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*

I was a bit late to notice, but it seems this place was indeed my dream.

As soon as I collapsed on the bed, I must have fallen asleep. I pushed myself too hard during training and was completely exhausted.

In that sense, it was a relief that it was a dream.

If it were reality, I wouldn’t have had the energy to even lift a finger. Yet, here I was, sitting without a hint of disturbance in front of this formidable figure.

Lukaela, the Goddess of Hell and older sister of Michaela, the Goddess of Paradise, was sitting on a gray chair.

I’m not sure if it was because of Lukaela’s influence or the influence of the villain Tristan, but it was a rather desolate dream.

A world made of black and white.

It was like a place covered in leftover ashes.

In this place where the only things present were a chair and a table, Lukaela seemed to be deep in thought before she finally spoke.

“Ruelberta… no, should I call you Tristan? It’s complicated.”

“…….”

I wondered what she was struggling with…

Whether it’s the Demon of Wrath, Ruelberta, or the villain Tristan, strictly speaking, neither is truly me. But asking her to call me by my real name would also be strange.

“What should I call you?”

“Well….”

It came to me faster than I expected.

The term I chose was the one most commonly used to refer to me in this world.

“Count.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Count. That’s what everyone calls me.”

“…Alright then. Count.”

Lukaela smiled slyly.

Her smile felt like it hid something sinister. Sure enough, she got straight to the point.

“Do you want to become the Demon Lord?”

“Yes.”

If there was a reason Lukaela came at this timing, it had to be about the Demon Lord.

She seemed to already know, as she asked with a calm demeanor, intrigued by my response.

“Then, do you know the ‘conditions’?”

“Of course.”

There are three conditions to become the Demon Lord.

Gaining the support of many demons, the agreement of the highest-ranking demons, and finally, earning the recognition of the Goddess of Hell, Lukaela.

“Well, it seems my effort to teach you was wasted. I should’ve sent Nial instead.”

“I’d rather you didn’t…”

If Nial, the Demon of Lust, had come, this dream would’ve turned into a lewd one. I’m already tired, and I don’t want to be exhausted even in my dreams.

“Why? Weren’t you two close? Nial really wanted to see you… Alright, I’ll stop talking about Nial. Don’t make such a scary face.”

“…Good. As long as you understand.”

“I wasn’t planning to send Nial anyway. This time, I wanted to meet you personally to ask something.”

“Something you wanted to ask?”

“Why did you suddenly decide to become the Demon Lord?”

“!”

For a moment, I felt a chill.

Somehow, Lukaela had ended up sitting on my lap.

She looked exactly like her sister Michaela, but their auras were completely different.

If Michaela was light, Lukaela was darkness. A darkness so thick that not a single ray of light could penetrate.

“I’m really curious. How did you, my most cherished child and an exiled demon, come to decide to become the Demon Lord?”

Lukaela stroked my chin with a seductive gesture.

Honestly, she wasn’t someone I was particularly fond of.

First of all, I knew too little about her.

If my memory serves me right, in the original story, the existence of the “Goddess of Hell” was first mentioned when an old sage explained the conditions to become the Demon Lord.

So, the Goddess of Hell, Lukaela, was only mentioned as existing. Her name and appearance were never revealed, making her essentially a background setting.

What I knew about Lukaela came only from fragmented memories of the Demon of Wrath, Ruelberta. Because of that, I couldn’t easily grasp her true intentions.

For now, I decided to gather as much information as I could.

I grabbed her wrist as she stroked my chin.

“Are you conducting an interview now? I don’t think I need to explain to you why I’m applying to become the Demon Lord.”

“That’s a bit disappointing. Since I hold the final authority to decide who becomes the Demon Lord, shouldn’t you try to make a good impression?”

“If you’re planning to reject me for that reason, just say it now. I don’t need to become the Demon Lord anyway.”

“Not even a little regretful?”

Instead of getting angry at my shameless attitude, Lukaela smiled with interest.

“Hmph… Is it because of the demon blood flowing in your veins, or because you’re ‘that person’s’ older brother…? You’re quite unique.”

“If you want to compliment me, just do it. Don’t look for reasons in such trivial things.”

“Why would that be interpreted as a compliment…? Never mind… You act as if you’re certain you’ll become the Demon Lord. Does that mean you’re confident you can surpass the other strong candidates?”

I had a rough idea of who the so-called Demon Lord candidates were. At this point, there probably weren’t that many who could be called candidates. More importantly, I already knew who would become the third Demon Lord.

“I can do it.”

“Oh? Quite the confidence. But you’re currently the lowest-ranked candidate.”

Well, of course.

I need the support of the demons, but I haven’t even made contact with the demons of the northern region yet. It’s like I haven’t even started.

“Ah, but Nial will support you, so you’ve already secured one vote from a high-ranking demon. That alone puts you in first place.”

That’s not something I wanted to know.

I started to feel like I wanted to hear her main point.

“So, what’s the reason you came to see me? I hope you didn’t come all the way into my dream just to chat about trivial things.”

“A deal….”

“What?”

“I want to make a deal with you.”

Lukaela stared straight into my eyes. Then, as if she had been waiting for this moment, she revealed her purpose.

“If you do one thing for me, I’ll give you advice on how to become the Demon Lord.”

So, she was offering to help me become the Demon Lord. But why was the condition for the deal like this?

“…You’re asking me for a favor, and all you’re offering in return is advice?”

“Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s against fairness for me to intervene more than that. But I can promise that the advice I give will definitely help you.”

Lukaela seemed sincere.

Even though I didn’t know much about her from the original story, I didn’t think she was the type to joke about something like this. Michaela might, but Lukaela was calm, composed, and had a certain dignity.

I opened my mouth.

“First, let’s hear about this favor.”

“Tell me.”

“?”

“What kind of person is ‘that person’?”

What?

Her unexpected question made me reflexively ask back.

“…My younger sister?”

“Yes. I want to know what kind of person the one who created this world is.”

Lukaela spoke as if she felt a bit embarrassed.

“‘That person’ is like the voice of the world to us gods.”

“Voice?”

“Yes. We’ve only heard the voice. Why they created us, what our roles are… That’s what we’ve been told by this great being.”

If they’re great, then they’re great. Why say “we’ve been told” like that?

But looking at Lukaela’s expression, I could understand. What I felt from her expression wasn’t reverence for “that person,” but simple curiosity.

Like Adam and Eve, who began to doubt their creator.

“A long time ago, ‘that person’ told us that they have a halo shining behind them and are so sacred that ordinary humans wouldn’t dare look at them.”

“Huh….”

“But seeing you, I can’t help but feel that might not be the case.”

“Me?”

Was she disappointed because I didn’t seem as impressive as my sister? But thankfully, that wasn’t it.

“Yes. I don’t know much, but I think ‘that person’ might be a cold-hearted being to send their own flesh and blood into this world.”

“…….”

She was completely off the mark, but I felt a little sad.

Because, for the first time, I was being pitied by a character in this game.

It’s true that from an outsider’s perspective, sending me into this world might make my sister seem cold-hearted.

But my sister is definitely not like that. She’s just… just….

Huh…?

What… what was I trying to say?

I tried to recall memories of my sister, but it was like trying to see through fog.

It was strange.

I couldn’t clearly remember my sister’s face or voice.

I remember her sending me into this world, telling me to show her the ending of the game the way I wanted it.

But the more I tried to recall other memories of her, the more my head felt like it was overloading, as if it was being pricked.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“No… My head just felt a bit heavy.”

“A headache? In a dream? That’s unusual.”

Because of that, there was very little I could tell Lukaela about my sister.

“My sister isn’t cold-hearted. If anything, she’s more carefree.”

“What?”

If she weren’t, she would’ve gone to the game company to complain about the game being ruined by the players, but she didn’t.

“She’ll probably just watch how this world unfolds.”

Like the sage Myohail, a bystander.

But she’s a bit different from him.

“But it’s clear that my sister has something she wants to say through this world.”

“Something she wants to say…?”

“Yes.”

I’ve already encountered some of the hidden settings my sister left behind.

The tragedy of the Annihilation Maids I faced during trials, the story of Maible, who was separated from Helga… Through these settings, it’s clear what my sister, who pretended to be a bystander, wanted to say.

Save the characters’ lives.

Prevent the characters’ tragedies.

That is….

“The fact that she didn’t make this world entirely unfortunate and depressing… Leaving room for hope means she has some affection for this world.”

“…….”

“That’s the kind of person my sister is.”

Lukaela seemed at a loss for words after hearing me. When she finally spoke again, her response was surprisingly bland.

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

Lukaela, who had been sitting on my lap, hopped off.

“The deal is done. As promised, I’ll give you my advice.”

Finally, it was my turn to receive advice.

“Listen carefully, Count. If you want to become the Demon Lord….”

“Yes?”

“Despair.”

“……What?”

I couldn’t help but frown upon hearing Lukaela’s advice. At this point, it felt more like an insult than advice.

But she continued, regardless of my expression.

“From my perspective, the Demon Lord is someone who has despaired of this world. In other words, to earn my recognition, you must despair.”

“Despair of the world…?”

“Yes. Just as the hero has trials to overcome, the Demon Lord has endless despair.”

Listening to her, it sounded quite profound.

“Count, remember this. While the support of the demons is important, the most crucial thing for you is despair. I believe that those who do not despair are not fit to be the Demon Lord. So….”

Lukaela smiled at me like a little devil.

“Go and find your despair.”

*

“…….”

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

I was dazed from suddenly waking up from the dream, but I could tell that Lukaela had left.

How long had I been in the dream?

It was still the dark hours of dawn.

Though some fatigue remained in my body, I had regained enough strength to move after a short nap.

As I tried to sit up, I felt something warm and soft under the blanket.

No, it wasn’t just warm—it felt squishy.

“Oh my, you’re awake?”

“Helga….”

The source of that soft sensation was Helga.

The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated her face.

“It seemed like you were having a nightmare, Count. You were sweating so much while sleeping, so I was wiping it off for you.”

My back was indeed damp.

Considering that Lukaela is the Goddess of Hell, it’s no wonder I had such a chilling nightmare.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah.”

Helga asked with a worried look.

It seemed she had stayed by my side while I was trapped in the nightmare.

This situation, where she came to me in the middle of the night to take care of me, should have been touching, but I needed to think about it more calmly.

First, my pajama top was completely off. She must have been wiping the sweat not just from my forehead but from my entire body.

That part was fine.

What I found strange was….

“But… Helga. Why are you in your underwear?”

Helga was wearing lace underwear and black stockings.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I must have rushed over in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to put on proper clothes. How embarrassing.”

Helga clasped her hands together and apologized cutely.

Right. That makes sense. But I didn’t know you wore stockings to bed.

Considering all possible scenarios, this wasn’t entirely impossible.

But there was one thing I couldn’t let slide without asking.

“Helga.”

“Yes, Count.”

“…You said you were wiping my sweat, but why is there no towel around?”

“Oh, that’s because I drank it all-.”

“Get out.”

 

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