Clown: No. Iâm taking these pills the doctor gave me to forget.
Pierrot: Why would you do that? Are you an idiot?!
Clown: But⊠they seem like painful memories, wouldnât I want to forget them?
Pierrot: Let me ask you this⊠letâs say you had ten thousand yen in your wallet.
Clown: Okay?
Pierrot: Then, you wanted to test what would happen if you submerged it into acid. Of course, the money dissolved.
Clown: Oh no!
Pierrot: Now, thatâs a painful memory, but would you want to forget it?
Clown: âŠ
Pierrot: You wouldnât, right? Otherwise you would just do it again and go bankrupt.
Clown: Is that where the rent money went?
Pierrot: âŠ
Clown: âŠ
Pierrot: MaybeâŠ
.
.
Birth of a Demon Lord Arc
078. Demon Lords
Demon Lord Clayman was in an unprecedented state of panic.
The humans were guided into action as planned.
The result was supposed to be a bloodbath of a battle, filled with suffering and tragedy which his soul would reap and relish.
However, the battle was concluded in an instant and all the souls were absorbed by a third-party.
He couldnât believe it, but the recent report confirmed it.
This was a stage prepared by that honorable individual.
A fight between monsters and humans that would lead Clayman into awakening as a True Demon Lord.
Thus, he hardly cared for his subordinate Myulan, and planned to dispose of her soon after.
But he now lost connection with her. Moreover, her curse had been released and she was now free.
This fact only added to his anxiety.
But only that much was hardly a matter for concern.
Fortunately, he still has the strongest trump card known as Milim.
Thus, he had forced Frey to schedule a Subjugation CouncilâWalpurgis Banquet.
As it had Milimâs, Freyâs, and his signature on it, it was quickly approved; there he wishes to call for an extermination of the presumptuous Slime who dared to call itself a demon lord and its city.
Because marching his troops in the direction of human cities is strictly forbidden.
At this Subjugation Council, he will first secure dominion over the other demon lords and then obtain the rights to invade the Monster Country, Tempest.
While trampling every country along the way, of course.
As for the high ranking devils of that country, heâll have Milim crush them.
Were it a few days ago, he could have crushed them all himself, but due to their masterâs evolution, they all became devils and acquired greater power.
At this point, Clayman lamented the fact that the first plan had failed.
Well, he only had to rule over whoever remained after Milim was done with them.
ButâŠ
Suddenly the shut-in demon lord Ramiris, requested that Slime Rimuru would be granted permission to attend.
And strangely, he was given permission really quickly.
Clayman tried to veto the request, of course, but, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, three other demon lords accepted it.
Which caused all of Claymanâs plans to fall apart.
The Walpurgis Banquet that he so painstakingly gathered now was home to his enemies.
Nor could he run away from it.
If the slime himself came, even if Clayman called for a subjugation, the battle would occur at the Banquet.
âWhat to do? What should I do?â
Clayman desperately sought a way out of this predicament.
.
This desperation was observed by Frey who was smirking.
What an unsightly man.
Things were proceeding faster than she expected.
Though she had not predicted this outcome, it was nonetheless to her favor.
She looked at the expressionless Milim standing across from her,
At her cute faceâcompletely void of any emotion,
At her eyes, which suddenly looked elsewhere. At Frey.
Frey nodded.
(Yes, thatâs right. I understand, Milim)
She responded in her mind, with a profound smile.
AndâŠ
(Clayman, you will live not much longer)
Frey was secretly confirming theupcoming plan.
ïŒăïŒăïŒ
In an unknown land, in the innermost burial chamber,
In front of a coffin wrought of ice which sealed a beautiful naked girl with flowing black hair,
Stood a being, themselves nude, beholding the coffin with a suspicious gaze.
(Ah, how beautiful. AhâŠ)
Observing and adoring the coffin girl was this beingâs secret pastime.
A silver haired cute girl.
Her heterochromatic eyes glistened with a bizarre red and blue light.
This, among her many strikingly beautiful features, was the most prominent one.
But perhaps what garnered the most attentionâŠ
Were two pure teeth that peaked from within her small lips.
When her small lips parted, they revealed a set of pure white fangs.
She was the ruler of the night, Queen of Nightmares.
Demon Lord Ruminas Valentine.
Even she, a vampire possessing the immense power of a demon lord, could not break the ice coffin.
As it was not actually made of ice but was a pure lump of holy spirit energy.
So even touching the coffin would leave burn like marks on her body.
HoweverâŠ
Without any regard to this, she clung to the ice coffin.
An invitation to attend Walpurgis Banquet reached this girl.
Unfortunately, many beings of comparable power would attend.
Thus, she currently lacked the power to make them her enemies.
Though this vexed her to no end, there was naught she could do.
(Wait for meâŠ)
She whispered the name of the adored girl, and left the chamber.
And gathering a vast amount of magical energy, she submerged the chamber in darkness.
ïŒăïŒăïŒ
Two men were in the middle of a conversation.
The first was a large, sturdy man clearly known for his height.
The other was slovenly lying down, without a hint of dignity.
However, as this was his usual appearance, the former paid it no mind.
ăSo, how long will you be staying here?
Will you set off on another journey after the Walpurgis Banquet?ă
ăNo clue~. What a pain. Nothing excites me anymore~ă
To the large manâs question, he replied without any motivation.
But whicheverâŠ
ăBut surely you have no choice but to participate in Walpurgis Banquet?
So you might as well start considering what you will do afterwardsă
The large man concluded.
And looked at the vast sky above as if enjoying the view.
Minutes passed silently between them,
ăHey, Dagrule, do your sons feel like becoming a demon lord?
I can take them under my care, if youâd like?ă
The delicate man said as if he just remembered this idea.
The large man⊠no, Dagrule closed his eyes for a minute and was deep in thought.
One of the Giants, this demon lord is often referred to as âContinentâs Wrathâ.
Normally a gentle man he finds the title unpleasant, but when angered he truly canât stop his hand.
His power greatly increases when angered so heâs a demon lord treated with utmost care.
And his most closest friend, the delicate man, has never once angered him.
To the delicate manâs words,
ăNah, they resemble me when I was young.
They are rash, look down on everything, and believe that a being stronger than them does not exist.
They would look down even on you, Dinoă
He replied.
The delicate manâs name is Dino. A man of unknown race with an appearance no different than a human.
But, he possess magical energy of such quantity that no human could possibly match.
Though he is a handsome man, his sleepy gaze ruins his appeal.
But he too is a demon lord. Called âThe Wandering Kingâ or âKing of the Sleeping Forestâ.
Even now, he has left his home and is in the middle of a journey.
And having used up all of his strength during the journey, he ended up in the care of his best friend Dagrule.
In response to Dagruleâs words,
ăAh, I donât mind. My worth wouldnât diminish from such a thing.
But if they are so impudent, how about you bring them over?
You have three sons, so I can bring one of them in my name?ă
He said.
Of course, he meant to take them to the Demon Lordsâ Walpurgis Banquet.
Dagruel thought a bit on these words.
And,
ăCan I ask this of you? If they act foolish and die without coming to know true power, then thatâs that.
So showing them true strength would be an excellent lessonă
He nodded.
His three sons. Like him, they are a violent bunch.
Agreeing to bring them, they continued the conversation with this in mind.
However, bringing them there is much like starting a fire next to gun powder, but these two failed to recognize it as such.
After all, both of them were particularly bad at careful planning.
ïŒăïŒăïŒ
In a land covered by ice where fierce blizzards reigned,
Proudly stood a tall castle.
Its vicinity was covered in a barrier of ice, with temperatures of minus 120° Celsius such that nothing could live there.
And yet a beautiful castle adorned the land.
Its presence testified to an unimaginable amounts of magical energyâtruly a castle of the highest demon.
The Castle was named âPalace of White Iceâ.
And it was ruled by Demon Lord Guy Crimson.
There was a being leisurely walking though the castle.
Platinum Gold long hair, blue narrow eyes. A well defined face.
Skin so white that it was almost transparent.
He was so beautiful that he was surely mistaken for a woman.
Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. The one called the Blond Demon.
He proceeded through the halls as if he owned them.
Ahead of him was a door with beautiful carved decorations. It led to the audience chamber of the lord of the castle.
Leonâs purpose in attending was the lord of the castle, demon Lord Guy Crimson.
Leon stood in front of the door, and the two large attendant demons opened it.
And,
ăDemon Lord Leon Cromwell-sama has arrived!ă
A female-like demon announced the coming of Leon from above.
On the inside, many powerful Greater Demons stood on the sides.
Each was a named demon so greatly surpassed the power of a normal greater demon.
There were over 200 of them in total.
Named Greater Demons differ from normal ones as they possess a corporeal body in this world.
So each could easily rival a high ranking devil.
In other words, the room had 200 beings of a rank easily surpassing A.
But thatâs not allâŠ
At the end of the room, before the throne of Demon Lord Guy Crimson stood six demons of terrifying power.
They were Named Arch demons.
They battle power was surpassed any devil. These were pseudo-demon lord level demons.
ButâŠ
These six demon generals prevented any excessive word from going unpunished.
Ruling over all of these as Demon Lord Guy Crimsonâs left and right hand were two demons.
Having become âDemon Officerâ these two women serve as the Demon Lordâs spokesmen.
They possess power that rivals that a demon lord.
âDemon Officerâ Mizari and âDemon Officerâ Hirari.
Leon proceeded further in and stood right below the throne.
And thatâs where Mizari and Hirari kneeled, and
ăăLeon-sama, it has been a long timeăă
At the same time they greeted Leon with a beautiful voice.
And at the same moment, the Lord of the Castle stood up from his throne.
Only the two demon lords now had the right to move within the room.
ăItâs been a while, my friend Leon. Have you been in good health?
Let me thank you for coming over when I called you!ă
A beautiful, projecting voice, deep crimson eyes which overshadowed the beauty of stars, hair flowing like fire, with a deeper red than the color of blood.
Same height as Leon.
Where Leon is as beautiful as a woman, Guyâs beauty was more neutral.
He could be called a woman or man; a bizarre physique.
While calling out to him, he stood up from the throne and walked up to Leon.
And after shaking Leonâs hand, he gave him a hug.
And without any hesitation, he placed his hand on Leonâs face and kissed him.
Leon pulled away with a scowl,
ăStop it. Iâm not interested in dating men. How many times have I told you this already?ă
He told him, treating it as a bother.
ăA haha. Heartless as always.
You know, if you ask, Iâll become a woman?
Ah whatever, letâs move to a different roomă
He said, and without waiting started walking.
This happened every time.
He was exposing a lot of skin while dressing in a kimono in this frigid land.
Perhaps remembering the taste of Leonâs lips, a lewd smile formed on his bewitching face.
And he started to work his tongue around his red lipsâŠ.
That motion had a suspciously bewitching effect to it.
Being androgynous, he could become a man or a woman at will.
He⊠or perhaps she is Demon Lord Guy Crimson.
The Lord of the Castle and the oldest Demon Lord.
Called the Lord of Darkness, he has forever ruled over this frozen continent.
Guy proceeded onward showing Leon the way.
Leon followed without any sign of worry.
Until both of them left the audience chamber, not a single being had moved.
As that would have been an unforgivable act.
With their heads bowed low, they waited until their master and guest had left.
Having confirmed their departure, Mizari and Hirari stood up.
And,
ăDisperse!ă
They ordered their subordinates.
As for them, they began to make tea for the guest.
Among the highest beings of the castle, the job of these âDemon Officialsâ was nothing more than to care for Demon Lord Guy Crimson.
And that job had the highest priority within the castle.
So as to not earn the displeasure of their lord, they quickly got to workâŠ
Leon followed Guy to the Ice Terrace on the highest floor.
Even though it opens up to the outside, snow is not permitted entry.
The environment is optimized for life.
In the first place, Guy is not affected by the environment. In other words, the room is made for Leonâs enjoyment.
Though Guy normally looks down on any stranger, for his friends he spends both effort or expense.
âJust like always,â Leon thought, taking a seat.
Though the chair he sat on was made of ice, he did not feel the cold.
That too, was the routine.
ăSo? Why have you called me?ă
Forcefully flopping into the chair, Leon asked.
When did they have time to prepare it is uncertain, but Hirari brought in tea.
Mizari silently stood at the entrance to the terrace.
That too she did without anybody noticing.
They stood as to not intrude upon Guyâs conversation, and so, did not address Leon.
The girls were nothing more than tools, after all.
Since they had nothing to do with this conversation, they were not permitted to even show an expression unless ordered to do so.
So any motion that was not specifically ordered of them would lead to certain and quick death.
In fact, even if Leon attacked Guy, they would not move.
Guy was their supreme master, so worrying over his health was disrespectful.
Thus, ignoring their existence, they continued their discussion.
ăAh. You do know about the upcoming Walpurgis Banquet?
I was thinking that if you couldnât attend this time, Iâd forcefully have you attendă
ăHuh? You know I hate these gatherings?
But I was planning on attendingă
ăOh? Good, then. I had planned on having you make a clone and attend that way.
I could have you embrace me thenă
ăI donât take men for partners. Even among women I only go for the one I desire.
For me to embrace you would be equivalent to some prize, wouldnât it?ă
ăWhatâs with that? Tell me that earlier⊠If you wish for it, Iâll become a woman for you.
Whatever. So?
Why did you decide to participate this time?ă
ăAhâŠă
Leon made a brief pause, but then continued talking.
ăThis time the banquet is hosted by Clayman. Small fry.
Iâm curious why Milim is supporting him.
And Karionâs death is also suspicious.
At first it was because Clayman wanted to spur us on a subjugation, but then Ramiris requested that the party in question attends.
In other words, itâs all connected.
So I feel the need to see, this new Demon Lord âRimuruâă
ăOh. So you believe Rimuru has the qualifications to be a demon lord, huh?
How amusing, I thought the same thing.
As for Milim, sheâs probably just playing around. No use trying to figure out what sheâs thinking.
The wise one in me cannot understand fools. That might be a weakness.
So itâs fine to ignore the opinion of someone like Clayman; Ramirisâ opinion, on the other hand, seems promising.
If she found someone interesting, maybe even I will enjoy myself.ă
ă⊠Ramiris, huh? Iâm no good with her. From the very moment we met.
I had thought to go and kill her a few timesâŠ
But since she mentioned it, I might as well go and seeă
ăA hahaha. Donât. If you kill Ramiris, Iâll be your enemyă
ăRight. And I donât want to die yet. If you come at me, I see no chances for victoryă
ăHmm? Not at all. You have a one in a million chance of killing me, you know?ă
ăThen thatâs no good. Iâm only interested in fights that I can wină
ăStop with the humility. Thereâs few people who can even hurt me.
Having a chance to kill me means that youâre strong. Have some confidenceă
ăHmph. I am confident. Against anyone other than you, that is.ă
Thatâs where their conversation stopped,
And without a moment passing,
ăAra ara. Has your conversation finished?
Leon-sama, I extend my humblest welcomeă
A voice like ice.
And it came from a beautiful white haired girl.
Pure white skin, with cold and bewitching Blue Diamond colored eyes.
And bright white lips.
A girl walking around without Guyâs permission.
But she did not need his permission. In other words, she was their equal.
âIce Empressâ she was called, but is more known by her name âIce Dragon Velzadoâ.
She is one of the four dragons, and Demon Lord Guy Crimsonâs first subordinate.
Though rather than calling her a subordinate, it may be more appropriate to call her a partner.
An existence far different than the tools.
ăMy oh my, Velzatto. Beautiful as alwaysă
ăAra? Even if itâs only flattery, your words have made me happyă
A brief polite exchange.
That revealed none of their real feelings.
ăHmph. You guys are on bad terms as alwaysă
Guy as well was vexed at their animosity.
Normally, this would have led to an unpleasant exchangeâŠ
But this time, Velzatto changed the topic.
ăRight, right. My âbrotherâ has awakenedă
She suddenly declared.
ăAwakened? The sealed âStorm Dragon Valdoraâ?
I know that he was sealed, but didnât they say he had been erased?ă
ăYes. He had quieted down before disappearing, so I thought to help him outâŠ
Being erased is pitiful, you know.
He was trapped in an isolated space made by the hero that could not be influenced by the outside.
Many beings have lost their lives swallowed by such barrieră
ăOh⊠interesting.
In that case, who could have dispelled this heroâs seal?
Unique skill âEternal Prisonâ, other than by other heroes, could not be dispelled by a normal skill.
I have the ⊠skill, and perhaps by your ⊠skill.
Well, we had planned to release him sooner or later.
But considering that he has not rampaged since being released, does that mean he has weakened?ă
ăYes. He has. The response I am getting from him is strangely weak.
But still, not rampaging is quite unlike him.
His very being is made around the concept of violence, after all.ă
ăWell, in any case, I have no desire to fight Veldora.
If you want to make him yours, do as you wish.
Anyways, letâs meet at the Walpurgis Banquetă
ăYou are leaving already?ă
ăYeah. Thatâs all you wanted from me, right?ă
ăAh, wait a second. No need to rush.
By the way, have you succeeded with the âSpecial Summoningâ yet?ă
ă⊠Not yet.
Frankly, I donât care much for new demon lords or what-not.
Itâs just, according to my sources, this one might be messing with my summoning testsă
ăOh? The one named Rimuru?ă
ăYeah. So I want to at least see him once.
But Iâll be ignoring Ramiris, just so you knowâŠă
ăJust curious, but whoâs this informant?ă
ăNo idea. Magic Energy is a important factor when summoning âWorld Travelersâ.
When I summon, since I try to narrow down the criteria as much as possible, the interval becomes much longer.
At the present, I can only summon one being once every sixty six years.
But since I need to narrow down the criteria even more, my next summoning attempt will be in ninety-nine years.
This informant is trying out summoning in my place during this timeă
ăHow timid of youă
ăIâve failed many times, you see. Even after obtaining âLuck Blessingâ from Ramiris, I couldnât succeedă
ăIs this matter that important?ă
ăYeah⊠To me, itâs more important than anything in the worldă
ăI see. In that case, I wonât say anything.
But about this assistant⊠is he trustworthy?ă
ăTrust? No way. But he does have some useă
ăI see. I know I donât need to say this, but do be carefulă
ăThatâs not like you, Guy. But, Iâll accept the warning.
Thanks. Now then, letâs meet at Walpurgis Banquetă
Leaving these words, Leon left,
Leaving only a ball of light behind due to Spatial Movement magic.
Seeing this,
ăWhat an impatient man. Well, thatâs just like himă
Guy muttered while grimacing.
ăBut, he has created a dangerous opening.
This unknown âassistantâ⊠should I crush him?ă
Velzatto asked with a cold voice,
ăDonât. Unnecessary actions will only earn Leonâs displeasure.
I have no desire to be hated by a friendă
Guy answered, unworried.
To Guy, Leon was a trustworthy friend so these words were born out of familiarity with his personality.
Moreover, he simply knew how powerful Leonâs abilities were.
ăWhen he comes asking, weâll help himă
ăUnderstoodă
And that conversation ended.
Guy confirmed that his stay-at-home friend will be attending. Even though he was called out without a care for his needs, Leon seemed not to mind.
Guy as well had ignored the summons a few times, but could not remember why.
Thus, after a long time, all the demon lords will gather.
ăThis banquet seems promising, will you come?ă
ăWill I⊠No, I wonât.
I have no interest in demon lordsă
ăIs that so? Oh well. In that case, I leave the house-sitting to youă
ăYes. Iâll make the necessary preparationsă
Velzatto left after uttering these words.
Guy, left behind, observed the aura of the icy continent, while thinking about the upcoming Walpurgis Banquet.
A crafty demon lord prowling around.
A small fry, signifying the weakening demon lords.
A shut in friend who finally took actionâGuy found this point interesting.
And, the birth of a new demon lord.
How amusing. He had felt the loud beating of his heart for the first time in many hundreds of years.
The last battle was between weaklings.
Perhaps he could look forward to the upcoming one.
With that thought, he started thinking about the hero.
When was the last time he had felt oneâŠ
The one that invaded Leonâs castle was also a hero.
Leon ran away without fighting, claiming that the hero was strangely strong.
It wouldnât be strange for a human to die of old age by now, but Ramiris claimed that this hero was 'specialâ.
So it wouldnât be strange if it could extend its lifespan.
Nor were its movements regular,  appearing only before powerful individuals.
Guy had never been able to meet the hero, but would have wanted to try fighting it once.
This timeâs fight might be grand.
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It may not involve only monsters, but have the saints and the humans mixed in, resulting in a great calamity.
So perhaps even a hero will appear.
At this point, Guy had completely forgotten about the new demon lord.
To him, demon lords were a trifling existenceâŠ
He desired to meet a hero. That thought brought a smile to his face.