episode_0003

It seemed like quite some time had passed while fooling around in the living room.

First, if we were to gauge the atmosphere, it seems that everyone has a clear trust in me.

When I jokingly asked if they could provide a guarantee, the next day they established a bank in my name.

Wait, how did they really manage that?

“Father, today is the day of the continental conference. I mentioned it at the last dinner as well, but would you be able to participate?”

“It’s been a while since I went out. Do you know who will be attending the continental conference?”

“Well, in this continental conference… First, kings, emperors, and leaders like Matapju will all gather, and on our side, it seems that I and Veronica, Beatrice who is currently absent from the Cult of Evil, and Cecilia will attend.”

“I see. Then going outside for a while wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

The continental conference.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, there isn’t anything particularly special about it.

So, I planned to go with the intention of just feeling the fresh air outside.

…That was definitely the plan.

“So, what is this?”

“You will be riding in it, Father, so it must not look worse than others. Therefore, we prepared diligently.”

“I see.”

Although I said that, how should I explain this?

A flying ship even larger than a dragon.

“We also brought craftsmen from various places to build this flying ship in just a few days.”

…They must have been kidnapped.

No wonder there have been strange noises echoing loudly underground lately; it must have been the sound of craftsmen being tortured.

“It’s quite comfortable.”

The interior was surprisingly comfortable.

Maybe it was because it was a warm spring day.

The outside scenery was beautiful.

“Today’s weather is nice, isn’t it? You may have noticed, but the recent movements of the Sacred Empire are concerning.”

“It’s fine. She won’t be able to move at all.”

Unlike me, an evil spirit, the gods believed in by the Sacred Empire worship the creator god Lucia.

It’s quite strange when you think about it.

If we consider spoilers for the original work, as it was said that even that creator god, like Damian, doesn’t get properly resolved until the end, then…

In the current state, which is already significantly twisted compared to the original work, she might appear, but who knows.

Well, if there was a reason in the original work, she probably didn’t appear, right?

“Cecilia, you received something quite unique.”

The gift given to Cecilia was none other than an elixir.

Although it may seem ordinary, an elixir was a very unique gift.

In this story, elixirs were easily made.

Since they didn’t have settings like curing diseases, they were simply regarded as potions good for health or occasionally taken by couples during dinner or by those who worked hard.

“… ”

She quietly extended her hand.

Holding the elixir in her hand, she looked at me.

“What do you mean by saying nothing?”

She shook her head at my words.

Hmm, she used to stay silent until I arrived here, but if she wants to speak now, I won’t stop her.

“Does it mean to drink it?”

She nodded.

As she possessed a divine body, naturally such medicine wouldn’t affect her, but since she handed it to me, I accepted and drank it.

“Drink it later.”

She nodded calmly.

What is she thinking?

An expressionless face and an inscrutable silence.

Giving up on understanding her precisely, I boarded the flying ship and moved.

After about two hours of travel.

“That is the tallest tower in the world, the Black Tower.”

You guys just made it into the world’s tallest tower, which is magic loved by evil spirits.

Leaving that aside, I looked ahead.

Certainly erected in the heart of the empire’s greatest city, is it because of that?

The overwhelming grandeur felt just by looking quietly made my heart ache.

“That is the rooftop over there. Then let’s jump from here.”

“What about Beatrice?”

“She must have already entered the tower. She is the ruler of the empire, so she must have entered already.”

I see.

The princess of this empire, a girl who killed her tyrant father and found her own place.

So it wasn’t strange to already be inside.

No wonder I haven’t had much to do after coming here.

I had a rough idea from what Ryu vaguely told me before.

“Is everyone ready?”

Except for me, everyone surpassed human bodies.

And me too… considering my body that doesn’t succumb to self-harm or suicide, I probably won’t die easily from this height.

I landed perfectly in the right spot.

As I landed on the rooftop, a girl smiled and bowed her head, speaking.

It was the princess, Beatrice.

“It’s been a while, Lord Demon. Please allow me to serve you.”

She was smiling as she spoke, but I knew a lot about her.

A villain who tore the tyrant’s throat with her own hands, using all her useless enemies before disposing of them.

She hid herself in an abandoned mansion since childhood, living alone, eventually rising to the position of empress.

The reason this child trusts me… I remember clearly that I was the only faith she had in that lonely mansion.

I don’t know why such a place exists in the palace, but she read the scripture of the demon religion when she was young and became a believer thereafter.

She received a lot of support from the demon religion on her path to becoming empress.

“Oh, Father… he’s here…”

“It’s okay to relax a bit.”

She wasn’t usually a stuttering child, but she seemed quite tense.

Well, even if it were me, if a god I deeply believed in appeared in front of me and asked me to relax, I wouldn’t be able to easily.

It might be more nerve-wracking than seeing your favorite idol, maybe even more so.

Come to think of it, the others were rather impressive.

“Have you arrived, Lord Abel… And the person next to you? Perhaps the prophet…”

And thus, the unknown king’s throat was cut.

Hmm.

If I remember correctly… he was the king of a small kingdom to the south.

Even if he’s killed so easily… oh, right. He was the world’s greatest villain here.

Yes, it’s natural to kill him so easily. Hmm. That’s how you use power in situations like this.

…Is this correct?

“The prophet, you say. Well, everyone. It seems wise to be careful with our words. This person is our demon religion’s supreme ruler, the pope who has never revealed himself before.”

…Huh?

Ah, perhaps they want to refer to him as the pope to avoid drawing too much attention once his identity as a demon is known?

This way, his authority as a demon will be preserved, and it would attract less attention than openly declaring him as a demon.

If they’re not planning to fight the Holy Empire right away…

“Yes? There is no one but the Lord Demon as the pope of the demon religion…”

“Yes, that’s correct. He is our father, the greatest ruler, and at the same time, the one you all must serve. He is the greatest of all.”

“Indeed, the appearance written in ancient texts and… um! I apologize greatly, my lord.”

Ah, so there was something like saying there is no one but a demon as the pope of the demon religion.

I seem to have missed this part as well.

Nevertheless, to have the appearance written in ancient texts.

I’m getting more and more curious about what that could be.

“Everyone, raise your heads. My children are having a meeting, should all eyes be on me?”

I said calmly with a smile.

Ah, I really want to get rid of this way of speaking.

What are you trying to say with this kind of tone?

It’s even more uncomfortable than I thought.

“If Father truly desires it… Well then, under the fair gaze of our esteemed Father, I shall commence the 61st continental conference.”

It’s been over a year already.

Since the first continental conference placed every land except the Sacred Empire under its feet.

It’s been over a year since the world conquest began.

It seems like we might soon provoke a war with the Sacred Empire.

“First, let me deliver some unfortunate news. Jokmatopju, accused of secretly sponsoring the Sacred Empire, will be executed on the spot for treason.”

“Well, hold on…!”

“So, if you had acted cute like a chained puppy, that would have been enough. Unnecessary justice, what a pity.”

With those words, the sword I gave to Veronica cleanly severed his neck.

The saint, who was nervous and timid only in front of me, was already an excellent executioner in this church.

“Do not dwell on unfortunate events. Let us hope that such unfortunate incidents do not occur again.”

As he smiled, his appearance truly did justice to the term fanatic.

Lately, I’ve been feeling that my followers, each with their own stories, exude a strange atmosphere.

It feels like something is happening behind my back or within me without my knowledge.

I’m not sure how to explain it, but it felt very unfamiliar.

“How much are you willing to donate this time in the Empire?”

Empress Beatrice of the Empire said those words.

“We are considering 700 million gold.”

700 million gold…

Considering that ordinary people earn about 2 to 3 gold a month.

It was money that truly reflected the blood of the common people.

“200 million gold…”

“We have prepared various weapons that the Dark Lord would appreciate…”

The conference went on for a long time.

The total amount collected is the Empire’s budget for 5 years.

Receiving such an amount annually allows the cult to build such incredible airships.

Because there is so much overflowing money!

I actually like it.

In addition, there were countries offering various weapons as tribute for my visit, making statues of me, or even writing fables about me.

“Hmm, quite interesting. Since it’s been a while, I feel like reflecting on the Empire.”

“In that case, allow me to escort you.”

Abel, Veronica, Cecilia. They had tasks to attend to the next day, so they had to return quickly, and I decided to stay in the Empire for a day.

Thus, I followed Beatrice, who had a house in the Empire.

“Then please follow me.”

I walked the streets with her.

It was quite lively.

The commoners seemed unaware that their blood was being drained rapidly.

“First, stay overnight at the palace.”

A carriage arrived to pick her up as we waited on the street.

As I boarded the creaking carriage, I felt a medieval vibe.

In fact, the earlier airships were all so grand and huge that I didn’t feel the reality, but riding the carriage made it sink in.

Yes, this is medieval.

Fortunately, thanks to the fantasy genre’s convenient nature, things like bathrooms were just as modern and functional as today.

Magic is indeed convenient at times.

With these random thoughts, we arrived at the palace.

“So, please stay here for today. I will prepare your quarters.”

The empress, this grand empress of the empire, saying she will prepare my quarters.

If I didn’t know how fanatical she was, I wouldn’t be this uneasy.

I know what kind of life she has led and how much she has sacrificed for me.

So, I can’t shake off this uneasiness.

She was a devotee to the extent that she could be counted on one hand.

“Please follow me.”

“Hmm, okay.”

Thus, it was a night where her words asking to follow felt oddly unsettling.