At the foothills of Dragon Peak, we live.
Shuzan Palace
Rubelia, the Demon Capital where Demon Lord Vastrade’s castle is located, was shrouded in unseasonal storm clouds.
A strong wind blew fiercely, and the rain lashed down on the demon city.
Although it should have been daytime, darkness reigned supreme as if it were midnight. The demon race, confined to their buildings with tightly shut doors, waited for the storm to pass.
A streak of lightning shot across the churning clouds, resembling a turbulent sea. The thunderclap reached the ears of all the demon city’s residents, striking fear into both demons and slaves alike.
“The Giant Demon Lord, is it? As usual, he certainly is unrestrained.”
In the heart of the demon city of Rubelia, by the window of the magnificent Demon Lord’s Castle, an elderly man watched the lightning flash across the storm clouds.
The elderly man, with his grotesque,异形 (igufo) horns sprouting from his forehead, confirmed the lightning strike that hit the outskirts of the demon city and offered a bitter smile.
“Your Majesty Vastrade. Even though His Majesty the Giant Demon Lord is the oldest among us, how can you overlook such audacious behavior?”
His loyal retainer, who had served him for many years, voiced his words filled with anguish. Hearing his loyal subordinate’s concerns, the elderly man, Vastrade, shifted his gaze from the window, where the wind and rain beat fiercely, back into the room.
“Leave him be. Nothing good ever comes from interfering with him. It hasn’t even been two years since our city suffered damage from the bumbling fools’ commotion. We can’t afford to provoke the Giant Demon Lord and have him indiscriminately strike our castle with lightning.”
“The fact that the lightning struck in that direction… it means it’s towards *them*, doesn’t it?”
“It’s rare, but yes, it likely is. If that’s the case, then it’s even more important that we don’t get involved with him.”
Demon Lord Vastrade and the Giant Demon Lord.
Although they held the same rank, there was a clear difference in their standing. His opponent was a Primogenitor Demon, known as the oldest of the demon race. Vastrade was also an established Demon Lord, but there was an undeniable gap in their lifespans, with Vastrade being less than a thousand years old, and the Giant Demon Lord having lived for several thousand. Moreover, this was not the time for Demon Lords to be bickering carelessly.
“The era already lacks the number of Demon Lords. Western Demon Lord Iberiòla was defeated, and in the East, Kusharilla lost his position. Well, Kusharilla was sent to the West as Iberiòla’s successor… Nevertheless, both the East and West nations are in turmoil simultaneously, and the flow of ruffians and refugees has intensified.”
“And the matter of Gurla…?”
“Heh, you certainly know how to bring that up.”
At his retainer’s words, Demon Lord Vastrade offered another bitter smile.
The lightning that flashed across the storm clouds struck near the demon city of Rubelia, accompanied by thunder. At the foothills, where the most beautiful mountain range in the vicinity of Rubelia spread out. The giant palace that seemed to cover its base was now just a stone’s throw away.
“Good grief. A storm on this side, too. And here I was, trying to be considerate of them, only to be treated this way. I suppose good deeds are best left undone.”
As the lightning strike, so intense it could blind anyone who looked directly at it, subsided, a woman’s figure appeared before the palace gate. The luxurious dark blue attire she wore was immediately soaked by the driving rain upon her teleportation, leaving her drenched. Her long, beautiful golden hair instantly absorbed water, becoming heavy. The woman’s face contorted with extreme displeasure. She let out a huge sigh.
“I really shouldn’t have come.”
The woman sighed profoundly. Yet, contrary to her words, she walked through the magnificent gate before her and proceeded towards the palace, braving the raging storm.
After walking for a while, she finally reached the palace entrance, having traversed the unnecessarily vast front garden. It was in the midst of a storm. No one would be waiting outside to greet her. Inevitably, the woman opened the grand main gate herself and entered the palace.
“Welcome, we are honored by your presence.”
“If you knew I was coming, you could have opened the gate.”
With that said, the woman unleashed a bolt of lightning at the welcoming doll without mercy. The doll, its entire body pierced by the electric current, perished without a sound. Without even glancing at the charred husk of the doll crumbling on the ground, the woman continued through the entrance, still soaked.
Then, from deeper within the palace, another servant rushed out, exuding a hurried aura.
“M-My Lady! His Majesty the Giant Demon Lord! Welcome, we are honored by your arrival.”
About ten female servants rushed out in a flurry. This time, they were all human, not dolls. The human female servants, confirming the sudden arrival of their guest, prostrated themselves to welcome her. The drenched woman, the Giant Demon Lord, did not unleash lightning without question as she had before.
“I was summoned by the master of this place. I came reluctantly.”
“We shall guide you. However, before that…”
Trembling, the servants, still prostrated, looked up at the Giant Demon Lord. Even her beguiling beauty, which surpassed that of humans, was disheveled by the rain and wind.
“That’s right. First, I shall change my clothes.”
“Then, we shall guide you to your room.”
The Giant Demon Lord changed her course according to the servant’s guidance and disappeared into the depths of the palace.
In the regions where demons gathered and built their societies, five countries ruled by Demon Lords existed. In addition, there were several direct territories called Forbidden Territories and lawless zones where rulers had been lost. Among these, a small Forbidden Territory existed near the demon city of Rubelia. A magnificent palace spread across the foothills of a beautiful mountain. Only its grounds were a forbidden land, beyond the dominion of Demon Lord Vastrade.
“Fufufu. Master. How unusual, for Roza to have visited.”
In the deepest part of the palace, two individuals were relaxing. One was a small girl. She might be better described as a young girl. With bright red hair, wearing a vibrantly colored red dress, she was a cute girl. The young girl, with refined movements unbefitting her apparent age, brewed fragrant tea. She then brought the freshly brewed tea to the person lounging comfortably in the depths of the room.
The tranquil room did not betray even a hint of the raging storm outside. In this room, isolated from the outside world, the person being attended to by the young girl raised herself to an upright position and accepted the teacup filled with tea. This person, dressed in attire predominantly red, much like the young girl, was a peerless beauty. Her crimson outfit, and hair a shade darker than crimson, this was the inhabitant of the palace and the master of the young girl who cared for her.
The young girl served as if it were natural. The woman, accustomed to being served, exuded an air of complete familiarity with her role. The peculiar atmosphere, so distant from the outside world, seemed to encompass not only the indoor space but also its inhabitants.
And, most surprisingly, was the state of the woman who sat up and took a sip of tea.
She was floating. The woman was in a posture as if she were lounging on an invisible sofa, yet no sofa was present. Nevertheless, this woman was relaxing in mid-air as if she were seated on a sofa.
After handing the tea to her master, the young girl returned to her original position and began preparing the next items. She brewed tea for herself and brought out snacks. She took a sip of the tea she had brewed herself, moistening her lips, and then dutifully delivered the snacks to the woman in the back. Then, she returned to her original spot. As she was preparing tea for another person, the door to the room was knocked. Upon the young girl’s reply, a Giant Demon Lord, clad in alluring attire, entered.
“Hmph! Who changed the clothing that was always kept in my private room to such vulgar ones?”
As soon as she entered the room, the Demon Lord looked at the room’s inhabitant with dissatisfaction. The young girl chuckled softly. Seeing the young girl’s laughter, the Demon Lord let out a big sigh, shoulders slumping in resignation.
The palace had private rooms designated for Primogenitor Demons when they visited. The Giant Demon Lord, who had been soaked, had changed in her assigned room before coming here.
Why were private rooms provided for Primogenitor Demons? Why did they come to this palace from various demon countries? Any Demon born as a Primogenitor would know the answer.
“I have answered your summons and arrived. I came as per the agreement. I shall be leaving now.”
“Oh dear. That is quite unfortunate.”
Fufufu, the young girl covered her mouth and smiled. However, her eyes sparkled crimson.
Suddenly, chains sprouted from beneath the Demon Lord’s feet and wrapped around her wrists.
“Please, go ahead. Have some of this freshly brewed tea. Please, relax.”
Although the young girl appeared to be smiling, her demeanor radiated an unchallengeable will.
“It is an agreement that Primogenitor Demons visit regularly and entertain Master, you see?”
“I indulged in your prank, and that should be enough. I’m leaving.”
“Fufufu. Do you perhaps not like those clothes?”
“They’re not to my taste. And I would prefer not to be involved in your game of ‘Primogenitor Demons must regularly come here and entertain the Sovereign’?”
“However, Roza is also a Primogenitor Demon.”
The Giant Demon Lord fumbled with the chains that had sprouted from the floor and wrapped around her wrists. Nevertheless, she did not attempt to leave and accepted the tea from the young girl. While she could dismiss it with words, she was actually incapable of resisting. If she had shown any real intention of leaving, she might have been killed by just the chains around her wrists at worst.
“Roza is fine. Crowgraan, for example, had his clothes changed to feminine ones with a lot of exposure. He had to stay for several days wearing feminine attire, which was quite sexy considering his hot and imposing appearance, fufufu. Oh, and by the way. This prank is not mine nor Master’s doing. It’s the Cat Duke’s mischief?”
“That’s what happens when you let him run wild.”
The Giant Demon Lord could only sigh and shake her head.
“So, what is the purpose of this visit?”
The Demon Lord asked, drinking her tea, looking at the person relaxing in the depths of the room.
“Fufufu. Roza, who had ignored numerous summons, has finally arrived. You should understand the reason for your visit better than anyone.”
“I don’t know. I merely came because I was commanded to by telepathy.”
The Demon Lord averted her gaze while savoring the exquisite tea in her mouth.
“Roza.”
At that moment, the woman in the depths of the room spoke. Just her name was called. However, with an irresistible force, the Demon Lord turned her gaze towards the woman.
“Don’t break the dolls. Otherwise, Elin Beryl will complain to me again.”
“If that’s the case, then I wish Elin would create dolls capable of receiving visitors properly.”
The doll that first greeted her upon entering the palace was not a living being. It was an automatic doll created by a Primogenitor Demon known as the Puppet King. However, all the servants who appeared later were human slaves.
Within this palace, apart from the young girl preparing refills of tea and the woman relaxing while floating in the depths of the room, no other demons resided. The rest were either automatic dolls created by the Puppet King, Elin Beryl, or humans working as slaves.
“It’s alright. The Puppet Duke, despite his complaints, will happily take on the task of creating a new doll.”
“Then, I think I’ll break two or three more before I leave.”
Although she said it as a joke, her words were not denied. The Demon Lord sighed again. They did not concern themselves with trivial matters. Only matters of significant interest would capture their attention. However, it seemed they had encountered something truly significant this time.
“It appears you’ve been having a rather enjoyable time in the East?”
The woman in the depths of the room looked at the Giant Demon Lord from her relaxed posture.
“You seem to be quite biased towards the Dragon Princess, aren’t you?”
The young girl said, elegantly bringing a snack to her lips.
“So you see everything. However, things are a little different these days. The Dragon King, who became the Dragon Princess’s husband, and his surroundings are quite interesting. Rather than that, you two seem to be quite biased towards the West as well?”
Retaliation. No, could this be what the Dragon King calls a ‘killer topic change’? As the Demon Lord parried, the woman in the depths of the room showed a rare smile.
“There’s an interesting Miko. I’m trying to lure her here somehow, but that Witch is getting in the way, and it’s not going well.”
“However, Master finds that enjoyable.”
The woman and the young girl laughed, “Fufufu.” The woman in the depths had been vague about the “interesting Miko,” but the Demon Lord, for her part, understood the movements of the two. It appeared that the woman and the young girl were enjoying something together. If so, what was wrong with her, too, enjoying herself? That was the demon way of thinking.
“I saw something nostalgic in the East.”
“You sent ancient artifacts to the region that Kusharilla ruled, didn’t you?”
Information travels fast. It had only been a few days since she had teleported ancient artifacts and the humans wielding them in the East. She herself had told the Dragon King, “Spies are everywhere.” However, the information network these two possessed was indeed flawless.
“Ah, this is troublesome. Not only are the Divine Race’s movements unsettling lately, but it seems unrest is brewing in the demon countries as well.”
“If you think so, wouldn’t it be better to increase the number of Demon Lords?”
Could they be considering luring a new Demon Lord from the West? A premonition of that sort briefly crossed the Demon Lord’s mind.
“Besides, there are also complaints from other Demon Lords. It’s about time we selected new Demon Lords.”
“Even if you say so, we keep getting rejected. See, even the child you recommended, Roza, refused, didn’t she?”
The young girl smiled, “We are, you know, considering the selection of Demon Lords.” However, it was hard to believe that the woman and the young girl were genuinely concerned about their country and the demon race. So, what were these two thinking, and what were they trying to achieve? Even the Giant Demon Lord could not fathom their intentions, and perhaps all demons had unknowingly been drawn into their schemes.
“Fufufufu. The time for Roza to involve herself in these matters will be after our plan has matured a little further. Rather than that…”
“The Nine Demon Generals, was it?”
The woman in the depths seemed to be recalling an old memory. The young girl also muttered, “How nostalgic,” as if recalling the past.
“How many of those related to the Nine Demon Generals remain?”
“One was eliminated by the Saintess. One was destroyed by the Witch. And then…”
As they were ancient artifacts, the number of existing ones had decreased. However, some still remained in the present.
“Excluding those whose whereabouts are unknown, there are four this time.”
“I can’t believe it was left in that region. No wonder I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I looked.”
“And besides, you weren’t really looking that hard, were you?”
The young girl smiled at the Demon Lord’s retort. The young girl, who always wore a smile, should not be deceived by her appearance. Not by her smile, nor her looks.
“Excluding the one Roza possesses, it means three are circulating out in the wild. This is quite dangerous.”
Despite saying it was dangerous, the Demon Lord smiled back at the young girl’s smile, which lacked any sense of urgency.
“Perhaps she was bored. Then, let’s watch. The weapons of the Nine Demon Generals, which had been missing for a long time, were suddenly found. And the person who obtained them, despite being human, possessed the secret knowledge of ancient ruins. Now, what does this mean? The answer will come within a century.”
“Fufufu. It is you who designates the demon world as the place to find that answer, truly a Demon.”
No one here uttered the words “Don’t bring the seeds of calamity.” That was the nature of demons, and the reason why they reigned as rulers among the ruling class.
“By the way, I’ve been curious about something ever since you entered.”
Following the young girl’s gaze, it landed on the long object the Giant Demon Lord held.
“Has Roza taken up a new profession as a Miko?”
“Ah, this… I completely forgot to return it.”
A lie. It wasn’t a trivial item that could be forgotten. The long object the Giant Demon Lord held was a large staff, likely belonging to a high-ranking Miko. However, the jewel that should have been set in its main part was missing.
“Kukukku. This also seems like it could become interesting.”
“Oh my. To borrow treasure from a Miko like that, Roza, it seems you’ve been engaging in various misdeeds.”
“Compared to you two, I’m just a little naughty.”
The three, who had known each other for thousands of years, smiled with their own intentions in mind.
