Meeting the Demon King
by Afuhfuihgs
I’ve had that experience before. When revisiting a famous street or department store, you get a strange yet familiar feeling due to remodeling or store changes. That’s exactly how I felt about Star Fallen after a long time. On the surface, nothing had changed, but it was very clear from an outsider’s perspective that the atmosphere had changed a lot.
As I muttered what came to mind without expecting an answer, Raellan, who was on the opposite side, quietly replied.
“The change in atmosphere is largely due to the war. The citizens are just relieved and happy that the war is over and the danger beyond the border has disappeared. Those who directly experienced the war, though called heretics, feel guilt and regret for the massacre of millions, showing a strange sense of alienation.”
Suddenly, I wondered what the Mad Strategist would have done in this situation.
“If you had made a plan, would something have changed?”
I don’t know what aspect of my question satisfied Raellan, but with a satisfied look on his face, Raellan twitched his lips and leaned his upper body forward, resting his arms on his knees.
“Yes, the reason soldiers feel guilt and regret is because it was a one-sided massacre in the name of war. People become emotional when they don’t lose something. They think, ‘Do we really have to go this far?’ They justify that soft thinking as good, rational behavior.”
Is this advice, or an intellectual jab at me? I gave a bitter smile and listened to the following explanation.
“The war was started by the Chaos Church under the pretext of them being heretics. Soldiers who had no connection to religion simply buried living people alive as ordered. The Chaos Church may have terrorized the capital, but people in the east, who are far from the capital, don’t feel it as reality. So, we should have created a consensus before the war. Not just making them follow, but making them step forward.”
“How do you make them step forward?”
At my question, Raellan stretched the corners of his mouth like a snake and rested his chin on his hand.
“You have to find a way for them to sympathize with the cause. You have to clearly show them that the east is also threatened and that they will definitely regret it if they don’t kill them. By disguising as followers and causing terror in Star Fallen, and pretending to kidnap citizens and perform sacrificial rituals, everyone will agree that the Chaos Church must disappear from the continent.”
“…That’s extreme.”
“Yes, but for the people of the east, the deaths of just a few hundred innocent people can give them the justification for a massacre. That’s the most important thing. Giving them a plausible justification to rationalize their actions. Justification is an excellent shield that can prevent belated guilt and regret. It’s an essential quality when a strategist uses people as tools.”
I was lost in thought, looking out the carriage window, organizing the explanations I had heard from Raellan in my head. After a while, the carriage stopped at its destination, and Raellan got out of the carriage first. Following behind him, I saw an old building.
Raellan sent the coachman back and knocked on the door. A Modest guild member, who had been waiting for a guest, opened the door. The man, who peeked his face out and looked around, nodded and let us inside.
“…We’ve been waiting.”
As the man said that after closing the door, Raellan replied indifferently.
“Ember said that the preparations were complete.”
“Yes, all the preparations have been completed in the basement.”
“Good, make sure no one approaches the basement.”
“Yes!”
Raellan took me to the basement. The lights were already on, so I could see the inside of the basement as I went down the stairs. Magic circles were drawn all over the basement except for the ceiling. The color was red, as if it had been drawn using blood.
There was something like a birdcage hanging from the ceiling with chains, and inside were women wearing nun outfits. Their hands and feet were tied, and their mouths were gagged and their eyes were covered. They were moving slightly at the sound of footsteps, so they were definitely alive. I hadn’t heard an explanation of what the preparations were, so I gave Raellan a look that said, “Explain.”
“They are sacrifices to help us have a conversation with the Demon King for a while. Coincidentally, there were many nuns left in Star Fallen to spread the influence of the church. We kidnapped six virgins, the Demon King’s favorite.”
At Raellan’s explanation, the nuns who were trapped moved as if they were having a seizure, and the sound of chains echoed loudly in the basement. Raellan spoke to me as if he didn’t care.
“You haven’t forgotten the explanation about the deal with the Demon King, have you? You just have to act according to the plan.”
I nodded, recalling the conversation we had in the carriage. Raellan turned around and approached the desk under the nuns. Raellan took out a book with a dark aura flowing from it and showed it to me, briefly explaining.
“I got this with difficulty from a demon worshiper.”
Raellan took a few steps back and moved to a position where he could see the sacrifices at a glance. He opened the book and began to mutter what was written inside.
“Lakrorumu- Rosen K Aus- La Sor Allato….”
It’s a language I’ve never heard before. You can talk to demons in human language, but it seemed like they were using an ancient language that has now disappeared when performing these sacrificial rituals. I could follow the pronunciation to some extent, but in the latter half, strange pronunciations that couldn’t be made with a human mouth came out. I was curious how that was possible, but I couldn’t see Raellan’s mouth because he had his back turned.
As Raellan muttered, the eerie energy flowing from the book slowly flowed towards the sacrifices. The sacrifices, who were burying their faces in the bars and groaning as if they were feeling extreme pain from their blood vessels twisting all over their bodies, almost simultaneously melted completely.
Chwaaa―――!
Everything except their clothes and skin poured down to the floor like a torrential rain. The endless stream of blood connected to each other, looking like a curtain made of blood. The moment Raellan finished speaking and closed the book… the blood that had been pouring down stopped in mid-air, and the shape of a face appeared in the curtain of blood.
It’s the face of a woman wearing a crown. The woman slowly lifted her eyelids and observed us for a moment before opening her tightly closed lips.
[Foolish humans, what do you want?]
Somehow, it feels like the voice is coming from far away. However, the voice contains power, so it resounds directly in my head without being denied. Unlike me, who feels a strong sense of resistance to it, Raellan opens his mouth with a calm attitude.
“What would be the right way for us to call you?”
[You know etiquette. But you are not qualified to hear my true name. Just call me the Demon King as you please.]
“I understand. Then, Demon King-isiyeo, we want to make a deal with you.”
As soon as Raellan finished speaking, the curtain of blood began to ripple wildly. As if something invisible was pressing down on Raellan, Raellan, who had been standing still holding the book, suddenly dropped to one knee, dropping the book to the floor.
[To dare to make an equal deal with a king, you humans are arrogant as always. You can only offer things to me.]
I couldn’t see the face because the curtain of blood was rippling, but I could feel the Demon King’s gaze shifting to me. Along with an enormous sense of pressure, something was pressing down on my very soul. But suddenly, the pressure disappeared, and the feeling of my soul being crushed disappeared. I thought the Demon King had backed down, but the ripples disappeared, and the Demon King’s surprised face appeared.
[How can a human resist my power?]
Raellan, with blood on his lips, glared at me over his shoulder. It’s unfair. I didn’t resist the Demon King’s pointless bullshit at all, as Raellan had explained in advance.
“…I didn’t do anything.”
Silence flowed in the basement for a moment. I could feel the Demon King staring at me with an obsessive gaze. As I quietly met his gaze, the curtain of blood finally rippled greatly, and the Demon King spoke.
[…Aha, now I know. You are my nemesis, the hero’s younger brother! To think that the presumptuous human who summoned me would be you! Since you’re thinking such demonic thoughts, it’s lucky that I found you like this! Do you know how hard I’ve been trying to talk to you! To make me wait like this, you’re a truly presumptuous human!]
“…?”
Somehow, it feels like the Demon King’s tone of voice has suddenly become a little higher. Unlike the feeling of ‘I am the ruler of the Demon Realm!’ until just now… should I say it feels a bit like a socialite? It was a similar feeling to Aria, who would force us to sit in front of a portable chalkboard and talk non-stop for 4 hours, claiming she was going to rank dessert shops.
Suddenly, the curtain of blood rippled, and the Demon King’s face turned away. We couldn’t hear the voice, but it seemed like he was talking to someone. As I stared blankly at the back of the Demon King’s head, Raellan also seemed to sense something was wrong and subtly raised his knee, giving me a wink. What, what do you want me to do…? I shrugged with that expression, and Raellan scratched the bridge of his nose.
The conversation seemed to be getting longer, and the Demon King’s face suddenly disappeared from the curtain of blood. As I scratched my head and fidgeted with my chin, staring at the curtain of blood with an awkward face, the voice finally came from the curtain of blood.
[…You must maintain the dignity of the Demon King!]
[Ah, I know! I’ll take care of it myself! Get out of the room, seriously!]
Along with the sound of something being thrown, the curtain of blood soon rippled, and the Demon King’s face reappeared.
[…Hoo, my nanny still thinks I’m a little devil. I’m old enough to have children now, so why is she telling me to be careful of male humans so much! Okay, let’s go with a low voice and dignity. Woobeubeubeu― Ah, ahem! Ah, first, let me drink a glass of water.]
Gulp― The sound of swallowing water echoed in the basement. Soon, along with the sound of putting something down, the Demon King cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
[―――]
His lips were clearly moving, but no sound was heard. Raellan, who had been watching quietly, quietly raised his hand and said.
“I’m sorry, but… we can’t hear the Demon King-nim’s dignified voice.”
Soon, the curtain of blood rippled tremendously and then calmed down. The Demon King, who reappeared a little later, made a proper voice this time.
[Are weak humans unable to even recognize this level of incantation? But I hope you didn’t hear any other strange sounds, did you? I’m a little worried that weak humans might have heard vain hallucinations due to my intense presence.]
Raellan and I, who had been making eye contact without saying a word, quietly nodded.
“…We didn’t hear anything.”
[That’s a relief!]
“….”
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