---

At that moment, in Count Scouter’s Territory of the Empire. Mobile Fortress Mamon.

“Everyone, I’ll introduce myself again. The Hero Party just left over there, and I am the clone left by the Witch—Belerze.”

I stepped forward to greet the Spartan warriors directly, but, as expected, they looked skeptical.

“Isn’t that a doll?”

“Yes, it is a doll. But it’s a clone inhabited by a spirit. Although I’m not directly linked to the original, please think of me as a being similar to the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus you know.”

I held a staff that fitted the doll’s body.

“I will provide support so that your battles won’t be hindered.”

“Ah…!”

What better way to prove my identity?

I spread shimmering purple shadows over everyone’s helmets, and the Spartan warriors soon realized that it was a blessing I had cast for each of them.

“Witch, is it okay? The Empire might arrest you for no reason.”

“It’s fine. This is all just the Empire trying to frame and slander me. Probably… they’re just bringing up something that happened 500 years ago.”

“500 years…?”

“Yes. I am truly the Witch who lived 500 years ago. The Sorceress of Crimson Lotus. The Demon Lord Bel—”

“Ugh, no way!!”

…It’s odd, but just hearing the name of Demon Lord Belphegor still fills me with fear.

“Anyway, I fought hard to defeat the Demon Lord. I know the Empire’s secrets, and they’re afraid it will be exposed.”

“The Empire’s secrets… what are they?”

“Are you really going to ask someone who knows that in order to reason with someone arrested for no reason?”

“Ugh.”

The Spartan warriors began to glance nervously at me.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to be arrested alongside me. The only thing you need to do is keep fighting against the Demon King’s army. Of course.”

I pointed outside.

“If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. After all, you’ve joined us largely thanks to the ‘Hero’s’ help, so there might be people who think your lives are in danger now that the Hero has left. I won’t say anything if you choose to depart. You’ll receive a generous severance from the Anari Principality.”

Yet I said.

“…However, if you decide to stay and fight, it could get significantly more dangerous. Without the Hero’s support, the fights will become far more brutal, and you might get pushed back heavily. There’s a chance of accidents leading to death. No one has died until now, but from now on, nobody knows what will happen.”

With words like this,

“……Even so, if you choose to fight, then let’s fight together. I can’t promise that no one will die, but I will promise to do my utmost to ensure everyone survives.”

Usually.

“……Will you fight together with me?”

They come along.

Men have pride, and warriors have dignity.

“I won’t ask you to fight for honor. I won’t ask you to fight for the Anari Principality. The rewards are set, and all that’s left as bonuses are the magic stones you can earn by fighting against the Demon King’s army, but I can’t guarantee anything beyond that. Still, if you’re willing to fight together, please stay.”

I thumped my chest with my fist toward everyone.

“Let’s defeat Demon King Satan together. Survive until the Hero returns, and leave facing the Demon Lord to the Hero.”

“…Do we really have to leave it to the Hero?”

A young man stepped forward.

“I was a knight in the Anari Principality back when it was still a kingdom. Even though I’ve never wielded the Holy Sword, I know how to hold a sword for my country. I am Leonidas. I will never tolerate monsters that wish to harm my hometown.”

As Leonidas stepped forward, the numerous warriors behind him straightened their shoulders and smiled.

“You promised to give us magic stones as bonuses? After this battle, I plan to use those to confess to my beloved back home.”

“There’s no other place that offers this much money. I came here knowing I might pay with my life, so I can’t just get off at this Mobile Fortress.”

“If I was going to leave, I would have done so long ago. Where else would you find a troop capable of surely defeating the Demon King’s army? We could even smear the Empire’s face in the dirt. Hahaha!”

“…Thank you.”

But no one left.

‘Actually, if the atmosphere is like this, they can’t leave.’

A few started to hesitate, then abandoned that idea.

Being human, that’s only natural, and with the Hero absent, that’s expected.

Even if these mercenaries were betting their lives for money, sometimes a situation arises where life is more important than money.

But humans sometimes value honor more than life, and prioritize something else.

“If I flee while fighting the Demon King’s army, I would be too ashamed to live with myself!”

“I don’t want to be a shameful father to my wife and daughter. I promised to do my best to keep them safe, and I will return home after defeating the Demon King’s army.”

“Even if I die, it’s not like I’ll just rot in some filthy pit; I’ll die fighting the Demon King’s army, right? Haha. Who would have thought a mercenary like me, who usually dealt with monsters, would die for humanity? Ah, of course, I’m not saying I want to die.”

“……Alright.”

Ah.

Even 500 years ago, there were people like this.

Back then, they had aimed their spears and swords at me, but now they stand by my side wanting to fight together, which gives me great comfort.

– Even if 99 out of 100 humans are trash, if just 1 human is good and kind, I will not lose hope in humanity.

Her words come to mind.

She never gave up hope for humanity, and believing in the coexistence of humans and demons, she persuaded me until the end.

I wonder what she would think if she were alive to see this scene.

Would she think that Demon Lord Belphegor is using humans to defeat another Demon Lord, or that through harmony with humans, he has become one with humanity?

…It’s not easy to make a judgment, but at the very least, it would be more right to have such warriors survive and illuminate humanity than the trash of the Empire.

So.

“Alright. Then from now on, I want to bestow upon you a very special power.”

“A special… power?”

“Yes.”

Naturally, with the Hero absent, I had to come up with a corresponding countermeasure.

“While we have been stationed in Count Scouter’s Territory, we have gathered a considerable amount of magic stones, haven’t we? Using those, I’ll create some very special weapons and armors. Weapons that will ensure you will never lose to the enemy. The Magic King?”

Originally.

You shouldn’t reveal such things first.

‘That’s not cool at all.’

Equipment granted after deciding to fight for your life.

How splendid and wonderful is that?

“Ah, everyone, focus.”

Creak.

As Mamon stepped forward, everyone swallowed and avoided looking.

“What? Why?”

“Ah, no… the Magic King will wear that herself?”

“What’s wrong with that? I’ve hidden what I need to hide, right?”

The Magic King Endymion.

She currently donned the same equipment as the Spartan warriors.

Of course, she used her flowing hair to cover the necessary places, but the expressions of the warriors watching began to grow complex.

“Enough with the jokes, just show us the new technique.”

“Hmph. Of course. Then….”

Endymion placed her hand on the ’round magic stone’ attached to the protective gear below.

And then.

“Transform.”

*

“Is that the warriors’ stronghold the Demon Lord mentioned?”

“That’s right, Queen Naga.”

“…Heh heh.”

Queen Naga, Zebar Jiom Naga, licked her lips while raising the serpent tail that dragged on the ground.

“So there are muscular warriors sprawled out over there?”

“Indeed. The number of orcs who have died at their hands thus far… amounts to tens of thousands.”

“H. That was only when the Hero was present.”

Queen Zebar rested her trident on her shoulder.

“300 warriors defeated 100,000 orcs? That’s unbelievable. But I can believe that a single Hero has killed a million orcs. So where did that Hero go?”

“…He went to seek the Trial of the Holy Sword.”

“Right. The Demon Lord has planted spies in the Principality and Empire… Heh heh, I shouldn’t say more. Ahem.”

Having already revealed too much, Queen Zebar merely smiled and turned her gaze forward.

“Everyone listen! Finally, the Demon Lord has given us an opportunity after surviving in the Swamp of Toxicity! We will capture all those human warriors and—”

Lick.

“We will use them as breeding stock for the prosperity of the Naga family!”

“””Kyaahh!””””

The Nagas raised their tridents high.

I couldn’t tell if they were male or female, but all the Nagas pointed their spears as they dragged their scaled half-bodies through the muddy ground.

“It’s about that time.”

“It’s opening!”

Thunk.

The hatch of Mobile Fortress Mamon opens.

Unlike before when warriors jumped down from greater heights than a ten-story building, Mamon’s legs folded, allowing the warriors to slowly descend down connected ramps.

“Heh heh heh. The number of our Naga troops is… 10,000. Our entire race has come out. So, you guys… Ugh. Still, you seem to be the warriors who caught orcs. You all have muscles….”

Just as Queen Zebar was licking her lips,

Clack.

A warrior at the front spread his legs and took a stance.

His arms hung down toward the lower body, soon the center of the belt wrapped like a waistband over his groin protection began to shine with the magic stone.

“……What’s that thing that looks like the belt those bald Nagas wear?”

Before Queen Zebar could feel anxious about the addition of unknown equipment.

Pachin—!

Purple mana clung to the helmet, soon enveloping the entire warrior.

[Ah. Can you hear me?]

The mana illusion rose above Mobile Fortress Mamon.

There appeared the upper body of a green scientist-like figure clad in bizarre armor.

[I am the Magic King Endymion. I will use all my strength to defeat your Demon King’s army. And here is our mascot, Belerze.]

[…….]

Endymion’s arm held a gothic-style doll seated obediently.

The moment Queen Zebar saw the shimmering purple eyes of the doll, she was convinced.

That doll supports the warriors with mana, and that strange armor—

[Did you let your guard down just because the Hero is absent? Foolish.]

The Holy Sword is, after all, a tool. I am the Magic King. I will show you the new strength of our Anari Principality.]

[We have a ‘Hero’ who will protect humanity.]

In fact.

I simply added a single ‘Beelzebub Barrier’ on top of the shield.

And just changed the appearance into a full-body armor.

500 years ago.

As the last guardians of the Human Alliance, they appeared as the ‘Holy Knight Order.’

 

---