Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Concerns and Proposals
“……I don’t get it. What does this mean?”
The Demon Lord tilted his head at my request, “Dad, can you lend me some land?”
“I’m thinking of setting up a necromancy research lab outside the Demon Lord Castle.”
“Hmm?”
I double-checked the soundproof barrier again.
“By the way, Father, are the undead like Enma actively interacting with the demon race?”
“No, not to my knowledge. There shouldn’t be anyone close to you apart from yourself.”
The Demon Lord shook his head and glanced at the devil butler by the wall for confirmation.
“As far as I know, there are none.”
The goat-headed butler also shook his head.
“I see. However, when I went to greet Enma earlier, it seemed they caught wind of me breaking the horn of one of our kin. They’re quite perceptive.”
The Demon Lord’s eyebrow twitched.
When I heard that, I immediately thought—‘Who told them?’ The demon race generally looks down on intelligent undead. I can’t imagine anyone else having tea with Enma but me.
Yet, the fact that they caught wind of rumors means—
“There are ears among us, huh? And you wish to research necromancy without the awareness of Enma’s faction. But for what purpose?”
This is the crucial moment. I continued with a serious tone.
“Enma is generously teaching me necromancy knowledge, but—this is probably a reflection of his own confidence. The more I learn, the clearer it becomes how powerful and troublesome he is. If for some reason Enma were to become hostile, I wouldn’t know how to defeat him.”
This was basically an honest sentiment. As a dark entity, I still had no idea how to take him down.
“Is he really such a threat? I can wield fire as well.”
The Demon Lord stroked his beard, looking doubtful.
“As you might suspect, the Enma that walks around outside isn’t his true form.”
“Yes.”
The Demon Lord nodded gravely, as if he expected that.
“His true self is heavily defended in a base underground. I’ve visited a few times but have yet to pinpoint his exact location.”
“However, even if it’s just a fragment, it still has awareness. If I cast a curse, it should work, right?”
“However, Enma seems to boast formidable defense against curses that interfere with his soul or consciousness by deploying multiple layers of spells to encapsulate his soul.”
That’s certainly troublesome. Multi-layered defenses that can withstand even holy or light magic, highly effective against undead. It’s not easy to break through with dark magic or curses.
Though overwhelming him with the Demon Lord’s crazy firepower is one option, if he gets stopped for even a moment, Enma will immediately abandon his body and escape.
“If I miss him, he can just switch to a new body. It would never end.”
“Ugh…”
The Demon Lord’s expression turned slightly grim. He had thought of Enma as a trivial opponent that could be wiped out with a breath. Now he realized he was more tenacious than expected, causing a sense of urgency.
The pesky part about the Undead King is that he can send forth armies of the dead while staying holed up.
Especially in the Demon Lord Kingdom, useful tools utilizing undead are becoming commonplace, like skeleton carriages. I’ve heard recently they’ve even started using undead as laborers for simple construction or nighttime farming, not to mention dragging out the Korvto tribe…
“Moreover, he’s still researching light resistance and can now endure sunlight for about five seconds.”
Do you understand, Demon Lord? The terror of that.
Before, he would ignite into ashes the moment he saw sunlight. But if he can last for five seconds, he could flee to shadows or underground in certain situations.
That uncontrollable monster is now trying to loosen its restraints—
Even if I wasn’t a hero, but genuinely a prince of the demon race, I’d still feel the alarm at this situation.
“I see, that’s how it is.”
The Demon Lord, now able to share my concerns, rubbed his chin, contemplating.
Currently, our relationship with the undead is good. But we can’t know what the future holds. The Demon Lord has a lifespan, while the Undead King has eternity. A reckoning might come eventually, or Enma could start getting arrogant much sooner.
Moreover, as time passes, the undead will penetrate deeper into the Demon Lord Kingdom and progress.
“I feel we should establish methods to either nullify the shell spell or obliterate the spirit itself while transitioning to a new body.”
Utilizing immortal monsters is fine.
But we need to know how to kill them.
I quietly put forth my claim… an argument that is extremely favorable to the demon race.
“A good point.”
To my surprise, the Demon Lord nodded as I had hoped.
“I will recognize the validity of your concerns and the necessity of research. And for now, you are the foremost expert in necromancy among our kin… Given the nature of this research, we should proceed as secretly as possible.”
Leaning on the armrest and resting his chin on his hand, the Demon Lord asked.
“You mentioned a secluded place. What kind of location do you prefer?”
—I’ve got him.
It’s true that I want to study countermeasures against Enma.
But more than that, I desired a space without the watching eyes of Platy or my entourage. It was for preparing to smuggle Liliana out of the country and doing research on holy attribute magic against the Demon Lord and Enma, as well as for secretly hiding personal magical items…
In any case, this would open up more options.
“Well… first, I’d prefer a place that’s difficult for others to access.”
Suppressing my eager heart, I pretended to think deeply before responding.
“I’ll be using a dragon for transportation, so a remote island would be fine. In fact, that would be preferable.”
“A dragon, huh? Can you trust them? I doubt they’d favor the undead.”
“Oh, regarding that… I’m going to use the dragon I have on hand.”
For a moment, the Demon Lord seemed perplexed by my words.
“……You’re not talking about the daughter of the white dragon you killed, are you?”
“Exactly that.”
“What!?”
The Demon Lord was taken aback, as if saying, “What do you mean!?”
“You plan to ride it? You’ll be done for if you’re dropped from high altitudes!”
“Uh, well, I’ve already ridden it several times. Up high enough to touch the clouds.”
“What!?”
The Demon Lord was speechless in disbelief. He hadn’t ridden one since ascending to the throne, due to the fear of dragon retaliation. It must be a shock for him.
“…How did Platy allow that?”
“She opposed me, but Grandma Gori is a user of bloodline magic that detects hostility. She guaranteed there was no malice.”
“Interesting… Was she a wielder of [Kyougan]?”
“Yes. Well, also, she and I have been nurturing a good relationship.”
With those words, the Demon Lord appeared to understand. His gaze toward me was filled with both incredulity and a kind of respect.
“…I see. Well then, what about it?”
“Sorry, I got a bit off-track. Regarding the research lab, the size isn’t extremely important. Worst-case scenario, I’d be fine with a ramshackle hut. But since I’ll be creating and destroying undead experimentally, the larger the indoor space, the better freedom I’ll have. I’d also like a space to store various materials and books.”
The Demon Lord, pondering, pulled out a map from his desk drawer.
“I have several abandoned fortresses in my direct domain. Most are destroyed and unusable, but I can personally restore one and lend it to you.”
“Which one is good?” The Demon Lord pointed out the abandoned castles near the Demon Lord Castle.
—And so, I ended up renting a small fortress located about a twenty-minute dragon flight south of the Demon Lord Castle.
At the same time, albeit unofficially, I became the director of the National Necromancy Research Institute of the Demon Lord Kingdom.
From today onward, I am Zilbagias Reiju, the seventh prince of the Demon Lord and the director of the National Necromancy Research Institute of the Demon Lord Kingdom (5)!!!
