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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“D-Don’t look!”
As the flustered Ozma curled up, covering her exposed chest with her arms, Vanessa quickly placed her helmet, which resembled a tin can, back on her head and removed her cloak, offering it to Ozma.
Meanwhile, I was at a loss for how to react to the unfolding scene.
As I stood there awkwardly, watching the two, Ozma, having regained her composure, rose from Vanessa’s arms.
“…I’m returning now, Vanessa.”
“Yes, Master Ozma!”
Ozma, having covered her damaged armor with the cloak, turned to leave the training grounds, then suddenly stopped.
She looked back at me.
“…That was an excellent spar. I’d like to have a proper conversation with you over tea sometime, if the opportunity arises.”
With that, she turned and left.
Left alone on the training grounds, I decided to return to my room, having sufficiently warmed up and with nothing else to see.
Just as I was about to tell the maid, who was waiting in the background,
“Master Kaldrash, the Demon Lord summons you.”
The impeccable timing of the summons impressed me.
“Talk about perfect timing.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
I mumbled an excuse and asked the maid to lead the way.
It was just a meeting between men. He wouldn’t mind a little sweat, would he?
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Unfamiliar with the layout of the Demon Lord’s castle, I followed my personal maid, arriving not at the audience chamber from yesterday, but at a completely unfamiliar room.
When I asked the maid where we were, she politely replied, “This is the Demon Lord’s office, where he attends to matters from across his domain.”
“…Oh.”
So even the Demon Lord had paperwork to deal with.
Aside from the animal ears and horns, this place felt increasingly similar to the human kingdom.
Well, since demons possessed human-level intelligence, it was only natural that their basic lifestyles wouldn’t be drastically different.
After all, the two races had interacted for a long time, influencing each other’s cultures.
Knock, knock
The maid knocked on the door, and a deep voice called out from within.
“Enter.”
The maid stepped aside and opened the door for me.
“I’ll be waiting outside.”
I entered the office, a thirty-square-meter room furnished with antique wooden furniture.
Whether due to the Demon Lord’s tidy nature or the diligence of the servants, the floor was spotless.
As I looked around the office with curiosity, the Demon Lord rose from his desk.
“Have a seat.”
I sat on the guest sofa in the center of the room.
The Demon Lord, seemingly in the middle of his work, held a thick stack of papers in his hand.
He sat on the sofa opposite me and spoke.
“I heard you met my daughter at the training grounds.”
I nodded.
“Yes. She suddenly requested a one-on-one spar, saying she wanted to see my skills.”
The Demon Lord chuckled wryly.
“Bear with her. Ever since she was little, she’s been boasting about becoming the next Demon Lord. She’s desperate to gain strength, by any means necessary.”
I couldn’t help but voice my confusion.
“The position of Demon Lord isn’t hereditary, is it?”
The Demon Lord nodded, sinking deeper into the plush sofa.
“As you say, the Demon Lord is chosen from among the First Bloodline, the strongest youth of the current generation. This tradition has been upheld unbroken for a thousand years.”
“The First Bloodline?”
“The seventy-two demons created and sent to the mortal realm by the Goddess of Power herself. The first Demon Lord, Octavius, and the second, Tiberius, were second-generation, born from the union of the First Bloodline. All subsequent Demon Lords have been their descendants.”
This was the first time I had heard this. It was likely such ancient history that it had been forgotten by humans.
The current kingdom had only been established three hundred years ago.
“It’s quite different from the Hero selection process, which doesn’t consider lineage.”
The Demon Lord retorted with a touch of exasperation.
“But the Hero is always a mutant with exceptional talent and five-star potential, isn’t he?”
“That’s true.”
I had been called a genius since childhood, but the Hero could pick up any sword skill after seeing it once and master it after seeing it twice.
If he hadn’t been so busy with his womanizing during our journey, he probably would have reached the level of Sword Master before we even reached the Demon Lord’s castle.
The Demon Lord, who had been ranting about the Hero’s overwhelming talent, cleared his throat, realizing he had digressed.
He steered the conversation back to the original topic.
“Anyway, that’s why my daughter is training so diligently, aiming to become the Demon Lord. As her father, and as a demon, I would be honored if my child followed in my footsteps, but her approach seems a bit… misguided.”
“In what way?”
“She heard somewhere that women can’t become the Demon Lord, and since puberty, she’s developed a strong aversion to being treated like a woman. Because of this, she’s over twenty years old and hasn’t even held a man’s hand.”
“That’s rather unfortunate.”
Demons generally lived about 1.5 times longer than humans.
Considering that, she wasn’t particularly old for marriage, but as a father, it must be worrying to see his daughter show no interest in the opposite sex.
He probably wanted to see grandchildren soon.
The Demon Lord sighed deeply.
“I don’t know who could teach that tomboy about the joys of womanhood. Except for a select few, none of the demons her age are a match for her anymore. I have no idea how to arrange a marriage for her.”
“Don’t worry. There’s a lid for every pot. I’m sure there’s a man out there who can make your daughter happy.”
The Demon Lord laughed heartily, praising me.
“Thank you for saying that. I can’t confide in my advisors or subordinates about this, so I’ve been agonizing over it. I’m glad you betrayed the Hero.”
“Haha, Demon Lord, you flatter me. If it weren’t for your magnanimous nature, I would never have betrayed the Hero and joined the Demon army. It’s all thanks to your virtue.”
As we were bonding over our shared masculinity, the Demon Lord suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and placed the stack of papers he was holding onto the table.
“My apologies. I summoned you here and have been rambling about my daughter.”
“It’s fine. It’s a conversation we can have between us.”
The Demon Lord then clasped his hands in front of his face, assuming a serious expression, like a villainous mastermind.
“I’ve been thinking, after you left yesterday.”
“Yes. About how you’re going to use me, I presume?”
The Demon Lord nodded and explained.
“As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve made you the commander of my personal foreign legion. Of course, you’re the only member. The legion was created solely for appearances.”
“I see.”
“And for the time being, we need to keep your defection a secret. I hate to say this, but there are many within the Demon army who hold a personal grudge against you. If I were to openly protect you, I would face significant backlash.”
I tilted my head.
“Aren’t there already people who know I’m here?”
“Those who know are all loyal to me. Don’t worry. As long as the information doesn’t leak outside, we’re fine.”
Impressed by the Demon Lord’s meticulous planning, I nodded.
“Well, if that’s the case, I have no choice. I suppose I’ll have to wear a mask for a while.”
“I would be grateful if you would.”
Seemingly relieved, he unclasped his hands and gulped down the water on the table, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
“Then I have a favor to ask of you.”
Here it comes.
I straightened my back and asked with a tense expression,
“Who do you need me to kill?”
The Demon Lord waved his hands frantically.
“No, no, nothing so drastic.”
“Huh?”
“The harvest in the village below the castle is upon us, but with all the young people conscripted into the army, we’re short on hands. I was hoping you could use your magic to help with that.”
“Huh?”
Completely taken aback by the Demon Lord’s unexpected request, I could only repeat the same word, like a parrot.
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