We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The end of the rebellion.
It was…
Srain stopped Elnea Eris, who was about to open her mouth, along with Anna and us, with a hand.
And, Srain said instead.
“I will not allow you to interfere with this country. Let me, who lives in this country, speak about this country. So, why don’t you save us? Humans are foolish to the core. The moment you stand before me, the Demon Lord, without even bowing and yet you’re still alive, how can you arrogantly think you haven’t been saved?”
The ringleaders of the rebel army, glared at by Srain, finally seemed to acknowledge their position and froze as if turned to ice.
Srain wasn’t emitting even a shred of killing intent or oppressive aura, but he is the Demon Lord, after all. It’s easy for him to overwhelm his opponents with a single glare.
“It’s not just you. It’s the same for the rest of the rebel army. If I wanted to, every single one of you would be dead. There is only one reason why that isn’t the case. It’s because Elnea Eris, the Great Dragon Duke of this land, and her companions fought desperately to save your lives and defeated me and the demons.”
“And so,” Srain asked the frozen ringleaders.
“Will you turn a blind eye to the great kindness of having your lives saved and pursue only your own desires?”
Srain’s words were spoken calmly.
The ringleaders of the rebel army, on the other hand, were unable to utter a single word.
“You revolted, trying to gain freedom. Well, as you’ve heard, it was I who sowed the seeds of rebellion. But that’s neither here nor there. You lost that rebellion. Given that you are still alive, will you complain only about your misfortunes to the Moon Goddess?”
“How absurd,” Srain sighed in earnest.
“Then let me ask you. Suppose you had achieved the goals of your rebellion with the help of the Great Dragon Duke. What kind of future would you have built then? Would you have loudly proclaimed liberation from the demon race and established your own kingdom? Fine, do so freely! I permit it.”
“But,” Srain continued.
“If a human-centered nation were to arise beside the demon race’s country, the demons would joyfully invade, trample, slaughter, and hunt for slaves.”
Srain’s words accurately reflected the true feelings of the demon race.
That’s right. Even now, slave hunting is a common livelihood, and they find hidden villages to raid and gather slaves. If a convenient country that could easily become enslaved were to appear within reach, the demons would surely compete to invade it.
“What would you do then? Would you again selfishly ask the Great Dragon Duke to protect you? Would you push your prayers onto the miko to guide you to happiness?”
We listened to Srain’s words in silence.
Srain was speaking on our behalf, expressing our position, what we wanted to say, and what we were thinking.
“Do you see the Great Dragon Duke as some kind of weapon you can use indefinitely for your convenience? If not, what kind of price will you pay to the Great Dragon Duke who maintains your lives and peace? Let me tell you, she is even more insane than I am, who would reject the Demon Lord seat. What will you return to that Great Dragon Duke? And, more importantly, how do you intend to repay the debt of having your lives saved this time?”
Srain pointed at me.
The ringleaders’ eyeballs moved, fixing their gaze on me.
Well, I’m embarrassingly sitting in seiza, with no dignity whatsoever, you know?
But that’s exactly why Srain’s words should hit home.
That I am not someone greedy who seeks status, power, or superiority over others.
Even if I were to be used to gain a temporary peace, what kind of reward would the rebels and their ringleaders offer me?
Would people’s peace and tranquility be my reward? Could someone like me, who sits in seiza when scolded by my wives, possess such inherent virtue?
Of course, our true feelings are that we don’t desire any reward. If there are people in trouble, we want to help them as much as possible, and we have acted that way until now.
However, this rebellion and the ringleaders’ claims are different.
I believe the ideals of the rebel army are wonderful. I also wish for the abolition of slavery and for everyone to live in peace and equality.
But hope obtained through reliance on others will collapse the moment that “reliance” is lost.
If I were to promise Srain the liberation of the enslaved people here and now, we would have to return to the Forbidden Territory afterward.
Then, the demons would surely start hunting the liberated slaves in secret, while we weren’t looking.
Srain’s continued words also contained our thoughts.
“Even if you were to be freed from slavery with someone’s help, so be it. I will permit it. However, someone will not support you forever. After all, you do not pay any price and only push your selfish demands.”
Srain said, “I permit your statement,” and concluded his question.
“For the sake of your lives and eternal freedom, what price will you offer to the guardian? Depending on your reward, I might even take care of your future myself. However, if the offered price is worthless, I will show no mercy and kill you… No, it’s a promise with the Great Dragon Duke. I will not kill you. In that regard, you have already been saved. So? What will you do?”
As Srain finished speaking, silence descended upon the hall.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Srain continued to stare intently at the ringleaders in the silence.
This was a scene managed by Srain, the ruler of this country.
Therefore, we remained silent, observing the situation without interjecting.
The ringleaders were still frozen, but their eyes moved.
They caught sight of the trembling rebel army in the corner of the hall and the many fallen figures around the fortress, then looked at us, and finally at Srain, who awaited an answer to his question.
For a brief moment, Srain’s and the ringleaders’ gazes met. It was immediately after that.
The people who led the rebellion suddenly prostrated themselves in unison.
Before the Mad Abyss Demon Lord Srain.
The ringleaders of the rebellion must have finally begun to process things.
And, with Srain’s words, they correctly recognized their current situation.
The failure of the rebellion. Their own lives. Their future. Us. And, the Mad Abyss Demon Lord Srain.
It’s frustrating, but Srain’s words are correct.
It was because Srain kept his promise to me that the lives of the demon soldiers, as well as the rebel soldiers who were weakened but still alive, were spared.
If Srain had been a truly insane Demon Lord, there would surely have been many more casualties.
And we, who fought Srain and stopped the rebellion, do not belong to this country, nor to the world ruled by demons. Therefore, we are not in a position to guarantee the safety and future of those who rebelled for eternity.
Even though the lives of these people were saved this time, we cannot fulfill their hopes for more if they continue to rely solely on us.
As Srain said, they must seize their own future with their own hands.
After all, I believe that true peace will never arrive until the demon society genuinely considers, “The humans and former slaves are formidable, so don’t mess with them.” True freedom must be seized and won with one’s own hands, not by relying on the limited power of others.
Surely, the ringleaders must have also realized it.
The insincerity and mistakes in the words they uttered.
And, they finally understood their position.
That is why they prostrated themselves before Srain.
Recognizing him as the Demon Lord of this country and the absolute ruler who held their fate in his hands.
However, even though Srain said, “I permit your statement,” not a single one of the ringleaders spoke.
No, perhaps that’s understandable.
Only we can remain calm in front of a Demon Lord.
Not just humans, but even high-ranking demons tremble before the Demon Lord and are stripped of their freedom.
Even Ruilala stood rigidly before the Giant Demon Lord.
Seeing the reformed attitude of the rebels’ ringleaders, Srain concluded.
“As the Great Dragon Duke says, I am insane. Very well, I forgive you. I forgive this rebellion of yours and the incompetent Demon Lord’s Army. Furthermore, I will forgive you even if you start another rebellion.”
“Srain!?”
I couldn’t help but raise my voice.
Laughing, Srain said his final words.
“Didn’t I tell you? You all heard it too. I am the one who rose from the very bottom to become the Demon Lord. Therefore, if a slave rebels and rises to gain freedom, I will recognize it. However,”
“Do it properly. If I or other demons find you acting pitifully, I will mercilessly crush you. Of course. But if you have the resolve, by all means, be free.”
Srain laughed heartily, but we couldn’t laugh along.
Instead, the thought of cleaning up the aftermath made my head ache.
“Srain, I have a question?”
I interrupted and asked after confirming that Srain’s exchange with the ringleaders had reached a pause.
“The rebellion of the enslaved people is over, right? So, what will be the future treatment of the rebel army and their ringleaders?”
Srain said he would forgive the rebellion. Their lives were currently protected by his promise to me.
However, this state of affairs won’t last forever, right?
Srain responded to my question with an expression that seemed to say, “What obvious question are you asking?”
“Do as you wish. You can run away, or I will permit you to take up arms again. If you wish to return to the demon race as slaves, I will permit that as well. However, I will tell the demons this: I permit them to hunt down those who participated in the rebellion and forcibly enslave them. That is my position as the Demon Lord.
“B-but… everyone is weakened and collapsed?”
“That’s your fault, isn’t it? I don’t know. Your future actions are your choice. Therefore, those who recover from their weakness sooner will be able to make their free choices.”
“Srain, you really are insane!”
At the very end, everyone’s faces contorted at Srain’s unreasonable statement.
“Well, you know. The demons whose magic power was completely drained will likely recover slower than humans, who have less curse power.”
“We can’t just stand by! We need to move the demons and the rebel army to separate locations while they’re still weak, or new problems will arise!”
I quickly stood up.
Mistral and the others didn’t scold me for getting out of seiza.
“Teruru-chan, will you cooperate? We need to separate the weakened demons and humans!”
“Payment for labor, as the Mad Abyss Demon Lord also said.”
“Yes, it can’t be helped. I’ll offer Ares-chan, who betrayed me, as a sacrifice. When we return to the Forbidden Territory, I’ll promise that Ares-chan and Priscilla-chan will play a lot.”
“Um, we’re already playing a lot.”
“It can’t be helped, it can’t be helped.”
“We’ll play more!”
Happy voices ceaselessly rained down from above Teruru-chan’s head. It felt like Priscilla-chan was having a very satisfying excursion. But, an excursion isn’t over until you get home. And every excursion comes with cleanup. Teruru-chan began to skillfully move her Thousand Hands, separating the fallen individuals around the fortress into demons and others.
The army of the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord began to retreat, noticeably even from a distance. They were probably trying to put distance between themselves and the Thousand-Handed Spider that had started moving.
We should also hurry to help. But first. I looked again at the ringleaders of the rebel army.
Their equipment was poor, and their physiques were not good. Their faces looked older than their age, likely due to the harsh lives they had endured. Not only the ringleaders, but all the rebels in the hall were prostrating themselves toward Srain. They would probably return to their lives as slaves. I felt an urge to act, not out of justice, but out of sympathy. But I had to restrain myself. As I had asked myself countless times and told Listea and Shooting Star Sama, I could not take responsibility for the future if I acted solely on emotion. Srain, as the king of demons, would also not allow our further intervention.
“I will inform His Majesty the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord that he is forbidden from interfering. That is the extent of my leniency.”
With that said, Srain disappeared from the hall without leaving a trace. He had likely gone in pursuit of the Demon General he had sent ahead, towards the Bewitching Eyes Demon Lord.
“Shall we also take care of the aftermath?”
“It’s Elnea-kun’s aftermath.”
“It’s Elnea-kun’s cleanup.”
“Teruru-chan, would you like to add Yufi and Nina to the reward bonus?”
“We’ll all play together!”
“I think Mist-san and I are also included in ‘everyone’ that Teruru-chan mentions.”
“Hahahaha, it’s going to be tough even after we get home.”
“But we need to do what we can before we go home, right?”
“Muki! Right now, Elnea-kun’s kin and the rebels are irrelevant. Now, you all too, take action to seize your own future!”
Led by Madrine, the people who had been prostrating themselves in the now empty hall of the Demon Lord finally began to stand up. And so, together with us, they moved to the final actions that would mark the end of the rebellion.
Though, of course, while trembling under Teruru-chan overhead!
