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Realm of Leberced, somewhere underground.

Currently.

I am currently imprisoned by the Emperor of the Empire.

My mana is decreasing in real time, and my wrists and ankles are shackled, in an environment where I can’t perceive what’s happening outside.

“O Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, please, please come out. Please release the Demon God’s seal…!”

“Chocolate.”

“I-I’ll give it to you!”

“Not needed! What does an Undead need with chocolate?”

“This…!!”

And thanks to the Empire’s foolish actions, I seized a chance for reversal.

‘If they had just locked me up, there would have been no chance like this.’

The Empire was greedy.

Unbeknownst to them that I could use some of the Demon God’s power, they led me to the Demon.

After approaching the Demon cunningly, I recited the activation words for the Demon God Bahamut and deployed the barrier.

And that barrier was one that even the Emperor, the Master of the Holy Sword, could not cross.

The reason this is possible is that I am now recognized by the Demon as a ‘higher master.’

The power of a name.

The power held by a name is incredibly strong.

Thus, one must never carelessly reveal their name to anyone.

If someone asks to know their true name without a second thought, that person is surely an insidious and dangerous being.

“Please, please tell me. How do you awaken the Demon! What is the method to activate the Demon! If you don’t tell me, I’ll die at the hands of His Majesty the Emperor!”

“But I’m not the one dying, am I?”

“Aaah!!”

The Foreign Minister is going insane.

When he captured me, he was incredibly triumphant, but now he is scratching the barrier with his nails, going wild.

“Even if you do that, it won’t make a difference. You’d have wanted to keep me locked up until you figured out how to awaken the Demon, but unfortunately, I already know how to do that.”

“That is the Empire’s asset!”

“Oh, is it? But from now on, it’s mine.”

To make it move, the Holy Sword is naturally needed, but the actual owner of the Holy Sword cannot even approach the Demon.

‘The Emperor is the secondary opener of the Holy Sword. And I am the tertiary opener.’

If one were to classify ranks, that would be it.

Despite having the key—the Holy Sword—that can make the Demon move, the Emperor cannot open the barrier due to the lower recognition level of the Spirit Device compared to mine.

‘In fact, it seems there’s a bigger reason.’

This distinction is not absolute.

No matter how much I’ve recited the activation words, naturally, priority of the Spirit Device still lies with the Holy Sword’s owner.

Yet for the Spirit Device to reject the Holy Sword’s owner, it must be seen as a reflection of the Spirit Device’s own will.

“It seems that the Empire’s Demon denies that it belongs to the Empire? How else could it so blatantly reject the approach of the Holy Sword’s master? Hehe.”

“Please tell me! Please, please…!”

“I laid out conditions. In exchange for telling you, you’ll release me. And the Empire will do its utmost to eliminate the Demon King’s Army for the sake of humanity. Though it’s quite vague… you understand, right?”

“Isn’t that implying the Witch will wield absolute power?”

“Of course. How could I trust the Empire?”

The Empire is like an immature adult.

Though they are now adults, they ought to take responsibility for their actions, yet they ignore their disadvantageous situations and try to wriggle out of responsibility.

No matter how much I tell them to fight for humanity, when it comes down to it, the Empire does not move.

“Just tell us first, and we will follow your instructions! Please!”

“That’s absolutely out of the question.”

You want me to tell you first?

It’s like sending money before you buy something.

-Humanity? Ah, I see there are people beyond just the citizens of the Empire. I didn’t know that. Thank you for telling me, Witch. Make good use of Demon God Bahamut.

-Emperor——!!

-Ahahaha! This makes the Empire an eternally unknown Empire! Under the power of Demon God Bahamut, everyone will kneel! Bahamut! Demon God Biiiiim——!!

“The trust relationship between the Empire and me has already collapsed. If the Empire wants to show me trust, bring me the current reports from outside.”

“T-the outside is….”

“Realm of Leberced is safe. Enough with that nonsense, bring me information about the people outside the walls of the Holy Sword in the Empire’s capital!”

Playing blind is the same now as it was 500 years ago.

“Do you think I’m going to believe what you’re saying right now? Of course not. I can’t trust this newspaper you’re bringing, it must be a story made up by the Empire’s intelligence agency. Bring me the facts. What is the current relationship with the Anari Principality, what’s going on outside the Realm. Everything.”

“If we bring it… will you tell us?”

“No. That’s the bare minimum you should do. Only then will I plan on using the Empire’s power to devise a strategy to defeat the Demon King’s Army.”

“Witch…!!”

“Staring at me like that won’t change a thing. As I’ve already said, I am prepared to unleash a rampage that could wipe out the entire Empire if things don’t go my way.”

This is serious.

“Even if they say I’m the slaughtering witch, if I can drive the Demon King’s Army out of this land, that will surely be a worthwhile sacrifice.”

“Do you understand how many people the Empire has?”

“Even if the Empire’s population is 99.99% of the world’s population, I would gladly accept that sacrifice. As long as I can defeat the Demon King’s Army.”

The destruction of the Empire and the destruction of the Demon King’s Army.

When considering the Empire’s nature, it’s a mutually beneficial exchange.

“Hah… just wait and see!”

The Foreign Minister left.

He once again left today without any significant gain, and I, hidden behind Bahamut’s barrier, was just talking.

There was nothing else I could do.

‘If only I could gather Bahamut’s magical power.’

I approached Bahamut and opened its cockpit.

Knowing the name of the Demon, I could open its cockpit just by moving my hand, and I sat in the cockpit, catching my breath.

“…….”

It’s dark.

If only the ignition would turn on, I might be able to play around a bit inside, but nothing is turning on and there’s not even a reaction, it’s driving me crazy.

I thought about sleeping, but the Undead do not sleep.

In the end, all I can do is infer the outside situation with limited, distorted information.

I wonder if Lucius arrived safely at Sky Island.

I wonder if the Spartan warriors are fighting the Demon King’s Army safely without dying.

…I hope Belerze and Belviathan are not causing trouble.

“……sigh.”

What good will worrying do?

I can’t do anything here anyway.

“…Ugh.”

I wonder if I should have come in here at all.

But at least outside, I had the fun of nurturing Lucius.

“…I’m bored.”

Here, there is nothing.

Just the Demon whom I defeated 500 years ago.

“…Hey. Can you hear me? You know me, right?”

I tried to start a conversation casually, but the Demon didn’t say anything.

“After beating you, now that I’m here, you have nothing to say? Huh?”

It would be nice if it at least had a reply, but it responded with nothing.

In that case.

“Your master, Jade.”

Whirrring!!!

In an instant, the screen in front of me sparkled.

And the phrase that appeared was—

[Next, the Demon King who became a female.]

“……Oh.”

For the time being.

I won’t be bored.

*

At that moment, in Lesvos Gorge. The base of Demon King Satan.

“Hehehe.”

Barbarado, the commander of the Southern Demon Army, smiled at the human alliance that had not approached for several days.

“The might of our Demon Army has scared the human crew! Hehe, truly it’s Satan. Just by the name Satan, you send shivers down the enemy’s spine!”

Barbarado stretched his arms towards the sky.

“Oh, Satan! Do you see it? The humans are afraid! Of you! No longer will those in this land fear that man!”

“That’s not true.”

A man with a firm voice approached from behind.

“Ahem, Amducias.”

“Even if Demon King Satan has defeated a Hero, it’s still just one.”

Amducias fiddled with his horns and raised his chin.

“The object of fear for humanity remains the Demon Lord. No matter how much of Satan there is, it’s not now.”

“But soon it will be, right? Hehe.”

“…Well, I’ll acknowledge it if you defeat six heroes.”

Amducias shook his head with a sullen expression.

“When you’re in a situation where you’ve even rejected aid from Asydia, will that really happen?”

“How can we ask for active support from those who don’t even know where they are? Hehe, that includes the leader of Asydia, Zephar. He might just be having sinister thoughts against the Demon Lord.”

“…….”

Even though they are allies, no matter how much they are dispatched, since they each pledge loyalty to different Demon Lords, disagreements are bound to arise.

Who is the true fear of humanity?

The one who was once the terror of humanity.

And the one who has become a fear for humanity in the present.

If both exist in the same era, there might be a distinction, but regrettably, the former is no longer in this world.

“If the Demon Lord were here, Satan would also support and follow the Demon Lord.”

“Hmph…! Such nonsense could never happen! That would be like….”

Barbarado pointed ahead.

“Like a tsunami happening on a plain?”

Swish.

Far away.

Beyond the horizon, it began to bubble and seethe.

Bubbles overflowed, and waves were crashing.

“……Huh?”

And running across the waves was.

“……A fortress?”

Mobile Fortress, Mamon.

“Hah.”

Amducias adjusted his glasses.

“It truly is the Demon Lord. The Hero is… tormenting the Demon Army with tactics beyond common sense.”

“Ugh, ugh…! Wh-What kind of insane thing is this—!!”

Barbarado screamed.

“Who in their right mind raises a tsunami while crashing a fortress into the plains—!!”

“That’s.”

Amducias closed his eyes.

“Hero.”

Swishhhhhhhhh!!!!

 

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