Ch.129Demon Lord Maker – 4

“About three days left, huh?”

I shook the blood off my Dragon Fang Sword while thinking about the remaining time. Time until the final exams, that is. Attendance doesn’t really matter whether I show up or not, but I still need to take the tests.

I could skip them entirely without consequence, but my conscience pricked me a bit at the thought of abandoning the final exams while still carrying the title of an academy cadet.

After cleaning my Dragon Fang Sword, I shrunk it to dagger size, attached it to my waist, and looked around. Compared to before, the number of corpses strewn about had decreased considerably.

This was because rumors about someone who only killed those who claimed to be Demon Lords had spread quite far. Now people recognized me without me having to introduce myself.

Those who scattered and fled when battles ended must have spread the rumors. When facing an entire tribe alone, letting a few escape was unavoidable.

The funny thing was, while they knew someone like me existed, almost none believed that person was human. Most only showed reactions of “So it really was a human?” after meeting me.

‘That werewolf was rather wise.’

The werewolf chieftain I first encountered prepared to fight with all his might even after noticing I was human. This was while his subordinates were openly looking down on me.

I brought over a relatively blood-free boulder and spread my makeshift map on it. It was a map I’d created by capturing some fleeing enemies and extracting information on the spot.

From what I could see, I’d probably be able to return after dealing with just three or four more locations.

‘What’s this?’

As I was packing up the map to move to the next location, I sensed a massive presence approaching. Along with it came an aura far more powerful than anything I’d encountered so far.

Only a Legion Commander could emit such power.

‘Probably Durahan.’

There were only two Legion Commanders left, and if it were the Elder Lich, it wouldn’t approach alone like this but would first surround the area with undead.

—CRASH!

“Finally found you.”

As I expected, a knight who had smashed through the strangely grown trees like they were reeds stopped right in front of me.

His black armor seemed to be of medium thickness and size, somewhere between heavy and light armor, and what should have been above his shoulders was missing. That “thing that should be above his shoulders” was tucked between his left arm and side.

“Are you the one who’s been eliminating those disloyal creatures claiming to be Demon Lords?”

“That’s right. It’s me. Why?”

I asked while pointing Eternity at him. I didn’t mind facing a Legion Commander here. But the problem was that if Durahan died now when only two Legion Commanders remained, there was no telling what the remaining Elder Lich might do.

According to Elisheer, the Elder Lich’s current inactivity was likely due to Durahan’s presence.

“I have not come to fight, loyal one. To one who acts for the Demon Lord, I personally—”

His words cut off abruptly. His body twitched as he examined me carefully, then a sigh escaped him.

“…So you’re human.”

“Whether I’m human or not isn’t particularly important, is it? Why don’t you explain what you were personally going to do first?”

Durahan, who seemed to be contemplating for a moment, apparently collected himself and sheathed his drawn sword.

“Indeed. Whether you’re human or not is irrelevant. What matters is that you serve the true sovereign and ruler, the Demon Lord. Thank you for opening my eyes. You possess excellent insight. I recognized your loyalty from the moment you took action for the Demon Lord. Just as your eyes that serve the true sovereign were not mistaken, neither were mine.”

Clap, clap, clap. He applauded leisurely. I was dumbfounded. I became intensely curious about what was going on in his head.

“Sheathe your sword and kneel, excellent human. In recognition of your loyalty to the Demon Lord and your honorable actions, I shall personally bestow upon you a token of loyalty. You are a knight worthy of receiving this.”

“…”

I was wondering why he’d come all the way here to the opposite side of the Demon Lord’s castle. Even considering that my actions might make me appear pro-Demon Lord, this was truly an unexpected direction of madness.

Even if it was just an act, receiving anything from a demon felt uncomfortable. While pondering how to handle this, a good idea came to mind.

‘I just need to do things that would be considered loyal or honorable, right?’

If Aria was so kind-hearted that she seemed naive, then the First Legion Commander was said to be obsessively fixated on honor and loyalty. That he could be compared to Aria said it all.

During the final battle, despite mobilizing his entire legion, he insisted on dueling the hero one-on-one because he believed it dishonorable for many to attack one. With that in mind, this was worth trying.

“You’re out of your mind. Who are you to bestow tokens of loyalty while ignoring the Demon Lord? Are you suggesting I should serve you instead of the Demon Lord?”

“…!”

“Bestowing gifts is solely the right of the ruler. Why are you deciding that on your own? Is that what you consider loyalty and honor? Acting on your own whims?”

Durahan froze in place as if he’d been struck on the head. I immediately drove the point home.

“Seeing you act so arbitrarily, it seems you’re just paying lip service to loyalty and honor while secretly wanting to take the Demon Lord’s position like the others.”

“AAAAARGH!”

With a metallic scream, he fell to his knees. Then he began to wail, pounding his shoulders against the ground.

“No! That’s not true! I only serve the Demon Lord! I… I…!”

Whether it was because he was a Legion Commander or not, the earth trembled, and the ground around Durahan began to cave in as if forming a crater. I stepped back to avoid flying debris.

‘This actually worked.’

I had just said whatever came to mind, but I didn’t expect it to be this effective. Elisheer’s description of him as someone with an almost insane fixation matched perfectly.

Durahan continued to blame himself, smashing his shoulders into the ground until his entire armor was covered in dirt, and throwing his helmet aside. Eventually, he emerged from the dust-filled crater with a dejected appearance.

“You speak the truth, human… As a knight serving the great one, I have committed an unforgivable act of disloyalty. This sin can only be repaid with my life… Where is the Demon Lord truly…!”

A moan full of anguish escaped from the helmet in his hand.

‘Elisheer is probably eating dessert with Rosaria in the club room right now.’

They’re probably raiding the refrigerator together even as we speak.

“…Are you saying you’re fighting on the same side as a Legion Commander of the demon army?”

“It just happened that way? He didn’t care at all that I was human. He actually liked it, saying I had excellent judgment.”

“Hahaha! That’s just like him!”

Elisheer laughed, holding his stomach. Rosaria and Laura wore expressions of disbelief. Priscilla, as always, was busy cuddling up to me, though she seemed less desperate than before.

“I’ve encountered him a few times when fighting the hero, so I roughly know his personality… but I didn’t realize he was that stupid.”

“I agree. Though I designed his personality, I never imagined it would become so extreme.”

Laura, who had briefly clicked her tongue, put down her teacup and asked:

“How are things progressing, my friend?”

“So well it’s almost a problem. The rumors spread so quickly that many surrender without fighting. The situation is that those claiming to be Demon Lords are killed if captured, so they’re urged to fight, but that doesn’t seem to work on those who surrender.”

“I expected as much. That’s typical demon behavior.”

“Isn’t fighting to the death more demon-like?”

“If all demons behaved that way, they wouldn’t have formed the power structure they have now. While strength is everything, the weak thoroughly submit to the strong, as I’ve said. Once the power gap is clearly perceived, they quickly abandon any thought of challenging it. Of course, humans are the exception.”

As I nodded in understanding, footsteps approached from the corridor. There were two sets, and judging by their stride, they were Leona and Aria.

“Leona and Aria are coming.”

“…Meaning it’s our turn to face the Sword Saint.”

“Sigh, this time again. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I made the Sword Saint too powerful.”

“…”

Elisheer and Laura sighed deeply, and Priscilla also rose with a sullen expression. Shortly after, Leona and Aria entered the club room, looking ragged.

“Switch time, switch! Hurry up and go! Oh… Your Highness the Imperial Princess, and Senior Priscilla too?”

Leona, who had been speaking informally, carefully gauged Laura and Priscilla’s reactions. They paid no attention to that fact and left for the training ground after saying they’d be back.

Aria sat demurely on the sofa with her knees together, while Leona plopped down beside her. I took out cold drinks from the refrigerator and tossed one to each of them.

“Ah! Thank you, Miss Mira!”

“I was just getting thirsty. Thanks.”

“How’s the sparring going?”

Leona, who had emptied her drink in one go, placed the empty bottle on the table and sighed. Beside her, Aria was holding her bottle with both hands, sipping like a squirrel.

“It’s killing me. Now I understand why they said they’ve been going easy on us all this time, fighting with teaspoons and toothpicks.”

“M-me too… It was really hard…”

Even Aria, who usually wore a smiling face, was lamenting, which suggested they were being pushed unusually hard.

“I see. I can imagine how tough it must be, looking at the state of your clothes.”

Only then did the two look down at their clothes, and after a beat, they jumped as if burned.

“S-sorry! We should have cleaned up first!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was only thinking about resting…!”

As they hurriedly stood up to leave, I used magic to sit them back down on the sofa and gave them each another drink.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“But… we’re not okay with it. We must smell of sweat…”

“You don’t smell at all, though?”

It was true. Whether it was because they were romance fantasy protagonists or not, both of them were not only odorless but even emitted a faint floral scent. Despite their tattered uniforms, their skin remained spotlessly clean.

“…”

“…”

As soon as I said that, Leona and Aria shrank back, trembling as they looked at me.

“M-M-Mira, did you actually smell us? Really?”

“D-did you really do that? You didn’t, right?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I just noticed when I passed by to give you drinks earlier.”

Their faces turned pale.

“Hey! You should warn us before doing something like that! I wasn’t mentally prepared!”

“Th-that’s right! If you had at least told us…”

“If I had told you, would you have let me smell you?”

At my question, Leona and Aria, who had been passionately arguing with flushed faces, simultaneously froze. They seemed to have just realized how their words might have sounded.

“Th-that’s not…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forget it…”

Both looked like they might explode at any moment, hanging their heads low and fidgeting with their thighs. I didn’t even deliberately sniff them, so I wondered why they were so embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Mira. I can respect whatever preferences you have. How about it, want to take a sniff?”

Rosaria, who had been watching the unfolding disaster while covering her mouth and snickering, swept her silver-white hair to one side, revealing her snow-white nape. A playful yet seductive smile appeared on her face.

“I already know. You smell like milk.”

“Milk?!”

I had noticed it before when she buried my face in her chest while comforting me. That wasn’t intentional either.

“R-really? Milk scent, you say…”

At my response, Rosaria, who had been so confident just moments ago, began to fidget awkwardly like the other two, unable to find a place to rest her gaze. Then she quietly muttered:

“Pervert…”

“Are you really in a position to call me that?”

The nerve, after what she did.