Volume 7, Chapter 61 – Tartaros

This was a gloomy castle lit only by firelight. Dark clouds, lightning, and withered trees were its only backdrop. If one were to search the world for a place suitable for a test of courage, this dreary old castle, built on the edge of a cliff, would surely be on the list. The cawing of crows and the cries of bats filled this land of death with a sense of desolation.

This was a forbidden place for the living.

Those who stepped into this place would not be able to turn back.

Anyone who saw it would have such a thought.

And now, in the most stately and magnificent main hall of this old castle, something shrouded in shadow was lying on the throne at the highest point of the hall. Because the luxurious red throne was not designed for its user to lie on it, the armrests could not be extended, so the person lying horizontally on it could only be bent in an uncomfortable concave shape, like a worm.

“Mmm, hmm, so you’re saying that Styx’s actions are getting more and more out of hand, is that right?”

Although the voice coming from the shadow was genderless and the tone was very lazy, not a single one of the dead kneeling below the throne dared to say anything about it.

After the person on the throne had spoken, a mature woman from the front row stepped out of the line.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Demon Lord. The Ocean Demon Lord, Styx, has already extended his hand into your territory. I believe we should teach him a lesson before he gets too carried away.”

If Yisi or Edith were here, they would surely not be unfamiliar with this voice—the Formless, Hetty.

As for why Hetty, who should have been in the Pescia Territory, was here, it was naturally because of the meddling of the teleportation-user Sandra. Long ago, under the guidance of the Demon Lord, Sandra had brought her mother’s host body back to the castle.

Without answering the Fallen Angel Hetty, the shadow on the throne shifted the topic.

“What’s the situation on Ouranos’s side?”

“They are conducting the baptism for the successor. But in the Saintess’s current state, she will not be taking over the crown of the Lord of the Sky in the short term. In addition, there has been no movement from Hermes, which is guarded by Azazel. Your plan can continue to be carried out.”

The shadow on the throne fell silent for a moment.

“…Hmm, I’ve been thinking for a long time, could it be that Azazel is waiting for us to fall into his trap? Back then, we made a pact with the Purple one. Ouranos would control the north of the continent, and we would manage the southeast. Even though Ouranos is now dead, excessive encroachment—no, it should be reclaiming our territory—will cause dissatisfaction from his successor in the future. That Saintess, although easy to talk to, also has principles she will not back down from. If… I mean, if the next Ouranos demands that we return the territory, with our current strength…”

The person in the shadow spoke intermittently, giving the impression that they were wracking their brain. And in fact, that was the case. The one called the Demon Lord had never thought of invading others. The reason the situation had developed to this point was entirely due to a series of coincidences and misunderstandings. If one were to pick the person among all the Fallen Angels and Demon Lords who least wanted to start a war, it would have to be the one in the shadow.

But her subordinates did not notice the true meaning she was trying to express. They raised their heads with determination and gave their king the most loyal of answers.

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“We will defend your territory to the death!”

Ah…

It turned out like this again.

The shadow couldn’t help but sigh internally. Why can’t my thoughts ever get through to my subordinates? If they hadn’t misunderstood my meaning, I wouldn’t have to be cooped up in this castle now, worrying about being assassinated by Ouranos’s strongest Fallen Angel, Azazel. My current strength is still very weak; even a Fallen Angel can threaten me.

I want to go to the human world…

An image of a young girl she had been watching for a long time unconsciously appeared in her mind. The person in the shadow gritted her teeth, her expression twisting with jealousy.

“Damn it, the more I think like this, the more I can’t stand that someone is having a better life than me.”

“Your Majesty the Demon Lord, did you say something?”

“No, nothing. I was just lamenting that even the supposedly immortal Ouranos had a day to die.”

Hearing the shadow’s words, Hetty’s expression twisted as if in shame. She knelt on the ground with a thud, her forehead pressed tightly against the floor.

“My deepest apologies. To this day, we have not been able to find out the cause of Ouranos’s death. This is our failure.”

“Get up, Hetty. You don’t have to blame yourself. The guys on Hermes must not have figured out why Ouranos died either. They are more anxious than you.”

The person in the shadow couldn’t help but smile. The only one on the entire continent who knew the cause of Ouranos’s death was herself. The reason was not that she had spied on Ouranos, but that Ouranos had told her before she died why she had chosen to leave.

“…There is a barrier of avoidance on Hermes, Your Majesty the Demon Lord. How do you know the situation there?”

“Hetty, you talk too much. Since the Demon Lord is the Demon Lord, she must have used some kind of magic that we can only look up to, and peered into the abyss of souls.”

No, no, no, there’s absolutely no such thing. By the way, who on earth told you the phrase ‘abyss of souls’? Does such a place even exist?

Although she really wanted to retort, if she said it bluntly, it would make her seem like she lacked the profundity a Demon Lord should have, lacking in authority. Not only that, but her mother might scold her when she got back. The shadow could only awkwardly sit up, clear her throat, and emphasize in a particularly solemn tone.

“Ahem, that is correct. The Eye of Fated Condemnation allowed me to glimpse the abyss of souls. Therein lie the answers to all things.”

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I want to die…

The person in the shadow covered her face with her hand.

Why did I have to say something like that? Is this a public execution?

Yet all the Fallen Angels wore expressions of admiration. Especially the one who had first mentioned the ‘abyss of souls’; there were even tears glistening in her eyes as she looked at the shadow.

“As expected of the Demon Lord! I have gazed at the starry sky many times, trying to find the abyss of souls, but all my attempts ended in failure. I never thought that you, my lord, had already reached the other side of the abyss! Only by following such a great being can I find the meaning of my existence!”

Huh? So you really did make up that phrase?

Blood rushed to her cheeks, and a blush of shame spread from the Demon Lord’s neck to the tips of her ears.

No, this must absolutely not get out. I have to warn her in private later. Otherwise, I’ll lose so much face I won’t even have my underwear left.

The person in the shadow coughed heavily twice, signaling for her subordinates to shut up.

“Alright, that’s it for this matter. Next.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Demon Lord. Regarding Styx, there is something more I have to say.”

“Besides secretly colluding with the Empire and providing demon seeds to the people on the continent, what else?”

“He has sent a high-ranking demon into your personal garden.”

“Huh?” The person in the shadow shot bolt upright, but due to her long-term poor posture, her waist made a crisp cracking sound. “—Ugh!”

“Your Majesty the Demon Lord, what’s wrong!?”

All the Fallen Angels cast concerned gazes at the one on the throne, especially Hetty. If it weren’t for the difference in their status, she would have surely rushed to the throne.

Suppressing her grievance, the Demon Lord calmed her subordinates in as normal a tone as possible.

“N-nothing. Continue.”

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It’s a good thing I have the shadow to block me, otherwise my subordinates would have seen me with tears in my eyes just now.

While the Demon Lord was feeling relieved, Hetty, while casting worried glances at the shadow from time to time, continued in a low voice.

“Yes. The monster sent seems to be a variant of a slime. It should have been annihilated by the dryad of Taris, but because of those despicable beings who obtained the angel’s legacy, it has survived again. It won’t be long before these slimes devour all the insects near your garden. Although what they are clearing out are insects, those are still part of your garden. I believe we should send a Fallen Angel to deal with this challenge Styx has laid down for you.”

“Eh, is there a chance to go out?” The Demon Lord’s voice suddenly rose an octave. But then she suddenly remembered that being in her garden, who was neither a pureblood nor a human. If she were to run into her, the outcome would surely be tragic—at the very least, she would be beaten up. She had heard her muttering to herself before. The Demon Lord sheepishly retracted her overjoyed head. “Hmm… then the choice of person will be up to you, Hetty.”

Haaah.

The Demon Lord couldn’t help but sigh.

If I had known, I would have just named some barbaric land and let that not-human, not-pureblood thing be a monkey in the mountains. The reason I had taken the initiative to contact and give the letter of challenge to that bastard named Yisi was not because I was interested in her, but to cleverly trap her in a specific location.

To this day, the Demon Lord still remembered what she had accidentally heard Yisi say during one of her peeping sessions—[I could have tea with a Demon Lord]. If this were some powerless person who fancied themselves a hero, she wouldn’t mind toying with her like an ant dancing on a hot iron plate. But Yisi was likely an existence she could neither beat nor run from. Such a being had to be restricted. Otherwise, if she were to find her way to her castle one day, the ending would be very bad. She had no desire to be tied up like a bug and hung on the city gate.

So, to avoid this situation, she had to take action. As a result, through careful peeping, she had finally discovered Yisi’s weakness: she cared deeply for her companions. So, she had made an offer that Yisi couldn’t refuse—to have her find the Source of Mana. If she found it, she would remove the restriction on Pope Evelyn. And to avoid angering Yisi to the point that she would come looking for her, she had deliberately not added a curse or a threat at the end of the letter, unlike a normal challenge.

Of course, the most important thing was that Yisi would never know that there was no Source of Mana in the area she had designated. Although the Taris territory was nominally under Ouranos’s jurisdiction, due to historical issues, the actual ownership was in her hands. It was her backyard. She knew very well whether there was a Source of Mana or not.

The challenge she had set was like asking Yisi to find a waterfall in a desert. Because such a thing did not exist, Yisi would be trapped in Gota for the rest of her life for the sake of her friend. In that case, as long as she didn’t walk into the line of fire herself, she would never have to meet Yisi.

It was worth mentioning that this was not without its episodes. When she had told her mother about this brilliant plan, her mother had scolded her for a whole day with the reason, “As a Demon Lord, how can you shrink back in front of the enemy? You’re a disgrace to me”. But fortunately, she was the real Demon Lord, and she had the final say in everything, so the plan had been successfully implemented.

Thinking of this, the Demon Lord gritted her teeth in hatred.

Damn it, damn it. I could have used the extermination of the high-ranking demon as an excuse to go out, but Styx just had to throw it in the place where that person is. Isn’t he deliberately making things difficult for me?

No, to a certain extent, this can also be said to be digging my own grave. If I had just told Yisi to find the Source of Mana in the sea from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened now. I wonder what Ouranos would think if she knew about this.

No, with that bastard’s personality, she would surely laugh at me heartily and then stand up for me. Ouranos is much stronger than me; she could definitely defeat that not-human, not-pureblood woman.

Unfortunately, Ouranos had left her.

“Then, shall we let my daughter, Sandra, lead three high-ranking demons on this mission?”

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Sandra again?

If this continues, that girl is going to defect, isn’t she?

But since Hetty had already said so, she couldn’t really object. Besides, Hetty had also emphasized before that she had severely punished Sandra. She should have learned her lesson.

The Demon Lord nodded.

“Alright, I understand. Leave it to Sandra. That’s all for today’s report. It’s been a while since I’ve checked on the hero’s movements. I need to see what she’s up to.”

“Your Majesty the Demon Lord, shouldn’t you leave such trivial work to your subordinates?”

“No. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Hetty, but only I can see through what kind of schemes the hero is planning. I’ve said it before, right? The hero may have realized that we are peeping at her. If I don’t do it myself, there will be a lot of trouble in the future.”

Knowing that she was not strong enough, Hetty lowered her head in frustration.

“I understand…”

“You are all dismissed.”

“Yes.”

After all the Fallen Angels had left, the person on the throne finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, I managed to bluff my way through another day. If even the chance to peep at the outside world is taken away, I’ll surely be bored to death. Although Hetty meant well, this is one job I absolutely cannot let her have.”

As she spoke, the Demon Lord waved her hand and dispelled the shadow that shrouded her entire body, revealing her true form underneath.

Now sitting on the throne was a small girl with long gray hair, black horns, and a pair of orange-red eyes. Outside a set of extremely revealing, even sensual, lingerie, she wore a large robe that was clearly too big for her. Her mature thoughts and delicate body formed a huge contrast, but it was precisely because of this contrast that one could only think of her as cute. Leaving aside her identity as a Demon Lord, anyone who saw this girl would feel a sense of pity, a desire to pick her up and sniff her.

The girl stood up and gave a big yawn.

“I’ll just go to sleep for today.”

This was the true face of the Earthen Demon Lord, Tina Alexia Tartaros.