Ch.130Demon Lord Maker – 5

As time passed, with only a day left before final exams began, both academy coursework and work in the demon realm were entering their final stages.

In the end, I decided to only take exams for subjects other than the afternoon lectures and magic theory classes, which weren’t particularly meaningful. Of course, the dungeon practicum among the afternoon lectures was an exception.

Around that time, another minor incident occurred. What I had said to Priscilla at the succubus castle had spread to the other possessed individuals.

It all started when Rosaria saw Priscilla giggling alone in the club room and asked what good news had made her smile like that. Since there had been no request to keep it secret, Priscilla simply repeated what she had heard.

Naturally, Rosaria wasn’t the type to stay quiet after hearing something like that, so before long, Elysier and Laura also learned about it.

“Wow, I’m touched. Promising a happy ending—I might have felt my heart flutter a little. Anyway, since you said it yourself, we can expect it, right? Right?”

“Truly a grand and sweet ambition. Very well. I shall eagerly anticipate the happy future you will bring with all my might.”

“I created the ending of this world, but you say you will create our ending. What a perfectly flawless declaration, my dear.”

“Uh… what?”

While the other two showed genuine appreciation, Rosaria, who had been snickering and teasing me, suddenly wore a surprised expression and hastily tried to smooth things over, but it was already too late.

“…I’m sorry. I wasn’t being serious.”

Eventually, when only the two of us remained, she apologized with a completely deflated demeanor. Since it was an understandable prank, I didn’t feel any ill will.

If I were to flip around the fact that Rosaria was the most mischievous of the four, it meant that her mental state hadn’t deteriorated much from the regression, since she could still play such pranks.

From my perspective, as long as she didn’t cross any lines, I actually welcomed such reactions. A relationship where someone depends on me one-sidedly, like Priscilla or Laura, isn’t particularly good either.

“…So can I continue being like this from now on?”

When I nodded, her face brightened immediately as she threw herself at me. After comforting her a bit more, I returned to the demon realm to finish the work that was nearly complete.

And the demon realm I visited after two days had completely changed from what I remembered.

“We have an emergency, my lady’s master.”

Cliona, who had been pacing anxiously, immediately regained her composure as soon as I arrived. The other succubi also rushed toward me with relieved expressions, as if their salvation had come.

“What? What’s happening?”

“Undead have begun awakening throughout the entire demon realm.”

“…It must be him. The Elder Lich.”

I immediately grasped the situation. The Elder Lich had begun to openly reveal his ambition for the Demon King’s position.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for undead to awaken across the entire demon realm, and no other demon could control such a vast number of undead.

“The awakened corpses are all saying the same thing. They say to serve the new Demon King. They also say those who don’t serve in life will be made to serve in death.”

“Not particularly surprising. I had a feeling something like this would happen. Have you figured out where they’re moving?”

“Our reconnaissance has limitations, so I can’t be certain… but it appears some are heading toward human territory.”

“Some? How many is that?”

“Approximately seven to eight hundred thousand, by our estimates. They’re all either comparable to Death Knights or one to two levels below, so it’s not just about their numbers.”

So nearly a million undead are reduced to such a simple description.

I put on my necklace and informed Elysier about what was happening in the demon realm. After hearing the full story, Elysier said in a cold voice that she would inform the other three before ending the communication.

“Cliona—ah, my lady’s master! Outside…!”

A succubus rushed in urgently. I summoned Eternity, gripping it as I asked:

“Undead?”

“No. The First Legion Commander has arrived! And it seems he’s brought his entire legion with him!”

Fortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t have to fight the undead right away.

“I never thought I’d end up fighting on the same side as Durahan for this long…”

Still, it was better than facing millions or tens of millions of undead alone. I put Eternity away and donned my hooded long coat and mask, which I had been wearing to conceal my face, then went outside the castle.

A considerable number of ghost cavalry were positioned in neat rows and columns. All of them rode black ghost horses, wore black armor, and carried black spears and shields.

At the very front, Durahan, who was similarly mounted and holding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, saw me and leaped down from his horse to approach.

“I know you’ve been enjoying yourself, but it’s time to move again. The situation isn’t good, so we need to hurry.”

Despite my repeated denials, he seemed absolutely convinced that I must be taking advantage of the succubi while in their midst. Since it was awkward to explain, I decided to let him keep his misconception.

“I know. I just heard about it. They say it’s the Elder Lich’s doing.”

“Indeed! He dared to order me to pledge allegiance to him as the new Demon King! Claiming the Demon King is certainly dead! That traitor! It’s absolutely unacceptable!”

Unable to contain his anger, Durahan struck the ground with his spear. As the earth cracked like a spider web, the succubi screamed in unison and hid behind me. Even Cliona was no exception.

After completely crushing the nearby ground, Durahan trembled with rage for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“It seems the only forces we can use immediately are my ghost cavalry and the succubi. The others must have all submitted to that traitor. Disgraceful creatures with no sense of honor.”

“We should leave out the succubi. They don’t even know how to fight properly. Bringing them out would only serve to increase the undead’s numbers.”

I heard sounds of fervent agreement from behind me. I wondered how Astaroth had ever managed to deploy such beings on the battlefield.

“Then our effective fighting force consists only of the ghost cavalry and yourself.”

Durahan’s legion, the ghost cavalry, was trustworthy even in this situation. This stemmed from the difference between ghosts and undead.

The undead controlled by the Elder Lich were reanimated dead bodies, but the ghost cavalry was a legion formed from wandering spirits of the deceased, beyond the Elder Lich’s control.

That’s probably why they were organized as a separate legion.

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

Perhaps because he had cut down disloyal demons alongside me, or because he firmly believed I was a human who had defected out of loyalty to the Demon King, Durahan asked without hesitation.

“Well, I don’t have anything specific in mind. But if there is a plan, it would definitely involve a concentrated breakthrough. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.”

“I agree completely. We must end this as quickly as possible.”

Living demons would revive and attack again even if killed, and undead wouldn’t be affected by moderate damage—even if crushed to meat, they could be reborn as flesh golems, making them incredibly persistent.

And we were facing the number of undead rising throughout the demon realm, plus the undead the Elder Lich already controlled, plus the demons and magical beasts that had submitted to the Elder Lich and would attack under his command.

Gradually reducing their numbers wasn’t a viable solution in this situation.

“It would be unreasonable to bring Leona here too.”

Given that part of the undead army was confirmed to be heading toward the human frontlines, Leona needed to be there with the Sword Saint. We couldn’t expect support from them.

“At least it’s easy to figure out where he is. The Demon King’s castle, right?”

“Correct. The disloyal wretch has set up his own throne in the very seat where our Demon King once sat.”

“Good. We’ve determined our destination. Next is defending this place… Cliona, contact Nika and tell her to come here. If Beatrice tries to stop her, tell her it’s the young master’s order.”

“Understood.”

Cliona closed her eyes and concentrated. Soon after, not Maid Yustera but Succubus Queen Nika appeared, wearing extremely revealing scraps of cloth.

“You called for me, master—”

She flinched and hid behind me, away from the First Legion Commander. Durahan, for his part, seemed quite surprised that a Succubus Queen would act so affectionately toward a mere human.

“…How is this possible? You are human, are you not? How can you remain unaffected in the presence of a Succubus Queen?”

“It’s thanks to the Demon King.”

“As expected of the Demon King!”

Fortunately, he was a simple-minded fellow who accepted everything as the Demon King’s arrangement. I didn’t need to come up with any excuses.

After instructing Cliona to explain the situation to Nika, I snapped my fingers. White flames descended like a tornado from the sky, surrounding the entire succubus territory.

As white flames filled the surroundings, the succubi began retreating toward the castle. They seemed terrified by the appearance and heat already.

“Death Knights won’t be able to break through this. It should serve as a decent defensive wall. But just in case… Nika?”

“Yes, yes! Master!”

“Send the girls out to check if there are any breaches. If you find any, don’t hesitate—take everyone and run. Understand? Don’t try to defend it inadequately. If undead manage to break through that, you absolutely won’t be able to stop them with your power.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. But to do that—”

“I know. You need energy, right? I’ll give you some later, so for now, divide up roles and set up a perimeter.”

“Hehe, yes!”

Nika headed toward the castle with a bright smile, leading the succubi. Though she appeared gentle, she had read the Queen’s memories through succession, so she would perform her role well.

I turned my attention to the ghost cavalry. In the original story, they had arrived majestically, but after Durahan died in a duel with Leona, they all scattered and gradually disappeared.

It felt strange to be fighting alongside such beings, even if it was a temporary alliance.

“So, are you ready for an honorable death?”

“Did you just say ‘honorable death’?”

Durahan immediately showed interest. As expected, he paid no attention to the dying part.

“In an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation that anyone can see we’ll lose, with an absurd number of enemies and our forces pitifully few, without even certainty that we can win—isn’t charging forward with nothing but loyalty to your lord, for the last remaining hope, an honorable action? And isn’t dying that way an honorable warrior’s death?”

“Ohhh, indeed…! Your words are truly right! That is the most honorable death possible for a knight!”

Influenced by their commander who raised his spear high and roared, the ghost cavalry’s morale also rose dramatically. The ghost horses reared up or pawed the ground, while the riders banged their weapons against their shields.

“Death to the disloyal traitor! For the Demon King! For honor!”

“Maybe I should have saved that speech for later.”

I hadn’t even mentioned when we would depart yet.