Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 2

by Kurone Kanzaki

  “After accounting for the space we need on our end, there are thirty rooms available to guests in this resort. I would like you to make a list of guests to stay here, Madame, and I want to leave the selection up to you.”

  The Madame gasped. Considering her incredible experience from the day before, the Madame was sure that every woman in this world would want to frequent this facility... And they would pay any price. Now the Madame was being tasked with curating the guest list.

  (There. I don’t have to deal with some snotty nobles. I’ll chuck that responsibility to her.)

  On the receiving end of the Demon Lord’s intentions, the Madame was quaking. Since she was given free reign to approve or deny any particular guest, she would hold absolute power over that person, no matter who they were.

  But the Demon Lord continued.

  “And one more thing. No matter who it is, they can only stay a single night at a time.”

  “A single night...”

  (Duh. I gotta get a bunch of customers in and have them spread the word through the grapevine.)

  On the other hand of the Demon Lord’s intentions, the Madame was quivering with elation. One night in this heavenly facility, then sent back to their land the next day. She imagined that everyone would be devastated. If she were in that predicament, she would kick and scream with all of her might.

  “You really want to give me power, don’t you, Mister Demon Lord...?”

  Anyone who heard the rumors would have to plead with the Madame, and they wouldn’t stop at once or twice. As for the people who already had the chance to experience the resort, they would be even more desperate. Naturally, these pleas would involve money and goods coming her way. No one in the Madame’s circle was so destitute as to ask for a favor without providing compensation. To anyone looking in, she would seem to be standing in front of the pearly gates with absolute say over the list of those who could get in. Her popularity was only going to skyrocket.

  “Power... Huh. I am just an ally to women in search of beauty.”

  Hearing this, the Madame knew that there was no woman who didn’t want for beauty. Regardless of age, a woman would always be a woman.

  “So, you will have half the world under your thumb, Mister Demon Lord.”

  Naturally, half of this world’s population was men, and the other half women. To control all women meant placing half of the entire world in his grasp.

  “Hm...”

  The Demon Lord stayed silent for a considerable time before speaking again, softly.

  “I don’t wish to gain all. Half usually does the trick.”

  The Demon Lord’s honest response would have been ‘I’m talking about hot springs. What planet is she on?’ but he kept that to himself, and managed to whip up something mysteriously vague. He carried on his attitude that things would work out as long as he played along. From the outside, he was the embodiment of gravitas. In fact, one could say that the Madame was jumping to conclusions while the Demon Lord was too naïve. The Madame had spent most of her life in a power struggle, while the Demon Lord only wanted to earn money and clear his name.

  “You are right. The women of this nation are strong... As you’ve observed, Mister Demon Lord.”

  “Ha ha ha. How comforting.”

  Despite their intentions missing each other by a mile, their strange win-win situation was secured. ‘Win-win’ was truly the best way to describe it: it involved beauty, power, popularity, money, and fame for both parties. All of these were the nitty-gritty of any world, and very valuable. For anyone looking to oppose the Demon Lord and The Madame, their tag team was nightmarish.

  And this cunning Demon Lord didn’t forget to say the right thing here. Oddly enough, it wasn’t even empty flattery, but came from an honest observation.

  “You look even more glowing than yesterday, Madame...”

  “Oh, a master of flattery, as always...”

  In fact, the Madame was used to being fed these lines. She had heard them all, and each time, she had been unaffected. In one ear and out the other.

  ...But this time, it was different. When the man in front of her — when the Demon Lord — said it, it carried a different weight.

  “If you remember, Madame, I only speak the truth...”

  The Demon Lord’s eyes pierced the Madame. His overwhelming presence froze even her.

  “That’s right... and you also said...”

  “That everything I say...”

  “Becomes reality.”

  They finished the sentence in unison. Cheerfully, the Madame laughed. The Demon Lord placed a hand on his chest, gesturing as if he had performed a magic trick. A very peaceful breakfast, indeed.

  ——The Holy Castle in Holylight.

  “How... could this...”

  Reading the delivered document, White felt a shiver go down her spine. To her surprise, Madame Buttersauce notified White that she wanted to rehabilitate in the village of Rabbi. How was this possible?

  “You just hosted an extravagant party the other day...!”

  White’s vision was failing. That Madame, always the center of the party and a connoisseur of everything flashy, recovering at the village of Rabbi, of all places? It wasn’t even funny. As far as White was aware, there was absolutely nothing in that village. She felt insulted, even mocked.

  “Moving to such a desolate village... Oh!”

  At this point, something sparked in her mind. The village of Rabbi was where Luna, the lady of the land, had recently volunteered to take full reigns. Ordinarily, White would have been happy for her sister maturing, but this time, it was different. Behind her sister, White could see the terrible shadow of the Demon Lord looming.

  “First my sister, and now the Madame of the Holy City...!”

  White’s nightmare was only worsening. The empress of the party scene had incredible influence among the noble wives. What she said became the trend, which meant that she even had power over the economy. Any food she praised cleared off of shelves, and any restaurant she criticized practically went out of business. To some, the Madame was a walking time bomb, while she was the goddess of wealth to others. This is why she was one of the most difficult figures to handle in the country. For example, Marshall Harts kept himself at a great distance from her, while Dona Dona, when he wasn’t busy acting disgusted by her, occasionally took to brown-nosing the Madame. They both knew the dangers of making an enemy out of a group of powerful women.

  “How did he manage to...? More importantly, what is he trying to... Oh!”

  I only ask you to watch what I’m about to do and judge me for yourself. I have always shown who I am better than I explain it.

  White recalled what the Demon Lord had said. Remembering it now, his declaration was astonishing. He really did show what he was capable of rather than tell it.

  “I... see... That was a declaration of war...”

  White couldn’t help but clench her fists. In the Holy Castle, facing her, the eldest of the Holy Maidens, the Demon Lord had made such a brazen declaration of war. White remembered how cocky and devious the Demon Lord appeared while he did so. A declaration in the dead center of the enemy’s headquarters, right to the face of the enemy’s leader? It was unheard of. With this realization, White had no other words to describe that man... but the Demon Lord.

  “Queen, read this...”

  Uncharacteristically, White shoved the document at Queen, who had been lounging with her feet up on the round table. She took the document and read it silently. Her leg seductively peered out of the slit in her skirt. She looked nothing like a government official reading an important document.

  “Rehabilitation, huh... Why not?”

  “Hey! It’s not that simple!”

  “What does it matter who’s moving where?”

  “Think about it, Queen. This means that the Madame has been broken in by the Demon Lord!”

  Queen looked up at the ceiling, completely uninterested. Her lack of interest was so thorough t
hat it was almost impressive to watch.

  “Demon Lord, Demon Lord, Demon Lord... Luna has the hots for him. That’s it.”

  “Hots for... How are you satisfied with simplifying things like that!?”

  “Yeah, you haven’t seen her yet. I saw Luna’s dumbass at Yahooo... That dumb shit looked like a real woman.”

  “What in the world are you talking about...!?”

  While White’s anger grew hotter, Queen was still unaffected, her feet thrown up on the table, and her hands behind her head. The embodiment of a rebellious teen.

  “That dumbass is in love... Just let her be.”

  “In love...!? This is a national crisis!”

  Seeing White scream her head off, Queen scoffed. For some reason, she looked upon White with pity. Unbelievably, Queen took her feet off of the table, and brought her hands in front of her chest.

  “I guess you wouldn’t get it, sis. You’re such a square... I hope you find someone too. I’ll throw up a Holy Maiden prayer for you.”

  “I don’t need your pity! I’m trying to have a serious conversation!”

  Holding in a laugh, Queen gave a prayer. As soon as she closed her eyes and clasped her hands, Queen became a perfectly angelic girl. A picture-perfect Holy Maiden. Any man would have stopped and stared.

  “Oh great... uh, who was it again? Up there... Make sure my sis doesn’t end up an ol’ maid, will you? ...And Sir Zero... I love you. You’re the love of my life.”

  “You just wanted to get the last part out, didn’t you!?”

  “Sir Zero...”

  “You’re not done!?”

  Another day at the Holy Castle filled with commotion.

  20% Match

  “...Oh, it’s just you, Tahara.”

  “Just me, huh? I’m hard at work here.”

  In a room in the hot springs resort, Yu opened the door to find Tahara standing over a furled out blueprint, writing down some notes. With a red pencil tucked behind his ear, he always looked like he was making racetrack predictions in a newspaper.

  “Is that a map of the village? The placement of the facilities look different.”

  “Mm-hm.”

  “Do you... have a problem with the Secretary’s placement of them?”

  “The best places for things change when the situation changes. For your information, I already have the Secretary’s permission.”

  “Oh. Then carry on.”

  “You...”

  Yu’s break-neck change in attitude left Tahara with a bitter expression. An award-worthy shift in tone.

  “It’s funny how you’re worshipping the Secretary now... Didn’t see that coming. So what, you just had a change of fetish or something?”

  Yu had a type, and it was young, beautiful boys. She found pleasure in torturing and humiliating them, watching their faces distort in pain. She was a natural-born sadist. A man like Kunai didn’t fit into that category by any stretch of the imagination.

  “Bunch of Bunny boys hopping around here, too...” Tahara mumbled, as he ran the pencil along the blueprint.

  Most of the Bunnies were attractive, and there were, of course, children in the village, too. They were as attractive as boys could get. The Yu Tahara knew would have never managed to keep her hands off of them.

  “Well... Nowadays, I’m not interested in any other man than the Secretary.”

  “Alright then.”

  Tahara couldn’t help but hope that Yu would stay a romantic. That would be the best for both his stomach and this world. If Yu were to bare her true nature, people would die like ants by the hundreds of thousands. All she had to do to destroy an entire nation was manufacture and spread a few highly infectious and lethal viruses.

  “In any case, this is a big renovation project.”

  “Yep. I’m thinking of divvying up the village into sections that would each serve a dedicated function.”

  Tahara roughly stroked a few lines through the blueprint, partitioning the village into sections. Fortunately, while the village of Rabbi was short on population, it made up for it in size. Since many Bunnies had left the village altogether, there were many abandoned houses and farms, too.

  “Something like this. Rehabilitation area, business area, common area, and Bunny area.”

  “This will cost a lot.”

  “You know... He did say he’d sell your holy coin thingy.”

  “Really? My work came in handy, then.”

  “Yeah. The Secretary was happy that it would be a good source of income.”

  “Hh-hm... Hh-hh-hh-hm...”

  Yu chuckled with glee and closed her eyes. Seeing her, Tahara couldn’t help but hope again for Yu to stay the romantic she had become. ‘For real, can you do me this one thing?’ he wanted to ask out loud. If any more jobs were to fall in Tahara’s lap, he would start getting ulcers.

  “Let’s see... If we’re making such drastic changes, why don’t we ask the Madame for her opinion on the matter?”

  “...That’s a negative.”

  The room seemed to chill when Tahara shot back with such a piercing tone. His blue-tinted eyes were staring at Yu. Tahara only gave this look when he was dead serious.

  “In a sense, this is our castle. The Madame herself isn’t an issue, but we can’t give the likes of nobles the precedent of fucking with our territory. Did you lose your mind, Yu? Feel like dying today? Did you forget what happened at the Sleepless Castle?”

  ”...I’m sorry. I misspoke,” Yu said.

  Tahara resumed his work. The sound of his pencil running along the paper echoed in the otherwise silent room. Hostility was in the air for a moment, but one of Tahara’s strong suits was not letting something like that linger.

  “Alright! That’s about it.”

  “Oh, we’re building more Bases, too.”

  “The rehabilitation area’s going to be decked out with a reverent, relaxing air. And we’re going to push it.”

  “On the other hand, the business area is pretty flashy... And you’ve written all sorts of things for my hospital.”

  “Nothing but the truth.”

  “I suppose you’re right... Hold on, Tahara... What’s with the standing bar!?”

  “Huh? Everyone wants a cold one after taking a bath.”

  “You sound like a dad... Manami’s going to start calling you an old man pretty soon.”

  “Shut your damn mouth! Manami is an angel on earth! She’ll call me Big Brother until the day I die! She’s not like the rest of you!”

  “...You should have yourself looked at one day.”

  “You’re the doctor.”

  ——A certain inn in the Holy City.

  The Demon Lord was sitting in a chair experimenting with something. He seemed to have been at this task since morning and a few beads of sweat were sitting on his forehead. The Demon Lord’s body was enveloped in bright light once again. The window had been completely covered with curtains as to keep the light from escaping the room. Nothing else illuminated the room, and several locks kept the door shut. In the silent room, there was only the ball of light.

  (My vision’s fading...)

  The Demon Lord’s body had changed into a dragon’s, and he looked around the room with a stare that could cut. Even in the dark, his eyes glowed an all-pervasive silver. He was Zero Kirisame... the other one.

  (How to describe this feeling...)

  When in the Demon Lord’s body, Akira Ono felt the sort of comfort felt at a family holiday dinner. He was the root of all, and the harbinger of the beginning. When it all started, that character had worn his own name.

  (On the other hand, this is like eating junk food in my apartment.)

  A vague image like that came to Akira’s mind. He had spent a decade or so away from ‘home’ and in the dragon. In the sense that he had all the freedom, it seemed apt to compare that to living alone.

  (What’s this overflowing emotion...?)

  A red-hot feeling, whirling like a mountain full of lava. It was the need
for the spotlight. The need to look cool. The need to make a show. The need to make everyone cheer, to shock the audience, to make himself the center of everything. It was a primal human need.

  (Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s only natural.)

  Akira thought this with brazen confidence. He couldn’t help but think it. Naturally, anyone would share this need. Most people are only held back by things like shame, shyness, and worries about society’s perception. If set free from those mental restraints, anyone would strive to live a life in the spotlight.

  (He might be... I might be a dragon.)

  Well, anyone had the foundation to become a dragon. If they were allowed to. If they were permitted to. If they had the strength to. Everyone has the childish, secret desire to be the hero. To defeat the powerful and save the weak. To take on any enemy, no matter how powerful.

  (I gotta be able to get back in command...)

  From experience, Akira guessed that the Dragon would lay dormant again once he was satisfied with the show he put on. From now on, however, things would have to be different.

  “I feel... an urge...” One of them said.

  The Dragon punched his palm, and an aura flooded out of his body.

  “I’ll beat the hell out of everything in my way...”

  Rabid eyes glowed in the darkness.

  “...I’m the strongest.”

  The Dragon’s mouth crooked into a grin. Any evil that would stand before him was sure to taste hellfire. The Dragon’s skillset was much too focused on exterminating evil and those deemed to be the enemy. In a limited space, against a specific enemy, the Dragon was invincible. The word ‘undefeated’ on his back was no exaggeration.

  “Just wait and see, you fucking Empire...!”

  The Dragon stood up out of the chair, and his body was engulfed in light. When the light faded, there stood the Demon Lord, deeper and darker than a void of complete darkness. With no time to rest, the Demon Lord was taken over by the light, again. In the tireless cycle, this experimentation was bringing about a transformation, a little bit at a time. Not a transformation, in fact, but a fusion with an old companion. Akira was the Dragon himself when it all began. One day, Akira would control both the Demon Lord and the Dragon, bending them both to his will. It was only natural. He had created both of them, and lived together with each of them.