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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I was born and raised in the Empire, a proud Gaian.
I knew how Gaians viewed demons.
If Carriers were ticking time bombs, demons were bombs that had already exploded.
Raging infernos, consuming everything in their path. Unthinking forces of destruction.
And it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. History was filled with tales of demonic incursions, pages stained with blood.
Even the recent demons, while varying in their methods, had all attacked humans indiscriminately.
I believed that all demons should be eliminated. It wasn’t just a belief, it was a conviction. They were my enemies, a different species entirely.
My only experience with demons was Seere, that bastard.
“This place is so boring. I can’t even eat or drink properly…”
But this… this was different.
Why was she complaining to me?
The demons I’d encountered had all been… imposing. But she seemed… pathetic.
“I knew what I was getting into…! I thought it would be easier to establish a foothold in the human world than to deal with the petty squabbles of the Demon Realm… A temporary confinement, a vacation of sorts…”
I’d gone outside to check the weather, then returned.
And she’d been so happy to see me that she’d started talking, and hadn’t stopped.
“But I didn’t expect it to take this long…!”
“Um… I see…”
For hours. Centuries of solitude had clearly taken their toll. She craved conversation.
She’d mentioned summoning lesser demons to entertain herself, but they couldn’t talk.
I listened patiently. I felt like a therapist, but I understood her loneliness. I’d spent a decade alone in this forest.
And her ramblings were surprisingly informative.
The “petty squabbles” she’d mentioned suggested that the Demon Realm wasn’t a unified front. And she seemed tired of it.
She complained about being bored, but she hadn’t returned to the Demon Realm. She was afraid of the other demons.
She was still guarded, omitting crucial details, but I knew she’d reveal more eventually.
I was starting to feel sleepy. Night was approaching. I interrupted her.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
“Huh? Why…?”
“It’s late. I need to sleep.”
She looked relieved, then raised her head haughtily.
“Such a weak, human body. Wasting a portion of your day on sleep.”
“Don’t you sleep?”
“What do you take me for? I am a Great Demon, a transcendent being, revered in the Demon Realm. I don’t need sleep.”
She sounded confident, but I saw the fatigue in her eyes.
It was amusing, but I ignored it and lay down on the floor.
“Yes, yes, weak human needs sleep. Please be quiet.”
“You insolent…!”
I decided to sleep in the altar chamber. She didn’t seem dangerous, and it was safer than sleeping outside. I preferred a roof over my head, even if it was in a demon altar.
I wasn’t too worried about monsters. My instincts, honed by recent events, would warn me of any danger. And I was confident I could handle any attackers.
I fell asleep, listening to Barbatos’s grumbling.
A strange cohabitation had begun. Me, and a disembodied demon head.
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Several days passed.
The previous twenty days had been a warzone. These past few days had been… peaceful.
The monsters left me alone, and I’d reached the end of my journey.
I decided to wait for the rain, keeping Barbatos company.
I learned a few things. She was definitely not human.
She felt hunger, but she didn’t need to eat. She felt fatigue, but she required far less sleep than a human.
I envied her.
And she was incredibly arrogant, for a disembodied head.
“Heh, heh.”
I’d woken up one morning to find her chuckling.
“Why are you laughing?”
“You should be grateful.”
“…Huh?”
“I could summon monsters into this chamber at any time. But I haven’t. You would have died a hundred times over. I am showing you mercy.”
She continued.
“So show some gratitude, and address me with respect.”
I chuckled. She clearly didn’t like being called “you.”
But I wasn’t going to change.
“Go ahead, summon them.”
“What…?”
“How do you think I got here?”
“You… you got lucky! You avoided the stronger monsters! If you’d encountered Titch, you’d be dead already.”
I tilted my head. A new name.
“…Titch?”
She explained.
“Titch is a beast I’ve been nurturing since it was young. A promising creature. I’ve been feeding it my demonic energy. A large tiger. Haven’t you seen it?”
I remembered the Mountain Lord.
So that’s why it was so large.
“I think I killed it.”
“What!?”
She looked stunned.
“Don’t lie…! That creature is a powerful beast, even demons struggle against it! How could you have possibly killed it!?”
“It’s true. I’ll prove it.”
I produced the Mountain Lord’s claw from my pouch. I’d been in a hurry, so a piece of striped fur was still attached.
Barbatos’s face was a mask of shock.
“Impossible… I raised that creature…”
She glared at me.
“You… you bad person…!”
Her vocabulary seemed to be regressing.
“Shut up.”
I stuck my finger in her mouth. I was annoyed by her arrogance.
“Ugh! Ack…!”
She gagged, then tried to bite my finger. I quickly pulled it out. Even as a head, her bite was strong.
She glared at me, spitting.
“You insolent…!”
I suppressed the urge to… do something inappropriate.
…We had our moments, but we generally got along.
She enjoyed having an audience, and I enjoyed the information she provided.
I learned a lot.
I even started asking questions.
“Why are you demons invading this world?”
“…A simple reason. The Kings of the Demon Realm have grown tired of their limited domain.”
Her guard had lowered over time. She answered most of my questions now.
“…Kings?”
“Indeed. Four Kings, ruling the north, south, east, and west.”
This was new information. I’d assumed there was a hierarchy, but I hadn’t expected multiple Kings.
“They don’t get along. Constantly fighting over territory. Their power is evenly matched, so it’s a stalemate. And then, one of them had a brilliant idea.”
She continued.
“Instead of fighting amongst ourselves, let’s conquer other worlds. The other Kings agreed.”
So that’s why the demons were appearing.
I remembered the stories of Decarabia, the first demon to appear six hundred years ago. Their plan had been in motion for a long time.
“We have no choice but to obey. We can’t defy the Kings… But honestly… I don’t understand. The Demon Realm isn’t that small…”
She sighed, sounding like a disgruntled office worker, complaining about corporate greed.
“…”
I watched her, silent.
The situation in the Demon Realm, the multiple Kings… it was all fascinating, but I was more interested in her opinion.
“…What about you?”
“…Huh? What about me?”
“What will you do if you fully descend? Will you be like the others?”
I needed to know. If she planned to attack humans, I’d have to fight her.
I didn’t want to fight her, honestly.
She looked down, then back at me, her expression firm.
“What do you expect?”
Her voice was stern, but there was a hint of… reluctance.
“I will conquer your world, enslave your people. It is my duty.”
I sighed.
I looked at the altar, still unsure of what to do. Should I destroy it? I was still thinking about it.
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