At the foothills of Dragon Peak, we live.
Mad Abyss Demon Lord Srain
“Waaaaaah. Mistral, I can’t take it anymore. This Demon Lord is too insane, I can’t handle him!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll listen to your complaints later, so don’t abandon him midway, okay?”
*Sniffle, sniffle.* I’ll get lots of affection from everyone later.
But before that, I need to properly grasp Srain’s intentions.
If I don’t, the Giant Demon Lord will get angry.
“Srain, why are you inviting the armies of another country’s Demon Lord into your own country!?”
Moreover, this is the southeastern edge of Srain’s country.
In other words, the army of the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord, whose territory lies to the west, must have crossed through the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country.
Srain, who was amused by our surprised and flustered expressions, laughed with delight.
Still, he spoke.
“Before, I told you about my past when I was young, didn’t I?”
“About two hundred years ago, you were a slave to the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord and fought for your life as a gladiator, right?”
Srain nods in affirmation.
Srain is crazy, but he doesn’t seem to be the kind of demon race who lies or breaks promises.
So, the story of his upbringing must be true.
“I was a slave to His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord. There, I fought relentlessly and became the strongest gladiator.”
Srain’s favorite Jet Black Demon Sword was apparently a gift from the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord at that time.
“They said I was the strongest. I, who reached the pinnacle of gladiators, remained undefeated afterward. Until I lost to you just now.”
“Hmm, I’m not too happy about that!”
Or rather, I don’t want to remember the fight just now?
Because it was such an immature display of fighting that I felt it acutely.
I had been trying hard to master the beautiful sword techniques like Kensei Faruna, but what I showed was just brute force. And I only used the power of the Spirit Current Sword I borrowed, not my own strength.
I’m sure I’ll be scolded by Lord Reed later.
But let’s put myself aside.
“And one more thing. I said I had my own desires, didn’t I?”
“Speaking of which? We all thought that was freedom from slavery, didn’t we?”
“No,” Srain laughs.
“Certainly, I desired freedom from slavery. However, my ultimate goal was not there.”
“In other words, you wanted to become a Demon Lord?”
“That’s right. In His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord’s domain, there was no one who could match me anymore. Even the Demon Generals were nothing more than fodder to me. After becoming the strongest gladiator, everything was just a side show for me. But if I became a Demon Lord and had my own country, those who are steeped in desire and aim for underlings to overthrow their superiors would challenge me endlessly, wouldn’t they? That’s why I desired the Demon Lord Seat.”
“Waaaaah, Srain is crazy after all! Mistral, help me?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll comfort you properly later, so try your best.”
Srain stands up from the four-legged Demon General he had been using as a throne.
“It was His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord who recommended me to be a Demon Lord. In other words, she is my backer. Does a Demon Lord having a backer seem weak to you?”
“Ummm. Looking at Srain’s past reactions to the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord, you didn’t seem to hate or resent her during your time as a slave, did you? Perhaps Srain is very close with the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord? If so, it seems more like an alliance than a backer, and it wouldn’t seem weak. I myself am in an alliance with the Fairy Demon Lord, and I’m always toying with the Giant Demon Lord… Wait, was the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord a woman!?”
“Your reaction is interesting.”
Srain makes the Demon General, whom he had been using as his throne, stand up.
Then, he commanded.
“You will immediately go to His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord and accurately convey the current situation.”
“I understand.”
The Demon General, who should have gladly stood up, bowed his head anew. And so, to faithfully carry out the Demon Lord’s command, he left the fort with blinding speed.
“The Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord herself has come… I really don’t want to anymore. I want to go home.”
“Hahaha. Shall I introduce you later? But be careful. If you look directly into her eyes, you’ll be charmed.”
“Eek. I absolutely don’t want to meet her!”
I want the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord to return to her own country as soon as possible!
“Well then, leaving matters over there to Beardonaz. Do you still have any questions?”
That’s right. We need to clarify everything at this juncture.
Why Srain was causing various disturbances in his own country.
It was for his own enjoyment. To spur on those with desires. And of course, to crush those who rose up in such a way.
Moreover, although he seemed to be scattering the seeds of chaos madly, he was actually shrewd, using capable vassals to keep watch.
While the method was very rough and something that would never be imitated by those with common sense, perhaps it was a method of rule that only the Mad Abyss Demon Lord could achieve as a demon race?
But then, a question arose.
Srain chose and implemented rough methods solely to hunt down rebel elements in his own country, right?
“Well then… why did Srain target the whereabouts of the Cat Duke? And the Giant Demon Lord, if left alone, would lead to war with the Divine Race…?”
“Ah!”
It was then that I finally grasped the thread connecting everything.
“It was all the Giant Demon Lord’s scheme!”
I was tricked!
To think that he even used the Mad Abyss Demon Lord to involve me in distant troubles…
“The fact that Astel was targeted was a fabricated story, wasn’t it? And then, by intensifying our sense of crisis, they forcefully dragged us in. Srain is certainly crazy, but he wouldn’t do something reckless like picking fights with other Demon Lords?”
“Of course. I’m on good terms with His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord. And I’m not foolish enough to pick a fight with His Majesty the Giant Demon Lord, who is also called the Oldest Demon Lord.”
“That’s right!”
That Giant Demon Lord, as expected of someone called the Oldest Demon Lord and the Oldest Demon Race, was knowledgeable not only about the countries of the demon race but also about the Divine Race.
Perhaps the Giant Demon Lord sensed the movements of the Imperial Honored Mansion earlier than Srain.
If this rebellion had dragged on and gained more momentum, it might have truly escalated into a war between the demon race and the Divine Race.
That’s why they deceived us into intervening in this country’s affairs.
“Wait a minute? If I think about it that way, why Charlotte teleported us near the northern border… N-no way!”
Rather than being surprised, my whole body lost all strength upon learning the truth.
“Tar carton is a former subordinate of Charlotte, right?”
The Giant Demon Lord’s country, which had dominated and stabilized the rule of demonic nations for a long time, sent many trained officials abroad. This way, other countries could gain capable subordinates from the start, and the trained officials would sometimes bring beneficial information back to the Giant Demon Lord’s country.
And one more thing.
It was also possible to send information from the Giant Demon Lord’s country to trusted individuals from other countries, wasn’t it?
In other words…
“I wondered when Srain noticed our true identities, but it was from the beginning, wasn’t it! We were continuously guided according to their convenience from the moment we first met Srain on the battlefield…”
If Srain hadn’t talked about the slave rebellion happening in the south, we might have headed in a different direction.
If we hadn’t been driven out of the city by Tar carton, we might have stopped heading south. By traveling with people like Gondo, we were able to act exactly as Srain intended.
“Tar carton is truly a capable official. Through that old woman, you obtained information in advance, even before we entered this country, didn’t you? Srain, in accordance with the prior meeting with Charlotte, had infiltrated the rebellion that was happening in the north, right?”
Thinking back, I remembered.
We rarely encountered high-ranking demons who knew Srain’s true identity during this journey. The silver-eyed knight who might have known Srain’s true identity had also been defeated before Srain appeared. Or rather, Srain was the one who delivered the finishing blow.
He must have acted strategically so that his true identity wouldn’t be revealed.
And also.
“When Gondo and Gōran said ‘we will definitely come running,’ they were referring to Srain, not Slaton, weren’t they?”
As I said this, Slaton, who had been boasting boastfully due to his misunderstanding, looked down shyly.
“Hahaha. That’s mostly correct. It’s helpful that the explanation is omitted.”
“We are exhausted and feel like going home already!”
Once again, we were defeated by the wicked scheme of the Giant Demon Lord and Charlotte.
Listea and Slaton had even left their pregnant wives to come to our aid!
“You were the one who involved Listea and Slaton?”
“Grrr. Mistral, don’t read my mind?”
Unlike us, who looked utterly exhausted, Mistral and the others were laughing as if it were amusing.
That’s why I realized it.
“Ugh. We were desperately carrying out stealth missions, but since everyone came here openly with Teruru? You all knew the truth from Charlotte over there, didn’t you?”
Looking up at Mistral and Ruiseine from my seiza position, they averted their gazes!
“Aaaah, that’s terrible! You’ll all be punished later!”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to that.”
“Oh, I’m happy about that.”
“Hahahaha, I want to join too!”
“Ugh. Everyone, let’s be sensible…”
I see.
Everything is connected now.
All our hardships were in vain.
“Oh, oh ara ara ara. Is that so? At least, the Shooting Star Miko was able to learn more about the demon race society, and more importantly, I think it resulted in receiving the protection of the Mad Abyss Demon Lord?”
Then, Lord Reed, who seemed to be reading my mind, said so.
“Yes. Putting aside our hardships, I’m glad it was beneficial for Shooting Star Sama and the others.”
Looking back now, perhaps the Giant Demon Lord’s meticulous instruction to “take the Shooting Star” was based on anticipating this outcome.
Perhaps we were dancing solely for this result.
Oh well.
After all, we can finally go home now.
We were cheerfully bustling.
However, there was still a remaining problem.
“W-we were defeated… But I don’t understand. You who can defeat even Demon Lords, why don’t you side with us who are being oppressed? Why is the Miko protected by a Demon Lord and not saving us!?”
They were referring to the instigators who led the slaves to rebellion.
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