Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3

by Kurone Kanzaki

  (That Demon Lord will eventually take this country and the entire continent by storm...)

  The Madame had no objection to that. In fact, she fully supported his efforts. As far back as she could remember, the Madame had always cursed the body she was born with, and prayed to the Angel to change it. Her dire prayers were never once answered, until the Demon Lord, someone darker than the void, had vanquished her destiny. His deep voice replayed in her ears.

  (Welcome... to my world.)

  Every time it did, the Madame was electrified from her head to toe, from fear of the unknown. Still, his voice carried a mystical reverberation that convinced the Madame that she would be guided through to the end.

  (That Demon Lord is my angel...)

  According to legend, the Demon Lord was an extremely fearsome existence. Oddly enough, the moniker of the fallen angel Lucifer (who was said to rebel against the Great Light in the days of old) was ‘the Demon Lord.’ The Madame couldn’t help but imagine the fallen angel when she saw him undauntedly exclaim that he made everything he said a reality. She was confident that the Demon Lord she knew would have no problem defying the heavens. In fact, he would surely grab the heavens by its throat, pin it to the ground, and try to bend it into submission.

  (An angel and Demon lord, all at once. I could search the whole world and not find anyone else like him...)

  The Madame sank into her tub as she imagined such things. The fragrance of the forest quietly overtook her. She relished the sensation of lying in a tub of hot water in the middle of the woods.

  ——Construction site in the village of Rabbi.

  “Good thing these constructions are going on.”

  “We barely get by during war season...”

  Still in Stealth Stance, Tahara was walking around the village. While most of the workers were full-time carpenters and construction workers, there were quite a few adventurers among them, too. Their physical strength and vitality was well-suited for manual labor, and their pay from the village was five bronze medallions. With the current market, it was a sweet deal for them to earn that much without risking their lives. Of course, the full-time carpenters specialized in this kind of work made at least double that. It was only natural that there was a pay gap between meatheads and professionals who had spent years honing their technique. Perhaps, in any world, the smart way to live was to hold down a day job and gain experience and technique in that field.

  In that sense, adventuring was the polar opposite of a typical day job. Since no adventurer would dungeon-crawl alone, each day’s loot had to be divvied out, which made the job even more unstable. Dungeon-crawling with a twenty-man team, for example, would be much less dangerous than going with a smaller party, but the expected pay in that case would never put enough food on the table for everyone. As a result, most of them took on dungeons in teams of two to four, since that provided a reasonable balance of safety and share of loot. Many rookies had died charging into a dungeon alone, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear of a few adventurers getting cocky and going down with a team too small, only to never return.

  “The public bath here is amazing!”

  “You said it. I almost want to move here just for it...”

  “They’re not going to make an inn, huh?”

  As he listened in on people’s conversations, Tahara checked the progress of construction in detail. He had paid particular attention to the road that was to be the backbone of the village. He had it paved with good-quality stone and repeatedly coated with magic to make sure it would never crack. This was because he was sure that many carriages would be going back and forth on it.

  (I better increase the number of shuttle carriages...)

  As the adventurers pointed out, the village had no inns. Workers were shuttled in via carriages from the Holy City and Yahooo. They were living ads, too. To spread word of mouth, Tahara had to have the workers return to their cities each day. They would return to their cities and tell stories of the public bath, say that there were jobs available in the village of Rabbi, and talk about the mysterious large-scale construction taking place. Ordinarily, this would come across sketchy if it wasn’t for Luna being in charge of the village and the construction. With her authority alone, the project suddenly became a public development. Just like the reliable image of Uncle Sam, this provided the workers with peace of mind.

  (Speaking of the Holy Maiden...)

  Tahara arrived at the Bunnies’ residential area to find Luna standing atop a wooden box, looking self-important. They were in the process of moving the farms to this area, but a much better soil was being used. It wasn’t any ordinary soil, but a very nutritious soil that was called ‘Something Reddish Brown.’ They further mixed in plenty of the Empire’s fertilizer. Any crop would spring up in this soil.

  (I’d love to grow all sorts of vegetables, to be honest...)

  Tahara would have preferred to go wide in the market by selling things like cabbages, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, radishes, and onions alongside the carrots, but the carrots were by far the most popular crop on the market. Since only Bunnies could successfully grow them, they had a complete monopoly. As a result, Tahara was forced to reach the conclusion that growing carrots was the most profitable course of action.

  “Make some elegant carrots worthy of my name!”

  “...How’s a crop supposed to be elegant?”

  “Ahh! Don’t pop out of nowhere like that! You stalker!”

  “Why would I ever stalk you, little girl...?”

  Lighting his cigarette, Tahara watched the Bunnies happily at work. He had been alternating the farming team and facility-worker team at the moment, but planned to eventually assign each Bunnie permanently according to aptitude and preference.

  “We can probably make the farm even bigger... Impressive work,” Tahara mumbled as he blew out smoke.

  The Bunnies were much too productive for their numbers. ‘Having a knack for farm work’ would have been an understatement.

  (I bet the earth and the crops love the Bunnies as much they love them back...)

  That was a conclusion only Tahara could reach, as someone who was unconditionally loved by all firearms. During the Game, pointing a gun at this man was a terrible idea. Guns would frequently jam, causing the attack to miss. Worst case, the gun would misfire and destroy itself. Considering that the mainstream weapon of the Game could not be used against him, Tahara was the most troublesome enemy out there. While he was somehow popular among female players, he would always be jeered at by the male players with comments like: ‘Sister-lover!’ ‘Look at that annoying face!’ or ‘Just die, already!’

  “S-So... When’s he coming back?”

  “Hm?”

  “Y-You know! W-When is he...!?”

  “Oh, Mister Secretary? Jeesh, you and Yu...”

  Tahara shook his head, exasperated. His boss was a chick magnet, as always. Even in Tahara’s original world, the Demon Lord was one of, if not the, most famous person in the entire world. As the host and master of the Game, he frequently appeared on TV, occupying every single screen in the world by himself. Movie stars had nothing on him, while the viewers mostly felt hatred for him instead of adoration.

  (I mean, I guess people knew our names and faces, too...)

  By the same accord, the advisors of the Sleepless Castle were also celebrities. They had special programs aired on TV, so everyone knew their names. Each of them had an astronomical bounty on their head, enough for one to spend ten lives in the lap of luxury. All Tahara really had to do was watch people of this world not have a particular reaction upon seeing him to be confident that he really was in an alternate world.

  (I remember the secretary had some fanatic fans...)

  As it probably was the case with many TV-popular celebrities, there existed a fanatic fan club in support of Hakuto Kunai, called The Nine (since the name Kunai started with the Japanese Kanji that meant ‘9’). They would wear various hats, arm bands, and accessories decorated with
variations of the number 9. Throughout history, no matter how despicable or criminal that person was, there had often been groups that treated those notorious figures like ordinary celebrities. Akira Ono had written that backstory to add a bit of dark humor, which of course, became a reality in the Empire’s world.

  “I guess you’re one of The Nine, little girl...”

  “Nine?”

  “Never mind that. I’ll just tell him you miss him.”

  “W-W-Who’s missing who, exactly!? I couldn’t care less if he never came back!”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Tahara brushed her off as he walked further into the commoners’ area.

  The Advisors

  (Alright, these commoners got it right.)

  Tahara nodded in satisfaction as he looked around at the numerous standing bars and food stalls. This area housed the public bath in its farthest corner, and these pop-up businesses tightly lined the road leading to the bathhouse. At night, the area lit up as bright as a Japanese summertime festival.

  Most restaurants and shops in these parts were simple structures with simple merchandise. It’s also worth noting that there was no rent for any establishment built in this area — any revenue went directly into the seller’s pockets. In exchange, Tahara had warned them, any unpopular establishment would be cycled out without mercy. Only keeping popular businesses would lead to the overall quality of the district improving. He didn’t expect any monetary revenue from this area, however; only more people and energy in the village.

  “Tron, they have skewered Raging Chickens over there!”

  “I want to eat them!”

  He noticed Aku and Tron happily touring around the food stands, and couldn’t help but wonder... What was Aku’s deal?

  (Tron, I get.)

  She had incredible physical strength and the mysterious power of seeing people in colors. Tahara could see how those talents could be appealing to the Secretary and worthy of an invitation. Tahara saw it as the Secretary’s nature and duty to hoard anyone with the right talent, no matter how hardened a criminal they may be. But, as far as Tahara could tell... Aku had no such talent.

  (She’s just some kid... Or is there something about her that I’m not seeing?)

  Tahara didn’t understand. In fact, Hakuto Kunai would never have given Aku a second glance. That’s why this was so confusing for Tahara, who had no idea that Akira Ono was inhabiting Kunai’s body. Anyone less than omniscient would not have reached the conclusion that Hakuto Kunai kept Aku around because the Akira Ono inside of him had a fondness for her.

  (Either way, she’s our precious cargo.)

  If Tahara had to choose one person to protect in this village, he would have chosen Aku without hesitation... even at the cost of anyone else’s life.

  (She’s not like Ren or Akane, either...)

  Hakuto Kunai was fond of the gifted, even if they were still children. He invited anyone whose talents he admired to the Sleepless Castle and granted them appropriate status. Tahara couldn’t help but think that there must be something extraordinary about Aku.

  (I mean, she’s not a bad kid. Guess I’ll think of her as ‘the Secretary’s fave’ for now.)

  Tahara headed to the field hospital. In the witch’s lair, there was already a huge line of patients, most of them suffering in poverty. After Tahara had run carriages to neighboring towns and villages advertising cheap medical care, the place was packed.

  “I haven’t had a headache since I took that medicine...”

  “My bruise doesn’t hurt anymore since I put that Salonpass on it...!”

  “Doctor Yu... She’s too beautiful...”

  “She only has to touch me to...”

  While they were still few in number, there were some nobles there through their connection with the Madame. Everyone who had been treated had been spreading rumors that Yu was a goddess of healing. Surely, her name would soon spread through Holylight.

  “Her beauty reminds me of the moon!”

  “The moon’s reflection on quiet water, perhaps.”

  “But that building was amazing... It showcases the wealth and power of the Demon Lord the Madame was talking about.”

  “Who gives a crap about the building!? At my old age, I’ve fallen in love all over again...!”

  For the most part, the hospital was well-received. While the reasonably priced and flawless treatments played a part, Yu’s beauty seemed to grab hold of peoples’ hearts more than anything. For Tahara, who knew how she was on the inside, it wasn’t funny. But for the patients, she appeared to be a goddess of salvation. In fact, Yu had used her various medicines to faithfully heal these people. Well, she was treating them... but for her, each day was filled with experimentation, new discoveries, and joy. In addition to prescribing medicine, Yu also performed surgeries. The silver lining was that the patients were not able to see Yu’s face as they were put under anesthetics.

  (I bet every day has been like a dream for Yu...)

  Guinea pigs formed lines out the door to come see her each and every day. She must have been ecstatic. Of course, she did properly heal everybody, so no one was losing here.

  (I don’t care if I get the flu, I’m never stepping foot in here...)

  Just imagining it sent shivers down Tahara’s spine. It almost felt like she would toy with his brain, not just his body... In fact, she could.

  (I guess it’s time to take care of the other thing now...)

  ——Outside the village of Rabbi.

  That night, Milligan was hiding in a bush a slight distance away, intently watching the village of Rabbi. The village was nothing like the desolate village he had remembered; it felt like he was daydreaming. The run-down place was transforming into something. What it was, he didn’t know. Milligan was a skilled mercenary and a formidable force on the battlefield, but nothing more. From the outside, he was just a rabid dog getting off on thrashing his violent tendencies against those weaker than him.

  (I don’t know what’s going on, but I can still snatch a couple of little Bunnies.)

  He lusted over young girls. The only moments he really felt alive were when he was beating and breaking those girls, treating them as if they were toys as they begged for their parents. He lived solely for this hobby now. Even for him, though, a Bunnie girl would be a first. Because there were many legends left behind that the Bunnies were adored by the Wise Angel, they were respected yet kept at a distance. But he was finally given the green light by Dona, his boss.

  When Milligan took a step forward in ecstatic excitement, a drawling voice interrupted him. A weirdly nonchalant voice that almost made the listener feel laid back too.

  “Hey, brother. Where’re you headed?”

  “...Hm?”

  Milligan turned toward the voice to find a man lying down on a board atop the village fence. Judging by the weird metal rod in his hand, Milligan pegged him to be a guard. He almost burst out laughing — he had encountered many guards in his life, but had never met someone that seemed so unmotivated. A guard laying down on the job? It would be more useful to put up a scarecrow.

  “I mean, I already know the answer. But like, formalities, you know?”

  “Sorry to bother you so late.”

  Milligan thought it best to manipulate this idiot into bringing him into the village rather than killing him outright. What he didn’t know was that this particular “idiot” was aiming his sniper rifle at the intruder, poised to kill... he also didn’t know that no one could escape that bullet now.

  “Got lost in the dark. Hate to impose, but...”

  “Sure.”

  Pop. Milligan heard a sound he had never heard before. In that instant, his right leg was blown clean off, knocking him down on his side. Milligan lost consciousness from the shock, but soon regained it from the pain. He tried to scream, but couldn’t find his voice. Yu, standing behind him, had injected something into his body.

  “Hey, Tahara! Don’t damage my sample!”

  “You’re
just gonna tear it apart and put it back together... Same diff.”

  “You can’t just willy-nilly... You have no clue as to the proper treatment of guinea pigs!”

  “Why would I want to know that?”

  Listening to this conversation, Milligan desperately moved his hands and managed to sound the alarm using a precious magical item that sent a beam of light to a distant location. But there was no sign of the back-up Milligan had thought he’d brought.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Your little friends are in here.”

  Yu opened her Backup Backpack with a smile and showed the contents to Milligan. Upon witnessing what the warped, white space inside the bag held, Milligan silently screamed. All of his men were in there, entangled with each other in eldritch shapes. Not only were they bleeding from countless places, their hands and necks bent in ways they weren’t supposed to, and there were plants with ominous fangs and needles growing around them, as if to suck their blood.

  “N-No, please... It’s true, I was just lost...”

  Tears flowing down his face, Milligan desperately pleaded his innocence. Realizing that his missing leg no longer hurt only amplified his terror. Yu’s expression remained unchanged, though. If anything, her smile only widened. Milligan turned to Tahara with a dire expression, looking for a saving hand. He was only met with an ordinary expression, as if he was merely discussing what to have for dinner.

  “You’ve been peeping at our village since day time.”

  “N-No... I was, lost...”

  “Oh yeah? Tron, what’s your verdict?”

  “He’s lying. Guilty.”

  “Right? My gut’s telling me that he’s a piece of shit even flies won’t eat.”

  Tron had appeared out of nowhere, joining in the fun. Even if Tahara had (impossibly) believed Milligan, Yu never would have. He was as good as dead.

  “Now, let’s begin... You’ll be a part of our very important soil.”