The Taliant Continent has suffered greatly from numerous attacks by demons and Demon Lords, resulting in a significant population decline.
Barshark and Vester have collapsed, and Misra is on the brink, creating a refugee crisis.
However, there’s a major reason why order is still maintained.
It’s because Marius exists, hailed as the “reincarnation of Melinda.”
He is a living legend, having destroyed Demon Lord Zagan and Decarabia, annihilated millions of demon troops, and repelled the strongest Demon Lord, Auraniess.
He has finally become the lord governing the old Berganda region and now calls himself Marius, the lord of the “Tuban Autonomous Region.”
As there are still points to resolve and areas to improve before it can be called a “nation,” they decided to call it an “Autonomous Region” for now.
In Marius’s back, people found hope, and one middle-aged man said:
“It’s not all bad. It’s fortunate to be alive in the same era as someone like him.”
His son agreed with his father, saying:
“Everyone will surely be envious.”
Everyone held similar opinions, harboring a humble pride as “Taliant people who live with Marius-sama.”
For this reason, the Tuban Autonomous Region is particularly popular, so much so that Marius reluctantly issued a “Settlement Restriction Order.”
Even with an increasing population, feeding them is difficult.
The food they can obtain on their own is limited, and importing from other countries requires money and time.
Marius believes that introducing teleportation magic could solve the time issue, but it was met with unanimous opposition and vanished like mist.
Ultimately, it could be said that Marius does nothing besides defining the direction of his territory.
“I actually have the desire to work,” Marius complained to Auraniess, Sophia, Iris, Zofi, Al, and El.
“But they always look at me with warm eyes and gently refuse.”
“Don’t do things you can’t do, ahaha!”
It was Auraniess who cheerfully shattered Marius’s assertions.
Zofi, Al, and El wore sympathetic or comforting expressions, but Auraniess and the others owed them no such favors. Sophia and Iris, in particular, seemed somewhat annoyed.
“If you’re telling me not to do my work, then I can fight you wholeheartedly without any reservations, right?”
“No.”
“Eeeeh?”
Marius’s immediate refusal made Auraniess pout.
“Again, huh?”
“Before we fight, didn’t we agree to search for Orichalcum and Hihirō Stone?”
Marius pointed out the previously agreed-upon matter to the displeased Demon Lord.
“I’m not good at searching for things.”
“…I believe you were the one more enthusiastic about it.”
Marius felt dizzy at Auraniess’s belated statement.
He then asked his subordinates with his eyes, “Is it always like this?” Sophia replied with her eyes, “That’s right.”
It seemed a new enemy had appeared before Marius: a sense of defeat.
As he slumped his shoulders in despair, Auraniess looked at Zofi.
“Haven’t you gotten a little stronger since I last saw you?”
Her keen observation in this regard was indeed remarkable.
“I am a Succubus. I grow stronger the more love I receive from my master.”
Zofi met Auraniess’s gaze without flinching and stood proudly.
Upon hearing her answer, Auraniess looked at Sophia in surprise.
“What? Succubi have that kind of skill?”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
Sophia seemed surprised that Auraniess was unaware of this.
Hearing her trusted subordinate’s reply, Auraniess clapped her hands in regret.
“Damn it! I shouldn’t have killed Succubi wantonly!”
“No, it depends on the partner they embrace, so I doubt any Demon Lord-class Succubi would have been born anyway,” Sophia pointed out calmly.
It was precisely because she understood this that she said nothing when Auraniess had rampaged and killed them.
(Even though she seems sensible, she’s Auraniess’s subordinate.)
Marius felt a twinge of disappointment as he glimpsed Sophia’s true nature. He had thought she would be a good moderating influence.
But lamenting wouldn’t help, so he returned to the topic.
“The difficult part is the Hihirō Stone. It’s rare, and its refinement method is too specialized.”
Auraniess agreed with Marius’s statement.
“Indeed. I don’t recall seeing any unrefined Hihirō Stone either.”
However, Sophia said something unexpected.
“What are you saying? There should be Hihirō Stone in the ruins of the Sawarm Continent.”
Marius hadn’t known it, but that was the name of a continent once annihilated by Auraniess.
“Huh? Is that so?”
The most surprised of all was Auraniess herself.
“Yes. Because of Auraniess-sama’s attack, there were several small, stone-like fragments that retained their original form, weren’t there?”
Auraniess and Iris tilted their heads at Sophia’s words.
“Was there something like that?”
“I don’t recall either.”
Sophia sighed and turned to Marius.
“For you, it should be possible to teleport and bring it back.”
“That’s right.”
However, in a situation like this, it would be better to have Sophia read his memories. “Psychometry” can reveal things the user doesn’t remember, but it takes time to find them. It’s not suitable for Auraniess, who has exceptionally high resistance to magic.
Marius said so, and Sophia readily agreed.
“I don’t believe my magic resistance is so low.”
It was natural for someone of Demon Lord rank to possess magic resistance, and vampires themselves were a race with high magic resistance.
When used, it took about an extra second compared to other humans.
(As expected of a Demon Lord.)
That was Marius’s honest impression. It was only because Sophia was cooperative that it ended in mere seconds; in an adversarial state, it would have taken considerably longer.
As Marius finished reading, Al spoke up.
“Master, a simple question: you don’t use mind-reading magic during combat, do you? I think it would make battles more advantageous.”
“About that.”
In fact, this had been verified even during his game days. In manga and novels, enemies with mind-reading abilities are often depicted as extremely powerful, so many players tried it out. However, it soon became evident that it was largely pointless. Stronger enemies were often adept at consecutive attacks, and such magic was less effective against them. There was no value in using it. Only those who wished to play that way used it against common monsters. It ranked high on the list of useless skills, alongside the “Calculation” skill. Still, he couldn’t say that. He chose his words carefully as he explained.
“Demon Lords have high magic resistance, launch consecutive attacks, and counter-attack reflexively. It’s safer and more efficient to allocate that effort to offense, defense, and evasion.”
“Is that so?”
Al wore an expression that was neither fully convinced nor completely unconvinced. Auraniess then interjected.
“If it were me, I could unleash a Juggernaut and Brynhildr combo in the time it would take you to use that kind of magic.”
“Th-that’s right.”
“H-huh.”
What Auraniess said carried a different weight, and Al nodded. Since there were no further questions, Marius took Auraniess and teleported to the ruins of the Sawarm Continent. From the high sky, a black mass floated in the middle of the vast ocean. (Is that the Hihirō Stone?)
Hihirō Stone turns scarlet when refined, but before refinement, it is dark and looks like nothing more than a dirty rock. Just to be sure, he used the appraisal magic “Appraisal.” Once he confirmed it was genuine, he slowly descended. The reason Hihirō Stone remained untouched was reportedly due to the numerous violent whirlpools in the surrounding sea, making it impossible to reach by ship. Sophia speculated that few possessed the ability to travel between continents, and among them, likely no one had knowledge of the Hihirō Stone. She predicted that transporting it would be difficult, as normal magic would be repelled, but that’s precisely why he brought Auraniess.
“Then, I leave it to you.”
Nodding at Marius’s words, Auraniess descended close to the sea surface and attempted to lift the black stone mass. With Auraniess’s strength, not having her feet on the ground was not a significant handicap. Marius thought so, and Auraniess herself agreed, but the object she was after lifted easily even without her exerting full force.
“Huh? Marius, it lifted easily!”
“Huh?”
Upon closer inspection, Marius found that the Hihirō Stone was simply resting on a rock formation. Nevertheless, the fact that it had not been swept away by the waves suggested that Auraniess’s strength was indeed extraordinary. Marius certainly wasn’t inclined to test it over the sea himself. Perhaps “weight” was also a reason it had been left untouched, he mused, and that Auraniess’s attacks couldn’t even damage the ocean plate.
“Let’s head back for now.”
“Ooh!”
Upon their return, Auraniess casually placed it on the floor. Zofi, noticing them, approached Marius.
“Master. I’ve just received word that a certain Catherine has requested an audience.”
“Princess Catherine?”
Wondering what the young princess of Boltner wanted, he decided to meet her. The adorable girl appeared before Marius holding a small bouquet.
“Congratulations on the completion of your new residence, albeit belatedly.”
“Thank you for your kind regards.”
Normally, a more formal ceremony should have been held, but Marius found it difficult. Catherine, on the other hand, being royalty, was capable of handling such matters and had previously put Marius on the spot. After the formal exchange, Catherine glanced timidly at Auraniess and then looked at Marius as if seeking help.
“Um, is that, is that perhaps Auraniess?”
“Yes. It is.”
Marius confirmed with a weary tone. Auraniess stared intently and with undisguised curiosity at Catherine’s entire body, making her feel uncomfortable. Then, she spoke.
“You, of all the people I’ve seen, seem to have the most potential.”
“Huh?”
Catherine tilted her head, completely failing to understand what she had been told. The others who understood simply showed exasperated expressions, but Marius, due to his position, had to intervene.
“Show some restraint. Princess Catherine is unrelated.”
“What are you talking about?”
Before Auraniess could speak, Catherine asked Marius. Not wanting to ignore the party involved, Marius replied.
“Well, this one has a great fondness for powerful beings. She’s starting to say that even if someone is weak now, they can be trained.”
“Um, from Auraniess’s perspective, can I become strong?”
“That’s right!”
Auraniess cut in.
“The way your muscles are structured, your footwork, there’s very little wasted motion, excellent. Your magic power, though small, seems to be of good quality, which is also excellent.”
Catherine, who was being praised, appeared bewildered but eventually nodded.
“Um, can I become strong enough to protect Marius-sama?”
“Just a moment, Princess Catherine?”
Auraniess, ignoring a perplexed Marius, replied, “Well, reaching Marius’s level would be impossible. However, you seem to have the potential to become strong enough not to be a hindrance in fighting a Demon Lord.”
“R-really?!”
Catherine’s face lit up with a sunny smile, causing Marius to rush.
“Princess Catherine, that’s a bit…”
Given it’s Boltner, post-approval might be acceptable, but acting unilaterally was still problematic. As Marius was trying to intercede alone, the door opened, and Barra appeared.
“Auraniess-san, what about me? Can I become strong?”
“Oh, you’re already at the level just before becoming a hero. It seems you still have room for growth.”
“Then, please train me too.”
“Wait just a minute, Barra!?”
Marius’s words, lacking any reservation towards his wife, were met with a sad look from Barra.
“Because I don’t want to just stay in a safe place praying for your safety while you fight alone.”
Then, she grasped her husband’s stunned hand.
“I don’t intend to say I’ll fight alongside you, but I want to lessen your burden.”
Her eyes seemed to glisten slightly.
“So, is it no good? Is my desire to help you a bother?”
Auraniess smiled at Marius, who was speechless.
“You lost, Marius.”
Marius slumped his shoulders but remained in resentful silence, looking at El.
“El, help me out.”
The Familiar, who should have shone at times like these, replied coolly.
“I am in favor of reducing Master’s burden.”
“Won’t you try to reduce my mental anguish first?”
Marius became somewhat flustered, while El remained cool.
“Temporary mental anguish or a long-term reduction of burden. Which would you prefer to reduce?”
“…The latter, please.”
Marius finally surrendered. He couldn’t complain about having only two options. Marius knew that El, by nature, would always present other possible choices if they existed.
“Um, so, you’ll train me and Lady Barra together?”
“Yes. But first, we need to get permission from the King of Boltner. And we also need to find someone who can refine Hihirō Stone.”
Is it too much to think that defeating a Demon Lord would have been much easier? The lord of the autonomous region pondered this with considerable seriousness.
