Chapter 344

Chapter 344

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 344: Back To The Jungle (3)

“Alright then! Everyone, let’s head back to our hometown after so long! Let’s move out energetically! Understood?”

“Kyaaaah!”

“Krurururuk!”

The monster troops cheered loudly, perhaps because the idea of returning home had lifted their spirits. I, too, felt elated at the thought of visiting my dungeon after such a long time.

“Commence marching!”

—Thud!

Thus, the march began. Preparations were swift, and discipline was strict. My elite soldiers executed every movement perfectly, just as I wanted.

“Shasha. Master, I’m so excited.”

“Hahaha, me too.”

Sharan and Lumica, walking beside me, spoke joyfully.

“I’m so happy right now. Wow, our hometown after so long. Let’s get some peace of mind while we’re there.”

Smashing through monsters and expanding our forces naturally brought stability along with it.

“I wonder how the dungeon is doing.”

“It’s probably gotten quite dirty… Since we’ll have to use it as a base for a while, we’ll need to clean it.”

“The dungeon is happy! Shasha!”

Sharan expressed pure joy.

“Hehehe! Let’s sing and dance together!”

The mood felt as if we were going on a picnic. Well, there was no need to maintain strict discipline right at the start of the march.

“Let’s also look for the pixies when we get there!”

Serinu chimed in excitedly.

“Of course. Serinu, can you convince the pixies when we see them?”

“Of course! I brought them over last time too! If there are more pixies, I’ll get promoted, so I’ll work hard!”

“How ambitious you are.”

Regardless, as we prepared for a decisive battle with the angels, the pixies—angel killers—were of paramount importance. It would be great to recruit them all.

Wild monsters and other species weren’t particularly strong. The overwhelming combat power of my subordinates was due to being strengthened by my mana.

Therefore, when capturing subordinates, they must be trained and empowered with mana. Although the adaptation period would be shorter now that I’d grown stronger, it would still take some time.

In such chaotic times, everything boiled down to a battle against time. Only those who used their time wisely would be able to seize everything.

“During the march, sing the military song! The military song is ‘Monster Comrades’!”

“Monster Comrades! Kerek!”

“Start singing! One! Two! Three! Four!”

And so, we marched forward to uncharted territories, singing our military songs.

Returning to the jungle after a long time felt truly nostalgic.

Though it felt familiar, living in the city for so long had made me unaccustomed to it, causing a bit of discomfort.

Such mixed feelings arose, but ultimately, this was once our territory. Marching coolly along the waterways brought both relaxation and good speed.

Thus, we arrived at the old dungeon without any issues.

—Boom!

We broke through the sealed entrance and went inside.

“Keryak! Long time no see, Master!”

“Hahaha! Indeed!”

Although dust and sand had accumulated everywhere, it wasn’t dirty enough to be bothersome. However, the trees supporting the ceiling had dried out, which was a bit concerning.

“Shasha! Master! This was the room we used before!”

“The trees have all dried out. What a pity.”

“Krururuk! Master! Are we staying here tonight?”

Everyone seemed happy reminiscing about old memories.

“Of course. But first, let’s do some quick cleaning.”

“Kerek! Understood!”

“Let’s clean up, unpack, and rest well.”

Seeing the unchanged appearance of the dungeon felt great. It was nostalgic to the point of inducing a sense of peace. Later, when I conquer the world, I’ll use this place as a vacation home.

“Wow. So this is the place.”

“Isn’t this the prison?”

Reika pointed at the prison as she spoke.

“This is where I was kidnapped and tortured. On top of that, I was relentlessly assaulted.”

“I agree. This perverted guy kept assaulting us and engraved Womb Seals on our lower abdomens.”

Vanessa and Reika exchanged grim smiles as they spoke in unison.

“Let’s forget about the past and focus on cleaning.”

“Should I, of all people, be cleaning?”

“True.”

Ranks must be respected.

“Kerek? Master, what about me? Do I get rank privileges too?”

“Buril, just direct others. Command them with words.”

“Understood!”

This was what rank privilege was all about. The higher the rank, the less physical work one did, relying more on giving orders and supervising.

—Swish, swish.

Thanks to the large number of people, cleaning was quickly completed. Sharan revived the dried plants with her power, and Lumica provided moisture, completing the preparations for moving in.

“Hey! Wasn’t there an underground waterway?! Let’s hurry and take a bath!”

“Memories of doing laundry here are coming back… Still, I’ve been itching to take a bath. Let’s head down.”

“Back then, Lilriel was such a troublemaker.”

“T-that was when I was still part of the High Heavens!”

Alright, time for a bath.

“Sounds good. Let’s head underground for a bath. Let’s rest well today and start looking for our reserve troops tomorrow.”

Resting well today and starting work tomorrow seemed like a good plan.

“Shwaaah! Have you arrived, Demon King?”

“Grak grak. Long time no see.”

Upon arriving at the reserve camp, I was warmly greeted by Juragi, the leader of the Lizardmen, and Hookbeak, the hobgoblin leader.

“Oh wow, you guys. You’ve grown a bit, haven’t you?”

“Shwak. It’s because we’ve been living well!”

“Also, the camp has gotten a bit larger.”

Initially, there was only a small farming field, a fence, and two small buildings meant for lodging here.

But now, look at this.

It seemed they had made some technological progress while I was away in the barony. The farming fields had expanded, the fence had grown larger, and several primitive buildings had been added.

“And there are so many more subordinates now?”

This was no joke.

Lizardmen and hobgoblins, typically seen as wild monsters, were hiding between the buildings, cautiously observing us.

“Grak. They’re all new recruits, grak. We captured them.”

“Shwak. With the increase in manpower, we expanded the farming fields!”

“Wow! You guys have been managing things really well!”

Hearing their detailed report, I realized their achievements were truly impressive. The size of the troops had more than tripled, and the farming fields had grown even more.

They had essentially become experts in agriculture, farming by themselves, planting various crops, and even raising small livestock.

“Impressive. You’ve created an entire society here.”

Nekri admired the progress.

“Indeed. Their abilities are quite remarkable.”

Even Juria, the lamia, agreed.

Although the reserve troops had not yet reached the level of producing or handling iron tools, their civilization appeared decent enough in the eyes of the dark elves and lamias.

“As expected. They’re all part of the Demon King’s army, so it makes sense they’re doing well. Hey, Juragi. Have there been any conflicts lately? No attacks from dark elves or lamias?”

It was clear these reserve troops were no easy foes.

However, if I were a dark elf commander living nearby, I wouldn’t have liked having such neighbors. I’d have ensured their annihilation and seized their land at all costs.

Making compromises with a strong enemy only leads to great losses.

“Shwak. We haven’t seen any. We’ve only had brief skirmishes with small groups of wild orcs nearby.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed there weren’t any dark elves or lamias nearby.

“Nekri? Juria? What do you think?”

“Hm… It’s strange. They haven’t fought with dark elves?”

“I also find it odd. That shouldn’t be the case.”

It was certainly unusual.

“Think about it for a moment. Isn’t this Nekri and Juria’s homeland?”

“Yes.”

Nekri and Juria put their heads together and thought for a moment before exclaiming “Ah!” They whispered among themselves and then called me over.

“Demon King! We’ve remembered something!”

Nekri exclaimed.

“What is it?”

“It’s possible that the dark elves and lamias are engaged in a full-scale war, preventing them from paying attention to this area.”

Juria stepped forward and added to Nekri’s explanation.

“A war?”

“Yes. As you know, Demon King, the two races have never gotten along. It’s possible that they’ve started a full-scale war, which might explain why this area has remained peaceful.”

Nekri answered again.

“Hmm, that sounds plausible.”

War there, war here.

It was all war.

Of course, that’s excellent news for me. I was someone who knew how to take advantage of wars. When two sides were at war, the biggest beneficiary was always a third party nearby.

“Third party tactics, Kyuse. Let’s start by gathering information. Use this place as a base and scout the jungle’s situation. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

If it turned out that the two races were indeed at war, it would be a tremendous opportunity. Whether it was the dark elf queen or the lamia queen, I could easily make both my slaves.

War, after all, was a process that depleted national power.

If I were to intervene on that stage, I could easily pull both queens into my bed.

“Hehehe.”

Thinking about it made my excitement soar. I truly am lucky. A war! Opportunities don’t come better than this.

“Alright, let’s get started right away! Serinu! Over here!”

“You called me!”

Serinu, who had been in high spirits since our return to the jungle, flew over energetically.

“Let’s do some reconnaissance! I’ve heard there’s a possibility that the dark elves and lamias are at war.”

“A war! There’s always war here!”

“Exactly.”

“That’s why this is my homeland! I love it!”

What?

“War! More war!”

Serinu clenched her tiny fist and grinned widely as she shouted.

“I’m starving for war! Yahoo!”

—Whoosh!

With that, the little war maniac soared high into the sky, clearly thrilled.

“Hehehe, what a dangerous one.”

Usually, pixies were carefree beings who happily bounced around with their bountiful chests, but at the mere mention of war, they transformed into warriors. That was their instinct as a wild species, carrying an innate penchant for violence.

“Look at him grinning ear to ear. What’s the matter? Just the thought of banging the dark elf and lamia queens got your crotch tingling so much you can’t hold back?”

“Of course!”

“You sex-addicted maniac.”

Not just the queens!

Every busty maiden in the dark elf kingdom was mine. The dark elf men? Sure. I’d just subjugate them and use them as soldiers.