Another side
“The damage was less than I expected.”
While Jiro fell and the remaining magic power manifested the Spirit of Time and Space, Valse, the Demon Lord, who captured the intruder, was busy confirming the current situation.
Damage was observed in a wide range, both human and material.
However, a tablet in the Demon Lord’s possession informed him that the damage within the company was far less than he had imagined.
The Demon Lord showed no change in expression.
No matter the outcome, damage had occurred.
One shouldn’t rejoice over even a little damage.
“It was definitely him who deserves credit this time, not to mention the King of Machines’ efforts.”
However, this did not mean he wouldn’t be evaluated.
The King of Machines, who guarded the company in his absence, performed admirably, but Jiro’s performance exceeded expectations.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that these two were responsible for the results in the report in the Demon Lord’s hands.
The President, who had personally sealed away the Hero and Seraph Nisia along with Isal’s people and had his subordinates transport them, thought about this.
Thanks to Jiro’s efforts, the disturbance within the company, though causing damage, was not fatal.
Employees who were about to be kidnapped were safely rescued, and cleaning up the company’s damage and the enemy’s corpses did not take long.
“Now, now, what kind of reward would be fitting for him? It’s difficult to be troubled in this aspect when someone performs too well.”
Worrying about what to give to those who deserve credit, including the time they could now dedicate, was also part of a leader’s duty.
However, he couldn’t dwell on this alone.
This was only because the company’s problems had been resolved for the time being; the turmoil on the Magician Continent had not yet ended.
“I’ll discuss that with Evia.”
His contribution this time was significant.
The Demon Lord thought he would grant him anything short of the impossible.
Various ideas came to mind, but he decided he couldn’t ignore the individual’s wishes and interrupted his thoughts. He recalled another problem.
“This situation is under control, but I wonder if things are calming down over there as well?”
The situation on the other side was arguably more serious than the company’s issues.
Ideally, national affairs should be more important than company matters.
This incident was something the King of Machines, who guarded the company, should have resolved, but because the report of the Hero’s appearance was relayed more quickly than the King of Machines could handle, the Demon Lord ended up going to the company.
As a result, the Demon Lord had to fly in from the battlefield.
The Demon Lord, who was directing the cleanup within the company, closed one eye and connected his vision to a familiar.
This familiar was connected to the multiple battlefields he had entrusted to his subordinates, and communication was maintained to grasp their current situations.
“Ah, Raidou, can you hear me? Sorry to bother you when you’re busy, but I’d like you to report the situation.”
The scene that appeared was a dim forest.
However, as the familiar moved its gaze, the landscape changed.
It should have been a dim and quiet forest.
“Yeah! Is that you, boss? Give me a sec, I’m just taking care of some annoying flies over here!”
The angry shouts of the Oni.
The death throes of magic beasts echoing.
Was the entire area Hell? The Oni were rampaging to the point where one might mistake it for such.
Among the corpses lying on the ground were some Oni, but the majority were magic beasts, and there were also more angel corpses than Oni.
“You call me a fly?! A filthy demon-like creature calling me a fly?!”
From the familiar’s perspective, Oni King Raidou, shirtless and energetic, waved his hands on a barren mountainside, while Seraph Altena, unable to hide her irritation, expressed her anger at being called a fly.
“Yeah? Because you are. You’ve been buzzing around, only able to attack with irritating little nips. What’s wrong with calling you a fly?”
The Demon Lord had decided to send the Oni King to cut off the source of the magic beasts and angels, and his judgment had been correct.
The Oni King truly shone when he was on the offensive rather than defensive.
He was already invading the enemy’s stronghold with just a general direction understood, showing his speed.
Some stern old individuals would criticize this as acting on his own, but the Demon Lord’s opinion differed slightly.
“Raidou, this may be unnecessary, but…”
The Demon Lord continued, a smile befitting an Oni King playing on his lips.
“I’m waiting for good news. It would be even better if you could let me know as soon as possible.”
“Alright! Just you wait, boss!”
Instead of admonishing him, he trusted and encouraged him.
He understood that the Oni King produced better results this way, but more than that, it was a matter of trust.
The Oni King possessed a power and charisma that, in another era, could have made him a Demon Lord himself.
Aware of this, the Demon Lord felt a sense of relief at having such a subordinate, while also thinking, perhaps insincerely, that the Seraph facing him was to be pitied. He then connected to the next familiar.
“Oh, Demon Lord, are you alright over there?”
“Ah, Nōraifu. Thanks to your disciple’s efforts, things didn’t turn out for the worst.”
“Kakakaka, Jiro, was it?”
The next scene showed a procession slowly advancing along a road, with someone perched on a shoulder.
The battle had ended, and they seemed to be retreating from the local area.
The Undead King, sensing the Demon Lord’s presence, inquired about the reason for the contact. Upon hearing the good news, he smiled gleefully.
“However, he is not unharmed.”
“According to the doctor, his life is not in danger, but he needs to rest for a while. You can go visit him after he returns.”
“I shall do so.”
However, the Undead King, knowing who his opponent was, quickly suppressed his laughter and inquired about his well-being.
In his past history, the Undead King had never shown such concern for a living being.
This showed how much he cared about Jiro.
“Yes, you should do that. Now, let’s get to the main point. Raidou has attacked the enemy’s base. There should be no problem with our forces, but just to be safe, could you send reinforcements?”
“I see. So that’s where that battle-happy fellow was. I understand completely. It’s a shame I cannot go myself.”
And he couldn’t go to the battlefield himself, even though he had prepared it.
If he wasn’t injured or incapacitated, there could only be one reason.
“I see. That’s indeed good news.”
He had captured the invading Seraph.
With Himik, the twin angels, Nisia captured by Jiro, and now the Undead King’s Seraph, four Seraphs of different ranks were now separated from the Sun God’s grasp.
It was possible that the Dragon King, who knew no restraint, might kill them, but that was also acceptable.
It certainly meant that the God’s hand had been weakened.
“By the way, Demon Lord, have you contacted Evia yet?”
The Demon Lord, who was feeling pleased by this, stopped abruptly at the Undead King’s words.
It wasn’t that he was avoiding it, but he had been postponing it because he lacked the motivation.
However, it was undeniable that Evia’s prison was the place that most needed reinforcements.
Yet, Evia had dismissed the need for reinforcements, and there had been no further contact since.
“It would be best to contact her soon.”
“Yes, you’re right, I should.”
He had no prediction of defeat.
Evia said she was fine, so he had a certain conviction that she must be.
However, she was in a dangerous state after an intense battle.
Especially Evia after expending all her power was extremely dangerous.
Normally, she was calm and composed, and while she occasionally showed emotion, it was within acceptable limits for daily life.
But after a battle, especially a fierce battle to the death, Evia was dangerous.
However, not contacting her would also be problematic with a calmer Evia later on.
Whichever way he looked at it, it was bad, so he decided to act in the way that would lead to fewer problems later.
After a slight hesitation, he attempted to establish a connection with the third familiar.
“…”
And the action was executed correctly, the scene beyond appearing in the Demon Lord’s eye.
It was a prison, a place where the most notorious criminals of the Magician Continent were confined.
Piled up were the corpses of numerous magic beasts and angels, and on top of the pile was an object pierced by countless magic swords.
No, the Demon Lord realized it was not an object from the moment he saw it.
It was an angel.
Moreover, it was a being of the highest order.
He could direct the familiar to the Seraph, who was impaled on the sword-like mountain of magic swords.
“Ah, is that you, Demon Lord?”
A figure slowly raised its head from behind the mountain of swords upon sensing the familiar’s presence.
It was Evia.
With a dreamy, intoxicating smile as if she were drunk, Evia looked at the familiar.
“I apologize. I haven’t managed to finish this angel off yet, so please wait a little longer, yes, just a little longer.”
She had single-handedly created a mountain of corpses.
The Seraph at the summit was a pathetic sight.
While some armor-like equipment was visible, its function was completely gone.
Even her wings, which must have been beautiful, were pierced by multiple magic swords, and although white flames flickered in an attempt to regenerate, they were all absorbed by the magic swords.
“Gah. Ugh.”
Her mouth was pierced by a spear made of black steel, and only a groan-like sound escaped her lips, her eyes dulled.
“Destroyed” would be an appropriate description.
Evia stood up swaying, intending to destroy it further, and casually took a magic sword from the space.
“Gaaah?!”
She added another to the sword mountain.
Blood spurted out, and white flames rose from that spot as well, but the wound did not heal.
However, she did not die.
“Evia.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Evia, who unleashed extraordinary combat power when the reins of her composure broke loose, was also heavily affected by the magic swords.
It did not directly affect her life, but she possessed a dangerous aura, like a drawn sword.
The reason he hesitated to contact her was his concern about whether she could provide a coherent answer.
“Can you report?”
“Yes, I can.”
As if waking from a drunken stupor, she began to speak slowly, becoming progressively calmer, but the flush did not subside, and she spoke intermittently, gazing into the void without meeting the familiar’s eyes.
She had single-handedly annihilated the majority of the enemy, and as a consequence, there were zero survivors among her subordinates.
She also confessed that several criminals, including Carter, had escaped.
“I offer no excuses. I lost subordinates and important criminals. I accept any punishment.”
“No, you also captured a Seraph in the end. And besides…”
As she spoke, Evia gradually regained her composure, and the Demon Lord sensed that she was ultimately experiencing regret.
It was as if she were saying that annihilating the enemy alone was meaningless.
“Jiro achieved a great victory. If I punish you here, it will overshadow his achievements.”
“Jiro?”
“Yes. He repelled a Hero possessed by a god, captured one Seraph, and three of Isal’s soldiers. And he’s only been in this world for less than two years.”
He wasn’t saying this to distract her, but because it was the truth.
At the Demon Lord’s words, Evia finally met the familiar’s eyes and looked directly at the Demon Lord.
The armor she wore was scarred all over, a testament to the ferocity of her battle.
“However, at that price, he is currently resting. Nōraifu said he would visit, so please express your gratitude to him as well.”
The Demon Lord greatly appreciated his achievements as a form of healing from that battle.
“Oh, and it would be helpful if you could think of a reward for him, too.”
Finally, with a wink mixed with a joke from the familiar, he assigned her work, and Evia’s lips curled into a smile.
“Understood. In addition, this needs to be escorted. I would like to request reinforcement for the aftermath.”
“Understood. I’ll send Warlock over.”
“Thank you.”
The Demon Lord severed the connection with the familiar, having accepted his duty as a superior to provide mental support to his subordinates, and began issuing instructions.
“Now, let’s get to the next job.”
The Demon Lord’s Army had suffered considerable casualties in this attack, but he wondered how much damage Isal had sustained.
The Demon Lord felt a slight unburdening of his pent-up emotions, contemplating how furious God would be with six Seraphs in the Demon Lord’s Army’s custody, and at that moment, he suddenly remembered.
“Still, he’s reckless. Or perhaps, in this case, “devoted husband” would be more appropriate?”
He recalled the figure of a man who had regained consciousness and was dragging himself away after the cleanup, and the Demon Lord, after chuckling once, returned to his work.
Today’s Word:
Because they have solid inherent strength, dealing with them is easier.
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*The first volume of the novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original submission to Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and includes previously unpublished interlude chapters.
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