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Chapter 6: The Sage Accepts a New Subordinate (Part 2)</u>
Grom, Luciana and I entered the castle.\nI chose a drawing room that was no longer used as a place for conversation.\nThe room was in good condition.\nGrom must have cleaned it up in his enthusiasm.\nWe sat on the sofas facing each other with a low table in between and started the conversation.
âIâll ask once again, why are you here?â
âDonât threaten me like that. Arenât we friends, Dwight? â
âI-Impossible, this lass and the Demon LordâŚ!? â
Grom trembled in shock.\nThe flames in his eyes seemed to intensely flicker.\nIt seems like her words were quite the shock to him.
âGrom, calm down. While Luciana and I are acquaintances, we are no close friends. We were mutual enemies.â
The follower of the Hero, and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lordâs army.\nIt was our inevitable fate to kill each other, and we had had many life and death battles.\nWith the final outcome still undecided, we subjugated the Demon Lord while she was out sabotaging the human armies.
âWe âwereâ mutual enemies, huhâŚFor you to use the past tense, does that mean you believe it to be different now? â
Luciana had a malicious expression.\nI agreed without a thought.
âThe Demon Lord you served is dead. It has been ten years since then. There is no reason for us to spar.â
âYouâre quite pragmatic. I might have come for vengeance of the Demon Lord for all that you know.â
âIf that were the case, I would have crushed you and turned you all into undead. Iâll make good use of your corpses.â
I declared with an air of intimidation.\nIt wasnât just an empty threat.\nIf need be, I could put it to practice.\nIt was possible to accomplish it with very little effort.
ââŚUuâ
Sweat ran down her cheeks as Luciana gulped.\nShe let out a breath and calmed down, slowly leaning on the sofa.
ââŚIâm joking. I only want to become the new Demon Lordâs subordinate.â
âWhat do you mean?â
When I asked, Luciana began talking of her circumstances.
After the Demon Lordâs death, it seems like the humans trampled upon the remnants of the Demon Lordâs army.\nEven if they tried to fight, due to the absence of the Demon Lord who reigned at the top, they could not effectively counterattack.\nIn the meanwhile, the leadership of the remnants collapsed, and their command on the organisation slipped.\nEventually, they split into several factions, each taking a different path.
Luciana, who held the position of one of the Four Heavenly Kings at that time, went to the frontier with the ones who supported her.\nThey seemed to have been called the âmoderatesâ amongst the remnants.\nThese moderates decided to scrape by, living in places where human eyes did not reach\nBelieving that a new Demon Lord would appear someday, they overcame a ten-year distress.
âI had intentions of taking over if you had been a cowardly imitation with intentions of becoming the Demon Lord. But it seems like my worries were needless. Because you are stronger than the previous Demon Lord.â
Luciana gave me honest praise.\nHer words seemed tinged with amazement.\nIt seems that my strength was somewhat beyond her expectations.
âBut still, I never thought youâd become the new Demon Lord, Dwight. I know you and the hero were executed, but what really happened? â
Luciana leaned forward and asked.\nShe seemed very curious.
I didnât particularly want to keep it secret, and I had also asked her about her situation.\nIt wasnât as if I wanted to return the favour, but there was no harm in explaining it to her.
Having made such a decision, I talked about the events from the subjugation to the present.\nThe contents werenât all that complicated.\nIt didnât take long for the talk to end.
âIn other words, the humans who despised the heroes who killed the Demon Lord ended up giving rise to a new Demon Lord and brought about their own ruin!â Ahahaha, humans truly are irredeemable fools!â
Luciana laughed atop the sofa.\nThe contents of my story seemed to greatly delight her.\nI didnât feel like laughing, but it seemed like I touched her heartstrings.
But on the other hand, I disagreed with her opinion.
âSure, humans are fools, but they arenât irredeemable. I intend to give them eternal peace.â
âArenât you the honest one. You arenât thinking of completely annihilating them?â
âI want to devote my strength to make the world peaceful. That had been my objective right from when I was alive. It was her dearest wish.â
It was only that my path to peace had changed.\nThe base of my feelings was unwavering.\nBecause I thought that the current approach was the best, I was executing it without hesitation.
Correcting her posture, Luciana gave a gentle smile.
âWell, I understood your reasons and motivation. So, what are you going to do? â
Her gaze sought out my real intentions.\nShe continued talking without waiting for my reaction.
âWe seek a land of peace. In exchange, we shall offer skill and strength. You seek excellent subordinates. You could offer the entire kingdom as a reward.â
âYou mean to say our interests go hand in hand?â
âThatâs exactly it! I think itâs a win-win situation. â
Luciana spoke coolly\nHer expression seemed to betray her conviction that I would be sold on this.\nAt that moment, Grom whispered into my ear.
âDemon Lord, I have something to say.â
âWhat is it?â
âPlease come here.â
I was led by Grom to the edge of the room.\nThere he created a soundproof wall using magic.\nIt was to ensure that our voices did not reach Luciana.
âDo you believe that succubus? â
âItâs true that Luciana is excellent. She has an untrustworthy personality, but it should be fine if youâre on guard for that.â
No matter what the other sideâs real intentions were, it was important to be on guard.\nIf they began destroying humanity under my watch, it would be too terrible to even look at.\nAs long as I was careful about that, it wasnât that bad of a thing.\nIt didnât matter what our past fates were.\nAll that mattered was their current utility.
âThe army of demons she leads is fascinating. Even though they were a mere five hundred, they are a great addition to my subordinates. We are both using each other. That is all.â
âIf the Demon Lord says so, I cannot objectâŚâ
Although Grom said so, he seemed to have some lingering regrets.\nI knew that he was seriously thinking about my future.\nI shouldnât disregard him.
I placed my hand on Gromâs shoulder.
âWhenever I am in crisis, I will rely on your power.â
ââŚHahah! This Grom will work hard for the sake of the Demon Lord, even if my body becomes dust! This Grom is privileged to be of use to the Demon Lord! â
Gromâs spirits returned in a blink of an eye.\nThe flames in his eye sockets were blazing to the point that they seemed they would scorch the ceiling.\nThis should be fine for a while.\nI returned to the sofa.
âSorry to make you wait. Weâre done with our talk.â
âSo, what are you gonna do?â
âIâll be taking you in. I promise you a land of peace. In return, you have to take part in the war against humankind.â
Hearing my answer, Luciana smiled brightly and held out her hand.
âThatâs not a problem. I did this ten years ago too. I have nothing to hesitate now.â
âAlright. The negotiations are done.â
When I grabbed Lucianaâs hand, she happily jumped up.
âYes! Iâll be in your care then, Demon Lord? â
She approached me, wrapping her arms around my neck.\nShe pressed against me like that.
ââŚAnd what is this for?â
âI like strong men. Even when I followed the previous Demon Lord, I fell for his overwhelming strength. Thatâs why, nowâŚIâm like that. Hey, you know what I mean, right? â
Luciana spoke, looking up at me coyly.\nHer eyes seemed to overflow with emotion.\nHer plump red lips approached.
Sheâs the same as ever, huh.
I produced magic from my hand.\nI wonât kill her, but Iâd be troubled if she continued this in the future.\nTo be frank, it spelt nothing but trouble.\nI should give her a warning at the beginning itself.
The moment I decided to use my magic, eight bony arms grabbed Luciana.\nThe arms tore her off my body.\nOf course, they belonged to Grom.
âThe likes of a succubus to seduce the Demon Lord of all peopleâŚ! Itâs useless, you cannot deceive him! Sheâs a bad woman!â
âMy, thatâs not a very nice thing to say. You also seem quite nonstandard, but youâre not nearly as good as the Demon Lord. Iâm sorry. I go for nothing but the best.â\nLuciana replied triumphantly.\nHer calm words included many provocations.
ââWatch your mouth, you vulgar succubus. Youâve touched my reverse scale.. I will make sure you never again see the beauty that you pride yourself in!â
Grom was enraged.\nHe returned to his original form, not bothering to hide his bloodthirst.
âCome on. Iâll entertain you just this time.â
Opposite him, Luciana seemed to take a battle position for some reason.\nBecause she emphasised on strength as one of the criteria for choosing a partner of the opposite sex, she took a belligerent attitude.\nPerhaps it was because she had finally let go of the restraints that had held her back all this while and given her reaction.
âBwahahahaha! Let me give you a taste of my magicâŚ! â
âTry me! Iâll utterly crush you!â
The two, at last, began exchanging magic spells.\nThe reception room was destroyed as a consequence.
Observing them, I placed my hand on the door.\nI couldnât be bothered by everything.\nEven this body got tired.\nSince they had agreed to become allies, if the two had some brains, they wouldnât kill one another.\nIâll leave them alone till theyâre satisfied.
âŚShould I go tell Lucianaâs subordinates about the details of the matter?
Leaving aside the battle unfolding behind me, I left for the audience room.\nHasr: I know some of you find the story a little slow, but trust me it really gets good once we get to the second arc.