CH 117

“The Fake Demon Lord and the Twin Goddesses.”

——————————

The room fell into complete silence as Matokal and I confronted each other. Ever since I declared myself the Great Demon King, everyone seemed taken aback. The silence was so profound that one could almost hear the sound of breathing. Lowering my voice, I continued speaking, maintaining an arrogant attitude as much as possible.

“It has been a long time since I returned to my castle, only to find that you foolish humans have turned it into a complete mess. You have killed my people, and that crime must be atoned for. Yes… I think I’ll exterminate the people of your country. Those who invaded my castle and caused havoc were all mercilessly slaughtered by my subordinates, but that’s not enough. Hey, you there!”

I pointed at the imprisoned magician.

“Go back to your country and deliver a message. The Great Demon King will reduce your nation to ashes. Let’s give you some time, just enough to prepare without slacking off. Entertain me, won’t you? It would be boring to destroy you immediately. Since those who infiltrated my castle were all spineless cowards, my subordinates are getting bored. After offering these individuals as a blood sacrifice, I will head to your country. Hurry up now! Otherwise, I might arrive before you do. Fufufufu.”

The man had completely lost all color from his face. He looked pale.

“Use the horse outside… Go!”

The man stumbled and crawled out in a hasty manner.

“Has he left?” I asked after a while, inquiring of those around me. The room burst into laughter.

“Why did you claim to be the Great Demon King? We were so surprised!”

“I thought the Lamaron Army would be thrown into disarray.”

“You aimed for that, but it seemed quite forced.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a good act.”

“Linos could never do acting like that.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a good performance. After all, he ran away, didn’t he?”

“People can be easily fooled by the Marquis’s acting.”

“Kunogen, that’s a harsh thing to say.”

“Oh no, what Kunogen says is true.”

Ignoring the prisoners, we continued to revel in high spirits. Makotal were dumbfounded.

“You… what are you?”

“Oh, I’m just a pretend Great Demon King.”

“Pretend?”

“I’m not a Great Demon King or anything like that.”

“You deceived us! That’s dirty!”

“There’s nothing dirty about it compared to fighting. Besides, who are you in a position to criticize others?”

“We… it was an order from above. The Juka Kingdom is ruled by the revived Great Demon King, and the people who live there are his subordinates, so they should all be annihilated.”

“You and that idiot over there concocted and executed this plan, right?”

“…”

“And that idiot over there is even more despicable. Once he successfully absorbs the Juka Kingdom, he’s arranged to receive a portion of the territory for himself. He plans to make the nobles’ children his retainers. From the Empire’s perspective, it’s a chance to send off the lesser sons of nobles, who are idle and wasting away, to Juka. So, this bastard and the Empire have aligned their interests.”

“So, the Lamaron Empire is… sending noble offspring to Juka Kingdom to receive land…”

“How naive…”

“That’s not all. The Lamaron Empire has been facing consecutive poor harvests in recent years. Famine is looming if things continue like this. They needed to acquire fertile land before that happened. That’s where the Juka Kingdom came into the picture. By annexing it, they would secure a stable food supply for the foreseeable future. However, to avoid the inconvenience of a rebellion from the people of Juka, they deliberately implemented a harsh occupation policy to suppress any signs of rebellion.”

“It’s the worst kind of occupation policy.”

“Yes. These idiots only think about immediate gains, so they come up with such foolish strategies. If I hadn’t shown up, how were they planning to maintain control of this country? Typical of you. I bet you were expecting food to arrive from the homeland if you just waited. How naive. With the armies of Hideita and Lamaron glaring at each other near the border, there’s no way food would have reached here.”

“Our empire will crush Hideita! Food should arrive soon!”

“Despite that, it seems like both armies aren’t making any moves.”

“If news of the Great Demon King’s resurrection and the annihilation of Lamaron’s elite 3,000 soldiers reaches them… there’s no doubt it will cause a panic in their ranks.”

“I hope it turns out that way, they’re not as weak as you make them out to be.”

“Well, that’s not my concern. If they panic, Lamaron loses. If they don’t panic, they’ll think of the next plan. That’s all there is to it.”

I glanced at the prisoners. Their faces were all pale.

“The women are valuable prisoners, so we’ll treat them with respect. Don’t worry. We’re not beasts like you. Your safety is guaranteed. Take your time and relax in this capital city for a while.”

Then, I turned my gaze to Reylic, who was beside me.

“You, on the other hand, have a severe punishment waiting for you. Look forward to it.”

I smirked. The pathetic guy had wet himself out of fear.

As evening approached, we left the prisoners in Kunogen’s care and began preparing for the food distribution. The nighttime meal was well received. The curry we had prepared was so popular that it became challenging to ensure enough for Kunogen and the other prisoners, as the people of the capital ate heartily. Delicious food seemed to soothe people’s hearts, and smiles began to appear on their faces.

Since the food distribution consisted only of curry, it was decided that other individuals could handle the task, so we were relieved of our duties early. I escorted everyone back to the mansion and advised them to rest early in preparation for the next day. Tomorrow, a large quantity of food and seafood was expected to arrive from Krumfar towns.

Only three of us remained: myself, Rico, and Mei. I prepared another teleportation barrier, and the three of us stepped into it. We arrived at the southern gate of the capital.

To avoid showing them the plaza’s makeshift morgue, we started walking eastward. This place had been neglected for quite some time. Almost all the residences had turned into haunted houses. Even Rico and Mei were frightened. Holding hands, the three of us walked along the path.

Before long, we reached our destination.

“…It’s a big tree, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I made it look that way. I’m going to dispel the barrier now.”

“…Is it a mansion?”

“Yes, this is the house where I spent my time as a slave, the Basam family mansion.”

“So this is it…”

I wanted to show Rico and Mei the house where I grew up. I thought that by seeing this mansion, they would understand the nature of the Basam family. Holding their hands, I led them inside. As the dusk approached, I used light magic to brighten up the rooms. Only the dining room and kitchen remained, but everything was preserved in its original state, clean and untouched. It was nostalgic… Watching, vivid memories of those days flooded back.

Elsa-sama, dining elegantly. Eril, devouring dish after dish at a speed that even I, the waiter, couldn’t keep up with. Master Falco boasting about his past love affairs while downing his drink. The maids… The numerous splendid parties held here… There was anxiety, but there was also no time to dwell on it, as time was filled with such intense moments. Those memories of that time flashed before my eyes.

“Welcome back.”

Suddenly, I felt like I heard that voice. It was the voice of Lady Elsa. I instinctively dropped to one knee and placed my hand over my chest.

“My lord, Lady Elsa. I have been away for a long time. Linos has… returned.”

Tears overflowed and wouldn’t stop. There was a gentle hand that gently embraced my shoulder. It was Rico and Mei. Without thinking, I held their hands. Their hands were soft and faintly warm.

Rico smiled and folded her knees, clasping her hands in front of her chest, bowing her head. In a small voice, she murmured, as if praying to a god.

“I am Ricolette, Linos’ wife. I am a humble person, but I humbly ask for your favor.”

Seeing this, Mei also took the same pose.

“I am also his wife, Meirias. I still have many shortcomings, but I ask for your kind understanding.”

“Thank you, Rico, Mei.”

The two of them praised me with very kind smiles. The goddesses were there.

With the two of them, I stepped outside the mansion and cast the barrier once again. When I turned to look back at the mansion, a beautiful full moon was shining in the sky.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Yes, it is, Rico-sama.”

“Rico, Mei, it’s truly beautiful…”

I tightly embraced the two goddesses illuminated by the moonlight.

———————–

Five days later, a messenger arrived at the Ramalon Army camp near the border with the Hideita Empire. His hair was disheveled, his cheeks were sunken, and dark circles formed under his eyes. Clearly, he had run without rest, and his arrival was marked by a trembling, as if he were terrified of something.

“M-message… for the general… message…”

“What happened?”

“The Great Demon Lord… has returned… Matokal… completely destroyed… the Empire… invaded by the Great Demon Lord…”

With those words, the man slumped and bowed his head. This report was kept secret by the higher-ups, and strict orders of silence were issued. However, it goes without saying that the upper echelons of the Lamaron Empire’s military were thrown into turmoil. Later, this report would produce unexpected consequences for the Lamaron Empire, but that is another story.