The Demon Lord’s World Tour

The Demon Lord hastily exited through the casino lobby followed by a cowering Kondo. Going outside was stressful enough for him, let alone doing it with his boss.

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord too was overwhelmed by the length of his mental to-do list. Damn it, there’s a bunch of work on my plate all of a sudden... Euritheis, was it? I’ve gotta go there too... But first I have to take Harts home and talk with the Anima... The Demon Lord stopped and looked back at Kondo. His gaze alone made Kondo jump in his skin, horrified. While I’m at it, I should take this agoraphobe out to see a bunch of places. It’ll help him Quick Travel too... He’ll never step outside the building, let alone the village, if I don’t drag him. The Demon Lord originally brought Kondo along out of fear that Tahara and Yu’s misunderstandings would infect him.

“What did you make of our meeting, Kondo?”

“Huh?! U-Uh, I think that they were talking about some complicated stuff...” Kondo said vaguely, as he couldn’t very well have admitted to playing video games the whole time.

The Demon Lord let out a sigh of relief, figuring that Kondo had barely listened to the meeting at all, especially after he had designed him to only be interested in the world of fiction.

“We will fly from location to location, which will benefit you in the future. Keep your eyes open everywhere we go so at least you can Quick Travel there moving forward.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Relieved that he wasn’t reprimanded for playing his game during the meeting, Kondo followed after the Demon Lord, now with a hop in his step.

Once they left the casino, people on the streets began talking.

“It’s the Demon Lord...!”

“No way... That’s Kondo! He’s outside!”

“Wait, I can’t! He’s too cute!”

“He’s wearing another one of his weird shirts... Adorbs!”

“Ooooh! Over here, Kondo!”

Perhaps because of his rarity, Kondo was extremely popular with the ladies. He had been popular among a certain group of female players back in the game, often being teased in various fan fiction.

A weird shirt... the Demon Lord thought. It’s their doing... The Demon Lord looked disheartened, thinking of the development team. In the late days of the game, there was a slew of bizarre clothes influenced by the diverse nationalities of the team. The best examples of this were Kondo’s shirts, which were adorned with bizarre phrases. Today, his shirt said things like “Kenshiro,” “Condensed Milk,” and “Tree Fiddy.” These memories being reflected in reality amused the Demon Lord enough to call to Kondo with a teasing tone.

“You’re a popular guy, Kondo.”

“P-Please... Real-life women are a nightmare. I have plenty of girls waiting for me at the beach, not to mention mackerel in sexy clothing.”

Mackerel in sexy clothing...? What did I just hear?

Harts awaited them outside of the Hot Springs Resort, kneeling. He seemed resolute to return to his fortress, away from the village and his temptations.

“My people tell me you’re returning to the fortress,” the Demon Lord called. “I’ll take you there.”

“I am honored.”

Kondo stared at his feet as he grabbed the end of the Demon Lord’s long coat, and as soon as the Demon Lord placed his hand on Harts’s shoulder, the world around them spun. In the blink of an eye, they had arrived at Gatekeeper, the grand fortress that protected Holylight from the war-torn North. It’s been a while since I was here last... The Demon Lord reminisced. I came with Yukikaze and Mikan by carriage. The Demon Lord observed his surroundings, relishing in his memories.

The place had looked rather run-down during his last visit, but not today. Supplies provided by the Madam were stacked and stored at every corner, men happily carrying them. The cargo consisted not only of food and Water Spell Stones but also resources like iron, copper, salt, oil, textiles, and more. No one could remember the last time the fortress was so rich in supplies.

“The place is rather energized compared to before,” the Demon Lord remarked.

“All because of you,” Harts admitted, watching his men with joy and relief.

Despite Harts’s sentiment, the Demon Lord had no part in accomplishing this; they owed all of their thanks to the Madam and her support.

Kondo already seemed uninterested in the conversation as he had begun taking in the fortress from several angles, rapidly typing on his tablet.

“I hear it can get frigid in these parts. As a celebration of your return, per se, I want to set up a hot spring here,” the Demon Lord offered.

“Y-You mustn’t! Not that devilish place...!”

“Devilish...?”

“I-I mean to say that such an extravagant amenity might lower my soldiers’ fighting spirit!”

“I see... I’ll make it a public bath then. I hear there are plenty of women and children here in addition to your fighting men. There’s nothing better than a public bath to rejuvenate oneself after a long day of work.”

The Demon Lord hardly gave Harts a choice, but the old general was relieved that he at least stopped him from building a Hot Springs Resort; it had taken every fiber of his willpower to leave that place. Not even the most disciplined of armies could have lasted with that hot spring around.

“Where’s a good spot, Kondo?”

“Somewhere concealed and safe would be...here.”

Harts glanced at the bizarre board in Kondo’s hands and shook as he beheld a drawing that resembled a bird’s-eye view of Gatekeeper. “Impossible...! How did you acquire this drawing?!”

“H-How...? It’s just a view from above...”

“From above...?! There are countless spells protecting the fortress...” Harts was devastated all over again. Even after all of the supernatural powers he had witnessed, this took the cake; not even military confidentiality meant anything in the wake of the Demon Lord. A view of a fortress from above meant that they had access to all information regarding its defenses and the movement of its soldiers.

“Let’s get this set up then. I have a busy day ahead,” said the Demon Lord.

“Mister Secretary, I want to go home...”

“Stop complaining. According to Tahara, this fortress is on the front lines. Take in everything for future reference.”

As Harts stood dumbfounded, another Quick Travel occurred, bringing them to a courtyard at the center of the fortress. People around were surprised as the three materialized, then began spotting Harts and calling to him.

“Lord Harts, you’ve returned!”

“You look well, sir!”

“Our leader has returned!”

Harts awkwardly acknowledged each voice with the raise of his hand while his face grew pale. His men were about to witness something unbelievable.

“Adding Kanda River to the Base... Come forth, Public Bath!” With a wave of the Demon Lord’s hand, a nostalgic-looking building appeared in the courtyard. To the Demon Lord, it was a familiar building with the charm of yesteryear, but the men of the fortress could only stare with their jaws on the floor. He turned around and nonchalantly remarked, “You’ve used the public bath a few times, haven’t you, Lord Harts?”

“Y-Yes...!”

“I’ll leave you to orient your people to it, then... But I need you to keep a gag order on this facility until Tahara tells you to lift it. I don’t want to rock the market just yet,” the Demon Lord said, quoting Tahara almost verbatim. To him, water was simply something that came out of a faucet or a well, and this definitive difference between how their two worlds valued water would persist for the foreseeable future. The Demon Lord always kept his own world at the center of his actions, intending to overwrite anything about this world that was inconducive to his vision. Water was a minuscule issue in the grand scheme of things.

On the other hand, Harts was fully aware of the incredible blessing the facility would be to his fortress. “Of course. I shall never forget all of the consideration you’ve shown us,” he said, secretly panicking over how he’d explain this place to his people. If he were to tell them that the bath meant an infinite supply of water (hot and cold), they could very well throw him right back into bed rest. He already had some explaining to do when it came to his reconciliation with the Madam and her noble faction.

“I shall see you again soon,” the Demon Lord announced. “Let’s go, Kondo.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The two of them vanished, and the courtyard became animated as if frozen time had thawed. Their confusion was understandable, given the Demon Lord had appeared and vanished out of nowhere, leaving behind the bizarre building.

“Lord Harts...? What was that...?”

“What is this weird building?! Is it magical?”

“Look at that smoke coming out of the roof! Is it on fire?!”

“I-I understand your dismay,” Harts called to them. “Just— Remain calm as I explain things, one by one...” Harts was nearly disheartened by the questions but noticed that every one of them was filthy, something he would never have paid mind to before.

In these parts, his people had obtained drinking water from the very occasional rain and more common blizzards that stormed the area. They didn’t have the luxury of regular laundry or even bathing every day. In fact, the village of Rabbi was the only place in Holylight with such luxuries. We will never have to worry about water again... They’ll be overjoyed. Despite his concern on how to explain everything, Harts decided to enjoy the celebration for the time being.

Next up... The Demon Lord had Quick Traveled to Suneo. Since all of his actions were interpreted to have much more meaning than they really did, he decided to tour the places he had been to in the past. I remember eating here with Yukikaze and Mikan... It seems so long ago, he reminisced, standing before La France, a popular inn and restaurant. It wouldn’t hurt to check in... I don’t want to miss anything later on.

When the Demon Lord walked through the door, the owner came flying out of the kitchen. Talk of the events in their capital had spread throughout Suneo, and here came the very person at the center of the story.

“You’re the Demon Lord!” The owner greeted him. “Yukikaze and Mikan aren’t with you?”

“Not at the moment. Anything strange happen since?” The Demon Lord asked, slyly trying to gain information everywhere he went to keep Tahara from discovering his ignorance.

“Did anything happen?! Thanks to you, our capital is still standing! I heard you blew up a Tzardom mock angel! Is that for real?!”

The owner garnered the attention of the patrons, who began talking and congregating around the Demon Lord, eager to hear the story straight from the horse’s mouth.

“As I’ve explained before, I only took out the hunk of metal that stood in my way. It’s not a big deal.” In fact, he almost felt offended by how big of a deal everyone was making of him removing a giant piece of trash from the road. Of course, the Demon Lord’s sentiment went unnoticed as the crowd became even more animated.

“A hunk of metal... You serious?!”

“Damn it, Mikan! How’d you come across this guy?!”

“Hey, man! Want to join our party? We got a sweet gig.”

The Demon Lord turned to escape the growing crowd to find some familiar faces: a group of miners he had seen here before. As the Demon Lord silently approached the miners, they stood between him and the giant man sitting in the corner.

“I’ve seen you before in passing. Did you make it back to the mines?”

The miners seemed rattled, their expressions turned bitter. Soon, the man sitting in the back boomed, “What’s it to do with you? I don’t know why anyone calls you a hero; you’re just a lackey for that coward of a king!” The man was not only large in stature, but also built like a mountain or pro wrestler.

The Demon Lord rather regretted coming up to them, but it was too late to turn around now. “Sorry to disappoint, but I have nothing to do with this country.”

“You have nothing to do with us, but you risk your life fighting the Tzardom? That’s a laugh.” The man stood face to face with the Demon Lord when another man interrupted, his stature lanky by contrast. “Calm down, Jai An. Raise a hand against him and we could lose the entire mountain.”

“We have to do something...! Am I wrong, Honekawa?!”

“It’s not going to do us any good picking fights with a kingsman!”

As they argued, the Demon Lord had to make sure he hadn’t misheard their oddly recognizable names. “There seems to be a misunderstanding,” he said. “I wanted to offer you a job, if you’re available.” The Demon Lord wasn’t blowing smoke. Considering how many areas he was going to set up, as well as the mines waiting for him in the west, he figured that this group of miners could be immediately useful. With barely any connections to speak of in this world, he was willing to take anything he could get.

Jai An lowered his voice, raising his brow at the offer. “A job? Where?” He seemed to be hurting for work.

“Holylight. If you guys have what it takes, I’ll put you in my mountain.”

“I get it. The coward wants us out of his country. You want to go?!”

“Hold on, Jai An!” Honekawa interrupted. “There’s a bunch of mines in western and southern Holylight. It’s worth hearing him out. We have to do something, right?”

“Honekawa! You expect to play into that coward’s hand?!”

As their argument escalated, the Demon Lord took a seat and lit a cigarette. Kondo had turned on his Stealth Stance, shifting his attention to his video game.

Eventually, Jai An seemed to be over the argument, as he dropped back down onto his chair and glared at the Demon Lord. “I’m done trying to guess at this and that. If the coward wants us out, I’m willing to take the deal... On one condition.”

“Which is?”

“Let’s settle this with muscle, man to man. Simple,” Jai An taunted, pointing at his log-sized bicep.

The Demon Lord was nearly outraged; this was like being assaulted by a pro wrestler on the street. Get out of here, muscle-for-brains! Go fistfight a silverback or the Rock or something!

Taking the Demon Lord’s silence for fear, Jai An wore a carnivorous grin. In the harsh environment of the mines, disputes were settled by brute strength at times. Titles and bloodlines meant nothing in the mountains.

“I’m not going to clobber you to death. We’ll play by the coward’s rules.” Jai An set his right elbow on the table, in the traditional pose of arm wrestling, used in this contest between men for ages. The miners cheered at the apparently familiar turn of events.

However, Honekawa alone shook his head in annoyance. “Come on, Jai An. You’re trying to break his hand again. Haven’t you done enough damage?”

“Shut up. The strong lead the weak in the mountains.”

Tired of it all, the Demon Lord moved his arm onto the table, already knowing the end result. “I have to warn you... You’re incredibly reckless challenging me to an arm wrestle.”

“Ha! The hero who saved the capital, you mean? Let’s find out what you’re really made of, royal dog!”

“Enough chatter.”

“Ha ha ha! Your funeral! Rrraaghhh!”

Jai An expected an easy victory, but the Demon Lord’s arm didn’t budge an inch. In fact, he still breezily held his cigarette in his left hand. As their leader’s face turned beet-red, the miners began to whisper. No ruffian, decorated knight, or famous mercenary had ever bested Jai An in a match of arm wrestling. His winning streak seemed to be on the verge of total collapse.

“How’s...this...possible...?! You’re...pulling...some...trick...!”

“What trick is there in a contest of strength? Stop making excuses for yourself...” The Demon Lord boasted, but being the final boss was quite the trick indeed. To show off, he slipped a finger free, poking against Jai An’s palm. With that single finger, he stopped Jai An’s full strength, pushing his arm and entire body back.

The chair and table flew as the Demon Lord enjoyed his cigarette, acting as if nothing had happened. Jai An and his miners were speechless after witnessing this unbelievable defeat.

“The strong lead the weak, you said? I’m a stickler for rules, so you’ll be following me from now on. No need to worry. If you are competent workers, I’ll guarantee you jobs.” The Demon Lord handed the astounded Honekawa a business card and left the inn. Kondo followed, his eyes still glued to his console and unaware of anything that transpired in the building.

Honekawa blankly stared at the paper before finally reading the text on it and being completely nonplussed by the inscription. What is this, some kind of code...? Or a noble custom? But more importantly...! He rushed to Jai An still frozen on the ground, staring up at the ceiling as if he was sleeping with his eyes open.

“Are you all right, Jai An?!”

“I lost...? I... He only used a finger...!”

“Snap out of it! We’d be living on the streets without you!”

Jai An spotted the piece of paper in Honekawa’s hand and muttered the bizarre writing on it aloud: “Hakuto Kunai, Secretary — Department of Citizen Happiness Management.”

After leaving the inn, the Demon Lord and Kondo observed the capital of Suneo from above, assessing the damage. Restoration had already begun, but the scars carved by an Ancient Devil and mock angel were still vivid on the cityscape.

“This is where you and Tahara massacred all those people... That’s berserk, sir.”

“You’re misunderstanding. We’re the ones who pacified the situation,” the Demon Lord jumped to defend his honor from Kondo, who evidently thought him to be some murder machine. “Take in this city too, just in case. Who knows where the next battlefield will be.”

“Yes, sir... Panorama View.” With his ability, Kondo began taking in the entirety of the capital as he began running his stylus across his tablet. Almost without thinking, he was digitalizing the visual data of the capital as if he was 3-D scanning. “Memorized. I’ll complete the process in my room.”

“Good work.”

Kondo had the ability to memorize anything he saw as if he filmed it with a camera. Elated by the Demon Lord’s compliment, Kondo began walking with the tablet behind his back. “Mister Secretary, I like turning things into data.”

“Into data, huh...? Spoken like a kid of your generation,” the Demon Lord said, admitting how old that made him sound.

“But I don’t want this world to be just 0s and 1s...” Kondo added, stopping the Demon Lord in his tracks.

The old world ruled by the Empire was exactly that: 0s and 1s.

“It won’t be. We’re rebuilding the world,” the Demon Lord patted Kondo on the head and Quick Traveled once more.

They arrived at an expansive forest near the divine realm.

“Th-This is incredible... Do elves live in this forest?!” Kondo asked.

“I’ve heard that they do... But I have not personally met them.”

“They’re a staple. Are we going to burn down the elven forest and sell them off to slave traders or the orcs?” Kondo asked, grinning for some reason. It was clear how skewed his conception of elves was.

“Why would that ever be necessary...?”

“Don’t be coy, sir. Even I know how to deal with elves. Nine times out of ten, they’re sex slaves or breeding pods for orcs and goblins! Or are you going to take them into your harem, sir? You’ve already stained that dark elf with—”

“Settle down, Kondo!”

“Ah! I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to interfere with the vision of your elf-breeding farm!”

“When did I ever mention anything like that...?!” The Demon Lord facepalmed, seeing that his effort to detach himself from the cruel dictator image was entirely futile.

“All right, sir, I’ll relinquish my secret design of a... That’s weird.”

“What’s going on?”

“Something’s off with my vision... Like pixelations in a XXX game or the mysterious white fog or light that covers up the important stuff in hentai...”

“Can you describe it like a normal human being?”

Just as Kondo attempted to do so, an explanation came from above, speaking directly into their minds. Trying to get a peep of my shrine...? You really need to discipline your henchmen better.

“Whoa! Mister Secretary, sir! Did you hear that cougar that sounds like a secret nympho?”

To reiterate my point... You’ll make a fine sacrifice on my altar, boy. The voice belonged to the grand priestess of the shrine.

Hearing this, the Demon Lord began approaching the spot where he remembered the shrine to be. “Perfect timing. I have some questions for you. Wait here, Kondo.”

“Wait, sir! The elves will capture me and turn me into a sperm tank! Their libidos are off the charts! Nowadays, the orcs are milked dry and beg them to—!”

“Shut up. And read a normal book once in a while.” The Demon Lord continued walking until the space before him distorted, revealing an impressive shinto shrine. Despite having only visited the shrine for the first time recently, he was awash with terrible nostalgia.

“You came back, Evil Face! Must have been lonely without any friends!”

“And before you ask, we’ll never be your friends either!”

The juvenile foxes came trotting out with their usual comments, but the Demon Lord simply smiled; he had too much to do today.

“We apparently both have discipline issues. Go eat this and be quiet, you brats.” The Demon Lord created a Fried Bean Curd, a Stamina-healing item that was once found in the Six Realm Shrine in the game. The development team (rather obsessed with Japanese theological architecture) had created this area with insane detail.

“D-Don’t think we’ll take handouts from you, Evil Face! You must want to be our friend really bad... Deee-nied!”

“Yeah, you think you can bribe us?!”

The pair of foxes barked, but their tails were wagging.

“What better offering for foxes?” the Demon Lord said. “Apparently it was fried rat back in the old days.”

“Rat?!”

“Brother! I think he’s mocking us or something!”

Unfazed, the Demon Lord shoved the plated food in their faces. The kids’ eyes lit up, their ears twitching in anticipation.

“H-Hmph... I might be gracious enough to accept a humble offering...”

“Our palates are too refined for anything you have to offer, Evil Face!”

“If you say so, you little brats...” The Demon Lord chuckled and went deeper into the shrine. The main shrine came into view after walking through a few gates and torii, when an excited shout (“It’s delicious!”) from the distance made him stifle his laughter.

A woman awaited him within the main shrine, wearing a shinto priestess’s dress that showed a large portion of her cleavage. She had fox ears on her head as the little ones did, but he couldn’t spot a tail.

“We finally meet, Grand Priestess. Need an introduction?”

“No, Demon Lord. I owe you my thanks. You’ve taken care of that troublesome Belphegor on top of keeping Kale out of our realm.”

This was exactly what the Demon Lord wanted to hear, but he didn’t show a glimpse of his excitement. He only took his shoes off at the door and entered the shrine, smoothly sliding over a cushion as he took a seat.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a token of your gratitude.”

“A token... Interesting. What do you want of me?” The Great Priestess asked, anticipation glimmering in her eyes, for some reason. She seemed enthralled with the Demon Lord’s every word and move.

“It seems you’re a powerful figure in this country. Can you command your kin to stay away from the fortress on the border?”

“Hm? The one in the so-called Republic?”

“Yes. Can you?”

“What are you... What a bore. Is your face the only thing scary about you?”

“Leave my face out of this! If you can, put that decree in writing.”

“Boring... Someone’s going to be disappointed...”

“I didn’t ask for those expectations...”

The Grand Priestess continued to grumble as she took an ink brush and ran it across a sheet of washi, then stamped her seal on it. The paper read: Not interested in a mere human. Be gone.

“How is this crap any sort of decree?! Get on with it!”

“Fine, fine. If it’ll shut you up...” The inscription Stay away from the fortress on the border, was added to the paper, making it functional at last. While this was far less intricate than an official contract, it was a victory for the Demon Lord considering his relationship with the Anima thus far.

“And you seemed to know the Still Angel.” The Demon Lord had broached the real topic he wanted to address. He set down his ashtray and lit a cigarette. “Tell me more about it.”

Seeing this, the Grand Priestess stuffed her tobacco pipe and leisurely lit it. “More? It is a fallen angel, as the rumors suggest.”

“I don’t understand. It was a normal angel before?” The Demon Lord considered this, recalling how the Still Angel said it “used to be white.”

Seeing this, the Grand Priestess began cackling with joy. “You’re the one who brazenly goes by the name Lucifer. Who should know fallen angels better than you?”

“That’s a matter of— I have my reasons to... Anyway! The Still Angel was the one who summoned me. If there’s anything you know, I’d like you to tell me.”

“Summoned, you say? Why has she done such a thing...?”

“Apparently, it wishes for chaos and destruction in this world.” The Demon Lord glanced down at the Satan’s Ring on his finger. The gauge, whatever it was quantifying, had steadily been filling, its aura more insidious than before.

“A fallen angel, indeed... She kept granting the wishes of the weak until she destroyed herself. A pure, single-minded, foolish girl,” the Grand Priestess described with some emotion, but the Demon Lord wasn’t interested. He was looking for specifics.

“If I grant her wish, will I return to my old world?”

“Your old world...?”

The Demon Lord regretted letting this slip, but that Grand Priestess’s interest seemed piqued as she came closer and closer, until they could nearly kiss.

“Why are you so close...?” grunted the Demon Lord. “Get away from me.”

“What do you know, and what do you remember...? I do sense about you another protection, an incredible blessing... Nay, a miracle.” Her gaze slithered all over the Demon Lord’s face, before she finally rested her chin on his shoulder and gave him a taunting look.

“Blessing? Hate to tell you, but I believe in no god.”

The Demon Lord turned his nose up, but the Grand Priestess wrapped herself around his arm and pulled him close, her eyes strangely enlarged.

“Besides, I feel a world from you... The power to create an entire world, or at least part of one. And...the scent of the enemy. For some reason, you’ve carried it with you.” She pushed the Demon Lord to the ground, her eyes burning with love and hatred, and straddled him in a dangerously seductive situation.

“What do you think you’re doing...?! Get off of me!”

“I want to keep you.”

“Huh?”

“Why don’t you spend a millennium with me in the divine realm? I want to keep you here; I’ve never been more intrigued by a man.”

“What do you think I am, some beetle?!” The Demon Lord rushed to his feet and turned to leave the main shrine.

The Grand Priestess, however, leaped onto his back. “You’re not...going anywhere...”

“Gah!” The Demon Lord shook the priestess off of his back and hightailed it out of the shrine, leaving only the crisp sunlight and the pleasant chirping of birds.

“He got away...” the Grand Priestess said to herself and licked her lips. “But that body was something else.” She stared out the exit as if she longed for an escaped prey.

A clear voice rang in the shrine; the Dragonborn, the true ruler of Animania. “What was the meaning of that, Ninetails? Don’t shove that filth in my face.”

“Peeping again? Can’t get him out of your mind, can you, Tatsu?”

“Shut up,” the Dragonborn snipped. “Who was he, anyway?”

The Grand Priestess simply replied “A vanguard... No, an Invader blessed by the Still and Ember Angels...”

Tatsu was speechless. The priestess gazed in the direction of the Demon Lord’s departure once more. While he was long gone now, an intense aura was left behind.

There was another thing the priestess had noticed during their meeting, but she kept that fact to herself. Otherwise, she was sure it would only indeed cause chaos and destruction.

Whether her decision would prove to be correct or not, only time could tell.

What was that, a scene from Misery?! the Demon Lord smoldered. That fox wanted to lock me up! Having barely escaped her clutches, he bolted out of the shrine and returned to Kondo who awaited him with quaking legs, like a newborn fawn.

“How could you, sir?! Leaving me alone in an elven forest! If they had been the man-eating variety, I would have been milked dry like a mummy!”

I was the one who almost got eaten in there! The Demon Lord kept this to himself and took a look around them, then ordering rather briskly, “Work’s done for the day, Kondo. Go back to the village.”

“For real?! Yeeeeeees! I can be a full-time, work-at-home, professional daydreamer!”

Daydreamer my ass! You’re just a bum!

With a beaming salute, Kondo vanished.

The Demon Lord Quick Traveled too, looking exhausted. His destination, however, was the city of Rookie. His main objective here was making contact with the paladin, but he thought to check in on Yukikaze and Mikan, whom he had parted with after taking care of the Invasion.

The city of Rookie was now host to a wide variety of workers that were able to snag positions in the restoration effort, but there were still a great many people who were out of work. No one was guaranteed a job either.

“Wonder if I’ll get something tomorrow...”

“Good attitude gets you higher on the list. Look, the foreman’s out keeping score again.”

“The bastard just picks kiss asses day after day.”

“It’s...too much to bear...”

Most of them spent their days complaining about the current state of affairs. After the shutdown of the Bastille Dungeon, the city’s economy was all but dead since all of its business was targeted at adventurers bound for the dungeon.

While restoration was technically underway, the Republic was neither eager nor generous when it came to its funding. In fact, the Republic had already forsaken the city, saddling the Demon Lord with the whole thing. The residents were sure to riot if they were to find this out.

“Our only saving grace is Mikan. Just being around her boosts my mood.”

“And that tan skin! That gets me.”

“She’s...too hot...”

Mikan was the type to be well-liked by both men and women, while Yukikaze (who was next to Mikan) garnered obsessive popularity among men.

“Ugh... I want to dungeon crawl with Yuki.”

“With your abilities? Only in your dreams. Just be happy we can see her alabaster skin.”

“She’s...too pale...”

“You keep saying the same thing, man...”

Mikan was rapidly clearing debris and giving out instructions to those around her, while Yukikaze held her staff aloft, spreading cold air throughout the area. Her staff was embedded with a Snow Crystal (also known as Nevermelting Ice), which allowed her to lower the temperature with minimal Stamina expenditure.

“...I haven’t seen Mister Fox in so long... Crying emoji,” said Yukikaze.

“What the hell is an emoji?” Mikan answered. “Get some work done, will you?!”

“...Waterfalls from my eyes emoji.”

“Knock it off with the nonsense!”

There was quite the contrast between them, with Mikan busily running to and fro and Yukikaze standing completely still.

“It’s hot...! I’m drenched in sweat already. Yukikaze, could you cast Cleansing Light?”

“...I don’t have infinite Stamina. You should wait until after work.”

“You have a point, but it must be hard loafing around while I do the work, huh?!”

“...Hard? Keep your mind out of the gutter. It’s only noon.”

“Have you gotten those ears of yours checked yet?!”

Out of the blue, the Demon Lord appeared before them. Yukikaze immediately cast Cleansing Light upon herself.

“What happened to waiting?!” Mikan barked.

“...Mister Fox comes before all else.”

“Talk about a two-faced thing to do!”

“...What kinds of things are you thinking about two faces doing? In the gutter again...”

Mikan tried to pounce on Yukikaze, but the Demon Lord stopped her. Upon noticing the Demon Lord, the workers around them began whispering amongst themselves, as it was rumored that he was the one who stopped the Invasion.

“So that’s the Demon Lord of Holylight...”

“He’s the one who burned a hydra to a crisp?!”

“He’s...too scary...”

The Demon Lord’s arrival had completely halted the restoration work, but even the foreman could do nothing but anxiously wait; he didn’t dare tell the Demon Lord to get out of the way for fear of a fiery death. In contrast, both Mikan and Yukikaze were free-spirited enough around him to make the crowd nervous.

“You’re in the way! What are you doing here anyway?!”

“...Or is it who, Mister Fox?”

“You two haven’t changed... It’s sort of relieving, in a way,” the Demon Lord said and produced a map from his pocket. It vaguely outlined the continent but still had many blank spaces.

Yukikaze slyly wrapped her arm around the Demon Lord’s. “...Planning the honeymoon, Mister Fox?”

“What’s with the ridiculousness right off the bat?”

Mikan joined them in peering at the map but soon shook her head. “What sort of map is this? It’s barely labeled and pretty old...”

“...Mister Fox, borders in the north flip-flop depending on how the wars are going.”

“I see. What do you know about Euritheis?”

The girls exchanged a look. Apparently, they didn’t have pleasant memories about the place.

“There’s lots of trade, and it’s usually where adventurers go once they make it through their rookie phase. But...”

“But what?”

“It has a dark side,” Mikan frowned.

It sounded like Euritheis was going to be a difficult country for the Demon Lord to maneuver himself through, but after the meeting with his advisors, he couldn’t avoid it.

“...There’s a dungeon there called Blue Bricks where one-star adventurers crawl. It has a colosseum and plenty of underground gambling. Narcotics are sold on the streets and slaves are sold in broad daylight,” Yukikaze explained in an unusually elaborate way.

“Their capital’s filled with traps to fit these adventurers into a mold. Bunch of crime syndicates too.”

“Sounds like a troublesome country. This one up here sounds peaceful: Milk.”

Mikan violently shook her head to deny the Demon Lord’s quick judgment. Contrary to its name, Milk was home to a fierce horse-riding tribe. “What are you talking about?! Those guys are always invading somewhere, setting any settlements they attack on fire, and taking whatever loot and civilians they want! They’re a bunch of punks!”

“...A mountain range splits Milk in half, with vast plains on either side.” Yukikaze took out her Magic Pen and scribbled in the mountains and plains on the map. As a seasoned adventurer, she seemed to be familiar with the geography of most countries.

“Here’s the Timeline Plain,” Mikan pointed out. “A bunch of groups within Milk fight for territory here.”

“The grass is only greener, I suppose.”

“Huh? Of course grass is green.”

“I don’t mean... Whatever. And the upper half?”

“The Tweeterland Plain.”

“Those aren’t normal names for places, are they?! Who came up with these?!”

“Huh?! What isn’t normal is your brain!” Mikan barked back, nonplussed by the Demon Lord’s reservations with a perfectly normal name for a locale by this world’s standards.

“Anyway... First things first: we have to pay a visit to Euritheis.”

“Euritheis? Did I hear you right?” a voice called from the crowd, and an adventurer emerged. It was Endjoy, whom the Demon Lord had encountered in the Bastille Dungeon some time ago. He had insulted the Demon Lord’s youthful appearance and promptly earned a pebble thrown at his gut, resulting in an explosive discharge of flatulence.

“Wouldn’t do that, if I were you. You wouldn’t last a day.” He dismissively waved his hand, a condescending sneer across his face, clearly looking to garner the affection of Mikan, whom he fancied.

The Demon Lord, however, strained his memory to recall his last encounter with him. “You were... Endfart, was it?”

“End-joy! Don’t you call me that!”

“If you want to make a lasting impression, why don’t you start going by Skunk?”

“Guess you’ve got a death wish, huh? Come to think of it, I owe you one. You’re dead meat, old man!” Endjoy charged, swinging at the Demon Lord, but Yukikaze breezily swung her staff, generating a magical gust that blew Endjoy away.

“...Social Distance, dodged flatulence.”

“Endjoy, it was? Go and quarantine yourself from life.”

As Yukikaze and the Demon Lord fired these one-liners, Endjoy rose to his feet again, his face bright red with rage. He was a decently skilled adventurer, but this was no contest. “Goddammit... So you’re headed to Euri, huh? We’re going to settle this there, once and for all!” Endjoy shouted and ran off, indignant.

Mikan sighed with her fists on her waist. Yukikaze muttered, “...He came back here because he became penniless in Euri.”

“Got it... That’s why he’s been here for so long.”

“...Tit? Mister Fox—”

“Not what I said.” As quickly as he shut down Yukikaze’s R-rated comment, the Demon Lord moved to leave.

Yukikaze tightly clasped his sleeve. “...Don’t forget, Mister Fox. You promised you’d sleep next to me.”

A ‘promise’ that was practically forced upon the Demon Lord after he broke his previous promise of dinner, but considering that both Yukikaze and Mikan were hard at work restoring the city, he’d feel too guilty blowing her off again.

“If...I can find...the time...”

“...Not a problem. I’ll coordinate. We have to come together.”

“What are you going on about?” the Demon Lord groaned, then handed Mikan a coin.

Her eyes widened. “Wha—?! This is a gold medallion!”

“For your troubles. Keep an eye on this city for a while.”

“For my— Are you serious?!”

The Demon Lord simply waved his hand and turned to leave, ready to tackle the daunting task of facing the paladin.

Yukikaze called to him for a parting shot. “...Mister Fox?”

“What is it?”

“...There’s no parole from love.”

“What am I even charged with?!”

After the Demon Lord’s departure, the restoration site finally began to move again. The Demon Lord made his way through the city, the majority of which was bustling with construction projects. The paladin was among the workers, carrying materials at times and giving directions at others. He was acting like a foreman.

The Demon Lord concealed himself through Stealth Stance and watched Weeb work with enduring interest. What a weird guy. Why is he always so eager to help others?

Even the Trinary that served Weeb, each of them notable knights in their own right, gave directions or carried rubble with their bare hands. Cheers and laughter followed Weeb wherever he went, as if he was effortlessly emanating the feeling of a bright future.

I’ve seen plenty of nonprofit volunteers and donation panhandlers on the streets... the Demon Lord thought. Each time he realized that the celebrity in charge of the so-called charitable cause lived in a mansion and drove expensive cars, it discouraged him from taking any part in fundraisers. He always suspected that selling a few expensive cars would have saved the lives of many more people than begging passersby for pocket change. Of course, this wasn’t a very altruistic outlook, but he wondered if more people shared his philosophy than he had thought before.

And there he is. Not only always leading by example but paying out of his own pocket... Despite his status in his home country declining due to his obsession with helping the needy abroad, Weeb never showed so much as a second thought for his rescue efforts. There were always a few outliers in any society, but not many would risk their livelihood to consistently help others. The Demon Lord was enthralled by this man, who believed in and acted upon his own convictions above all else.

“We’re close to break time,” Weeb called to his fellow workers. “Let’s keep up the good work!”

“Yes, sir!” the crowd answered, then continued cheering each other on as they worked. Even children followed Weeb, carrying what little debris they could.

“I want to help!”

“Look, Sir Weeb! I can carry this big rock all by myself!”

“Wonderful, everyone. I’d better try and keep up!” Weeb went to lift a particularly large boulder but apparently failed. He chuckled and turned to the children for help, keeping up the act. “Now this rock is a bit too heavy for me to lift alone. Do you think you can help me?”

“Yeah, I can do it!”

“Come on, Sir Weeb!”

“What are you going to do without us?”

The children swarmed around the rock, and Weeb managed to lift the boulder with ease. The crowd, children and adults alike, burst into cheer.

“W-Wow!”

“That’s amazing, Sir Weeb! Can you teach me how to do that?!”

“He got a power boost, thanks to me.”

Such a wholesome scene drew laughter from the adults, even healing the tired hearts of the workers.

Weeb was a picture-perfect hero, kindling courage amidst a city brought to ruin.

Lunch break came for them soon enough, with hot food brought in from the campsite outside of the city. Much of the menu was nutritional dishes like oatmeal, bean and chicken soup, and sheep’s milk cheese.

“Let’s have lunch, everyone,” called Weeb. “We can’t work on empty stomachs.”

“Thank you!” The workers chowed down on these dishes, groaning about how delicious they were.

Weeb had hired a rations team out of pocket and even brought them to battlefields. There were plenty of so-called master tacticians in the world, but most of them would have ignored some of the practical aspects without a second thought. In contrast, Weeb prioritized this above almost anything else, always making sure to feed his men no matter how perilous the battlefield was. For working-class soldiers, the promise of a hot meal meant more than tactical strength. It seemed Weeb was a cunning general too.

Once the paladin finished his food, the Demon Lord showed himself. “Are you going to grind your life away for strangers...?”

The workers cowered at his sudden appearance, and the Trinary leapt to stand between him and Weeb in an admirable display of loyalty. The Demon Lord produced an item from the dark void and tossed it to the paladin, which the Trinary could not react to in time.

“What is this...?” Weeb asked.

“It will heal your Stamina.”

The Demon Lord had given him a Towerade, Scallion Girl Edition; this was a splendid item that recovered 40 Stamina. As soon as Weeb saw the illustration of Scallion Girl on the label, a mysterious sensation shot through him like a bolt of lightning, which he barely managed to contain.

“Sir Weeb, there is no need to risk consuming such a bizarre concoction.”

“Indeed. Look how cloudy the liquid is.”

“Apparently he doesn’t know that no poison will affect Sir Weeb.”

In fact, the box on Weeb’s back protected him from any and all poison, on top of always purifying him. Perhaps the maker of the box knew that many a hero had fallen to poisoned food.

“You can simply twist the top open,” the Demon Lord said.

“Thank you...” Weeb took a drink of the beverage as the Trinary protested and was immediately awestruck by its sweetness and unbelievable healing power. “I...feel weightless!” Weeb had been starting to feel the wear and tear of leading the restoration day after day, but just a little of this beverage had washed all of his tiredness away. As the Trinary protested even louder, Weeb simply held out the plastic bottle to them. “It’s not poisonous. This revitalizes you.”

The Trinary let out a collective sigh of relief, which only lasted for a fleeting moment. Now the trio was overcome with a different sort of tension. They glared at each other as if they were locked in deadly combat. Kaiya, their leader, took the bottle with a quivering hand, but didn’t dare bring it to his lips; the other two would have snapped his arm without hesitation. While the paladin and the Demon Lord had detached themselves from the commotion and began conversing, the duel of the Trinary had just begun... And each of them was willing to risk their life in this battle.

“I was the one who took it. That much can’t be denied.”

“It means nothing. You simply happened to be standing the closest.”

“Neither of you filth deserve to share a beverage with Sir Weeb! Sooner would the continent freeze over!”

They knew that if one engaged another, the remaining of the three could swoop in to take the ultimate treasure for himself.

“Rock, paper, scissors. Fair and square.”

“Erm...”

“I will not engage in a contest of dumb luck!”

As the Trinary became deadlocked, the Demon Lord and paladin were free to continue their conversation. Inadvertently, they had succeeded in keeping the troublesome and time-wasting trio away from them.

“Where do you plan to go after leaving this city?” the Demon Lord asked.

“To other Northern Nations, as I’ve planned—”

“Come to Rabbi!” the Demon Lord demanded so forcefully that Weeb could make no reply. “Behold the world of my creation. You won’t regret it.”

“I remember asking you this before... Do you plan to rule the night once more and stand against the Great Light?”

“I’ve heard an earful about the goddess and divine punishment and whatnot... Now what?” The Demon Lord laughed. The Grand Priestess and Weeb were one and the same in his eyes, blind zealots to whatever entity they projected divinity onto. “The Great Light? That’s more moronic than a fool’s pipe dream. If such a grand deity existed, why would you ever need to toil away? Why wouldn’t this ‘Light’ save the poor with a miracle or two?”

“Well...”

“I perform miracles in the here and now. You can be a part of these miracles; outside of any trickery or legends.” Those words were like dark magic, beguiling those who heard them to chaos and madness, wreaking havoc on their morality and religious dogma that they had thought to be indestructible. At long last, Weeb beheld the Fallen Angel Lucifer as a tangible entity who stood before him. Just as was the case with White, the myth had become reality. “Any entity that brings no quantifiable benefit to this world but demands worship and money in return is a petty thief or con artist. They do nothing but harm the inhabitants of this world!”

“Wha—?! That’s too...” Weeb stood shaken by the Demon Lord’s exclamation. He had known of the rivalry between the Great Light and Lucifer but had not expected the Demon Lord to have such a visceral reaction; it was painfully clear that reconciliation was off the table. If the Great Light were to ever manifest itself in the world, Weeb had hoped to stand between the Light and the Demon Lord to mediate the mending of their adversity. He believed their reconciliation would become the catalyst to reshape the continent in its entirety.

“What have I done, on the other hand? Without asking for any devotion in return, I have tangibly improved the lives of the people,” the Demon Lord began twisting his words in an attempt to convince Weeb. He had simply acted however he pleased, but the benefit he brought to the world was undeniable, so the Demon Lord was going to exaggerate his actions as much as possible and use them to his advantage.

“I defended the Holy City against an insurrection and crushed the Invasion in this city. I saved the capital of Suneo from ruination and rescued the enslaved from Hellion territory, taking them into my own village as refugees. Has the Light done anything of the sort?” The fact that all of those accomplishments were brought by coincidence or Tahara’s scheming did not stop this con man from weaving a tall tale out of them. Unfortunately for Weeb, these accomplishments (however accidental) remained irrefutable. “I would not describe myself as virtuous, but I do promise to bring progress to this world through the creation of mine... Unlike a certain entity that might as well be taking a thousand-year nap.”

Weeb had no retort to this, simply tightening his fists. Indeed, the Light had vanished long ago, not showing a single trace of its existence.

“And one more thing,” the Demon Lord added, “One of my subordinates has acquired this city. No need for you to toil away here anymore.”

Weeb caught onto the deal that must have taken place behind the scenes; it was nothing unusual among the Northern Nations where borders constantly shifted. He proclaimed proudly, “Who the city belongs to matters not to its people. I work for them, not for you or any other ruler!”

The Demon Lord felt himself smirk. Weeb sounded just like the hero of a movie or comic book. It was becoming comical at this point. “Don’t make this difficult...” he said. “Leave this place to my people. Just come to the village, already.” Without waiting for an answer, the Demon Lord turned away.

Despite his egotistical demeanor, Weeb couldn’t bring himself to hate the Fallen Angel who spoke with such pride and conviction. The Demon Lord was faithfully devoted to his own actions without hesitation... Despite them being polar opposites, Weeb and the Demon Lord seemed to have something in common.