Chapter 135
Odd Barbados
Translator : PolterGlast
The head demon of the Subjugation Faction, Odd
Barbados. Calling himself the Demon Lord, he boasts overwhelming
strength unparalleled among the demons now that Kahn-san is gone.
Because of this, the Subjugation Faction is currently throwing its
weight around in the Demon Territories. Having been unable to run wild
until now, they have begun actively invading the human world, and as a result,
the human side is already at a considerable disadvantage. He is apparently a long-lived
demon who has already surpassed a thousand years of age—an old-timer who was
considered a certainty to become the Demon Lord if Kahn-san
hadn't been around in the first place. And because of that, he supposedly
harbors an extraordinary hatred for the Baron family.
「Every demon with a blood connection
to the Baron family, up to the fifth degree of kinship, was killed...
The only one left of the Baron family is...」
...Just me, Lirica-san murmured softly. F-Fifth degree of
kinship...? A grandchild is only the second degree, right? To massacre even
people who barely had any blood ties at all... That Odd guy must be an
incredibly vindictive bastard.
「Umm, there's one thing I'm curious
about, mind if I ask a question? If Odd is the strongest demon and
everyone is listening to him, it doesn't seem like that automatically makes him
the current Demon Lord... right?」
Judging from her tone earlier, Odd probably hasn't
become the Demon Lord yet. Lirica, who had declared that she
wanted to become the Demon Lord before Odd, lightly wiped her
eyes with the hem of her clothes before staring at me. It was a powerful,
glaring gaze.
「He calls himself the Demon Lord,
but... in truth, several conditions must be met to hold a coronation as the
true Demon Lord. However, he has not yet fulfilled those conditions.
...And the opportunity for Odd to ever learn what they are has been lost
forever. Honestly, it serves him right.」
As Lirica-san said that with a strained laugh, a
dark, black flame dwelled in her eyes. A flame of revenge that will likely
never extinguish until it is fulfilled... but harboring it is her legitimate
right. If something like that was done to me, I would undoubtedly hold a grudge
against the culprit too. Even so... Odd really messed up his endgame,
huh. By massacring the people of the Baron family who knew the method
for the Demon Lord's coronation, Odd is still only able to call
himself the Demon Lord. And that method is now known only to Lirica-san,
the sole survivor of the Baron family.
「However, even without knowing, the
possibility of Odd fulfilling those conditions by chance is not zero.
Therefore, I must become stronger as quickly as possible and become the Demon
Lord.」
I see, I understand the reason why Lirica-san wants
to become the Demon Lord. Honestly, I feel sorry for her, and if
possible, I'd like to help her. I also understand that her revenge is
justified. Now then, what exactly... should I do? Thanks to Lirica-san
and her companion, I now know the reason why the war between humans and demons
has intensified recently. And probably how to stop it, too.
「Currently, Odd is frantically
searching for me. According to information from my few remaining friends, the Integration
Faction has already been forcefully subjugated, and hardly anyone is left.」
「...What a monster.」
Is he not going to be satisfied until he genuinely
eradicates the Demon Lord's lineage down to the very last person...?
What vindictiveness. It's truly abnormal. To make matters worse, the fact that
he isn't just a meathead boasting about his strength makes him even more
troublesome. By utilizing the demon nature where "strength is
justice," he has even brought the guys from opposing factions over to his side.
Even if he isn't the true Demon Lord, he's practically the Demon Lord
in all but name, isn't he?
「If that happens, the Neutral
Faction to which I belong will be targeted next. His hands will probably
reach my Rusara family in the not-too-distant future.」
If that comes to pass, the Rusara family will either
be crushed or forced to submit. If Lirica-san is ultimately not found
among the demons, what will Odd do...? A guy who went that far wouldn't
just give up and assume she's already dead. Without a doubt, he will invade the
human world, assuming Lirica-san is hiding here. When that happens, Odd—who
has unified all three originally opposing factions and completely pacified the Demon
Territories—will lead a massive horde of demons to attack us. A disciplined,
massive army of demons led by the strongest demon... Just thinking about it
sends shivers down my spine. Even now, humanity is at its limit just defending,
completely unable to launch counter-invasions. If it comes to that, the human
forces will undoubtedly be trampled and ravaged by the demons.
(There are practically no other options at this point, are
there...)
...Without a doubt, this is a decision so important it could
determine the future trend of this entire world. Isn't making these kinds of
decisions supposed to be the role of the Hero? Stop just buttering up
your harem and do your actual job as a Hero, Kazuma-kun.
Actually, just calling him Kazuma is enough for a guy like that. I'm
dropping the honorifics from now on. Deciding the fate of the world is way too
heavy a burden for a former shut-in.
(Now then, what should I do?)
Because it's important, I'll think it over carefully just
one more time. I am not a Hero who must constantly walk the righteous
path. That's why I can easily come up with uncool, cowardly methods. For
example, capturing her and handing her over to Odd... No, that's no
good. I don't think doing that would improve the situation at all. Even if I
did, it would likely just result in them invading us sooner, and that would be
the end of it. As I thought, my options are practically nonexistent!
「Lirica-san, if you become the Demon Lord, you intend to
follow Kahn-san's path, right?」
「Yes. Of course, once I become the Demon
Lord, I will bring order to the Demon Territories and aim for
permanent peace with humans. Upon the name of the Baron family, I will
never break the promise I made to my father.」
There are no lies in her words... I think. After all, she's
good-natured enough to come all the way to the Grust Kingdom for peace
talks, even knowing she could be killed. The fact that her personality and way
of thinking are quite close to a human's is probably also due to her high
affection for humanity. Yeah... In that case, I just have to do it.
「I understand. In that case, Lirica,
I'll take you as my disciple.」
「R-Really!?」
To save this world, I will create a new Demon Lord.
What I'm doing is completely the act of the enemy side. It's no different from
a final boss in a game trying to destroy and rewrite the world. For me, someone
who is originally a Hero asked to subjugate the Demon Lord, to be
doing this... It's truly quite ironic, isn't it?
「I'll give you just one warning,
though.」
For one reason or another, I've grown to like this world of Aristella.
From village girls to town gatekeepers, receptionists, and on top of that,
queens, empresses, and the daughter of the Demon Lord—my acquaintances
have increased... No, they've really increased too much. I have way too many
acquaintances who are top authorities. Above all, in this place are the
classmates I spent time with... and Miku. For us to continue living from
here on out, it would be a problem if the human countries disappeared.
「If you ever do the wrong thing as
the Demon Lord—」
Spending my time hidden away in my Home in a world
where humans have become slaves to demons... I'll pass on a dystopia like that.
Of course, I don't think this is the absolute correct answer. People are
creatures that change. Demons are probably no different. It is entirely
conceivable that Lirica might become intoxicated by power after becoming
the Demon Lord and renege on her promise. Therefore, when that time
comes...
「When that time comes—I will kill
you.」
Before I knew it, light was leaking out from my entire body.
It seems I couldn't contain my emotions, and the magic power inside my body had
flowed out. Seeing me, the faces of Lirica and Priola-san went
pale. But even so, Lirica approached me and bowed her head.
「...Yes, I understand. I was already
prepared for that much back when I held the corpses of my brethren. I look
forward to working with you... Please take care of me.」
Our gazes crossed. To my resolve, she responded with a
resolve of her own. In that case, I will also use everything currently at my
disposal to make her stronger. Being a Hero isn't my style... but even
so, by shutting myself in my home, I've gotten quite strong.
And so, I officially ended up taking Lirica as my disciple. To think my first disciple would be the daughter of the Demon Lord... You really never know what will happen in life.
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