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Defeated tens of thousands of Orcs stationed in Count Scouter’s Territory.

This was bound to become a hot topic, and a summary regarding the Magic Stones obtained from the tens of thousands of Orcs was necessary, along with various political issues surrounding the victory…

“Let’s toast!”

“Waah!!”

Inside the Mobile Fortress Mamon.

The 300 warriors and the Hero Party willingly raised their glasses.

But there were not just warriors in Mamon.

To ensure the warriors could fight in top condition, Mamon personally brought along 300 maids to assist the warriors.

These were the warriors who returned alive from the Orcs.

Isn’t it amazing that each of them took down at least dozens of Orcs and came back safely?

“I’ll pour you a drink.”

“Thanks! Haha! Is this the taste of victory?!”

“Ha… I will let this slide for now.”

“Are you going to let me off every time we win? Hahaha!”

“Really.”

The maids filled the warriors’ glasses, creating a cheerful atmosphere for the celebration.

Soon, they would return to their respective waiting rooms to hold their joy-infused festivities.

“Is this really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we get ambushed like this?”

“It’s fine, Lucius. While ambushing a defeated enemy is definitely tactically effective, for now, I’m keeping watch.”

I took a big bite of the cream pie that the maids had made.

“I’ve erected a shield using the Orcs’ Magic Stones. Right now, no one can touch this fortress.”

“But can’t Satan do that?”

“That?”

“…Hero Bombing.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

It is Hero Bombing, but the Demon King can also bomb.

‘Just like the heroes did, I’ll pay them back in kind.’

When I, Belphegor, faced the enemies.

I had once broken through the enemy’s barrier and dropped right into their territory to dismantle their defenses.

I simply broke the barrier with brute force and dropped in the middle of their ranks, defeating those maintaining the barrier and directly opening the gate.

– This is cheating!

– It’s a clear difference in power!

If you can’t block it, you have no choice but to break through.

Just like the heroes bombarding our army, I also found some amusement in doing so as the Demon King.

“Bel point 20 points. As expected, you are smart, Lucius.”

“Thank you for the score.”

I hadn’t explicitly detailed such things, but Lucius just pointed that out.

“But if it’s about spreading the shield, wouldn’t it be better for me to do it?”

“Nope. If you do it, we won’t achieve our objective. My shield serves the purpose of protection, but the biggest objective is to tear it.”

“The shield… tears?”

“Yeah.”

It’s a simple principle.

“If the gate is too solid, no one thinks to knock. But if the gate isn’t that solid? You might as well just poke it once. If it opens, great, if not, oh well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Instead, by laying a shield that seems easy to break, you tempt Satan. Tell him to bombard with the Holy Flame Sword. Then… we catch him right there.”

The moment he drops here.

The moment he tears through my shield and appears here.

“Lucius. At that time, you’ll stab the Holy Sword into Satan’s heart. Got it?”

“…Ah. If I have the shield up…!”

“Satan won’t try to attack us. Instead, he’ll likely try to set up another battlefield.”

I pointed to the raucous crowd celebrating the victory.

“Do you think those people will be of much help to you in a 1:1 showdown with Satan? I doubt it. I don’t think so. Fighting against Satan’s minions will undoubtedly help. They’ve learned from this battle how to fight.”

Of course, it’s helpful.

But when it comes to the battle between the Hero and the Demon King, and between Holy Sword and Holy Sword, it can’t be said to be helpful.

“The Demon King is the Hero. The Holy Sword is the Holy Sword. Although it appears we are utilizing them, in the end, they will remain heroes once everything is over. A hero who fought alongside the Hero to save the Demon King’s army and humanity. They might even live comfortably off the Magic Stones obtained from this battle, and in some cases, might even form a close bond with a woman through this battle. Look.”

I pointed to the warriors and maids disappearing one by one with their bottles.

“From now on, they’ll be building close relationships, creating connections. Eventually, one or two maids might become solely dedicated to someone, and then later, they might even make a promise before fighting the Demon King’s army. Like… ‘After this fight is over, I’ll marry her.’”

“Are you saying they were brought here on purpose?”

“Partly. It’s important for warriors to focus on combat and training, so someone has to take care of their daily needs, right? I can’t possibly mass-produce Marins for 300 people.”

“That’s absolutely not gonna work.”

Lucius shook his head firmly.

“My Master’s clones could definitely take care of them, but it’s a waste of your Mana. Since they belong to the Anari Principality, it’s only natural for them to manage that.”

“Bel point 30 points!”

I lightly elbowed Lucius in the side.

“That’s what it means not to be a pushover. If I manage their food and laundry and supplies, it’d be foolish. But funny enough, there were those who asked me to do that?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The Empire used to do that a long time ago.”

The Empire was made up of those who wanted to gain at any cost.

Thanks to that, when she—Bel went to support the Empire, she ended up doing everything they continually asked of her and eventually got seriously hurt.

“Listen carefully, Lucius. No matter how necessary an act is, if they want to share a meal together, they can’t just sit back with a fork in hand. Unless they’re the one bringing in the money for the ingredients, it’s not something just anyone can have.”

“Master, it feels like there’s some subtle resentment in what you’re saying….”

“There used to be a ton of such incidents. People trying to slide a fork into the victory we barely grasped.”

This was true from the perspective of the Hero Party’s porter, and it was the same from the Demon King’s army’s viewpoint.

“They’ll start showing up soon. Originally, they keep their heads down when losing, but once it seems we’re winning, they creep in to grab a spoon.”

“What should we do then?”

“What do you mean? You just do as you please.”

I patted Lucius on the back.

“You’ll achieve what you want. So, what do you want?”

“I—”

“I know everything. Hehe.”

Tap.

I grinned at Lucius, clapping my palms together.

“Go on now.”

“What?”

“You also fought and won, so it’s time to unwind. Look over there, can’t you see those three who fought hard, waiting without talking to anyone else?”

Over there.

As soon as I gestured, the three women stood up, each raising their glasses.

“I told you, I’ll handle the shield. Don’t lose focus and get distracted while I have the shield stretched out.”

“No, Master. That…?”

“I realized it during the fight. You… who used the Holy Sword to split it into two spears. Hehe, did you think I wouldn’t catch on?”

Lucius, you sly one.

“You were shamelessly broadcasting that you would stab everyone with your spear. Hmm? By the way, isn’t that a triple spear instead of a dual spear?”

“S-Sir…?”

“Three spears. Three women from the party. Now, go on. Ah, by the way.”

I pulled Lucius by the nape of his neck and whispered softly, so only he could hear.

“Your room has soundproofing, so feel free to go wild. Good luck, Hero!”

Tap tap.

Hero.

Your battle starts now.

“Fighting!”

As soon as I stealthily retreated, Rosmas and Droniel flanked Lucius and began to lead him somewhere.

“Whooshhhh!!”

“Hero! As expected, you’re the Hero!”

“Three of them! Truly the Hero!”

Everyone is drunk, unable to distinguish between what to say and what not to say.

But the expressions on the faces of Rosmas, Droniel, and Yan following Lucius were nothing short of triumphant.

Originally.

Sure, hanging out with an ordinary man was one thing, but being with a Hero was something to be proud of.

“What a great time.”

And Lucius, too, is proud.

‘I used to be like that once.’

Though Lucius looked like a beast being dragged to the slaughterhouse, I answered him by giving a thumbs-up.

“Happy Time!”

Hero.

If you cannot avoid it, then enjoy it.

*

At that moment.

Far from the Mobile Fortress Mamon, a black-haired girl, Cassandra, stared at the shield.

“…It’s impossible. The shield is up, making sniping difficult.”

[Is it impossible?]

“Yeah. I’m luring them. As soon as the shield breaks, or rather, as soon as the shield is attacked, I’ll pinpoint the sniping position and hunt down the Hero.”

[That won’t do. You are our Demon King army’s best strength. We cannot afford to lose you.]

“But what can we do like this?”

[…Then let’s use the last resort.]

Beyond the earring, the voice of Satan lowered.

[I will lure the enemies using Hero Bearnes. And I will create an opening.]

“How?”

[While the Hero and Witch head towards Bearnes…. Let’s send that human, the Magic King Endymion, elsewhere.]

Hehe.

Cassandra’s lips curled into a smirk.

“What do you mean?”

[For instance. Sure. …As a commander, it’s their fate to come when ordered by their lord.]

“Ahah.”

Cassandra stood up, brushing off the dirt.

“As soon as we enter the Anari Principality.”

[Shoot and kill. That human, the Magic King Endymion.]

 

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