Chapter Two: The Holy Maiden in Gold

Holylight

A lord’s manor in a remote part of Holylight...

Lord Billitzo Lang, who ruled over a few of the remote villages in the area, looked delighted at his first good news in a while. Surprisingly, the resurrected ‘King of Devils’ was dead. It had been nearly hopeless to tax those villages before a monster like that started wreaking havoc.

(Luck is coming my way...)

Soon after, he received the news that the Demon Lord had been spotted. Billitzo was now fully convinced that the Goddess of Luck was smiling upon him. No matter how many times he urgently sent a horse to the Holy City with the message pertaining to the King of Devils’ resurrection, there had been no response. However, the news of the Demon Lord’s appearance, Billitzo figured, could not go ignored.

(I best cry as loud as I can to get the Holy City involved.)

Billitzo himself did not believe in the existence of the Demon Lord or the like. He only thought that his foolish subjects were causing a ruckus. What he feared was that he would spend the rest of his life in this remote part of the country. With some kind of commotion, he had the chance to escape (what he called) a claustrophobic, isolated cesspool.

(‘Burned down a village’ has a better ring to it...)

According to the report, only a single house had burned down. Billitzo had scoffed at it. From that report alone, he saw enough evidence to doubt the Demon Lord’s existence. He figured that, most likely, a starving ex-mercenary or the like resorted to arson.

(But... How did the King of Devils die?)

Legend has it that the King of Devils was sealed away by the Wise Angel, long ago. For the most part, it wasn’t an entity that humans could do anything about. It was more akin to a natural disaster, like an earthquake or hurricane.

(It wasn’t a complete resurrection, I suppose. How often have legends been accurate, anyways?)

Billitzo was born a noble, and never once had to struggle in his life. If a storm had passed already, he didn’t think to go look for the reason. He would only use that fact as his ticket out of his oh-so-terrible situation.

(I know. I’ll say that the Demon Lord defeated the King of Devils!)

‘Brilliant,’ Billitzo muttered to himself. A neat solution to his problem, he thought. What he didn’t know was that his improvised lie was actually the unbelievable truth.

--Somewhere in Holylight

A girl in a nun’s robe was screeching in a manner unbecoming of her modest appearance. She was aboard an extravagant carriage on her way to a remote part of the country, but the ride seemed too rough for her taste.

“It’s disappointing, isn’t it!? How pathetic your devotion to me is!?”

The coachman shriveled his neck into his shoulders in response. A noble among all nobles was aboard the carriage... one of the Holy Maidens. One wrong move and he could be burned at the stake. This Holy Maiden, the youngest, was particularly bratty. No one knew how to handle her, exactly. Her appearance, however, was worthy of her title. Her wavy, pink hair was as graceful as cherry blossoms — even her eyes were blush pink. Despite wearing the clothes of a nun, her limbs were slender and attractive. Partially due to her young age, her breasts were still lacking.

“I am about to defeat the legendary Demon Lord! What if my butt gets bruised before I even get there!?”

“I-I’m terribly sorry... The roads out here aren’t paved, and...”

“...Are you criticizing the policies of the Sanctimonium?”

“N-Never!”

Around these parts, there weren’t roads, per se. In the Holy City, the roads were paved with stone, and sometimes maintained with magic, but roads in the poorer regions were left untouched. Even a little bit of rain would become a flood.

“Ar-Are the other Holy Maidens not joining you today?”

“What are you trying to say...? You don’t think I can handle it on my own?”

“Oh, Lady Luna! There’s no doubt in my mind that you won’t need anybody else!”

“Pff. Duh. I can’t let my sisters steal my thunder forever!”

Luna Elegant, aged 16. Her name was just about the only elegant thing about her. Twenty five guards surrounded her carriage, but Luna was not counting on their help. She fully intended to finish the job on her own and claim all the glory for herself.

True, she did have an impressive gift in magic that was sure to be a powerful weapon in her fight against the Demon Lord...

--Holylight, en route to the Holy City

Sometime before that storm started brewing around them, the Demon Lord and the child were causing a commotion on a road without another soul or any lights to be seen. At first glance, they might look like a father and his child, but something was off. The Demon Lord’s cheeks were rosy, and he was on the tipsy side. When a carriage had passed them on the path earlier, a generous passenger had gifted them a few bottles of liquor.

“Emerge, a fragment of my brilliance... ‘Survival Pack’.”

The Demon Lord shoved his hand into a pitch-black void and produced a large object: an item made by the Empire. As its name might suggest, it was packed with all sorts of camping tools. This was one of the essential items used in the Game.

“Wow, Master Demon Lord! Is there anything else in there!?”

With cheeks as rosy as the Demon Lord’s, the child shouted in excitement. The child wasn’t drinking, but seemed buzzed by proxy. There were practically no age restrictions for drinking alcohol in this world, and it wasn’t uncommon for children to drink, but he forbade it. This Demon Lord seemed rather pedestrian, sometimes.

It’s worth noting that liquor came by cheaper than water in this part of the country.

“There is no end to my darkness... ‘Defense Pack’.”

The Demon Lord didn’t seem too hesitant about playing his part, now. Striking a weird pose, he took out another item, also made by the Empire. This one was packed with various tools used to defend against other players. Another must-have for participants of the Game. These items were useless on their own, but unleashed their true potential when they were combined.

“Combine Items... ‘Construct Fortress’.”

At the Demon Lord’s command, two items merged together to create a ‘Base’ in the blink of an eye. This was a very useful item in the Game, as it greatly reduced the damage inflicted by other players, and allowed the user to recover safely. A player could also combine more items with the base to add all kinds of features to it.

“Is this magic!? Master Demon Lord, I can’t believe it!”

Aku, sprung onto the Demon Lord in pure joy. Pleased by this reaction, the Demon Lord let out a hearty laugh.

“This isn’t magic, no. Aku, let me tell you something important.”

The Demon Lord said, and took a deep breath. As if this was an all-important lesson in life, he pointed his finger at Aku.

“Remember this... With the powers of the Empire, nothing is impossible!”

Brushing his hair back, the Demon Lord thrusted his fist into the sky. He looked supremely lame. ...Or just plain drunk. Aku had no idea what he was talking about, but responded with cheerful applause.

“It’s so... Big. And rock hard...!”

Aku said some accidently suggestive things, but the drunken Demon Lord didn’t take notice. In fact, he continued to brag on in an even more elated tone.

“This thing can even withstand Cannon Fire from the likes of Rocket Launchers. If you didn’t have one of these in the Game, you slept with one eye open. Patch it up with Reinforcement Materials and Fireproof Walls to upgrade the base to a Medium or a Large, and that will boost its Defense.”

“Cannon Fire...? It all sounds complicated, Master Demon Lord...”

“Well, it just means it’s sturdy. Aku, we’re sleeping in this base tonight. I’m too fragile to sleep out in the open.”

“Yes, sir! You can leave the chores to me!”

The pair, in their own world, strolled into the base, humming along, oblivious to the foreboding air around them.

SP — down to 10.

You Unlocked Some Information!!

Base

Created by combining a Survival Pack and a Defense Pack. Decreases damage inflicted by other players, and even protects against Cannon Fire. Since some Cannon Fire can damage SP or an armor’s durability, remaining unprotected against it is often catastrophic. A Base, true to its name, is equipped with a cot, an oil-drum bath, and a simple kitchen, allowing the player to survive inside it for a while. However, Medium and Large bases come with increasingly extravagant interior. Made with very durable material, it can even withstand attacks from RPG-7s or RPG-29s. In this world, taking down a Base is no easy task. The game’s design allows the player to fold the base up to easily carry around when it’s not set up.

Looming Shadows

--On their way to the Holy City of Holylight.

(So this is what a bath is...!)

From the moment the Demon Lord and Aku had settled at their lodging for the night, Aku was greeted by one pleasant surprise after another. Aku’s first impression of the place was that it was very sturdy, in complete contrast to the houses back at the village. Aku could easily imagine the building withstanding a charging bear or boar. In fact, the child felt confident that not even a powerful monster could breach this structure. The lodge even held cots and a kitchen. Aku couldn’t help but feel like a respectable member of society, somehow. Back home, the child’s bed was made by laying a cheap piece of fabric on a pile of straw. Compared to that, this was heavenly.

(But best of all, this bath...!)

The Demon Lord had called it an ‘oil drum bath.’ Imagine Aku’s shock upon finding hot water in such a place! This was an unbelievable height of luxury for the child. Even as Aku bathed in it, the child’s trembling didn’t stop.

(I don’t get why Master Demon Lord was apologizing, though...)

His exact words were ‘Sorry. This lodge is the best I can do right now.’ Aku didn’t really understand what he was saying, to be honest. Of course this was the best he could do, Aku thought. The child could not begin to imagine any more luxury than this.

(I wonder where Master Demon Lord came from? I thought it was the Dark Realm or something, but...)

Aku recalled him mentioning ‘the Empire’ after a few drinks. As the child was pondering such things, the Demon Lord called from the other side of the door.

“Sorry it’s so cramped in here. But just you watch... One day, I’ll set up a hot springs resort.”

The Demon Lord walked away. Some of what the Demon Lord said was difficult for Aku to comprehend. The child wished for a smarter mind to understand him better, but soon realized that the wish might have been futile.

(What’s a “hot springs resort”, anyway?)

Curious, Aku continued to enjoy the bath... It was a peaceful sight, indeed.

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord was laying on his bed, looking up at the night sky through the window.

(There’s a moon in this world, too...)

He could feel himself gradually sobering up. Some time had passed since the Demon Lord came to this world, but it didn’t seem like he would naturally hop back to his own world any time soon.

(Will unlocking all the Administrator commands really do the trick...?)

The Administrator commands, of course, were related to the game. As such, there was no ‘return to the real world’ command or the like. If he really was summoned by that false-god-looking statue, finding a similar entity and wishing to it seemed like the Demon Lord’s only hope.

(The big problem, though, is whether or not I can return to the same day.)

As far as the Demon Lord was concerned, if he could eventually return to the real world on the same day he had left it, there was no problem. However, if time in the real world flowed the same as it did here, that would cause some issues. If he returned to the real world even just a month later... well, a person missing for a month would be a big deal. ‘Oops, just spent a month in another world’ wouldn’t cut it. The truth would only get him into a padded room.

(For now, I guess I just have to try and unlock more commands...)

But he had no idea what to do next. Keep farming SP? Make some money? Find specific items? In any case, not doing anything wouldn’t help. It could even be constructive if he just treated it like a vacation and enjoyed himself.

(What’s waiting for me back there, anyway...? Day after day of the same old job.)

“Master Demon Lord! The Oil-Drum is amazing!”

The Demon Lord let out a laugh. He didn’t know what to say to Aku, who found so much joy in that sorry excuse for a bath. Although, if the Demon Lord had lived through post-WWII Japan, he might have shared the sentiment. Now that they were travelling together, the Demon Lord imagined what kind of reaction he could get out of her with his other Administrator commands unlocked. Considering Aku’s upbringing, the Demon Lord couldn’t help but try to fill the role of a parent.

(A hot springs resort, maybe...? I might as well recreate the Sleepless Castle.)

The Sleepless Castle was the final area of the game, where Hakuto Kunai and all of his close subjects resided. The backstory of the place was that a select few of the world’s wealthiest were invited there to watch the Game live. In addition to the Demon Lord’s subjects, the impenetrable fortress was guarded with 2000 soldiers. The Demon Lord wondered how Aku would react if he showed her this ultimate showcase of the Empire’s technology. While it was a blood-soaked battleground, where countless players were taken down over the course of a decade and a half, the Sleepless Castle would also guarantee them safety from all. It had only been conquered once during its existence, after all. Besides, if the Demon Lord could summon his subjects, that would allow for many more options going forward.

“Master Demon Lord, I washed myself with bubbles again!”

“Hm...? Yeah, you smell good.”

“Really? Hee hee hee...”

Aku giggled with joy and climbed into the bed the Demon Lord was laying on. Her blond hair made it seem like a well-groomed kitten had curled up next to him.

“Woah, you’re going to sleep in my bed?”

“May I?”

“Look, I know you think I’m some old guy who could be your dad, but I need to tell you something. I... The real me, is not a dad. I’m not that old. Got it?”

“I don’t know what you’re saying, Master Demon Lord.”

As the Demon Lord continued to try, futilely, to get his point across, the night thickened.

——A few days later... On a mountain, somewhere in Holylight.

Forty or so bandits were swarming on the foothills. They had heard the news that a Holy Maiden was about to pass here on a carriage. Naturally, they couldn’t let such a perfect opportunity slide. They were poised to attack. The bandits, known as the Mole, were infamous around these parts for not being picky about their targets. No matter how weak or strong, they would attack without discrimination. Naturally, that led to some painful defeats, but their numbers only grew. Perhaps that was an indication of how unstable this country was.

The leader of the reckless bunch was calmly sitting on a stump, gazing towards the foot of the mountain. He had been in the highway robbery business since his teens, and now was a rather infamous leader of the gang. While he was now over fifty years in age, he was as built as ever. As he calmly tilted his bottle, a silhouette appeared at the foot of the mountain. The leader immediately determined that it wasn’t their target. But another thought crossed his mind while watching two people walking through a land so remote that it could be classified as a wasteland. Could it be a trap? More than once, they had jumped on a small group of seemingly ideal prey only to be surrounded by the hidden, much larger team, and they were forced to flee in bitter defeat. Then, it clicked. The leader caught on to the Holy Maiden’s tactic. She was baiting them out in the open, where she could easily take them down, he thought.

“...Heh. It’s not going to be that easy, miss Holy Maiden.”

“Boss, what should we do with those two?”

“Kill ’em... We’ll retreat before the rest of them show up from behind us.”

Thanks to his experience, the leader always made decisions fast. In the middle of action, there was no time for indecision. Stasis led directly to death. The leader recalled his many comrades who died of indecision in a critical moment. One of his henchmen loaded his bow without a sound and loosed it in a single breath. There was no hesitation in snuffing out a life here.

On the other hand, the Demon Lord noticed the attack, and let out a yawn.

(What a joke...)

He nearly sighed watching the arrow whizzing towards him. The attacker didn’t seem to make any effort to conceal their presence, and the arrow itself was nothing special. No effects on it at all. In the Game, this would have been a Rain of Arrows, an equipped skill that loosens two dozen insta-kill arrows. To the Demon Lord, this arrow seemed like it was loosed carelessly at some random pedestrian.

(Should I just take it...?)

The Demon Lord braced himself to take the hit. He wanted to test how much damage it would do. Since he hadn’t encountered any enemies since that one devil, he never had the opportunity to perform any experiments in combat. Just in case, he had already turned off the automatic Retaliation and automatic Countering features. It was difficult to trust them, since the Demon Lord couldn’t gauge what the criteria were to activate those features. Worst case scenario, he could inadvertently retaliate to a harmless action with lethal force. Against a bizarre monster, that wouldn’t be a problem, but against a human? That didn’t sit right with the Demon Lord.

“Aku, step back.”

“...What?”

The whizzing arrow seemed almost stationary to the Demon Lord. Which wasn’t a surprise. In the game, the Demon Lord dodged machine gun fire and even shotgun scatter shots. When the arrow finally arrived in front of the Demon Lord, a small ping was heard before the arrow could hit him. Countless black octagonal shields surrounded the Demon Lord. Intercepted by one of them, the arrow fell to the ground, having lost all of its momentum.

“Under level 30, huh...? What a noob.”

Only players who had reached level 30 (the maximum in the game) could damage the final boss. Players below that level didn’t even deserve a battle against the Demon Lord. Of course, even players with maxed-out stats couldn’t keep up against him. Just like the final boss of an RPG, it was nearly impossible to damage the Demon Lord without burning through all sorts of items. Worst of all, his HP was astronomical.

“Why are you trying to get the kill from the nosebleeds up there?”

The Demon Lord called out, and the bandits finally showed themselves. Each of them wore shock and dismay on their expression.

“What the hell did you do...!? You gotta be a mage!”

“You think you’re invincible, huh? Once your Stamina runs out, you’re just a punching bag!”

“Punching bag, huh...? Good to know.”

A grin grew across the Demon Lord’s face. Aku had mentioned magic to him, but she didn’t know much about it, leaving him more curious about the subject than he preferred.

“Any mages over there? Hit me with your best shot.”

The bandits stirred. This was beyond cocky. The Demon Lord was acting as if he were performing experiments on mere insects. With his patience run thin, the leader walked up, his beard swaying.

“You talk pretty big game, old man.”

“Who’re you calling an old man!?”

The Demon Lord couldn’t help but shout. Stunned, the leader fell speechless as awkward silence filled the mountain.

“I’m the leader of the Mole, Wo Wungol. You’re...”

“Own Goal?”

“Wo Wungol! Why are you saying it like that!?”

“...So what do you want, Safety Man?”

“Safety...! You got mud in your ears!?”

This petty argument between two middle-aged men was not pretty to watch.

(Hey... I recognized his face... I think.)

The Demon Lord stared at the leader, who was puffing his chest, arms crossed. He tried in vain to recall where he had seen this man, but he didn’t know anyone with such a wild beard. In fact, he imagined not many men in the entirety of Japan would look like such a stereotypical bandit.

“You’re pretty filthy, huh...? You got a neckbeard going. You look like you haven’t bathed in a year.”

“Huh! Like I haven’t bathed? I don’t know what kind of money you’ve got, but you’re pissing me off!”

Reacting to their leader’s rage, the bandits ran down the mountain, surrounding the pair.

“M-Master Demon Lord! We’re in trouble... Let’s make a run for it!”

Aku yelled, her skin glowing from the past few nights spent taking an oil-drum bath. A glow that really made her look out of place among the dusty, middle-aged men around her.

“Demon Lord...? You make this kid kiss your ass like that, huh, old man?”

One of the bandits burst out laughing, causing a roar of laughter and knee-slapping among the rest. A vein popped up on the Demon Lord’s forehead, but who could blame the bandits for laughing? They could only imagine a man well into his middle-age playing pretend as the Demon Lord. The problem was, of course, that this man was the real deal.

“Alright... Let’s play a game, then...”

With that, the Demon Lord flicked the forehead of the man who first laughed, with his finger. He was blown away, as if by a gust of wind, and skipped across the ground a few times before rolling to a halt like a tumbleweed. By the time he had stopped, the bandit was twitching here and there, knocked out cold.

“Now, it’s your turn... Oh, you can’t get up? This one goes to me, then.”

With a grimace, the Demon Lord looked at the bandits. They had all been speechless, but eventually went into a tizzy. Watching them, the Demon Lord cackled:

“Own goal, indeed. I suppose that’s your goal over there, where he went tumbling.”

“Shut up! What the hell did you do!?”

“He’s got some sort of spell on his finger!”

...A spell, you say?

Suddenly, a voice was heard from the distance, drawing the bandits’ attention. In an instant, screams and wails echoed through the mountain. A golden light sparked out of the source of the voice, reducing the bandits to shreds.

You Unlocked Some Information!

Equipped Skills

These can be activated at will, upon the first attack against an enemy. A hellish chain attack that combos from a player’s First to Second to Third skills. With Kunai’s Attack stat, the thought of chaining this off until the Third skill would terrify any enemy. In the game, while it was powerful, it used up most of the user’s weapon stock, making it a double-edged sword. If the weapon was a gun, it would empty the magazine. In a heated battlefield, it wasn’t uncommon to die while trying to reload. Kunai’s weapon was unique, though, and had infinite stock.

Holy Maiden

“I didn’t expect to find filthy bandits on my way to take down the Demon Lord.”

The Holy Maiden, Luna, was smiling. In spite of her very cute face, her actions were ruthless. The golden light she emitted had just torn five of the bandits to pieces.

“Damn it... We’re out of here, boys!”

“Ugh, idiots. You don’t really think you can get away from me, can you?”

Luna raised her staff adorned with small wings, and began her incantation. Immediately, golden light began to gather around it. She was controlling one of the elements of this world, and a very rare one to control, at that.

“Rip with gold... ‘Golden Blade’!”

The next moment, countless golden blades shot out of Luna’s staff, tearing six of the bandits to shreds. Watching this, the Demon Lord felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

(You gotta be kidding me...!)

True, the Demon Lord was taken by surprise at his first encounter with magic. It was also true that the power of the spell scared him. But what shocked him the most was that such a young girl just killed all of those people without a second thought.

(Can we make a run for it...?)

He thought for a second, but immediately vetoed the idea. The girl hadn’t come alone, but with an army. As soon as the Demon Lord saw them, his mind was made up. He whipped out the Base, and threw Aku into it.

“Wha- Mas-!?”

“Stay down in the corner. Got it?”

The girl who cast the spell was now staring at the Demon Lord, which was only natural after he materialized a building out of thin air.

“What’s this...? Are you a mage? Or is it just a magical item?”

Without answering, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette he took out from his coat pocket. Truth be told, he didn’t think he could keep his cool without a smoke or two. Could he withstand that attack? The thought terrified him. That being said, showing the girl any sign of weakness was out of the question. Desperately, the Demon Lord kept face.

While she looked no older than a child, the girl had killed those men without any hesitation. The girl, in the meantime, seemed interested in the Base. She walked up to it, touching it here and there, peering inside. Her display of curiosity was the first age-appropriate demeanor she had shown so far. Even her innocent demeanor, though, scared the Demon Lord.

“I’ve never seen this kind of material before... You. Make this a gift to me. I just might let you live.”

“Is that a deal, mademoiselle? Any assurance that your promise will be kept?”

“Huh...!? Who do you think you’re talking to, peasant?”

“The thing is, you’ve failed to introduce yourself so far.”

He answered, blowing out smoke with a veil of nonchalance. On the inside, his heart was pounding. Still, the Demon Lord tried his best to maintain a calm, confident air about him. Since he didn’t know the extent of her powers, he figured the best course of action was to resolve this peacefully, if possible.

“What a hick... I can’t expect more from a filthy bandit, I guess.”

The Demon Lord wasn’t too happy about being seen as one of the bandits. Out of all people, why would he work for a man named Own Goal? That was the kind of name that practically guaranteed a knife in your back.

“Miss Holy Maiden... He ain’t one of us, just so you know,” Own Goal said with a grimace.

(Yeah, you tell her! Don’t drag me into your murder fest!)

While he was frustrated about being roped into a fight he had nothing to do with, the Demon Lord couldn’t ignore that particular phrase.

(Hold on... ‘Holy Maiden’...?)

According to Aku, the Holy Maidens were three of the most powerful people in the country.

“Miss Holy Maiden... This old man calls himself the Demon Lord! Ha ha ha ha!”

“What!?”

As the girl reacted, the Demon Lord was raging inside.

(Shut up, geezer! Keep your mouth shut, you geezer! You want to die, geezer!? I’ll kick your ass, you geezer!)

Having his plan for a peaceful resolution wrecked (on top of being called on old man, no less), the Demon Lord couldn’t help but explode:

“You’re really hell-bent on killing your own team, huh, Own Goal? Then do it already! Have a habanero hard-boiled egg thrown in your face at the airport and die! You piece of space debris!”

“What the hell are you... And it’s Wo Wungol! Separate the names right, you moron!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

The girl shouted in a tantrum after listening to this for a while. A golden ray shot out of her staff. Actually, this was what the Demon Lord was waiting for. He immediately hid himself behind the Base (opposite the corner where Aku was laying low, of course). The golden blades crashed into the Base. While their velocity dropped considerably, they didn’t die completely, allowing the blades to reach the Demon Lord.

“Agh...”

(This... is magic...!)

While he instinctively covered his face with his hands, they were now in throbbing pain. In exchange for the pain, though, the Demon Lord learned a few things. The Base did, in fact, lessen the damage of magic spells. On the other hand, his most-prized armor, Assault Queller, didn’t activate.

(I doubt this kid is over level 30...)

Maxed-out players all had a certain aura about them. The Demon Lord didn’t even catch a glimpse of it from the girl in front of him. Still, he couldn’t deny the possibility of an even more powerful spell coming his way.

(I had a feeling magic was bad news...)

Beside him, Own Goal and a few of his henchmen were on the ground. As expected, the leader of the bandits seemed to take cover with a few of his own men. He was badly cut up, but still breathing. The rest of the bandits seemed to have scattered away, leaving the Demon Lord and Luna standing alone on the foothills.

“You’re still alive...? Are you really the Demon Lord?”

“I have a better question. What’s your excuse for attacking me out of the blue?”

“Excuse? Why should a Holy Maiden need one to vanquish evil?”

“Hmm. Those aren’t too shabby for your last words.”

†　†　†

“Last words?”

Luna couldn’t help but scoff at the man. Throughout their encounter, his attitude was utterly unacceptable to her. Where was his piety in the presence of a Holy Maiden? Unlike the bandits, this man was considerably well-dressed. While each article of clothing seemed foreign to Luna, she noticed that they were far too well-made for a man like this. Even his gestures and movements carried a refined sense of sophistication. At first, Luna even suspected that he might have been a fallen noble. However, this theory was proven false by his complete lack of knowledge about Holy Maidens. Luna concluded that he must have been a foreigner... Come to think of it, she hadn’t introduced herself at all.

“I am one of the Holy Maidens... Luna Elegant, the Golden.”

She still wasn’t sure what kind of man he was. Although she didn’t suspect the Demon Lord to have a human appearance, she was well aware of how dangerous he could be. How he withstood her magic, how he materialized a building out of nowhere... Everything about this man was a mystery to her.

Despite her introduction, the man looked as if he had bit into a lemon. What’s more, Luna could now sense a pulse of quiet rage from him. Perhaps he was a foreign terrorist, she thought.

“A kid like you, who blasts spells at people out of the blue, has the gall to call yourself elegant? I couldn’t care less about those filthy geezers... But you could have gotten Aku hurt.”

“Huh!? Why does a criminal like you act like he cares?”

Apparently sensing the man’s change in energy, her guards surrounded her. Normally, she would have ordered them off to get out of her way, but she couldn’t yet tell what the man in black was capable of. The best approach, she determined, was to surround him and finish him off with a spell.

“Capture this fool!”

A cavalryman swung his lance at the man from atop his horse. The lance, however, didn’t reach him. Suddenly, a pitch-black wall in a honeycomb-like pattern materialized all around him, blocking the lance. Everyone seemed dazed at the mysterious phenomenon.

“That’s too bad. It looks like you... haven’t earned the right to stand in my presence.”

The man in black gripped the lance, and used it to lift the cavalryman off of his horse with ease. Luna blanked at the ludicrous reality in front of her. Then, the man gave the lance a carefree swish, launching the cavalryman into the distance like a thrown pebble. The man proceeded to throw the cavalrymen off of their horses one after another, until the team of twenty five guards was nowhere to be seen.

(What... is happening...?)

Meanwhile, Luna could only watch in shock... What could she have possibly done?

“Ar-Are you... a giant, or something?”

Luna had heard about a race of giants with monstrous statures, who lived in the mountain ranges far East. Rumors had it that these giants could crumble steel with their bare hands. Just as Luna was convinced that this man had some giant’s blood in him, she was hoisted up in the air...

“H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Before she knew it, she was being carried under his arm.

(Could it be... he’s going to kidnap me to do all sorts of unspeakable things...!?)

“Let’s see if I can break the record for distance.”

“Huh?”

“First, I better teach you some manners, though.”

“Wha... Wait, no no no! What are you going to do!?”

“Man or woman... I don’t have mercy against those who dare attack me!”

What happened next would become the most embarrassing experience of Luna’s life. The Demon Lord’s face became stern, as if he was commencing a holy ritual. Then, he raised his hand up high. When it came down onto Luna’s behind... A thunderous slap echoed into the clear sky.

“Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Luna’s scream followed after it, but the Demon Lord didn’t relent. His expression was still as solemn as that of an orchestra conductor.

Slap! Slap! Slap slap slap slap! Slap slap, slap slap slap slap!

A rhythmic melody graced the mountain. It was a splendid percussion of a palm hitting butt cheeks.

“Owwwwww! N-not my tushy, please!!”

“One for the right hand! One for the left hand! One for both hands! Back to one for the right hand! One for this is starting to get fun!”

The Demon Lord’s powerful spanking continued until he was no longer amused by it.

†　†　†

--Holylight, en route to the Holy City.

“Phew... That was a good workout.”

“Is-Is the Holy Maiden’s tushy okay...?”

After executing that satisfying dose of punishment, the Demon Lord was leisurely walking along, carrying Aku on his shoulders.

“It’s already cracked down the middle. How much worse could it get?”

“Th-That’s not the...”

One step further, and... no, that was already a training-video example of sexual harassment. After such blasphemy against the highest power in the nation... most would consider even burning him at the stake to be too light of a punishment. Even after putting himself in such a predicament, the Demon Lord looked cheery. From that combat (if you could call it that) he had earned some SP.

“Think of all the things I’ll be able to do... once all the admin features are unlocked... Heh heh heh...”

“M-Master Demon Lord... You’re scaring me a little.”

“Now that we’ve got some change, let’s stay somewhere in town tonight!”

The Demon Lord had robbed the Holy Maiden of all of her money as ‘compensation for emotional damages.’ He had pulled this off with a straight face, pocketing the leather bag full of coins before Aku could get a word in edgewise. First, the incessant spanking, now robbery... He was starting to prove himself as the Demon Lord. Actually, more of a bandit than anything.

†　†　†

“I’m going to killlll himmmmm! Just you wait!”

Luna was groaning curses at the Demon Lord from within her carriage. The coachman’s head sunk back into his shoulders. At this rate, he worried, all of his hair might fall out by the time they would reach the capital.

“That man... No, the Demon Lord! I’m going to get youuuuu!”

Hearing this, all color was drained from the faces of her guards around the carriage. They didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. How were they supposed to take on someone who withstood a Holy Maiden’s spell and threw their comrades like they were pebbles? In fact, the guards could barely follow what was happening with their eyes, let alone react. Every single one of the guards just made up their minds to never volunteer for the mission.

“You stupid horse-driver! Go slower! It hurts my butt!”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The commotion caused by that man would only escalate as he inadvertently continued to earn the Demon Lord moniker... His SP was now over 100.

Luna Elegant

Race: Human — Age: 16

---

 Weapon  The Staff of Ramd

A venerated staff, blessed by the Wise Angel. It reduces the amount of Stamina expended by the user, which is an extremely rare trait for an item in this world. Conversely, it can increase the amount of Stamina the user spends to give spells explosive power.

 Armor  Congregational Robe of Ramd

A venerated garment, blessed by the Wise Angel. It drastically increases the wearer’s Magic Defense. Luna won’t suffer a scratch from most spells out there.

---

Level: 17 — HP: ? — Stamina: ? — Attack: ? — Defense: ? — Dexterity: ? — Magic: 30(+25) — Magic Defense: 25(+25)

---

The youngest sister of the three Holy Maidens. They aren’t sisters by blood. Talented members of the Holy Church are selected to be Holy Maidens, who are treated as sisters. Luna’s talent for magic far exceeds that of her sisters. It’s chilling to think how powerful her magic could become. Her problem lies in her lack of combat experience, leaving her helpless in any unexpected situation. Luna’s extremely bratty nature was formed by her silver spoon-fed upbringing. While she plays nice in front of her sisters, she plans to overrule them all someday. The second oldest sister is Killer Queen, and the oldest is Angel White.

A City in Another World

———The trading capital of Holylight, Yahooo.

“The names of places in this country...”

“Is there something funny about them?”

The streets were clamoring with crowds worthy of the city’s epithet. There were no native specialties, but this town was located on the cross-sections of multiple trade routes, helping it garner goods from all around. The Demon Lord spotted some people with turbans on their heads, some warriors built like bodybuilders, and dancer girls showing most of their skin. On the other side of the street, there was an old woman performing sketchy fortune telling, and even a merchant riding a giant lizard.

“How can people ride those things...?”

“That’s a Sand Lizard. They’re very docile creatures.” Aku answered, cheerfully. She seemed happy to be able to teach the Demon Lord something for a change. Still, Aku’s knowledge of the city was almost nonexistent. The last time she had left her village was back when her parents were still alive. Those times were in the distant past.

Quite a few shops adorned the main street. The colorful awnings of the booths made it seem as if there was some sort of festival taking place. There were many poor towns and villages in the countryside of Holylight, but a select few locations seemed to be as prosperous as ever.

(I guess this is classism...?)

The Demon Lord had the vague notion, but the class division in Holylight was atrocious, not only between towns, but between individuals, too. The ancestors of those who had fought the King of Devils alongside the Wise Angel were now nobles, basking in their lavish lives. Holylight was glued together by their religion that worshipped the Wise Angel, but there were countless rifts within the nation. Some clamored for abolishing the system of nobles, and there was even a group that lost all faith in society and resulted to worshipping devils. However, all of those civil conflicts were only possible in these lands, far from Hellion territory. In lands ruled by the Hellions, civil unrest was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“We’ve got money. Let’s buy something.”

“That’s the Holy Maiden’s money, right...?”

“What kind of Holy Maiden tries to kill people on first sight? ...She seemed to enjoy the spanking, too... She must be a Holey Woman.”

The Demon Lord approached one of the booths, peering in at the merchandise. Some sort of meat on the grill, emanating the slight scent of black pepper. In an instant, his stomach growled. He had been surviving on the crackers stocked up in the Base. Aku loved the stuff, but it was pure torture for the Demon Lord.

“How much are these?”

“Three skewers for five bronze coins.”

“Aku, which one’s the bronze coin?”

“This one! Oh wow... There’s even a bronze medallion in here. Wait, is that what a silver coin looks like!?”

Leaving Aku to her astonishment, he grabbed the small but ornately designed coins and handed them over to the shopkeeper.

“It’s my treat, Aku. Eat as much as you want.”

“Um, I know I’ve asked this already, but... That’s the Holy Maiden’s money, isn’t it...?”

“A byproduct of self-defense. In fact, I must say my treatment of the situation was that of overwhelming compassion.”

The Demon Lord had a point. Whatever the reason, Luna had tried to kill him. She was lucky enough that she wasn’t killed in return. The only hiccup here was that she was a Holy Maiden.

“If this was a hentai game called, like, ‘The Holy Maiden Ensnared — I don’t want your baby!’ she would have been a sex slave, no doubt. It’s tear-jerking how compassionate I was in comparison.”

“What’s hentai?”

“Woah... You’re not from around here, are you? You’re wearing weird clothes to start with. Slavery’s illegal in this country. Don’t even joke about it.”

The shopkeeper interjected. While the class division in Holylight was devastating, any and all forms of slavery was illegal. Anyone who broke that taboo would be prosecuted immediately, no matter their title.

“You make it sound like it’s not illegal in other countries.”

“Well, if you go up North or over East... They’re savages.”

(Savages, huh...? One of the girls at the top of this country seemed pretty savage to me.)

The Demon Lord kept this to himself, and instead dug into the skewered meat.

After that, they wandered about looking for a place to stay for the night before spotting a particular inn... called ‘Gooogle.’

“These names are just... just...”

“You don’t like it...? I think it’s cute.”

Aku said. While its name might have sounded strangely familiar for the Demon Lord, it was one of the best inns in Yahooo. Most commoners would have a hard time affording a night’s stay here, but the Demon Lord proudly walked up to the counter. For his first day in a strange city, nothing seemed to scare him. The Demon Lord seemed to have run out of fucks to give.

“Innkeeper. I’ll take your best room.”

The innkeeper was about to say something when he saw what the Demon Lord was wearing. He wasn’t familiar with the style, but he could tell that each piece was made out of exceptional materials.

“Our best room will come to one gold coin a night...”

“Whaaat!? We can’t afford that, Master Demon Lord!”

“D-Demon Lord...?”

The innkeeper picked up on the phrase when Aku yelled in protest of the astronomical price.

“Y-You see, my name is Dee Menlurd. I’ve heard all the jokes.”

“I-I see...”

The innkeeper didn’t seem entirely convinced, but decided not to ask any more questions. He presumed the Demon Lord to be foreign, and chalked it up to either a foreign name or custom. Glancing at the innkeeper, the Demon Lord called Aku with the communication tool.

I told you not to call me Demon Lord in front of strangers! Call me ‘Brother.’

Really...? I don’t think anyone would believe that...

Then ‘Bro,’ or ‘Cuz,’ or ‘Senpai.’ Take your pick.

H-How about ‘Papa’...?

Are you kidding me!? I’m a millennial!

The fact that he proudly called himself a millennial probably proved that he was too old for Aku to call him Brother.

“A-Anyhow... One gold coin, was it? Here.”

He took out a gold coin from the bag and handed it over. Aku was wriggling around as the Demon Lord covered her mouth with his hand as the gleeful innkeeper showed them to their room.

Once they were in the best room, the Demon Lord looked out the window pretentiously.

“...The view’s not bad.”

On the inside, he was freaking out over the extravagant interior, but he had to maintain his alpha demeanor in front of Aku.

“W-Wow... I feel like we’re in a noble’s manor!”

“Hmph... One of these days, I’ll build a lair worthy of my presence.”

The Demon Lord talked a big game, but hadn’t yet considered what the ramifications would be to construct such a thing in this world. However, he wouldn’t say that he owed anything to ‘the world,’ which was such an abstract concept. Who would live their daily life worrying about the fate of their entire world? Everyone worked, ate, and slept for their own benefit. In the same way, he would try and reactivate all of his admin features for his own benefit. The end result may very well be mass destruction, or it could be salvation. At this point in time, no one knew what the future had in store for our Demon Lord...

“So, calling me Master Demon Lord is going to cause a lot of problems. Can’t you think of anything else?”

“H-How about... Master Kunai?”

“Hmm... That doesn’t sound right.”

What a picky dude. He was the kind of guy that would struggle to decide which restaurant to eat at or where to go on a date.

“...I think we’re back at Brother.”

“No.”

Aku shut down the Demon Lord’s last-ditch effort. Compared to when they had first met, Aku had grown a lot, too. At this rate, she might prove to be an effective emergency break for the ignorant Demon Lord’s shenanigans.

“But that meat skewer earlier, wasn’t that so delicious!?”

“Hm...? Yeah, sure.”

The Demon Lord mumbled in response to Aku’s innocent review. To him, that meat wasn’t that good. It might not have been bled out properly, as it was chewy and gamey. That’s why, the Demon Lord figured, they had overwhelmed the smell of it with black pepper. Motivated by that experience, the Demon Lord had purposefully sought out a top-tier inn. At least for dinner, he wanted something decent to eat.

“Oh, but I love the crackers, too, of course. They’re a little sweet, and they make me happy inside.”

“Happy, huh...?”

Aku’s face loosened into a brimming smile. Seeing it, a shadow flashed over the Demon Lord’s expression. Those crackers were emergency rations. While the Empire did, according to the game’s settings, put insane amounts of effort into even emergency rations and improving their flavor... the Demon Lord couldn’t bring himself to even call it a meal.

“Then, let’s go on a quest to be happy again. Tonight, we feast.”

Hearing this, Aku skipped in joy to the Demon Lord, and held his hand. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but shoot a glance at her pitiful right leg, but he simply lifted Aku onto his shoulders.

“Before we go, though, let’s do something about your clothes. I don’t know how things are in this world, but you have to dress the part at a fancy dinner.”

“Clothes??”

The Demon Lord had completely forgotten that the money bag in his pocket belonged to the Holy Maiden. His conscience was clear in claiming the money for himself. If Own Goal had seen him now, he would have shouted ‘See! He’s the real bandit, here!’

And so, the Demon Lord and Aku went on their shopping spree.

You Unlocked Some Information!

Magic

Magic is activated by controlling the elements that exist in this world. The elements are Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind (the basic four), along with Light and Dark, which are considered outside of natural law. Some elements have an elevated form, but only those who break through a certain limit can wield those elevated elements. Some talented mages combine elements, as well. The length of the spell’s name indicates its class, ranging from 1 to 10. Even the King of Devils with his ridiculous power for magic, the best he could wield was a class 6 spell. As to what Luna was wielding... The elevation of Light is the Holy element, but Luna’s Gold element is a one-of-a-kind that has branched off of Light. Mr. Own Goal, who survived such an attack, must be holding a special skill.

Princess Evil

——Fashion Police, a popular boutique.

Bingo, the shopkeeper, gave the two new customers a quick and sharp, top-to-bottom glance. The leading one had black hair and strange clothes. A foreigner, no doubt. This city was kind to foreigners, though. It was only natural since it strived to be a trading hub. Even the people in this city seemed to be happy-go-lucky most of the time. However, the shopkeeper was concerned with the child following the man. Her clothes were almost as poorly made as a street beggar’s. The contrast in fashion between the two made the shopkeeper uneasy.

(Is she a slave...?)

Foreigner or otherwise, a slave would spell trouble. Normally, slave owners would at least have them wait outside the city or have them stay somewhere instead of parading them around. Could this extremely well-dressed man be so oblivious to that unwritten rule?

“Hello, there. Are we looking for anything in particular, today?”

With a brimming customer service face, the shopkeeper approached the man. He had decided to try and insinuate the slave issue through innocuous conversation. The last thing he wanted was to take heat for something like this.

“If you don’t mind, could you pick out some things for this kid?”

“For the sl... For this lovely child, you say...?”

“Huh? Yeah, this one here.”

Buying clothes for a slave? The shopkeeper wondered if it was a fetish thing. Perhaps he was going to dress her in extravagant clothes only to tear them off, and... The shopkeeper halted his imagination. Business was business. No need to go asking questions when a customer is ready to pay. He just had to make sure that this girl wasn’t a slave.

“I’m not good at picking out clothes for other people. I’ll leave it to the pros.”

With that, the man took out a leather pouch from his coat pocket. From the looks of it, the shopkeeper could see how heavy it was. He salivated. He might even get a gold coin out of this man.

“This one’s the biggest... I’ll take whatever I can buy with this.”

The man haphazardly took it out, sending the shopkeeper into shock. Outside of the pouch, it seemed to shine bright enough to light up the store. A gold medallion.

“A gold meda... S-Sir... Th-That would be your price range... today...?”

“Huh...? You want more?”

“I wouldn’t dare! Allow us to pick everything out immediately. Right now!”

The shopkeeper called all employees to tend to the ‘gracious lady’ who had been looking around the store curiously. Just in case, he had even sent for the rest of the employees who weren’t in for the day, all the while having an employee prepare a beverage. The shopkeeper’s mind was churning faster than it ever had before.

“And I’d love to have a smoke. Do you have an ashtray?”

“My hands! Put your ashes in my humble hands, sir!”

“Jeesh, dude! No. Just a normal ashtray and a chair to sit on...”

“My back! Sit on my humble back, sir!”

“Jeesh, dude! What’s wrong with this store!?”

While the two were stuck in an endless loop, Aku was surrounded by the employees and piles of clothes she had never seen in her life.

“Mademoiselle, how will these suit you?”

“I-I’m not a...”

Shortly after the Demon Lord and Aku’s arrival, the shop was bustling more than ever before. Even off-duty employees had been called, resulting in five employees mad-dashing around the store. They would swarm around Aku, showing her all kinds of articles of clothing and accessories, causing a tremendous ruckus.

No one could blame the shop’s employees, though, since the Demon Lord had shown them a gold medallion. With the exception of the Holy Coin of Ramd (which has a limited number in circulation), the gold medallion was the most valuable piece of currency. Most people, save for employees of a major, nationwide trading organization, would live their whole lives without finding out what a gold medallion looked like.

When the shopkeeper generously offered a bonus of a silver coin to any employee who could pick out something Aku liked, the game was on.

Oblivious to the commotion, the Demon Lord was looking outside of the shop’s window onto the bustling main street with a smile on his face. He didn’t seem to dislike the energy of the city. In fact, it looked like the Demon Lord was finally coming to terms that he was now in a strange world. After a while, the curtain at the back of the shop parted, revealing Aku.

“U-Um... D-Do I look okay...?”

“Y-Yeah...”

The Demon Lord fell speechless upon seeing Aku in a white dress. When it came to certain things, the Demon Lord really was sloppy. He didn’t know that Aku was a girl until this very moment... When, suddenly, a little princess emerged from behind the curtains.

“Will this be satisfactory, sir...? We would love to show you other pieces from our collection.”

“S-S-S-Sure... I’ll take everything that looks good.”

The shaken Demon Lord dropped his cigarette ash onto the floor, but the shopkeeper was shaken up worse.

“E-E-E-E-Everything... Sir...?”

Aku was about to say something, but the shopkeeper was much too quick.

“Everybody! Quickly! The best of the best for this mademoiselle!”

“Aye aye!” they all called back. At the end of the day, the Demon Lord ended up buying countless clothes, undergarments, shoes, etc. No matter what she wore, the Demon Lord said it looked good. True, Aku did look good in everything. Not only the more girly outfits, but even the tom-boyish styles suited her well. She did have a genetic advantage in this department.

The items he purchased were sent to the inn one after another, much to the amazement of the innkeeper. After all, the Demon Lord had booked the best room. The innkeeper couldn’t help clasp his fists at the arrival of a top-notch guest.

In the blink of an eye, the Demon Lord and Aku raised a storm of gossip around them. Were they foreign royalty? A mega-rich family from up north? If the duo had heard of these rumors, the Demon Lord would have burst out laughing, while Aku would have passed out.

“Aku, shall we...?”

After their shopping trip, the pair entered the restaurant attached to the Gooogle inn. In lieu of his usual suit, the Demon Lord adorned a black tux over a white dress shirt. He looked quite handsome, even wearing a pocket square. Aku was wearing the white dress she tried on first in the clothes shop, looking elegant and beautiful. The other patrons of the restaurant looked at them just long enough as to not be rude. Suddenly, they had another interesting conversation topic.

“You don’t see those kinds of clothes every day. Is that what’s popular up north?”

“I’ve seen some like that in the city-states.”

“Is she his daughter, do you think?”

“Nah. They’re not acting like it.”

“I’ve heard that they’re royalty from a small country.”

“Apparently, he’s ridiculously rich. Probably here to lay some groundwork on a business venture.”

“He used a gold medallion just to get clothes for that girl, right?”

“She’s spoiled rotten, huh...?”

After walking through tables full of gossip, the duo reached their table and opened their menus. The Demon Lord made some vague order at the waiter, and told him to first bring the best bottle of wine they had... as if he owned the place. His attitude only worsened the mistaken impression on the patrons of the restaurant, but the Demon Lord remained oblivious.

“The first thing he orders is the best wine of the house?”

“Maybe he’s not a businessman, and just owns a mine or something.”

Without acknowledging any of them, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette. There were things akin to a cigar in this world, but they were legitimate articles of commerce. Each cigar would cost a pretty penny. The Demon Lord’s cigarettes were of a white, which was unusual for this world. That fact alone drew eyes to him.

As everyone in the restaurant secretly watched, he sipped the wine that was served to him, and mumbled ‘nah.’ What in the world was he used to drinking? Then, he ordered the cheapest ale on the menu, took a gulp, and brimmed a smile.

“Now this is a drink for the salaryman. You can’t beat starting a meal with a pint of this.”

The other patrons had no idea that a ‘salaryman’ was a term for the 9-to-5 worker in a country called Japan from an entirely different world from their own, their best guess was that it was a name for his homeland. Up north, close to a dozen nations were in constant conflict, and there were even a bunch of city-states in the north-east. From the perspective of the people of Holylight, the foreign nations were still barbaric and in a constant state of war.

Without paying any mind to the commotion around him, the Demon Lord poured ale down his throat as he chuckled at himself for ordering the best wine on the menu.

(No good comes from showboating, I guess...)

Cleansing his palette with the ale, the Demon Lord started cutting the meat that was brought to him and throwing it into his mouth. Unlike the meat he had for lunch, this one was of pretty good quality. In truth, he wished he could eat and drink the stuff made by the Empire, but he had to be conservative about his SP usage.

“I... must be dreaming...”

“...Hm?”

The Demon Lord looked up to see Aku’s food untouched. She had her pure white dress and even a pretty tiara on her head, making her truly look like a princess.

“Thank you. Thank you. There’s so much food, just for... someone like me...”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“Of course I... worry...”

Aku’s powerful glance stopped the Demon Lord’s hand, mid-air. He was taken by her eyes. Each eye glowing in a different color, red and green... It almost seemed mystical. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but look away.

“Why do you treat me so well?”

“...It’s nothing special.”

From his perspective, he hadn’t done anything to deserve such praise. In fact, all he had done in this world so far was mercilessly slaughter a monster that attacked him, set the house of a man he didn’t like on fire, then spanked a Holy Maiden and stole her money. It was atrocious, come to think of it. Recalling his track record so far, the Demon Lord nearly choked on his ale. Granted, most of the incidents were a result of self-defense, but could he really blame people for calling him the Demon Lord?

“I don’t know... how I can repay you.”

“You don’t need to. I don’t think you owe me anything, anyway.”

The Demon Lord said, as he chucked more pieces of meat into his gullet. Cold meat and lukewarm beer were things he hated most in the world, especially warm beer. Watching a pint go flat even made him feel the bleakness of life.

“Master Demon Lord, ask anything of me. I’ll do anything I can.”

“...Anything?”

Just as the Demon Lord replied, a shout was heard from the entrance. What’s worse, the door had been kicked down.

“...There you are, Demon Lord!”

There was the Holy Maiden the Demon Lord had thoroughly spanked the other day, her face beet red. Her breathing was fast, and she seemed excited. That was precisely why this joke of a Demon Lord only had this response to give:

“You again. I don’t remember ordering a stalker...”

HMWII (the second Holy Maiden War) had begun...

Luna, the Golden

“...There you are, Demon Lord!”

Luna yelled, triggering murmurs around the restaurant. It was at this point that she reconsidered her actions. On her quest to hunt the Demon Lord, she had snuck out of the castle without telling her sisters. If she caused a scene, the news could reach the Holy City. If that were to happen, she could expect all sorts of repercussions.

“Hm. I didn’t know that, in this country... the proper way to enter an establishment was by kicking down the door.”

The Demon Lord snarked, which nearly burst a vein in her forehead. The two at the table were dressed differently from before. Their clothes looked extremely expensive. Luna shuddered, deducing the fate of her missing money bag.

“It was you...! You took my money!”

“First, you interrupt everyone having a nice dinner, and now you’re calling me a thief? I sincerely hope you’re not a fair representation of this nation’s government.”

“Shut your mouth! I had to save up that money for a long time!”

“It’s not like you’ve worked an honest job and earned it. No wonder this country’s in disarray with someone like you at the top. Why don’t you stop and listen to what the people have to say, for once?”

This is when Luna realized that the Demon Lord was derailing the conversation left and right, dodging the accusation. Her fists trembled in rage at the Demon Lord’s slimy tactics. To prove her suspicions, his eyes were wandering all over the place.

“Give me back. My. Money...! Then drop dead!”

“Moving on from false accusations to verbal abuse, are we? It’s unbecoming for a Holy Maiden, don’t you think?”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Idiot! Pervert! Thief! Die!”

“Why don’t you stop yelling and take a seat? Have you forgotten where you are?”

When the Demon Lord said this, Luna sensed silent encouragement from the rest of the room. She could feel her grip on the situation slipping. How was this happening? He was going to weaponize the crowd against her!

“Why do you think I’ll listen to...”

“Do you need another lesson on your manners?”

The Demon Lord’s sharp glare engulfed Luna. When he slowly lifted his right hand, a shocking sensation ran through her rear end, while a mysterious urge pounded in her chest.

(No... What’s happening...?)

Luna was sure that her face was bright red. Her breathing had gotten more rapid. Finally, she couldn’t stand anymore, and slumped down onto the ground.

“I’m glad we could come to an understanding. I’m sorry for the commotion, everyone... Please accept my humble token of apology.”

The Demon Lord announced, and ordered the waiter to provide a bottle of wine to each table, on him. Cheerful reactions rang throughout the restaurant. Any wine here wasn’t cheap. With a gentle smile, the Demon Lord waved to the crowd in response before carrying Luna to their table.

(Why? What happened? How did I end up here...?)

Before she knew it, the Demon Lord had ordered food for her, and had it served. She was now joining them for dinner.

“It’s on me... Don’t hold back.”

“You idiot! It’s on me, if anything!”

“Hm, well... I guess you have a point.”

The Demon Lord cackled. Luna, to her dismay, felt her heart skip a beat when he made a boyish grin.

(You perverted Demon Lord... Did you put a weird spell on me...!?)

†　†　†

“Um, Miss Holy Maiden, I’m sorry! Master Demon Lord isn’t a bad person!”

“What are you, stupid? In what world is there a good Demon Lord!?”

Luna shouted, as she shoved the meat and salad down her throat. She must have been starving. Watching her eat, the Demon Lord pondered:

(Who are the Holy Maidens, anyway...? And the Wise Angel?)

How could he access skills, items, and even admin features from the game in this world? There was so much that he didn’t know. Was it simply because... he was Hakuto Kunai? Was it because he was an admin of the game? Considering what to ask the Holy Maiden, the Demon Lord began by crafting an item under the table. Reaching into the pitch-black space, he extracted the small machine he created. This was called a Privacy Veil. It camouflaged any conversation that the user wanted to keep private, using sound masking. In the game, this item was originally used to block any Communication attempts, but as the Communication system died down with the evolution of the internet, this item had lost its place in the Game.

(For where we’re at... ‘Restaurant noises’ should do.)

As he set up the machine, any voices at their table blended into their surroundings, creating a veil of sound around them. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but grimace, seeing the item in action.

“Luna, was it...? There’s a few questions I want to ask you while you’re here.”

“Wh-What...?”

Luna looked at him with some intention to intimidate him, but the Demon Lord wasn’t about to miss the perfect opportunity to ask all sorts of questions about where he was. From one of the top people in the country, no less. Ignoring Luna’s attitude, he jumped into his questions:

“Luna, have you ever heard of a country called Japan? Or America?”

“Huh? What’s that? Also, don’t say my name.”

Luna glared at him with her pink eyes, but her small stature made her seem like a well-groomed chihuahua to the Demon Lord.

“Then... How about the Empire? Or the internet?”

“What in the world are you talking about? Are you a moron? Just die already.”

(She sure has a foul mouth...)

The onslaught of insults from the Holy Maiden was wearing him down. Aku, on the other hand, seemed to have calmed down. She was working on her food, bite by bite, gleaming happily in between bites. Seeing her like this eased the Demon Lord’s nerves a bit. Aku seemed so pure that he doubted if her and the chihuahua were really members of the same species.

“Alright, Pink Slut... What’s the Wise Angel?”

“Wh-Wh-Who’re calling a slut! Who do you think I am!?”

“Just tell me, you chihuahua. My time’s precious, unlike yours.”

“M-My time’s precious, too! What’s a chihuahua, anyway!?”

Taming Luna little by little, the Demon Lord asked his questions. He didn’t hear much more about the Wise Angel than he did from Aku, other than the fact that there were two angels other than the Wise Angel who vanished after sealing away the King of Devils. Apparently there was also the Still Angel and the Ember Angel, who hadn’t been seen in a long time.

(Three angels, huh... Uh huh... I don’t get it.)

He wasn’t even familiar with any western mythology, so he couldn’t get a grasp on it, or if there were any connections to real-life stories. He decided to ask about the other thing that was bugging him. The statue.

“Do you know about the statue placed in the Shrine of Wishes?”

Luna’s face twisted a little. She seemed to know something.

“Some heathens say, that’s the Still Angel... I’m sure they’ll meet divine judgment someday.”

“That was the Still Angel...?”

Recalling what the statue had said, the Demon Lord entertained the idea. It had said that it used to be white. In short, maybe it was a fallen angel, the Demon Lord thought. He now had a different impression about the statue.

(If this was a hentai game, it could be called “The Still Angel Ravished —Tainted by Flesh” or something like that.)

Putting aside his runaway thought that would make Luna pass out, he continued:

“What are the teachings of the Wise Angel that you believe in?”

“Oh, does the Demon Lord want to follow the ways of the Wise Angel?”

Luna showed a little smile, and began explaining proudly. Still, what she described was more of a self-help program than a religion. Working hard, self-improvement, overcoming obstacles. The Angel would smile upon those who work hard, gifting them with great power and protection... That was the gist of it. The dogma itself seemed pretty reasonable.

“So it’s only natural that some people and towns are better off than others. Hard work changes everything, huh...?”

A simple teaching, to the point. The Demon Lord contemplated it. If the world fell in place according to that dogma, those who worked hard would be rich, and those who didn’t would stay poor. Looking at Aku, though, he doubted even this world was that simple.

“Better off from the fruits of their labor... I have always worked hard to get where I am.”

“I-I’ve heard that... you were picked out of the orphanage for your talents, weren’t you?”

“...That was a long time ago.”

If what Aku had heard was true, the Demon Lord could accept that Luna did make it to where she was on her own merit. Maybe that was why she worshipped this dogma so much. More accurately, maybe she was fortunate enough to have her beliefs confirmed.

“I see... No wonder you’re full of ambition.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The Demon Lord had confidence in his assessment. Luna had tried to solo-hunt the Demon Lord. Not with either of the other two Holy Maidens, but with only two dozen or so guards. That seemed like the kind of ambition native to those who climbed up from the bottom.

“My guess is... the other two are in your way.”

“Wh-What... What makes you say that!?”

“...Don’t bother denying it. I can tell.”

The Demon Lord said with confidence, but he didn’t mean anything by it. While he was sitting at a nice dinner, he just thought he’d say something suave while he could. Luckily, Luna ended up spilling the beans herself. Judging by how easily she broke down, the Demon Lord figured that she didn’t really have experience interacting with people. Considering her holier-than-thou attitude and potty mouth, he doubted Luna even had a single friend. To confirm his theory, the Demon Lord solemnly said:

“...Loner.”

“Urgh...! Wh-What do you mean...?”

“Nah, nothing. Just saying that Aku and I should be going...”

“S-S-Sure... I’ve got things to do, anyway!”

Luna’s eyes wandered about, as she hurriedly got out of her seat. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but chuckle at how obvious she was being.

“I’m staying at an inn called Gooogle. Come see me if you need anything.”

“I don’t need anything from you, idiot!”

Luna stormed out of the restaurant, restoring peace and quiet to the establishment. Watching her leave, the Demon Lord stood up to make their way back to the inn. After paying the check, he exited the restaurant to realize that night had completely fallen. Their elegant dinner had been interrupted, but the Demon Lord had gained a lot from the surprise guest.

“...Most of the time you’re kind, but sometimes you like to tease people, Master Demon Lord.”

“I am always a gentleman... To those who deserve respect.”

“The Holy Maiden is very kind. Master Demon Lord, you’re... Woah!”

Without a word, the Demon Lord carried Aku, princess-style, back to the inn. He couldn’t piggy-back her or put her on a shoulder when she was wearing such a fancy dress. The looks people gave him were like pins and needles to him, but he decided that what happens in Yahooo, stays in Yahooo.

“Y-You are... kind. I take it back...”

“Hm? It looks like we’ll get to sleep on a good bed for a change...”

Smiling along, the duo spent the rest of the night in peace... They were supposed to, anyway. As soon as they had returned to their room, Luna banged on their door. The Demon Lord opened the door to see her, teary-eyed.

“You idiot! Thanks to you, I can’t pay for a room!”

The Demon Lord felt a little sorry for her, seeing her this way, but there was no way that he would keep this yapping girl in his room. He was being fully judgmental now, but he expected her to even ramble in her sleep.

“Sleep on the street. Catch a cold, while you’re at it. With a fever.”

“What the...! It’s all your fault I’m in this mess!”

“Fine... Here, take your money. Stay wherever you want.”

Foreseeing the trouble she would be if he gave her a reason to follow him around, the Demon Lord returned the money bag. He figured that he should find a way to make his own money sooner or later. Might as well start now.

(Hm...?)

Despite returning her money, Luna showed no sign of moving away from the door. In fact, more and more tears formed at her eyes. While the Demon Lord was confused, Luna blurted out this bomb:

“F-F-F-Fine, I’ll stay here with you two, if you insist!”

“...Huh? Did you hit your head, or something?”

He felt like he blacked out for the portion of the conversation that led to this point.

“Y-You’ve paid for this room with my money! Of course I’m going to stay here!”

“...So this is what happens when a loner hits rock bottom.”

“What do you mean, loner!? Move it! The best bed is mine!”

And so, the peculiar trio of a Holy Maiden, Demon Lord, and Aku, was formed. The night wasn’t getting any quieter.

The Night of Three

Luna and Aku were sitting on the bed in the hotel room, chatting cheerfully. It was only natural that Aku had changed into her pajamas since the Demon Lord had just bought them, but the fact that Luna was wearing her pajamas was definitely weird. Perhaps she was ready to stay the night from the moment she banged on their door.

“Admin feature... Item Folder.”

Keeping the two girls in the corner of his eye, the Demon Lord was storing away the mountain of clothes he had bought... except he wasn’t putting them away in a dresser, but in the Item Folder. In the game, players could only hold up to ten items at a time, but the admin feature, Item Folder, had infinite slots.

— Pure-white Dress

— Silver Crown

The stored items became a row of text, and it seemed that he could materialize them at any time. Watching him move the items in and out of the Folder was reminiscent of a certain blue robot from a popular anime.

“Got it, Aku? Just call me Sister Luna.”

“Am I allowed to address a Holy Maiden like that...?”

“I told you, you can. My word is law.”

Luna spouted off, sitting on the bed, holding up her index finger.

(Your word is law...?)

To the Demon Lord, Luna almost seemed too prideful to be real. At this point, he figured that she had probably just come over since she was lonely in this town without any friends.

“Sure, I may be the youngest, but I really should be the one in charge!”

“Really!?”

(Yeah, right. This country would have been burned to the ground ages ago if you were in charge.)

He assumed the youngest of the Holy Maidens was only in that teenage phase of wanting to act mature. Letting her prattle on could have led to Aku believing her nonsense, so the Demon Lord interjected with a disinterested tone.

“So, the girl with the flaming pants... Are you going to the Holy City, too?”

“The girl who... What’s that mean? It sounds kind of cool.”

Luna turned to him with glee, but of course, it wasn’t a compliment.

“It means you’re a liar... I think it’s a perfect moniker.”

“You’re the one to talk! You perverted Demon Lord! Get a haircut, idiot!”

While he didn’t know what his hair had to do with anything, the Demon Lord could only imagine that she was selected to be a Holy Maiden on the sole criteria of her ability to throw insults. Clearly, that was the only explanation.

“Besides, you asked me like I was going on vacation or something. I live in the Holy Castle inside the Holy City.”

“Hm... Aku and I will change our course, then.”

“W-Why!?”

“I’m getting a headache just thinking about traveling with you. That’ll be unadulterated torture.”

“Th-That’s a little harsh...”

Luna said, acting defeated all of a sudden. The quick change in her demeanor startled the Demon Lord.

(Why is she upset now? Her mood changes at the drop of a hat. It’s like riding a roller coaster.)

That being said, he reconsidered the possibility that most girls her age would have acted the same way. Meanwhile, Aku was speaking to Luna, trying to comfort her. As far as the Demon Lord could tell, Aku seemed infinitely more saintly than this Holy Maiden.

“Master Demon Lord, you’ve hurt her feelings... Let’s travel together.”

“Oh, you’re so good, Aku! Unlike this pervert here!”

Luna joyfully wrapped herself around Aku and nuzzled their cheeks together.

Watching this ordeal, the Demon Lord was assured that Luna had lived her whole life without so much as a single friend. That might have invoked in him some pity for her.

“Miss Holy Maiden. Master Demon Lord is very kind, too...”

“How!? His hair is so long, and he keeps staring at my butt! I bet he’s eyeing my peach-plump butt right now!”

(I take it back. She doesn’t deserve pity.)

The Demon Lord only saw Luna as a child, inside and out. Nothing about her rear end was attractive to him. While on the subject, her chest was as flat as an airport runway. So flat that planes could land on it during a storm.

(But the Holy City, huh...?)

He imagined this and that about the big city he had yet to see. If he was going to look into the angels, it made sense to head to the capital. That was just about the only action he could take, other than recovering the Admin Features.

“Peach Butt, can I find out more about the Ember Angel in the Holy City?”

“S-S-S-S-See! You’re after my butt! You Demon Butt Lord!”

“You’re the one who said it first...”

Luna stood up from the bed, covering her bottom. Her face had a tint of blush on it. Seeing her reaction, the Demon Lord wondered if the Holy Maiden had some masochistic tendencies, but decided to get off the topic of butts. His gut was telling him that the statue in the Shrine of Wishes was the Still Angel. Transporting someone from another realm seemed like the sort of power reserved for god-like entities. That particular god-like entity, though, had crumbled to dust. His only lead at the moment for returning to his original world was the Ember Angel.

“Oh, what do you want to learn about the Ember Angel for...? I won’t stand for any trouble-making in the capital.”

“It’s not trouble-making to blast off magic at someone on first sight?”

“As a Holy Maiden, I have the right to prosecute criminals!”

The Demon Lord almost couldn’t contain his laughter. ‘Right,’ again? While on the subject, he switched to questions about magic.

“Luna, can I ask you about magic?”

“D-Don’t... Don’t say my name out of the blue like that... You idiot!”

(Urghhh... This chick is infinitely annoying.)

‘Go tsundere on some teenager, please!’ the Demon Lord screamed internally. Talking with this Holy Maiden only reminded him of how old he had gotten. Back in the day, tsundere girls and all sorts of anime tropes would have got him going, but with age, it all just became tiresome.

...So, a rather eventful line of questioning came to an end as Aku and Luna went to take a bath. Left alone in the room, the Demon Lord rolled on the bed. Through what must have been thin walls, he could hear the girls talking.

“Miss Holy Maiden, the bubbles Master Demon Lord gave me are amazing!”

“Bubbles... Aku, you sound like a child. A lady calls this soap.”

He let out a sigh. He had asked Luna a few questions about magic, but just holding a conversation with her was excruciating. Here and there, her tsundere would activate, grinding down the Demon Lord’s sanity each time. It was almost torturous.

(A ‘bath,’ huh...?)

The girls were ecstatic in their cold bath. Since this country was hot most of the time, apparently a cold bath was the height of luxury. For a Japanese man who had taken a hot bath every single day of his life, just a cold bath was unacceptable.

(There’s a lot to think about...)

About how to make a living... About money. And about protecting himself against magic.

“See, these tiny, tiny bubbles come out, making your skin silky smooth.”

“Come now, Aku. How could a bar of soap be so- oooohhh!? What is this thing!?”

(Shut up, already...! I can’t hear myself think!)

Giving up on furthering his thoughts in the room, the Demon Lord headed out to the balcony.

“It cleans really well, and it even smells good.”

“Krr... That Demon Pervert Lord...! Don’t think you can break me this easily!”

Hearing this, the Demon Lord thought about calling her Asagi from now on, but thought better of it, realizing that no one in this world would understand the reference. Turning his back on the commotion from the other side of the wall, he stepped out onto the balcony to gaze out at the nightscape. There were torch-like installations here and there, and some along the main street were even as bright as streetlights.

(I guess those have magic using the Light element.)

Apparently, magic can also be used by infusing it into chunks of a special mineral, called Spell Stones, instead of casting spells on the spot.

(The infrastructure of this world...)

Luna had told him that anyone who could use magic would never go hungry. What he saw in the streets backed her up. Elements of Fire and Water, for example, must have countless uses for the people of this world without modern technology. Back in Japan, one knob in the kitchen produced fire while another produced water. He was witnessing the pinnacle of a fantasy world.

(I better start making money. Never know when I’ll need it.)

The Demon Lord considered this, but wasn’t too worried about his finances. He was willing to bet that he could sell off items from the Game at considerable prices. On a more basic level, even a Bottle of Water would sell for good money. He already knew that clean water was a prized commodity in this country. The problem was, a bottle of water from the Game was an item that healed the user’s HP by 20.

(Selling something like that... Might only cause more problems. What else?)

Since the climate was hot, he thought of an item called Fortune Teller Bar, a bar of ice cream on a stick that contained a fortune. Once the user ate the bar, their stats were affected according to the fortune. A Very Lucky bar even regenerated the user’s Stamina. This also seemed like a troublesome item to put out on the market.

(Back to soap, I guess...?)

He recalled all sorts of items, like the Whiskey Box, Pastry, Dumpling, Wheel of Cheese, Jerky, Canned Food, Lump of Meat... all of which healed HP or Stamina. Weapons and armor, of course, were out of the question.

(How about Bowls or Tea Cups... or Buddha Statues?)

Actually, the Demon Lord thought, those had better potential. He was already seen as a foreigner from a distant land. It didn’t seem too far-fetched for him to have some oriental things.

(Maybe I can push it more...? Like playing a travelling art dealer.)

Of course, the Bowl and Tea Cup were both garbage items with +1 Attack. The Buddha Statue, however, was a pretty decent item at +18 Attack.

(Alright. Maybe I’ll try selling a Tea Cup as some fancy drinkware...)

And so, the night thickened on the three of them and their lively room.

Meanwhile, a certain calamity was headed for Yahooo.

Killer Queen

A large piece of architecture was charging down the highroad... A gigantic chair being led by ten horses. There were many large wheels underneath it, running over and crushing stones as the chair charged towards Yahooo. Surrounding it were one hundred and eight elite knights of the Holy Knights’ Order. It looked as if the group were en route to war. However, many of the knights, who all wore uniform, hallowed armor, had shaved heads or Mohawks. They looked far from a bunch of angel worshippers. This was the personal army of a Holy Maiden, Killer Queen. Anyone who didn’t know them would have pegged them for a North Star gang of bandits. But this very battalion was the most trusted, loved, and respected group of fighters in the country, all for one simple reason: they trampled over any and all evil they came across. Whether a powerful mob boss or a weasel in power, Killer Queen left no man standing in the wreckage of her rampage. In her violence was a simple form of justice. Her carnage was let loose against invading forces, too. Once, the enemy forces fell apart and retreated the moment her army arrived.

“My Queen, we’re almost there.”

A towering man resembling a boulder informed his mistress, to whom he vowed his never-ending devotion. The man was called Mount Fuji. He used to be an unstoppable bandit around these parts. But now, he had sworn to serve his mistress through hell or high water. After being beaten to a pulp countless times by Killer Queen, he had traded in his life of crime for a position within the Holy Knights’ Order. The man’s mother had cried tears of joy and gratitude for the Holy Maiden. Killer Queen had many tear-jerker stories like this under her belt. She was a truly extraordinary figure in this country, whose merciless violence was always seen as just.

“That fucker... Making me haul my ass all this way.”

Her legs crossed high on her giant chair, Killer Queen tossed back her glass of wine.

Despite the speed it was going at, the chair was as smooth as a ride could be at the top. An exorbitant amount of Spell Stones were used in the construction in order to minimize Queen’s discomfort.

“How courageous of her to try and take down the Demon Lord! Everyone is impressed, My Queen. She really is your sister.”

“Ya dumbass, that fucker just wants attention. Besides, there’s no such thing as a Demon Lord to begin with, dumbshit.”

These sisters at least had their vulgarity in common. It might make one wonder what a Holy Maiden should be like, but all of the knights around her were overflowing with passionate devotion, all directed towards Killer Queen and Killer Queen alone. Despite her vulgar vocabulary, she was beautiful in a different way than her younger sister. She had long, straight, blond hair and a slender body, well-toned by battle. Her leg peering through the slit in her nun’s robe was terribly alluring. Her eyes were golden like her hair, but they seemed to see through so much more than her younger sibling’s. Rumor had it, no matter how tough the criminal, a glare from her eyes would have them begging for their life. Even the hood of her robe was pushed back. She almost looked like a heretic, but her beauty justified it all. No matter the world, beautiful people seemed to get away with anything.

“I have heard, My Queen, that the King of Devils was killed...”

Queen gritted her teeth. The big news regarding the King of Devils’ resurrection was not one that reached her ear. It was kept from her through some politicking behind closed doors.

(What were you thinking, big sis...?)

With a tsk, the Queen pictured the one responsible for keeping that information from her. She had a good guess as to her sister’s intentions.

(You thought I was going to lose...? Motherfucker.)

In truth, Queen would not have stood a chance against the King of Devils. No matter how deteriorated it was, there were hopelessly few candidates in this entire world who could have damaged that monster.

(Demon Lord, huh...?)

Queen vaguely imagined whatever a Demon Lord would look like. Before now, the Demon Lord’s existence was exclusive to legends and fairytales. Through the entirety of recorded history, there were no witnesses to such a being. By any rationale, its existence was imaginary.

“Fuji, you believe in something like that? The Demon Lord?”

Fuji’s eyes widened at Queen’s question. She usually addressed people as fucker, or dumbass, or dumbshit, or slugbag, or... She rarely addressed them by their names. The fact that she did now was an indication of her sincerity.

“I have no opinion, My Queen. What you believe, I believe.”

“Are you literally meat-brained, dumbass? You maggot.”

Despite the insults raining down on him, Fuji was smiling with glee. The knights around him grumbled in envy. To them, an insult from Queen was a reward second to none. Calling this group a mistress and her slaves may paint a more accurate picture than calling them a commander and her soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord himself...

“A piece from beyond the sea past the city-states, you say...?”

“Yes. A historical drinkware. Back in my country, drinkware like this can be a reward more prized than land or precious metals.”

...had become a full-blown scam artist, preying on a merchant. The merchant’s name was Gonald McBonald. He held a long-standing, large-scale art dealership in the city.

“This cup is a reward prized more than land or gold...?”

“Refined gentlemen prefer artisan drinkware over a plot of land. What good is gold to a growling gut? But to sip from a cup worth a large chunk of land? How gallant!”

With grandiose gestures, the Demon Lord performed his speech. He seemed more of a natural-born scammer than a Demon Lord. The thing is, his story wasn’t completely fabricated. There were times in feudal Japan when drinkware were more sought after than land or gold. The trickle of truth blended into the lies helped him remain confident in his pitch.

“I-I see...”

In reality, the Demon Lord’s confidence, dress, and his reputation as a rich traveler had given his claim some serious weight. To boot, he was extremely close to a Holy Maiden. With his hand stacked in his favor, no one would have dared to think that anything the Demon Lord brought in was worthless.

“It’s our first business transaction. Just this time... I can let go of it for one gold medallion.”

“G-Gold medallion!?”

Confident as ever, the Demon Lord demanded a gold medallion for it. The truth was that the Demon Lord didn’t comprehend how much any of this country’s currencies were worth, let alone what a gold medallion was worth. He simply asked for the biggest piece of currency he could find in Luna’s money bag. His lack of knowledge, combined with his shameless brazenness, was miraculously allowing him to pull this off.

“A work of art shines brighter with a worthy price... As you well know, I’m sure.”

“Yes, I can’t deny that.”

McBonald wholeheartedly agreed. He owned a shop with plenty of art pieces in a city bustling with trading merchants. This statement seemed to resonate with him. In fact, McBonald had never seen nor heard about anything like this drinkware. A piece brought in from across the sea by a close friend of a Holy Maiden... Such a product wouldn’t stay on his shelf for long.

“However, when selling this to a customer... I want you to price it no less than five gold medallions. That is my condition for this sale.”

“F-Five gold medallions...”

Overwhelming confidence and guarantee for the piece was shown in the subtext of this condition. He wasn’t going to allow a sale at all for less than that price. The Demon Lord’s confidence prevailed in the end, readying McBonald to bite the bullet.

“I understand. I agree to your condition, sir.”

“Excellent. Please, have this on me.”

The Demon Lord put another item from the game, a jar of Honey on the table. This was an incredible item that healed 60 HP and 60 Stamina. He had spent 30 SP just to materialize a single jar. In the game, this was just a one-shot item, but in this world, the drastic healing to both HP and Stamina would have an unbelievable effect. This jar of honey was akin to the Elixir, rumored to be the tears of God. A work of miracles, coveted by royalty, nobles, and adventurers around the world.

“Is this... honey?”

“Honey from the Emp... my country has special properties. Please give some to anyone with an illness.”

“How kind... My wife has been ill for a long time, now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Please, give some to your wife.”

With a handshake, the Demon Lord concluded his business with McBonald. The Demon Lord came out rich from this transaction, but McBonald also made out like a bandit when a rich collector in the city scooped the drinkware off his shelf in no time. McBonald had made a ridiculous profit of four gold medallions just for being the middleman. On top of that, his ill-stricken wife regained her former strength the instant she took some of the honey. Even her skin seemed younger, somehow. From this point on, McBonald would wholeheartedly trust anything the Demon Lord brought in.

The Demon Lord, once he had made his way to an unpopulated alley, cackled up at the sky.

“Hah ha ha! I knew I could pull it off if I tried!”

After having to maintain his brazen confidence to mask his terror inside, the Demon Lord felt an immense relief.

“Now that I’ve made some money... What to do next?”

With a grin, he gazed up at the sky. Clouds in various shapes were leisurely floating by, making for a relaxing sight.

“It really doesn’t rain here, does it...?”

He hated the rain. It almost always reminded him of something unbearable. In that sense, the climate of this place suited him just fine.

(I guess there’s a lot of stuff to worry about if you live here, though.)

He could easily imagine that from what Aku and Luna had told him. Sometimes, the ever-glaring sun can dry up even the human heart.

As the Demon Lord was contemplating such things...

“Get out here, Luna!”

A shout pierced through the lazy afternoon. It rarely rained in this country, but on this day, a monsoon of blood would soon fall upon this city.

Satanists

Holylight, despite its classism and internal conflicts, had remained intact through the worship of the historical Wise Angel. That being said, there was a group far off from the national ideology. Not hedonistic bandits or robbers, but worshippers of beings opposite to angels. They were Satanists, worshippers of devils.

At first, the Satanists had only the modest demand for wealth redistribution. Over time, though, they had turned to call for the abolishment of nobles, and even accusing the Wise Angel for creating the nation’s classism in the first place. The truth was, the Wise Angel had nothing to do with nobles or classism. The Wise Angel itself had vanished after fighting the King of Devils. Many of those who fought alongside the Wise Angel at the time had obtained positions of power, later becoming nobles. The Satanists, though, didn’t care at all about the historical facts or their accuracies. The now, and their end, was all they lived for.

At some point, someone called Utopia had appeared before them. Ever since, the Satanists grew more and more aggressive. Finally, they had started worshipping devils in opposition of the angels, and performing random terror attacks throughout the country, before finally attempting to summon the Demon Lord.

“Get out here, Luna!”

Queen’s roar reverberated through the alleyways. Hearing this, the Satanists were overjoyed. For all they knew, they had failed to summon the Demon Lord, but they had baited a Holy Maiden out. It wasn’t in vain, after all. They set their plan in motion to assassinate the Holy Maidens.

“Cursed be the Holy Maidens...”

“Cursed be.”

Warlkin, the leader of the assassins, called out, and eerie voices replied from the shadowy alleys. It was incredibly fortunate for them that two of the Holy Maidens were in town, when they would have considered themselves lucky to even take down one.

(With our secret weapon, our plan is foolproof...)

Warlkin couldn’t help but grimace in anticipation. If he had known that the Demon Lord they had waited so long for was just around the corner, he just might have fainted.

†　†　†

(Yikes, this chick... Was she born under the North Star?)

Picking up on the commotion from the alley, the Demon Lord had concealed himself in the crowd on the main street. He was staring at a woman atop a ludicrously large chair, surrounded by a band of skinheads and Mohawks. At first, he pinned them to be bandits or a circus troupe, but he kept hearing murmuring from the crowd mentioning the words ‘Holy Maiden.’

(That’s... one of Luna’s sisters...? For real!?)

She looked to him as if she was about to shout ‘I’ve no need for love!’ evoking even more strange feelings in the Demon Lord about the Holy Maidens.

“Oh yeah... If there’s a Demon Lord around here, show your face.”

In reaction, the Mohawks around her started screaming the same demand, flailing their clubs around. How could they possibly be a Holy Maiden’s army? ‘Bring out all the food and water you’ve got!’ seemed more like a demand they were about to make.

“I guess the Demon Lord’s a pussy... Too scared to face me, huh?”

(Shut up, you freak! Go back to your post-apocalypse!)

The Demon Lord shouted internally with all of his might. Who in their right mind would step in front of a bunch like them just to be like ‘Yep, that’s me. Demon Lord here’? The Mohawks would beat him to pulp in two seconds flat.

“S-Sister... Why are you here!?”

Luna coming out to the main street only made the commotion louder, much to the dismay of the Demon Lord. Things were most certainly about to get more complicated.

“You little fucker... Who do you think you are, playing with fire behind my back?”

“N-No! I just heard that the Demon Lord had appeared, so...!”

“You dumb piece of shit! You’re a useless sack on your own, so go cry in your room, miserable little fucker.”

From atop her chair, Queen thrusted her middle finger up in the air towards Luna. A flawless display of disdain. It was at this moment that all rules seemed to have gone out the window.

“Y-You don’t have to be so mean! And I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s with the stupid big chair!?”

“Huh? You got a problem with my portable throne...?”

Listening to the argument, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette without saying a word. He needed something to help him get through it. In fact, he doubted if the creature atop the giant chair was really a woman. Was it possible that it was a monster by the name of Thouzer, or something?

“I-I’m the one who’s going to take down the Demon Lord! You go home, Sis!”

“Take down something that doesn’t exist? Good luck with that.”

“He exists, too! He’s always after my butt!”

“...Huh? What’s this about your ass?”

(Damnit...! I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t ready for this!)

The Demon Lord writhed in embarrassment, barely keeping himself from curling up on the ground. Before he knew it, he was now the pervert lusting after Luna’s butt.

(Wait a minute... I can take Aku and ditch the city while they’re duking it out.)

He gripped his fists at his brilliance. Luna on her own was too much to handle, let alone her crazy sister. When the Demon Lord turned towards the inn in order to avoid that nightmare, a scream pierced through the street... followed by a spray of blood.

†　†　†

“Death to the false angel...! Firebird!”

“Woes unto the Holy Maidens...! Ice Hammer!”

Lights, red and blue.

(What... the...)

The unreal sight in front of him prompted a childish reaction from the Demon Lord. In the next moment, waves of heat and cold rushed him in tandem, nearly blowing him away. The rapid-fire spells tore through chunks of the crowd, causing a downpour of blood in this city block.

(Damnit...! Magic again!)

Amidst the screams and cries, he could even hear cheering. Out of nowhere, a group clad in black had appeared, attacking the post-apocalyptic Holy Maiden and her gang.

(I recognize that outfit...)

A quick recollection led the Demon Lord to the answer. They were dressed the same as the group of corpses in the Shrine of Wishes. He didn’t have a clue who they were, but they seemed to be against the Holy Maidens.

“...What’s up, Satanists?”

As a cloud of dust rose, she whipped out a ridiculously large metal club, and slammed it onto the figure in the black robe in front of her. That apparently smashed his skull to bits, as the body fell onto its back, spewing a spray of blood. She swung around the hunk of metal as big as herself, massacring another figure in black, then another. Then, she let out a maniacal laugh and charged into the group of them.

(Holy Maiden my ass... That’s a blood-thirsty beast!)

A hit from that hunk of metal would send even a lion or a bear running with their tail between their legs. The crazy Holy Maiden kept swinging the hunk of metal side-to-side, blowing heads off of her enemies. Not even a smidgen of guilt could be seen on her face, as she went on as if she was playing a friendly game of sport.

“Drop dead, you idiots...! Gold Geyser!”

With a swing of her staff, Luna shot out numerous golden spears. In the blink of an eye, ten or so of the figures in black were bloodied. Their blood flowed all through the main street, into the alleys. Immediately, the Mohawks screamed.

“Cleanse the Satanists!”

“Blood for the queen!”

“If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to have the queen insult me...!”

Screaming this and that all at once, the Mohawks and skinheads collided with the figures in black. There was no telling which side was the aggressor anymore. The two crazy Holy Maidens were on top of their game, too.

“Hah ha ha ha! Red is the new black, Satanists!”

“You should feel honored to perish by my spells! You demons!”

(You’re the real demon here...)

The Demon Lord’s resolve to escape the city with Aku had solidified. Who could blame him for trying to avoid the Holy Maidens, though, when every time one appeared, people had been killed?

Just when the Demon Lord was about to turn around, a man who seemed to be in a leadership position, wearing a different garb than the rest, produced a large box and opened it. A pitch-black liquid emerged and making peculiar sounds, it spread through the main street. The man grimaced as if he had already won the battle.

“Our precious darkness... But it should be forgiven if used to take two Holy Maidens.”

In an instant, a strange energy permeated the area. The black liquid had spread wide on the ground, and the Mohawks had fallen to their knees one after another as it reached them. After seeing this bizarre sight, the woman with the hunk of metal shouted with agitation:

“Luna, back off! It’s Tartarus!”

“Wha... Huh...?”

By the time she got the words out, the liquid had reached their feet. They fell to their knees, powerless.

“Now...! Get them!”

The leader shouted. The black liquid was creeping into the alleys. People in the crowd fell one after another as it approached the Demon Lord.

(Poison?)

If it was, he had a neutralizer from the game. As he got ready to face it, the liquid kept spreading, while avoiding the Demon Lord. He sensed wariness from it. As if it was just staring back at him, observing. Maybe it was some sort of creature.

“Everyone, the blessing of the angel is gone! ...Take down the Holy Maidens!”

With that call, the figures in black attacked at once. The woman with the hunk of metal had lost her punch, panting with one knee on the ground. The man the size of a boulder put himself between her and the attackers, but even he looked pale, without an ounce of strength in his stance.

(This doesn’t look good...!)

While panicking at what was happening, the Demon Lord knew that there would be more trouble ahead if he jumped into action right now. The woman with the metal hunk remembering his face, especially, could spell the end for him. He could go into battle in Stealth Stance, but that would take away 70% or so his combat powers. Since he didn’t know what these figures in black were capable of, he wasn’t willing to risk it.

(Maybe I should just craft a Grenade or something and chuck it into the fray?)

As the Demon Lord was considering brute-force solutions like that, the ring on his finger emanated a mystifying light, sending him into excruciating pain and dizziness.

That’s right... Blow them all, and that woman, to pieces... Problem solved.

(Not you again! Kill that woman, and I become the most wanted man in the country!)

Despite his rebellion against Kunai’s whispers in his head, they didn’t stop.

But she, and this entire country, is trying to kill the Demon Lord.

It’ll be self-defense, again. Your favorite.

Isn’t it comforting? With the justification of protecting yourself, you can go on relishing in the murd-

With every second his headache worsened, until he couldn’t stand anymore. It even seemed like the pitch-black liquid around him was resonating with Hakuto Kunai’s calling. Ripples appeared on its surface, taking peculiar forms here and there. The Demon Lord expected it to swallow him whole if he let his guard down.

(Isn’t there... anything that can get me out of this...!?)

With his quivering hand, he opened the Admin Features. Much to his surprise, he was greeted with a brand-new command.

Change Character — Non-controllable

(...Huh?)

Killer Queen

Race: Human — Age: 17

---

 Weapon  Bloody Conclusion

A ridiculous hunk of metal as large as the wielder herself. In exchange for being ridiculously heavy, its destructive capabilities are outstanding. Queen loves using it for its sheer durability.

 Weapon  The Hammer of Sigma

A venerated hammer, blessed by the Still Angel. In addition to its high Attack, it is imbued with the power of the four basic elements. By spending some Stamina, the user can cast some simple spells with it.

 Armor  Congregational Robe of Sigma

What used to be a venerated garment, blessed by the Still Angel. Queen’s crazy modifications has left it with almost no resemblance of its former glory. There is even a large slit up the skirt.

---

Level: 18 — HP: ? — Stamina: ? — Attack: 28 (+12 or +20) — Defense: 26(+15) — Dexterity: 25 — Magic: 15 — Magic Defense: 5(+15)

---

The middle sister of the three Holy Maidens. As her stats indicate, she is more of a frontline warrior. Because of her expert skills and intuition in close combat, she is one of the best fighters in this world. Her demeanor is absolutely becoming of her name, and what comes out of her mouth are almost exclusively vulgarities. The lack of any male stronger than her has left her uninterested in romance, but she still holds onto the hope that her Prince Charming will come someday.

Dragonborn

As the saying goes, a drowning man would clutch at straws. A straw’s a straw, though. It would break as soon as he clutched it. Still, there was a time for the man to clutch it, nonetheless.

With a quivering hand, the Demon Lord selected the command from his Admin Features. The voice echoing in his head disappeared immediately. At the same time, he was enveloped in a white light. It was bright enough to even stop the fighting on the main street as they squinted into the light to see what was behind it.

When the light faded, there was a man standing there, clad in white from head to toe. With that description, one might imagine a warrior of light or something, but his clothes were adorned with grotesquely bizarre text that read the following in Japanese: ‘Best in the World’ ‘Bring it On’ ‘Leave You in the Dust’ etc... All phrases that one might expect from the stereotype. On the back of the man’s jacket, amidst the cacophony of embroidered text, was a long, silver dragon. Even the man’s hair was dyed silver. He was a Bosozoku, a Japanese biker of a variety that had definitely gone extinct in modern-day Japan.

“Where the...?”

His name was Zero Kirisame — a character Akira Ono had created so he could play in his own game. Aligning with his backstory as a Bosozoku, he had a fierce glare. His eyes seemed to have been created with the sole purpose of giving his enemies ‘the look.’

“Wh-Who do you think you are...!”

“...Huh!?”

As one of the Satanists yelled at him, Zero responded with the look. He certainly had no idea where he was, but he seemed ready to finish a fight if one started. Zero looked over at the main street. When he noticed Queen and Luna curled up on the ground, his expression changed.

“Tsk. Getting off on bullying a kid and a chick, huh...?”

“Bastard... You must be with the Holy Maidens! Kill him!”

“Ooh. You guys... wanna go?”

Grudge has been set.

As soon as Zero muttered this, blue flames rose out of him. One of the Satanists swung his short sword, attacking him out of the blue. Zero tilted his head to dodge the sword without a word, and swung his right fist with astonishing speed. An unworldly crunch was heard, as the man did a 360. His face had been caved in to the shape of Zero’s fist. His nose was shattered, and most of his teeth were broken.

The man was twitching on the ground for a few moments before his eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness. With a single blow so impactful in many ways, the Satanists fell speechless.

“I only need one punch... for trash like you.”

(Noooooo! Shut up, you idiot!)

Akira Ono, trapped inside Zero, screamed in protest at his corny one-liner. This was beyond embarrassing. It was practically abuse. But alas, Akira’s voice was heard by no one else, and he couldn’t move a finger of Zero’s body. It wasn’t that he was logged in as Zero, but had changed his character. Therefore, Zero acted and spoke as he pleased, according to his backstory, which was that of a rebellious biker teen from the good old days. To lift up the weak and beat down the strong was the lifestyle of a traditional Bosozoku before they went extinct.

(Who... is that...!?)

Queen was transfixed on the man who appeared in front of her with a burst of light. For a moment, she thought an angel had materialized. Instead, there was a man wearing a silver dragon on his back. A rocking stud, at that.

(What is that blinding white outfit...!? Shit’s unreal!)

It even looked like he had carved Bindings all over his body. There were ways to carve magic directly into one’s body, but that was a fighting style that literally drained the life out of the user. No one could withstand that with an ordinary mind or body.

When one of the Satanists had swung his sword at him, Queen couldn’t help but let out a cry. But then, a flash of his fist blew away the Satanist along with her concern, sending the attacker onto the ground after a full 360.

“I only need one punch... for trash like you.”

(Damn that’s so cooooool!)

The electrifying line had struck through her heart. Some strange elation she had never felt before came rushing from deep within her. What came to her mind was an old prophecy she had scoffed at before.

When the Demon Lord descends on this land, so does an ancient light.

(That prophecy was for real...!)

What she had discarded as nonsense spewed by the old hags at the church was becoming a reality. There he was, right in front of her... the Man in Light wearing a dragon on his back!

“Wh-What are you... Who are you!?”

Another Satanist yelped in astonishment. Queen listened carefully for the answer. Where did this rocking stud come from?

“Scum like you who bully women... don’t even deserve to know my name.”

(W-Woman...? He called me... a woman...)

All the blood in Queen’sbody rushed up to her head. To her embarrassment, even her hands were shaking. She was already stepping in Tartarus and having her powers drained, so this wasn’t good. But this kind of shyness, Queen thought, may not be too bad.

“...He must be another one of the Holy Knights! Stay vigilant, kil-”

Before he could finish the sentence, the Satanist went flying. It must have been a kick, Queen thought. His moves were so fast that she could barely follow them with her eyes. She looked over at Luna, about to tell her that she wouldn’t want to miss this fight, but the little fucker was on her back, now, seeing stars. This bitch was hopeless, through and through.

“Ready or not... First Skill: Kung Fu.”

As soon as the man had said those words, it seemed like he had grown in size. What followed was a straight punch as fast as a lightning bolt. The Satanist who took the hit was dramatically blown away, snowballing through a few more of the bunch. The attacks though, kept coming like a whirlwind.

“Show me your moves...! Second Skill: Close Combat.”

He dove into the crowd of Satanists, unleashing a flurry of countless kicks, concluded by a full-force, roundhouse kick. The whole lot of them were blown into the air as if a tornado had hit them, sending the Satanists into a panic.

“Don’t you know? You can’t run from a dragon... Third Skill: Phoenix Fall.”

With a ferocious three consecutive punches followed by a final one into the ground... a blast of energy took the form of a dragon as it carried 30 or so of the Satanists away towards the horizon. Now, every single one of the Satanists were on the ground. The only one standing was the man with a dragon on his back. After looking around at the carnage, he brushed his hair back with both hands, and dropped another electrifying line:

“Give it a good millennium before even thinking about taking on a dragon, rookies.”

(He’s so coooool!)

Queen nearly screamed this out loud. If her knights were not around her, she would have cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed it loud.

Before she knew it, even the Tartarus that was covering the block had vanished. Did the Satanists collect it, somehow?

“What a strange city...”

Even after such a rampage, the man hadn’t even broken a sweat. When Queen wondered if, perhaps, he really had some dragon’s blood in him, his piercing eyes were pointed at her. Queen’s heart was taken hostage by the black eyes that met hers.

“Chick over there... You all right?”

“Y-Yesh...”

(‘Yesh!?’)

She nearly slapped her own mouth, but right now, she didn’t feel like she could even show her face to anyone. It was terrifying to think what sort of expression she must have had.

“You’re pretty reckless. What’s a chick doing against dudes with shivs?”

(H-He’s worried about me...?)

Queen tried to remember when she had been treated like this last. It must have been when she was a young child... Although she didn’t know why, something warm and fuzzy was swelling within her.

“Well, just call me anytime if those scum pick on you... I’ll rush over, wherever you’re at.”

(Agghhhh, I can’t take it! My heart! It must have stopped like four times already! I can’t act myself around him, now... If he finds out, I’ll die! There’s no way I could live with it!)

“U-Um... W-Won’t you... tell me your name...?”

A sickeningly sweet voice escaped her mouth. Queen couldn’t believe the sound of it. Fuji, who had been listening beside her, did a spit take. Queen made a mental note to make him regret it later. Thoroughly regret it.

“Hm? I’m Zero... Zero Kirisame.”

“Zero... Um, I’m so sorry... You got roped into this...”

“It’s no trouble. I got to protect my title of best fighter in the world.”

(I feel like I’ll get a nosebleed...!)

How was it possible that everything he said struck Queen’s heartstrings on the bullseye? Her heart was continuously crumbling to a sweet symphony. Queen was growing more confident... that this may very well be destiny.

“Looks like a lot of them are hurt. Tend to them. I gotta get going.”

“I-I will...!”

(Zero... Kirisame...)

The silver dragon on his back was almost painfully bright. Until the dragon faded into the crowd, Queen didn’t dare look away for a moment.

“I really found him... My destiny...”

A Bosozoku in the wrong decade and the most vulgar woman in the world... it really was destiny. Meanwhile, Warlkin, who had been bulldozed by the dragon, was running through the outskirts of the city, his face red with frustration.

“That freak... At least I was able to collect Tartarus...!”

He was sprinting through somewhere far from the major roads, carrying a large box. He alone had successfully escaped amidst the chaos. A good leader knows when to retreat.

“So that’s the rumored Dragonborn... I never expected there to be two of them!”

Even as he ran, Warlkin’s brain was turning full-throttle. The accursed monster with dragon’s blood in it. A being that rejected devils and scorched the earth with a raging roar when the time was right.

“Those Anima bastards... Were keeping this secret!”

The leader of Animania, the nation of Animas in the east, was undoubtedly a Dragonborn. However, that leader was a woman. Throughout the entire continent, there was only a record of one Dragonborn. Even she was born overcoming miraculous odds.

“Those little... They’re going to jump into the fray in this country!”

In addition to Queen, now the Satanists would grossly misunderstand Zero. What was he doing now? Close to where he had slipped away into the crowd, there was a man curled up on the ground with both hands on his head.

“Damnit...! Kill me! Somebody just kill me...!”

His appearance seemed to have returned to the usual Demon Lord’s, but his mental scars would be difficult to heal. Beyond the point of mere embarrassment, the Demon Lord’s mentality had been thoroughly beaten to the point where even suicide flashed in his mind.

“Best fighter in the world!? You moron!”

The Demon Lord’s curses continued. Although, he had to accept it all in the end. Even Zero was a character he had created of his own volition. Sometimes, being an adult meant wiping one’s own ass.

And so, the appearance of the Silver Dragonborn who hated evil began to accompany the rumor of the Demon Lord’s arrival... without anyone else knowing that they were the same person. This misunderstanding would lead to cause major chaos in Holylight.

Zero Kirisame

Race: Human — Age: ?

---

 Weapon  The Knuckles of Righteous Brawl

His fists. Infinite Durability.

 Armor  Silver Dragon Biker Jacket

A traditional Bosozoku jacket, adorned with a silver dragon on the back. In the game, this was a rare armor with a special ability, leaving its Defense nonexistent. This piece of attire embroidered with various text just looked otherworldly in this fantasy world. Infinite Durability.

 Item  750RS (ZII)

Zero’s motorcycle. It’s much faster than a carriage, and can carry him a long distance in a flash. In the game, it expended the user’s Stamina, but had the effect of minimizing the amount of Stamina spent this way.

---

Level: 1 — HP: 165 — Stamina: 300 — Attack: 7 (+85) — Defense: 7 (+73) — Dexterity: 8 (+80) — Magic: 0 — Magic Defense: 0 (+55)

Equipped Skills:   First: Kung Fu   Second: Close Combat   Third: Phoenix Fall

Combat Skills: Grudge, Go Easy, etc.

Survival Skills: Sewing, etc.

Duel Skills: ?

Special Ability: Mad Flurry

His stats increase explosively against a ‘team’ with a Grudge set on them. His stat increases are negated against anyone else. He can only switch Grudges up to three times a day.

Special Ability: ?

The Journey Begins

On the main street, the injured were being carried away as people hurriedly restored the city. Queen, who would have been leading the endeavor and barking directions at everybody under any other circumstance, was sitting on her chair staring off into space. She didn’t seem like she could muster the enthusiasm to take charge of the restoration today. While she may have looked rather spineless now, Fuji wore a gentle smile looking at her. No man in this country was able to meet her standards before. Fuji had been concerned that his queen would end up an old maid.

“What a brazen man he was...” Fuji thought. The man showed no hesitation in taking on the Satanists, and it seemed like even Tartarus was avoiding him.

Tartarus wasn’t the name of the liquid itself, but of a giant hole located in the center of the continent. For a long time, the countries up north had been at constant war. The hole earned its name when people from those countries started dumping the corpses from battles into the hole. Burial took time, land, and money. Those countries had cut corners, and decided to throw everything down the hole, rumored to be the gateway to hell. Dead men tell no tales, indeed.

Rumor had it, a weird liquid emerged from the hole now and again and attacked people. The black liquid, which was rumored to crawl out of the hole about once every century, was the nemesis of angel worshippers, as it drained everyone of their holy powers.

“At the very least, that man does not serve our Angel.” Fuji concluded, and he wasn’t wrong. Tartarus would have drained him of his powers if he had been using any holy powers or powers aligned with the angels. The truth was that he was just a Bosozoku. The polar opposite of an angel, in a way. He was supposed to be on the side of uprooting law and order.

“In any case, we must officially invite that man to our country.” Fuji continued his thought... but he never dreamt that this man and the Demon Lord were two sides of the same coin.

†　†　†

—Inside a carriage en route to the Holy City, Holylight

“...And then, that Dragonborn punched the ground, and people went flying! Like bwoosh!”

“Wow, that’s incredible!”

After leaving the battle-scarred city of Yahooo, Luna was proudly describing the battle to Aku, as if she had watched it herself. Luna was unconscious for the duration of the battle, but poor Aku didn’t doubt the Holy Maiden’s words. Of course, the Demon Lord was wincing at every turn of the story.

(Dragonborn...!? He’s just a Bosozoku punk!)

The Demon Lord contemplated jumping out of the carriage from sheer embarrassment. While his body was uncontrollable during the character switch, he was conscious the whole time, much to his devastation.

“Demon Lord, maybe that Dragonborn will kick your butt, too! That’ll be the day!”

“Uh huh...”

He replied with apathy. It was impossible for both of them to exist at the same time, after all.

“Anyway, where are the knights you had with you, Luna?”

“Hmm? I sent them home. I don’t need them anymore.”

“You...”

Someone at the top of a nation’s government going solo... That was something unthinkable by the Demon Lord’s standards. Especially when there was a terror attack and assassination attempt just the day before.

“What are you going to do if there’s another emergency situation?”

“...Y-You’ll be there.”

“Huh? When did I sign up to be your bodyguard?”

“Zip it! I know you’re jumping with joy inside to be with me! You pervert!”

A vein protruded on the Demon Lord’s forehead, but Aku (who was sitting in between them) laughed.

“It will be so much fun! I’ve always wanted to go on an adventure like this!”

“For real...?”

“See, listen to Aku. Swear your servitude to me, Demon Lord!”

Staring down Luna’s self-righteous finger pointed at his face, the Demon Lord could only sigh.

After some time had passed in silence, the Demon Lord thought of some items to craft.

“Fine, we’ll head to the Holy City together. It doesn’t hurt that you have this carriage... But you have to change into something more inconspicuous.”

“Ch-Change...? You’re trying to get me into something pervy, aren’t you!?”

“You moron. Put this on.”

“What is this...? And where were you keeping it?”

The Demon Lord had produced a blazer. He figured she wouldn’t draw too much attention to herself walking down the street in something like that. He had other options to pull from, like a high school uniform, a maid’s outfit, a china dress, and many more, but he thought taking out any of those would have only given Luna more ammunition to call him a pervert. On the other hand, the Defense of any normal clothes from this world was unsatisfactory. In the end, he reluctantly decided to bite the bullet and spend some of his precious SP.

“A Defense of 10 isn’t too good, but our priority is keeping people from knowing who you are.”

“10...? You know, you say some weird stuff, sometimes.”

Ignoring her, the Demon Lord crafted another item. ...A Sweet Dumpling Skewer. This was a one-shot item that healed the user’s SP by 50. In this world, that classified it as a miracle drug.

“Aku. You must be tired from the ride. I know you don’t have much experience in carriages. Have some of these. They’re sweets from my country.”

“Wow... They’re so cute! Such a sweet scent, too... Thank you, Master Demon Lord!”

“Th-That looks good... I want one too!”

“There’s half a dozen of them. Knock yourself out. I’m going to smoke outside for a bit. Go ahead and change while I’m out there.”

The Demon Lord stepped out of the carriage to be greeted by a clear sky above him. Gazing up at it, he lit a cigarette with practiced efficiency.

(I better grind some SP somehow...)

His SP was already down to just 50 and some change, which wasn’t a comfortable number. The Demon Lord could blame part of it on him spoiling Aku and Luna, though.

(Just like the game, I gain SP when I fight...)

The first option that came to mind was playing adventurer, the staple of fantasy worlds. In fact, there were adventurers in this world, too. They took on various quests, and some specialized in hunting monsters while others were more like treasure hunters. Since there were always wars going on up north, mercenary work wasn’t an unpopular way of putting food on the table, either.

(I can’t have people seriously pegging me as a Demon Lord. Maybe I should find a day job.)

Akira Ono, a working Japanese man at his core, considered this option, too. On the other hand, the prospect of working a nine-to-five in a fantasy world, of all places, wasn’t a pleasant one.

“Miss Holy Maiden, this is so sweet!”

“Ah, stop being so childish, Aku. A proper lady enjoys sweets in modera- Mmmmmm!”

“I even feel like I’m not tired anymore!”

“That pervert... He’s probably trying to get our guards down with food so he can do unspeakable things to us! But these are so good!”

‘It’s like they’re doing a skit,’ the Demon Lord mumbled, hearing the ruckus from the carriage. At the same time, his ultra-keen hearing picked up another commotion: people yelling and swords clashing. He squinted into the distance to see a pair of women being chased by wolf-like creatures.

(You ask and you shall receive...)

The corner of his lip lifted into a smirk. It was an expression truly becoming of a Demon Lord.

To the Holy City

“Ready, Yukikaze?”

The woman said, drawing the sword from her back. It was a giant sword that looked too heavy to lift, even for most men. There were loads of Spell Stones imbedded in the sword, but the wielder had opted to make the sword heavier with them rather than lighter... to bolster its Attack. She wore a large brown robe that covered most of her body, but patches of her skin that showed through the opening in the robe were coffee-brown, befitting of the hot climate. Her hair was short, perhaps to keep it from impeding her movements. All-in-all, she looked athletic. Her hair and eyes were a burning red. Mikan was her name, and while her eyes were piercing, her appearance would be considered attractive by most. In fact, she was one of the most famous adventurers in Holylight.

“...Ready, prime, and dripping.”

A dainty mage who answered to the name Yukikaze gave a reply with dangerous connotations. In accordance to that name, which means ‘wind of snow’ in Japanese, Yukikaze’s hair and eyes were bright white. From in between her black robe and stereotypical witch’s hat, her sleepy eyes were peeking out.

“Just... please take it seriously,” Mikan replied.

“I always take it seriously.”

“I’m getting these weird implications every time you say something.”

“It’s all in the ear of the listener. Maybe you’re frustrated.”

Yukikaze’s voice was soft and sleepy, but had a cute, soprano chime to it. Her popularity in Holylight was explosive, making her something like a pop star. This adorable 15-year-old starlet had captured the hearts of most boys and men around the country. Under her robe, however, was the body of a fifteen-year-old boy.

“There’s supposed to be a pack of Sand Wolves around here...”

“...I’m all sweaty from this heat. Especially in my bosom.”

“You don’t even have a... Gaah, you drive me nuts!”

“Poor, blind, Mikan. Only those with a pure heart can see my shapely breasts.”

Scratching her head, Mikan ignored the comment. This line of conversation was nothing new for them. A Sand Wolf was a decent threat on its own, but their numbers exploded once they formed a pack, making them extremely dangerous. A pack of them could be aggressive enough to charge into a well-protected city, so an unprepared village didn’t stand a chance against a stampede of them. This was why it was critical to take down a pack while it was relatively small. When the pair arrived at the point where the pack had been spotted, their eyes widened. There wasn’t a pack of Sand Wolves there, but an overwhelming horde of them.

“Nope nope nope! We can’t deal with that!”

“...I can’t take that many. There’s only one of me. With only one hole.”

“This isn’t the time!”

Watching the two of them making a ruckus as they ran toward him, the Demon Lord laughed. But then, the color started to drain from his face as he realized how many wolves were chasing the girls.

(What the...!? How many of them are there!?)

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his face (now devoid of a smile) and even the cigarette fell out of his mouth. A sort of primal fear curdled within him. No matter how powerful of a protection he had, the sheer number of the horde evoked a natural dread in the Demon Lord, as it would have in anyone.

(Hundreds of them... Wait, it’s a train!)

A train was a phenomena occasionally seen in MMOs, where players running away from enemies cause a large number of them to chase after them, until even uninvolved players get wrapped up in the mess. No matter the intention, causing a train was a strong taboo according to MMO etiquette.

“You! Run!”

“...It’s up to you, now, Silver Fox. Chao.”

(Screw them! Take some responsibility and get eaten, already!)

The Demon Lord nearly screamed this out loud, but somehow held back. If he were to run away, Aku and Luna would have been in danger.

(I-I can do this... I know I can. I just have to try hard enough!)

With desperate self-motivation, the Demon Lord hyped himself up.

(I’ve got the shield. This is fine. This is fine. This is fine. This... is... fine, right?)

In the game, of course, the shield only ever activated against other humans. With a deep breath, the Demon Lord calmed himself... Then, remembering Hakuto Kunai’s character, he started speaking to perfectly match what the game’s final boss would say in this situation.

“Fools... Why run from a pitiful drove of beasts?”

The Demon Lord said looking at the two girls running away, but he was speaking more to himself. Once he said it out loud, even the smoke he blew gave him courage. Oh, the wonders of the human brain.

“Aku. Luna. Stay in the carriage...”

Standing in the path of the horde, the Demon Lord braced for impact. When the wolf at the front of the horde lunged at him, the Demon Lord clenched his eyes and teeth... but before the fangs of the wolf could reach him, the familiar ping was heard, and the wolf bounced right off of the barrier. A sense of relief slowly spread through the Demon Lord...

(I win...! The first part is over!)

He nearly clenched his fists in victory, but keeping all of that excitement internalized, he only lit a cigarette with a dauntless attitude. Remembering that the girls could have been watching from the carriage, the Demon Lord wanted to look as cool as he could. Alas, the tragic nature of men.

“Once you bare your fangs at me... beast or man, I won’t hold back,” the Demon Lord said, calmly. He decided to start practicing his Skills in combat against these animals. It was the perfect opportunity he was looking for, since he hadn’t really experienced real combat in this world yet.

“Take your last breath in my arms...First Skill: Charge.”

His hand moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, and the Demon Lord threw a knife into the horde, slicing through a few dozen wolves. The next instant, his body leapt at lightning speed.

(Holy crap...!)

The world seemed to move in slow-motion, where everything was almost to a standstill, except for the Demon Lord. Now, he was really getting into it.

“Your lowly eyes... have no right to gaze upon me...! Second Skill: Eye Gouge.”

In a flash, the Demon Lord’s right hand drew a straight, horizontal line in the air, slashing the eyes of every wolf in the vicinity. Shards began to flow from the Demon Lord’s left hand: a sand-like substance created by the Empire that impeded the vision of nearby enemies for half a minute. The wolves cried out in confusion before turning their backs to flee. To kick them while they were down, the Demon Lord said:

...Didn’t you know?

“You can’t run away from the Demon Lord...Third Skill: Mad Rush.”

The knife in the Demon Lord’s right hand danced in a flurry, chopping up countless wolves with each wave of the arm. Finally, the Demon Lord forcefully threw the knife into the middle of the horde. A shockwave erupted upon landing, erupting a giant pillar of flame. There had been enough wolves to swarm every inch around him, but now they were engulfed by the flames one after another, immediately turning to ash. In the end, the horde of wolves had gone down from about three hundred to five. The remaining bunch were desperately growling, as if to conceal their terror.

“Mere beasts, after all... That was hardly a chore.”

Brazenly smoking his cigarette, the Demon Lord dropped this line. He must have started to enjoy it somewhere along the way, as he was getting into his part. Perhaps he wanted to blow off some steam after the Bosozoku fiasco.

“Have you learned the insignificance of your existence...? Then kindly scram.”

On this command, the wolves scrambled away. Now that their numbers were so few, it would take a considerable amount of time until the Sand Wolves would form a full-fledged pack again. While the horde had been successfully dispatched, the pair of adventurers had some thoughts upon witnessing this annihilation.

“That’s... the Demon Lord we’ve been hearing about...!”

Mikan was shaking at the one-sided battle that had just played out in front of her. In truth, that wasn’t so much a battle as it was a massacre. She didn’t understand what happened, but she witnessed the Sand Wolves run into a strange wall before they could even reach this man. Everything about him was outside her realm of knowledge. What’s more, he had just called himself the Demon Lord!

“...The silver fox is foxy... My butt is tingling.”

Yukikaze felt a hot pulse in her rear end after watching the one-sided beat-down. While the Sand Wolves never reached that silver fox due to a mysterious barrier, she was determined to conquer any obstacle for him... Even the obstacle under her robe.

“That thing’s dangerous...!”

“...Very dangerous. My chastity is in danger.”

“We better get to the Holy City and make a report!”

“...I better get to the Holy City and clean myself up.”

While their conversation wasn’t cohesive, that was nothing new.

Meanwhile, Aku, who had been watching from the carriage, said with excitement:

“Wow, Master Demon Lord! My heart’s pounding really fast...”

Placing her hands on her heart, Aku blissfully closed her eyes. He had saved her from a life without purpose. He always protected her, without fail. Even if the Demon Lord turned out to be a truly evil person after all, Aku knew that she couldn’t leave him. If it came down to it, she was ready to take on the rest of the world by his side.

“...Did you two behave? Talking to you, Luna.”

The Demon Lord returned to the carriage, leisurely taking a seat. Luna had already changed into the blazer, which added a sense of daintiness to her appearance. She at least looked like a princess now. Perhaps bothered by the skirt that went with the blazer, Luna squealed with a blushing face.

“Th-That wasn’t too bad... Keep protecting me like that.”

“I wasn’t protecting you in particular...”

“A-Anyway, don’t you have something to say!? You know!?”

The Demon Lord sighed internally. He was an adult, after all, albeit by the most basic definition. He was well aware of what to say to a girl who had just changed into a new outfit.

“Looks pretty good on you. Looks really good, actually.”

“D-Duh... A lady like me looks great in anything!”

Luna declared this with glee, puffing her non-existent chest. However, the Demon Lord’s hearing didn’t miss her quietly whispering ‘hee hee... I knew it!’ under her breath. His extremely keen hearing couldn’t have missed a pin drop a mile away. It wasn’t his fate to become the kind of protagonist seen in rom-com animes who remained oblivious to the adorations of girls around him.

†　†　†

“Aww... All the doggos I collected are gone,” a girl said softly as she watched the carriage leave. She had feline ears on her head, and was even wearing gloves that resembled tiger paws. She was an Anima, something like a beast-human hybrid. A very high-level one, at that.

“Good thing I found something much better than the doggos.”

Her face was even painted up with tiger stripes. In contrast to her dainty face, her physical strength was off the charts. In fact, behind her was a Shield Liger, a monster incomparably more threatening than a mere Sand Wolf, presenting the top of its head to the girl in a sign of obedience. An attack by just one Shield Liger would force Holylight to deploy their Knights’ Order. Even then, there would be countless casualties in the process of taking the creature down.

“Is he really the Demon Lord? That’s the king of the Hellions, right? Why is he with humans? Why is he with a Holy Maiden?”

In accordance with her younger appearance, she spoke her thoughts out loud. The Animas neighbored Hellion territory, and were engaged in a long-lasting war with them.

“In any case, it’s not going to be fun if he makes it to Hellion territory.”

The girl’s thoughts jumped all over the place. Like her appearance would suggest, thinking didn’t seem to be her forte.

“But... he just might be able to beat them...” the girl said, and jumped on the back of the monster behind her. Without any commands, the creature took off, shrinking into the horizon in an instant.

While the journey seemed long yet short at the same time, the Demon Lord’s party was approaching the Holy City. There was sure to be new encounters and troubles waiting ahead. The Demon Lord, the Evil Princess, the Holy Maiden, the silver Dragonborn — rumors of whom were rapidly spreading — and the Satanists were now in the picture with them. The havoc wreaked by the Demon Lord was about to reach the level of a national catastrophe... But that’s a little ways down the road.