Chapter 3: Experienced Newcomer

After the Archmage Kaldraash disappeared down the hallway, following Seneca, the Demon King, left alone in the Audience Chamber, fell into deep contemplation.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

At first, it was just a shot in the dark, thinking ‘what have I got to lose?’.

It was to buy time until the subordinates who noticed the Hero’s intrusion rushed to the Audience Chamber, and from the start, I never thought for a moment that the stiff-necked Hero’s comrade would fall for my proposal.

And then, out of the blue, he accepted the offer.

It was truly an unexpected turn of events.

‘Kaldraash the Rampage.’

He’s one of the Archmages capable of wielding Hexa Spells, of which there are only 17 in this vast land.

Due to his magic specializing in wide-area destruction and his merciless techniques, he was a notorious mage, called ‘Rampaging Mage’ by allies and ‘Butcher’ by demons, despite having a separate epithet.

He was such a hassle to fight against, but now that he’s on our side, he’s become a real dilemma.

‘…Should I be happy about this, or not?’

An Archmage who wields Hexa Spells, classified as tactical magic, could literally be described as a walking legion.

If handled well, there couldn’t be a better card to play, but judging by his past actions, Kaldraash is like an uncontrollable time bomb.

Moreover, there must surely be those within the Demon King’s Army who hold personal grudges against him, and if I, the Demon King, were to defend him simply because he’s a subordinate, my political standing could be weakened.

‘For now, I’ll have to hide the very fact that he defected to the Demon King’s Army.’

If Kaldraash’s existence becomes known externally, it will likely cause a lot of noise.

Whether it brings benefits or drawbacks, it will undoubtedly lead to an undesirable situation.

After contemplating for a long time, the Demon King took out a copy of the Geass Scroll that he had received from Kaldraash and immediately put it in his pocket.

「One, I, Kaldraash, shall receive half the land when the Demon King conquers the world.」

「One, I, Kaldraash, shall never betray the Demon King until the above provision is fulfilled.」

「One, Demon King Nero shall absolutely keep his promise with me, Kaldraash.」

「One, Demon King Nero has the right to request help from me, Kaldraash, at any time.」

「One, if the above conditions are not met, the party at fault shall forfeit their right to life and death over the other party.」

A total of five oaths, exchanged just a few hours ago.

But can this alone leash that ferocious beast?

Such worries came first, but there was no other effective way.

For now, I just have to trust his word.

Fortunately, among the misfortunes, the fact that the biggest headache, the Hero, has been dealt with means I can focus on internal affairs for the time being.

A grand plan naturally formed in the Demon King’s mind.

Now, for the remainder of the year, I will tend to the lands ravaged by the long war, consolidate the front lines to some extent, and then raise an army again next spring.

Truly perfect.

‘Once things calm down a bit, maybe I’ll send him on a solo mission.’

Sending Kaldraash to the Eastern Front, the main battleground between the Kingdom Army and the Demons, and letting him run wild wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

“Hehehe…”

Imagining the Kingdom Army suffering under Kaldraash just like we did, the Demon King, feeling suddenly elated, sat on his throne and laughed wickedly, then carefully folded the scroll containing the oaths and put it back in his pocket, lest it tear if the wind blew.

I plan to put this in the safe in my bedroom.

The morning of the first day after betraying my comrade was truly refreshing.

As usual, I woke up early, tidied the bedding on the bed, then sat down on the floor cross-legged.

It was to start the day’s routine with meditation.

“Sss…”

As the imaginary mana core within my body began to rotate, mana was drawn in around it, naturally circulating throughout my entire body.

This is like the ‘inner circulation’¹ mentioned in martial arts novels.

While the waste products accumulated in my body overnight were being expelled, I briefly recalled the old days.

Most of the year spent with the Hero was spent sleeping rough on the streets.

Actually, I didn’t have many complaints about him.

I’m the type who falls asleep easily as long as I have a place to rest my head, and the discomfort of sleeping rough would be felt equally by everyone in the party, not just me.

But what I truly couldn’t stand was when we stayed in villages during our travels.

When the Hero’s party visited a village, the local authority naturally paid the most attention to the Hero, as he was the center of the party.

Since the Hero was the center of the party, this was unavoidable, but I hated being treated poorly just because I was a mere party member.

Knock- knock-

The meditation was interrupted by a sudden knock.

Checking the time, about 30 minutes had passed since I started meditating.

‘Guest, may I come in?’

‘Yes, please come in.’

Upon receiving permission, a maid with white hair carefully opened the door and entered.

‘I’ve brought water for you to wash your face.’

‘Ah, thank you.’

Her race was Succubus.

At first glance, she looked like a beautiful human woman, but the bat wings on her back and the tail sticking out from under her buttocks revealed that she was not human.

The maid placed a basin of warm water and a towel on the bedside table.

I was introduced to her last night.

The Chief Steward, Seneca, said that she would handle all the miscellaneous tasks for me while I stayed at the Demon King’s Castle.

She’s essentially a personal maid.

After quickly washing my face with the water the maid brought, I asked while drying my wet face with the towel,

‘What’s the schedule for today?’

‘There were no special instructions. You may roam freely within the castle until the Demon King-nim summons you.’

‘Sounds good.’

I nodded satisfactorily and decided to change clothes before going out.

As I took out the new clothes from the closet, the maid standing by the door subtly approached and said,

‘I will help you change.’

I gladly accepted her help.

After changing out of the clothes soaked in sweat from the night into new ones, I put on the robe, which is practically the uniform of a mage.

Generally, a mage’s robe contains a significant amount of information.

Just by the robe’s color, decorations, or even the number of buttons, one could roughly gauge which school they belonged to.

‘My hair… is it still okay?’

Originally, mages, both male and female, tended to have long hair.

Hair, being an extension of the body, serves as an excellent medium for storing mana.

I too once sported long, flowing hair like a rocker, but during the arduous journey where sleeping rough was a daily occurrence, long hair was too difficult to manage, so at some point, I started sticking to a half-shaved haircut.

‘Hmm. Not bad.’

I assessed myself, angling my body this way and that in the mirror the maid was holding.

This is my first time wearing Demon clothes.

However, perhaps because there are demons who resemble humans, they weren’t much different from those made by humans.

After the final check, I grabbed the staff lying beside the bed and asked the maid,

‘You mentioned earlier that I could roam freely within the castle, but is going outside impossible?’

‘Regrettably, the Demon King-nim prohibited it, saying that if an ordinary human like Kaldraash-nim were to roam the marketplace freely, the citizens might get scared.’

‘If that’s the reason, then I can’t help it.’

Actually, right now, there are many places worth visiting, so I don’t particularly feel the need to go out.

No matter how you put it, this is the Demon King’s Castle.

A completely uncharted territory for humans.

As an explorer seeking the unknown, it was impossible not to feel a surge of curiosity.

‘Are there any particular places worth visiting in the Demon King’s Castle?’

Then, the maid, who had been standing respectfully with her hands clasped, hesitated for a moment before approaching the window and speaking.

‘The current Demon King’s Castle is an ancient fortress built about 800 years ago, a natural stronghold personally designed and constructed by the second Demon King, Tiberius-nim. It boasts sheer cliff faces behind it and a bountiful river flowing in front, and its outstanding scenery, unbelievable for a construction using ancient techniques, is renowned for its beauty even among the High Demons.’

I followed her, moving my steps.

Leaning out of the stone arched window, the vast structure of the Demon King’s Castle came into view.

Generally, the lands of the demons described in human literature are cursed lands filled with withered trees, cracked earth, and ferocious beasts.

However, the marketplace in the town below the castle, visible in the distance, was bustling with energy, rivaling that of human kingdoms.

It’s just that the citizens come in all shapes and forms.

‘Personally, I recommend the Hanging Gardens in the back courtyard, the training grounds where the Demon King’s Army soldiers practice, and the Great Library, where all knowledge from east and west, past and present, converges. For a mage like Kaldraash-nim, these are places you surely cannot miss.’

Hearing her words, I shrugged.

Certainly, any ordinary mage would go nuts at the mention of a library, just as she said.

But I was an oddity, recognized even by the Tower Lord of the Emerald Tower, the main base of magic.

‘The Great Library sounds nice, but let’s go to the cafeteria first. After filling up at the cafeteria, I’ll take a stroll through the Hanging Gardens to aid digestion. Afterward, dropping by the training grounds to loosen up a bit wouldn’t be bad either.’

Hearing my words, the maid asked with a bewildered expression,

‘Aren’t you going to the Great Library?’

‘Yeah, well.’

I casually avoided her gaze and gave an awkward smile.

‘Actually, I’m not really fond of reading.’