Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3

by Kurone Kanzaki

  “W-What do you mean ‘die’...?”

  “I dunno, that’s just what I see. Besides, no one’s going to miss them.”

  With that, Eyze yawned and looked up to the moon, bored. Outside the stable, the demi-human girl was on her back, covered in dust.

  “You head back in too. If you can’t stand, I’ll give you a hand?”

  “...Don’t bother.”

  “All right.”

  Eyze said nothing more. At the same time, he tried his best to not look at her, in order to avoid seeing where the poor little girl would end up.

  Those Who Swarm

  ——An underground facility in an unknown location.

  “That dragon... Don’t think you can get away with this...”

  Utopia had been unable to conceal his frustration since the incident. His followers had expended three Satanic Crosses (each created through an excruciatingly long process) with nothing to show for it. Carnival, a powerful medium-rank devil had vanished, and even the high-ranking devil Allit, the Duke of Darkness, had been defeated. A devil’s nightmare. According to Utopia’s estimation, they should have at least greatly damaged the barriers protecting the Holy Castle, even if they didn’t have the firepower to take it down completely. All calculations were torn to shreds, however, by the unthinkable appearance of a Demon Lord and a Dragonborn. This scenario would not have even held ground as a joke before. Of course, Utopia did not believe in the resurrection of the Demon Lord, but considered it to be like a fairy tale. If such an existence had been resurrected, Utopia was sure that it would have appeared in Hellion territory to rule over it and all of its inhabitants. By this time, such an existence would have swept through the entire continent in a storm of bloodshed.

  For Utopia, there was a figure that he couldn’t ignore, who piqued his interest much more than some con artist who called himself the Demon Lord.

  The other one.

  Once, he would have brushed it off as a rumor, but this was the Dragon’s second appearance. Utopia could kill the Dragon a thousand times, but his thirst for vengeance would still not be quenched. The Dragon, while claiming neutrality, practically sat at the top of the demi-human pyramid, which included the Anima. Time and time again, the Dragon had interfered with the war between Hellions and the Anima. In the end, the Dragon had sided with the Anima for the simple reason of “having his home torn apart,” before obliterating tens of thousands of Hellions with his unparalleled power. To top it off, he gave a portion of his blood and power to a Dragonborn to rule over the Anima. His task, according to the Dragon, was to “keep the unruly Anima under control, and keep them from engaging in stupid conflicts with the Hellions.” The Hellions would have argued that appointing someone with his own power to rule one side of the conflict was far from neutral of the dragon. This was why Utopia could not ignore the new Dragonborn. From the Hellions’ point of view, he was surely another enemy sent down by the Dragon.

  “Lord Utopia... Where did this horde come from...?”

  Warlkin addressed Utopia, who was lost in thought. Numerous people, men and women of varying age, had been gathered in this location. Every one of them were skin and bone, and seemed to lack any willpower to protest. They seemed too drained to even take a step, their eyes devoid of any spirit. Warlkin felt something ominous about those eyes.

  “No need for concern. I am giving them salvation.”

  “...Salvation...?”

  Warlkin turned to Utopia inquisitively. He seemed rather strange to Warlkin recently. Before, he had always acted with the confidence and guidance of the great leader that he was. Lately, he had been on edge, raising his voice even over trivial matters.

  “Just as happiness comes in many forms, so too does salvation.”

  Warlkin couldn’t help but internally sigh at the riddling reply. Utopia had no intention of giving a straight answer. Many Satanists had died in the last battle, and many of them didn’t get along with Warlkin. While most of them were hot-blooded, he was the odd man out, always the type to construct logical steps to achieve a plan. While everyone around him clamored for death and destruction, he alone had calculated a meticulous plan and ambushed the Holy Maidens before using Tartarus. In fact, he had them cornered. While his scheme ended in a failure, it was only due to the unexpected Zero. There was nothing wrong with his plan itself, and yet all Warlkin had to show for it was a reputation as a coward. The Satanists had a custom, like many isolated groups throughout history, that shamed survival without victory. They found beauty in a warrior’s death.

  (Stupid... What good would I be dead...?)

  Since Warlkin had the ideals to better his country at his core, he didn’t subscribe to this belief. Once his life would end, so would his patriotism.

  (Where is this nation headed to...?)

  Warlkin pondered, looking up at the throne.

  ——Dona Dona’s manor

  Azur opened the door and twisted his handsome face ever so slightly. Inside, a hulk of a man was straddling a little girl, pummeling her body as hard as he could. Every part of the girl’s face and body was bruised and bloated from internal bleeding. At a glance, she only looked like a bag stuffed with meat.

  “Milligan, you’ve captured another girl from the slums?”

  “Don’t glare at me like that. I’m just goofing around.”

  The girl had been long dead, but the man didn’t seem to pay mind to that fact as he continued bludgeoning her body.

  “It will hurt our lord’s reputation. I’ve told you before.”

  “Don’t be such a square. Your precious Lord Dona gets more toys than anyone.”

  The man’s name was Milligan. He was one of Dona’s long-time mercenaries. While Azur ranked above him, he didn’t have to answer to Azur. Dona liked Milligan’s wildness, and let him do as he pleased. Perhaps he liked to have a rabid dog around for protection.

  “Orders from our lord. You are to head to the village of Rabbi and research...”

  “Hey! I finally get a chance to play with some Bunnies, huh!? Hell yeah!”

  “Milligan. I said, ‘research.’”

  “Tsk... A-All right. Cool it with the eyes, man.”

  After Milligan exited the room, Azur rang a bell for the man-servants of the manor. He couldn’t have any of the female servants witness such a scene.

  “Bury her, please. With reverence.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The servants seemed to be accustomed to this chore. They quickly wrapped the girl’s corpse in a black cloth before carrying it out of the manor. Their expressions lacked any real emotion, as they must have concealed it all to earn their living. In actuality, working in this manor brought in good money. They all started out giddy of their good pay, but eventually their enthusiasm would dampen, and over time, they all became expressionless. Azur would have described it as a faceless manor filled with gold.

  (Not that I have a face to speak of...)

  Azur twisted his lips with a sense of self-deprecation as he contemplated the village of Rabbi, where a man who called himself the Demon Lord lived. For some reason, the man had traveled north beyond the border. Azur’s master, Dona, was quick to react. While contacting the Demon Lord was forbidden by the Holy Maidens, Dona came up with the childish excuse that, as long as the Demon Lord was absent, he was free to search the village. Although, no one could stop him from acting upon childish instinct and logic. The only thing keeping him from crossing the line entirely was White. A sense of foreboding flashed over Azur.

  (There might even be a secret order to steal the music box from the village if it’s there...)

  Azur could tell that it was excruciatingly humiliating for Dona to have that music box slip out of his clutches. Each day and night since the auction, Dona had been cursing Buttersauce. One might have wondered why Dona didn’t bet, say, 100 gold medallions if he wanted the item so badly. But this is where the prideful nature of nobles came into play. The elegance of winning by a small margin through a one-time psychol
ogical battle was the only form of noble victory. If Dona had written something like ‘100 gold medallions’ on that sheet, the room would have rolled their eyes at him. He would only be left with some nasty comments by those in the room, not respect.

  “Milligan... There’s no way he’s not going to make a mess out of this.”

  While Azur acknowledged this, he had no way of stopping him. Milligan was one of Dona’s own projects, and owed no loyalty to anyone else. All Azur could do was pray for the mess to be a small one. Of course, life wouldn’t prove to be that easy... In the village of Rabbi, there was a man trusted by the Demon Lord and a terror-inflicting witch, after all.

  Rookie

  ——Near the borders of the Republic of Edogawa.

  The carriage carrying the Demon Lord was approaching its destination: the most bustling city in the Republic of Edogawa. It was located in the southwestern region of the Northern Nations, neighboring Animania across a mountain range.

  “Is that really what this country is called...?”

  “Sounds kind of historical, doesn’t it? Why do you complain so much?”

  The name “Edogawa” reminded the Demon Lord of a certain child-detective, but he doubted that Mikan would understand.

  “What’s the town called? It’s not ‘Conantown’ or ‘Case Closed City’ or something, is it?”

  “...The town of Rookie. That’s where the Bastille Dungeon is.”

  “Rookie, huh? So it’s a town full of noobs.”

  “...Very perceptive, Mister Fox.”

  Since Yukikaze gave a round of applause for him, the Demon Lord struck a pose staring out of the carriage.

  “You idiot,” Mikan mumbled as she tossed a piece of candy into her mouth.

  As much as she complained, it seemed that she enjoyed the sweetness of the candy.

  “Wh-What, is this!? It’s spicy!? My throat feels breezy!”

  “Hm, it seems you got the menthot flavor. Menthol, I mean.”

  “...Now you’re easy and breezy, Mikan.”

  “Hey, you want me to just go? I think I’ll just go!”

  After calming Mikan down enough so she wouldn’t leave the party, the Demon Lord asked a few questions about the town of Rookie. According to the two adventurers, the name of Rookie was born out of the Bastille Dungeon. It originally had a different name, before it was renamed due to all of the rookie adventurers gathering at the dungeon.

  “Bastille, hm? That doesn’t sound like much fun.”

  “...Deep down in the dungeon, there is a prison-like structure.”

  “Oh. So it used to be a facility to keep something contained?”

  “...I don’t know. A prison of love?”

  “There’s something wrong with your verbal cortex.”

  Then the Demon Lord continued his questions. He wasn’t usually such a detail-oriented type, but he made sure to find out as much as he could about any information he deemed necessary. He was the type of person to never clean his room, but cleaned it meticulously during spring cleaning.

  How were so many things still found in the dungeon? Why didn’t the dungeon run out of items? Where were the monsters in the dungeon coming from? Why haven’t those monsters been hunted to extinction? Did monsters procreate? In a sense, all of the Demon Lord’s questions were rudimentary, yet neither Yukikaze nor Mikan could answer them, as they hadn’t even considered these questions before. For people born in this world, these things were only natural and nothing seemed strange about them. Just like no one in modern times would question a power line along the streets. On the other hand, if someone from this world were to see such a thing, they would have a million questions to ask about the power lines, the poles that held them, and so much more.

  “...Do you prefer to be a warden?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “...Or a prisoner of the dungeon, Mister Fox?”

  “Neither. I don’t enjoy confinement, one way or the other.”

  “...So cool, Mister Fox.”

  Yukikaze stared at the Demon Lord with rosy cheeks. Of course, the Demon Lord didn’t say anything special, but his appearance, coupled with his attitude, somehow gave reverence to everything he said. Giving them a side-eye, Mikan sipped on her water with a frown on her face. The menthol flavor didn’t seem to have left her mouth yet.

  “Don’t enjoy confinement, my butt. You’re already confining me.”

  “...Mikan likes to be tied up. Candle wax too.”

  “Hm... I’m not one to judge anyone’s kinks, but be careful out there.”

  “I can’t stand these people anymore!”

  ——The town of Rookie.

  “This town’s pretty developed,” the Demon Lord said cheerfully.

  The opposite reaction from the one he had upon seeing Aku’s village or the village of Rabbi for the first time. He didn’t dislike bustling towns, but he didn’t mind the solemn air found in places like temples, either. In short, he wanted it all.

  As expected, people walking the streets of the town looked to be adventurers. Some carried swords, others looked like stereotypical mages, and some were transporting large luggage on the backs of camel-like animals.

  (A lot more civilians than I imagined. Making money off the adventurers, I guess.)

  In a town full of adventurers, specialized businesses emerged to serve them. In addition to food and drink, they needed tool shops and inns, as well as demanded bars and brothels.

  (I’ve heard that, throughout history, towns naturally formed around military bases.)

  The Demon Lord wasn’t wrong. A military base signified thousands of potential customers. A business opportunity not to be missed.

  “Adventurers, merchants... and a decent number of wealthy-looking people.”

  “All this country’s got is the dungeon. No one’s stupid enough to invade it when Animania’s next door.”

  “Hm... A clever moat of sorts.”

  “Something like that. A lot of wealthy people evacuate here during war season. Just so you know, I’m not talking to you. I’m just talking to myself.”

  Seeing Mikan talk while looking the other way, the Demon Lord couldn’t help but chuckle. For all of her complaining, she had a kind nature.

  “I do thank you. I like people who can compensate for my shortcomings or do things that I can’t.”

  “I don’t want you to like me. Again, just talking to myself.”

  “Unfortunate. I wanted to invite you to my salt and tangerine bath as a token of my gratitude.”

  “What could that be!? ... Talking to myself, of course...”

  Mikan couldn’t help but now turn to look back at the Demon Lord. She loved the fruit that was her namesake. Yukikaze then uttered an icy comment:

  “...Mikan likes playing with herself.”

  “Shut up, Yukikaze!”

  “...By ‘playing with herself,’ I mean...hrm!”

  Mikan covered Yukikaze’s mouth to force it shut. Her bronze skin contrasted against Yukikaze’s alabaster skin, making the already bizarre scene into a spectacle. As he listened in to them with one ear, the Demon Lord carefully surveyed the passing people and his surroundings. While part of this was so he could come back with Quick Travel, he just wanted to cherish the things he saw with his own eyes.

  He made sure to fully swallow everything he was told, too, before processing it through his own internal filter and storing it into his memory bank. While this might have seemed like an ordinary process, the Demon Lord did it for every single piece of information he received. For others, that was surely extraordinary. That’s how Akira Ono was able to create his own world over the course of fifteen years — extraordinary willpower and solitude. Creating a world, finishing it, and vanishing it all on his own. He was sort of a god, dictator, and Demon Lord in that way.

  “Room’s not bad for the low rate...”

  Poking around the room, the Demon Lord ran his hand along the wall. It looked like the walls were made out of some sort of
dirt, but they felt very hard to the touch, so they must have been cemented with Earth magic. Depending on the power level of the spell’s caster, it could temper dirt as hard as concrete. Since many of the rookies that gathered at this town would drink and brawl, even a cheap inn had to be of sound structure. Down to every door and chair, things were extremely well made.

  “...Why here, Mister Fox? If you don’t have money, I can be the breadwinner.”

  “I’m not ready to be a housewife. It’s all part of the experience... It’s something I can only do now.”

  In fact, the Demon Lord was not short on funds at all. He had sold the Holy Coin of Ramd (that Yu acquired) for a whopping 120 gold medallions. While he left 110 of them with Tahara, he was still holding onto ten of them. In this world, that was a small fortune. When he had Aku, Luna, or Tron in tow, he couldn’t casually stay at a cheap inn out of safety concerns. When he had his advisors with him, he would have to rent a good room to keep up appearances. Things like this he could only do on a solo mission.

  “...I’ll support you from now on, Mister Fox. Three square meals and a nap. I will serve you day and night.”

  “You’re a freeloader creating machine, aren’t you?”

  “...You can sleep in all day, Mister Fox. I’ll take it all in at night.”

  “More like a waste-of-space creating machine...”

  Frowning, the Demon Lord tied his hair up. Ever since his encounter with White, he often used some sort of hair tie to bunch up his hair while winding down. The pre-Demon Lord Akira Ono never had long hair, so this took some time to adjust to.

  “...Don’t you ever want a haircut, Mister Fox?”

  “It was a feature I really liked.”

  “...A feature?”

  “Never mind.”

  “...But I like your hair up, too. You’re handsome, Mister Fox.”

  Standing on her tippy toes, Yukikaze touched his hair with both hands. In her eyes, the Demon Lord’s black hair had a very exotic allure. In fact, no one in this world had pitch-black hair. Everything about the Demon Lord — his outfit, onyx eyes, and jet-black hair — exuded a foreign aura... to say nothing of his overwhelming power. In this world rich with non-human species, humans were not exactly at the top of the food chain. In many senses of the word, humans fell prey to other species, save for a few exceptional cases. In this world, strength was justice, suavity, and power. It was only natural that the Demon Lord was particularly popular among adventurers, who prioritized strength above all else.