Chapter 123
“…And so, the Demon King’s Army suddenly fell apart. The Demon Lord had been mediating things well up until now, but that vanished in an instant.”
“The Goblins and Orcs were slandering each other, while the Dark Elves and Vampires grew arrogant. The Ogres and Trolls dismissed the Kobolds and Imps as weak, while in return they were considered ignorant.”
“Thus, the Demon King’s Army collapsed. The balls precariously balanced on the great plate of the Demon Lord all scattered to the ground after the Demon Lord disappeared.”
Hearing this from the witnesses of forgotten history was inevitable.
Despite knowing it was futile, the hero party, including Lucius, couldn’t help but perk up their ears at their lively stories.
“Honestly, I still think so. If the Demon Lord had been alive, the world would have become like Belselphia by now.”
“Genetically, different races would mix and become a mishmash, creating new diseases… but we would develop medical technology and overcome it. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it will continue.”
“If for us, the surface is no different than it was 500 years ago, then I absolutely do not want to live in such a place. You all don’t know, but our civilization is at least five generations ahead of yours.”
Eastern and Jerka pointed the hero party to look outside the window.
“This place is a paradise rebuilt by those who realized their mistakes after the Demon Lord disappeared. If he had been alive, the world would surely have changed like this.”
“Of course, it would still have had its problems… but at least there wouldn’t be indiscriminate killing just because of different races.”
“…….”
“Hero, what do you think? Do you believe all demons should be killed?”
“……No.”
The party’s expression changed at Lucius’s words.
Especially Saintess Yan’s expression darkened the most.
“Is that so? You—”
“My master said this. Whether it’s the Holy Sword or anything else, if there’s someone to kill… it should be someone who harms me.”
Lucius continued with a voice full of conviction.
“So I will wield the Holy Sword as I believe. I apologize to the Saintess, but I won’t kill someone frivolously.”
“If there’s a need to kill, will you do it?”
“Yes.”
Lucius smiled lightly while fiddling with the ring adorned with the Holy Sword.
“I will wield the sword as I believe. Even if it’s… the Demon King.”
*
The death of Demon King Leviathan.
Though the being known as the Demon King fell, the outside world likely remains quiet even now.
Somewhere, it might still be under attack by another Demon King, somewhere, lives may continue as before, and somewhere else, it might be hoping for a hero’s help like Belselphia.
However, that aside, considering we’ve removed a Demon King, isn’t it perfectly fine to take a little break in Belselphia?
-I just took down a Demon King; I should be able to rest for about a week!
Everyone would agree.
If it were no one other than a Demon King that was defeated, then we have the right to have a week of recharge before facing the next Demon King or whatever else comes next.
Why a week?
Because after about a week of cheers for the hero party in Belselphia, the effects of the drugs would start to wear off.
‘If we stay here too long, it might become uncomfortable.’
As former subordinates of the Demon King’s Army, if we keep lingering here, someday it will become inconvenient.
So let’s take a week to rest here, and after holding a grand festival on the sixth day, we can leave on the seventh day feeling good about parting ways.
Originally, it’s a situation where surface dwellers and denizens of the underworld shouldn’t meet.
Had we not defeated the Demon King, we likely would’ve stayed for about three days and then disappeared immediately.
Originally, it would have been three days.
But now that I have the Demon King Leviathan’s Magic Stone, I need quite a bit more time.
“…Huh.”
Before I knew it, Leviathan’s magic stabilized in my magic core.
Initially, it resisted fiercely, trying to cling to my core and stay away, but through open conversations with Leviathan, I was able to assimilate her power as my own.
Ten years’ worth of magic.
The massive mana accumulated by Leviathan was enough for me to live ten more years by merely breathing.
If I had completely gained the mana, I could have lived over 500 years more, but even salvaging ten years of mana and magic core is quite something.
Right.
Since I obtained the magic core, I can become stronger from here on out.
Beelzebub’s biggest characteristic is pheromones.
I can break mana down and down again, operating it like swarms of bees or ants that move in response to the mana their master is using.
For now, the only commands I can issue are simple ones, but having grown a bit from this battle, I should be able to manipulate the swarm more easily.
And the power of Leviathan that I’ve gained this time is…
“Haum.”
I stuffed white whipped cream into my mouth in one go.
To the naked eye, it seemed just an ordinary cream, but it was actually something quite special.
“How is it?”
“Um… it seems a bit absorbed.”
“Thank goodness. Then I can absorb some mana even through food now.”
Leviathan’s trait, ‘Devour.’
It’s the ability to consume an opponent and convert them into one’s own mana.
More precisely, it’s akin to absorbing mana just as one would take nutrients from food, but in this physical body, where consumption itself was impossible, my mouth and digestive system became somewhat useful.
Of course, since I burn everything I eat with magic in my stomach, I won’t have anything to expel, but the most exciting part is that instead of just eliminating things, I can absorb them as mana.
“How does it taste?”
“Taste… maybe because it’s cream, it’s hard to feel.”
“Then, do you feel anything?”
“Not particularly.”
Still, I couldn’t grasp the taste.
Since I lost my sense of taste after entering this body, I would have to use a very special method to restore sensitivity to my tongue.
“Well, even without taste, it’s convenient. I can just pass over bitter or nasty things without a care now.”
“Oh….”
“Why the ‘oh’? What were you planning to feed me that made you smile so wickedly?”
“I thought everyone might have the same thought.”
Celcius grinned and grabbed my cheek.
“What shall I feed you?”
“Don’t say anything weird.”
“Why? You said that to me before…”
Whack!
I kicked Celcius in the shin.
“Didn’t I tell you not to say anything weird?”
“Ugh…! You kicked with mana…! Don’t you know you should conserve mana?”
“This is a lifetime kick, you brat.”
For me, mana equals life, so a kick infused with my lifetime would naturally hurt.
“Keep your dignity. Don’t speak carelessly. Don’t say those filthy things with my face.”
Currently, Celcius is in the form I had as a humanoid.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch such a being say such vulgar things.
“If you truly decided to live in that form, then you should uphold some degree of dignity.”
“I think I have enough dignity.”
“Then will you only do that to me?”
“Yeah, just like you did to her.”
“…….”
I had nothing to retort to that.
“You’re a cold Demon King to others, but warm to your woman. That’s you, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Is that trait still lingering? Society has agreed to call that a tsundere.”
“You speak such strange words. That’s something she spread. Don’t say it.”
“But there’s no better word to express your tendencies than that, is there?”
Celcius seems to know enough about what I did to her, ‘Bel.’
But.
“Even though I’ve changed from a man’s body to a woman’s, I’m still a tsundere, huh?”
“Shut up.”
I can’t stand the words tsundere, or whatever.
“Don’t mistake it. I’m only moving in the direction that benefits me the most.”
“Wow.”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“If you learn about Belselphia’s advanced subculture, you’ll understand why I’m surprised.”
“Ha… that’s hilarious.”
I pulled on Celcius’s tie.
“Listen carefully. If you really want to live here with those from 500 years ago, Demon Lord Belphegor, remember this. Belphegor thought only of himself more than anyone else.”
“…But there was a moment when that was uniquely wrong, right?”
“There was. That’s why I died.”
500 years ago.
The one day I prioritized someone else over myself.
“I lived only for myself, but for once, I lived for someone else. That one choice led to my death.”
“……For her?”
“It wasn’t for her.”
No, maybe it was for her.
“I did it for me and her child born from her.”
“…….”
A being I had never met even once after being born.
The being that made me, Belphegor, think of someone other than myself first.
“…Even if I may never meet her again, I chose death for the future of her child.”
It’s frightening.
The being who made a Demon King choose a world that isn’t a Demon King’s.
“…So I’m not tsundere. I thought about my profit; I’m selfish and should think only of myself. If you intend to live like that, then you must live like that.”
“…Hmph. Did you misinterpret something?”
Celcius chuckled at my face.
“I’m just using this face because it’s handsome.”
“…Huh?”
“Did you think I borrowed this appearance to act like a Demon King? No way. I simply think this face and body are the most handsome and charming among humanoids, that’s why I exist in this form.”
“…….”
Celcius placed a hand behind my waist and grabbed my hand holding his tie.
“With this face, I could charm you… Argh!!”
I completely twisted the tie and choked him.
“Is this guy truly insane….”
“What! Why! It doesn’t matter since I’m in a female body now!!”
“Why wouldn’t it matter?”
It’s absurd.
Loving someone of another kind…
“I let go of everything I built because of love. Do you think I could love again? That can’t be.”
No matter what, I’d only lose it again.
“I don’t want to love a mortal any longer.”
“What about an immortal being?”
“…That would be problematic depending on how it comes up.”
Celcius was serious, and I straightened his tie while firmly adjusting my collar.
“Well, after finishing what I have to do, I’ll think about it.”
“That’s a promise, then?”
“Um… well, fine.”
“Good. Then what do you need to do? Shall I help?”
“You will help manage the Belselphia kids here.”
“No… then what is it you want to do?”
“I must fulfill my unachieved dreams.”
For myself.
And for the comrades who dwell within me.
“World domination.”
