Ch.215Demon Lord’s Defeat
by fnovelpia
“Are you a Demon Lord?”
The moment those words escaped my lips, the world surrounding the Dark Elf Transcendent underwent a dramatic transformation.
The ground that had been stained black everywhere returned to its original state, and the starlit night sky changed to a clear daytime sky with bright sunlight shining down.
The various fires caused by Phyllis’s fireballs all disappeared, and the houses and objects damaged during the battle were neatly repaired.
As if the fight with the Dark Elf Transcendent had never happened in the first place.
“Ugh…aaaargh!!”
Meanwhile, the Dark Elf Transcendent at the center of the shattered world experienced the opposite phenomenon.
The flawless body that had instantly recovered from any wound now bore all the injuries we had inflicted—mostly puncture wounds and burn marks from Phyllis’s attack magic—and the two curved swords that had blocked Setty’s attacks numerous times were shattered into pieces scattered everywhere.
No more dark magic flowed from the six spider legs, and one of them was bent backward at the joint.
In that terrible pain, the Dark Elf Transcendent could only crouch on the ground with its belly down, screaming.
“What just happened?”
“Will, did you do something?”
Phyllis and Setty asked with puzzled expressions, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what had happened either.
All I did was ask the Dark Elf Transcendent if it was a Demon Lord.
“That’s precisely it. That one question of yours has cast the Dark Elf Transcendent’s fate into the abyss.”
Hearing the alluring voice from behind me, I turned around to see an adult version of Anastasia gracefully descending to the ground with her wings spread wide.
“Who are you?!”
“…Anastasia’s scent. But bigger everywhere.”
“Anastasia? This woman?”
Unlike Setty, who immediately recognized Anastasia by her scent, Phyllis took a combat stance with her rifle aimed. When I nodded in confirmation, she lowered her weapon, though her expression remained incredulous.
“I’ll explain this form later. There are more pressing matters at hand.”
“Urgh…! So it was you who brought these fools into the mental realm! Anastasia…kuhak!”
The Dark Elf Transcendent, who had been glaring at Anastasia with rage-filled eyes, coughed up a large amount of blood.
The blood was the same red color as ours.
“Heheheh…how reckless of you to speak my name while bearing a forbidden form. Are you so eager to bring about your own destruction? Black Eclipse Demon Lord, Royce Reich.”
“Black Eclipse Demon Lord?”
“Royce…Reich?”
First the White Demon Lord, now the Black Eclipse Demon Lord… Just how many Demon Lords are there in Grantis?
“Now, Will. My lovely and splendid child. Finish off this pitiful spider to save your lover’s family.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but… should I just shoot it?”
“Of course you could do that. But you’ve transcended this world’s taboos and perceived the Demon Lord’s existence, even learning its true name. That means, at least temporarily, you have dominion over it.”
“Dominion? Me? Over the Dark Elf Transcendent?”
“Indeed. If you command it to die, it will die. If you demand its treasures, it will surrender them. However, what you’ve subjugated is merely an avatar, a mental projection, so you’re limited to just one command.”
“Ohhh… I see.”
A single command right to the evil boss, huh?
If I’ve gained such a privilege, there’s no reason not to use it.
“What’s the scope and duration of the command?”
“Any command it can fulfill, lasting until it loses its life once. You could use it as your servant in place of Iris, or ask it one question before killing it. If you have no particular attachment, why not order it to harm itself? A Demon Lord submitting to an adventurer and harming itself—that would be an unprecedented spectacle in all of Grantis’s history. Heheheh…”
“D-don’t be ridiculous! I would never… to a mere human… kuhak! *cough* *cough*!”
The Dark Elf Transcendent, Royce Reich, who had been glaring as if about to pounce, coughed up another large amount of blood.
If Anastasia’s claim about it being temporarily under my control was true, then Royce Reich must be experiencing excruciating pain whenever it tried to harm or defy me.
While feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the situation that reminded me of a collar of servitude, I racked my brain for how to use my “one-time command” over Royce Reich.
“Black Eclipse Demon Lord, Royce Reich.”
“!!”
As soon as I called the name Anastasia had told me, Royce Reich straightened up and bowed its head.
Judging by its face still contorted with anger, it didn’t seem to have developed any loyalty toward me.
Since this was just an avatar, killing it once wouldn’t be a permanent farewell anyway. It would be better not to be too greedy and just take what I needed.
“I command you. Leave the body of Iris Eidra, the Elder’s successor of the Willow Sanctuary, and never again harm other races or try to transform them into Dark Elves or similar beings. This command applies not only to you but must also be enforced upon your subordinates.”
“…I will obey.”
After briefly responding, Royce Reich slowly rose and opened a black gate beside itself.
As I, Setty, Phyllis, and Anastasia watched, Royce Reich staggered into the gate.
Just before completely passing through, it looked straight at my face and said in a low voice:
“I will remember the mercy you’ve shown as the stronger one.”
With those final words, Royce Reich entered the gate, and the black portal closed completely and vanished before our eyes.
“What did it mean by those last words?”
“It was expressing gratitude in its own way. It wasn’t imprisoned and used as a servant, nor was it ordered to harm itself by someone it considered beneath its station. It was relieved to have maintained at least some dignity as a Demon Lord.”
As Anastasia said this, she waved her hand in the air once, and our bodies gently floated upward.
“Now, let’s go outside. You’ve done all you can here, and you must have many questions for me.”
“Ah, you’ll finally tell us? About Demon Lords, taboos, and all that?”
“Not all taboos have been lifted, but I can tell you enough to satisfy your and Jessica’s curiosity. Heheheh… Truth be told, I’ve been itching to tell you since we first met.”
With those words, our consciousness was enveloped in a bright white light as we left Iris’s mental world.
Just before my vision turned completely white, I thought I saw the door beneath the willow tree open slightly and caught a glimpse of a blonde elf woman…
Well, if she’s broken her own seal and come out, we’ll probably meet her in reality soon enough.
“Mmm…”
“Ah, you’re awake.”
“Welcome back, Will. I heard everything went well?”
When I opened my eyes after finishing our task in the mental world, Jessica and Mina were looking at me with concerned expressions.
Looking around, I saw Setty and Phyllis slowly waking up as well, while Iris remained in a deep sleep.
“Is Iris still in her Dark Elf state?”
“That can’t be helped. The physical transformation from the injected dark magic and the Transcendent’s invasion of her mental world are separate issues. We’ll need to continue searching for a way to restore her body.”
“It would have been good if we could get a sample of the dark blade… Could Anastasia prepare one for us?”
“I could prepare the tool itself in a dream, but imbuing it with dark magic falls within the realm of sorcery. I’m afraid I can’t help that far.”
“Then it can’t be helped. For now, let’s be satisfied with having successfully rescued Iris’s mind.”
Our adventure doesn’t end here, and Grantis still holds countless mysteries.
Among them, there might even be something like a magic lamp that grants wishes.
The important thing is to maintain an unbreakable spirit. Yeah.
“Well then, let’s put Iris to bed and hear the important story.”
“Eh~ Can’t we eat first? It’s already 9 PM.”
“What, 9 PM? We’ve been in the mental world for six hours?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
Following Mina’s words, I looked out the window and saw that darkness had already fallen over the world.
As soon as I realized this, my stomach growled loudly, and I began to feel intensely hungry.
“…Mina’s right, we should eat first. I’ll prepare something quickly, so just wait a bit.”
The mysteries of Grantis are important, but even Diamond Mountain is best viewed after a meal, as they say.
I grabbed my crafting tablet and headed to the kitchen.
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