Chapter 149
– Your Majesty the Crown Prince. If you do not mind, I would like to move on to talk about practical matters, may I have a word with the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus separately?
– Is that so? May I take my leave now?
– Yes, Your Majesty. Please proceed.
The Crown Prince coolly left the room.
It seemed his only interest was the royal treasure—something called ‘Glory Hall’—and perhaps he had intended to leave everything to the Magic King from the very beginning.
Thus, I found myself alone for a one-on-one conversation with the Magic King.
“Hey, why did you turn into a girl?”
“…Shut up.”
It’s a long story.
But right now, with my status uncertain—whether friend or foe—I can’t recklessly share my situation with this… Mammon.
‘I might need to call Lucius if things go south.’
With the Demon King right in front of me, I lightly clenched what I had stashed in my pocket.
“You are….”
“Hey, I’m not your enemy. It really depends on how the Demon Lord behaves.”
Mammon raised both hands and smiled mischievously.
The look in his eyes was more nervous than before, as if he was carefully observing me—a much tenser gaze than I recalled from the Demon World.
“…I thought you were the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus who appeared 500 years ago, but the residual magic I’m sensing comes from the Demon Lord. What on earth is your purpose in coming here? Especially with a Hero Party and even a Saintess in tow.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well, you’re saying I shouldn’t talk unless you do first.”
Mammon immediately saw through my intentions.
“Understood. I don’t want to lose this position either, so let’s cooperate as long as our goals align. My goal is….”
Mammon traced a square with his fingers.
“To open a Dimensional Door that connects the Intermediate Realm to the Demon World.”
“…….”
It was a bigger purpose than I expected.
“Not world domination?”
“World domination is merely a secondary goal. As I’ve said multiple times before, my life’s purpose is to find a new home for the demons. If I can’t open a door to escape the crumbling Demon World, then I’ll create a door here for the demons to cross over.”
“So you came to the Intermediate Realm first?”
“It’s more accurate to say I was summoned.”
“…Summoned?”
“Yes. By Asydia… under the orders of the Demon Lord.”
Mammon shot me a cold smile, as if to say, ‘Are you the culprit?’
It’s only natural to be suspicious.
If Asydia summoned me, it makes sense to link me to her first.
“……Those bastards have nothing to do with me.”
“Is that so? I had a feeling it might be the case.”
Fortunately, Mammon believed me right away.
“If the Demon Lord’s subordinates followed his orders, there’s no way they would have summoned me like this.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Summoning a soul into a woman’s body. It’s such a slapdash summoning method that I knew it couldn’t be the Demon Lord. Of course, I confirmed it after seeing the Demon Lord’s reaction.”
Well.
If it were me, I wouldn’t summon anyone by forcefully taking over a human body.
“Heh, unless I made explosives and blew my way out while escaping, I would have undoubtedly ended up being manipulated by them. That was already eleven years ago.”
“…Huh?”
Eleven years?
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you blabber about the Demon World and the Intermediate Realm before I slept?”
“Right. That was already eleven years ago.”
“…….”
Oh?
“What’s wrong? Ah, does this feel awkward? Should I speak informally like before? In the Demon World style?”
“……No, wait a moment.”
Could it be that…
“I had a feeling something was off but…”
“…Was Asydia the first to summon the Demon Lord?”
“For now, yes. I don’t know about other Demon Lords, but that’s how it is.”
“…….”
Could it be…
Did I just spend eleven years dozing around in the body of a Black Dragon…?
“……I see. You seem trustworthy, so let’s talk.”
I recounted my situation.
Perhaps because Mammon went through a similar ordeal, he quickly understood my situation.
“Hmm. By summoning one Demon Lord after another with the summoning ritual, they’ve continued the ceremony until the Demon Lord was summoned…?”
“I’ll have to get more details from Zephar later, but for now, this is my situation. I’m traveling with the Hero of the Holy Sword as part of the party.”
The reason I even mentioned Lucius is one.
It’s not just that this woman is a Demon Lord; for now, I can trust her.
“You’re seeking revenge on Zephar, right? You’re not going to interfere, are you?”
“Of course not. If the Demon Lord is handling it, there’s no reason for me to involve myself. However, if I find out where Zephar is within the Principality, I’ll let you know immediately.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“No problem. If I receive something, I must give something in return.”
The reason this woman can cooperate with me like this is simple.
“Instead, please help me capture Satan.”
“Is that you?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
“He was wearing an orange robe, wasn’t he?”
“It seems he’s had a change of heart since coming to the Intermediate Realm.”
All of a sudden, a common enemy known as Satan has emerged.
“I have all the research materials in this Anari Principality, Dragon Lift. The data to create a Dimensional Door to relocate the suffering inhabitants of the Demon World, which is currently facing destruction, is all here. And with the help of the Principality, we can secure the necessary resources. This place is my forward base. My ‘territory.'”
“So you converted the kingdom into a principality?”
“Yes. I made a deal with the current Grand Duke. I told him I’d make him a Crown Prince if he helped create a land for the demon race on the island beyond the sea of this Anari Principality.”
“So that’s why firearms are spreading in this world.”
“That’s right. I initiated a magical revolution. The science of the Demon World is the best in the world.”
Mammon lifted her chin proudly.
If I let her know about Belselphia’s existence… she might immediately decide to invade Belselphia for research materials.
Or perhaps she might linger in the Bride Ship…
‘Better be cautious.’
For now.
“Then, I’ll need your help. I need you to assist in making a ship capable of long voyages. A sturdy caravel that can at least traverse from the southern part of the continent to the north.”
“Planning to go around the world or something?”
“No. I plan to ride a whirlpool up into the sky.”
“…….”
For a moment, Mammon frowned.
“Do you think that’s physically possible?”
“With the combined power of mana and the power of the Holy Sword, it shouldn’t be impossible. I have the Holy Wind Sword.”
“……Alright. I know how irrational a Holy Sword can be. The Demon Lord wouldn’t spout nonsense like that. I can definitely make it for you as long as you help me.”
Thank goodness.
At least I can manage to gloss over the Bride Ship.
“Of course, you must definitely help me subdue Satan. It can’t just be a half-hearted job.”
“Of course. If need be, I’ll absorb Satan and bring him with me.”
I took off my clothes and exposed my chest.
At that moment, Mammon’s eyes widened in shock, but soon her gaze turned cold as she saw the gaping hole in my chest—my Magic Core.
“…What is this?”
“An explanation.”
Among the explanations of the Demon Lord.
“…So you absorbed Beelzebub to escape the control he had over you, and you forcibly absorbed Leviathan after defeating him with the Hero’s Holy Sword?”
“Exactly. But I promised to grant a wish.”
“A wish.”
“Yep.”
It’s a bit uncomfortable to say this to Mammon, who was accusing me at the end.
“I pledged to save the Demon World.”
“……You’ve changed, haven’t you?”
“I’ve finished loafing around in the Demon World for 500 years, so that’s that.”
“Glad to hear you started moving now.”
Mammon turned her head away, looking somewhat choked up.
“But, Demon Lord. Even if your thoughts coincide with mine, it seems Satan has other ideas.”
“What’s that old man thinking?”
“To annihilate all life in the Intermediate Realm. And his plan is to fill this world entirely with his minions and dominate it.”
“…….”
How should I put this…
It’s a typical Demon Lord mindset.
“Satan’s method is not the salvation of the Demon World. He’s only looking out for his own subordinates. Those he can summon to the Intermediate Realm.”
“What about the Demon King’s Army that mysteriously appeared a week ago?”
“They were birthed here, just like the Demon Lord.”
Oh no.
“…Could it be they’ve been laying low?”
“That might be the case. They’re probably pooling their strength until they can gather enough meaningful power to subdue at least one Hero of the Holy Sword. That was the primary strategy when the Demon Lord first invaded the human world, right?”
“That’s true. They’ve benchmarked us.”
Satan.
He looks like a muscular, aged man, but he’s as cunning as I am.
“They might have been hiding until creating their base, or they might have made a dungeon underground for themselves and stayed concealed all this time.”
“Once the foundation is set, summoning his subordinates from the Demon World shouldn’t be that hard.”
“Exactly. And the worst part is… that foundation is situated between my Anari Principality and the Empire.”
Mammon unfolded a map before us on the desk.
“This place. Also known as the ‘Dark Forest,’ is a location where malevolent monsters have frequently appeared since a long time ago.”
“It’s the truth that you hide a tree among the forest.”
“Right. It’s natural for there to be a base where monsters would typically appear, meaning the public wouldn’t have sensed it until now.”
“They’ve been putting up a solid effort to remain hidden until now.”
It’s not a matter of why they could remain undetected until numerous demons emerged. The reality is they’ve been fully committed to hiding until they reached that many.
“So what should we do? Should we work with the Empire to crush them together?”
“Coincidentally, we need to act using only the power of the Anari Principality.”
“Why? The Empire has Heroes, right? Even the baron’s territory has suffered damage!”
“…The Empire views this as an opportunity.”
“An opportunity? Oh, I see.”
Is this what happens when humans act ‘like humans’?
“They plan to use the Demon King’s Army to crush the territory of the Principality and officially annex it into the Empire. If the Empire destroys it through war, public sentiment will worsen, but if the Demon King’s Army does the job, it won’t adversely affect the Empire.”
“…You see right through them.”
“Humans are all the same.”
Especially if it’s the Emperor of the Empire, who carries the blood of ‘that guy.’
“The Empire is quite amusing. They could win if they mobilized the Heroes of the Empire.”
“…That’s the thing.”
Mammon closed her eyes tightly.
“Satan cannot be subdued now without a Hero.”
“Why?”
“……The Holy Sword has become a Demon Sword.”
“……?”
“The Holy Flame Sword.”
“What’s that about?”
“Right now, Satan possesses it. It appears the Flame Hero, Bearnes, lost to Satan.”
“…….”
Whoa.
