¡°Y-yes. It¡¯s for Kengo-sama¡¯s sake!¡± Sado is delighted by the praise. Kengo, on the other hand, was covered in a cold sweat as he continued, ¡°Oh, that was close¡­¡± It must be a living h**l for a man to think that he will never be able to have ¡°???¡± again in his life (The impression of a virgin, having lived 16 + 16 years), and if such a thing were to happen, he would experience have nightmares with regret, a living nightmare. (The seven great generals, they¡¯re really demons¡­ They¡¯re devils¡­) They always tried to do evil things as if they were breathing. As if there was no room for error. (I don¡¯t know¡­ No matter whose idea we adopt at this point, the results will be awful, won¡¯t they?) Kengo had been completely caught up in his doubts and fears. In the meantime, ¡­ ¡°Your Majesty, the Demon Lord! This Belhara got a better idea!¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous that only Sato gets praised. What about leaving this to me?¡± ¡°No, My Majesty. You already know that these guys are as unreliable as they come. By all means, send this petty officer. Allow this greedy little office to monopolize your favour!¡± ¡°No, no, no. Your mistress will do well and let Our Majesty reward her with a night of mercy.¡± ¡°If you ask for it, should I help?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± The seven great generals raised their hands one after the other. ¡®Let me do it! Let me do it! I want to help you! I want to help you!¡¯ They were like puppies with sparkling eyes, appealing to him. (Kuh¡­ This is what makes these guys so hard to hate¡­) Kengo¡¯s face tightened. He was almost tempted to give in to his feelings, but he had to be vigilant. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he could end up with a hellish scene in Fort Krall, just like Belhara¡¯s original plan or Asumi¡¯s plan. (Who to choose, that is the question¡­) Kengo¡¯s gaze wandered between the faces of the seven generals. He didn¡¯t want to nominate anyone, but if he didn¡¯t, the matter wouldn¡¯t be settled. (Which one of you¡­? Who would take the fort peacefully?) Agony and contemplation. At the end of the day, Kengo¡¯s eyes fell on one person. He was raising his hand half-heartedly, hidden from the others who were making a desperate appeal¡ªto Sato. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Eh, you don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s me?¡± Perhaps he didn¡¯t expect to be chosen, but Sato¡¯s innocent face showed a hint of surprise. ¡°Yes, you will be the one! Rather, you are the only one!!¡± Kengo assured him with certainty. Sato would have understood his true intentions very well, as he had pointed out the flaws in Asumi¡¯s plan earlier. (He doesn¡¯t like someone who could even kill a bug.) (He would surely conquer the fort moderately and peacefully without any casualties. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think it¡¯s a great decision. I even feel like humming.) Standing up from his seat, he held out his hands and declared. ¡°Sato! I hope you can accomplish the task of capturing the fort with minimal casualties!¡± ¡°Yes, sir. As you wish, Kengo-sama.¡± Sado gave a carefree smile as if he was happy to be assigned to the project. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous of you, Sato!¡± ¡°I¡¯m too young to know better¡­¡± ¡°It is unavoidable. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the result of His Majesty¡¯s deep thoughtfulness, which even this Belhara can¡¯t match.¡± ¡°But what is frustrating is frustrating.¡± ¡°I can definitely do it better than him. Kengo¡¯s an idiot!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± And while the other demon generals were looking at him with envy. ¡°I¡¯ll have good news for you soon, so until then, please relax!¡± Sado went off to war with joy. Kengo, too, looked over at his excited little back. (Hahaha. I thought of you as my little brother¡­ Before I knew it, you¡¯ve become completely dependable.) He felt like he was riding on a big ship. At that time, he was still¡­ Volume 1 - CH 2.1 Translated by: Riciel The Imperial Conference Room. After leaving his position, Sato hurried down the hallway. The sound of his footsteps tapping on the stone pavement changed with each step. He went from a tentative, somewhat weak gait to a sharp, clacking stride. Similarly, his expression also changed since leaving the conference room. The further he got away from it, the more it changed. The soft, flattering, amiable smile disappeared as if it was peeling off, and a cruel, heartless, terrible face peeked out from underneath. The fact that he had the appearance of an adorable boy made the cruel appearance stand out even more. ¡°Who is there?¡± The tone of voice in which he asked the question was also chilling. It was as if the one that had been before Kengo and the others was a substitute. ¡°By your side, Your Excellency.¡± Sudo¡¯s entourage emerged from the shadows as he strode down the corridor. It had a humanoid shape but with a black goat head and a pair of black wings on its back. It was a big demon that shared features of both sexes. ¡°Prepare to go into battle. Immediately.¡± Sato, without looking back or stopping his steps, ruthlessly ordered. ¡°The army has already been organized and set up in front of the castle. All we need is Your Excellency¡¯s orders.¡± The entourage responded reverentially as it glided along after him. ¡°Hou? You¡¯re quite good at what you do.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency. Since you are the one His Majesty the Demon King¡¯s trusted and favoured one, I knew that you would definitely be assigned the role, so I prepared for it even though it might be presumptuous.¡± ¡°Kengo-sama¡¯s trust and favour, huh¡­ Haha, does it look like it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the way His Majesty the Demon King looks at you is similar to an older brother looking at a younger brother.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I see¡­ I see¡­¡± Sato smiled, one that he rarely showed in front of his subordinates, and repeated again, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°To think that Kengo-sama cares for me so much! What a lucky man I am!¡± He felt ecstatic! ¡°Aah, Kengo-sama! I¡¯m the one who should stand up to you, your Majesty the Demon King! Absolute is what defines you! The mightiness of the magical power within you¡­!¡± ¡°The strength! The beauty! Every time I see it, I can¡¯t help but be elated! What eye candy you are!¡± Sato, with an intoxicated face, praised Kengo to the limits. His entourage, too, was not dismayed by the news; he simply gave a sincere and humble response. After a few moments of intoxication, Sato¡¯s expression changed again. It became a cruel, cold-hearted demon general¡¯s face. ¡°You know that, don¡¯t you? I will not betray Kengo-sama¡¯s trust. You get that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind even at the cost of my life, my liege.¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll teleport then. Follow me.¡± Sato¡¯s figure, who was strutting down the corridor, suddenly disappeared. A moment later, he appeared outside of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Teleport. It was a very high level of magic, but someone as great as Sato hardly needed to go through any magical procedures such as chanting spells or moulding magic power. His entourage also completed the instantaneous movement with a slight delay and followed immediately after. In front of them, the 66,600 warriors of Satan¡¯s army had lined up in an orderly formation. They waited for Sato¡¯s visit without a whisper. It was truly a spectacular view. The senior demon clan member in charge of the order shouted hoarsely to let all the troops know that their lord had arrived. ¡°His Excellency, the Ruler and General of the Grand Duchy of Satarnia. The devil among devils, the adversary of the Celestials, the Red Dragon King, Saara Sataana Sadisuto Satan Sasan Satouuda Sassan Satan-sama, has arrived!¡± In response, Sato nodded his head and said harshly, ¡°Die.¡± That command was not just a simple order but a kind of curse that contained Sato¡¯s enormous magical power. The commander¡¯s forehead immediately lit up with ¡®666.¡¯ Miasma appeared next, and then- ¡°With pleasure!¡± The senior, with the look of a drug addict, committed suicide. A chilling feeling of dread spread through the 66,600 soldiers. A painful silence fills the room. But Sato, without regard for the corpse of his commander or his awed troops, asked a question to no one in a ruthless tone. ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡± ¡°Your excellency, you are our liege, Lord Sato.¡± It was the black goat-headed aide who quickly and respectfully replied. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Sato. It¡¯s the name my cousin Kengo-sama gave me personally, you know? It¡¯s the proud nickname that he gave to me. I will not allow you to call me by any other name.¡± ¡°I will notify all of your soldiers to ensure that this won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°Do it then.¡± Sato ordered in a lifeless voice and began to march forward unrestrainedly. He strode toward the 66,600 soldiers as if he were walking through a deserted field. In fact, the soldiers, in awe and reverence, parted and opened a path in front of Sato as if fleeing for their lives. Sato didn¡¯t give a second thought to these loyal soldiers and just accepted it as something natural. Then, he and his entourage entered the large tent that had been was pitched in the center of the camp. Here was the central banner¡ªthe military command center. While the high-ranking military officials were standing upright and unmoving, Sato sat down alone at the end of the military council desk. Without any greeting or preamble, he unilaterally told the staff members. ¡°Without the blessings of His Majesty, a fortress holed up by a tribe of humans could be easily captured by me alone.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. That is correct, Lord Sato.¡± ¡°But this time, I have Kengo-sama¡¯s decree. So, I must show him good results.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. You definitely will, Lord Sato.¡± ¡°You guys only need to surround the fort. I¡¯ll do the rest, so don¡¯t mess with me. Just don¡¯t let any ants escape.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. We have received your orders, Lord Sato.¡± Sato¡¯s orders were simply parroted by the high-ranked lieutenants. It couldn¡¯t even be called a military conference. (But this is the way I want my army to be.) With his hand holding his cheek and his elbow on the chair¡¯s armrest, he calmly declared that he did not care about any of the people in the room. The same was true for stones on the roadside. He watched blankly as the senior demons left through the curtains to deliver the orders to the entire army. Then, two demons, the cooks, showed up to replace them. ¡°Until the siege is complete, please enjoy your meal, Lord Sato.¡± ¡°I know this is a coarse meal, but as you are in the middle of battle, please forgive us, Lord Sato.¡± They quickly put the plates in front of the desk and serve them. Without a word of thanks, Sato carelessly spooned the soup and brought it to his mouth. And¡ª ¡°Too warm.¡± Sato spat in a chilling voice that felt like absolute zero. He splashed the entire plate of soup off the desk. ¡°What!? Eh!? However, as per your preference, we made sure it was perfectly warm¡­¡± ¡°Did we make a mistake!?¡± ¡°Silence. It¡¯s 0.4¡ã C warmer than usual. It¡¯s too warm.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s just the margin of error¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. Die.¡± ¡°¡°With pleasure!¡±¡± Under Sato¡¯s curse, the cooks got marked with ¡®666¡¯ on their foreheads. The number started to float, and they committed suicide. A creepy, pale air drifted through the tent. The high-ranked and well-known demons in the crowd were sweating and pretended not to see the scene. Sato glared at them. ¡°Not enough tension. While I¡¯ve been visiting Kengo-sama for a while, weren¡¯t you guys completely relaxed?¡± ¡°My lord. It will never happen again, Lord Sato.¡± ¡°Hmm, I hope so.¡± Sato waved his hand as a signal for them to clear the plates and then told them sternly. ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off too much, okay?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He was a general of the demon world that had a tendency to easily lose his temper and was quick to kill his subjects over the slightest mistake. No one in the whole of the demon world did not know this. Yes, except for one, the unknowing demon king. Volume 1 - CH 2.2 Translated by Riciel ¡°Oh, it¡¯s starting.¡± The Demon King Kengo leaned forward from his chair made of dragon bones happily and cheerfully. He remained with the other six generals in the Imperial Conference Room. They were all planning to watch Sato¡¯s work. The Ruler of Greed, a beautiful woman wrapped in a military uniform, waved her command whip lightly and cast her magic. Using an elaborate combination of detection and illusion magic, she projected an overhead image of the battlefield across the conference desk. (It¡¯s always a TV broadcast, isn¡¯t it?) Kengo thought of this, but of course, he didn¡¯t dare divulge anything about his human life. In the image at which seven pairs of eyes looked, the 66,600 soldiers of Satan¡¯s army moved in unison could be seen. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re quite beautifully aligned.¡± ¡°He¡¯s showing us his leadership and organizational skills, isn¡¯t he? Your Majesty is watching, so Sato seems to be rather excited.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re indeed a well-trained army under Sato¡¯s tutelage, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°Mmm. Those soldiers, I want them in my Mammon army.¡± ¡°Well, well! My Lucifer army is more awesome than his!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± Satan¡¯s army encircled Fort Krall while the demon generals were casually commenting on them. ¡°Oh, an excellent siege. This is what it means to not let a single ant escape.¡± ¡°But he hasn¡¯t started attacking at all. Pathetic! I knew that my Lucifer army was better than his!¡± ¡°Kahaha. I¡¯m sure Sato¡¯s up to some pretty nasty stuff.¡± ¡°And he gets to keep all of His Majesty¡¯s favours for yourself! I¡¯m so jealous of him.¡± While the demon generals said whatever they wanted, Kengo looked expectantly at the battlefield. In fact, the siege laid out by Satan¡¯s army was supposed to be putting pressure on them. After all, each and every one of the soldiers was a demon. It wasn¡¯t just tough-looking guys, but guys with lion heads, guys whose necks were covered with poisonous snakes, and many other scary guys. They weren¡¯t just muscular, but some were also over three or five meters tall. (If I were on the human side, I¡¯d raise the white flag within a second¡­) He wondered if it would happen, or if they¡¯d at least try to make peace, so he observed the reflection of the human allied forces on the conference desk. But, ¡°Kill the Demon King!¡± ¡°Show them the power of our will, the dignity of the human race!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready to kill one person at a time and a hundred people before I die!¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t give up our lives now, then when will we!?¡± ¡°Kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them¡­¡± The allied forces members were in high spirits like lunatics who had fallen in love with a dangerous religion. Kengo became stupified. (In this world, demons and humans are both the same¡­) Even if he could convince his subjects, this would still be no way to make peace like this. In his mind, he was on his last legs. (In this situation, Sato, you¡¯re our only hope. At least keep it civil¡­ civil¡­) Kengo watched the footage as if he was praying. Finally, Sato appeared on the battlefield. Using his flying magic, he descended from the clouds alone as if he were a true warrior and stayed in the sky above the fort. From there, he faced the holed-up human army and announced. ¡°O¡¯ foolish and pitiful human race! You are no better than the worms of the earth. My name is Sato. I am a vassal of His Majesty the Demon King Kengo.¡± The demon in the form of a young boy looked down on the allied human forces in the fort as if they were insects in a cruel tone of voice. (Hmm?) The gap between him and the Sato that Kengo knew was so large that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°Who is this guy?¡± He cocked his head in confusion. Unaware of his concern, Sato continued in the broadcast. ¡°Humans. I will only say this once, so listen carefully! The merciful Lord Kengo has granted you the honour of being kept as slaves. You were originally destined for death, but now you are being cared for like cattle. Weep with joy! Be grateful! Let us fill the sky with our gratitude to Lord Kengo!¡± (Hmmm?) Isn¡¯t there something wrong with the broadcast? And Kengo cocked his head more and more. ¡°Now choose¡­ Become livestock or death! I will say, however, that I¡¯m not very patient.¡± Sato declared and began to chant a spell. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± ¡°Sato is finally getting serious.¡± ¡°You should have been going all out from the start!¡± The other generals were also in an uproar. Demons at their level didn¡¯t need to make such extensive preparations to use magic. In other words, it meant that Sato was preparing for a large magic spell. In fact, a large amount of magical power was suddenly blowing around Sato, gradually increasing and becoming thick miasma. The aftereffects were even transmitted through the images to the Imperial Conference Room. It was enough to make Kengo¡¯s skin crawl. (Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn???) Kengo was already twisting his neck so much it was starting to hurt. ¡°I-is this really local footage¡­? Has Mamoyo tampered with something to process and modify it?¡± ¡°This is outrageous, My Lord! Daring to show you a false image is worthy of death! I, Mamoyo, swear to you that I will never commit such impertinence!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I mean, there¡¯s no way any such trickery could fool us.¡± ¡°Mm. This mistress agrees.¡± ¡°Something like that wouldn¡¯t fool our eyes.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± (W-well, that¡¯s true. Well, actually, there¡¯s nothing wrong with the way my eyes see it¡­) It¡¯s just that he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when seeing it on the screen. ¡°But isn¡¯t there something wrong with this Sato? Isn¡¯t that too different from the usual Sato?¡± ¡°Hahaha. How funny, Your Majesty, Kengo.¡± ¡°For all intents and purposes, it¡¯s the same old Sato, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Nah. You¡¯re still as sharp as ever. I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t find your play funny. Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Once again, the demon generals denied him everything, and Kengo was flummoxed inside. (What part of this is my lovely Satooooo!?) He widened his eyes and stared at the image, at the ruthless profile of Sato as he continued to chant. And then¡­ Sato¡¯s large-scale magic was complete. A sphere that apparently made out of darkness suddenly appeared and covered the fort. The scope of the magic was tremendous. It was as if it could encompass a large fort with thousands of people inside. It was tactical-grade magic, as Mamoyo categorized it. (What¡¯s going on!? What¡¯s going on inside!?) Kengo examined the inside of the fort with a gaze that penetrated the dome of darkness. He was appalled. The soldiers of the human army were running around left and right from the sudden appearance of the jet-black dome. To them, the sun suddenly disappeared, and they got trapped in a world without light. It was as if the apocalypse had come. They were desperately searching for light, stumbling here and there, kicking things around, and grasping for any light source. All of this panic was unfolding at a dizzying pace, as if on super fast forward. The generals, who were also watching, were all excited at once. ¡°I see. That has to be the secret arts of the Satan family!¡± ¡°That Sato guy. He¡¯s manipulating time inside the fort, accelerating it by tens of thousands of times!¡± ¡°What exactly do you mean by that!? Please explain it to me so I can understand.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Inside that dome, the flow of time has become terribly fast due to Sato¡¯s secret technique. At a rough estimate, a day will have passed before we count to ten.¡± ¡°What happens then!?¡± ¡°Only inside the fort, months and years will pass before we know it.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll starve,¡± replied the lazy, middle-aged dandy with an M-shaped mustache. The Demon General of Sloth assured him as he squeezed his magnificent mustache. As if to pay a grudging tribute to Sato¡¯s vicious maneuver, he explained. ¡°Tens of thousands of soldiers are currently besieged in that fort. After a year or two in that condition, no matter how much food they have stockpiled, they will run out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rationing frenzy. Or¡­ let¡¯s call it a ¡®super-fast ration consumption of troops.¡¯ Soon, the human army would be forced to surrender. Normally, it would take months or even years to get them to raise the white flag, but Sato has shortened it by using the secret art of manipulating time.¡± ¡°Oh god¡­ How terrible¡­¡± Kengo lost his voice and could only mutter. It was an unbelievable strategy. However, it was a big hit with the demon generals. ¡°I see! Sato, you¡¯ve thought of everything.¡± ¡°So, this way, we can get the humans to surrender the castle without bloodshed.¡± ¡°Tick-shaw! He¡¯s so clever!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous. Don¡¯t be jealous, Levi-San.¡± ¡°Yes! So cunning and shallow! But I would have been smarter than that!¡± ¡°Wipe your tears, Lushiko.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± The demon generals were already in a winning mood and were making a lot of noise. Meanwhile, Kengo was having none of it. ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± The images of the site spread across the desk in front of him¡ªthe horrific conditions inside the fort¡ª making his mind spin around. In the meantime, months and days passed at a frightening pace inside the fort, and the soldiers were losing weight at an alarming rate. The bodies of the well-trained, strong men transformed into nothing but skin and bones. Their eye sockets hollowed out, and their soulless eyes showed that their energy and spirit had been consumed by starvation. They were no longer strong enough to stand. They threw out their spears and sat down here and there in the fort, a scene of such devastation that it made Kengo feel uncomfortable to watch. Despite this, the allied forces did not raise the white flag. They refused to do it. Or maybe they had already lost the ability to make any proper decisions¡­ (What? That¡¯s not good¡­ This is seriously not good¡­) Kengo groaned as he held his head. Memories of his previous life came flooding back. People said that extreme hunger robbed people of their ability to think straight. Back then, Kengo became interested in the book and went to the library to read about ¡®Killing by Starvation in Tottori¡¯ and ¡®The Siege of Leningrad.¡¯ If they continued to stand by and watch, the fort would eventually be covered with the bodies of the starving dead, or there would be a scourge of people eating one another. As Sato had planned, would they indeed raise the white flag before that happened, or not? Honestly, he couldn¡¯t watch it anymore! ¡°Ooohhhh¡­¡± Kengo growled. He plopped down on the conference desk and continued to groan with his head in his hands. He had forgotten all about acting like a demon king and has returned to his true self. Seeing their true nature, the demon generals¡­ ¡°O-oi¡­¡± ¡°You seem to be terribly angry, your Majesty.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you¡­?¡± ¡°Did Sato do something to you?¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s a brilliant move that I¡¯m jealous of¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± They were all uncomfortably discussing with each other, looking in wonder at Kengo, who looked like he was slouching on his desk. He held his head, shrunk down, and said weakly. ¡°Mmm, mmm.¡± The way he continued to groan, no one would believe he was a demon king. He looked like a helpless demon being. However, in the eyes of the demon generals, they could see it clearly. At first glance, Kengo seemed to be trembling like a fawn, but in fact, a great deal of magical power was pouring out of his body. The aura emitted from the Demon Lord¡¯s body blazed brilliantly like a glowing blue flame, spewing forth like a pillar of fire that pierced the heavens, raging furiously and ferociously. It was a scene that even the generals couldn¡¯t help but shudder. EN: Killing by Starvation in Tottori ¨C A tragedy that took place at Tottori castle in the 16th century where many people died from hunger as a result of starvation tactics employed by the warlord Hashiba Hideyoshi in fighting the castle. Siege of Leningrad ¨C A prolonged military blockage (2.5 years) undertaken by the N**i against the Soviet city of Leningrad where they blockaded the city and cut all lines of resupply, causing massive casualties due to destruction and starvation. There were records of cannibalism occurring during such event. Volume 1 - CH 2.3 Translated by: Riciel ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen His Majesty¡¯s magical power go wild like this¡­¡± ¡°To begin with, it¡¯s the first time this little general sees such a huge and such a ferocious magical power¡­¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s as if a glimpse of my Lord¡¯s magical power is searing my skin¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m jealous or anything¡­¡± ¡°Oh, the horror¡­¡± Everyone was completely terrified. The only exception was the step-sister, Lushiko. (It¡¯s true that if you didn¡¯t know that Kengo is actually a lousy chicken, you¡¯d be pressured by his magical power.) It was common for those who possessed great magical power to leak slivers of it from their bodies. The same went for Kengo and all of the Seven Great Demon Generals. Hence, the eye was useful when estimating how much magical power another party had by just looking closely at them and observing these glimpses. [EN: By eye, it refers to a sort of skill or talent that lets them see magical power.] Kengo was indeed a Demon King, born with tremendous magical power. Moreover, any that leaked out of his body¡ªas part of his tearful efforts to act like a proper Demon King¡ª was wonderfully controlled. It caused Kengo¡¯s entire body to be without any gaps or disruptions, and it coloured him with a divine aura. It was the reason why the other demon generals, except for Lushiko, had a strong respect for Kengo despite the fact that they had only known him for a short time. It was because they could see that beautiful form of a glimpse of his extraordinary magical power in their eyes. Due to that, they measured his magical power and strength as being off the charts. And now¡­ Kengo, who no longer acted like a Demon King, was also unable to control his magical power. He let it get out of control, representing his mental state. To Lushiko, who knew he was a lousy chicken, every time the blue pillar of fire-like glimpse of his magical power shook violently from side to side, it looked as if Kengo himself was writhing and shaking his head. However, for the generals who didn¡¯t know the Demon King¡¯s true nature, Kengo¡¯s magical power, which was no longer just a sliver, was leaking out. ¡°So much¡­¡± They were overwhelmed, and they believed that his outburst seemed to be a sign of rage. ¡°Y-your Majesty¡¯s anger won¡¯t abate at all¡­¡± ¡°If this keeps up, that Sato guy is really going to purged, won¡¯t he?¡± ¡°You are naive, Levi-San. How can you be so sure that the Lord¡¯s anger will not redirect at the mistress?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to rain blood in the Imperial Council!¡± Kengo laid down, not even looking up, and sighed. It was a long, deep sigh of despair. But Levi-San and the others must have taken it as a sigh of disappointment. The blood drained from their faces. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to go to Sato now and tell him to hurry up and cancel the magic.¡± ¡°The caster himself should be able to do it in fifteen minutes.¡± ¡°¡­ What? ¡­ Does it take that long?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s fixed as quickly as possible!¡± ¡°¡­ How fast?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve seen that it took Sato some preparation to perfect that tactical grade magic, My Lord.¡± ¡°Then it would normally take the same amount of time to cancel the magic.¡± ¡°¡­ Normal? ¡­ Is that normal? ¡­ I see.¡± It had been 16 years since Kengo was born as a Demon King. He knew the basics of magic and had common sense without needing to be taught. The only thing was that since he wasn¡¯t as good as the Seven Great Generals, he asked them in hopes that there might be another user knowing the secret to annul that magic. And that hope faded away. As a result, Kengo announced¡­ ¡°¡­ So, I guess I¡¯ll have to do it by myself.¡± He said in a mosquito-like voice. When he finally lifted his face from the desk, it was half-crying. The way he lifted his hips from the chair and stood up unsteadily was as unreliable as a ghost. It was the attitude of a lousy chicken that Lushiko knew well. But when Mamoyo and the others, who didn¡¯t know his true nature, saw Kengou suddenly stand up and behave in an eerie way, untypical of a Demon King, as well as the glimpse of his magical power that hadn¡¯t stopped running wild, they reacted. ¡°Hiih¡ª!¡± ¡°P-please forgive us useless generals, Your Majesty! ¡°I don¡¯t want to be purged!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t let it rain blood¡­!¡± It was a scene that had made any demon general drastically sit up or fall back in their chairs. Only one of them, Lushiko, smiled wryly at her step-brother, ¡°Are you confident that you can lift the magic?¡± ¡°¡­ I have no idea¡­ I also had no idea Sato was such a great caster.¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯d better get yourself together. You¡¯re a slacker, unlike me!¡± She encouraged him in a not-so-nice way. Whether he got the message or not, Kengo¡¯s face broke into a wry smile, and he leapt. He teleported and removed his shameful appearance from the Imperial Conference Room. (But that¡¯s Kengo for you.) Lushiko looked away from her step-brother with a fearless smile on her face. Unlike Kengo, who was unsure of himself to any extent, she was confident in him. A lousy chicken had its own beauty. Lushiko knew this better than Kengo himself. She had been standing next to him for a long time, watching her step-brother. And even now, she was next to Kengo all this time because he admired him for his beauty. Meanwhile, Levi-San and the others were relieved of the pressure of a raging Demon King¡¯s magical power and patted their chests. In addition, they all faced each other. ¡°B-but no matter how great he is, no matter how jealous I am¡­¡± ¡°Is it really possible to undo the secret magic of the Satan family?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to even say it, but no past Demon Lords could do so. That¡¯s how I see it.¡± ¡°Mmmm, Mamoyo is right.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± They looked at the projected images on the conference desk, voicing her concerns. The sight of Kengo, who has moved to stand beside Sato, could be seen by their eyes. Only Lushiko was still feeling like she was riding on a big boat. (You guys can watch it all you want. He¡¯s going to show you what a Demon Lord is capable of ?) (¡­ God¡­ Did I do something wrong?) Kengo couldn¡¯t help but curse his fate, his misfortune, and the heavens. It¡¯s been 16 years since he reincarnated as a joke of a Demon King, and he couldn¡¯t remember how many times he has lamented the same phrase over and over in his mind. But at the same time, he thought. (Did I do something wrong¡­? I did¡­ I did, didn¡¯t I? This time¡­ It was Sato who did it, but it was me who chose him.) He had to clean up the mess he caused. If he couldn¡¯t rely on anyone else, then he had to do it himself. No matter how difficult it was, no matter how unsure he was, he had to do it. (¡­ I¡¯d run away from this if I could, wouldn¡¯t I¡­? I¡¯d pretend I didn¡¯t see it¡­) But Kengo was not so stupid or insensitive as to be indifferent to his responsibilities. In fact, he was the type of person to be forever worrying about things. If he were to leave the human army to die, he would have nightmares in his dreams. It would be a lifelong trauma. Because he was a lousy chicken¡­ Yes. If going is a temporary hardship and retreating an eternal pain, then he had to go. He had to, even though he was trembling. ¡°Teleport.¡± Instantaneous movement magic was classified as a high level of difficulty, but Kengo completed it with a chant of only a few short syllables. A moment later, he shifted to the sky above Fort Krall, beside Sato. He also didn¡¯t need to chant or do anything special to stay in the air with the less difficult flying magic. It was all due to the efforts of his past sixteen years. ¡°Kengo-sama! Why are you here? Did I do something wrong?¡± Sato¡¯s cold, ruthless profile was gone, and he became soft and dismayed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Forgive me, Sato. You did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t! You don¡¯t need to ask for my forgiveness every time!¡± ¡°I see. Thanks. Then that tactical grade magic¡ªallow me to break it.¡± Kengo declared as he pushed himself. At the same time, his eyes widened. It was not just a glance. It was the magic eye of scrutiny, which examined the structure of an object under observation to uncover its true essence. By itself, it was primitive magic. The first thing Kengo observed was the Dome of Darkness¡¯ jet-black surface to understand its magical composition. In his previous life, Kengo Inui was born as a victim. Because his twin brother was an elite Yankee, he was mistaken for him and got into trouble many times. In this life, too, Kengo was born a victim. Moreover, unlike in his previous life, Kengo himself was the Demon King, and there was no way to escape such fate. He had to live a more difficult life. In addition, he had already learned his lesson about dying in the face of unreasonable violence once in his previous life. He was keenly aware that there was a limit to how much he could get away with just talking and bluffing. Hence, he had to learn it; a chicken¡¯s ability to survive in this harsh world. That is why he had spent the last sixteen years refining his skills, mastering magic. For example, learning defensive magic. If you have the power to resist damage, even a chicken doesn¡¯t have to be afraid! Another example, healing magic. If you can heal yourself whenever you ever get hurt, even a lousy chicken can survive! And as the last example, curing curses. No matter how scary the curse is, if it can be lifted, even a lousy chicken will be safe! In those three kinds of magic, he believed that he had worked harder than anyone else. Yes, because he was more chicken than anyone else, he has trained himself thoroughly as if he were obsessed. In addition, the enormous magical power that he was born with as a Demon King also supported him. (I¡¯ll give it everything I¡¯ve got!) Even Sato himself couldn¡¯t immediately undo the Dome of Darkness, so he had to use his own power to lift the magic! Volume 1 - CH 2.4 Translated by: Riciel. (Okay, I¡¯m starting to see it.) Kengo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he concentrated and felt tense. It looked like nothing more than a jet-black dome to the rest of the army, but his eyes saw more. He could see the complex, mysterious, and elaborate magic formula as patterns of pale blue light. However, this was only the first step. Kengo¡¯s eyes focused more and more intensely. Like trying to focus everything onto the tip of a needle, he pushed his consciousness to the limit. He was completely focusing on the Dome of Darkness. If all you had to do was observe with your own eyes and see the light patterns, it was probably possible for even intermediate demons, not to mention the high-level ones. However, even if they could visualize Sado¡¯s spell, a hundred years might not be enough for them to decipher its intricate and bizarre nature. Moreover, once they had analyzed the mysterious laws hidden therein, they would have to unravel the structure of the formula one by one, as if they were solving a puzzle at a very high cost. Neither of these was remotely realistic. Even the Seven Great Demon Generals had to throw up their hands in the air to that. So how was he able to do it? In the process of desperately training in lifting spells, Kengo had realized. A magic formula was like a mini-universe in itself. With the help of the eye, he could perceive spells as a world rather than a series of patterns. It was an abstract way to observe the patterns, as so to speak. It was a complex and bizarre thing, and one didn¡¯t need to face it head-on. No one wanted to deal with it. But Kengo interpreted it roughly in a way that was more convenient for him. It was the key and the second step in the process of undoing the spell. Using magical power as a medium, he let his consciousness enter it. It was what Kengo called ¡®entering the virtual realm.¡¯ Now¡ªwith extreme concentration¡ª Kengo entered that virtual realm. He became a spiritual body that looked identical to himself and fluttered down into the world of the spell. It was a jet-black world with no end in sight in all directions. The ground was completely flat, full of ¡®6¡¯ figures made out of the black miasma. It was a terribly bleak world, with many three-dimensional objects that appeared to have been created by Sado. It was the virtual space that Kengo¡¯s brain recognized as a result of his extreme concentration, abstracting Sado¡¯s technique and interpreting it as conveniently as possible in his own way. ¡°It¡¯s a staggeringly vast virtual realm¡­¡± He looked around, once again amazed at Sado¡¯s ability. He then fearfully struck one of the ¡®6¡¯ nearest to him. However, there was no need to freak out as it was easily crushed and vanished. ¡°Okay¡­ I can do this.¡± Since Kengo¡¯s magic perceived his mental body as his ¡®body,¡¯ then the figures representing Sado¡¯s techniques were perceived as something that could be destroyed by hitting them. It was the core of Kengo¡¯s method of undoing spells. It was the secret that he had realized at the end of his training, the third and final step in the process of undoing the spell. ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left. I have to keep going¡­¡± Kengo smashed the ¡®6¡¯ figures around him as soon as he reached them. It was the only current way Kengo recognized how to undo the spell. He also experienced a different flow of time in the virtual realm. A whole day spent there was but a tenth of a second in the real world. However, there was a limit he could abstract and simplify through self-interpretation. It would normally be a task that could take more than a hundred years to unravel after all. The situation inside Fort Krall became more perilous as time passed, so every minute was precious. ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry¡­¡± Kengo destroyed the three-dimensional objects as quickly as he could. 50¡­ 80¡­ 100¡­ It was simple work, but it was tiring and mentally exhausting. Moreover, there was no end to the number of three-dimensional objects that needed to be destroyed. They filled the horizon, as far as his eyes could see. Even though he knew in theory that one day he would see the end, his heart almost faltered again and again. ¡°Lushiko told me to put my mind to it! I¡¯ll have to get into it!¡± Her encouragement was the only thing that kept him going. He was well aware of his own weakness, and he didn¡¯t have the slightest confidence in himself. However, he could trust the words of his step-sister, who assured him that he could do it if he put his mind to it. ¡°This is so hard! Really hard!¡± He was complaining like a desperate man, but he couldn¡¯t stop. He just couldn¡¯t. He had to take responsibility for what he had done! With a pathetic, half-crying face and a tired waist, he continued to destroy the three-dimensional objects with his hands (with the so-called spoiled child punches), swinging them in circles. ¡°You used such an elaborate technique, Sado, you douchebag!¡± Kengo¡¯s tearful efforts and his plain, sloppy appearance and screams were all in his mind, so no one else saw it. The scene that Sado, who was next to him, saw, however, was something entirely different. From the above, Kengo pointed his arm down toward the Dome of Darkness on the ground and projected his exceptionally powerful magical power, causing the dome¡¯s surface to crack and break apart at an alarming rate. It didn¡¯t look like he was using any complicated techniques. However, he was not destroying the jet-black dome by force either. No matter how much the other party feared the Demon King, there was a simple difference in the amount of magical power. Sado did not underestimate his own magical power or skills to the extent of considering his spells easy to be undone. On the other hand, Kengo was such an advanced magician that he could undo the spell at speeds impossible for even Sado himself. (Using advanced magic techniques that even I don¡¯t understand¡­!) No matter how much he used his eyes, it was still impossible for him to even remotely figure out Kengo¡¯s technique. Even so, Sado gazed at his Lord¡¯s profile as if he were savouring it. He couldn¡¯t stop. Kengo was half-oblivious to this and continued to undo the spell with a clear, serious expression. (Oh, Kengooo-samaa! Your Majesty, my cousin, the Demon King!) With a shudder, Sado quivered. This cold-blooded man, who was described as the best of the best! The dignified profile of his Lord and his unfathomable spells! He was totally intoxicated. (I want to stay entranced like this forever.) Sado thought bitterly. (I want to unravel the secret of Lord Kengo¡¯s technique.) He earnestly wished that he could. But it remained an unfulfilled thought and yearning. Kengo¡¯s work at undoing the spell had been too fast. Yes, too fast. Soon after, Sado¡¯s tactical grade magic was undone, and the Dome of Darkness shattered. Fort Krall regained its blue of the sky, and the huddled soldiers turned their heads in relief. Kengo also came back to himself and felt somewhat refreshed, feeling as if, ¡°What I did was like having finished weaving a huge carpet that was originally woven by three generations of mothers and daughters in a solitary room while time stood still.¡± [EN: Refers to something that took a very long time within a short span.] He had a look of accomplishment on his face as if he had done it all, but from start to end, it was just an ¡®ah,¡¯ making it a record of one minute and thirty-seven seconds. Even the Seven Great Demon Generals would have taken more than a hundred years to accomplish this great task, but Kengo took his record to another dimension. ¡°Kengo-sama¡­¡± Sado, overwhelmed with emotion, whispered the name of his Lord. His voice even started trembling. ¡°Hmm? Oh¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, Sado! I entrusted you with it, hadn¡¯t I? But it¡¯s not your fault! It¡¯s just a little¡­ Well, what¡­ Uh¡­¡± Kengo was groggy, with sweat pouring down his face. Apparently, he couldn¡¯t come up with a good excuse on the spur of the moment. (I¡¯m sure my magic was too pitiful for him to see. Despite this, Kengo-sama is not scolding me, but rather following up to make sure I don¡¯t get depressed.) Sado remained in the air with his magic and took a kneeling posture toward Kengo. He bowed his head to this unprecedented and kind-hearted demon king. ¡°Once again, I offer my allegiance to You until the end of my life. Even for a thousand years, two thousand years, or more.¡± ¡°O-oh¡­¡± At this moment, the expression on Kengo¡¯s face was like, ¡°What the h**l is this guy doing all of a sudden?¡± It was nothing but confusion, but Sado, who had been keeping his face down, did not see it. Well. The Dome of Darkness has been undone, and everyone¡¯s happy! (Well, of course, it doesn¡¯t work like that, does it? I knew that already!) Kengo ranted inwardly and decided to use his flying magic to get to Fort Krall. Although they had stopped the super-fast starvation, tens of thousands of weakened human soldiers still remained. Just before, he told Sado. ¡°I¡¯m going to be conducting an operation in that fort.¡± ¡°Eh, Kengo-sama, you will do this by yourself?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do it myself. Therefore, I would like you to notify everyone so that no one interferes.¡± ¡°An Imperial Decree, everyone! No matter who you are, I will not let you stand in Kengo-sama¡¯s way! I¡¯m so grateful for the opportunity to clear my name.¡± ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not your fault or negligence¡­¡± Kengo mumbled, but he didn¡¯t want to spend time bothering with it at the moment, so he went to the fort. He skulked down to the square just inside the main gate, where a ceremony could easily be held for ten thousand people. On this spot alone, there were no less than five thousand human army generals. ¡°¡­ You¡­ The Demon King¡­¡± ¡°If you come¡­ come¡­¡± ¡°¡­ At least¡­ One sword¡­¡± And many were hostile to him. Even with the starvation, one could see life in their eyes. ¡°¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t want to¡­ die¡­¡± ¡°Please¡­ Not my life¡­ Please¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Mother¡­¡± Yet many of them were losing their will to fight. They had spent months in sped-up time, suffering from hunger. It was a natural reaction. But both types remained huddled on the ground, unable to get up. No one would have dared to stick a blade in front of Kengo¡¯s face. He looked around at them and declared. ¡°I-I¡¯m Kengo! I am the Demon King Kengo!¡± His voice trembled a little, and he did the best he could to put on a false front. Thousands of people were staring at him (and probably wanting to kill him), and the lousy chicken was nervous and afraid! ¡°Let me make it clear! I like to kill for nothing! If you do not resist, I will not take your lives! Mmm, I¡¯d rather help you.¡± Under pressure, he ended up saying what he wanted to say, but with a strange ending. Then, he walked up to the nearest soldier¡ªchoosing one who wasn¡¯t strong¡ª and inwardly trembled. Volume 1 - CH 2.5 ¡°Do you want to be saved¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ Home¡­ with my¡­ old father¡­ and mother¡­¡± ¡°Aye, okay.¡± Kengo kneeled down beside the soldier and held his right hand over his abdomen, pouring magical power from his palm. This tactic was from a book in the library that Kengo researched out of curiosity in a previous life¡­ When you are victorious with an army, you need to deal with the post-war treatment. It was not enough to only feed the starving soldiers. When a human body is quickly nourished from a state of starvation, it is prone to various complications such as respiratory failure, loss of consciousness, seizures, and more. It is called the refeeding syndrome. Like in the Killing by Starvation in Tottori, there would be many deaths even after the raids are over. Thus, he had to do something about starvation first. It was part of Kengo¡¯s knowledge, who had trained properly in his current life. Plus, in this world of magic, hunger, or rather ¡®starvation,¡¯ was considered as a sort of abnormal condition. Hence, it could be cured with healing spells, allowing Kengo to single-handedly take care of the soldiers to the point where they could eat normally again. ¡°Sit still for a while.¡± Kengo held his right hand up and used a very rudimentary healing spell. After a few seconds, the colour of the not-so-strong soldier was getting less pale. ¡°Eh¡­ Wha¡­ is that¡­?¡± The soldier seemed surprised to find that his hunger was no more, even though he hadn¡¯t eaten anything, and that his whole body was regaining its vitality. ¡°This is good. I will have food brought to you later so you may eat properly from now on.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Oh, thank you¡­ Thank you so much¡­¡± After much hesitation as to whether he should thank him or not, the soldier did. Kengo also felt relieved. He felt his heart lighten, and he continued. ¡°This is the result of an ordinary battle that my army and yours wanted to fight. Therefore, I will make no apologies. But hopefully, we can avoid any more futile wars, right?¡± He spoke to him sincerely. But the soldier, who was not very strong, was puzzled and did not reply. Was it beyond the scope of a single soldier to answer? Kengo was merely expressing his personal feelings and asking him to do the same. Feeling somewhat disappointed, he said one last thing to him. ¡°You are a soldier who has survived this h**l. Return to your homeland with your heart in your hands and take good care of your parents.¡± He patted him on the shoulder and quickly left his side. He didn¡¯t want to confuse him more, so he walked away before he could hear a response. ¡°Is there anyone else you would like me to cast a healing spell on?¡± He asked around widely, and hands went up here and there, though sparsely. They were probably relieved to see that Kengo had saved one of them, or perhaps they were starving and wanted to hang on to a thread of hope, the Demon King. Kengo went to each one of them and healed their hunger with magic in turns. As the number of soldiers who were increasingly relieved to see this and who were becoming more and more honest in their search for relief gradually increased, he asked them to gather in one place and irradiated them with magical power all at once. Unlike counterspells, there was nothing complicated about healing magic. It mainly depended on the user¡¯s skill. Moreover, it was not very efficient. For example, it consumed 100 MP to recover 100 HP. It was how Kengo understood it. Of course, there were certain skills and weaknesses, and Kengo worked hard to become as good as he was. Yet, for example, the head of the Buell family, known as the best doctor in the world of magic, could only consume 100 MP to recover 130 HP. It was the best there was. [EN: No, no comparison was given to other spells, so it¡¯s hard to understand how inefficient.] Kengo could also heal 120 HP under the same conditions. These were his limits. But he was prepared to apply such inefficient healing magic to everyone in the fort. (I thought we were talking about tens of thousands of troops stationed¡­) It took a lot of effort to break Sado¡¯s tactical grade magic, but then again, healing was also a lot of work. He wondered how long it would take to get a group of people together and bathe them in magical power all at once. And since it was a matter of life and death, he couldn¡¯t make it any messier. (Why don¡¯t I just let Sado help with half of it? ¡­ No, better not.) For a moment, he thought it was a good idea. But he then got afraid of Sado doing something completely unexpected. Also, he believed he was responsible for the situation occurring. (Hah¡­ Let¡¯s keep up the good work¡­) Kengo¡¯s shoulders slumped, but he went around carefully applying healing magic to each group. He wasn¡¯t concerned with ¡®healing tens of thousands¡¯ or ¡®having to worry about not having enough magical power.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have a problem with his confidence either, even though he was a lousy hand. Instead, he knew what he could do with absolute certainty, and he continued his hard work and healing. ¡°Thank you for saving my life!¡± ¡°¡­ I have you to thank for that¡­ Even if you are the Demon King.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± The soldiers who were healed expressed their gratitude, some with joy and some embarrassed. It gave Kengo a sense of accomplishment. Even though it was the same amount of hard work, it didn¡¯t feel as empty as when he smashed 3D objects in a bleak virtual world. Human beings were great, after all! Compared to the annoying ¡®6¡¯ at least! Kengo somehow forgot about his fatigue and even smiled as he continued the monotonous task. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so merciful to us enemies¡­¡± ¡°Are you really the Demon King?¡± ¡°Honestly, I feel like I¡¯m changing my worldview¡­¡± It was a group of medics who had come up that said such nice things to him. In the military of this other world, there appeared to be a much higher percentage of women compared to Earth. This group was all made up of women. They were like beautiful flowers that bloomed on the battlefield. However, while it was nice to be understood, it was also problematic. Kengo was not immune to women. When he was surrounded by them, with eyes moist with emotion, he could not help but falter. He was also troubled by the fact that some of them were looking at him strangely passionately. A normal man would be in a situation where he would be stretching his nose in exhilaration, but he was a hardcore virgin! ¡°Mm, mm, I understand your feelings. I understand. Now, since I¡¯ll be treating the others¡­¡± ¡°Please let us help you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a medic.¡± ¡°I want to be by your side¡­ ?¡± ¡°U-umm, I see¡­ Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Honestly, being surrounded by strange women made him nervous, but he appreciated the help. In fact, some probably didn¡¯t want any mercy from the Demon Lord, but if they could persuade them, there was a good chance that they could open their hearts. ¡°Then, let¡¯s move to the next group of people who wish to be treated¡­¡± He was about to ask them if they could call the others together, but that¡¯s when it happened. The squealing voices that surrounded him stopped for a moment. Kengo didn¡¯t have to guess what was going on to notice. He looked at the medics, who were all looking in the same direction. In the center of Fort Krall, surrounded by inner bunkers, stood a solid stone castle. It was the command center and literally the last stronghold, where the generals and bureaucrats resided. It was packed with powerful knights. From there, a beautiful girl with only three attendants appeared and walked towards them. She looked very elegantly, be it her face or the way she acted. She was about 16 or 17 years old. In Japan, she would have been a high school student. She had long, straight black hair that made one sigh, and it gleamed, despite having just experienced an attack. Her cheeks were sunken, and her body gaunt, but her beauty remained. The dress she wore was also not fully clean, probably due to the extreme conditions. Even so, she looked noble enough to be out of place on this dreary battlefield. In fact, from how she was accompanied by an elder, who looked like a general, one who looked like a chief of staff, and one who looked like a priest, Kengo could guess that she was someone of considerable rank. ¡°¡­ Who might you be?¡± From afar, but unable to take his eyes off her, Kengo asked varyingly. Then the medics proudly informed him. ¡°It¡¯s the third princess of Mycenae¡­¡± ¡°The banner bearer of hope for the entire human race, a Saint ordained by the heavens¡­¡± ¡°The White Maiden, the Warrior Princess of Peace, the Saint of Latal¡­¡± ¡°Princess Vannessia Saint-Latal Kalaidesia herself!¡± [TL: ¥ô¥¡¥Í¥Ã¥·¥¢?¥µ¥ó£½¥é¥¿¥ë?¥«¥ì¥¤¥Ç©`¥¶Šª] It was already enthusiastic, calling out and praising their lord. ¡°She¡¯s such a great girl¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, she is!¡± When he asked them, half-pressured by their energy, they told him more details. According to the medics, Princess Vannessia was one of the most prominent ¡®humans¡¯ in Fomijama. [TL: ¥Õ¥©©`¥ß¥é¥Þ] In layman¡¯s terms, she was a Saint loved by all, and therefore ¡® ¡®an innocent and pure woman,¡¯ ¡®the beacon of courage and hope for the weak,¡¯ ¡®revered by soldiers and people alike,¡¯ etc, etc. In short, she was a princess with lots of skills and cheats. (Is that why the morale of the soldiers was so high?) When Kengo learned that such a super VIP was in the fort, something became clear to him. Inspired directly by Princess Vannessia, they would ¡®kill the Demon Kinggggg!¡¯ It was only natural that they would turn into an army of fanatics that went around shouting the slogan. (I-I wonder if I can talk properly before such an amazing princess¡­ as the Demon King) Kengo swallowed down his saliva nervously. While pretending to be a Demon King, waiting for the right moment, he tried to keep his stomach together. Princess Vannessia and the others walked slowly, probably weakened by starvation, and there was plenty of time before the meeting. He confronted the group that had arrived, careful not to let his face look too tense. ¡°You are His Majesty, the Demon King Kengo, are you not?¡± It was a bell-like voice. Princess Vannessia¡¯s voice was as lovely as her appearance. ¡°Mm-mm. I am the Demon Lord Kengo.¡± Kengo parroted back, his voice trembling with nervousness, characteristic of a virgin who was not immune to beautiful girls. Then Princess Vannessia suddenly came up to her side and knelt down. While Kengo was startled by what was going on, he heard a pitiful voice. ¡°The horror of the Demon King¡¯s army has painfully impressed me. I know the futility of resistance, and I wish to surrender. However, I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to treat my generals¡­! I don¡¯t care what happens to me! Therefore, please¡­ Please¡­ have mercy on us, Your Majesty, the Demon King¡­¡± It was a hard plea, literally, through tears. ¡°U-ummm¡­¡± Kengo quickly reacted. He was not only overwhelmed by Princess Vannessia¡¯s determination and power. Her beauty, seen at close range, was truly lovely. The desperate look on her face made it stand out even more. It made him want to protect her. At the same time, she looked fragile as a flower. She was not the type of beautiful girl that Kengo was used to seeing around him. So, he forgot about the situation and appreciated her. If he hadn¡¯t been a weak chicken, he would have hugged her tightly. (Uh¡­ Ah¡­) The Demon King¡¯s heart was pounding loudly. His heart was aching with sweetness and sadness. (Maybe this is what love, at first sight, is all about¡­) For the first time in his life, Kengo felt this way. Volume 1 - CH 3.1 It was the following morning. Kengo woke up feeling great in his room. Although it was his room, it was still the Demon King¡¯s bedroom, so it looked magnificent. It was so big that there was enough space for wrestling and more. The carpet that filled the room was so soft, and its upper layer went up to your ankles, warming your feet during winter. The bed in the center of the room was so big that five people could sleep in it just fine. ¡°Faaa¡­¡± Kengo stretched out in his sleep. The gentle morning sun poured in through the lighted windows. ¡°It¡¯s warm¡­¡± Kengo muttered in his sleep. Spring was in full bloom, and the air was somewhat fresh. Of course, even though the Demon King¡¯s castle was built in the middle of a flower field, there was no way the scent could reach this bedroom on the top floor. It was the scent that wafted from the flower vases the maids picked fresh every day. It was a custom that had not occurred in the previous Demon King¡¯s generation, but when Kengo learned that he liked it, they took the trouble to prepare it for him. ¡± Ah¡­ A great morning¡­ Bliss¡­¡± It was an unbelievably pleasant awakening for him, as he got haunted by nightmares of his previous life¡¯s memories constantly. With his hands in the air and still feeling half-asleep, he sighed. While he wandered back and forth between slumber and wakeful, he thought back to Princess Vannessia¡¯s sobbing face and frail body. He lamented the fact that he didn¡¯t actually get to embrace her, but he made up for it in his imagination. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He twitched his nose, feeling enchanted. Perhaps it was his mood, but he could smell the flowers more strongly than usual today. It was an unmistakable, sensual fragrance. ¡°Yes, I suppose so. It must be a blissful time, my Lord.¡± He suddenly heard a voice from nearby. The voice sounded young, the tone was bewitching, and it sounded very mysterious. But this surprise caught Kengo off guard. ¡°W-what the h**l!?¡± When he looked at his surroundings, he saw that the bed cover on his bed had expanded in volume to more than usual. When he hurriedly peeled it off, what came out from underneath was¡­ Lust. It was Asumi, a demon general of the Demon race. She was only wearing underwear that just barely covered her innocent body. The immoral combination of a young girl¡¯s figure and s**y lace lingerie was much more erotic than full nudity. In addition, when the bed cover was taken off, a mysterious, soft scent of flowers permeated the room. Even without perfume, Asumi¡¯s body odour itself was as sweet as an insectivorous flower that attracted its prey. ¡°Kuku kuku¡­¡± This young (over two hundred years old) child had a bewitching smile on her innocent-looking face. ¡°This concubine, the princess of the Asmodeus family, who makes a living from the obscene, has taken the trouble to sleep with you. It must be a blissful time. Even though the demon world is vast, this is a privilege allowed only to you, my Lord. Aren¡¯t you happy? Hmm? Hmm~?¡± She whispered with a teasing pillow talk tone, making him blush. [EN: ¡®Pillow talk¡¯ is an intimate conversation that occurs between two lovers.] ¡°When did you get in here? I was supposed to be by myself!¡± ¡°Fufu, you¡¯re so cute and shy~. You¡¯re actually happy, aren¡¯t you~? Uri-uri~¡± Kengo tried to wrestle Asumi away and even run away, but Asumi kept a hold of him like a snake. He was, for some reason, completely naked, so they were rubbing against each other, skin to skin. He felt the smoothness and softness. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore! ¡°Why am I not wearing any pyjamas? Didn¡¯t I have it when I went to sleep?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, you did, but your mistress secretly undressed you.¡± ¡°How do you take off a sleeping man¡¯s pyjamas? It¡¯s not like you can sneak up on him easily!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m the daughter of the Asmodeus family.¡± ¡°What a horrible girl!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true~¡î Asumi is a very nice girl!¡± Asumi¡¯s smile became as innocent and irresistible as an angel¡¯s. On the other hand, her hand reached between Kengo¡¯s legs like a different creature, caressing him excruciatingly lewdly. ¡°What are you doingggggg!?¡± ¡°My Lord, you are more boiling this morning than ever. Shall I, your mistress, comfort you on behalf of Princess Vannessia?¡± Kengo was startled when Princess Vannessia¡¯s name was mentioned. ¡°Is that why you suddenly snuck into my bed!?¡± ¡°Well, I guess this is a golden opportunity. Even the most inexperienced Lord would miss a woman¡¯s touch after yesterday¡­ isn¡¯t that so?¡± Asumi changed her appearance from a young to an older woman. ¡°Now, now, my Lord. Just close your eyes. Close your eyes and think of Princess Vannessia. This mistress will take care of the rest, so you can have a good dream and feel good.¡± ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know, my Lord? The women of the Asmodeus family adore you with their wombs, not their hearts. ?¡± ¡°This matters! The way you live is too indecent!¡± Kengo screamed, but Asumi did not let up her attack. ¡°Come, come, this is only a dream for a night. Don¡¯t be shy, my Lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already morning, though!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just trying to find an excuse to keep your mind clean. So, it¡¯s nonsense~ ?¡± ¡°Aaaaaahh!¡± At the end of the pillow talk, she blew into his ear, and Kengo reacted. His bastion of reason has fallen, crushed due to the physiological functions of men and the sexual skills of women. No, it was about to fall¡ª ¡°What?¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡± When someone came flying at them with the force of a missile, Asumi was dropkicked with great precision, kicking away only her. It was Lushiko, the demon general of Pride. But now, like a demon general of Wrath, she shouted in anger and stood tall after unleashing her attack. As usual, she was wearing bra-like clothes and a very short mini-skirt, so she was boldly exposing her underwear during the dynamic dropkick earlier, but she was too passionate to care at all. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me, Lushiko.¡± Asumi, on the other hand, was blown and knocked against the wall. But she easily got back up. Completely inhuman. ¡°That was your punishment for being a s****y loli, who has been behaving insolently all morning!¡± Lushiko remained flustered and didn¡¯t intend to apologize. Asumi, on the other hand, has a grin on her face. ¡°Hou. What do you mean by insolence?¡± ¡°What? Eh!? You idiot, there¡¯s no way I can say that!¡± ¡°That the mistress wanted to have X*X with my Lord¡¯s XXXXX?¡± ¡°Ababababababa!¡± Asumi made fun of the innocent maiden, and Lushiko, who had zero tolerance, turned completely red. Asumi followed up. ¡°In the first place, why should you care if this mistress was indulging in lewd acts in my Lord¡¯s bedroom? Are you jealous? You don¡¯t want your Lord to be stolen~?¡± ¡°Ababa!? You idiot. That¡¯s not it!¡± ¡°Well, well, you got so upset that you¡¯ve been slurring your words since a while ago. Why don¡¯t you change your name to the demon general of Jealousy, Levi-San?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Lushiko yelled at her, red in the face. It was as if she became the demon general of Wrath or Jealousy. Asumi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed. If you interfere, it will only diminish my Lord¡¯s spirit.¡± She said, shifting her gaze from the cat-like Lushiko, with all her hair standing on end, to Kengo¡¯s crotch. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± Like a chaste maiden, Kengo protested, covering his naked body with the bedcover. ¡°Kukuku, I understand. Then, I¡¯m off, my Lord. As for Lushiko, I¡¯ll make peace later.¡± Asumi had a wicked smile at the end and disappeared into her own shadow on the carpet as if sinking into it. It was a means of transport by intermediate-level magic. ¡°Hmph. Finally, some peace!¡± Lushiko stuck out her tongue toward the place where Asumi disappeared. (Declaring victory after the fact, not cool¡­) Kengo thought, but of course, he didn¡¯t say it. Now, Asumi has quietly left, and the stormy time was over, but it was too soon to celebrate. The look that Lushiko had been giving Asumi was now directed directly at him. ¡°Ugh¡­ Lushiko. Is there anything you need from me¡­?¡± He asked fearfully, and she moved over to the side of the bed. Crossing her arms and hunching over, she gave off a strange sense of pressure. ¡°Any thanks?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A thank you for saving my step-brother from danger. How about that?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ah! Oh, yeah, thanks a lot, Lushiko.¡± ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s good to be honest.¡± Lushiko suddenly turned away. Even though she requested a word of gratitude, as the general of Pride, she seemed to shy away from how she couldn¡¯t even look at him directly when talking. This woman was seriously troublesome. ¡°But well, I¡¯m really grateful for your help. I mean, how did you know that I was in trouble in the first place?¡± ¡°I-i-i-i-it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t sleep all night worrying about you and kept coming to the front of the bedroom to check on you!¡± [EN: My tsun alarm went off¡ª] ¡°What? You¡¯ve been doing that? Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I didn¡¯t!¡± The demon general of Pride slipped up in an unbelievably big way and then turned around. She turned her head away, folded her arms, and slumped back down. ¡°Okay. I get it. You didn¡¯t come to the front of the bedroom before this, and I didn¡¯t ask you anything either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to be honest. I praise you.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m happy. Now, I¡¯m going to change, so can you just turn away?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. I¡¯m not going to look at your unsightly naked body!¡± She would definitely be the type of girl who would still glance at him. (Well, it wouldn¡¯t bother me much even if she looked at me openly.) Was it because they were step-siblings? He might be a lousy chicken, but when he was with Lushiko, he didn¡¯t feel reserved or self-conscious about it. He even believed that she was the only one in Formirama that he could trust. ¡°I mean, Kengo.¡± Lushiko changed the subject with a determined face while still looking away from him. ¡°What?¡± Kengo asked while using intermediate-level magic to summon clothes with lightning-fast naturalness. ¡°Vannessia, you mentioned. The princess of the human army.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right up your alley, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± When Lushiko pointed out the truth, he stopped himself from fixing his sleeves. Incidentally, this was the outfit that he had asked the maids to choose for him beforehand. Today was the day he was planning to visit Fort Krall and have a meeting with Princess Vannessia. No matter how lousy a chicken he was¡ªor rather, how low his confidence he had in himself¡ª if he didn¡¯t at least get dressed up to par, he would be too embarrassed to even look her in the eye. He was sure that his step-sister already figured out his miserable feelings. In a tone of exasperation, she continued. ¡°You¡¯re into women who are more like beautiful, submissive flowers, aren¡¯t you? She never seems to go against what a man says. If she were an animal, she would be an herbivore. She¡¯s definitely not the type found in the magical world of the strong and a good match for a lousy chicken like you.¡± ¡°I-I-I-I¡¯m not into her.¡± ¡°Haa? Do you think you can hide it from me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just claiming that!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Kengo retorted, and a big blue vein popped on Lushiko¡¯s forehead. They went into a standoff with sparks flying between them. ¡°Now, what to say to her?¡± Kengo thought. ¡°Have you forgotten the favour from saving you from Asumi earlier?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so cocky, my gentle and dependable step-sister.¡± He was hit by Lushiko¡¯s critical attack and pleaded on his knees. ¡°If you want me to help you again, you¡¯ll have to show some respect. ¡° ¡°¡­ Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know. So¡­¡± Lushiko turned away and snorted. ¡°So, what is it, Lushiko?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of meeting the princess? You could just threaten them with ¡®Poor mortals. If you don¡¯t want to be slaughtered, sacrifice this maiden to me!¡¯¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that.¡± ¡°But the fact is that it¡¯s possible. You¡¯re the Demon King, the winner of the war. In fact, you would be too merciful if you let them off with that.¡± ¡°Because in the dictionary of this lousy chicken, it¡¯s not called mercy, but being normal.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, fine. But¡­ you can¡¯t deny that you like her, can you? ¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡± You¡¯re a cocky little talker, you know? ¡°That is right. I like her. She is like an ideal princess! Formirama is amazing! I¡¯m moved. Is that so wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that wrong.¡± Lushiko said. Suddenly, her face became serious. She didn¡¯t use her usual blunt tone but a sincere one. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Volume 1 - CH 3.2 The suddenness of all baffled him. Whether Lushiko knew his feelings or not, she turned to look at him straight away. Even though he was still in the middle of changing her clothes, she talked in a manner that didn¡¯t allow for any feeling of embarrassment or mischievousness. ¡°I¡¯m still skeptical that you were once a human being from another world in a previous life, but¡­ I know you¡¯re having a very hard time living with us, being pushed around all the time. So, I think it¡¯s great if you have that princess by your side to help you need comfort and healing.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m going to help you. You should be grateful,¡± She added. ¡°And by helping out, you mean¡­ ¡®Sacrifice this maiden to our Demon King!¡¯ and ¡®Brainwash her with mind control magic!¡¯? But I don¡¯t want to do something like that, you know?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re not demon-like at all! So why don¡¯t I make the others stay out of it? You don¡¯t want the others to suggest something like that, do you? I¡¯ll keep the other six generals under control, so you can do whatever you want. Go and see the princess.¡± ¡°Lushiko¡­¡± (I didn¡¯t expect you to do that much. I didn¡¯t know you were thinking of me.) ¡°So, my step-sister is on my side¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tear up. It¡¯s pathetic.¡± Lushiko cowered her shoulders in a theatrical manner and said, ¡°Oh, no, no. I can¡¯t believe our Demon King is such a lousy chicken! If the others knew, they¡¯d probably be disillusioned!¡± ¡°Honestly, Lushiko is keeping me alive! Thank you for keeping it a secret!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be grateful there. Just do your best to de-stress yourself, Kengo, you baka! Baka baka baka baka baka baka baka ba¡ªka!¡± When Lushiko cursed him out, she got upset with her shoulders trembling and quickly left the bedroom. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me a baka all the time!¡± And she didn¡¯t even give him time to protest. Kengo didn¡¯t know. When she was far enough away that her step-brother could never hear her, Lushiko muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m thinking. Kengo¡¯s a baka¡­¡± She monologued with a sad look on her face. After a light breakfast, Kengo hurried off to Fort Krall. But just before he could depart¡­ ¡°My Lord! Permission to let this petty general accompany you!¡± ¡°No, please let me.¡± ¡°This mistress can be quite useful, despite my appearance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the top rank meeting with the human army, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll use my mental magic to brainwash them in an instant.¡± ¡°I can train Princess Vannessia and turn her into your slave. How about it?¡± As usual, the seven generals tried appealing to him, saying that they wanted to help, but he could smell that they were planning to do something absolutely unnecessary. ¡°Kengo said he¡¯s going by himself, so leave him alone! He¡¯s not a child.¡± If Lushiko hadn¡¯t stopped them as promised, some of them would have forced themselves to follow him. In fact, the demon generals who were told to stay back were raining a storm of booing¡­ ¡°Who the h**l are you to order us around, Lushiko!?¡± ¡°Impudence! You don¡¯t think you can speak for His Majesty¡¯s heart, do you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I should be the one since I¡¯ll get married and become his wife soon.¡± ¡°M-m-m-marriage!?!?!?!?! There¡¯s no way this will happen! Anyone who has a problem with that will be torn to pieces.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll use my resurrection magic to attach the dismembered limbs back together.¡± ¡°After that, I¡¯ll tear you back into even more pieces.¡± ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no way Asumi¡¯s weak attacks will get through to me.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll use my Permafrost H**l to freeze your prized defence.¡± ¡± It¡¯s no use. I¡¯ll use the Imaginary Corridor to escape.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where this petty general attacks with ¡®Theatre of Spatial Distortion¡¯.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t work since I have Full Dimensional Perfect Defence.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡­¡± When the argument had degenerated into a mere childish quarrel, Kengo succeeded in escaping alone from the Demon King¡¯s Castle. He arrived ten minutes before the appointed time. At the main gate of the rock castle built in the center of the fort, knights lined up on either side of the road to welcome him, standing erect in sword salute. As welcoming manners go, it seemed plain and not spectacular. However, since this was the front lines, it must have been an expression of the utmost respect. Still, there was no telling what the knights who welcomed the Demon King were thinking inwardly. He couldn¡¯t see their expressions as they were hidden behind their helmets. So, towards them¡ª ¡°Thank you for the welcome.¡± Kengo thanked them with a friendly smile. If it were his vassals, he would have to play the role of a Demon King to make his stature clear; he would even have to show up late on purpose. However, in order to get along with the human nations, it was essential to appeal to them by showing he wasn¡¯t a bad Demon King. It¡¯s also why he was punctual and showed his sincerity. (I¡¯m just a small fry who is calculating in his head.) He knew, but he couldn¡¯t stop. As he made his way along the path made by the knights, he thanked them and showed his approval to those on either side of him. At the end of the road, an old man, who looked like a military strategist, was waiting on one knee. He was one of the three that Princess Vannessia had brought with her yesterday. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you, Your Majesty, the Demon King. My name is Zangens, and I am the military advisor. I will now escort you to Princess Vannessia.¡± He greeted Kengo with perfect sincerity. He was sure Zangens was feeling a bit bitter inside, but he was old enough not to show it. ¡°Zangens, I see. Nice to meet you.¡± Kengo helped him stand using both hands and took his right hand to greet him. Even this seasoned old soldier couldn¡¯t hide his confusion at this. The knights lined up on either side must have also been in a state of shock. (I don¡¯t know about the etiquette of royalty in the human world, but it seems they don¡¯t usually make you stand up and take their hand, do they?) Normally, it was all about national authority and might. So, would he be taken lightly? Well, Kengo didn¡¯t need any of that. He had shown such an overwhelming difference in military power that it was impossible to. Instead, their surprise was, ¡®The Demon King is surprisingly friendly?¡¯ It was a performance that would easily be understood by the audience. Kengo calculated how much candy he would be able to hand out because Sato had whipped them too hard. [EN: Think of the carrot and stick.] ¡°Y-yes. Your Majesty, the Demon King.¡± The old warlord led him into the castle with much reluctance. It was a castle, but as you would expect from the front lines, its insides were stuffy and bleak. Sentinels stood at key locations, but they were knights, not soldiers, which was typical of a castle. All of them, too, should be sprinkled with affection and smiles as they pass by. ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience today, Your Majesty, Kengo. Princess Vannessia awaits your arrival in the inner hall.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, Lord Zangens. From your point of view, my castle must be a horrible cave. While it is certainly a misunderstanding, it would be cruel to ask the lady to jump into the lion¡¯s den while still prejudiced. It is only logical that I should be the one to visit this time.¡± Kengo made a cheerful smile and moved to the back of the old warlord in front of him. ¡°I can only bow to Your Majesty Kengo¡¯s deep consideration and care.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. So, who else is going to be at the meeting?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Princess Vannessia would very much like a one-on-one meeting with you.¡± ¡°Eh, just her and me!?¡± Kengo¡¯s smile froze. (It¡¯s impossible to have a good one-on-one talk with such a beautiful girl. Seriously, I can¡¯t do it.) Cold sweat started to trickle down his face. He thought they were going to have a meeting in a place like an audience hall, surrounded by many people. He was expecting at least her three aides, including Zangens, to be present. (W-what should I do?) Kengo was so nervous that even his walking became wobbly. When he met Princess Vannessia, his heart fluttered, and he couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful girl before.¡± [TL: Rip Lushiko] [ED: Lushiko has a chance, as he admitted being fine with her looking at him naked.] It was love at first sight. But that didn¡¯t mean he thought he could have a decent talk to Princess Vannessia! Lushiko said something like he should bring her back, but there was no way he could do something like that. He couldn¡¯t even imagine it being just the two by themselves. Yes, as far as Kengo was concerned, he was just happy to meet and chat with her and her subjects in the form of a top-level meeting. It didn¡¯t have to be something intimate like a couple. Serious discussions were okay too. For example, talking about world peace, which is what Kengo wanted. Princess Vannessia seems to be a good conversationalist, and she seems to be a Saint with national-level charisma. He wanted to consult with her about signing a permanent non-aggression pact between the demon and human races. Otherwise, even if, hypothetically, Kengo were able to muster up the courage to persuade his subjects and convince them of the importance of peace, the human race had declared, ¡°Kill the Demon King!¡° If they had continued in this manner, peace would be nothing more than a fleeting dream. Therefore, in order to achieve world peace, there must be leaders who advocate for non-war in both the demon and the human world, and Kengo and Princess Vannessia were the right people for the job. It would be better for both leaders to be on good terms with each other, both in terms of continuing their activities and as a symbol of peace. In other words, this is a chance to make friends with Princess Vannessia! Volume 1 - CH 3.3 Translated by: Riciel Edited by: SevenTails The thoughts of making friends were what made this chicken a lousy one; it can only come up with ideas of ¡®using its position.¡¯ He had been a virgin for 16 years, adding another 16 from his previous life, and he didn¡¯t know how much pressure he put on himself to have a one-on-one talk with a girl he was interested in. He wanted to ask her what the h**l she had been thinking. But if he were to, would she ask, ¡°What¡¯s the Demon King so scared of?¡± (Ugh¡­) He tried to hold his head in his hands imaginarily and followed Zangens. They arrived in front of the guest room. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve brought His Majesty, Kengo.¡± Zangens knocked on the door. There was no answer. Nevertheless, the old warlord opened the door as if he knew what he was doing. Meanwhile, Kengo was not ready yet. ¡°Well then, please come in. Your Majesty, the Demon King.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Uncomfortable, Kengo replied quickly and entered the room with great reluctance. As expected from a front-line fortress, the interior of the guest room was very formal, with only modest furnishings. Across from the window, in the sunlight, there was a cozy altar that caught his eye. It was a magnificent statue of a deity enshrined in the room, though small enough to carry around. Kengo was not familiar with the culture of the human race and did not know what it was for, but it was a common culture in the human world to have an altar in the room to welcome guests. The human race worshipped the Heavenly Emperor, their sole God, and followed his teachings as a moral code. As an example, when making a contract, it was customary to not only exchange signatures but also to swear an oath before the Heavenly Emperor. If there was an altar in the dignitary¡¯s room, they could do so in a more formal manner. Despite his ignorance of such cultural and religious views, Kengo could not take his eyes off the altar. Or more precisely, from Princess Vannessia kneeling in front of the statue, praying with all her heart. It was a beautiful sight. Her starvation had been cured, and her appearance had completely recovered. Her cheeks and skin were taut again, and her magnificent black hair was shining brighter and brighter. The pure white dress again looked dazzlingly great on her. But it wasn¡¯t just the appearance that made her look beautiful. Looking at the profile of Princess Vannessia¡¯s sincere prayer, even the unbelieving Kengo was struck by how virtuous and pure-hearted she appeared. She was truly a saint. Her air of excellence was unlike others. Her demeanour and atmosphere made Princess Vannessia¡¯s beauty even more extraordinary. He couldn¡¯t help but admire her. (Ah¡­) Kengo was forever in awe of her. But in fact, it would only be a short time before Princess Vannessia opened her eyes after the prayer. ¡°Welcome. I apologize for our humble abode, but please have a seat.¡± She stood up, bowed neatly, and offered him a plain chair. ¡°No need to worry. It¡¯s normal for a front-line fortress to be like this.¡± Kengo sat down, cocking his head from side to side. He was facing Princess Vannessia across a low table that was as ruggedly designed as the chairs. In the meantime, Zangens had closed the door and left, leaving him completely alone with Princess Vannessia in a closed room. The most beautiful girl in the world was right before him, but Kengo no longer felt dismayed. The sight of Princess Vannessia¡¯s praying, and her pure and innocent appearance, cleared his mind of all trivial thoughts. (I don¡¯t care if I fell in love at first sight or not. I don¡¯t feel self-conscious because the other person is a beautiful girl either. What¡¯s most important is that I want to have a serious discussion about world peace with this wonderful person.) He felt that way from the bottom of his heart. Princess Vannessia, on the other hand, said apologetically again. ¡°I should offer you a cup of tea or something, but I¡¯m not feeling well right now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that as well. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Kengo responded in a dignified, demon king manner. Just after being attacked, there was no way she could prepare tea and sweets. He had sent a sufficient amount of food to her vassals yesterday, but he hadn¡¯t arranged for anything extra. The two of them had never met before, and without tea and sweets, there was no way they could make small talk. The silence was untimely, or rather, Princess Vannessia looked uncomfortable, but this was not a problem for Kengo. He was in the mood to discuss the main topic as soon as possible. ¡°Princess Vannessia¡­ I¡¯d like to ask you something straightforwardly.¡± Kengo looked the princess straight in the eye and spoke. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty the Demon King¡­ I will answer whatever I am able to.¡± Princess Vannessia immediately responded by straightening up her appearance. ¡°What do you think about world peace, Princess?¡± Kengo cut straight to the chase as he declared. ¡°¡­ Eh?¡± Princess Vannessia was unable to reply. She was puzzled, and it was no wonder. Who would have thought that such a question would come from the mouth of the Demon King? The usual Kengo would have said, ¡°I¡¯m not very good at talking¡­,¡± but the current Kengo was different because of the atmosphere. ¡°You may find this hard to believe, but I sincerely wish for peace. I do not wish to fight. The war between the demon and the human race has been going on since long before our parents¡¯ generation. In other words, it was before I was born. I have no animosity towards you people, nor do I have any grudges. Therefore, I want to put an end to this endless war and make peace with you. I hope that we can conclude a permanent non-aggression pact.¡± He sincerely confided his inner thoughts and continued to speak until he fully put his thoughts out. It was with the same earnestness that Princess Vannessia had used when she was praying earlier. He wondered if his feelings had been conveyed to her. ¡°You¡­ seem to be serious, Your Majesty, the Demon King. You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re plotting against me.¡± Princess Vannessia gulped and nodded with eyes full of determination. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Although Kengo felt that he received a good response, he continued to explain the situation in detail, warning not to be hasty. ¡°But there are many obstacles to world peace. As you may or may not know, I was crowned only half a year ago. As the Demon King, it is still difficult to say that my intentions have fully reached my subjects. My subjects have a longing for world domination, and they believe war is what they need. As a part of that, I had no choice but to attack this fortress. However, this was never my intention. If it were possible, I would like to change the very nature of the demon world itself.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel sorry for your unavoidable situation and your troubles, and I admire your noble aspirations.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Kengo was so moved by Princess Vannessia¡¯s immediate understanding that he felt a shiver run down his spine. However, this was not the end of the story. Kengo suspected that the human world was facing a similar issue as the demon race and was overwhelmed by their vigorous fighting spirit. After all, even a single soldier was declaring to ¡°Kill the Demon Kinngggg!¡±. Even if the demon race formally asked for a peace treaty, it won¡¯t be possible to conclude it so quickly at just the discretion of Princess Vannessia or anyone else. Even so¡­ ¡°Princess, I am sure that you are fed up with this futile war. Therefore, I have a proposal. Let us join hands to realize world peace. It will not be easy, but we will work together. Let us end all strife and territorial ambitions in our generation and leave a world where one can live in peace to our innocent children.¡± Kengo said as he folded his arms. He believed that this unclouded saint would agree with him. He hoped that she would become a reliable comrade. ¡°¡­ I see. I had thought that peace between the human race and the demon race was an impossible dream¡­ But if His Majesty, who reigns over the demon world, and I have a say in all human nations, it may not be impossible.¡± The Princess Vannessia pinched her shapely chin and pondered, then answered. ¡°So be it, so be it! You and I can do it!¡± Kengo couldn¡¯t take it anymore and joyously shouted in a devouring tone. (I¡¯ve finally found someone who really understands me¡­) He looked up to the sky with joy. It has been sixteen years since he reincarnated as the Demon King, and he felt that the bill for all the bad luck he had accumulated was being paid off all at once. After a few moments of chewing on the happiness, he proposed again. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we start by drafting a treaty!?¡± ¡°No, thank you?.¡± ¡­ Ha? Kengo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Princess Vannessia¡­ I didn¡¯t quite hear you¡­?¡± He scratched both ears and asked again. ¡°I refuse, Your Majesty the Demon King. I have no intention of stopping this war, much less signing a non-aggression pact. Even if the human race dies out, I will continue to fight against the Demon King¡¯s army.¡± Princess Vannessia clasped her hands in front of her chest and smiled daintily. Yes, with a smile as innocent as an angel¡¯s, she made a remark that surprised even the devil. Kengo scrubbed at his eyes, wondering if there was some mistake. He analyzed and thought. ¡°You¡¯re not hallucinating or hearing things, Your Majesty. I¡¯m serious and sane.¡± ¡°¡­ May I ask you to elaborate on that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± With a smile on her face, Princess Vannessia began to speak. ¡°The Heavenly Emperor stated that only those who have gone through the pain and ordeal of bleeding throughout their body will be invited to the heavenly realm. Before Him, the blood of those on this land is tainted, and they will not be forgiven for stepping on Paradise with a tainted body.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you insane?¡± Kengo was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t help but revert to his usual tone of voice. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Princess Vannessia¡¯s face was smiling, but her eyes were not. ¡°¡­ Oh no, you¡¯re serious.¡± Kengo felt like a donkey. ¡°No but wait a minute! Then why did you say you were giving up yesterday?¡± ¡°Because the generals who tasted the h**l of starvation lost their will to fight. That¡¯s all there was to it. If you had really let them starve to death, they would have been able to go to Paradise. His Majesty, the Demon King, is really merciful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you asked for my generosity, even if it cost you your life!?¡± ¡°Sacrificing myself to save the lives of tens of thousands of people¡ªthis is because it is in accordance with the teachings of the Heavenly Emperor. By offering my life, I am proving my faith!¡± Princess Vannessia clenched her fists and made a speech. Gradually, her eyes took on a mysterious glow, and eventually, her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was ragged, and she looked ecstatic. ¡°Your Majesty seems to be a very good-natured person, but the rest of the demons are all befitting of their name, aren¡¯t they? So, you wouldn¡¯t be so naive as to dispose of me at once, would you? Are you starting with torture? Is it torture? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be subjected to horrible torments that I can¡¯t even imagine for a human being. Ufufufu, this is a hardship. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a test given by the Heavenly Emperor to shed all the unholy blood that flows through my body?. A test of my faith???.¡± The chair almost fell over. He stepped away from it and pointed at Princess Vannessia, criticizing her. ¡°You said something about the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s trials but aren¡¯t you just a m*******t!? I feel sorry for the soldiers who have to deal with you! You might be able to handle the pain, no matter how hard it is, but that¡¯s not the case for the average person! Are you aware that you¡¯re doing something terrible using your position!?¡± ¡°If so, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Uwaah. You¡¯re opening up, Princess.¡± This one was a human in the skin of a Demon King, but the other was a demon in the skin of a human. The ideal beautiful girl? Love at first sight? He felt like crying because his eyes were so blind. He had been completely deceived! Volume 1 - CH 3.4 Translated by: Riciel Edited by: SevenTails ¡°His Majesty, the Demon Lord, do you think that we human beings are no match for you and the demon race?¡± Finally, Princess Vannessia¡¯s smile turned into something fearsome and disturbing. She cunningly showed her true nature. ¡°But if you ask me, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so exciting! The stronger the enemy, the more worthwhile the challenge. And there is nothing more interesting than to be able to wage war against an opponent you can never match.¡± ¡°You¡¯re like an insane person, you¡­¡± He wondered if it was similar to the feeling of wanting a ¡®Lunatic¡¯ or a ¡®Demonic¡¯ game mode because ¡®Hard¡¯ or ¡®Very Hard¡¯ difficulty level wasn¡¯t enough. No, that was fine for a game. But Princess Vannessia was betting with the lives of millions of human beings, which was crazy. ¡°Damn. It was a mistake to ask this woman for advice. She said she was sympathetic to my feelings, that admired me, and now she said all of that was a lie!¡± ¡°No, those were unmistakably sincere words. I understand what His Majesty, the Demon King, wants. Just as there are people of the human race who disobey the Emperor¡¯s teachings and are inferior to dogs and beasts, there are surely also people of the demon tribe who are as honourable as you. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Emperor stated that all demons should be eliminated. No matter who you are, as long as you are a demon, death will be your ending.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scarier than me being able to say that with a straight face!¡± Kengo turned his head to look at her. (Was the saint ordained by the heavens!? The beacon of hope for the entire human race!? Isn¡¯t she actually a demon in human skin!?) The fact that he had even a fleeting thought for this pervert was going to be part of his black history. Princess Vannessia, on the other hand, smiled unconcernedly and spoke. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. You are free to boil or burn me ?. I would like you to let the soldiers go, but if you don¡¯t want to, then so be it. On the other hand, if His Majesty, who is so kind, would be willing to let me off the hook, I would welcome that as well. Next time we will use our wits and find a way to destroy the demons.¡± ¡°So, whatever happens, it¡¯s all in accordance with the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s teachings for you.¡± ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡± ¡°Sounds like a fun life!¡± ¡°It is ??.¡± He tried to be sarcastic, but Princess Vannessia responded with an annoyingly nice smile. With that carefree expression on her face, she held out her arms as if to say, ¡°Come on, have it your way.¡± What should he do with this princess, who was undoubtedly a danger to the demon race? Kengo had already decided on the answer. (I¡¯ll have to ask you and your soldiers to return to your homeland¡­) The mere thought of execution or being treated as a hostage would make his blood freeze. It would only make his nightmares worse. There was no way a chicken could do such a horrible thing. [TL: And that¡¯s why; if someone thinks of Princess Vannessia as someone similar to Hitotsuba Kaede, I¡¯m going to slaughter you.] ¡°Uuuhhhh¡­ I didn¡¯t expect her to be such a pervert¡­ God, what did I do wrong? Uuuuaa.¡± After returning to the Demon King¡¯s Castle, Kengo laid in bed, still shocked. He curled up on the ultra-sized bed in his room, covered with a bedspread and shut himself in. ¡°Come on, cheer up and stop crying, Kengo. You¡¯re depressing.¡± ¡°This mistress thought that my Lord only liked that woman¡¯s face and body.¡± These were Lushiko and Asumi. They had come into the bedroom without asking permission, climbed onto the bed without asking, and stuck together on either side of Kengo, who was curled up. ¡°It¡¯s useless to look for personality in the human race. Especially not in a powerful person with a position or status, Lord.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Asumi?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s no surprise that the Young Lord is not familiar with the affairs of the human world.¡± Asumi¡¯s face turned pensive, and she began to speak in detail. ¡°The human race isn¡¯t as highly developed nor as magically advanced as us. This is why the people of the human world are generally poorer than those of the demon world. Also, they¡¯ve had a lot of droughts this year, and the locusts were rampant¡ªit¡¯s too easy for a famine to occur. Even if it didn¡¯t happen, the slightest whim of weather or climate could cause huge fluctuations in food yields. The common people¡¯s food sources will naturally not be stable.¡± ¡°I can see that as a theory¡­ What does that have to do with talking about personality?¡± ¡°Take a step forward and think about it, Lushiko. The people of the human world are all forced to live on a thin straw. The royalty and aristocracy of the human world also exploit taxes from such people and live in luxury without a care in the world. If you don¡¯t call this the work of a devil, what do you call it?¡± ¡°Hmmm, I get it.¡± ¡°On top of that, the temple forces have grown fat by conveniently twisting the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s teachings and threatening the people with H**l if they don¡¯t contribute. They are rotten to the core.¡± ¡°I see. But how is that not enough to cause a rebellion? If it were a demon race, it would have been a coup d¡¯¨¦tat already. A coup d¡¯¨¦tat!¡± ¡°The old saying goes, ¡®To divert the people¡¯s discontent, make enemies.¡¯ They claim it¡¯s because the demon tribe had put a curse on them that the drought from the sun continues, that it¡¯s because the demon tribe ate their fathers when he went hunting and didn¡¯t come back, and that it¡¯s because the demon tribe is responsible for their mother¡¯s serious illness. The morale of the troops on the battlefield will also be boosted, killing two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°They¡¯re so vicious! It makes me sick!¡± Lushiko spoke up as if in righteous fury. Kengo also listened to the story while wrapped in the bed covers, and his ears hurt. He had somehow assumed that demons were evil, and humans were good, but it seems that his knowledge was quite shallow. No, he didn¡¯t think that the demons were the righteous ones. However, it seemed that the human world, unlike the demon world, was filled with misery and poverty. And it was all because of a handful of corrupt royal families and temples. Kengo¡¯s thoughts turned to Princess Vannessia. It was true that the princess didn¡¯t seem very interested in luxury. Even when they were attacked, she could have used her position to get a meal for herself if she wanted to. She was suffering along with the soldiers, wasn¡¯t she? Her piety and faith in the Heavenly Emperor¡ªwhile out of the ordinary¡ª did not appear to be a lie. In that respect, she was no false saint. She had a clear distinction from other corrupt authorities, and that was why she has been able to gain unparalleled popularity. However, once opening the lid, it turned out that for Princess Vannessia, the pursuit of pleasure was nothing more than satisfying her masochistic desires. For that, she would involve her people and soldiers without concern, making them as unhappy as possible. ¡°¡­ In other words, Princess Vannessia and the rest of the powers are all in the same hole after all¡­¡± ¡°She may look innocent, but her true nature is that of a selfish, devilish woman.¡± ¡°Uuuuaaaahhhh!¡± Unable to argue with Asmi¡¯s accurate analysis of the human world and assessment of character, Kengo cried out. He was so embarrassed by his ignorance and lack of clarity that he wanted to put his head into a hole. ¡°Well, well, well, my Lord. Sexual love between men and women is the same as warfare. It is the experience that counts. The Young Lord would inevitably make mistakes.¡± ¡°Yes, it was. I mean, it¡¯s been a great experience, hasn¡¯t it? Why not use it as a lesson?¡± ¡°This mistress, on the other hand, has grown more and more fond of you, for you are naiver than she had imagined. For when greatness is too great, the Lord is as far away as the moon, far away and lonely.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t spoil him!¡± ¡°No need to be jealous. Can¡¯t this mistress fall in love with him too? If you try to monopolize the Lord, you¡¯ll only make more enemies, Lushiko.¡± ¡°Haa? You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s fallen in love with him, so why don¡¯t you do what you want?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Uuuuu¡­¡± Asumi¡¯s comforting words sunk deep into his heart while Lushiko¡¯s not-so-honest attitude had arrived. Even though he knows she was not really saying it, he wanted her to be nice to him. ¡°Ughhhh¡­¡± ¡°Mou~ You¡¯re always so pathetic¡«¡«.¡± ¡°Well, well, Lushiko. Why don¡¯t you comfort him?¡± ¡°Haa!? Why me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s you. I have never seen such a heartbroken Lord. So, who else but you can comfort him, his step-sister? Even though the demon world is wide, no one but Lushiko can do it. Do you disagree?¡± ¡°He~~~. Oh, I see. So just me.¡± ¡°I envy you so much. If I could take your place, I would.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going that far, I can comfort him¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you too easy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not easy!¡± ¡°Well, well, well, follow me. This mistress has an idea.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, but you have to apologize first!¡± ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The two gawky women left in a hurry. Kengo felt their presence while still curled up in the bed covers. Before he could think of anything else, Lushiko and Asumi returned. They climbed into the bed again without asking. However, they were much farther away than before. What on earth were they thinking? ¡°There you go, my Lord. You will see something rare, so take a peek.¡± Asumi invited him in an impish tone. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to see it.¡± You could hear Lushiko being embarrassed from her tone of voice. His curiosity overcame his heartbreak at this. Kengo lifted the edge of the bedspread, which was still covering him, a little and peeked through the crack. Around the edge of the bed, Lushiko was sitting flat on her lap. Asumi is no different. However, Lushiko had changed into a pure white dress, reminiscent of Princess Vannessia. She usually liked to wear provocative clothes that expose her skin, so it was refreshing to see her in a neat long skirt. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kengo gulped. Without realizing it, he stared at the pure white dress version of Lushiko. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± Lushiko turned red all the way to her earlobes and squirmed as if to escape Kengo¡¯s gaze. But it was nice to see her so embarrassed! He had thought that Princess Vannessia fit his tastes perfectly. He had thought she was a hundred points, a perfect beauty. But now, Lushiko was a thousand points perfect. He hadn¡¯t noticed it until now, but now he finally realized something. For the first time, Lushiko, who had always dressed very provocatively for Kengo, wore such a dress. The ideal beautiful girl was so close to him! Now, he felt like a happy bluebird! ¡°Now, my Lord. Come closer, please.¡± ¡°C-can I?¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. It¡¯s because she wants to comfort you, my Lord, that Lushiko dressed as such in spite of her embarrassment.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not feeling embarrassed! It¡¯s the default for me, the default!¡± ¡°So, can I come closer, Lushiko?¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s none of my business. Do what you want!¡± ¡°There, there, that¡¯s what Lushiko said. Now, don¡¯t be shy, my Lord.¡± Asumi beckoned to him in a friendly manner. Kengo still hesitated a lot but then went towards them. Curled up in a ball and covered, he crunched and moved like such a new creature. ¡°Now, my Lord. You may lie on Lushiko¡¯s lap.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I do that much¡­?¡± He asked cautiously. But Lushiko turned her head away and said nothing. She didn¡¯t say ¡®No¡¯ nor ¡®I don¡¯t want to.¡¯ So, he indulged in her lap, wrapped in her dress skirt. ¡°No, no, my Lord. Do not turn over.¡± ¡°Not on my back?¡± He did as Asumi asked and buried his face between Lushiko¡¯s thighs. The skirt, which seemed to be made of silk, was smooth and comfortable. The fabric that wrapped her thighs looked thin, but when he pressed his face against it, it caught him softly. ¡°Keep breathing, my Lord.¡± ¡°What the h**l are you thinking!?¡± ¡°Suuuuuu, haaaaaa.¡± ¡°You take a deep breath, too.¡± ¡°How are Lushiko¡¯s thighs, my Lord?¡± ¡°¡­ Smells good.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sniff them!¡± Lushiko protested, but it smelled really good. There was something soothing about the smell. No¡ªit wasn¡¯t just soothing. Kengo was aware that his heart was suddenly pounding. In the past, the two siblings had known each other for a long time, and occasionally Lushiko would take advantage of his whim and give him a lap pillow. This was not the first time. But this was the first time he had ever felt such emotions. (I just want to stay like this¡­) [EN: This riajuu¡ª] Volume 1 - CH 3.5 Translated by: Riciel Edited by: SevenTails He rubbed his cheek against Lushiko¡¯s thigh, and she patted him on the head. ¡°Kukuku, he¡¯s starting to feel better, right, Lushiko?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so annoying! It¡¯s just for today! If the Demon King keeps acting like this, the demon world¡¯s order will be shaken. And if the only one who can give Kengo a good shove is this ¡®arrogant¡¯ demon general, then I¡¯ll have to step in, won¡¯t I? It¡¯s not like I like it!¡± ¡°All right, all right, I¡¯ll listen to all your excuses, and I¡¯ll even admit them all if I have to, so just indulge my Lord.¡± ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ve got your word, haven¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Kukuku. Did you seriously believe that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Asumi continued to make fun of her while she protested in a spiky voice, yet the hand that stroked Kengo¡¯s head remained as gentle as ever. (I just want to stay like this¡­) Kengo thought to himself once again. He didn¡¯t need any special reward or anything. He was a chicken, and he was too self-conscious to do something against it. Instead, it was this kind of gentle skinship that made him happy to the point of being driven to tears. But he still had other thoughts. (But I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a terrible ending waiting for me in the end anyway.) For example, when he ordered him not to kill the human army, Sado started a gruesome raid on it. He was reminded of the difference in values between humans and demons. These were the Seven Great Demon Generals who wouldn¡¯t let him stay in a dreamy state. (Ugh, okay. I have to get better now. I have to come back anytime.) Despite motivating himself, he felt like crying again. (I¡¯ll enjoy your lap until then. Come on. I¡¯m not scared anymore.) As far as his attitude went, it was all in his mind and heart, but in the end, the awful ending never came. No matter how much he prepared himself, no matter how much he waited, it never came. Both Lushiko and Asumi just continued to act gently, spoiling him peacefully, until the heart hurt by Princess Vannessia completely healed. ¡°Kukuku. It seems that the Lord has fallen asleep.¡± Asumi narrowed her eyes at Kengo, who had begun to breathe in his sleep using Lushiko¡¯s lap as a pillow. ¡°What a peaceful sleeping face he has. Wasn¡¯t it worth the effort, Lushiko?¡± ¡°Hmph. Seriously, what a sloppy face! Wouldn¡¯t it be so easy to break this guy¡¯s neck in his sleep now?¡± Lushiko spoke hatefully and poked Kengo irritably in the cheek. However, the way she looked at the sleeping face of her step-brother, who was sleeping in her lap as if he was at ease, was very gentle. (She¡¯s not straightforward at all. But I guess this is Lushiko¡¯s charm.) Asumi looked at the two faces alternately and chuckled inwardly. And then¡­ ¡°My Lord, you have always been a man of simple intentions, but it¡¯s not just about men and women. Doesn¡¯t your heart and soul not match with that of a Demon King¡¯s? Specifically, isn¡¯t yours a lousy one?¡± She suddenly dropped a bombshell. When she looked at Lushiko¡¯s reaction, she saw that Lushiko was covered in a cold sweat, and her eyes were swimming with fear. ¡°I knew it. I had a sneaking suspicion.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know anything! What makes you think that!?¡± ¡°The Lord is certainly a novice, but he is not uninterested in women. In fact, he¡¯s a bit of a softie, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s been stealing glances at my belly button and at Mamoyo¡¯s and Bellmo¡¯s t**s, you know!¡± ¡°Kukuku, he also seems to really like my flat b*****s too.¡± ¡°Such an indiscriminate guy, this lewd pervert!¡± ¡°The one who is supposed to be so indiscriminate, however, has no intention of laying a hand on his concubines and maidens. If he had ordered us to keep him company, we could not have disobeyed him¡ªno, we would have been delighted to do so. Isn¡¯t this a bit too sweet, a bit too naive, and a bit too unnatural?¡° ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re saying this guy¡¯s a slacker? That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°The nature and expression of sexual desire is the very essence of demon nature. Don¡¯t underestimate it.¡± Asumi assured her that she was the master of Lust. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really care whether you know.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t tell me!¡± Asumi got amused by Lushiko¡¯s churlishness as she gulped hastily and continued with, ¡°It¡¯s not good for your heart.¡± So, she changed the subject slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t know much about your predecessor, do you?¡± It was half a year ago that Lushiko had inherited the Demon General title of Arrogance from her father. In other words, the replacement coincided with Kengo¡¯s crowning, so there was no time when she had served the previous demon king. ¡°I-I know! He liked wars and battles a lot, didn¡¯t he!?¡± Lushiko was not one to say, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it,¡± so she got pissed off and lied. Asumi chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s right. He had no interest in women at all. He was not a person worth serving.¡± ¡°Hmm! So, you¡¯re saying that Kengo is worth serving because he¡¯s so h***y?¡± Lushiko must have thought she was being incredibly ironic. However, unlike her, who was not always honest, Asumi was an adult and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She had the luxury of enjoying the look of astonishment on Lushiko¡¯s face. ¡°This mistress is Lust. I am a Demon General, and sexual desires run deeply within me.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t say something strange out of the blue!¡± ¡°I want to be pampered by a man who is as gentle and reliable, like a fatherly or a big brotherly figure.¡± ¡°Y-you startled me. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°But at the same time, I want to wrap my motherly instincts around a lovely man like a son or younger brother.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re contradicting yourself!¡± ¡°No? Isn¡¯t that just another condition?¡± Asumi laughed heartily. At the same time, she stroked Kengo¡¯s hair as if she were caring for him as he slept peacefully. His Majesty, the coveted Demon King, possessed terrifying power that could instantly undo even the secret arts of the Satan family. And yet, he was adorably naive and might actually be a coward. ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯re saying that Kengo can satisfy all of those requirements at the same time?¡± As expected, Lushiko¡¯s female intuition kicked in, and her eyes suddenly became sharp. Asumi giggled and added. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m also fond of women. Especially Lushiko.¡± ¡°Pervert! You¡¯ve got a lot of nerve to say that!¡± ¡°But at some point, my Lord, you and I will have to share a bed together. Let¡¯s have a nice, gooey, sloppy threesome.¡± ¡°I would never do that, you baka!¡± Asumi really liked the red-faced, ranting Lushiko. (At this age, I have a very loving lord and colleague.) She couldn¡¯t help but feel blissful as she stroked Kengo¡¯s head and teased Lushiko. It was now the following morning. Tens of thousands of soldiers left the area in a long line. The allied forces of the human race surrendered Fort Krall and fled for their lives. Aside from the knights, all the soldiers were honest. As they marched down the road, their backs were all in low spirits. One could see that they were grasping at their own powerlessness against the Demon King¡¯s army. In fact, their bags were filled with enough food for the return trip, which was donated to them by the Demon King¡¯s army. All of their rations and food had been consumed during Sado¡¯s attack. Hence, they were well aware that their safe return home was not the result of their own efforts but only because they were pitied. Kengo watched their melancholic backs from atop the castle wall. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay with letting them all go?¡± Lushiko, who was next to him, asked him bluntly. She was no longer in her neat, pure white dress. She had gone back to her navel-baring, leg-baring look. ¡°You¡¯re not going to wear that dress?¡± When Kengo had complained earlier, she replied with, ¡°Ba- ba- ba¡ªka! I-I-I told you it was only for yesterday,¡± poking him. ¡°It¡¯s okay if we do that again, I think¡­¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ll wear it once in a while?¡± ¡°Occasion¡«¡«¡«ally.¡± And since Lushiko had somewhat answered, he had compromised before she became too stubborn. Anyway¡­ ¡°Yes, we can let them go. If we take prisoners, it¡¯ll be too much trouble.¡± Kengo shrugged. ¡°Hmm? Well, I don¡¯t mind, you know?¡± Lushiko said meaningfully and turned around. All of the Seven Great Demon Generals but she was left there. ¡°May I ask why, my Lord?¡± The one who asked him timidly was Mamoyo, the Demon General of Greed. She was dressed in her usual military uniform, bent over deeply, and refusing to raise her head. ¡°It fills me with fear questioning His Majesty¡¯s decision. However, according to your original words, you were going to take them all as your livestock.¡± ¡°Y-yes. Of course, there¡¯s a good reason for it.¡± Kengo was startled and answered quickly. ¡°I would like to ask my Lord to impart us your wisdom. I would like to have the honour of knowing your ideas.¡± ¡°Y-yes. Since you were the one to ask, then I can¡¯t help but tell you.¡± He nodded his head enthusiastically in response to the question but was, of course, unable to give the essential reason. (How can you be so inhumane as to enslave tens of thousands of people!? I would have a stomachache from the guilt! It would give me even more nightmares!) If he were to say something like that, his authority as the Demon King would be no more, and it might lead to a coup d¡¯etat. (Don¡¯t make me say it, it¡¯s horrible! Read the atmosphere, Mamoyo!) While complaining inwardly, Kengo broke out in a cold sweat. He had thought of a reason for this just in case it happened. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could convince the Seven Great Demon Generals with just that. But he couldn¡¯t let them stand in suspense forever. Everyone¡¯s eyes were sparkling as they waited for the Demon King to tell them his ¡®deep¡¯ reason. Only Lushiko had the attitude of ¡®don¡¯t look at me.¡¯ Even if he were to make eye contact and eagerly beg for help, she would only give back a look of, ¡®I¡¯ve warned you. I don¡¯t know how to help.¡¯ So, he had to be prepared. ¡°Think about it¡ªwhy should we be so eager to get a mere few tens of thousands of slaves?¡± He started his talk in the most pompous manner and tone of voice possible, filled with eloquence. It was a foolish effort to increase his persuasion power by showing off the Demon King¡¯s flair into the air. ¡°Hmm, I hadn¡¯t thought of that, but now that you mention it¡­¡± ¡°That makes perfect sense.¡± ¡°His Majesty, the coveted Demon King Kengo, is the one who will eventually rule millions of human beings as livestock.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a few tens of thousands that were spared.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± The demon generals frequently chimed in. He thought that their reactions were great! ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I thought it would be better to let them return to set the stage for the thousand days ahead.¡± Kengo had easily won them over and spoke with a heartfelt sense of pride, not an act. However, it was not much of a story. After Sado¡¯s raid, Kengo had gone around using healing magics on all the soldiers suffering from hunger. All those who wished to return home, he sparingly released them. He hoped that they would be a little grateful for that, as to make them say, ¡°The Demon King is a surprisingly nice guy.¡± He thought it would be a great idea to have tens of thousands of soldiers scatter all over the world, using the power of word-of-mouth. If it caused the people and nations of the world to be unwilling to continue the war, he would have accomplished his purpose. He only had to convince the demon generals with the best excuses he could muster! Kengo coughed elusively and continued. ¡°I mean, think of it like this. Sado¡¯s attack¡ª.¡° ¡°I get it! This Belhara understands all of your deepest thoughts.¡± ¡°Eh? What? How!?¡± He was honestly surprised. ¡°It would be indifference.¡± He stared at Belhara¡¯s face, the middle-aged dandy of Sloth, who had a look of satisfaction on his face. Belhara was said to be the wisest generals in the world of magic. Not only could he hear one thing and know ten, but he could also understand hundreds or even thousands of things. One must not measure the great demons using the human scale or common sense. ¡°What do you mean, Belhara? Explain it to this mistress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You and His Majesty are the only ones who understand each other, and that fills me with jealousy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait!¡± When the other generals urged him to do so, Belhara¡¯s expression showed his superiority. ¡°If you insist so much, I¡¯ll tell you. Your Majesty, may I explain it to them?¡± ¡°Y-yes, of course.¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve received permission, allow me!¡± So Bellhara faced the other generals while proudly rubbing his M-shaped beard he was proud of. (It would be more convincing if this guy took over rather than me explaining.) Kengo also decided to leave him in charge. ¡°All right, everyone. I want you to imagine what it will be like after those soldiers have safely returned home.¡± (Yeah, yeah. Good start.) ¡°It will be a joy to be reunited with family, loved ones, and friends. I¡¯m sure they will spend the night talking about their experience. The topic of conversation will naturally be what happened at Fort Krall.¡± (Well, that¡¯s expected, isn¡¯t it?) ¡°They were starved almost to death for dozens of days by Sado¡¯s magic. It must have been a living h**l. Their grief and suffering will become a vivid account of their experiences, and their relatives and acquaintances would tremble when they heard it, saying, ¡®The Demon King¡¯s Army is to be feared!¡¯¡± (What is he saying now!?) ¡°The word-of-mouth¡¯s effect will be enormous! The humans and nations of the world will see the foolishness in defying us, will be disheartened, feel despair, and will lose their vitality as a species. That¡¯s what His Majesty the Demon King is after!¡± (I am not. Wrooooong!. Not one of them matches!) Kengo turned his head and felt like saying, ¡®I can¡¯t learn ten things by hearing one, but I think you found an imaginary number that doesn¡¯t even exist!¡¯ ¡°Oh¡­ As expected of the wise general, Belhara!¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of your great mind, but thanks to you, we understand.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were thinking of that, Kengo-sama!¡± ¡°This mistress thought it would be best to kill them all.¡± ¡°But you are indeed His Majesty. How amazing!¡± (Don¡¯t tell me you are convinced tooooooo!?) [TL: Lushiko had said the previous sentence.] Kengo¡¯s mouth dropped open as the generals cheered him on. (Wasn¡¯t Sado the one who did something terrible? Wasn¡¯t he the one who scarred them? But then what about what happened after!? Remember what I did!) Inwardly, he felt frustrated and on the edge of his seat. In contrast, Belhara, who received great responses, looked even happier. ¡°Well, wait, everyone. This is not the end. There is still more to His Majesty¡¯s devious plan.¡± He spoke to the other demon generals, continuing. ¡°Have you not forgotten what His Majesty did when he left the Demon King¡¯s Castle while Sado was still feeding the troops?¡± (Oh?) ¡°Yes. After lifting Sado¡¯s tactical class magic, His Majesty the Demon King saved every single starving human soldier with his healing magic.¡± (Oohhh?) ¡°The human soldiers must have been thrilled to be freed from the living h**l and be saved. In fact, the way they looked at His Majesty the Demon King¡¯s face was as if they were worshipping their saviour.¡± (Oohhhhhhh?) Kengo took a turn and listened with a sparkle in his eye. ¡°So, you actually realized my intentions. You didn¡¯t misunderstand me, Belhara,¡± he thought, pleased. The overuse of ¡®His Majesty¡¯ left him nauseated, but other than that, it was perfect. And then Belhara, while rubbing his M-mustache, said with a stern face. ¡°Foolish human army, they don¡¯t even know that¡¯s exactly what His Majesty had planned for you! His Majesty gave Sado an imperial order to abuse the human army. After that, he himself appeared as if he was the saviour of the world. What a brilliant, coordinated plan!¡± (That phrasing! The way you said it!) ¡°The joy of being free from the torments of h**l must have been too intense for the human race to see the truth! Or perhaps they have an unconscious defensive reflex to prevent them from seeing it! ¡®This person who saved me couldn¡¯t be a bad person.¡¯ How idiotic! He¡¯s the one who threw you all into a living h**l, you idiots! Idiooots!¡± [EN: I would have died if I left it as this old man saying ¡®baka¡¯ like a tsundere.] (¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t do that again¡­) ¡°Magical brainwashing can only be done with a magic, but he did not need to use magic to implant a false sense of salvation and gratitude in their minds that would last a lifetime. It¡¯s a devious scheme! What a brilliant demonic mind! Even this Belhara is in awe of you!¡± (I wasn¡¯t even thinking about that!) Kengo cried tears of blood in his heart and felt like spitting blood, but he couldn¡¯t clear the misunderstanding. If he were to tell the truth, he would probably be reckoned as a lousy Demon King and suffer from a coup d¡¯¨¦tat. All he could do was hold on and not about to cower in place. Meanwhile¡ª ¡°Do you understand, ladies and gentlemen? His Majesty did not care about mere tens of thousands of slaves but made a move thinking a thousand days ahead.¡± Belhara concluded knowingly. He didn¡¯t even come close to what Kengo really intended. ¡°That¡¯s His Majesty, Kengo-sama, for you! Not only is he strong, but also smart! I can¡¯t help but be jealous, wondering how much the world has granted you.¡± Levi-San praised him with a very friendly attitude. He didn¡¯t even know how Kengo was feeling. ¡°It¡¯s in the blood of His Majesty. Remember ¡®The Master of the Carefree Seat,¡¯ as he was known before.¡± [TL: °²˜SÒÎ×ÓÃû½«] Asumi looked convinced as she cited a distant ancestor whose name he didn¡¯t even know. She didn¡¯t even know what Kengo was thinking. ¡°Your Majesty. I once again pledge my absolute loyalty to you.¡± Mamoyo hung her head and dropped to one knee in a posture that did not leave a single gap. She didn¡¯t even know what Kengo was really thinking. ¡°Heee~ I didn¡¯t know you were thinking that. I didn¡¯t expect that to be your plan.¡± (You too, Lushiko!?) But the best one was Sado. With dazzlingly innocent eyes like a child¡¯s, he sang out with great excitement. ¡°I, I was so worried that I¡¯ve messed up something in attacking the fort! But now, thanks to Belhara, I understand! So, I was there to complement Master Kengo! Thank you so much! It¡¯s such a great honour! I¡¯ll continue to do my best to play the role of the hated one for Master Kengo! I¡¯ll do my best to be bloodthirstily brutal and cruelly outrageous, and I¡¯ll do my best to cover myself in mud on Kengo-sama¡¯s behalf and make him shine beautifully! I¡¯m really good at that! Please continue to let me do the dirty work, please!!¡± (No, it¡¯s nooooot like that, Sadooooo¡­!) He wanted to shout out that he never thought of such a vile thing. But if he shouted out the truth, his authority of the Demon King would be threatened with a coup d¡¯etat. So, in the end, there was only one thing that Kengo could say. ¡°That¡¯s right, Belhara. You did well explaining my thoughts to everyone.¡± He didn¡¯t know what else to say except to say that while pulling a smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m flattered.¡± Belhara condescendingly showed off by bending his back. Hmmm, it was a little irritating, but Kengo, as the Demon King, had no choice but to smile like a hawk. ¡°Hahaha, keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Kukuku, please leave it to me. This Belhara©¤©¤no, this is the wisdom of His Majesty the Demon King.¡± ¡°Hahahaha-¡± ¡°Kukukuku-¡° God! Did I do something wrong? [EN: Yes, you did.] Volume 1 - CH 4.10 However, an unforeseen circumstance evolved¡ª¡ª which was like putting water into the really amazing food. ¡°Excuse me for interrupting you on your meal, Your Majesty.¡± Mamoyo¡¯s voice could be heard over along with the sound of her squeaky footsteps closing in. A beautiful woman in a military uniform, with a touch of sexiness in her dignity, appears in the Nefarious Phoenix Room. (Even though I stopped eating, but she, Bellno didn¡¯t stop¡­) ¡°Mamoyo heh. Even you are coming here this early in the morning. What¡¯s bothering you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It seems a scenario, urgent enough to have your ears heard immediately, has befallen upon us. Please attend to that issue immediately.¡± Mamoyo kneeled towards him without any openings/laze whatsoever and reported him in fast words. (REALLY¡­ WHAT THE HECK! PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK!) Deep inside the chests of Kengo, a small clump of murky dark clouds starts to form. As a demon general of [Greed], Mamoyo has a craving nature even when it comes to gathering information. Therefore, she can be relied upon to know about some tempting scoops of juicy stories to listen to, or, detect any incident or a problem as soon as it happens and report it back to me as soon as possible. This time it seems that the cause was apparently the latter. ¡°Being one as your own calibre, is the situation that dire to even make you also panicked?¡± While being inwardly shaken to the core, Kengo asks her. Don¡¯t tell me, did the great volcano residing in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Saturnia at last erupt? Don¡¯t tell me! Did the sisters of the Astaroth family, famous for their acrimonious relationship, have declared war against each other, causing a civil war breaking out? Or don¡¯t tell me! Did they possibly found out about the true nature of Kengo and revealed it to other demon generals, staging a coup d¡¯¨¦tat!? My mind started filling up with all the unpleasant possibilities that can possibly come. However, no matter how much I try to imagine, there would be just more seeds of more headaches just lying down around me, yet to be thought upon. In this another world called Formirama. And then, Mamoyo answered. ¡°It¡¯s a Brave man, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°HAAA!?¡± ¡°We have received information that the ¡°Red Hero ¨C Ares¡± and his party members are on their way to immorally try to take the life of His Majesty and thus proceeding forwards aiming for this castle.¡± ¡°That Brave man, who is he? Is he someone¡­ really someone dange¡ª- enough to be afraid of?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but they are geniuses at murdering the Demon Lord. In the past, a number of assassins have somehow infiltrated the Castle of the Demon King and have usurped the life of the then ruling Demon Lord assassinating them right into the Throne Room.¡± ¡°Are you for reaaaallll!¡± Unconsciously, Kengo stared at the roof. Well, in this Formirama, there is a persona as the demon lord existing. So a person like the Brave or the hero to also exist is not much of an unforeseen thing. But even so!¡­. Even so! ¡­ ¡°¡­¡­ Good work informing me about it. Really good work on finding that info, Mamoyo.¡± ¡°YES!, in order to not let the previous mishaps recur again, this time we have set up a wide network of surveillance in the human realm, striving to get the grasp of each and every action of that Brave and his party as much as possible.¡± ¡°How thoughtful! To have such an outstanding subordinate as you I am really fortunate!¡± ¡°I am extremely happy. I just work with the sole thought to make your over-bounding love mine alone. That¡¯s all.¡± Mamoyo bows deeply, and then continues on to give advice on that. ¡°The hero¡¯s ability should be taken with a pinch of salt. If it¡¯s a low-ranking person, it¡¯s definitely scary, but if it¡¯s against high-ranking demon generals like us then we can give him a go for his money.¡± ¡°To that degree huh¡­¡­ Then, what is the extent of the strength of this ¡°Red Hero?¡± ¡°If I were to confess according to the document at hand then, Ares is a strange man even among the brave, who would just take plain requests which would never be taken in by any other brave, continuously helping the helpless. Therefore, there is no listing of any brilliant achievements as such in his name.¡± ¡°But. The lack of achievements is never equal to the lack of ability. You must never be careless.¡± ¡°As expected of your clarification, I¡¯m awed at your insight.¡± (I¡¯m just a lousy chicken, so I always imagine the worst, the worst type of situation that can ever befall right¡­¡­) Kengo was thinking inward although, while outwards, he was ¡°Fafafa¡± expanding his usual Demon King laughter. Keeping that aside, ¡°Ah, I understand. Then there is only one way of action that can be taken ©¤©¤¡± Kengo turns back and laughs in his Demon King demeanor more and more. ¡°GATHER THE SEVEN GREAT DEMON GENERALS! WE WILL BE HAVING A MEETING!¡± And so, I decided to rely on the strength of my subordinates. There was no hesitation whatsoever. ¡°Understood. Although Sato and Levi have returned back to their own territory for their respective purposes, I will go and ask them to return back to the castle immediately.¡± ¡°I am sorry for the trouble, Mamoyo. Though, I will be requiring you in more service.¡± ¡°Your words are wasted upon me, My Majesty.¡± Kengou shows his appreciation to his loyal subjects, as Mamoyo left the palace to gather the other five Demon generals. Just like she came, he watches her as she goes back sharp and swiftly. (I¡¯ve gotten stuck into another trouble again. ¡­¡­. God ¡­¡­, did I do something bad/wrong ¡­¡­?) I have already become disheartened and dejected. I still had about 30 percent of my breakfast left on the plate, but I had somehow completely lost my appetite. ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± Only Bellno was there unaffected, eating and chewing grandly. Un. Isn¡¯t it really wonderful to be without any worries and trouble whatsoever. Right, you (referring to Bellno). Volume 1 - CH 4.1 It was a back garden filled with the ecstatic and energetic voices of playful young children. There were about a hundred children, ranging from six to fourteen years old, divided into friend groups and playing ¡®run and catch¡¯ or dodgeball, respectively. They were all smiling happily and innocently. Vannessia looked at them from under the eaves of the church. ¡°It is such a heartwarming sight to behold. They are the treasures of our country, our future itself.¡± One would involuntarily marvel at her enchanting voice. Maikaichta, her homeland, was considered one of the greatest powers in the human world. Moreover, the holy church that was in Maikaichta¡¯s Royal Capital, be it in terms of size, financial power, members, and all other aspects, was one of the greatest in the human world. Naturally, it was positioned as the main church of the Heavenly Emperor and put itself as the highest standard for all other churches. At the request of the royal family, a system was created to allow the clergy in the capital to be responsible for providing primary education for promising children. Those children who successfully pass the exam would be eligible to partake in studies regardless of their status. The church would sponsor them and donate a small amount of money, thus allowing their studies to be free of cost. After the system was enacted, throughout the whole day, one could see more than a hundred children working hard to pass the exam and complete their studies thanks to the monetary benefit given by the church. At this moment, the children frolicking around the back garden were the students. They would eventually be bureaucrats serving the royal family, holding the position in the Konoe Knight Order, or would even remain in the church and serve as part of the clergy. However, at present, they were no different from the children who you would find just about anywhere, taking a break between classes and enjoying life carefreely. For Vannessia, that was something she loved and cherished enough to make her smile unconsciously! ¡°Children, I am very happy that all of you are in good health,¡± Vannessia, who left the eaves and moved to the garden, called out. The children, noticing her coming, enlivened and started running and shouting ¡®waa¡¯ playfully towards her. ¡°Saintess-sama!¡± ¡°You have at last returned from fighting in the holy war, right!?¡± ¡°Princess!¡± ¡°We¡¯re happy and relieved that Vannessia-sama is safe!¡± ¡°Welcome back~!¡± She was immediately surrounded by the young children in the group. Their actions were criticized by the older children, but Vannessia did not look concerned or even uncomfortable in the least. She loved the children so much that she didn¡¯t care if they were to touch or pull her dress with their dirty hands. She rather preferred their mischievous boisterous nature. As the third Princess of Maikaichta Kingdom, it fell under her responsibility to tour and assess every facility and institution around the kingdom; but she was always happy to visit and church. Vannessia merrily asked the children. ¡°Everyone~ Were you good kids when I was out there fighting the holy war?¡± ¡°¡°HAI!¡±¡± All of them responded with all their might. The oldest children present were two years older than the sixteen-year-old Vannessia, although they looked a lot younger in comparison. It was only natural that Vannessia, who had trained in imperial arts and studies from an early age and carried a heavy responsibility as a saint representing the entire human race, was much more mature than others in her age group. As if partly humouring them. She would take care of the students, calling out to each by their given names and asking them about their recent activities and their overall health. ¡°So, what has Romeo been doing since the morning?¡± ¡°You know~ You know~ Vannessia sama! I did a really incredible thing this morning!¡± A boy who was only seven-year-old with his face completely red reported enthusiastically and proudly. ¡°Maa~ How wonderful~ So, what good thing did you do, Romeo~?¡± ¡°My father was defiling the statue of the Heavenly Emperor in the park!¡± ¡°He spat on it and even peed on it while grinning! So, I went to the officials and told them about a bad person doing bad things to the statue of the Heavenly Emperor!¡± [TL note: Kind of like ¡®God¡¯ Kanji: ÌìµÛ] ¡°Maa~! Maa~ Maa~ Maa~! Romeo is still so young, but what a wonderful-upright child! I¡¯m sure the Heavenly Emperor has taken note of your acts. I¡¯m sure he will welcome you to heaven after death.¡± Vannessia was so overwhelmed with emotions that she hugged the boy and caressed his cheek. Then, just at that moment, a rather noisy group came into that garden. The one tied up was Romeo¡¯s father, and the one who tied him up was the group of first-grade church warriors. With Lady Vannessia and the children watching over, the experienced priest warrior handled the rampaging father and tied him up to one of the garden trees. ¡°Now, come on, fellow students! Throw stones on this heretic who dared disgrace our Supreme Lord.¡± On the notice of the priest-warrior, the students cheered and ran. Everyone picked up a stone in their hands and threw it at Romeo¡¯s father with all their might. Romeo¡¯s father immediately let out horrible screams and was covered in blood. However, the children did not slow down. They picked up more stones and threw them at him. Romeo was the one who took the initiative to throw out the most stones. Vannessia watched with admiration as she saw how righteous Romeo had become. ¡°It¡¯s such a wonderful sight! The proof can never be any clearer. Our church¡¯s teachings are the most suitable and in line with the Heavenly Emperor! Ah~! Ah~! My Maikaichta¡¯s future looks so bright!¡± ¡°To be acknowledged by none other than ¡®Little Rattal¡¯-sama. It is a great honour for us, clergymen and priests.¡± The old man who arrived later, the head of the temple with the rank of Archbishop, was in awe at the scene. It wasn¡¯t because Vannessia was not flaunting her status as the third Princess of the country in front of them, but there was a definite hint of awe and terror in his eyes as he looked at the little girl, who was probably no older than his grandson. Actually, this very church was previously known for being the hotbed of corruption and vice among the clergy. For example, under the pretense of collecting orphans and providing for them, the orphans were used for their own amusement or to attract customers. Vannessia, who had visited the shrine for the first time, noticed the hidden depravity in the church on inspection and became furious due to her sense of justice. According to the teachings of the Heavenly Emperor, she tried to kill the corrupt priests. However, it did not go well at first. She planned to appeal to her father, the King, and mobilize the knights of the empire, but somehow, her body, her legs, and all those around her started to drag her down. She was told that it was not a good idea to get into a fight with the church of the Heavenly Emperor, which had captured the will of the people with its religious beliefs and dogmas. Thus, failing to be persuaded against her ideals, she tried to agitate the will of the people against the church. She made strong appeals in the streets, inciting the people of the capital to riot and revolt against the wrongdoings and evil of the church. After gathering a mob of 10,000 people, she led them into the temple, where she burned the Previous Archbishop and other clergymen at the stake. This was when Vannessia was still only at the tender age of eleven years. The details of the incident were known to the Present Archbishop, who was selected from a neighbouring town. That is why he was in awe and terror at Vannessia¡¯s ¡®fierce saintliness.¡¯ So as not to find himself burning at the stake, he faithfully followed the teachings of the Heavenly Emperor and operated the church reverently. The old man¡¯s voice and attitude became like that of a cat asking his master for a favour. ¡°Just excelling in intellect and being well learned. With only that, one cannot become a respectable person. We will continue to educate our children about justice and morality through and through.¡± ¡°MAA~! That¡¯s a great initiative, Archbishop sama.¡± In the meantime, the children continued to throw stones. Because the children didn¡¯t have much strength in their arms, Romeo¡¯s father couldn¡¯t die quickly. His hardship and trial lasted a long time. While spectating the agony and screaming of that father, Vannessia exchanged small reminiscent talks with the Archbishop she had met after a long time. Then suddenly, one student caught her eye. It was a girl about ten years old. Volume 1 - CH 4.2 While spectating the agony and screaming of that father, Vannessia exchanged small reminiscent talks with the Archbishop she had met after a long time. Then suddenly, one student caught her eye. It was a girl about ten years old. ¡°What is the matter, Little Rattle-sama?¡± ¡°Only that girl is not throwing the stone properly. She is just pretending.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ To be noticed like that. As expected¡­ but well, she is indeed a deplorable girl. We will give her a severe punishment too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what a n*****y child does, you know. It¡¯s nothing to be upset about, Archbishop sama.¡± ¡°Ohhh Saintess-sama, how merciful¡­¡± With the Archbishop following behind, Vannessia quietly headed towards that small girl who was fake throwing the stone. ¡°There¡¯s no problem whatsoever. I¡¯ll teach that girl the correct way to throw a stone later, to her whole body ?.¡± After the foolish apostate met his death, Vannessia was taken to the noble room to have tea with the Archbishop. The main topic of conversation was the defeat at Fort Krall. ¡°What¡­ You are saying that the Demon King and the Seven Great Demon Generals were such heinous monsters¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. I also did not expect it to be like this in even my wildest dreams.¡± To the Archbishop, who was terrified to hear the story, Vannessia nodded with a serious face. ¡°The former Demon King never stood on the front line in the war against our men, nor did he let the Demon Generals take command.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Hence, in these thousand years, there were no records of the Demon King and the Demon Generals left at all.¡± ¡°It seems that they appeared on the battlefield in the earlier eras, though, but all the records left behind were just absurd. I thought that they were just exaggerations and distorted descriptions¡ª a foil that tends to happen in history books¡­¡± ¡°Apparently, everything it said was, in fact, completely true¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. In all these millennia, the human race was only fighting with miscellaneous soldiers of the Demon King¡¯s army. We were just being cruelly played by the former Demon King.¡± ¡°If we try to guess the reason they hadn¡¯t appeared, it would perhaps be to devote their main force against the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Chosen one or to simply preserve their strength.¡± ¡°The probability of this assumption being true is quite high.¡± The two exchanged their assumptions and sighed deeply at various dark conclusions they got at. The Archbishop and the Saintess did not even bother sipping that black tea presented to them and let it cool down. [TL note: Black tea might be something Royal to them] ¡°Moreover, from Saintess-sama¡¯s description, Kengo, the current Demon King, uses his Seven Great Demon Generals quite strategically and plans on crushing us with all his might¡­?¡± ¡°I think he is probably the most cowardly one amongst all the previous Demon Kings.¡± While recalling the meeting with Kengo, Vannessia frankly stated. The Archbishop did not believe in such an assumption, but Vannessia had a feeling that ¡®that¡¯ would actually not be that far away from reality. She was confident in her own insight. The Demon King, Kengo, most probably hated war and was afraid to wage them. Hence, he called for peace and non-aggression treaties. When Vannessia refused his demands, he released her generals and soldiers without anger or retaliation, escorting them with due respect. The matter was peacefully and quietly settled. He was indeed weak and cowardly, unlike any Demon King before him. However, it was because of that cowardice that she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to go to any lengths when it came to war. She was sure that he¡¯ll be throwing his subordinate generals into the front line in the future. ¡°Can we, the human race, really win¡­?¡± The Archbishop asked. There was a hint of sternness in his voice. He was probably hoping, like any other mortal, that the Heavenly Emperor would send down an angel to help them. ¡°I understand your desire to seek the Heavenly Emperor for help. However, the Lord only helps those who help themselves. We should do what we can at this moment to help ourselves,¡± Vannessia replied. Vannessia did not blame the old man for his cowardice but only reprimanded him softly. ¡°And I have an idea.¡± ¡°Oh¡­!? What kind of idea?¡± The Archbishop¡¯s voice switched in an instant. The thing he could truly rely on was the Saintess that was beside him rather than the Heavenly Emperor Looking from afar. The expectation towards that ¡®white maiden¡¯ was clearer than the so-called envoy of the Heavenly Emperor who was yet to come. Vannessia was disappointed in the head of the Church for his lack of faith. It made her resolve to be stricter in observing the Church under her supervision in future. Sighing, she took a sip from her rather lukewarm cup and then answered. ¡°We will invite a Brave.¡± The Archbishop¡¯s face immediately changed as he listened. Vannessia, on the other hand, had a clear expression. ¡°You do not seem to sit well with this decision, Archbishop-sama?¡± ¡°¡­ To be honest, I¡¯m not in favour of joining forces with them.¡± ¡°But their abilities are nonetheless extraordinary, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Vannessia continued, insisting with a clear face. According to the legend throughout the human world, long ago, the Emperor created a humanoid biological weapon to kill and punish the Demon King. This superhuman created was the strongest in all humankind, a ¡®hero.¡¯ Those known as ¡®Braves¡¯ today were just their descendants. However, not everyone with the blood of that hero had his superpowers. There was a very low probability that they would inherit the powers of their ancestors. Only those who acquire a certain percentage of their ancestral power, which naturally varies from person to person, will reach the realm of superhuman. ¡°©¤©¤Of course, I also understand that. I do not doubt the abilities the brave inherited.¡± ¡°It is their ¡®personality¡¯ that you are doubting¡­ or is that what the Archbishop sama wants to say, right?¡± ¡°That is exactly so.¡± This old man, who usually goes against Vannessia, asserted firmly. The braves were an obtrusive entity for those in power. ¡°They are a bunch of arrogant, lawless outlaws drowning in their power! They even ignore the orders of His Majesty, the King, and His Holiness, the Pope! Even if I were to punish them for their lawlessness and conceit, there is no way to hand out the punishment because no one else can compete with them in their field. In addition, they even have a tendency to disrespect clergy and royalty. It¡¯s only the aristocrats that manage these fools who appreciate the Braves, who play a childish and selfish game of justice. It is quite clear as day that they do not understand what social order is!¡± The Archbishop immediately stood up from his seat and started breathing heavily ¡®Zeye~ Zeye~¡¯, his shoulders moving up and down. In the old days, there might have been a problem with either of the heroes. Vannessia was mostly in favour with the Archbishop¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°There are so-called exceptions that exist everywhere in this world.¡± She rebutted still with her clear face. ¡°Do you know the person called the ¡®Red Hero¡¯?¡± ¡°Umu, I apologize for the lack of information on my end.¡± Vannessia proceeded to explain to the Archbishop. Certainly, it would be outrageous to ask for any help from an arrogant and irreverent outlaw like a Brave. Even as a last resort, they should be opposed, but many types of people fit the word. If we looked for them, there were some great and appropriate ones too. As they retreated from Fort Krall to Maikaichta, Vannessia had thought. On the way, she had sent out instructions to gather information on as many Braves as possible in the area and conduct background checks on each one of them. Thus, the one to receive the white flag was the young man named Ares, the Red Hero. Many heroes were greedy, and when they lent their mighty power, they would ask for exorbitant compensation in the form of treasure, beautiful women, or some other privileges. Naturally, they would only accept requests from royalty, nobility, and wealthy merchants. There was even a story about how a winter village gathered up all its wealth to ask for the help of a Brave. But in doing so, it went bankrupt and died off. However, it was said that the ¡®Red Hero¡¯ never asked for any payment. Volume 1 - CH 4.3 Many heroes were greedy, and when they lent their mighty power, they would ask for exorbitant compensation in the form of treasure, beautiful women, or some other privileges. Naturally, they would only accept requests from royalty, nobility, and wealthy merchants. There was even a story about how a winter village gathered up all its wealth to ask for the help of a Brave. But in doing so, it went bankrupt and died off. However, it was said that the ¡®Red Hero¡¯ never asked for any payment. He takes the initiative to reach out to the poor who cannot ask for help and those remote villages abandoned by their own country. If any scary monsters were coming from the west, he would kill them. If a village were to be attacked by bandits from the east, he would protect it. He made sure to get the most out of his trips. Even if he is despised and disliked by other Braves, even if he is laughed at or even pranked on by other Braves, he stuck to his own justice without minding anything done to him. ¡°Oh¡­ Even among Braves, there is such a noble person¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. If it is that ¡®Red hero,¡¯ Ares, he would surely fight for humankind. He will definitely understand that if the humans are unable to immediately kill Kengo, who is much more dangerous and powerful than the previous Demon Kings, there will be no future left for humans in this world.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I see, Little Rattle-sama.¡± The Archbishop perhaps thought himself to be incredibly lucky as he nodded in affirmation. ¡°It would be a good idea to take immediate action to locate and invite the Red Hero then.¡± ¡°I have already done so,¡± replied Vannessia, keeping a poker face until the end. In front of her, the Archbishop was so dumbfounded that he was about to tilt his teacup. The return journey from Fort Krall to Maikaichta took about two weeks, and only a week had passed since she returned to the Royal Capital. Vannessia¡¯s determination and effectiveness were second to none. In addition, compared to when she was younger, she now had more subordinates she could trust and organizations that believed in her. With that much time and resources on her hands, it would not take her much effort to look for Ares and invite him to the capital. In fact, Vannessia herself had already made contact with the Red Hero the day before. Thus, since she was relieved from one of the loads on her shoulders, she was able to visit the holy church to see the children. However, Ares, as reports said, was a first-rate hero true to his stature, but also not just any goody-two-shoes. Thus, the discussion didn¡¯t go as smoothly as they thought it¡¯d be. So, there was this one incident¡­ Vannessia¡¯s residence is a detached palace located at the corner of the royal castle. It¡¯s a historic mansion that was used by not just any members of Royalty, but the important figures amongst them. The interior and exterior of the house is very ornate and extravagant, which goes against the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s teachings of purity and poverty. But Vannessia is willing to put up with it because it would cost an enormous amount of money to rebuild the mansion more simply. It was just the same as today, in the afternoon in the Oval Office, where she was reading through the condolence requests gathered from all over the country. ¡°The hero has arrived at the Royal City, Princess-sama.¡± The maid attendant, with a brusque tone, stated so with a whimsical attitude. If someone who didn¡¯t know the situation were to hear it, they would ask, ¡°Is that really how a maid should conduct herself before a princess?¡± However, Vannessia was one who forgave such rudeness from his maid, who was a year older than her. ¡°Thank you for welcoming him, Chloe. So, when did Ares-sama say he would be visiting us?¡± ¡°Well, he refused our invitation.¡± The ill-mannered maidservant, called Chloe, brazenly waved her upraised hand in the air. ¡°But did Ares-sama accept your invitation?¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s¡ª When listening to our story, it seems that there was a discrepancy in our understanding.¡± Chloe proceeded to explain in a simple and clear manner while scratching her head. According to her, the hero had three companions (all of them being women). Even though he still wanted to continue to help the vulnerable, he wanted to give his companions some time off because of their continuous hard work recently. Therefore, he came to the Capital of Maikaichta with the intention of sightseeing and enjoying. He didn¡¯t intend to accept Vannessia¡¯s invitation from the beginning. Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to see or even get close to the castle even in his wildest dreams. ¡°¡¯Why? If the princess wishes to ask something from me, she should come forth herself,¡¯ he said. He was incredibly disrespectful. We should consider beheading him as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I see. I understand the situation.¡± In the end, Vannessia ignored the maid¡¯s crude joke and nodded. She had complete confidence in this Chloe girl. She indeed had no manners or etiquette while speaking. However, it would be difficult to say that she was entirely responsible for the way she spoke since Chloe had been poorly brought up. Chloe was an orphan. Her parents had died when she was still very young. She was taken in by the church, where she became the new plaything for a group of priests and entertainment for their guests. When Vannessia wiped out the corrupt clergy, she found a home for each of these orphans. But only Chloe insisted on returning the favour of saving her by serving her. It seems that she had fallen in love with Vannessia, who was seen as a fierce saintess. Vannessia, too, took pity on the orphan Chloe and decided to keep her by her side, and what an amazing find she turned out to be. First of all, she had an uncanny memory, and after being taught arithmetic, she developed a monstrous capability with numbers. And more than anything, she was very resourceful. She was also a member of the same s*x, so she quickly became Vannessia¡¯s right hand. That same Chloe went to invite the hero and came back saying it was impossible. She did not think that anyone had a better capability than her to convince the hero in order to visit. ¡°In that case, I will meet Ares-sama myself.¡± ¡°As expected Princess-san, you have a great ¡®footwork,¡¯ don¡¯t you? If it had been any ordinary aristocrat sama, it would have been ¡®It¡¯s impossible!¡¯ or ¡®To defeat a Demon King as dangerous as that is impossible no matter how you look at it.¡¯ But for you, ¡®I don¡¯t care about my body, my looks or even my face.¡¯ Ah! Princess-sama, I love this part about you¡ª.¡± [EN: Footwork refers to planning everything ahead of time.] To Chloe, who got over the desk and would wag her tail like a faithful dog, Vannessia wryly smiled in response. In any case, Vannessia took Chloe and walked towards the castle town. She hid her true face deliberately, dressing with a dirty hooded coat. Apparently, Ares and his party had taken a room at an inn in the middle of the field. The Red Hero was known for travelling around helping people without receiving any compensation whatsoever, so he didn¡¯t have much money with him. But Vannessia actually liked this part of him, who accepted his poverty. When she visited the inn¡¯s first floor, which doubled as a tavern, she immediately found the young man she was looking for, sitting with his three companions around a round table. He was an unreliable man of medium stature. He had a baby face rather than a sweet mask. Even though she was told that he was twenty-two years old, he looked much younger. However, Vannessia could not make a mistake in distinguishing him. There was a certain air of ¡®genuine nobility¡¯ about him that one couldn¡¯t have from just having a good birth or undergoing imperial studies. Vannessia had a discerning eye, and thus, she understood immediately. ¡°Excuse me, Red Hero, Ares-sama.¡± Without hesitation, Vannessia approached him after making her way to his table. The shop serving people was just three minutes away. Thus taking into consideration the other customers around her, she lowered her voice and spoke up to him. His friends were puzzled as to who the heck she was. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually come by yourself over here.¡± Ares remained mildly surprised. In other words, he too understood that this hooded, unnamed girl was none other than Vannessia herself, the Third Princess of the kingdom of Maikaichta, without a doubt. ¡°I am amazed that you knew it was my real self. What if I just sent a double to meet up with you?¡± ¡°I have met many people in my travels, both rich and poor. Good and bad. Really, so many.¡± That¡¯s why Ares¡¯ eye for discerning a person was cut above the rest. Volume 1 - CH 4.4 ¡°I have met many people in my travels, both rich and poor. Good and bad. Really, so many.¡± That¡¯s why Ares¡¯ eye for discerning a person was cut above the rest. ¡®So he is the same as me,¡¯ or so Vannessia understood. ¡°May I have a word with you?¡± ¡°I was the one who asked you to come by yourself. Now, if I don¡¯t follow my words after you showed your resolve, it would make me appear really uncool.¡± Ares was reluctant but still offered her a seat. Vannessia joined the table. However, Chloe, who accompanied her, stood quietly behind. The Brave¡¯s companions also took a similar attitude of completely leaving negotiations to their leader. And so, Ares started immediately, cutting short to the very crux of the story in an instant. ¡°It was a story of wanting me to kill the present generation Demon King, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Vanessa was incognito, and Ares and his companions were on vacation. Both wanted to end this quickly. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly so. I have heard that you continue your journey to help people. Then will you not take on this request in order to save the world, to save those helpless people, those weak and those poor people?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but I will have to refuse.¡± ¡°May I be allowed to ask why?¡± She didn¡¯t think him to be cowardly. The more she came to know him, the more she became convinced of him. He didn¡¯t appear to be someone of lesser stature. ¡°If it is you, you can hire Braves with a better track record than mine, and even as many as you like. How about you do that?¡± Ares answered her question with another question. ¡°No matter how strong a Brave is, people who only move because of compensation can never be trusted. When they get into predicaments, they would leave their ground to save their skin. Since our opponent is none other than a Demon King, there is no way it¡¯ll be an easy victory.¡± Without criticizing his disrespectful attitude, Vannessia sincerely responded. ¡°I see. I can understand where you are coming from.¡± ¡°Then all the more©¤©¤¡± ¡°Just as the same way you said, I don¡¯t really trust the royalty and nobility. When it comes to selfishness, there is no one more selfish than you people. Even if the world is overflowing with poor and weak people, you people don¡¯t care and fall as low as taking until you satisfy yourselves.¡± Ares answered Vannessia¡¯s first question frankly and indifferently. There was no hint of sarcasm or criticism in his tone. He was just tired of criticizing and had given up. ¡°HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! MY PRINCESS IS NOWHERE CLOSE TO THOSE INSECTS YOU ARE REFERR¡ª!¡± ¡± Chloe, Please stop.¡± Even though Vanessa was grateful to that faithful maid who tried to put her verdict on the words put forth by him, she asked her to keep silent. Then, she asked Ares to continue what he was saying, what he did with a dry, indifferent tone. ¡°You have plenty of power and money to save yourself. So, there is no need for me to help you. I only fight for those who have no one to rely on but me. Those who only I am willing to save. Please take your leave.¡± The words he spoke were soft, but the content portrayed was resolute. His smile, when compared, at best appeared tender and at worst unreliable. However, Vannessia could not help but be drawn towards him all the more. She was convinced that this man was a true Hero, one who was trustworthy. ¡°I have comprehended Ares-sama¡¯s arguments very well.¡± Vanessa rose from her seat. However, it was not leave. She put down the hood on the spot and exposed her true face. The inside of the shop started buzzing. Vannessia¡¯s beauty attracted everyone nearby, not because of her well-groomed appearance, but because her radiance was so exuberant that it did not fit in a scene such as a humble inn located in the middle of a field. Even without knowing her real identity, they couldn¡¯t look away. Looking straight at Ares¡¯ eyes, Vannessia proclaimed loudly, without minding any of the careless gazes given by the guests surrounding the place (most of them being men), ¡°On the chance that you are able to chase and kill the Demon King, we will pay you hundreds of thousands of gold coins yearly until the day my life ends. It is not a small amount for me too, but I swear in the name of the Heavenly Emperor, my father and my name, Saint Vanessia?Rattle Kaleidesa!¡± Listening to her, even Ares¡¯ expression could not remain indifferent. ¡°Have you been listening to me properly? I don¡¯t care about how much money you pay me¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I heard! Therefore, it is not to you that I will pay. I will pay this to the poor! To the powerless! And will spread it as far as my sight can reach!¡± Upon hearing this, Ares¡¯ expression changed again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª First, his eyes widened in surprise. Then, they fixed on her as if questioning the princess¡¯ declaration. And lastly, his gaze that settled on Vannessia changed drastically. There was certain respect in Ares¡¯ eyes that had never been there before. ¡°Please forgive my numerous rudenesses, Princess Vannessia.¡± Ares also stood up and asked for a handshake, to which Vannessia immediately responded. It was that moment when White Maiden and the Red Hero joined hands. ¡°I will provide my assistance to defeat the Demon King Kengo. Please tell me anything you need and in order to proceed with the talks about it from now on, we will have to tidy up the place for now.¡± [TL note: perhaps referring to the upcoming development] ¡°So, what is that?¡± As Vannessia tilted her head, Ares turned around instead of answering. Wondering what¡¯s going on, Vannessia turned to look in that direction and became a bit scared. The group of five ruffian-like men sitting at the table located at the far end of the tavern stared at them. Their eyes were dark and muddy from the swirling miasma! ¡°Muihihi¡­ If you look between the gap, that is the Red Hero.¡± ¡°To my wildest of imaginations, to think that we could also catch a hold of the holy saint-sama~¡± ¡°Gigi Gigi¡­ Let¡¯s bring their heads back to our place. It will be a great souvenir to our Mamoyo-sama.¡± They were the same ruffians as before but laughing in a really creepy voice. As if they were no longer the same. From their mouth, which sliced open, jumped forth a long, thick thing. It was a giant snake. The tail, still rooted in the host¡¯s stomach, twisted around the end of the long body and extended from the mouth of the ragdoll-like body. The sickle head then raised in front of them as if to threaten Vannessia and the others. ¡°Wha-Wha-What the heck is that¨C!?¡± Chloe exclaimed in surprise and horror. ¡°It is the Asmodians who work directly under the Demon General of Greed!¡± ¡°Have you never heard of them? They lurk around here and there in the human world in order to hunt down all the Braves.¡± ¡°Moreover, as Asmodians, they are classified as advanced demons. But, from the amount of miasma and the pressure, they seem to not be the average type.¡± The members of his party who noticed it later than him came forward immediately, becoming a wall to protect both Vannessia and Chloe. However, Ares could understand from just looking at their backs that they were extremely nervous. Even though they were supposed to have experienced hundreds of battles, there was fear imbued in them. It meant that this demon in the form of a giant snake was a formidable enemy. On top of that, the whole store was already in a panic. Not only the customers but even the shopkeepers and employees were running to and fro, trying to find a way to escape the scene. And in the process, scurrying, falling and stepping on one another. Even Chloe, who had never seen a demon before, was taken aback, and her legs lost their strength. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Vannessia somehow held her ground thanks to her natural courage, but she didn¡¯t have the violent spirit to get through this ordeal. Amid all this commotion, only Ares alone appeared to remain completely calm. His face, though, had completely changed. His childish babyface, which once had a sweet feel to it, had lost all of its gentleness and childishness. He quietly raised his right hand. Vannessia gazed in wonder-shock. His hand got covered with a flickering bright red glow that resembled sparkling powders of fire. The sparkles were quiet at first, but as time went on, they gradually became more and more violent and intense! The flames of that red glow danced fiercely. And then¡ª ¡°HIYAA!¡± With all his spirit, Ares unleashed that violent red light from his right palm. Volume 1 - CH 4.5 That one flash was so devastating as it progressed that that one part got destroyed and was dyed red. However, the time span of the action was only an instant. The very next moment, the light disappeared, and things returned to their original form from earlier. The only change was that the grotesque monsters collapsed one after the other. The snake demon, which had extended from the mouth, was cleanly obliterated while the host remained unharmed, not even a scratch. The ability of the Red Brave, who annihilated the dangerous Asmodian demons one-sidedly, left the stunned Vannessia utterly awed. ¡°That was not magic, but the power which was inherited from the Heavenly Emperor, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, it is a power limited only to the braves.¡± Ares looked back and returned to his earlier¡ªwith a childish face¡ª self once again. He looked like a random person who you would find anywhere in the streets. It was said that a drop of the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s blood flowed in the body of the first brave, who was the strongest. Hence, they inherited the ¡®Power of Evil¡¯ the Heavenly Emperor had possessed before. Even Ares and his fellow descendants inherited the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s blood, albeit diluted, and the ¡®Power of Evil.¡¯ The red flash of light he had caused earlier was similar to the blaze of fire. Each one of the brave¡¯s powers was different, and the Red Brave possessed the ¡®Flamed of Divinity¡¯ that purged evil and burnt away demons. It was no wonder he didn¡¯t burn down the tavern or hurt the hosts that got in the way of purging the demons. He only burned away the evil demon souls and wiped out their filthy unclear bodies. ¡°Oh, hero, thou art the light of hope, sent from the heaven above down to the living.¡± Vannessia recited a verse from an old scripture. Then she knelt down in front of Ares and hung her head low. ¡°Princess-san (Hime-sama)!¡± ¡°Lift up your head, Princess Vannessia!¡± Chlor and Ares panicked, but Vannessia just shook her head while still looking down. I was watching a dream. It was the hideous memory of my previous life before I, Inui Kengo, revived in the form of a nightmare. It happened again. It would always recur itself. When I was still in my third year of middle school, I used to curl up by hugging my knees together and bending forward a lot. Rather than shrinking back, I felt like shutting myself away into a world of my own. My lips would point outwards like a duck¡¯s, and tears of frustration would flow down my cheeks vehemently. I had a big bluish bruise on my cheek, a mark made by my own father beating me up. He caught me watching a loose anime full of beautiful girls on the big TV in the living room, giving me the single blow on the cheeks along with the old-fashioned and discriminatory, ¡°Unmanly fellow!¡± The disc that I had taken the trouble to borrow got smashed into pieces. My father was the young owner of a big company and thus rarely came home, so I had let my guard down. Whenever I thought back on it, I felt heated up in anger. But I was a lousy chicken, and I was too afraid to protest or demand reimbursement from my father for the 893-yen product he just destroyed. I would just be bullied, and in the process, hug my knees closer to myself, becoming smaller in stature. ¡°Hahaha. It was a disaster, wasn¡¯t it, Kengo?¡± The person laughing stood in my immediate vicinity while I was still hugging my knees curled up. It was a boy about the same age as me, who had his back turned toward me, exercising with dumbbells. ¡°That¡¯s why I keep saying that, if you¡¯re a man, you need to show it off using your power or authority. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to fight, you know? You only need to make others think that they¡¯ll get in trouble if they attack you.¡± While continuing the hard training as if it were nothing, he lightly hit me with frank words without any hesitation. I, with my lips still like a duck, talked back as if rebelling. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Rather, what are you going to do after getting all that strength with that training? With whom are you going to fight anyways, that you continue trying to become stronger?¡± ¡°Needless to say, I¡¯m just preparing myself against an opponent who may appear one day before me. To win against that one opponent.¡± [Tl: Etto¡­ Saitama-san?] With his back still turned towards me, he continued on, smiling fearlessly, or so I thought when he suddenly stopped training¡­ ¡°Look. Just listen to my advice. It won¡¯t do you any harm anyway, will it?¡± He threw away his dumbbell¡ªa thirty kilogram one¡ª exactly where I was. [EN: 30kg = 66 lb.] I let out a grunt. I didn¡¯t have the reaction time nor muscle strength to catch it. As a result, the dumbbell, which would perhaps not even qualify as a weapon, unluckily struck my kneecap, and I jumped with a pained expression and screaming, ¡°Oh my god¡­ Arghhh¡­ Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡ª Kengo woke up screaming. His entire body was covered in sweat, and his heart thumping quickly. He was on the top floor of the Demon King¡¯s castle. In his unnecessarily large bedroom and in an ultra king-sized bed. (I¡¯m glad it was a dream¡­) Kengo was relieved as he exhaled deeply. (I¡¯ve always had bad dreams, but I really wish they would stop as they are bad for my heart.) Volume 1 - CH 4.6 [Kengo¡¯s POV] Thus, while still contemplating the matter, I suddenly heard voices coming from the side of his bed. ¡°Good morning, Our Majesty ?.¡± ¡°I am really worried seeing you constantly have bad nightmares ?.¡± ¡°Our King ?.¡± My morning began with being awakened by the castle servants. It was an exception that the Demon General of Lust had somehow slipped into my bed half-naked before, although this time, the three head maids came to wake me up. With their adoring and tender hands, they wiped off the sweat from my face. Basically, all of the demon tribe was either men or women with unparalleled beauty or looked like complete beasts. All the women serving me in the castle were beautiful even though I didn¡¯t ask for them. Moreover, they were all dressed as maids. It was as if they had seen through all of my untold fetishes. ¡°Mm. Umu. You need not worry again,¡± I, while still nervous, greeted them with the attitude befitting of a Demon King. Well, it¡¯s not an EROGE where I will be rendered a multitude of services¡­ Although I think I would get it if I wanted to¡­ But I couldn¡¯t get used to it. The ¡®waking up¡¯ duties performed by the ¡®waking up¡¯ beauties would be too stimulating. I got out of bed and changed out of my nightgown with the help of the three ladies willfully, professionally and readily. In all honesty, I would have felt better if only I could have at least changed clothes on my own, but that wasn¡¯t the case. For a king to do everything himself would mean that they perhaps didn¡¯t trust their own subjects. Moreover, if it escalated from such minor miscellaneous issues, it might shake his authority and right as a demon king, which could eventually lead to a coup d¡¯etat. ¡°I AM NOT A CHILD ANYMORE, THOUGH! RATHER, I AM REALLY EMBARRASSED BY GETTING MY NAKED BODY EXPOSED IN FRONT ALL OF THEM,¡± or so my inner conscience screamed in my head. (I need to be tolerant and patient¡­ PATIENCE¡­ TOLERANCE¡­) ¡°This menacing black coloured dress suits Your Majesty¡¯s fearless face ?.¡± ¡°This was a gift from the Duchess of Gremory. She used the hair of a hundred virgins who threw themselves on the ground in grief over losing their loved ones thus, producing this magnificent evil black colour ?.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m falling in love all over again, My King ?.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. If it is to your liking, then there is no second to this.¡± Even though I was creeped out hearing it was made from the hairs of hundreds of virgins, my heartstrings pulled him to say something else¡­ I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say it out loud. To others, this situation would undoubtedly look like I was getting cozy, comfortable and love-dovey with the beautiful maids ever since the beginning of the day. However, being unable to withstand this sweet and godly situation, and avoiding proceeding in the correct direction, was the quality of a distinguished master of all incompetents, a feat only accomplishable by none other than myself. After being dressed, ¡°Mm-hmm. But we have to feed the cattle prior to doing so.¡± ¡°Then we will accompany you ?.¡± ¡°My King ?. ¡° Thus¡­ While still being courted by the maids, I continued doing my recently established daily routine. The place I went to with my Spatial Movement magic was Fort of Krall. [3rd person POV] It had been almost a month since the allied forces led by Princess Vannessia retreated. Now, with a part of the demon army stationed there, Kengo acquired some new pets. While looking at those who were lounging at the square, in front of the back gate, ¡°Mu- Hahahahahahaha! Were you being good boys, my cattle? It¡¯s time for your morning feed!¡± Kengo appeared with three maids accompanying him with a laugh, continuously grinning. And then¡­ ¡°Oh, Demon King!¡± ¡°Oh, Lord Kengo!¡± The former soldiers of the human race, who had been sleeping peacefully, woke up and flocked up to him with joyful faces. These were those three hundred soldiers who decided not to return to their homeland after surrendering and stayed here, knowing fully well that they would be treated as livestock by Kengo. As for why did they abandon their homeland? Their stories were filled with misery and heart-wrenching scenarios. It was known that their country¡¯s king did not care about the life of his people and had sent them to the front lines with strict orders to ¡®not return back alive.¡¯ They were going to become the epitome of courage and bravery in the human world, who died fighting courageously and became the symbol of peace. They didn¡¯t want to become shameless examples or know what punishment awaited them if they returned alive. Worst case scenario, even their families might become heavily affected by their return. So, they decided it would be better to stay here, even if their treatment was that of livestock. By not allowing any of them to return, the king had staged the complete destruction of the whole group¡¯s morale. It was what a tragic determination was like. (I almost cried hearing this.) To those soldiers, Kengo ordered the Asmodian demon soldiers, who resembled birds, to be brought food. ¡°Come on now, EAT! These are chicken skewers dripping with juices, freshly baked enveloped with savoury bread! Though, in the demon world, this food isn¡¯t even considered worthy of dogs! KWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!¡± ¡°Ahhh. We thank you for your benevolence¡­¡± ¡°Even though, in my country, the best we could do to stave off our hunger was to dilute thin barley porridge with diluted cow¡¯s milk¡­¡° ¡°Kukuku, they are so shallow. It¡¯s as if they are like Pigs who don¡¯t know how to do anything but oink continuously!¡± ¡°IT¡¯S SO DELICIOUS, MY LORD!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten a food this delicious in my entire life.¡± ¡°Kakakaka, eat slowly, at least! After all, after this breakfast, you¡¯ll have to do tons of hard work again. Remember?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be cutting down outgrown trees in the demon land, building new houses, and eventually a village, with that wood. You shall live and die here eventually. In other words, this very place will be where you will be buried. How does it feel, to know and yet still build your own grave by your own hands? Hmm~?¡± ¡°Yes, Demon King!¡± ¡°We will work as hard as we can!¡± Volume 1 - CH 4.7 ¡°Hahahaha, they have sunk into a slave mentality! They deserve to be my livestock throughout their life, never to escape. After your work until noon, you will again be fed and rested more than you can comply with, remember? Be prepared for all of this from now on, okay?¡° ¡°Three times¡­ Having meals given three times a day. It¡¯s as if I am living out a fairy tale.¡± ¡°To let the kids eat their full throughout their childhood. My mom and I would satisfy ourselves with just a single meal a day.¡± ¡°We used to work so hard that we would continue to work in the fields without knowing how to sleep.¡± ¡°Fa-Ha-Ha! If you were to diminish in numbers due to hunger and overwork, it would reduce my assets. My wealth WILL NEVER REDUCED! I don¡¯t allow that to happen! Never! You will work for me forever and ever, unallowed to die without my permission. Live and serve me indefinitely. As for me? I only need to pay you minimum wage, got it? Oh, how wicked Demon King I am!¡± ¡°I am given proper food, shelter, and even paid for what I do!¡± ¡°Even though our king and nobles would just make us work to the bone, not even bothering to pay us a single copper coin.¡± ¡°Rather, they would take away the already scarce produce through tax and what not¡­¡± ¡°Please, Demon King! We implore you! Please tear down our country from its very roots!¡± ¡°Please turn our country, our kids, and wives; turn everyone into your livestock!¡± ¡°We implore you, My Lord!¡± ¡°Master Kengo!¡± [TL: this brought me to tears somehow lol.] ¡°Hahahahahaha! How incompetent and incapable people are these! Of all people, to think that out of everything, you would want to sell the very souls of your family to this Demon King! However, that is fine. They will surely be bought at the highest bid! Fuhahahahahahaha!¡± Thank you very much, our Demon King!¡ã ¡°Master Kengo!¡± ¡ªAnd so, Kengo had made sure to provide them with the minimum benefits possible, and with it, the right to their lives. In fact, he wanted to treat them without such theatrical intricacies, but the role of Demon King got in the way of doing so. He made sure to laugh loud enough, but due to this, his stomach and lungs ached again this morning. The eyes of the maidservants and the demon soldiers were all over him, watching him all the time. There was also a sign and feeling that someone was watching over him from somewhere afar. Thus, he had no choice but to continue to act like that. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And indeed, there was someone who was watching the ¡®The Demon King¡¯s feeding routine¡¯ using the far-sight spell. It was the Demon General of Sloth, the beardy-dandy with an M-shaped moustache, Beruhara. Inside the Demon King¡¯s castle, in one of the rooms dedicated to vassals was the Grand Duke of Belphegor, Beruhara, who was lying down on top of the chaise lounge. While everyone was awake long before, this fellow¡­ never got up until he had business to attend to. Even breakfast¡­ needed to be put into his mouth like a baby who needs to be fed. The very definition of Sloth. That very Beruhara was now, ¡°To think he would go attend personally, every morning, just to feed some cattle. Really, what a strange Majesty we have this time.¡± He chewed his food lying down while continuously looking down at the scene where Kengo was feeding the cattle with his magical eyes and commenting on it. In spite of being exasperated by Kengo¡¯s behaviour, his tone was imbued with a strong sense of respect. Beruhara was a man who couldn¡¯t even bother to move his own body, but that didn¡¯t mean he minded using his brain for the same. Rather, he was a man who was very passionate about using his wisdom to make his life easier, lazier and even more comfortable than it already was. That very Beruhara was now lost in thought, trying to find the answer to his contemplations. ¡°Compared to us demons, the human race is extremely vulnerable. Then why is it that after so many years going by, we are yet to conquer and inhabit the human world completely?¡± ¡°Yes, Beruhara-sama. It¡¯s because of the intervention of the hated Heavenly Emperor at every crucial time. The angels that he dispatches are formidable foes whose strength is in no way inferior to ours.¡± The sweet voice which answered his question was a skeleton that was also feeding Beruhara by spooning food into his mouth. ¡°Also, the mutants who call themselves braves, even if they are mostly humans, possess an unconquerable power and pose a threat against us. They are like a bone stuck in our mouths¡­ It wasn¡¯t only once or twice that Our Majesties were attacked and assassinated by them. It was due to them that our great invasion strategy could never achieve success,¡± answered another skeleton while massaging the top of Beruhara¡¯s head. The living room was full of servants, all of whom were at least a Greater Skeletons without exception. They were powerful undead that Beruhara himself had brought back to life with his signature necromancy magic. A close friend of his, Demon Levi, even once recommended, ¡°AT LEAST A CUTE AND LOVELY GIRL ATTENDANT!¡± with tears in his eyes, yet, for Beruhara, he found it troublesome to recreate the genitalia of said undead brought to life. [EN: Bruh.] He also thought that, since they were the undead that he personally resurrected, they would never betray him, so he had no worries of being betrayed or backstabbed. A true sloth. Volume 1 - CH 4.8 Beruhara replied, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. The former Demon Kings had all underestimated the human race and were obsessed with power. But with this approach, perhaps world domination can, at last, be achieved. No, rather, it¡¯s highly probable it will.¡± Nodding at the observations of his skeleton servants¡¯ answers, he continued on his long-held thoughts. ¡°But well¡­¡± And then, as he tried to continue on, he suddenly fell silent. He reconstructed the far-sight spell into one of a bird¡¯s eye view and looked at the scene where the Demon King was giving food to humans, considered on par with cattle, with his very hands while being surrounded by them. In exchange, he got their thanks and adoration. ¡°It might be that Kengo-sama is not trying to win the humans¡¯ lands, but rather the very heart of the human race itself.¡± When he, Beruhara, stated his speculation, he understood that what he was thinking of might have not been just mere speculation. ¡°Truly a Demon King worthy of utmost fear. Even if I tried to, I can¡¯t seem to grasp the very bottom of his being.¡± He developed a new form of respect for Kengo as he dismissed the spell of far-sight altogether. And with that, he closed his eyes. In comparison, he knew that the previous Demon King was not worthy of his, Beruhara, service at all. He was one of the most warlike among all the previous Demon Kings and was extremely straightforward. He was particularly reluctant to talk to Beruhara, who was fond of schemes, trickery and tactics, thus neglecting him and keeping him far away. On the other hand, Beruhara decided to follow the ways of a Demon General of Sloth to exclude himself from being associated with him to a great extent. In other words, he would sit secluded in his castle and didn¡¯t even move a finger for the previous Demon King per se. ¡°¡ªIn comparison, it¡¯s really fun now. Kengo¡¯s outrageous and kind behaviour made me curious. The thought of what else he would accomplish in the upcoming years really makes me excited despite my age. To be able to dream, whether sleeping or awake, is like the true nature of a Belphegor.¡± While monologuing with a yawn, Beruhara started to fall asleep for the second time, with his stomach now in peace (after eating). ¡°Invasion operations, such as the reconstruction of logistics, are in for appraisal. I will have a good, proper, and long sleep while it¡¯s completed.¡± [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] After finishing feeding the livestock, Kengo returned to the castle with the teleportation spell. (As expected, I got really hungry.) ¡ªWhen he returned, he was greeted by the three female attendants he had sent back ahead of him. ¡°The preparation for breakfast is complete, My King ?.¡± ¡°It seems that Bellno-sama would also like to join you in your breakfast, My King ?.¡± ¡°My King ?.¡± ¡°Hmm? Will she also be joining us then?¡± Kengo asked in return. Bellno was the demon general possessing the infamous name of Gluttony. Her real name is Beelze¡­ something this or that¡­ in short, Beelzebub III. Even among the Seven Demon Generals, she was among the youngest. She was a bit older than Sato, at about 60 years of age. ¡°What kind of meals will we be having?¡± ¡°It seems a new chef has joined us in the kitchen, so in order to test his skills, I invited her ?.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S THE FIRST TIME I HEARD OF THIS!¡± He couldn¡¯t stay without getting astonished. Because, in contrast to the other demon generals, the Demon General of Gluttony was just like her image, continuously wanting to eat, even during meetings. The only thing she would say was, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± Moreover, apart from the mandatory presence needed for the meeting, she would never make an appearance elsewhere, which made him have the impression, ¡°Isn¡¯t she even more of a sloth than Beruhara?¡± in just half a year of meeting. ¡°But when it comes to eating, why is she so diligent¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s well, Beelzebub¡¯s character ?.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel the slightest bit of happiness to have someone like her eat this, though¡ª.¡± Involuntarily, Kengo grumbled, returned to his original tone, and became murky. (Of course, didn¡¯t mean to say it like that but¡ª) ¡°Hueeeeeee!? You don¡¯t want to serve Miss Beelzebub¡¯s food!?¡± ¡°Aa-a-a-a-a-r-r-r-r-r-e-e-e-e-e y-y-y-o-o-o-u-u r-r-e-a-l-l-y s-u-r-e a-b-o-u-t t-h-i-s, M-Y K-I-N-G!?¡± ¡°MY KING!!!!??????¡± The attendants suddenly started trembling, huddled each together and hugged tightly. What¡¯s with that reaction? ¡°¡­ Forgive me. It¡¯s just a joke.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that so.. .Oh, it is like that eh¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t surprise us that much! My King is really evil¡­ ?.¡± ¡°My King¡­. ?.¡± The attendants were somehow relieved as they breathed a breath of relief, putting their hands over their chest, but were still pale and shaking. Volume 1 - CH 4.9 What¡¯s with that reaction? In the Demon King¡¯s Castle, there were a number of dining halls set up for different purposes. The one I went to was what is known as the ¡°Villainous Phoenix Room¡±. It was a room of moderate size, but with dazzlingly gorgeous interiors for the Demon Lord to dine-in with their seven great demon generals. There, Bellno was already present, waiting for me. Or rather, she had already started eating¡­ While getting several food items piled up in front of her at the dining table, she continued on to chewing them. [sfx: mofu mofu (chewing sounds)] She was a girl with a large physique but a baby face. The very imbalance between them made her look maniacal. If she stands up, she is tall enough to look like a giant. Thus, her b*****s were also proportionally heavy ¡­and extremely large. ¡°Good morning, Bellno.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ My stomach hurts.¡± ¡°IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR GREETING? RATHER, ARENT YOU ARE EATING RIGHT NOW TOO! IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR GREETING!¡± I was made to retort loudly right this early in the morning. But Bellno, with a blank look on her face, continues to chew and squirm. [sfx:mobu mobu] I can¡¯t help but have the prejudice that she must have grown up without ever needing to use her brain or worry about anything. Every day, just eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping ¡ª¡ª growing up as a real spoiled brat. ¡°Rather, wasn¡¯t it like, I was to have my breakfast taken together with her¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ yes.¡± ¡°Then why are you already eating before I arrived! At least wait for me! Ahh really!¡± ¡°This is not a breakfast ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°- THEN WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?¡± I retorted while pointed towards those dozens of empty plates already piled up in front of Bellno. ¡°¡­¡­ this is just light snacks before breakfast.¡± ¡°What is even light about this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m going to eat ten times as much for breakfast.¡± ¡°The Devil castle will go bankrupt!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this, My Majesty ?.¡± ¡°His Majesty¡¯s assets are not so insignificant to be shaken by just this ?.¡± ¡°Heika ?!¡± ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t need your sober advice!¡± ¡°I am fully aware of what I¡¯m talking about!¡± As the number of people retorting increased, Kengo was now breathing heavily with his shoulders moving to and fro. [sfx: zee zee] ¡°¡­¡­ Hurry up and let¡¯s eat our breakfast, Your Majesty. My stomach is painfully hungry. (Oh man, I can¡¯t keep up with the RETORTS.) He slumped his shoulders and gave up, deciding to start breakfast as she wished for. The kitchen staff from the next room brought in the food and served it swiftly. In front of Kengo, who was seated at the top of the table, there was an ideal morning menu of fresh salad, Spanish mackerel cooked in oil, potage soup of spring cabbage and freshly baked bread. On the other hand, in front of me sitting face-to-face with Bellno, there is a monstrous doka-like dish, and other witch-like dishes including a whole loaf of bread that has not been baked and whole veal fish un-grilled! All lined up. ¡°How do I say this¡­ I am already full just by looking at them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­If you¡¯re not going to eat, then pass it on to me, Your Majesty¡± ¡°You will still be eating huh¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­? I will be eating yours with mine too if possible. Also, I am planning to eat some light snacks which will be given after the breakfast-food too though?¡± ¡°Just how many meals do you have every day!?¡± ¡°Does your majesty ever count the number of times you have your meal in a day?¡± ¡°I do! Normally anyone would count them!¡± Perhaps it was because of the continuous retorting to her, that the bugs in the stomach of Kengo grumbled loudly. (Because of you, my appetite just blossomed up! Thank you mate!) With a dejected face, he picked up his knife and fork and proceeded on to the food.. He cut the Spanish mackerel into pieces and took a bite. Along with the texture of that moist white meat, the delicate taste of the Spanish mackerel and the aftertaste of walnut oil spreads into his mouth. In his previous life, Kengo loved sashimi and sushi, but hated grilled fish. Why would you still eat fish burned on the fire? He could not think it to be delicious to eat the burned up crispy fish. He thought that it was an old-fashioned way to eat fish, used when there was no refrigeration technology developed. A method which damages the fish and its texture. However, after being reincarnated and eating the dishes prepared by the chefs at the Demon King¡¯s Castle on a daily basis, his perception took a drastic change. In the end, The way of using the fire was just too poor and unprofessional. When a good chef roasts or boils fish, the flesh is moist, fluffy or melted, and the texture itself is wonderful! ¡°Was the new chef¡¯s cooking to your liking, My Majesty ?.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s Delicious. ¡°Well, it¡¯s delicious, as expected.¡± ¡°Well then! I¡¯ll be sure tell them later then ?.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll shed tears of joy ?.¡± ¡°What are your impressions, Miss Bellno?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s tasty.¡± ¡°Thank you for those words.¡± With the court ladies serving them food, Kengo and Bellno continue with their meal. ¡°So, was there any need to check their skills in the first place, Bellno?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ There was, I am Glad.¡± ¡°By the way, what were your impressions about the food from the previous chef?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It was tasty.¡± ¡°And the one before that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It was tasty.¡± ¡°Have you ever considered cooked food to be bad in the first place?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Bellno fell silent (Though not stopping eating and chewing.) With a serious expression he had never ever seen on her face, she began to think/ponder. And eventually, there was now steam coming out of her head. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, then forget it. Stop before your circuits short out!¡± ¡°¡­¡­ it was a really terrifying question.¡± ¡°Is that so I presume?.¡± Laughing bitterly, he took a sip of the soup. After the rich taste, like a potage, the flavor of spring cabbage starts to spread quickly. Not letting you feel even a bit of hardness, this was really first class. And although, even if unconsciously, Kengo had now started to enjoy the meal he a was taking with Bellno at the dinner table. And somehow, the conversation, the food was proceeding on. Volume 1 - CH 5.1 Krall, a fortress that strangles the Littoran Basin. Midnight. The voices of three people echo in the shadows. It is a long spell chant by Kengo, Sato, and Mamoyo. Fort Krall stands on the shore of the lake of the eponymous name, which is the source of its water. The lake was now a giant mirror reflecting the full moon in the sky. If anyone had a bird¡¯s eye view, they would have noticed it. The moon¡¯s reflection on the surface of the lake, like a silver tray, is unusually huge. I also noticed the gradual rustling. There was no wind, but the waves were rising. As if frightened of something, as if running away, the waves soon became higher and faster. Then, as if reaching a peak, something strange happened. The moon¡¯s reflection on the surface of the lake distorted its image in an impossible way. But instantly like an iron bar that had been bent by force (again), it instantly regained its original proper shape. At the same time, something was on top of it, as if it were a huge silver tray, on top of that lake. It was a castle. The castle of the Demon Lord, still black even in the moonlight, stood aloof like a trompe l¡¯oeil on the surface of the lake, without any foothold, like a trick picture. The black Mao Castle, which was still black even at night, stood on the surface of the lake, which should not be used at all as a scaffolding, like a trick picture. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, My Majesty the Devil!¡± ¡°The Devil¡¯s Castle Transition Ceremony¡±, As of today is also a success, my lord!¡± ¡°Sa Fuji and Mamoyo also, thank you for your hard work in assisting His Majesty¡± ¡°In terms of the knowledge about the demonic magic technology, there is no opponent to you at all. I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°Hun! I could have easily done it alone in place of Kengo though!¡± ¡°¡­¡­My stomach¡¯s craving.¡± The Demon generals praised their Lord Kengo and the others for their exemplary execution and skills. Inside this well known, popular Krall Fortress; there was a huge fuss between the people present there. (I¡¯m glad it went well.£© Kengo wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt relieved inside. In comparison to the three types of defensive magic, healing magic, and spell casting magic that I have mastered through hard work, I am not so confident in summoning magic. Even more so if it becomes a great magic to summon and fix a whole castle built next to the plateau, on top of the lake without allowing even a gentle reverberation to it. Although for me, it¡¯s kind of a strange story altogether. Or should I say, as expected of a demon king, as since the amount of magic power I was born with is so enormous, I didn¡¯t need to have the utmost magic summoning techniques or even to go to the extremes for this whatsoever. It¡¯s also reassuring to know that Sato and Mamoyo, two of the most skilled magicians in the demon world, were assisting me by my side all the time. And with this note, the relocation of the Demon King¡¯s Castle was now complete. We have succeeded in expanding the demon world to the extent that the human world has been cut down, in short, we have come one more step closer to world domination. With such a large-scale summoning magic that was being planned, even after combining the powers of the Demon King and the two Demon Generals, it was still not enough. Thus, It became necessary to wait for the night of the full moon ¨C when the time was also complete, full, even in the ¡°heavens¡± ¨C and watch-out for the pulse of the ¡°Area¡± wound Littoral to activate, before proceeding with our ritual. However, this was still not the end of the story. After the invasion, there was no time to rest, as defending our position was waiting. ¡°What are the conditions of those Braves, Mamoyo?¡± ¡°I will answer to that question immediately, my lord, My Devil. These fools are drinking alcohol looking at the moonshine in an open field while traveling. They have no sense of urgency or tension at all.¡± While answering, Mamoyo creates a three-dimensional image combining the phantom magic and detection magic that he is good at. ¡°The Red Hero¡± Ares and his friends surrounding a bonfire in an unknown open field, drinking from the contents of the water bag (perhaps sake) with the full moon on view, slowly drinking it, taking sip after sip, was being projected in great detail. The demon generals surrounded the three-dimensional image and began to comment whatever they felt about the Brave. ¡°What, this is the Red Hero? He surely doesn¡¯t have a face that one can rely upon, you know.¡± ¡°And ©¤©¤ It may be the hand of this guy to let our guard down. You shouldn¡¯t let yourself be caught off guard, Asumi.¡± ¡°Either way, he is no opponent of mine in any way!¡± ¡°As-as I am constantly saying, you should not be careless, Lushiko-san. you, you know!¡± ¡°Moreover, look at that, this guy has three cute-beauties attending him. Argh I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s natural, since he is a Brave. In short, they are the children of that lustful Heavenly Emperor.¡± And ©¤©¤ well, as expected, if the opponent is a Brave. It was indeed a state of interest even in the interest of the magic generals.¡± In the meantime, Ares, or rather his stereoscopic image, looks around as if he has noticed something wrong, scurrying around his vicinity. Slightly later, one of his companions (probably a black wizard) followed his suit. ¡°HO~, so they were able to notice the detection magic of the Mamoyo hee?¡± ¡°They do have a pretty good intuition.¡± ¡°See, as I said. They are not someone to be taken lightly.¡± ¡°But they are still unable to tell by who and from where it was being casted, seen by! If it were me, I would have already blocked it with anti-detection magic long ago.¡± ¡°It is the fact that these puny humans are able to detect the ¡°Gaze¡± of Mamoyo in itself is already considered no small talk you should know. If it were the Brave alone, that would have been a different story. But to think that also this cute beauty who is accompanying him was able to do so. If we were to think that she is just some mistress, it might be a huge mistake on our part. He is not letting her accompany for something as trivial as a Date.¡± [Tl note: the last sentence can also be interpreted as: The fact that he is not letting her accompany him for just any trivial reason whatsoever ¨C is what we must understand.] Volume 1 - CH 5.2 ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m hungry¡± And so ©¤©¤ Hearing the commotion that the demon generals were making, Kengo decides to also pay some attention to those other than the brave. Whether it is really ¡°cute-beauty-chan¡± is debatable. Since Demon General Levi, He always had this unusual tendency to over-praise others. One of them was a female warrior. She was perhaps in her late twenties. With a petite structure, but somehow seemed more agile as if to compensate for that. She may be proud of her skills. Her face reminisces about those who witnessed a war, and the arms peeking out from those short sleeves were full of wounds from the past. The sword that was rolled aside also seemed to have some extraordinary spiritual power contained in it. Another was as [if a] Goddess in human form. Young. She might still be well below twenty years old. She seemed to be a good-natured person who was probably conscious and the mood-maker of the party. Speaking frequently with everyone, creating a harmonious atmosphere on their way of travel. In fact, she must have a beautiful personality. I¡¯ve heard that, to be able to use powerful white magic, users should have a high adherence to either ¡°virtue¡± or ¡°ambition¡± or (likely) even both. And the last one is the guy who noticed Mamoyo¡¯s detection magic even though being a hero in the first place. Her age being unknown, and having a mysterious demeanor to her, is very typical of a human wizard. Even her behavior to step back from the dominant circle with everyone, and observing her friends through a distant look as well. Even among the party members, she seemed to be the one who is the most out of place. ¡°©¤©¤ and, where are they at this present moment?¡± At the request given by Asumi, Kengo comes back to reality. ¡°They¡¯re over here.¡± Mamoyo answered and manipulated the three-dimensional image made by magic. The viewpoint to peep at the brave people begins to move farther back, away towards the sky at once. The projected images of the brave and his accompanies become smaller and smaller, quickly becoming as small as pea grains, and later, instead change into three-dimensional images that resemble diorama model of the surrounding area. ¡°Elio pass!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a stone¡¯s throw from the basin. They¡¯re much faster than we expected.¡± ¡°These guys, they must be moving through a magical carriage¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it was. Quite clever.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ My stomach hurts.¡± Kengo was not quite familiar with geography, but becomes excited looking at the reaction of his vassals. ¡°When are they expected to arrive here, Mamoyo?¡± ¡°I would predict it somewhere around from tomorrow noon to evening, my Majesty¡± ¡°Seriously, they¡¯re almost there!?¡± I hold my head involuntarily and bend away. (Don¡¯t get anxious, don¡¯t get anxious. Calm down, calm down. The demon lord¡¯s persona, the demon lord¡¯s persona¡­¡­) Chanting like a prayer to the buddha in my chest, I go on to correct my behavior. And then, I try bringing out the words in a dialect filled with utmost dignity and pride. ¡°t-th-the-then w-we m-mu-mus-must t-ta-take i-imm-immed-immedia-immediately mea-measu-measures a-as s-soo-soon a-as po-poss-possinya.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Arrgghh now I have done it!!! (Is everyone dumbfounded?¡¡Did they get tired of me??¡¡Did they find out that I am a good for nothing???) I endured the desire to cover and divert my eyes, and fearfully looked at the state of the demon generals near me. Everyone¡¯s eyes were wide open staring. They were at a trouble as to how to react. Kengo wanted to bite his lips thinking ¡°Obviously right~!¡±. But then at that very moment, Sato seemed to have understood something. And then, ¡°Un-Under-Understood, My-My Majes-Majesty.¡± He suddenly started to speak in a strange tone, confusing everyone even further. And then, as if everyone had perhaps come to notice something after that. after which, ¡°W-we wi-will ma-make su-sure t-to d-do it imme-immedia-immediately.¡± ¡°Wi-with th-this co-code-d lan-langu-language inst-instilled i-in o-ou-r br-brain-s¡± ¡°No-no-no, co-co-come on-n-n, o-o-on m-e-e-e.¡± As the influencers buzzed about an interesting topic, the demonkins began to imitate it all the more proudly. (Just how much do you love your demon lord!?) Well, it surely is better than any coup d¡¯etat breaking about, but this, in itself is becoming something, the love of my vassals is too heavy and innocent that it is tough to carry. ¡°Uhm! Let¡¯s open up the meeting now.¡± Kengo ordered, maintaining his dignity this time. And thus, the demon generals also stopped mimicking (although, with a slightly disappointed look on their faces). ¡°Your Majesty, I think it would be foolish to continue standing here and just talking.¡± ¡°Hmm. Mamoyo has a point. Can you do the needful then? Belhara. ¡°I obey these orders respectfully to my very life, my lord.¡± Belhara bends his waist forth showing respect. When he looked up again, he brought forth a large piece of cloth through skilful use of summoning magic, the cloth made up of velvet-like material, just as if showing a magic trick. He then opens it up in front of Kengo and the other demonkins, opening it up and spreading. When I thought that the velvety cloth was about to cover our head, the surrounding scenery somehow suddenly, including our field of vision, changed completely. To be precise, everyone who was on the spot, instantly teleported to the ¡°Room of Council¡± in the Demon King Castle were now sitting on their respective chairs. Even though, the fact that the magic of teleportation in considered a high-tier magic in the first place, Belhara was able to do this to other, in fact to multiple personnel involving separate to every individual, and to top it off, he separated each individual in that teleportation doing precise coordinate control and attitude control after the transition, to make it to the result. Moreover, without conducting any large-scale magic, such as spell chanting and magic team creation and other to say. Well, in terms of moving from one place to another easily with the help of magic, there might be no one who comes even close to challenge the position of the demon general of ¡°laziness¡± here or anywhere. ¡°Then©¤©¤ without further ado, we will now begin the ¡°Red Hero¡± countermeasure meeting, once again.¡± Volume 1 - CH 5.3 Mamoyo took the position of being the moderator by default and initiated the meeting. ¡°Umu. No objections.¡± ¡°To begin with, who among us ten will be going to intercept them and be honored with the imperial decree and approval of my Majesty. First of all, that will be our foremost core objective, and it would be foolish of us to not understand it in the first place Mamoyo¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He was also originally thinking on relying on his vassals from the very begining, and so, Kengo looks around everyone ¨C seeing who the right person for the operation might be. And all of a sudden, ©¤ ¡°Please leave it to me by all means, Your majesty!¡± ¡°May this strategy of Mamoyo bring you certain victory!¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time this mistress is allowed to breathe the wind of an actual battlefield.¡± ¡°I would like for you to give this opportunity to convert it into a military exploit of mine!¡± ¡°LET ME¡±, ¡­¡­. ¡°NO FOR ME!¡± ¡°I will MASSACRE ANYONE who tries to KILL Kengo!¡± ©¤©¤ All the seven generals are here at once raising their hands.¡¡ME!¡¡ME!¡¡MEE! With a passion even more fierce than the scorching summer itself. Kengo, with his cheeks tensed up, asked, ¡°By the way Mamoyo, how would you cook them, if it were you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, as an officer, I prefer simple strategies, so firstly, I¡¯ll target that female wizard. No matter how sharp she may look or even have no records in killing someone before, in the end she is just a muscle-less, only brain worker who has not trained her body in the least. I will crush her entire whole body beating continuously with my treasured weapon, ¡°The Large Iron Mallet of Vilgor¡± until her whole body is thinner than paper. When that good-natured Goddess witnesses that cruel-tragic death in front of her, she will definitely freeze in shock, and in that gap, I will proceed to slice her instantly with another of my treasured weapon ¡°Moment-Phase severing Demon¡±. Thus, now that they have lost their healer; I will go next to that agile-looking female warrior and cut down her two hands and legs, and then burn her up with ¡°The Final Inferno of Annihilation¡± so as to not even leave a spec of her soul, killing any way for her reincarnation, leaving the Brave standing all alone. Who can¡¯t be even considered a worthy enemy against this Brave-Killing Demon Sword called ¡°Death Knight¡±, handed down my Mamoyo family-line for generations now.¡± ¡°Dismissed! ¡­ Dismissed¡­¡­ dismissed DIMSISSED!!!!!¡± ¡°Please disregard my rudeness for asking My Majesty, but. with all due respect, May I ask you the reason for the dismissal of this plan?¡± ¡°Killing is a No! Absolutely No!¡± ¡°Please forgive this insolence to repeat my question due to this authority of ¡±Greed ¡°. Why can¡¯t we kill him?¡± Kengo¡¯s stomach began to ache with nervousness as he was questioned with a straight face. For the time being, I do have prepared an excuse, but I¡¯m not sure if I can really convince them with that. As he fidgeted¡­ ¡°Kaka! Don¡¯t you understand what His Majesty is thinking, Mamoyo?¡± An unexpected helping hand came from the side. Belhara was wringing his M-shaped mustache with pride. ¡°As expected of Belhara-san.¡± ¡°The wisest man in the world, I really envy you!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s hear it from you altogether.¡± ¡°Mamoyo anxiously begs Belhara to give him some teaching regarding this.¡± (I am saved¡­¡­) Kengo felt relieved, as he left the construction of his reasoning to another of his vassal. ¡°fufufu¡±; Belhara snorted and spoke to everyone with a sense of superiority. ¡°His Majesty the Demon King will not do such slackly-simple things as to just kill the brave, who is our-everyone¡¯s sworn enemy. Rather than desiring to kill him; he would rather kill his heart, remind him of his lack of growth, and make an example of him for all the other heroes who are planning to come hereafter.¡± (IT¡¯S NOT! NO ONE SAID ANYTHING LIKE THAT!) Kengo thought so, holding himself to not faint in agony, his face becoming white, devoid of blood. However, Belhara¡¯s solo performance was still far from being over. He continues¡­¡­ So, here¡¯s what I would do. First of all, I will use my strength to bring them to their knees and restrain the Brave especially. After that, I will rape each of the women one by one in front of the heroes. Also, in addition, I will use mental magic to slowly dissolve the reasoning of these women slowly, converting-remodelling them into nymphs who would willingly open their legs and show their crotch, screaming and shaking their hips in pleasure! I¡¯m sure that Brave will be terribly frustrated at himself, he would shed tears of blood, watching, being disappointed in himself. And then, to top it all off, I will let the Brave alone to escape. Ridiculing his limping back as he returns back all alone, and torment him with humiliation letting him go through this indescribable sense of helplessness. [Tl Note: I did my best here :3] ¡°Dismissed!¡¡Dismissed! Dismissed, dismissed, DISMISSED!¡± ¡°Muu. I was proud to say that my plan was in line with His Majesty¡¯s will though¡­ ¨C ¡° ¡°IT¡¯S NOT IN LINE!¡¡NOT EVEN A SINGLE BIT IN WITH MY LINE OF THOUGHTS HOWSOEVER!!¡± YOU DEVIL! [Tl Note: Bruh] Kengo curses the savagery of this devil BELUHARA deep within his chest. ¡°So then, My Majesty. killing them is a no; while again, tormenting them is also a no is what you are supposedly trying to tell us?¡± ¡°It is very much what I am trying to tell you!!¡± ¡°But, why My Majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°Even though the Braves are an irreconcilable enemy of our entire demonkin.¡± ¡°Belhara, do you yourself also fail to understand the reason?¡± ¡°Kunununu¡­¡­As expected, Your Majesty the Demon King, it is really difficult to understand your thoughts which arises from as deep as the abyss itself.¡± ¡°It is out of our hands if even that Belhara-san is not able to comprehend this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­My stomach aches.¡± And thus, an agitation starts spreading among the demon generals present there. It was a really bad situation that was unfolding. ¡°I, is that so. So, none of you understands this huh. Then all the more I will have to answer to this dilemma from my very mouth ©¤©¤¡±